Win an adorable dress in your size from Shabby Apple!

Bali Ha'i' dress

With holiday party season upon us, it is the perfect time to get a new dress! And I hope I can help you do that. The fine folks at Shabby Apple contacted me to offer the readers of Consume or Consumed another chance to win an adorable multi-season dress in your size! If you aren't familiar with the boutique, Shabby Apple carries women's dresses and other products that feature unique feminine details, drawing inspiration from vintage styles.

What drew me to this particular dress, called Bali Ha'i', was that the shape could flatter many figures and different body types. Purple has long been my favorite color. And the shade of this dress is gorgeous! The style has longevity and versatility. And I love the pretty details that embellish the top. 

Contest Eligibility:
You must be located in the US.
You must "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook.
You must be a subscriber of Consume or Consumed (rss, google reader, bloglovin, GFC, etc.).

To enter, please leave a comment stating that you "liked" Shabby Apple on Facebook. Please include how you subscribe to Consume or Consumed (i.e. bloglovin, rss, or google reader/friend connect).

To gain extra entries (one possible entry per action), leave additional comments stating that you've:

Blogged the giveaway (with a link to the post)
Like Consume or Consumed on Facebook
Tweeted the giveaway @jesspgh (with a link to the tweet)

The contest will close at 11:59pm EST on Monday, December 5, 2011.

The winner will be chosen one week from today via drawing on random.org to receive the Bali Ha'i' dress which will ship directly from Shabby Apple. I will contact and announce the winner on Tuesday morning. In order to win, I will need some way of contacting you (twitter handle, facebook, email, disqus profile, etc.). You don't have to share contact info publicly and can email me if you prefer to enter that way.

If you can't wait a week for the giveaway to unfold, Shabby Apple is offering free shipping and a 20% off discount on nearly everything for Cyber Monday shoppers. Use coupon code GIVETHANKS at checkout. Have fun exploring the adorable women's dresses available on Shabby Apple's website!

Luck's been a lady of late!

One of my favorite things about trying to keep up to date on google reader is learning about the fun opportunities of blogger giveaways! I've had a few lucky moments in the last few months that I wanted to round up so I could reiterate my gratitude to the bloggers who hosted them.

Tippy of Tres Tippy's CSN giveaway from a few months ago yielded new shower curtains for my bathroom!

 City Scene "Henna" Shower Curtain

Thanks to the Pretty Ladies of In Pursuit of Pretty Things, Chris and I are enjoying a year of Netflix and Netflix Instant!

I am still trying to decide what summer maxi dress to buy with the Forever 21 gift card I won from Carly of Strawberry Heels Forever!

Parker dress worn as blouse from the Shopbop sale section.

And thanks to Roxy of Effortless Anthropologie and Shopbop, I have a new Tucker dress I can also wear as a blouse and black leather Tory Burch Revas.

I haven't done a giveaway in a while, here. And because I was too swamped with work, my blog anniversary has come and gone. But I intend fully to pay forward the incredible generosity of the above bloggers with a giveaway of my own. Thanks again, ladies!

Windfalls and Good Luck! Household Upgrades and Free Things

Lately I've been itching to play the lotto because my luck has been so great. When I think about my life and the worries I've harbored it has usually been the case that things have worked out in the end. Although I occasionally fear that the amount of luck one experiences could be finite, I try to remember the absurdity of that worry and stay positive. Otherwise my impulse and my unthinking reaction is of (often unfounded) doom and gloom. Most recent luck involved getting hired for a tenure track appointment. And before that, fellowships from the Smithsonian and the American Association of University Women made me feel immensely lucky.

But recently the luck I've experienced has been material. Chris and I came into some appliance upgrades and purchased a stove and a replacement face for the dishwasher to match. After a good deal of labor everything is installed and lovely.

Some "before" shots:

It is still a work in progress but so far in the kitchen we have also painted, Chris removed the vinyl flooring and stained and refinished the wood underneath, we are installing a new light fixture/fan, and eventually new counters. This weekend we will go get a matching hood for above the new stove.

My mom came upon an opening in the schedule of Heinz Chapel, our top choice of wedding ceremony venue, on our date and during our preferred time slot. This happened only four months prior to when the wedding is scheduled and after Chris and I had spent hours trying to get through to the event planner the day they opened the calendar (nearly a year ago).

And a much less meaningful, but still kind of lucky mail call came.

Free stuff thanks to online promotions and coupons! Blueeyesbecky from Fashionism.org posted about a coupon for the Fekkai website. Though my skills are far less seasoned than the incredible "Full Price Never," who is hosting a great giveaway, here.  I did manage to get some free leave-in conditioner from Frederic Fekkai and a free Revlon lipstick from Walgreens.com.

And outfit post will follow later today!