Beautiful, Unique Sofisticata

The first time I heard of the etsy shop Sofisticata was when I recently entered a giveaway which included one of her items.  And guess what?  I was the winner of the giveaway!  :)  I'll be showing you what I won very soon, but first, let me tell you why I think this etsy shop has some of the prettiest items ever!

I love unique style, and this headpiece is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen!

For the longest time, I've wanted some unique hair clips and here is one that would look absolutely stunning!

And these beautiful shoe clips are what I won from the giveaway!

Aren't they exquisite?  Hir, the owner of Sofisticata, was so excellent to deal with, and she actually let me pick the colors I wanted mine to be!  And she also put hair clips on them upon request!  This is one etsy shop I will be saving for future purchases!

I'll show you what I won and tell you a little more about Hir's excellent shop soon!

Something Beautiful Link Party

Well, isn't it ironic that I forget about my Something Beautiful post until I climb into bed!  Perfect timing!  So here is the linky so you can add your own links, and I'll have my post up tomorrow!  :)  Have a great day, everyone, and don't forget to check out the giveaways on my sidebar!  :)

Win Christian Books!

I wanted to let all my readers know about an super resource!  Carman has an excellent blog where she posts Christian book giveaways!  Not only can you find tons of Christian book giveaways to enter, but you can also send her your link when you have a Christian book to give away!  It really helps to get the word out!  It's a fabulous blog, so if you like to read... check it out!  :)

Ebook Giveaway Extended

Hi everyone!  I have decided to extend the giveaway for Melinda Todd's ebook, How I Forgave My Molester, by another week.  The ending date is now February 10th.  So if you haven't yet entered, you can still get your name in.  This is an excellent ebook, and great for anyone who needs to forgive.  You'll definitely want to read it!

THIS POST IS NOT THE GIVEAWAY POST, if you want to enter, please leave a comment here.

The Good-O-Meter

I had the perfect video for Friday Funnies... until I saw this one!  It's hilarious and so true at the same time!  Enjoy this awesome video and stay tuned for next week's hilarious video!!  :)  And check out my other latest posts, because there are a few more amazing videos you'll want to see (including the adorable praying bird) and a few giveaways going on right now!  (Check the sidebar for current giveaways.)

And now for our Feature Presentation:

Ebook Review and GIVEAWAY: How I Forgave My Molester by Melinda Todd

Forgiveness is never easy. Sometimes it seems downright impossible. But even in the toughest of situations, we must learn to forgive everyone. God promises that He will take care of us and get justice, so we can entrust our hurts to Him and believe that He will take care of us.

Melinda Todd has a brand new ebook on this very topic. Molested as a child, she struggled to forgive, especially since her life was affected in the worst ways imaginable. But with God's help, she learned to forgive when it seemed impossible. She has found freedom from the pain that plagued her for many years.

I had the opportunity to read How I Forgave My Molester and found it to be an excellent and very helpful ebook. Not only does Mel tell her story and how she learned to forgive, but she also gives solid Biblical steps for forgiving in any situation. I loved the fact that the ebook wasn't extremely long. I was able to read it in one sitting, and found it to be a very encouraging resource for anyone who needs to forgive. And at the end of How I Forgave My Molester, Melinda gives a list of resources that helped her to overcome.

Melinda has made it very easy for anyone to get a copy of her ebook: It is only $3.95 on her website and also on Kindle! (If you buy a copy today, January 27, it's only $1.95 here!)

You also have a chance to win a copy right here! So if you would like to win a copy of Melinda Todd's ebook, How I Forgave My Molester, leave me a comment on this post telling me that you'd like to win! I'll draw a winner on Thursday, February 10 at noon!

Adorable Bird Praying

You have got to see this adorable video of a bird reciting an entire prayer!  This is priceless!  :)  Enjoy!

Stunning Holland House Candles

I love candles... but by candles, I mean the ordinary kind like tea candles or pillar candles.  But a few days ago I saw a candle unlike any I've ever seen before... and certainly much more beautiful!  Watch this amazing video to see how Holland House Candles are made!!

Something Beautiful Link Party

Happy Monday, everyone!  Here's the link party for this week!  If you have Something Beautiful to share, leave your link below!  :)  This week I'm sharing something I think is very unique and quite beautiful... so don't forget to check it out!

CSN Stores Review: J World Laptop Messenger Bag

Remember when I said I would be doing a review for CSN Stores? Well, my package arrived! After looking through CSN Store's extensive collection of products, I decided to get a laptop case. I've had my laptop for a while, but hadn't gotten anything good for carrying it around.  CSN Stores has a large collection of products, so I had a lot of choices! I didn't want a laptop bag that looked typical, so I decided to get one with personality!

  

I found the J World Laptop Messenger Bag in Love Letter Purple! I absolutely love this bag! It is super-lightweight, which makes it just the right weight with my laptop and accessories inside! It is loaded with compartments, including one for a cell phone, another one for a water bottle, and more places for storing books, notebooks, pens, pencils, and even credit cards... not to mention the compartments for the laptop and cord!

Click picture to enlarge

I tend to carry all kinds of stuff around with me, but toting around books, notebooks, pens, pencils, a camera, various papers, a laptop, accessories and more, I ended up stacking all my stuff on top of each other while trying not to drop it all! (This is completely true! Just ask my family!)  This bag has made a world of difference for me because I can now neatly place everything inside the bag, where there is plenty of room rather than risk dropping something (which has happened more than once)!  In fact, the bag isn't too heavy even when filled with all my stuff! :)

I am very happy with this messenger bag, love its "personality" and especially it's excellent price! It was very low-priced at CSN Stores-- I thought it was an incredible value. I also love CSN Store's shipping speed. Both times I have ordered from them, I have been shocked at how fast my products have arrived. Their shipping is faster than almost any other company's, in my experience.

I love my laptop bag and CSN Stores, and I will definitely be buying from them again! Both CSN Stores and the J World laptop messenger bags are highly recommended!

I was provided with a free product for this review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Dogs Always Win :)

Here's an adorable and hilarious video I recently saw on Facebook.  I love this!  Dogs always win!  :)  Hope you're all having a great Friday!

Book Review: Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

When I saw that Nick Vujicic was releasing his first book, I knew I had to get a copy! I have been so inspired every time I have heard Nick speak, so I knew the book would be amazing! And it was!


Life Without Limits is a book about "how to live a ridiculously good life". In a book like this you would expect to find tips on how to live your life to the fullest, and this book is definitely full of excellent advice. I learned so much, and found myself marking pages so I could write down points I wanted to remember. Nick shares how to live your life with purpose and passion, have fun, and be ridiculously happy!

But beside the fact that the book was loaded with inspiration, there was another aspect that I loved. From the first page, Life Without Limits is the story of Nick's life so far. And being born without arms and legs makes life far from average! I loved the fact that the book was packed with fascinating stories. Nick has traveled so many places around the world, and his many travels make for some very interesting stories! Reading this book was a treat. I didn't want to read it too fast because it was so interesting, I wanted to read it slowly to prolong the enjoyment!

There was yet another aspect of this book I loved. If you've heard Nick speak, you know he has an excellent sense of humor. He can take someone who needs encouragement, give them hope, and make them laugh at the same time! Nick's amazing sense of humor is all throughout the book, too! It was hilarious, and at one story I was laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I think it's pretty safe to say you're guaranteed to laugh while reading this book!

One of my favorite chapters in the book was called "The Ridiculous Rules." In this chapter, Nick shares his philosophy of trying to do something ridiculous every day to make life more interesting! Instead of letting the daily grind of life get you into a dull routine, Nick encourages the reader to do the things they've always wanted to try! You'll read about the things Nick has tried, such as scuba diving, hiding inside an overhead baggage compartment on a plane, and taking a carousel ride on the luggage conveyor belt!



So the bottom line is: I loved Life Without Limits! This book is a keeper, and I definitely want to read it again! I still have a bunch of pages bookmarked because of the inspiration I wanted to remember. Reading the stories about the life of a vibrant guy without limbs is absolutely captivating. I highly recommend Life Without Limits to anyone who needs encouragement and hope, wants to be motivated, and wants to read something fascinating and hilarious!

I received this book free to review.  All opinions are 100% mine!

Foxy Originals Jewelry Giveaway (Ends 2/3)

Here it is, folks... your chance to win any one piece of jewelry from Foxy Originals!!  I reviewed their unique jewelry here.  And now the winner of this giveaway will get to choose any one item from the Foxy Originals website (up to $54 value!!)!

So here is how to enter the giveaway:

For EVERY ENTRY, you must leave a comment.  If a particular action gives you three entries, you must leave three comments.  If you only leave one comment, it will only count as one entry.

Here is the mandatory entry:
Like Foxy Originals on Facebook
or
Follow Foxy Originals on Twitter.

Then come here and leave me a comment telling me that you did one or the other.  If you choose to do both, leave one comment for each.  But you MUST do one or the other if you want any of your other entries to count.

Extra Entries:
1. Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect.
2. Follow me on Twitter and tell me what your Twitter handle is.
3. Like my fan page on Facebook.
4. Follow this blog via RSS feed.  (link on sidebar)
5. Write about this giveaway on your Facebook page and tell me what your Facebook name is.
6. Tweet about this giveaway using the tweet below.  You can do this once a day for an additional entry each day.

#Win ANY piece of jewelry (up to $54 value!) from @foxyoriginals and @Reneeluvsbeauty here: http://bit.ly/hU4fc9 Ends 2/3

7. Blog about this giveaway (3 extra entries, leave 3 comments)

If your email isn't in your (public) profile, please leave it in your comments.

Contest ends February 3 at noon.  Winner will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or I will draw another winner.  Thanks to everyone for entering, and have fun!

Two Beautiful Giveaways

Since I know my readers love giveaways, I wanted to let you know about a few exceptional ones that you will definitely want to enter!

Kaycee Lee Photography is hosting her first giveaway!  It includes THREE separate prizes including one of her stunning photographs like the one below!  (And she's also giving away a $15 Starbucks gift card for all you fellow coffee-lovers!)

And while you're at her blog, check out her wallpaper section, where you can put one of her beautiful photographs on your desktop!  (I have the picture shown above on my desktop right now!)

- - - - - - - - -

 Another giveaway that you will want to enter is hosted by my friend Camille, who has a HUGE giveaway with a different prize to 12 winners!  I just found out I won her last giveaway, so I can't enter this one, but I'll bet you will all want to get over there right now, because she has some amazing handmade products to give away!!  (And if you're interested in seeing what I won from Camille, I'll show you when I receive the prizes!!)

My favorite of the things Camille is giving away... this stunning ruby rosette headband!  Isn't it gorgeous?!

So have go enter these two fabulous giveaways!!  Have fun!  :)

Foxy Originals Review

I am a huge jewelry addict! I especially love unique and colorful pieces of jewelry. If you're like me and love jewelry that is different from what most people are wearing, you need to check out Foxy Originals! This Canadian jewelry company was started by two ladies who designed stylish jewelry from the time they were in high school. Now their affordable, lead-free jewelry is so popular it has been spotted on celebrities!


Here are a few of my favorites from their website:

I love these pretty Lindy Necklaces!  Not only are they beautifully colorful, but they are also reversible!  So for the price of one necklace, you get two!

These metallic rose rings are so delicate and would look stunning with almost anything!

Another favorite: dragonfly necklaces!  Aren't these so adorable?!

Something beautiful, classy, and shiny: Serena earrings.  Great for spicing up a casual outfit, and stunning for wearing with something dressy!

These Belize necklaces are so fun and modern!  Not only that, but they are reversible, too!

And the item that I have the privilege to review:

The beautiful Marigold necklace!!

When I saw these, I thought they were simply stunning!  I love all four of the color choices!  Imagine my delight when I found out they are reversible so I wouldn't have to choose just one color!  I chose the purple/green necklace and can't wait to wear it!  My two favorite colors on a delicate silver chain = pure beauty!

Stay tuned because you will have the chance to win a piece of jewelry from Foxy Originals coming soon!

Disclaimer:  I was not compensated for this review.  I was provided with a free product, but I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are mine.

Something Beautiful Link Party

Good morning!  :)  Here is the link party for today's "Something Beautiful".  Feel free to leave your link here to share something beautiful with us!  Have a great day!

You Are: Forgiven

Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.

He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.

Micah 7:18-19

Today let's remember that our lives are not defined by our mistakes and failures.  Our mistakes are not who we are!  We don't have to carry our sins around.  We don't have to pay for them.  We simply need to confess our sins to Jesus and they are completely gone.  By carrying around guilt, we are taking the sacrifice that Jesus made for us lightly.  So from now on, let's put weight on Jesus' sacrifice instead of our own shortcomings.  He did everything that would ever need to be done so we could have rightstanding with God.  All we have to do is simply believe it!

Linked to:
 Spiritual Sundays
Word Filled Wednesdays

Photo credit: Angelskiss31

Frugal Tip For Today: Write to the Company

If you want to save money, write to the company!  You may be wondering how writing to a company can help you save money, but I'll show you an example...

I recently opened a small bag of Chex mix and found a small piece of hair.  I wrote to the company immediately and let them know.  And look what I got for simply writing to the company:

But you don't have to wait until you find a piece of hair in your bag of Chex mix to write... By simply writing to the company to comment on their product or compliment them, you may get treats like this in the mail.  It's definitely worth it to write and let the company know your thoughts about their products!  You just might open your mailbox to find coupons for free products!  :)

This post is linked to Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom!

My Reading Plan for 2011

Last year I had the wonderful intention of reading a book a month for 2010.  Well, I ended up not keeping up with my goal and slacking off my reading plan.

But during the past few months, I have been reading a lot more, and I'm fairly certain that it will be easy to commit to reading 12 books this year now that I have a good system down.  I really hope to surpass 12 books, but I'm making a conservative goal so it will be more than attainable!

I don't have a list of books I plan to read.  Instead I'm just going to choose the books as the year goes on and as I finish the previous books!

The two books I'm starting with this year are:
Voices of the Faithful by Beth Moore
Rescued by John Bevere

And next month I'll update you on my progress!

What's on your reading plan for this year?

Review Coming Soon...

I get to do a review for CSN Stores!  I'm super excited since I've recently become a big fan of theirs.  They have practically everything you could ever think of to furnish and decorate your home!  And their products are top quality!  They carry everything from beautiful All-Clad cookware sets to Herman Miller chairs!  They even have jewelry armoires, stylish desks, and beautiful Tiffany lamps!  (I love the one pictured!)

If you want to make your home beautiful, CSN stores is the place to shop!  I'd like to get one of these stunning mirrors for my bedroom!

And this absolutely marvelous electric fireplace/ TV stand would make my year!  :D

Stay tuned, because I will be reviewing a product from CSN Stores coming soon!!

WINNER of Outlive Your Life Giveaway

I just drew a winner of the Outlive Your Life giveaway... and the winner is:

Barbara from barbjan10 blogs!!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered!!  That was the most popular giveaway I've had yet!  And stay tuned because I have more giveaways coming soon!!!

Something Beautiful Link Party 1/10/11

It's Monday again, and that means it's time for the Something Beautiful link party!  If you have something beautiful to share today, please link up!  :)  If you haven't yet seen it, I'm linking my post from yesterday with a wonderful testimony!  Thanks so much for visiting and for linking up!

Inspiring Story: Saved by Her Enemy

One of the most awesome things in the whole world is when God is able to work through the life of a Christian to change someone's else's life.  That is the whole reason we are on this earth!  Today's story is an excellent example of this.  Let this story be an inspiration to live your life like Jesus wherever you are.  You never know when God will bring someone across your path who needs to see His love in action!



This post is linked up to the Spiritual Sundays and Inspiring Story link parties!

BluefishTV Funnies

Happy Friday, everyone!  It's time again for Friday Funnies!!  I love the Bluefish TV videos, so today I have three for you!  I laughed so hard I cried when I watched these!!  So make sure you don't have anything in your mouth while you watch!!  :)



This one is absolutely hilarious because it's SO TRUE!! LOL




And this one is a bonus!  :)

And while you're here, don't forget to enter my giveaways!  Details at the top of the sidebar!  :)

Giveaway: Any Product from The Cream Perfume Company

Here it is, folks... another giveaway!  This one is from the amazing Cream Perfume Company!  Check out my review to see a few of the great products they offer.  The winner of this giveaway will win ONE product of their choice!  (This giveaway is only open to the US/Canada.  Sorry to all my international readers!)

Mandatory Entry:
Follow me on Google Friend Connect (and)
Head over to The Cream Perfume Company's website and tell me what product is your favorite
After completing the mandatory entry above, here are some ways to get extra entries!

EXTRA ENTRIES:


Leave a comment for each extra entry.


1. Follow me on Twitter.


2. Like my blog page on Facebook.


3. Subscribe to this blog via RSS feed. (link on the sidebar)


4. Write about this giveaway on your Facebook page (and leave the link in a comment).


5. Tweet about this giveaway using the tweet below. For the persistent giveaway-enterers like me, you can tweet this once a day for an extra daily entry! :) (Don't forget to leave a comment each day!)


#Win any ONE product from The Cream Perfume Company from @Reneeluvsbeauty here: http://bit.ly/eobcnY Ends 1/17



6. Blog about this giveaway (3 extra entries, leave 3 comments)


7. Enter this giveaway into a giveaway linky and tell me where to find it. (2 entries, leave 2 comments)




I will draw the winner on January 17, 2011 at 12:00 noon EST.

Special thanks to The Cream Perfume Company for hosting this giveaway!

Review: The Cream Perfume Company

Don't you love it when you discover amazing new products?  Well, I now have a few new favorite products from The Cream Perfume Company to tell you about!

With winter here in full force, one of the biggest problems I am faced with are dry, cracked, and bleeding hands.  Well, as long as I have a bottle of this Coconut Vanille Perfumed Body Moisturizer, I don't think I will have any problems of the sort!  When I first opened the bottle, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I'm not a huge coconut person, but after applying this stuff... Oh my!  There isn't a super-strong scent, just a subtle, fresh coconut smell.  And the cream left my hands feeling and looking like silk.  There is no greasy film, either!  This has to be one of the best creams I have ever used!

I don't have to worry about using it, either!  Because The Cream Perfume Company makes all their scents naturally!!  This means no parabens or other harmful substances that cause cancer!  They also use pure plant and fruit extracts!

Body moisturizer is not the only type of product offered by this cool company!  They also have adorable little wooden "Nuts" with wonderful-smelling cream perfume!  I received the Organic Raspberry and Mandarin!

And let me tell you, these smell AMAZING!  My favorite perfume scents are fruity flavors, and these are some of the best I've ever smelled!  The raspberry has a beautiful creamy raspberry scent, way better than I ever would have imagined a raspberry to smell!  :)  And the mandarin cream perfume has almost a floral mandarin scent... and it is a fabulous smell!  These smell so wonderful, they could almost be sold as therapeutic products!

Another reason I love these cream perfumes is because they get rid of the mess of liquid perfumes, and you don't have to wait for them to dry!  They are also a cinch to bring anywhere without worries that they will spill.

Needless to say, these are amazing products, and I am thoroughly impressed with The Cream Perfume Company!  Not only are their products packaged to look stunning, they smell equally as wonderful!

Stay tuned, because you will have the opportunity to WIN a product from The Cream Perfume Company, coming soon!!

I received these products free in exchange for a review.  All opinions are 100% mine!  :)

Something More Studio Documentary Part 3 (Nick Vujicic)

The final installation of Nick Vujicic's Something More Studio Documentary is finally here!  Now I can't wait to see the music video!!

Giveaway for the Guys!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you info about a giveaway you won't want to miss!

You probably wouldn't expect to see a post about something guy-ish on A Glimpse of Beautiful, but I just had to post about this giveaway!  The Concord Carpenter is giving away a Bosch Five Point Laser Level!!  And I'm willing to bet that most of you have a guy in your life who would absolutely love one of these!  Go here to enter!

Something Beautiful Link Party

Hi folks!  I'm putting up the Something Beautiful link party tonight (Sunday) and I'll have my post up some time tomorrow!  Feel free to add your links if you have something beautiful to share!  (And don't forget to enter my giveaway... details on the sidebar! ------>)

Two Beautiful Songs

Good morning, everybody!  Today I have two beautiful songs to share with you.  Although they generally fall under the "Christmas" category, I see no reason why we can't enjoy songs that celebrate the birth of Christ all year long!  :)  After all, where would we be if Christ had never been born?  So here are two songs that definitely deserve the title "beautiful"!  Have a blessed day and a happy new year!







Linked to Spiritual Sundays (Thank you so much, ladies, for hosting this great Sunday meme!)

Thank you, Just2Techy for posting the second one on Youtube!  When I heard this song, I searched everywhere to find it, and now it's available for anyone to listen to!

And, of course, thanks Jay for reminding me of the first amazing song!