Happy Birthday to my Dad!

We were both young once! LOL!

Happy birthday to you!

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

GirlBurke Studios, our Etsy shop this week, comes to us from Melanie in Ohio. Melanie's talents range from abstract painter to mother of four, but she showcases her other love, jewelry design, in GirlBurke Studios. Specializing in handmade artisan jewelry, Melanie has stocked her Etsy shop with earrings, rings, bracelets, necklaces and even a LittleGirlBurke line created by her daughter.

Candy Ring 16

Featuring an adjustable Silver Plate band, this 1 1/4" yellow Swarovski rose will be certain to get you in the mood for spring!

Aquamarine Roundel Necklace

Aquamarine has always been a personal favorite of mine, as well as my birthstone, and Melanie has done it justice here. The five roundels make a beautiful combination paired with the sterling silver 18" chain.

Black Padlock Choker

This TierraCast 3/4 x 1" padlock hangs from a 16" aluminum chain. Melanie also has created a bracelet with the padlock design as well.

This week if you are the winner of "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" you will win:

This necklace made of 6mm Fire polished Czech glass beads and sterling silver.

How to enter:

1.Check out GirlBurke Studios. Come back and tell us about your favorite item(s) in the shop.

2. Be or become a follower of this blog for a second entry.

3. Be or become a follower of Joy De Vivre on facebook for an additional entry.

Entries will be accepted from now until next Monday, February 28 at noon.

Check back Monday night to see if you are the lucky winner!

Best of luck to you all!

And Our Winner Is....

Congratulations JC!

You will receive the lovely earrings from Amy's Treasures!

Thank you to all who entered this past week and special thanks to Amy for being a part of the feature! I wish you continued success with your shop!

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

Amy's Treasures showcases jewelry, wine glass charms, recipes and anything else that catches the eye of shop owner Amy. A crafter from an early age, she first began selling her creations for money during her college days. She now lives in Illinois and has an entire basement dedicated to crafting and running her Etsy shop which she began in 2007.

Let's see Amy's Treasures:

Yellow Sun Kissed

Seeing this vivid yellow instantly snapped me out of my winter blues! This anklet is made of yellow chips strung on a stetch cord, creating a one size fits all piece.

Dangle Earrings Green White Swirl Disco Fever

The 70's are back in a big way this spring in fashion. These earrings will have you on trend with their green and yellow swirl designs.

Cuff Bracelet Blue Beads and Blue Rose

This beautiful bracelet will certainly be the focal point of any outfit! Made with blue rubberized acrylic beads, glass beads and silver plated findings, the eye will be drawn to the glittering blue rose in the center as well.

This week if you are the winner of "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" you will win:

To enter:

1. Go over to Amy's Treasures on Etsy. Come back here to leave a comment on your favorite item(s) from her lovely shop!

2 . Be or become a follower of this blog for a second entry.

3. Be or become a follower of Joy De Vivre on facebook for a third entry.

Entries will be accepted until Monday February 21 at noon. Check back here Monday night to see if you are the lucky winner!

To learn more about Amy and her artistic endeavors check out:

www.etsy.com/shop/amystreasuresattic
www.cafepress.com/amystreasures

www.facebook.com/amystreasures?sk=wall

amytreasures.blogspot.com

Need More Online Reading Material?

If you are anything like me, then you love to discover new blogs. Thankfully Glamour has made it easy for us to find fashionable reading material by gathering 18 bloggers for their new Young and Posh Blogger Network!

Check it out and support our fellow bloggers!

Happy Monday...

And Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

I hope you all have an amazing day!

Any big plans?

Photo courtesy of katietegtmeyer via flickr creative commons

Looking for an Easy to Cook Snack?

While relaxing on a Sunday afternoon there is nothing better than watching your favorite television show and having a tasty snack. Unfortunately with all of the salt, sugar and fat grams....many of our go to goodies leave us with a mound of guilt.

Thanks to the South Beach Diet I have found my new favorite, and much more healthy, snack- Roasted Chickpeas. They are so easy to cook and are low in fat, yet high in protein.

The version in the South Beach Diet cookbook calls for just plain chickpeas, but after doing a few Internet searches I found there are many options for roasting chickpeas. Come to find out they are quite the popular treat in other parts of the world.

After trying a few of the different recipes I have found my favorite to be the chili-lime chickpeas.

You will need a 14-19 ounce can of chickpeas, lime juice, olive oil and chili powder.

If you would like to try them for yourself just follow these steps:

1. In a strainer pour a can of chickpeas. Rinse with warm water. The outer shells will start to peel off. Remove the shells that are loose as that will help them to cook better.

2. Pour the chickpeas in a bowl. Pour in equal parts of lime juice and olive oil, just enough to evenly coat the chickpeas. Sprinkle on chili powder. Let them sit for about 30 minutes to absorb the flavor.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On an ungreased baking sheet place the chickpeas in a single layer. Bake for about an hour, but check them periodically. Depending on your oven the timing may be off slightly. They will be ready when they are crispy brown and rattle when you shake them, (that sounds silly now, but trust me it makes since when you cook them).

The finished product tastes something like a Corn Nut.

And Our Winner Is...

Congratulations Jacqueline! You are the winner this week of the two 5x7 photos from

A La Mode Arts!

Thanks so much to all of you who entered this week! Special thanks also to Donna for offering your beautiful shop for the feature. It was a pleasure to work with you!

And the Winner's Are...

Congratulations Sarah and Belinda!

Stayed tuned for more Glamour related tips, info and perhaps even more prizes! ;)

Need Gift Ideas for your Valentine?

Simon G combines the art of passion and tradition. Each piece is specially crafted with versatility and beauty in mind, while also maintaining an unmatchable quality that will last generations. Log on to simongjewelry.com to view the collection.

What a beautiful collection!

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

While "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" has been on hiatus I have not forgotten about bringing you all wonderful shops! Well the feature is back and I think you all will agree we have an exciting new crop of creations to profile!

First up, getting us started in a big way, is A La Mode Arts a fine-art photography shop. The person behind the shop is Donna from Pennsylvania, who lists photography, painting, drawing and writing as just some of her passions. With such a wide variety of interests there is no wonder Donna fills A La Mode Arts with a range of items such as prints, photo jewelry, bookmarks and cards all featuring her look at natural settings. Her work has also been displayed in museums, magazines such as National Geographic KIDS and in private collections, just to name a few.

Let's see what you can find at A La Mode Arts.....

"STORM"

So eerily beautiful "STORM" is printed on Kodak Endura lustre paper. This 8X10 print is shown in the frame for sample purposes only, but you can find more information on A La Mode Arts.

"Velvet"

The stunning purple flower in this 10X10 photo is certainly eye catching to say the least. The Kodak Endura paper will ensure a satin like sheen.

"Traveler"

This 5X7 print will make you feel like a traveler when it mentally transports you to far off locales.

This week Donna would like to offer you a choice in your prize, should you be the lucky winner of "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" A La Mode Arts edition! If your name is drawn next Sunday then you can choose two 5X7 prints from the shop as your prize! Will you choose "Wish You Were Here" featured below or did other prints catch your eye?

How to enter:

1. Check out A La Mode Arts! Come back and fill us in on your favorite items!

2. Be or become a follower of this blog.

3. You can now earn a third entry by becoming a facebook follower of Joy De Vivre as well, (there is a link over to the left if you so desire).

Entries will be accepted from now until Sunday at noon! Check back Sunday night to see if you are the lucky winner!

For more on Donna and A La Mode Arts check out her blogs at:

• BlogSite - http://www.donnamcondida.com/
• Art blog - http://www.lemonpoppyseedartdesign.com/
• Personal blog – http://www.yellowmaryjanes.com/

and be sure to friend her on facebook at:
www.facebook.com/DonnaMCondidaArtist

There is now a winner for this week's giveaway.

Please check back Tuesday for the next installment.

Happy Monday

Happy Monday everyone!

Nothing makes me happier than rock music and it gets me through most Mondays! I have many favorites, one of them being The Rolling Stones. Long have I professed my love for Keith Richards and his ability to keep on ticking despite the fact that he has lived a VERY full life!
This weekend I found the coolest tee! Now I can proudly wear Keith and show the world my feelings for this rock legend. :)

What gets you through Monday's?

As Promised...

I promised I was going to have two Glambassador related giveaways this past week and I am here to make good on my deal! Trident is launching a new sugar free gum line this month called VITALITY! It comes in three great flavors, including Vigorate a citrus blended with strawberry, Awaken with peppermint and Ginseng, and Rejuve that fuses mint with white tea. While I find all three flavors appealing I am leaning towards Vigorate as my favorite thanks to its addition of citrus.

Now one of you can help me pick a favorite as well! Glamour sent me packs to try and I would like to share samples of each with one of you! From now until Friday leave me a comment if you would be interested in trying this tasty new product from Trident! Friday afternoon I will draw a winner!

On Such a Winter's Day...

When I heard on the local news that Houston weather was colder than Alaska I knew there was only one thing to do....go towards the sun! And that I shall do, though I must wait a couple of weeks. Somehow having tickets in hand to the Golden State is already making me feel better though!

Question for you all...I have never had a chance to fully explore San Francisco. Any suggestions on must see spots?

Celebrate with me!

Last year I had such a wonderful year being a Glambassador for Glamour. Having the opportunity to do fashion events, try makeup and do reviews for other products as well, was right up my alley! On top of that I met many wonderful girls from different parts of the country who all shared common interests.

This year has already started off in a fantastic way with a Dior Beauty mission. First up we received Dior Diorshow Mascara to review! I was excited to try this one after reading it was one of Natalie Portman's favorites. Being someone whose makeup always looks flawless, I figured Ms. Portman has to know her stuff...and indeed she does!

I had never tried Diorshow before, but after experiencing it I will be a forever fan now. It really makes you look like you are wearing false lashes!

So now I would like to make a forever fan out of one of you! Between now and next Friday, the 11Th, enter to win Diorshow!

Enter by:

1. Leaving a comment here about your favorite makeup product.

2. You will receive a second entry by linking this post to your own blog. (Please leave me a comment here if you do so) :)

Also Glamour has a complimentary shipping code with Dior right now! When shopping on dior.com enter code GLAM1 at checkout for free shipping!

Best of luck to you all!

Apologies for the Delay...

With the insanity of the past few weeks I am so sorry for the lack of Etsy shops recently. Starting next week there will be a fresh batch for you all! Also if you have an Etsy shop or know someone who would love to be featured, feel free to send me a message as I am currently lining new ones up!

BUT..... I can't let you all go without a giveaway at all so this week there will be two giveaways being sponsored by yours truly! I received some exciting news recently that I will be part of the Glamour magazine's Glambassador program again this year!! So the giveaways will be tied in to my opportunity! Stay tuned for those later this week and in coming months for coupons, product reviews and perhaps a little surprise for my awesome readers from time to time as well! ;)