Mother’s Day is a few weeks away - and we want to help you SPOIL YOUR MAMA!
What better way to spoil your lovely mother this year, by surprising her with a fantastic gift basket. Rainflower Company has teamed up with some great companies to put together a prize worth over $400 in goodies!

HOW TO ENTER

Entering is SIMPLE! Just TWEET and tell us why you want to spoil your mama… do it from your laptop, blackberry, iPhone… it’s that simple.

TWEET @vspacestudio with
“I wanna #spoilmymama because…”   EASY!

DETAILS
OPEN TO ANYONE IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA.
CONTEST DEADLINE IS APRIL 30TH 2010
WINNER will be chosen, and the prize will be delivered MAY 7th 2010 (just in time, to bring to your mama for Mother’s Day on Sunday May 9th)

PRIZE
(* Retail values are in Canadian dollar, exclusive of applicable taxes)

CUSTOMIZED STATIONERY SET from v:space studio (value $40)
Details:
- Set of 8 custom monogrammed blank notecards (initials of your mama, of course!)
- 12 matching blank flat note stationery sheets
- Set of 8 Signature Wallpaper blank notecards
v:space studio | @vspacestudio | online shop | fb

ECO SEXY SKINCARE SET from SOYA BOUTIQUE (value $150)
Details:
- Soy Oil ($15)
- Repairing Serum ($80)
- Tear Free Cleanser ($36)
- 2 Healing Balms ($10 each)
SOYA BOUTIQUE | @SOYCULT | online shop | fb

EXCLUSIVE SOYA TREATMENT FACIAL from WINKS EYELASH BOUTIQUE (value $80)
Details:
- Gift Certificate for the Exclusive Soya Treatment using SOYA BOUTIQUE products at the WINKS EYELASH BOUTIQUE
WINKS EYELASH BOUTIQUE | fb | 257 Danforth Ave. Toronto, Ontario

SET OF REVERSIBLE CLUTCHES from BETTYKISS STYLE INC. (value $50)

Details: - 2 (two) reversible satin clutches
BETTYKISS STYLE INC. | @bettykiss | fb

FLORAL ARRANGEMENT by RAINFLOWER COMPANY (value $75)
Details:
- 1 (one) hand-tied fresh spring blooms floral arrangement
- delivery to your mother’s location (in the GTA only)
RAINFLOWER COMPANY | @rainflowerco | fb

‘DAMN HEELS’ FOLD-UP FLATS from DAMN HEELS (value $20)
Details:
- 1 (one) pair of the fold-up flats in your mother’s size*
- *Upon choosing a winner, we will confirm the size with you
DAMN HEELS | @damnheels | online shop | fb

JEWELRY SET from JOSIE TECSON (VALUE $90)
Details:
- 1 (one) Rain Strand Jewelry set
- Created with gold antique brush brass and white freshwater pearls
- Necklace ($40)
- Bracelet ($36)
- Earrings ($15)
JOSIE TECSON | fb

Make sure to visit all of the fabulous partners, and follow them on twitter for new product info, launches, exclusive online offers, events etc.

@vspacestudio | @soycult | @bettykiss | @rainflowerco | @damnheels

We were asked to provide some fleurs for a wonderful event to promote the book, Be… A Woman: Expressions of Life.  The event was held at the Verity Club, in downtown Toronto on Thursday, June 11.  Kim MacGregor is an author, motivational speaker and an absolute sweetheart! It was our sincere pleasure to provide the flowers for this wonderful event and great cause.  Please check out her website for more information on how you can obtain her beautiful book.  When you purchase the book online, $10 is donated to the Look Good, Feel Better Organization.  An all around win win! And while you’re there, nominate an everyday amazing woman for the Be… A Woman Awards. It’s absolutely fabulous to recognize that amazing women don’t have to be anything more than who they really are in their day-to-day lives to be an inspiration to women everywhere.  Cheers to the Women that BE!

Here is what Kim had to say about RFC after the event…

“I truly appreciate your generous contribution to our event. The arrangements you put together were stunning! Your flowers looked beautiful and gave the whole room a magical touch!  So happy to know you!
We have received so many great comments about the flowers - they were a wonderful addition!”

Kim MacGregor
Author/Motivational Speaker, Be…a Woman: expressions of life

Every guest that left the event at Verity, took home one of the ribbon wrapped roses in the larger vase.  They looked like flower lollypops! Soo cute, and such a nice touch!

We are absolutely delighted to tell you that the amazing winner of our Fabulous Free Fleurs & Day of Co-ordination contest is…. Michael Athill and his lovely fiancé Cheryl.  Michael sent us a wonderful entry which was the last entry we received before the contest closed at midnight.  He actually sent it 7 minutes before it ended (7 is a very special number to Michael and Cheryl) His creativity and obvious love for his soon-to-be wife to enter the contest as a surprise for her was all we needed to select him as the winner.  We also want to extend our gratitude to all who took the time to enter.  It wasn’t easy to pick just one!  Stay tuned, I’m sure we’ll be doing another contest in the near future!  Here is what Michael had to say about winning his unbelievable prize of  Fabulous Fleurs from Rainflower Company  ($1000 value)  and Day of Co-Ordination from In Style Wedding Planners ($1000 value).  Congratulations again to the both of you! 

At some point or another, we all sign up for contests of some sort in our never ending search of the elusive four letter word ‘FREE.’ Many of us reading these very words are most likely going through the ever daunting wedding crunch - save here, compromise there and forget about that much desired but even more so pricey accessory that would complete the grand plan. If you aren’t, I am. And believe you me, for Cheryl my fiancée and I the ‘crunch’ is not nearly as sweet as the chocolate bar with the same name sake.

This is where Frugalbride and contests come into play.  I completed the entry with the same nonchalant hope that we all do when we fill out contest forms. This one was different however; this one was personal. I had the opportunity to plead my worth of a prize rather than a random draw of numbers or a ticket stub. Without my fiancé knowing, I wrote ‘7 truths about Cheryl.’ A brief look into why 7 is such a significant number to us - past, present, and future.

When I found out that my entry was the winner, I was in shock. So much so that I replayed the message 4 times before I called Cheryl and told her I entered a contest online. She came to the conclusion that it was just like the contests at the wedding show - everybody gets a call. Regardless, I found that the voice on the message was genuine, unlike the others so I decided to call back. And I’m glad I did. I talked to Maria of In Style Wedding Planners and she informed me that this wasn’t a marketing ploy in any way. This was the real deal. Free “Day Of” Co-Ordination courtesy of In Style Wedding Planners and Free Fabulous Flowers courtesy of Rainflower Company. A total worth of $2000.

To say that Cheryl and I are happy is an understatement. Having the opportunity to work with In Style Wedding Planners and Rainflower Company is a huge boost to our wedding plans. Knowing that two reputable companies with great individuals and vivid creativity are going to be overseeing so many important aspects of our wedding is going to be such a privilege. We truly look forward to their involvement in our big day.
I know I will bring a smile to my bride-to-be’s face regardless, but this will make the big day that much more special for the both of us.

Again, thank you.

Michael and Cheryl

I recently wrote about Daryn Kagan, one of the lovely ladies who presented at the Ladies who Launch BYOB event that I attended a few weeks ago.  Daryn Kagan has a wonderful website, and her tag line- which I love is, “Show the world what’s possible”… I subscribe to her daily emails (you should too!) and in one that I received the other day, was an inspiring message about re-purposing flowers.  There is a wonderful organization called the Flower Power Foundation, established by Nancy K. Lawlor, Floral Philanthropist (how cool is that title!).  They will arrange to pick up your flowers after an event, or wedding etc. and then re-purpose them to people that wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to enjoy them.  Here’s a bit of information from their website…

“Since February 2003 we have collected over $2,500,000 of donated flowers, re-assembled and given them to those who rarely receive such gifts of hope. Thousands of elderly, sick and terminally ill in New York City and Los Angeles have been touched by this act of kindness and we intend to expand our mission of uniting and healing generations throughout America.  FlowerPower is dedicated to having our mission alive and thriving in American culture one city at a time. We intend to accomplish this burst of compassion, joy and beauty with fun, integrity, intelligence and courage.”

Soooo…. this got me thinking I’d like to implement something like this for Toronto, and with all the events that we have going on in this great city, especially during the holiday season, I’m sure we could make a difference in other people’s lives.  Please feel free to comment about this little idea of mine, and share your thoughts if this might be something that you would be interested in participating in.  I’d love to hear your feedback… 

Here is the link to the story on www.darynkagan.com.

 http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1381642739/bclid340457716/bctid687000880.