Congratulations, Stephanya!

For all the rest of you, thanks so, so much for entering – if you only knew how my face lights up with every comment. And of course, a huge, huge thank you to Bevin for sponsoring this lovely little Valentine. I hope you’ll send them some love!

I am so excited this morning, friends…I have a Valentine for you! And trust me, it’s much better than candy hearts and overpriced flowers. But before we get to the swag, I’d like you to meet the crazy-talented Bevin Designs. Beware…coveting is likely to ensue:

How could you not fall for pieces that pretty? I am so in love with this collection – the designs are so substantial and statement-making, but still utterly wearable. Plus, every piece is hand-forged from bronze, sterling or copper – no fillers, thank you – so they’re sure to last forever. I was lucky enough to snag that beautiful faceted necklace above (though I picked the ring version…and talk about a massive rock on my finger!). Truly, as gorgeous as these photos are, they don’t do her designs justice. I’ve been wearing it nonstop since it arrived.

Designer Colleen Smith crafts each and every one of these beauties entirely by hand, right here in Portland. No molds here…she’s an actual metalsmith! How bad-ass is that?

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Colleen and I thought it was the perfect time to give the gift of jewelry to you, friends. That’s right, Bevin Designs wants to be your valentine! See that beautiful bronze cuff up there? Wait…let me give you a closer look:

It doesn’t get more classic, or more perfect, than a bronze cuff. This one is hefty and has the most beautiful patina that carries it effortlessly from casual to dress without missing a beat. It’s a jewelry staple if ever there was one. And Bevin wants it to be all yours.

This is a Facebook contest, friends…so, to win, all you have do is “like” Bevin Design on Facebook (while you’re at it, “like” me too if you want, but no pressure – that part’s optional). Then leave a quick comment letting me know, and you’ll be entered to win! And, since I’m feeling extra generous, you can have a bonus entry if you let your friends on Twitter know about the contest as well (just come back and leave a second comment letting me know).

One entry + one bonus entry per person. The contest closes Sunday night (2/5) and we’ll announce a winner Monday morning (2/6). Good luck, friends!

Congrats, Christelle – I’ll email you! Thanks, everyone, for playing along…and of course, a huge thanks to hi, friend for sponsoring. Their giveaways always make me jealous that I can’t win them myself!

Welcome back, friends! I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful – and now, of course, it’s time to really get into the holiday swing. (Have you taken advantage of our amazing Black Friday deal from Kara Ackerman yet? Last day…!)

We’re starting our annual Holiday Gift Guide Spectacular Spectacular tomorrow – I know how you all love a good gift guide! – and I’ll have zillions of great gifting ideas for you. But to officially kick off the season of giving, I teamed up with some dear friends, the lovely ladies at hi friend, to come up with a pitch-perfect present just for you. That’s right, it’s giveaway time!

I can’t think of a better, more stylish way to get started on the holidays, can you? As always, I love each and every one of hi friend’s holiday offerings – I have no idea how you’ll choose a favorite. Fortunately, you don’t have to! You’ll win a set of holiday cards PLUS a set of custom stationery PLUS one of those beautiful candles (to hold onto or save as an emergency hostess gift). Best of all, they’ll all get to you in plenty of time to send out those holiday cards on time for a change!

To win all three goodies, just comment below and let us know what you’d pick if you win! You have until Thursday night to enter, and we’ll pick a winner at random on Friday, 12/2!

As always, you get a bonus entry for following both of us on Twitter (@shoppingscardio and @hifrienddesign) and mentioning the contest, or for being our friends on Facebook here and here (you know you want to), and sharing with your friends. Just be sure you come back and leave a second (or third) comment telling me you shared elsewhere.

Good luck!

Winner, Day 1 – Inhabit NY cashmere sweater: Lisa S.

Winner, Day 2 – Christine Mighion aquamarine earrings: Shirlene B.

Winner, Day 3 – Mabel & Zora dress by Tiffany Bean: Lauren

Winner, Day 4 – Hayden-Harnett clutch wallet: MJ Moore

Winner, Day 5 – Clarins summer skincare collection: Elle

Congratulations!!! I’ll be emailing each of the winners with details, so be on the lookout! And for the rest of you, well, you can shoot jealous dagger-eyes at these lucky ladies for a moment or two (they’re screaming too loudly to notice anyway), but after that, I hereby give you justification to go forth and buy yourself a little something from one of those amazing sponsors.

Thank you again so much, everyone, from the bottom of my designer-loving little heart. The fact that you choose to spend a few minutes of your day here makes me so embarrassingly happy, I can’t even tell you. When I meet one of you, or you email me to say hello or ask a style question, it quite literally makes my day. I’m so looking forward to the next five years!

And a special thanks to the staggeringly generous sponsors from our Birthday Bash: Inhabit NY, Christine Mighion, Mabel & Zora, Hayden-Harnett and Clarins. These are, quite possibly, my five favorite brands of all time, and I’m beyond honored that they wanted to be part of the party. Show them some love, won’t you, friends?

I can hardly believe we’re already at the last day of our Birthday Bash! What an absolutely amazing week it’s been – I’ve had so much fun celebrating the blog’s fifth birthday with you all. In case you’re late to the party (way to make an entrance), here’s a quick look at all of the presents we’ve announced so far – and which you can still win!

Amazing, right? We’ll be giving each of those away on Tuesday, 6/14, and you can enter at the end of this post. But we’re not quite done. I still have to tell you about the last present of the week…a serious win for the beauty buffs among you.

You all know that Clarins has long been my go-to brand for skincare. I test a lot of products, but Clarins is the brand I rely on every single day. They just have a way of making my skin look happy and healthy – all while keeping wrinkles, spots, and other bad things at bay. When I decided we needed a beauty brand included here, they were the obvious first choice – and they responded by offering you so many goodies, I could hardly contain my glee! And so…

Today’s present is an entire summer’s worth of skin care and beauty from Clarins!

This pile of products includes Clarins’ UV Plus HP Day Screen SPF 40, my new favorite and one that’s been sweeping all the editors’ beauty awards; Sunscreen for Face Wrinkle Control Cream and Sunscreen Care Milk-Lotion Spray, both from their SPF 50+ collection; Instant Smooth Golden Glow self-tanner; and two of their new Blush Prodige Illuminating Color palettes in Spiced Mocha and Miami Pink, so you can perfectly customize your bronzer shade to match your tan all summer.

Retail for all of these amazing products is $188…but one of you is going to be set all summer long, because they’re sending the whole collection to you for free!

TO ENTER:

You can enter up to three times today, and each of those three entries qualifies you to win any of the five prizes announced all this week, not just today’s prize. How to do it? Simple:

Entry 1. Comment on the post. Easy peasy.

Entry 2. Facebook: “Like” Shopping’s My Cardio (if you haven’t already), and repost the contest on Facebook, using those brand new, handy-dandy little buttons at the bottom of the post. Use your imagination, but something like this would work well:

I just entered to win a pile of summer skin savers from @Clarins in @Shopping’s My Cardio Birthday Bash! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a second comment telling me you did so.

Entry 3. Twitter: “Follow” @ShoppingsCardio, and tweet about the contest using those same fancy buttons. Just as a suggestion:

I just entered to win an amazing collection of summer beauty goodies from @ClarinsNews in @shoppingscardio’s Birthday Bash! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a third comment letting me know you got that done.

For the rest of the rules and details, head over here.

Entries are open until Monday night, 6/13, but they say the early bird gets the worm. Good luck, friends!

Are you just swooning over the collection of goodies we’ve had this week for our big Birthday Bash? I’ve considered, more than once, rigging the whole thing and running off to Mexico with this haul. But then I remember that the point was to thank you all for being here, and going all klepto on you didn’t really seem to convey that message.

Today’s fabulous giveaway comes from a longtime love of mine: Hayden-Harnett. They make the most sumptuous leather goods, but they’re particularly fabulous at designing pieces that manage to be both on-trend and incredibly functional. Their Ibiza tote, for example, is so versatile, it’s practically an urban legend. But that felt far too practical for a Birthday Bash, so when designer Toni Hacker sweetly offered me my choice of goodies to give away to you to celebrate, I went with the piece I’m most coveting from their site right now:

Oh, I love it so! I’m a wallet snob in the worst way, so when I tell you this Clutch Wallet is one of the best I’ve seen in ages, you know that’s no small praise. I’m a big fan of a big wallet, as I have more credit cards than is at all reasonable. This one has twelve card slots, two zipper compartments, four open compartments, a pen loop…and that yummy graphic print interior. And it’s all robed in Hayden-Harnett’s signature soft-as-silk leather in eternally chic navy blue. It’s lovely enough to toss into your bag or to carry solo for a quick errand or an evening out. It retails for $178, but – as with all of the goodies this week – one of you gets to take it home for free!

TO ENTER:

You can enter up to three times today, and each of those three entries qualifies you to win any of the five prizes announced all this week, not just today’s prize. Keep that up all week, and you could still score 6 entries this week! How to do it? Simple:

Entry 1. Comment on the post. Easy peasy.

Entry 2. Facebook: “Like” Shopping’s My Cardio (if you haven’t already), and repost the contest on Facebook, using those brand new, handy-dandy little buttons at the bottom of the post. Use your imagination, but something like this would work well:

I just entered to win the perfect leather clutch from @Hayden-Harnett in @Shopping’s My Cardio Birthday Bash! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a second comment telling me you did so.

Entry 3. Twitter: “Follow” @ShoppingsCardio, and tweet about the contest using those same fancy buttons. Just as a suggestion:

I just entered to win this beautiful wallet from @hayden_harnett in @shoppingscardio’s Birthday Bash! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a third comment letting me know you got that done.

For the rest of the rules and details, head over here.

Good luck!

Welcome to Day Three of our big Birthday Bash here at Shopping’s My Cardio! Do we know how to party, or what? If you’re late to the fête, we’re celebrating the blog’s fifth birthday – sniff, it’s all grown up. Naturally, there had to be presents – five of them, to be precise (because I so love numerical symmetry). And trust me, these are presents you won’t be sneaking off to return.

I can personally attest to how lovely today’s giveaway is, because it’s currently hanging in my closet. I walked into Mabel and Zora two weeks ago, spied it, tried it on, and wouldn’t let it out of my clutches. Can you see why?

Now, this particular shop is always my first stop for a new dress – their selection is always flawless. So it was no surprise that I’d fall in love with something. But this particular pretty -the Belle dress – was actually designed by M&Z owner (and sweet sponsor of ShoppingsMyCardio) Tiffany Bean, and it’s one of the most flattering frocks I’ve found in ages. It’s a faux-wrap jersey dress, so it has all of the figure-enhancing appeal of a wrap, without the wardrobe malfunction potential (I think we’ve all been there). And I am so head over heels for the print, there are no words. It’s a beautiful Missoni-esque zigzag (and you know how I love a good zigzag), in the most beautiful combo of moss green, pink and vibrant turquoise. It’s a no-brainer for work, gorgeous for a date night…you just can’t miss.

It retails for $138, which feels like a serious bargain as it is. But free is so much nicer, don’t you agree? Tiffany knew I fell hard for this dress, so she sweetly offered to let me give one away for our Big Birthday Bash – how exciting! In the size of your choice, of course.

TO ENTER:

You can enter up to three times today, and each of those three entries qualifies you to win any of the five prizes announced all this week, not just today’s prize. Keep that up all week, and you could still score 9 entries this week! How to do it? Simple:

Entry 1. Comment on the post. Easy peasy.

Entry 2. Facebook: “Like” Shopping’s My Cardio (if you haven’t already), and repost the contest on Facebook, using those brand new, handy-dandy little buttons at the bottom of the post. Use your imagination, but something like this would work well:

I just entered to win this fab wrap dress from @Mabel and Zora in @Shopping’s My Cardio Birthday Bash! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a second comment telling me you did so.

Entry 3. Twitter: “Follow” @ShoppingsCardio, and tweet about the contest using those same fancy buttons. Just as a suggestion:

I just entered to win this fab wrap dress from @mabelzora in @shoppingscardio’s Birthday Bash! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a third comment letting me know you got that done.

For the rest of the rules and details, head over here.

Good luck, all!

Hi, friends! It’s day two of our big Fifth Birthday Bash! Are we having fun yet? I know I am – I love how excited you all are about these prizes…but wait, just wait until you see what the wonderful and talented Christine Mighion (one of our oldest and dearest ShoppingsMyCardio sponsors) has for you:

Could you just die from the gorgeousness?

These stunners are 6mm x 9mm rose-cut aquamarine stones, set in recycled 14K gold, and I want nothing more than to dive headfirst into that beautiful blue bliss. They have me daydreaming about walks on white sand beaches, wrinkle-free linen sundresses, and glares of intense jealousy from other women. I can’t quite believe I’m saying it, but I might love these more than diamonds. The color is just so perfectly pale and delicate, but packs enough punch to be noticed – they’re total earring nirvana.

I can tell you from experience that Christine’s pieces are even lovelier in person…if that’s possible. They feel so special and truly made with care, like little works of art. Retail for these beautiful baubles is $275, but one of you lucky, lucky readers will win a pair just for being here. It’s a very good thing Christine is sending these to you herself…I’d never be able to part with them.

TO ENTER:

You can enter up to three times today, and each of those three entries qualifies you to win any of the five prizes announced all this week, not just today’s prize. Keep that up all week, and you could score 12 entries! So, how to do it? Simple:

Entry 1. Comment on the post. Easy peasy.

Entry 2. Facebook: “Like” Shopping’s My Cardio (if you haven’t already), and repost the contest on Facebook, using those brand new, handy-dandy little buttons at the bottom of the post. Use your imagination, but something like this would work well:

I just entered to win the most gorgeous @Christine Mighion Jewelry earrings @Shopping’s My Cardio! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a second comment telling me you did so.

Entry 3. Twitter: “Follow” @ShoppingsCardio, and tweet about the contest using those same fancy buttons. Just as a suggestion:

I just entered to win the most gorgeous @cmighionjewelry earrings @shoppingscardio! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a third comment letting me know you got that done.

For the rest of the rules and details, head over here.

Good luck, all!

Hi all! Welcome to the first day of what I think just might be the most exciting week EVER at ShoppingsMyCardio: it’s our fifth birthday! Exactly five years ago today, I launched ShoppingsMyCardio, and I can honestly say I had no idea what the hell I was doing. But it all turned out okay! I’m absolutely overwhelmed that I’ve been here this long, and so, so honored that you choose to come visit me every week. What started out as a whim has become a conversation with you that I look forward to each and every day, and I can’t thank you all enough for that.

Since taking you all out for beer and cake was geographically impractical, I thought instead I’d put out a call to a few of my absolute favorite brands to see if they could help us celebrate. And wow, did they respond! They were so wonderful, so generous, and so excited to help us blow out those candles, that we actually have a week-long Big Blog Birthday Bash planned! That’s right, FIVE amazing prizes, which I’ll be telling you about over the next FIVE days (god, but I love symmetry). And with that, drum roll please….

Our first giveaway of the week is from a brand that’s near and dear to my heart: Inhabit NY. You know my love of cashmere runs deep, particularly when it comes to Inhabit’s unparalleled collection – I’ve been waxing poetic about them almost as long as I’ve been blogging. I have yet to buy a piece from them that doesn’t thrill me to the bone, and every last one is in constant rotation in my closet.

To kick off our big Birthday Bash, Inhabit is sending one of you this cashmere scoop-back pointelle pullover (retail is $328!), fresh from their spring collection! You can choose whatever color and size suits your fancy – I’m partial to the Lake blue, but they’re all beautiful.

I can’t even tell you how much I love this sweater – hands down, it was my favorite piece from their spring line. The slim, elbow-length sleeves and little asymmetrical pointelle details at the waist keep it elegant, and the scoop in the back is subtly sexy but bra-friendly. And I confess, I’ve worn it backwards a couple of times for a little extra va-va-voom. It’s the perfect work-to-cocktails shell under a blazer, but I love the way it dresses up slouchy boyfriend jeans and a ballet flat, or any number of spring skirts. It may just be the perfect spring/summer basic.

TO ENTER:

I really wanted to reward my regular, loyal readers with this giveaway. So, for this week in particular, sticking around pays off. Every day this week, I’ll announce a new, completely amazing prize. That day, you can enter up to three times, and each of those 3 entries qualifies you to win any of the five prizes announced all week – you’re not just entering for that day’s specific prize. So, how to do it? Simple:

Entry 1. Comment on the post. Easy peasy.

Entry 2. Facebook: “Like” Shopping’s My Cardio (I know, vain much?), and repost the contest on Facebook (with a link), using those brand new, handy-dandy little buttons at the bottom of the post (using the button is optional, but they’re new and exciting!). Use your imagination, but something like this would work well:

I just entered to win the most gorgeous @Inhabit cashmere sweater @Shopping’s My Cardio! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com

…then come back and leave a second comment telling me you did so.

Entry 3. Twitter: “Follow” @ShoppingsCardio, and tweet about the contest (with a link) using those same fancy buttons. Just as a suggestion:

I just entered to win the most gorgeous @inhabitny cashmere sweater @shoppingscardio! http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com #SMCBirthdayBash

…then come back and leave a third comment letting me know you got that done.

If you enter all three times every day this week, you’ll earn a total of fifteen entries, dramatically increasing your odds. Make sense? We’ll close entries Monday night (6/13), and announce the lucky, lucky winners on Tuesday, 6/14. Oh, US/Canada residents only on this one, I’m afraid – and your presents are coming to you straight from the sponsors donating them.

Good luck, friends!