Venetian Masks: bring this ancient tradition home

There are a variety of events on my list of things that I'd like to do during my lifetime. Some day maybe I'd like to be in Times Square to see the ball drop on New Year's Eve... as long as I don't have to be a part of standing out there for the entire day to have a spot.

Witnessing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person would be pretty great as well, how cool are those floats and massive balloons? I'd also like to make it down to New Orleans to experience a true Mardi Gras because, from what I've seen, those truly look like a real celebration.

For now, however, it is possible to enjoy the essence of Mardi Gras and the Carnival of Venice at home with the amazing Venetian Masks found at 1001 Venetian Masks.


Founded with the simple goal of sharing the beauty of the ancient tradition of venetian masquerade masks with their customers, 1001 Venetian Masks provides the largest selection of Authentic Venetian Masks, Masquerade Masks and Carnival Masks on the web. With quick delivery and a 100% shipment guarantee policy, you can rest assured that your gorgeous purchase will arrive fast and in perfect condition.

Not knowing much about this subject, I was interested to find out that there are so many different types of Venetian Masks available. From Velvet Masks to Animal Masks to Full Face Venetian Masks, there are so many amazing timeless, hand-crafted pieces that would make a wonderful addition or start to a collection.


So, what do you think? Exotic and exquisite? Or just peculiar and bizarre? Check out 1001 Venetian Masks and decide for yourself!

(Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/3)

Friendly Friday is here!

Hi and welcome to Friendly Friday! As many of you know, Friday Follow ended as of last week. I, along with many of you, had a lot of fun participating in it each week because it was such a good way to find new blogs, and get a lot of great traffic and followers along the way.

Since Friday Follow is no more, Christi at Frugal Novice, Charla at Healthy Home Blog and I have teamed up to create something new for each Friday so that there's still something fun for us to be a part of every week. We wrote Lynn at Midday Escapades and she's wished us the best with this new venture. We hope you'll participate so we can continue to get to know more of the great bloggers that are out there!

We're calling this Friendly Friday, because it's all about making friends in blogville. We'll post the link list each week at 11pm on Thursdays CST. Include your link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect - this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other!

When people comment on your blog and let you know they're a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it's a win-win situation! :) If you'd like to make a Friendly Friday post, you can include our great button from up above (the grab code is right on over in my sidebar) and be ready to meet some great new friends! Making a post can also be helpful because then people visiting your blog have a perfect place to leave comments.

In addition, each week we'll select three blogs at random and will feature links and a write-up for those blogs in the content of next week's Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a wonderful way to highlight some of those each week.

We hope you'll be a part of Friendly Friday and spread the word to your friends! We look forward to getting to know you and provide a great way for bloggers to support each other.

Since this is the first week, we thought we'd let you know a little bit about each of us:

Well hi, I'm Xenia. I apologize right off the bat that your brain is wondering how in the world to pronounce my name, but I'll just blame my mom for wanting me to be unique. Try not to let the X throw you off, it's Za-knee-a, with the stress on the second syllable. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's nice to meet you! Here at Thanks, Mail Carrier, my wonderful husband, 3 and 1-year-old daughters and I love the vrooooom sound the mail truck makes when it heads down our block. Who doesn’t get excited about receiving mail and wouldn‘t like to know what the best products are that they could have their mail carrier deliver right to their door? I love knowing that the information I give to readers helps peak their interest and hopefully aids them in becoming a better consumer and I take a lot of pride in my thorough, honest reviews of items of all kinds. When we're not trying out great new products, my girls and I love to spend time with good friends and fit as much laughter into the day as possible. Stop by anytime and say hello!

Hi, I'm Christi. I'm 28 years old, and have lived in Texas all my life. I'm a Christian and love the church family we've found in our town. I do advertising sales and design, and do a lot of freelance work on the side. I'm married to Brian, a graphic designer, and we have two adorable little boys - J, who will be 3 in August, and C, who turned 1 in April. My other "baby" is our 6-year-old miniature dachshund, Josie. I love spending time with my friends and family, baking, crafty things, shopping (for bargains), and working on fixing up our 1972 house bit by bit. I've had a family blog since 2007 when J was born, but started The Frugal Novice more recently after my mom encouraged me to give it a try. I love blogging and all the friends I've made through the process. I started my blog focusing solely on ways to save money, but quickly decided that if I'm going to write I want it to be about all sorts of different things I love, so it's expanded a little since its start. :)

Hi! I'm Charla, definitely the oldest of the three. In fact, I'm Christi's mom, and I can tell you that it's such a blessing to have a daughter who is also one of my best friends. Here are some things about me: I'm not only a Christian wife, mother of two, mother-in-law, and grandmother to Christi & Brian's two precious little boys, but also a teacher. I taught school in the Texas public school system for 19 years, and this past year I've been doing substitute teaching, hope to get a full time teaching job again in the fall. I was encouraged and motivated by our son (who's a college student) to start blogging back in the summer of 2007, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure, the money helps out, but what I value most is the connection to all my blogger friends. :) My favorite thing to do? Spend time with family!

Now that you know about us, it's time for you to join in! Add your link below and we'll see you back here every Friday!

Winners!

Don't tell all the other kids' shoes companies out there, but I think Eleven Collection and See Kai Run might just be my favorite. They're so well-made and stylish that I really think if they came in large enough sizes, I wouldn't mind sporting a pair myself. The lucky person who will get to outfit their child's feet in these great shoes is...

Congratulations, Rachel C!

My daughters have gotten nothing but compliments every time they wear their Princess Couture Designs hair clips out in public. They're just so cute, not to mention well-made (and affordable) that you can't go wrong. Plus, I love that Michellene is so willing to create custom pieces just for you so the image that you have in your mind for the perfect accessory can easily become reality. The lucky person that will get to shop the great options at Princess Couture Designs is...

Congratulations, julie!

On our recent vacation, we brought along both bottles of KINeSYS Performance Sunscreen that we received and they were great! Using the spray was so much easier than the thick cream that we were used to and it kept my daughters' skin safe and protected from the hot sun in the Bahamas and Orlando. I was definitely satisfied! The lucky person who will be prepared for the summer rays is...

Congratulations, clc408!

Big Sister E and my husband were at the grocery store the other day and the phone rang. I knew it was going to be another of the "Do we have any..." questions, but this time it was different. "Did you want me to buy more of that organic cereal with the chocolate?" Mmm, yes, please! We've tried and loved all of the Cascadian Farm "Live Green Together" goodies and I think they've easily made their way into finding permanent places in our kitchen. The lucky person who will get to taste a variety of yummy cereals and granola bars is...

Congratulations, momznite!

When it comes to amazing beauty products, Votre Vu has them all. Whether you're looking for a gift or just something nice for you, their top-quality products are in a class all of their own. The lucky person who will get to experience a little extra pampering is...

Congratulations, CindyWindy2003!

As always, thanks so much to everyone who entered these great giveaways!

Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush & Toilet Cleaning Gel {Review & Giveaway} Take the yuck out of cleaning the toilet

{This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to those who entered!}

As with most households, my husband and I have our individual chores around the house. He is in charge of emptying and taking out the garbage, snow removal, cleaning the bathrooms and killing bugs. I do the vacuuming, sweeping, mowing the lawn and the laundry.

Every once in a while there is crossover though, right? He'll be out of town and I'll have to bring the garbage out or stop being girly when I see a spider and sometimes if I'm busy and the floor under Little Sister B's high chair is particularly crunchy, my husband will vacuum. What never happens, however, is me cleaning the toilet.

I have to admit it, in the 6 1/2 years that we have lived in this house I have never cleaned the toilets. Never. Can you believe it? They're just the epitome of YUCK for me and that is one job that I have always left for my husband to do. I know, I'm lacking in the housewife department, but that's just the way it is.

So, you can imagine my husband's outright surprise when he found ME in the bathroom cleaning the toilet thanks to the Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush 2-in-1.


The Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush 2-in-1 Starter Kit comes complete with everything you need to clean away any tough stains or quick touch-ups, all without ever having to actually touch anything more than the handle. Not only that, the assembly and use is simple enough that even someone like me who will do anything to avoid toilet cleaning won't be scared away.

After sliding the two pieces of the durable 19" handle together, all I had to do was use one button to "grab" a cleaning pad and I was ready to start scrubbing. I really liked the long length of the handle because it meant that I could keep my distance from the toilet itself while using the curved end to still easily get under the rim.

In terms of cleaning, the Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush Toilet Cleaning System does a great job! Depending on whether or not you need to do a full cleaning or a quicker touch-up, there are different types of cleaning pads to use for your convenience. The Max Pads with Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaner resemble a sponge and work well for tough stains and thorough cleanings that are done less often.

In between, Scrubbing Bubbles has come up with Flushable Pads with Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaner that are attached for faster, get-rid-of-germs-quick, more often uses. Although I'm a long way from doing daily cleanings of my toilet, I do like how easy it is to pop one of these pads on the handle, run it over everywhere and be done in moments.

After disposing of your cleaning pad (again without having to touch it), hang the Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush 2-in-1 handle on its included storage hook right on the side of your toilet so that it will be ready and waiting for next time. Simple! But, to make things even easier for me, I also really liked using the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel.


Once your toilet is clean, this handy item helps to keep it that way by "stamping" a gel disc under the toilet bowl rim and dispensing its cleaning power with every flush. Each time the water runs by, a small amount of the concentrated gel dissolves, circulates around the bowl and cleans the surface.

Now this is my type of product. All I need to do is apply this once a week and the toilet will clean itself for me? Sounds great! I really liked not having to touch any chemicals or drop anything into the toilet tank, as the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel discs cling right to the toilet without any problem. Plus, the fresh scent was an added bonus each time I walked into the bathroom to go along with my pride in having actually cleaned it myself.

Is it time to make cleaning your toilet a little easier? Look for these and other great Scrubbing Bubbles products in your supermarket, drugstore or mass-merchandise store. Plus, for a limited time, visit Right@Home to print a coupon that allows you to receive a Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush 2-in-1 Starter Kit or Refill for free with the purchase of one Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel. That's up to a $7 value! Along with that, one person will take the yuck out of cleaning their toilet, because...

One lucky person will win a Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush 2-in-1 Starter Kit and Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel!

To enter to win: Tell me what room or item in your house you avoid cleaning the most and why.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you tell me one of the other Scrubbing Bubbles products that you would like to try.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Take the YUCK out of cleaning the toilet by winning a Scrubbing Bubbles prize pack @thxmailcarrier! http://bit.ly/dkU6Ms #win #giveaway

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect (see sidebar), subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or Like me on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and Scrubbing Bubbles. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on June 10th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to SC Johnson for providing Scrubbing Bubbles products for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.