Unique company, opportunity & $50 gift certificate giveaway

I am thankful for the many things that I have collected as a military child and military spouse from the many countries that we have lived ....or for the gifts from my dad, husband and brother whenever they had deployed with the military ...or for the gifts our children have picked up on their travels.

Places such as Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Germany, Poland, Turkey, China, Honduras, Holland, Portugal, Spain, Egypt, Iraq...

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This week, I was introduced to & would like to share with you:

 a Unique website. 

After Ricky from NOVICA contacted me with information of "one of the leading fair trade artisans websites", I wanted to take a look first to see what it was all about.  

This collage I made are of just a few of the many amazing pieces I really liked on NOVICA.

batik scarf created by Mayda of Bali ~ Sterling silver pearl earrings created by Buana of Bali ~ 3 colorful woven boxes created by Wayan Genep of Bali

Hand blown glasses by Javier & Efren of Mexico ~ Kashmiri chainstitched rug by Sajad of India ~ Cotton Hammock, "Manaus Majesty by the women pf Ceara, Brazil

Ceramic vase, "Sowing Fields" by the Huaman Paucar family of the Andes ~ watercolor painting "Girl with Bucket" created by Carlos Morales of the Andes ~ Sterling silver cuff bracelt created by Ploy Intha of Thailand

Unique Fair Trade Artisan website:

NOVICA

So many beautiful handcrafted items created by artisans from various countries 

around the world.

(image taken from NOVICA website)  

& I loved reading the stories of the artisans that are featured. Some of them are the sole bread winners for their families.

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& for any of you interested...

a Unique opportunity:

Be a Consultant!

(image taken from NOVICA website)

As a consultant, "...getting in early is a big opportunity in direct sales. ..a lot of promotions going on for...early consultants, including anyone that becomes a 

Director this year will go to Bali next year."

For more information on how to be a consultant, please go here: Novica Live

And if you become a consultant, please be sure to let them know you heard about NOVICA from my blog. Thank you so much!

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& a Unique Giveaway:

$50 gift certificate

NOVICA also gave me $100 to use as I choose on NOVICA's great website. So I am looking forward to using $50 and also give away a $50 gift certificate for one of my blog readers to shop and use towards any of their many beautiful items on their website.

Giveaway ends midnight September 29, 2011. And winner will be announced on September 30th.

Here are the ways to enter:

Mandatory entry & in one comment for Entry #1: 

Please go to at least three of the following 5 sites and let me know an item from each of the three that strikes your fancy :o) 

 Accessories

Men's walking sticks

Men's accessories

Men's scarves

Men's sterling silver cufflinks

Novica has items from jewelry to home decor, so be sure to peek around at all they have to offer.

 & for more chances to win...These are additional entries (if you choose to enter with these additional entries, please leave separate comments for each and your email address):

Entry #2  Follow my blog

Entry #3  Follow my facebook art page, by "liking" it :o)

Entry #4  Post about this on your blog and let me know which post, so I can visit.

Thank you for stopping by and entering. I've only done a couple of reviews before, and I really have been so pleased with those, as well as the opportunity to share this Unique company today.

Joining in

...Free Pretty Things For You's Whatever You Want Wednesday.

...with Jenny's  Alphabe-Thursday's "U" 

..with Mel for Fancy Friday Blog hop.

...with Maria and Nicole for http://www.mariashandmadelove.com/2011/09/circle-of-friends-weekend-blog-hop-4.html#more

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One last thing, I usually post something about my family or the things in my neck of the woods, so that you can get a glimpse behind the art that I do...this week, I am not, but as always, I try to share some past art orders on every post. If you are new to my blog, every drawing that I do is drawn entirely with an individual's name.

These are a few landmarks from various countries.

This is the Arc de Triomphe. An order for a customer's daughter-in-law who loved this structure when she visited France.

This was from a windmill in the Netherlands. This was drawn for a customer for someone that became a dear friend of theirs while stationed in the Netherlands.

This is the Neuschwanstein castle in  Schwangau, Germany.  This was ordered for a son who also was intrigued by this beautiful castle when visiting it years ago.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop and comment. All the best to those that wish to participate in this Unique giveaway :o)

R is for Review, Recipe, & Remembering...

I was so excited for the opportunity to Review a product for CSN! 

I am enjoying Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday meme

And this Review coincides so perfectly with the letter this week..."R".

First, let me share a few things about my experience with CSN...

---CSN has an amazing line up of products! (Whew! It was sooo hard to decide what to review!)

---I have purchased other items, since first hearing about CSN. (...and I am very pleased with what I have gotten so far.)

---One of the first items from CSN was through a wonderful giveaway that I had won. I had a little difficulty with the code (more likely, it was due to my computer-geniousness...um...more like my lack of...)   

...anyways...well...CSN's customer service was awesome! (I actually got to speak with a real-live human being...not a computer prompt!) ...and my problem was quickly resolved.

---and fast, fast, fast! Did I say fast? Each item came incredibly fast!

...so, here (on a bright and sunny day...yay, for a sunny day) is what was delivered at my front door...

I ordered it on Sat-Jan 22nd.

...it was shipped out on Tues-Jan 25th.

...and I got it on Friday-Jan 28th!

(It took longer trying to decide what I wanted than it took to arrive. haha)

 It was like opening up an unexpected surprise! 

Can you guess what it is?

It didnt seem like it had lots of protective packaging...but it arrived safe and sound, in perfect condition.

Do you know what it is yet?

 It's the Nesco / American Harvest Square Dehydrator.

(Oh! If my Handsome Mister Safety man was home when I took these photos, you would not have seen the packaging to the far left - that was partly on my stove top!!! oops! :o) 

& another surprise: I lifted the bottom rack and found:

 ...it came with this recipe & instruction booklet and spices.

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My mom would send us jerky (along with lots of other home-made goodies), no matter where we were stationed in the military.

And for one of our anniversaries, my parents bought us a dehydrator. I used the same one for years and years...but this past Christmas break, I realized that the second batch of jerkey seemed to take longer.  I had made the jerkey for our daughter (Girly~Whirly) and son (Heartbreaker) to take back to college with them.

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I couldn't wait to try it out.

...so my hubby bought a rump roast that Friday.

& the next day, I marinated it for about 10 hours in the fridge.

I didnt use the packet of seasonings that came with the dehydrator, but used my mom's Jerky Recipe.

These are approximate measurements, cuz my mom was a wonderful "to-taste" kinda cook. 

(Oh, How I wish that she was still alive and I could give her a quick call about her recipes, and everything else!  ...and just to hear her sweet voice!)

My mom's Jerky marinade Recipe:

2.5 lbs of roast (sliced thinly)

1.5 cups shoyu (Hawaiian pidgen for soy sauce)

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp (or more if you like it hotter) cayenne pepper

1 Tblsp garlic

1tsp (or 2tsp... an estimate) of liquid smoke.

There was a little bit of sound as it dehydrated... 

but overall, it was pretty quiet.

 Our old dehydrator was round, but I like the shape of this one, it seemed easier to lay the meat slices in the square shape.

The only "negative" thing about this dehydrator would be that it only came with 4 drying trays (you can order extras from Nesco).  The 4 trays were perfect for the 2.37 lbs of sliced meat that I had.

The size of the trays were quite large. (I love my kitchen, but in our next home I would love to have a large farmhouse style sink, so that I could put large pieces in to soak). 

(You can also see the "fruit roll" sheet that comes with this dehydrator for making fruit rolls. I placed it on the the very bottom to catch any drips so that clean up was easier.)

And here it is-fits perfectly on the bottom shelf :o)

 I divided the jerky for our 3 kiddoes and my hubby shipped them off with a few of their things for Valentine's :o)

 Happy Valentine's Day! 

& 

...looking forward to our 29th Anniversary this Saturday!

Maybe a dessert stop to the Melting Pot in Savannah!!!

(*hint, hint*)

Although my sweetie is highly trustworthy regarding military affairs, things like...top security clearance, etc... when it comes to surprises like gifts, he can't help but give little hints about something...

So, last night: 

Mr. Hawaiian Hunk(my hubby of almost 29 years! :o) : "So, what's the name of that place you keep mentioning?"

Me: "...oh...what place... (yeah right, I have talked about this for some time, off and on...)...the Melting Pot?"

Mr. Hawaiian Hunk: "Yeah, what time is that place open?"

Me: "...OH! I can find out! (in my head, I'm thinking..."Yes!")

Mr. Hawaiian Hunk: "...well...I was going to surprise you, but since you got it out of me..."

Me: "hahahaha! what? You brought it up!" (He cracks me up! I love him and his "surprises"!)

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(As you may have noticed, I manage to get one post up a week, so some of my posts share a little more than I initially intended).

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Here's a few flashback memories and photos to add, 

as I join in with Alicia's fun Friday Photo Flashback.

When we were stationed in Hawaii. We had 6 year old Girly~Twirly, 3 year old Girly~Whirly and I was pregnant 6 months pregnant with our son Heartbreaker. Pretty much, especially in the first and second trimester of my pregnancy, I could only manage to eat and keep down- Taco Bell bean burritos. Our 8th anniversary dinner was with our little girls at Taco Bell :o)

(I tried to find a photo of that, but it must be with the Rubbermaids of photos waiting to be put into albums!)

so...here is one with all of us and my hubby's parents at the Honolulu airport, when they were going to fly out to visit his mom's dad in California. I guess the girls wore their Mickey Mouse hats to get them ready for Disneyland :o) 

I'm about 4.5 months pregnant...able to still wear regular clothes, since I really wasn't eating anything but those bean burritos.

At my in-law's home in Hilo, Hawaii...after the wonderful surprise baby shower they hosted. I'm about 8 months pregnant. 

Girly~Whirly, me, our nephew, Girly~Twirly, and my Hawaiian Hunk.

It was Easter the same time week that we were with his family. 

I definitely look like I am over my 1st and 2nd trimester of only eating bean burritos!

(Hm...maybe I can blame how huge I look on my tent style dress! haha)

Back at our military home in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii...

9 months pregnant...

This was the night before Heartbreaker was born.

With our Girly~Twirly and Girly~Whirly.

And thank you for stopping by and reading through this long post.  I will be by to return your visit.

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One LAST thing...I try to post past orders on every post.  

I've had lots of past "R" orders, like a Racoon, Rhinoceros, Radiology, Raiders, Radios(antique)... but thought this post was way too long already.

So here are two that begin with the letter "R".  

Thank you to these soldiers for their military service & their families for their support! & Thank you for the families who thought of these as gifts to their loved ones.

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Oh... also...thank you for your kind comments regarding my last post about the Cathedral quilt I am working on. I had a few contact me regarding info on it and asked how I did mine. I have a very dear friend who is an excellent quilter, that showed me how she did hers 8 years ago. If I can do it, any one can do it. It is a matter of taking the time to do. I will share how she showed me in another post...

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*Ok, this truly is the very LAST thing*

--- please do take a peek at my facebook art page and become a "fan" by hitting the like button. I humbly ask for you to help raise my fanbase...so that hopefully others will learn more about the art that I do with names.