Measuring Flower

Happy WINSday Giveaway Linky of 5/23/12

TJ — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:01:55 +0000

Welcome to my weekly Happy WINSday giveaway linky! Drop by every Wednesday to add your giveaways to my linky list and/or to find other awesome giveaways to enter. Also feel free to discover what giveaways I am currently holding. You can find them under the "Current Giveaways" section in the right sidebar and under the Giveaways tab in the menu above.

The Rules

Submitters are kindly asked to follow Measuring Flower on Facebook and Twitter. Drop me a comment with your follow URL(s) and I'll return the favor!
Every giveaway must be FAMILY-FRIENDLY.
Every giveaway must be hosted by a BLOG.
I ask that every giveaway linking up here be abiding by FTC's guidelines for bloggers and Facebook's Promotion Guidelines.
Leave a link that leads directly to the featured giveaway. NO home page or affiliate links, please.
Be sure to leave the deadline for your giveaway. Example format (type this in the Name field): Giveaway Title 9/9

The Button

The Linky

Total Tagalong Tuesday of 5/22/12 {RSS}

TJ — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:01:39 +0000

Welcome to Total Tagalong Tuesday, the hop where family-friendly bloggers follow each other via a different follow method each week. My lovely co-hostesses for this hop are Graphoniac, One Moment in Time, and Aubut Family.

How it Works

Each week on Tuesday, there shall be a Follow Method of the Week. Participants place a link to their corresponding follow method in the linky at the bottom of the post. Then, they "hop" to other participants' blogs or profiles (depends on the follow method) to follow them. This helps participants gain followers (mainly for PR purposes). Plus, we get to make new friends, discover new blogs, and be introduced to new content.

Rules

To participate, you are asked to please follow the hostesses. We're the first 4 links on the list.
You must have a family-friendly blog.
Only the Follow Method of the Week should be added to the linky. If you add a link that doesn't flow with that week's theme, it will be deleted.
Follow as many other participants as you can.
When tweeting about this hop, please use the hash tag #TotalTagalong.

#TotalTagalong

Share

Button

Facebook

Feel free to SHARE about this hop with your blogging buddies on Facebook.

Tweet

If you'd like to share this hop with your Twitter followers, feel free to use the following tweet.

Follow Method of the Week

This week, link up your RSS feed and follow as many other feeds as you can.

Important Note: If you don't yet have an RSS feed, it is important as a blogger to have one! I recommend FeedBurner.

Link Up

Remember, this week's follow method is Twitter.

Disclosure: The Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and GFC logos and icons are trademarked qualities of their respective social networks. Measuring Flower, Graphoniac, One Moment in Time, and Aubut Family are not official representatives of any of these social networks.

Attention Bloggers: Co-Sponsor the Tablet TimeNew iPad Giveaway

TJ — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:10:23 +0000

It's time to get ready for the next Tablet Time! In the past, we have given away an iPad2, 2 Kindle Fires, a NOOK Tablet, and a LeapPad Explorer Bundle. Now I am teaming up with The Anti-June Cleaver and I'd Rather Be Changing Diapers to gather together bloggers for a resolutionary New iPad giveaway!

Benefits

What are the benefits of sponsoring a Tablet Time giveaway? They include:

Rewarding your readers with a super-awesome giveaway.
Increasing your following by leaps and bounds (the average reported by previous participants is 500 per follow method; some reported as many as 1,000!).
Catching the eye of search engines when people search things like "iPad," "new iPad," "iPad giveaway," "tablet giveaway," or "Tablet Time giveaway."
Entering for a chance to be a host for the next Tablet Time (no fees and three follow links).

Details

What?

The New iPad

and

A Polyurethane Smart Cover

When?

begins June 1, 2012, at 12:01 AM EST

ends June 15, 2012, at 11:59 PM EST

Where?

The giveaway will be held in a post on EVERY sponsoring blogger's blog! Note: Ning and similar networks/communities are welcome to participate too!

Why?

The heart of the giveaway is to reward our amazing readers, but it is also to help boost our following.

The Rules

{**revised since last Tablet Time**}

Have a family-friendly blog (Ning and certain similar networks/communities welcome also as long as they have a place to publish the giveaway post with the Rafflecopter form and can share the button/banner on the main page of their community from time of sign up till the end of the event).
Remit the participation/sponsorship fee via PayPal (payment details in the sign up form). **NEW** Fees are as follows: $6 for 1 link; $10 for 2 links; $14 for 3 links. All follow links must abide by laws and by the social network's rules.
~~Submit the follow links of your choice (a follow link is the direct link to your Twitter profile, Facebook fan page, blog for GFC, etc.; lines to submit are in the application form).~~
Join the Tablet Time Facebook group (link is in the sign-up form).
Write a post about the giveaway and include the Rafflecopter form for others to enter (participants will receive this code at a later date).
Schedule said post (item #4) to publish on June 1, 2012, at 12:01 AM EST and inform your readers that the deadline to enter is June 15, 2012, at 11:59 PM EST , is open to U.S. residents only, and entrants must be 18 years or older. You will receive reminders and details via the Facebook group and email as the event draws nigh.
Display the event’s button or banner on your sidebar or above the fold on your blog (but NOT in a scrolling widget as few people will see it there; the more people who see the button/banner, the more traffic) from time of sign up to event's end. You can share the button/image in a giveaway widget, but you MUST also have the banner/button displayed as well.

Sign Up for Tablet Time

SIGN UP HERE

Note: If, instead of the form appearing (when you click "Sign Up Here"), a screen pops up saying "The form 'Blogger Sign-Up for Tablet Time New iPad Giveaway' is no longer accepting responses," then we've filled up. Until then, enter away!

A couple of notes:

As a participating blogger, you will NOT be allowed to enter the giveaway (sorry!). But you will be able to take full advantage of all the readers it pleases and the numbers it boosts and have a chance to be one of the next Tablet Time hosts!
Please DO blog and share with your "likers", followers, and those you network with about this event! The more who know, the more traffic!
If you would like to receive {weekly or less} updates with news, events (including future Tablet Time giveaways), and opportunities for bloggers, sign up for my FREE Bloggers e-Newsletter!

Buttons

Even if you are not participating in this event, feel free to grab one of the buttons to share with your readers–we can use all the buzz we can get! Thanks!

Click HERE to access all the Tablet Time {new iPad/$540 Cash} Giveaway buttons.

Bloggers–Join Us for the 2012 Spa for Ma Blog-Hopping Giveaway Event

TJ — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:01:08 +0000

Last year marked the first ever Spa for Ma. We had 75 incredibly amazing bloggers join us for this fun, relaxing event. And it was a HUGE success! Participating bloggers had a blast! Check out what some of them had to say:

I thought this was VERY well run! My favorite thing was the theme. — MamaDoesItAll.com

The communication was excellent! — MomAlwaysFindsOut.com

My favorite thing was how you made new bloggers feel welcomed! Everyone was very helpful!! — SavviestGirl.com

Loved the whole thing! I had a ton of fun! — AubutFamily.com

My favorite [thing] was the communication from TJ. She was very helpful and understanding. I love TJ! =o) – AllInOneMom.com

It just seemed to run smoothly. – ThriftyNinja.net

Although my partner in crime, Graphoniac, will not be co-hosting this year (she's taking a break from blogging), I decided to keep my promise to our past participants by proceeding with this event. And I really, really hope to make it BIGGER and BETTER! If you have a family-friendly blog (and no, you don't have to be a mom) and would like to join us, read on under "Seeking Bloggers" below to learn how.

Seeking Grand Prize Sponsors

If you own a business that provides non-adult, family-friendly products or services that can help mom kick back and relax, and you would like to sponsor a grand prize, we'd love to have you! To sponsor a grand prize, you are asked to pay $25 for advertising costs and provide a prize worth a minimum of $200. Here's what you'll receive in return:

Your logo shared in each participating blogger's Spa for Ma giveaway post.
A link back to your website in each participating blogger's Spa for Ma giveaway post.
Following your social networks will be one or more entry options in your grand prize giveaway.

If you are interested in sponsoring a grand prize, please contact me. I look forward to promoting your brand!

Seeking Bloggers

Blogger Requirements

You must have a family-friendly blog (if it's safe for any 8-year-old to read and look at, it's family-friendly).
You must pay the $5 participation fee (non-refundable; pays for the cash grand prize, advertising, and Referral Rewards–read about Referral Rewards below). Payment info is in the sign-up form.
You must place one of the Spa for Ma buttons or banners (each image's size can be tweaked to fit your blog; ask if you need help) on your sidebar or above the fold at time of sign up and keep it there until the end of the event. The more who know, the more traffic! The button/banner must be visible from the home page of your blog and should not be added to a scrolling widget.
You are responsible for providing a giveaway prize worth a minimum of $50 that will help mom relax. Please, NO prizes for animals (yes, there are moms in the animal kingdom, but this event is for human moms); and NO adult items (please keep it G-rated!). If you're in doubt, please ask.
You are allowed to have a maximum of TWO prizes/prize packs so long as each is worth the $50 minimum.
Join the Facebook group. Link to the group is in the sign-up form; we also ask for your Facebook name so non-participants can't join the group.
You must post all the required info (intro items, links to the host and grand prize sponsors, buttons, disclosure, etc.) in your giveaway post. I will provide all of this info for you closer to go time.

Referral Rewards (aka R&R)

Since we're charging a $5 participation fee this year, we are not only able to provide a cash grand prize to our readers (which our bloggers can also enter), but we are also able to PAY every participating blogger a Referral Reward (now THAT's my kind of R&R!). If you are participating in this event and you refer another blogger, you receive $1. Refer 5 other bloggers and you'll have earned your fee back. Refer more than that and you're making a profit!

Note: If you as a participating blogger drop out of the event, you will not receive your Referral Rewards (it will be added to the cash grand prize instead). This is to prevent people from joining just to gain Referral Rewards then dropping out.

Time Details

The 2012 Spa for Ma blog-hopping giveaway event is scheduled to go live at 12:01 AM EST on August 17, 2012, and end at 11:59 PM EST on August 31, 2012.

Why the end of August? Because that's when {most} kids head back to school and mom has time to herself!

Banners and Buttons

You can find all the Spa for Ma banners and buttons HERE. Even if you're not participation, feel free to share one!

Help Us Get the Word Out

Why help us get the word out? Well, first of all, if you signed up, remember that you get Referral Rewards (read more about this above) for every blogger you refer. Second of all, we can use ALL the buzz we can get! Share about this blogger search–tweet about it (please us the hash tag #Spa4Ma), pin it on Pinterest, blog about it, post it onto your Facebook fan page, share it on your networks or in your Facebook groups…anything helps!

Here's our hash tag for tweeting:

#Spa4Ma

Join Us

Wanna join us for this fun, relaxing, mom-appreciating event scheduled to kick off just as the kids are heading back to school? Then…

Sign Up!

2012 Savory Summer Blog-Hopping Giveaway Event–$142 Kitchen Prize Pack Giveaway

TJ — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:03:34 +0000

Welcome to the 2012 Savory Summer blog-hopping giveaway event! My friend Graphoniac and I have teamed up together with a bunch of other bloggers to bring you a foodie's dream come true! The Savory Summer event features all things food and food-related. Each participating blog is offering a tasteful prize worth at least $25. So, after you enter my prize, be sure to enter the other prizes, too. You can find them in the linky list towards the end of the post.

Also, please join me in giving a warm welcome to the event's grand prize sponsors–Nostalgia Electrics and Ella's Kitchen! Check out the awesome prizes–one for the grown-ups and one for the little kids–that they are giving away.

Nostalgia Electrics Stainless Steel Margarator

$109 ARV

3 Month Supply of Ella's Kitchen Baby Food Pouches

$170 ARV

Click HERE to Enter One or Both Grand Prize Giveaways

(it's also the first item on the linky)

My Prizes

For the Savory Summer giveaway event, I have a great lineup of kitchen-related products to offer ONE fortunate Measuring Flower fan! Check them out!

One Reusable Sandwich Bag and One Reusable Snack Bag

from

ReUsies

$16 ARV

Read My Review >>

Kitchen Drawer Organizer Starter Kit

from

DrawerDecor

$25 ARV

Read My Review >>

One Apron

from

Buy Cute Aprons

$31 ARV

Read My Review >>

Pasta Pot

from

Bialetti

$30 ARV

Read My Review >>

Multi-Level Steamer

from

Mastrad

$40 ARV

Read My Review >>

TOTAL ARV = $142

To One Winner!

How to Enter

This giveaway is being run using a handy-dandy Rafflecopter form. To use the form, log in using your Facebook account (make sure your primary Facebook email is one I can reach you with if you win) or your name and email. You can read more information about logging into the Rafflecopter form HERE. Your information will be kept completely confidential and safe.

Giveaway Rules

None of my giveaway entries are mandatory, so you may do as many or as few as you'd like.
Each entry must be accomplished exactly as it is stated, including providing anything in the "Extra Info" field, for it to count.
You can perform each entry type ONE TIME ONLY unless otherwise specified.
If there is a "leave a comment" entry type, be sure the name you type in the comment's name field is EXACTLY the same as the name you use in the form (this is so I can verify your comment).
Make sure to leave a VALID email address in the Rafflecopter's email field so I can contact you if you win (or ensure your Facebook account's primary email address is one I can contact you by).
If you already follow/like me or the company via G+, Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook, etc., that's okay–the entries still count.

The Deadline

Giveaway Ends

Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST

Open to U.S. Residents Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop On

After you've entered this giveaway, be sure to hop on to enter all the other great giveaways!

Disclosure 1: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free for evaluation purposes. Regardless, all opinions expressed are still 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials In Advertising.

Disclosure 2: Facebook is in no way affiliated with the Savory Summer event, its hosts, its sponsors, or its participating bloggers. The hosts (Measuring Flower and Graphoniac) are not responsible for event sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

2012 Savory Summer Giveaway Event Grand Prizes

TJ — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:02:54 +0000

Welcome to the 2012 Savory Summer blog-hopping giveaway event! My friend Graphoniac and I have teamed up together with a bunch of other bloggers to bring you a foodie's dream come true! The Savory Summer event features all things food and food-related. Each participating blog is offering a tasteful prize worth at least $25. So, after you enter to win our awesome grand prizes, be sure to enter the other prizes, too. You can find them in the linky list towards the end of the post.

Our incredible grand prize sponsors for this year's Savory Summer are Nostalgia Electrics and Ella's Kitchen! Scroll down to enter one or both grand prize giveaways.

Nostalgia Electrics Grand Prize

Margarator

$109 ARV

Make super yummy margaritas or slushies with this attractive, fun appliance!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ellas's Kitchen Grand Prize

3 Month Supply of Ella's Kitchen Baby Food

$170 ARV

Your baby or toddler will adore Ella's Kitchen's organic, nutritious, delicious squeezable pouch baby food!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop On

After entering these grand prize giveaways, be sure to hop on to all the other tasteful giveaway that Savory Summer bloggers have to offer. Remember–each is worth a minimum of $25!

Disclosure: Facebook is in no way affiliated with the Savory Summer event, its hosts, its sponsors, or its participating bloggers. The hosts (Measuring Flower and Graphoniac) are not responsible for event sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

Total Tagalong Tuesday of 5/15/12 {Facebook}

TJ — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:01:27 +0000

How it Works

Rules

To participate, you are asked to please follow the hostesses. We're the first 4 links on the list.
You must have a family-friendly blog.
Only the Follow Method of the Week should be added to the linky. If you add a link that doesn't flow with that week's theme, it will be deleted.
Follow as many other participants as you can.
When tweeting about this hop, please use the hash tag #TotalTagalong.

#TotalTagalong

Share

Button

Facebook

Feel free to SHARE about this hop with your blogging buddies on Facebook.

Tweet

If you'd like to share this hop with your Twitter followers, feel free to use the following tweet.

Follow Method of the Week

This week, link up your Facebook fan pages and follow as many other pages as you can.

Important Note: If you don't have a fan page, start one HERE.

Link Up

Remember, this week's follow method is Facebook.

Seeking Products/Services for 2012 Father’s Day Gift Guide

TJ — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:03:37 +0000

Attention brands! Do you have a product or service that dad will love this upcoming Father's Day? We'd be happy to add it to our 2012 Father's Day Gift Guide! We do prefer to review the products prior to recommending them to our readers in our gift guide, but we can also accept submissions without review.

Current price for adding an item to the Father's Day gift guide is $10 (price goes up to $15 on the 10th of June). If you are interested in working together to promote what your business has to offer our awesome dads, please contact us HERE.

Bialetti Pasta Pot Savory Summer Sponsor Spotlight and Review

TJ — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:11:16 +0000

In 1933, after acquiring the invention of the widely popular Moka Express coffeemaker, Alfonso Bialetti began Bialetti. Today, Bialetti is famous for crafting high-quality, innovative, Italian-inspired coffee appliances and cookware that are loved in Italy and throughout the world.

Discover It

Bialetti sent us a 5 quart Pasta Pot in turquoise to review.

The pot is oval-shaped to fit any kind of pasta, including long pastas like spaghetti or fettuccine. And these long pastas fit just right–I checked!

The pot has a nonstick interior, making it very easy to clean. It is dishwasher safe, but to protect the nonstick interior, hand washing is recommended.

After I finished boiling my pasta, I adjusted the lid. The lid has "locks" on either side to ensure that the lid stays on securely during draining.

Once the lid was locked in place, I utilized the holes in the lid to drain the water out of the pot.

I personally have wanted a pasta pot for a very long time. I remember one that my mom had as I grew up. It had three pieces–a pot, a colander-like inner pot, and a lid. Her pasta pot was convenient. The Bialetti pasta pot is way more convenient. I love that it has only two parts. It's nice not having to clean the pot I boiled the pasta in AND a colander. Plus, I love that the shape of the pot accommodates the length of spaghetti.

This would make the perfect gift for every busy mom and a great must-have for any chef or foodie.

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Buy It

You can purchase Bialetti's top-of-the-line cookware via various online and local retails. Locate a retailer utilizing Bialetti's store finder.

Win It

Return to MeasuringFlower.com this May 16-30, 2012, during the Savory Summer giveaway event to enter for your chance to win your very own Bialetti pasta pot, a $34.99 approximate retail value.

Love It

Website: www.Bialetti.com

Facebook: Bialetti USA

Pinterest: Bialetti USA

Mastrad Multi-level Steam Cooker Savory Summer Sponsor Spotlight and Review

TJ — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:06:15 +0000

After a short period working in the catering business, Mathieu Lion founded Mastrad in 1994 to invent and provide consumers with innovative housewares and cooking tools that improve cooking performance and brighten kitchen decor.

Discover It

Mastrad sent us one of their silicone Multi-Level Steam Cookers to review.

The steam cooker comes with four parts: a plastic base, a silicone colander, a plastic steam tray, and a silicone lid.

I made corn (frozen) and tilapia in my first test run.

To use the steamer, I filled the base to the fill line with water then inserted the colander with the corn and a couple cloves of garlic for added flavor. Next, I placed the steam tray atop of the colander with two tilapia fillets on it, and finally topped everything with the lid. I popped the whole thing into the microwave and followed the recommended timing directions. Both the corn and the tilapia were ready in about 8 minutes! And both dishes were moist and very flavorful.

I really, really like this microwavable steamer! It is perfect for quickly preparing dinners after unusually long, tiring days (such as when we've been out running errands all day) or for when I'd rather just spend time with family as opposed to spend a lot of time making dinner.

Plus, the colander can be inserted into a regular pot and topped with the steam tray and lid so you can steam the old-fashioned way on the stove! To be honest, this is probably how I will use the steamer most often. There's nothing quite like freshly steamed veggies or meat!

This would make an excellent gift for a foodie, a super busy mom (which defines ALL moms–think Mother's Day!), and for health-conscious college students.

Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Buy It

You can purchase Mastrad's steamers and various other kitchen items online at www.Mastrad.us.

Win It

Return to MeasuringFlower.com this May 16-30, 2012, during the Savory Summer giveaway event to enter for your chance to win your own Mastrad Multi-level Steam Cooker, a $39.99 value!

Love It

Website: www.Mastrad.us

Facebook: Mastrad Inc.

Twitter: @Mastrad