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Monday, April 30, 2012

Bzzcampain: Filippo Berio Olive Oil

Bzzcampaign: Filippo Berio Olive Oil



Ooo I just love the description of this product in our bzzcampaign letter, "liquid gold". That it is! I am super excited to have been included in this campaign. I absolutely love cooking and the cherry on top was that I ran out of olive oil just yesterday and my package came in today! Yay! I can't wait to try out some of those delicious recipes I have been hoarding on Pinterest! We will be sure to keep you all in the loop and update with plenty of delectable recipes and mouth watering photos!

This campaign's bzzkit included:

The Filippo Berio Olive Oil Bzzguide
  • One 8.4oz bottle of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  •  Recipe booklet
  •  A "Mediterranean Way" brochure detailing the benefits of a Mediterranean diet (shopping list included)
  •  An olive oil substitution chart magnet
  •  A Filippo Berio Olive Oil jar opener

Below is some wonderfully useful information that I found in my bzzagent campain bzzguide. Bzzagent (www.bzzagent.com) has always provided us with a wealth of information to pass on to fellow consumers. I think it is a fabulous way to pass along great information and to help others learn more about the products we use regularly.



What's The Bzz?

Here is our straight from the Bzzguide "What's the Bzz?"

If you're looking for a simple solution to keep you on the path to a healthier lifestyle, look no further than Filippo Berio® Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You will soon discover the many ways that Filippo Berio can be a healthy and flavorful addition to your favorite everyday meals. From marinades and sauces to simply drizzling on salads and steamed vegetables, Filippo Berio is an easy addition to your daily routine. You get all the healthy benefits without compromising taste.
Filippo Berio Olive Oil is steeped in the Tuscan tradition and expertise of its founder, Filippo Berio. For nearly 150 years, they have been crafting distinctive olive oils that maintain a classic Italian flavor that stays true to the vision of their founder. Filippo Berio's commitment to excellence is reflected in their continued attention to detail, making sure that every bottle of Filippo Berio Olive Oil meets the highest quality standards.
Whether you're preparing a homemade salad dressing, cooking a family meal or making your favorite dip, you can count on Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil to deliver healthy, great-tasting recipes that you'll feel good about serving. -www.bzzagent.com

The Scoop

Straight from the bzzagent website:

There are numerous uses for Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil and they are growing every day as people continue to learn more about its health benefits and versatility. Check out and share the tips below, then visit the Campaign Homepage for even more.
  • Salad Dressing: Whisk together 1/3 cup of wine or cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil until well blended. Serve over salad greens.

  • Pasta Perfection: Place 1/3 cup of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 2 large garlic cloves in a microwaveable dish and cover with waxed paper. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, or until sizzling. Drizzle it over 1 pound of spaghetti; toss with fresh parsley, salt, and crushed red pepper.

  • Healthy Finish: Keep a cruet of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil on your table to drizzle and enhance the flavor of vegetables, baked potatoes, soups, and stews.

  • Marinade: Start with Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Mix in minced garlic, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Marinate fish, poultry, or meat, covered for two hours.

  • Condiment: Grind generous amounts of coarse sea salt and black pepper into Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Use as a dip for bread or a variety of raw vegetables (such as, celery, fennel, radishes, carrots, and red peppers) displayed in a large basket or bowl." -www.bzzagent.com
My Input

Our household has always preferred the taste and fragrance of olive oil over any other. Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil is just such a wonderful example of a good, quality product.

A few things worth noting in our bzzguide were the extraordinary benefits of substituting items such as margarine, butter, and other oils with olive oil.  The benefits of olive oil are phenomenal as well. Filippo Berio Olive Oil is:
  • Is high in monounsaturated fats (also known as "good fat")
  • Contains no trans fat or cholesterol
  • Contains no sugar, salt, or gluten
  • Can help reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as help control blood pressure and blood sugar levels

For more information and recipes for Filippo Berio Olive Oil, visit http://www.filippoberio.com/yourhealth/substitution

For more information about becoming a Bzzagent, such as myself, visit: www.bzzagent.com



Friday, April 20, 2012

Birthday Surprise

What a busy and wonderful week! This past Wednesday was my birthday (cheers!) I had a great time with family and friends (and received an epic loot of FOUR birthday cakes!).

As I was going through messages on Facebook, I learned that I had won not one, but TWO Facebook giveaways! It just totally made my whole day that much more special. Without further ado, I would like to post a huge shout out to those two shops that really brightened my day!












I really hope that a few of you will take the time to go through the wonderful treasures that can be found in both shops! Also, why not visit their facebook pages and leave them a "like" or even a comment!

Time For Tea Beads

SugarPieDeisgns


UPDATE: 4/23/2012

How exciting! I just received one of the prizes in the mail this morning :D how cute is this floral clip?!


UPDATE: 4/20/2012

What a wonderful weekend! I received my lovely earrings from Time for Tea Beads just in time for the weekend! I showed them off and spread the love!


*the above banners are not mine and were created by and belong to their respected shop owners for their Etsy stores*

Monday, April 16, 2012

New Bzzagent Campaign

What a wonderful way to start a Monday morning! I received an invite into the Filippo Berio® Olive Oil BzzCampaign! I can't wait to try out some of the yummy recipes that I will receive in my bzzkit and of course pass them on to you!

This week, we will be posting our newest Pinerest Test (I know , I know I keep putting it off, I'm sorry!) We will also be posting a new DIY this week (yay). So, be sure to stay tuned =)

UPDATE: If the Filippo Berio olive oil campaign wasn't awesome enough, we were also invited into a new fragrance campaign *joy!* will be posting reviews here so stay tuned :)





Friday, April 13, 2012

Birthday Book Surprise!

I am an avid reader and absolutely LOVE my kindle. However, even as much as I adore my electronic collection, there is just nothing like the smell of a really good book. My younger sister (also my crafting partner in crime lol) sent me a text this past Monday informing me that her community college was holding a used book sale. As much as I wanted to make the 30 minute trip and shop, I just couldn't find the time.

Well, my father (who happens to work at my sister's college, how cool is that!) came home last night with a huge surprise for me. He carried in a VERY large box full of historical romance novels from the sale !


You can imagine my excitement =D. It was such a wonderful birthday surprise and it really meant a great deal to me. I hope that you all have a week just as wonderful!

Coming soon: More Pinterest testing! We are in the process of finishing up our blog post for kool-aid lip-gloss and will be looking into some super fun outdoorsy pinterest tests =D so keep checking back!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Destash!

It is time to do some much needed spring cleaning! As many of you know, 9FM - Jewelry & Gifts runs a shop on Etsy (yay) We sell everything from jewelry to hair accessories to fabulous gifts =)


We will now be selling a few supply lots =D. Right now, we have three available at very reasonable prices <3


We have:








I hope you enjoy these lots =) We will be adding more soon so be sure to check back often!


COMING SOON: Pinterest Test: Kool-aid Lipgloss!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Pinterest Test: Teal, White, and Black Nail Design

After viewing this pin about a dozen or so times, I just knew that I had to try it. Before I start let me say this, I am TERRIFIED of manicures. Yup, you heard me correctly, I am terrified. I would love to justify it with the normal excuses, such as the fear of unclean tools (which is pretty scary on it's own), but the real reason goes back a few years.

A friend of mine had just recently gotten a brand new manicure and I loved it so much I wanted one too. I asked her what they did, and I was horrified lol. After asking a few more friends who all verified that the first time can be painful (getting a manicure lol), I just decided to stock up on nail polishes and spare myself the trouble.

So with that said, I am always looking for cute and easy designs I can do myself. That was how I can across the following pin on Pinterest :)

Teal, white, and Black Design for Nails

Host website: Teal & Polka Dots

I didn't have the EXACT shade of blue the designer used, but I was pretty close with what I had on hand:



UPDATE: I finally purchased the perfect blue to go with this design :D


So how did my nails turn out? While they are not EXACTLY like the pin on Pinterest, they are fairly close. I wasn't able to do as many polka dots as my nails are itty bitty. However, if you have long nails this design would be lovely! I actually got it pretty close in one go =D


To add clean dots, I just used a toothpick dipped in the nail polish. I used the paint brush to get my white lines, but they would have been neater and cleaner had I just used a toothpick or a striping brush.

Verdict: If you are steady with a nail polish brush and/or toothpick. This is a fairly easy design to try. The host page provides great pictures and instructions so overall, A +

To see other Pinterest Success/Failures visit: Crafty Pins!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Pinterest Test : Soda Bottle Cherry Blossom Painting

I am sure that most of you have seen the gorgeous pin of the cherry blossoms using the bottom of a soda bottle and paint.

Pinterest: Cherry Blossom Painting DIY

(While this pin is listed under my boards, I am not the original owner. This was just an interesting pin that I came across and re-pinned)

Now, I will be the first to admit that I am absolutely crummy when it comes to drawing, I can't even draw a proper stick figure! ... Alright, that may be a slight exaggeration, but somewhat true. I saw this DIY Pin and instantly thought, "Hey, I can do that!" Sadly, it didn't turn out quite as I had hoped.

For starters, My flowers looked more like pink globs! I wish I had take a photo, but instead I instantly tossed the pink mess into the waste bin and tried again ... in the result of more pink blogs. I think this is my inner artist just telling me "YOU STINK!"

After two failed attempts, I pulled out my paint brushes and ended up just hand painting the entire thing.


So was this project as easy as described?

The Verdict: If you are patient and have a steady hand, then I guess it is. I don't really want to say a flat out "NO" but I really did have some problems with this one lol. If you have tried this pin with wonderful results, please post your outcome (and maybe some tips for the artistically challenged!)

To see other Pinterest Success/Failures visit: Crafty Pins!

Pinterest Test: Handmade Paper Beads

 Lets face it, materials don't just fall out of the sky do they. As much as I love crafting it is something I do tend to spend money on. After going through some interesting pins on pinterest, I came across an awesome pin showing you how to make fun and easy paper beads. This was something I definitely had to try!

I know there are many paper bead tutorials out there. As inexpensive as the supplies are can you believe that I do not have mod podge or white glue on hand?!?! So, I had to make a few alterations, but the beads turned out very well :) so I am pleased!



This craft project was inspired by the following pin:

http://pinterest.com/pin/184718022186523489/

While it is posted on my pinterest page, I am not the original owner. It was just something I saw and repinned :) you can find the original blog post here: http://www.hennesseyhouseblog.com/2010/09/diy-recycled-magazine-bead-necklace.html

So was this project as easy as described?

The Verdict: YES!

To see other Pinterest Success/Failures visit: Crafty Pins!