{Entries now closed, but thanks for looking!}

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!

{Entries now closed, but thanks for looking!}

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!

a big congratulations to lisa s., who won a brand new inhabit cashmere v-neck sweater with lucky number 43!

congratulations, lisa!  there are 92 girls out there that are going to be wishing they were you today.  thanks to each and every one of you for your sweet comments…as always, they bring a big smile to this blogger’s face!  and of course, i’ll continue to keep you posted on the best steals and deals at inhabit to help you nab your own gorgeous cashmere.

and a huge thank you to inhabit for letting us help them celebrate their new site with this fantastic giveaway!

{this giveaway is now closed!! our winner was announced right here. thanks for stopping by!}

oh, dear readers, something tells me you are going to flip for this giveaway! the wonderful people over at inhabit ny cashmere have just launched their beautiful new website (large photos! pictures of items in every color! zoom! i’m in heaven.). and to celebrate, they’d like to give one of you lucky people their classic v-neck cashmere sweater, any color or size you like…free!

yes, really.

my all-encompassing love of inhabit is well documented, but i have to tell you this sweater is easily one of my favorites from the line. it’s made with ultra luxe, cuddly soft cashmere, and just a smidge of lycra, so it fits and forms to your body to be both comfy and sexy at the same time. extra long sleeves, exposed seams, and the perfect deep v…trust me, you’ll never want to take it off (i spend the bulk of the winter months in one of these sweaters). it’s utterly perfect. and it would normally set you back $278!

to win, go check out inhabit’s new site, then leave a comment on this post. and as always, for a bonus entry, tweet – i’m @shoppingscardio, they’re @inhabitny – or facebook, or blog (or digg, or stumble, or…) a link to this giveaway, then come back and leave a second comment telling me where you shared! you have until thursday night to enter, and we’ll announce a winner friday morning. (U.S. residents only, please!)

good luck everyone!

congrats to meagan, who’s lucky number 7!  she told us she’s a vintage gal, through and through.  meagan, i think just about every person that entered this contest will be expecting to get a card from you, now that you have such a lovely supply from which to choose.

a huge thank you to hi, friend design for sponsoring this amazing summer giveaway!  something tells me you’ll be designing a bevy of custom cards for shoppingsmycardio readers over the next few weeks.

{this giveaway is now closed!! our winner was announced right here. thanks for stopping by!}

i have been so excited about this giveaway, it’s been nearly impossible to keep it under my hat.  and now, finally, the time has come to introduce you all to hi, friend design!  started by a pair of extremely talented ladies, this is hands-down my new favorite line of stationery. beautiful, chic, creative and unbelievably well-priced…what more could i ask?

hi, friend specializes in semi-custom (and incredibly affordable) wedding and shower invitations, and honestly, if you know someone getting married, i can’t say enough about how gorgeous they are.

but, well, i’ve already been down that road.  so for me, i’m in it for hi, friend‘s sometimes cheeky, always stylish cards that are absolutely perfect for any occasion at all.

(clearly, i should have asked the talented ladies of hi, friend to help with the graphic for this giveaway. polyvore is just not my friend.)

there literally isn’t a single card in their line that i’m not dying to send to someone i know.  i mean, a flamingo silhouette with a “don’t be tacky” tagline?  or a barbecue proclaiming your friend “a rare one”?  it’s pun-ny perfection for my ultra-corny sense of humor.  and their personalized notecards are so chic, i’m literally looking for excuses to send cards to people, just so i can show them off.

with that, on to the giveaway! one of you lucky, lucky readers (oh, how i envy you) will be taking home a huge gift package that hi, friend is customizing just for us:  a year’s worth of stationery! the winner of this fabulous giveaway will get:  two of each silhouette card at hi, friend (22 in all), a set of 24 custom personalized note cards, a pack of their picture-perfect wine gift bags, and topped off with a completely darling to-do notepad!  in other words, you’ll be spared an entire year of emergency trips to hallmark, and you’ll be forever more known as that friend who always sends the perfect card.  not bad at all, i think.

to win, all you have to do is go take a peek at hi, friend‘s website, and leave a comment here telling us whether you think your style fits their “modern girl”, “vintage girl”, or “classic girl” (personally, i think i’m a little bit of each).  and, as always, nab a bonus entry if you post about the giveaway on twitter (@shoppingscardio and @hifrienddesign), on facebook, on your blog, or whatever else you can think of (town crier, perhaps?). just be sure to let me know how you shared: leave a second comment here to get your bonus entry.

you have until monday (7/19) at noon PDT to enter, and we’ll announce a winner then.  so get those entries in soon!  and a huge, huge thanks to hi, friend for coming up with this fantastic package just for us!

wow, i am so glad to see that so many of you got excited about this giveaway!  it warms my heart to no end when you all love the prize we come up with – that’s the point, after all!  i’m working on something equally spectacular for next month, so stay tuned!

you all have no idea how much i wish i had more than one of these to give away (ahem, not to mention one to keep).  but for now, we do have to pick one winner.  my trusty random number generator says that winner is #85, jen, who won with her bonus entry by sharing the contest on facebook!  see that?  bonus entries pay off, people!

so, a big congrats to jen, who now needs to email me at editor [at] shoppingsmycardio [dot] com by monday at noon PST, or we’ll have to draw another winner. and a huge thank you to TDM design for giving away such a beautiful prize.  for those of you that missed out, i hope you’ll join me in saving up to buy one of those lovely scarves for yourself…i think we all deserve a little splurge these days, especially when it will keep us toasty warm through the yucky winter days ahead!

this month’s giveaway, as usual, has my heart all aflutter.  i really have to stop arranging giveaways i love so much.  in fact, i had to ask the designer to hold onto the scarf and send it straight to the winner, because i just didn’t trust myself to give this beauty away!

i first spotted these gorgeous TDM design scarves at shopbop, where they were carrying some of TDM’s spring styles – bright, airy pieces in silk, bamboo and cotton that were the perfect thing for summer accessorizing.  so, being the serious investigative journalist that i am (cough!), i dug a little deeper.  and what i found, readers, was the most beautiful, luxe and cozy cashmere designs for fall, all ethically sourced and handmade by a women’s co-op in nepal.  definitely splurge-worthy!

fortunately, you won’t have to splurge this time, dear readers!  i chose my very favorite style, in my very favorite color, and TDM is giving it to one of you!

my pick is this beautiful rally scarf in royal blue cashmere.  i love the style because it’s so fun, but still wearable (even for those of you that aren’t into the more over-the-top scarf styles i love).  and that royal blue shade?  it does amazing things on literally every skin tone – trust me on this one.  it will be amazing with all of your winter coats, and so very cozy and warm!  plus, at 15×72, it’s long enough to tie any number of stylish ways, but still light and comfy to wear.  you’re starting to see why i told them not to send it to me first, right?  right.

this stunning cashmere scarf retails for $175, but one of you lucky readers gets it all to herself!  these giveaways are getting better every month, i swear!

to win, just leave a comment at the end of this post! if you share the contest on twitter, facebook, your blog, or really anywhere else of note, just leave a second comment telling me where you shared, and you’ll get a bonus entry!  entries close this thursday at midnight PST, and we’ll announce the winner friday morning.  the winner will have to email me by monday at noon PST to claim their prize, or i’ll draw a new winner on tuesday.  so, make sure you check back here friday!  oh, and you probably should be in the US, canada or europe to win this one – no extreme postage requests.

good luck, dear readers…and a huge thank you to TDM design for sharing this delicious goodie with us!  trust me, the rest of their gorgeous, luxe styles are well worth a peek.

even more exciting than the emmy’s last night…the winner of the tuleste market necklace!

the winner is…entry #71, by janet, who simply said:

“love it!”

congrats to janet, who will look so chic in her gorgeous statement necklace. be sure to email me by tuesday morning (editor at shoppingsmycardio dot com) with your deets, or we’ll have to draw a new winner!

that gorgeous tuleste market necklace that’s up for grabs?  it retails for $150, and is one of my absolute favorites from ali’s picks. i’m dying to pair it with everything from a simple tee to a cocktail dress…it’s sure to add instant glam to any and all ensembles!thanks to all of you for entering, and for sharing the SMC love!  thanks to ali galgano owner of the fabulous jewelry shop, charm & chain.

i’ve been working on this goodie for a while, and am so, so, SO excited to finally share this with you guys!  welcome to our big fall fashion giveaway!  i wanted to offer up something truly extraordinary, something the winner could use as a statement piece all season to really amp up their fall wardrobe.  i think we’ve done it!

my jewelry lust is well documented – i think you’ll all attest to that.  but the truth is that i’m obsessed with good reason – in fashion, especially this year, the jewels really do make the outfit!  for fall, the trends in gems are big, strong, and sometimes hard to navigate.  so, i turned to the experts!

ali galgano owns one of my all-time favorite jewelry shops, charm & chain.  this site is so perfectly curated, it takes virtually all of the guesswork out of my jewelry choices.  she carries everything from fallon and tuleste market to house of harlow and alexis bittar, so there are loads of both splurges and steals – always a good thing.  plus, she’s just the sweetest person ever…which always makes me want to spend more money!

with fall coming, i asked ali to share her favorite jewelry trends for the season.  i also asked if we could spread a little love and give one of her picks away to a shoppingsmycardio reader.  yep, always thinking of you guys!  so, i’m excited to tell you that that gorgeous tuleste market necklace you see above is up for grabs! (details at the end of this post!!)

now, without further ado, ali’s picks:

“The Bigger, the Better”: necklaces and earrings keep getting bigger and bigger, as people are pushing the limits of what’s wearable.  any one of these pieces makes a serious statement! (from left: fringe necklace by lulu frost, $375; hammered squares necklace by tuleste market, $170; leather sunburst ring by house of harlow, $45)

“American West”: we’ve seen a lot of designers turn to the american west for inspiration this season. fringe, turquoise, raw stones–a lot of the new jewelry we’re seeing reminds us of the gold rush.  (from left: bronze seedbead necklace by lee angel, $450; turquoise seedbead necklace by lee angel, $213; dina pyrite earrings by gemma redux, $245; red rock necklace by lizzie fortunato, $557)

“Neon Pop”: it seems this season that we’ve completely flashed back to the 80s, with big shoulders, sequins, etc on the runway, along with as much neon as possible. we love the futuristic, tough feel the neon pieces have this year—a lot of the florescent pieces we’re seeing this year are paired with gunmetal hardware. (from left: fallon necklace by marlaina stone, $1500; innocence earrings by erickson beamon, $227; siena necklace by dannijo, $238)

“Chains, Chains, Chains”: from what we’ve seen designers showing this season, the more chains you can cram on your neck and layer with shorter pieces, the more stylish you’ll be. best of all, chain looks can range from punk rock to deliciously girly.  (from left: long crystal and cross necklace by fallon, $250; layered ball and chain necklace by tuleste market, $150 (and our giveaway item!); jac necklace by gemma redux, $369)

i don’t know about you, but i’m crazy excited to add all of these hot fall trends to my wardrobe.  the great thing about most of these pieces is that a little goes a long way.  add a fringed necklace to a tee, mini and boots, and you’ve got a perfect american west look.  pair that tee with distressed jeans and flats, add a little neon pop, and presto, you’re back in the ’80s!

so, about that giveaway! that gorgeous tuleste market necklace that’s up for grabs?  it retails for $150, and is one of my absolute favorites from ali’s picks. i’m dying to pair it with everything from a simple tee to a cocktail dress…it’s sure to add instant glam to any and all ensembles! to win, just leave a comment at the end of this post (as always, if you share on facebook, twitter or any other internet-y place, leave a second comment telling me where you shared to score a bonus entry)!  since this prize is so amazing, we’ll run this contest through sunday night, and announce the winner on monday (9/21). you’ll have to email me within 24 hours to claim your prize, or we’ll find someone else to give it to, so make sure you check back monday!

thanks so much to charm & chain for offering up this truly fabulous prize.  now get those entries in!