And the winners are ......

 What an awesome week of giveaways!!

THANK YOU so very much to all of you that participated this year and for showing your love and support for dot...dot...dot... throughout the year! If y'all are new here, I hope you will stay a while! This blog o' mine is a little place where I get to talk about all the girly things in life that my 3 boys (hubby and 2 kiddos) just don't understand. Whether it is fashion finds and beauty tips, favorite books and TV shows, or recipes and favorite websites ... you will always find me chatting about something! I also ADORE my followers and host random giveaways throughout the year to show my appreciation for all the comments and support I receive. 

And of course, a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the participating shops that were so generous to give away all of these amazing gifts. Without their support, this annual holiday shin-dig would not be possible! I greatly appreciate their time and extra money donated to make this such a fabulous event!!

 

Now ... without further delay ... the winners are ...

 

 Little Blue Olive ... a chiffon floral headband in your choice of color ...

#145 Michelle C.H.

 Grace and Lace Co ... one pair of Lacey Lou Leg Warmers ...

#123 Kate M.

 

It's Your Party ... $15 gift credit ... TWO winners ...

#57 Sprinkles

#76 Misty 

 Jewls215 ... Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas sign ...

#47 Karen B.

 

 Love ♥ Kate ... Cowl in Winter White ...

#97 Kristin B.

 

 Origami Owl ... $25 gift credit with consultant, Wendy Korfel ...

#185 Angela F.

 

 Sharee Boutique ... 1 hair chalk and nail caviar set (color of your choice) ...

#74 Christina M.

 

 Portland Pie Co ... a dozen cookies each ... TWO winners ...

#42 Kelsey S.

#160 Demaris C.

 

Sophistifunk ... silver sideways cross bracelet ...

#27 Candace H.

 

 

If you are a lucky winner, please email me at aprilbaker23 @ yahoo dot com and include the following information:

 

- Full Name and Shipping Address

- Color / Flavor Choice (if applicable)

- Best Contact Email

- Optional: Phone Number, in case company needs further information.

 

I will be passing along this information to the shop, and they will contact you shortly. Please let me know if you have any questions!

xoxo



Grace and Lace

Grace and Lace ... made with His grace and a little lace. Not only do I love that business motto, but these leg warmers are a need in any girl's closet! The buttons and bows ... the lace and patterns ... swoon!! No wonder Grace and Lace was featured on The Today Show!!

One lucky winner will be rockin' her boots this winter with a girly touch!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Portland Pie Co.

Another returning favorite this year ... Portland Pie!! Carla makes her award-winning desserts from scratch, handed down from family recipes. Homemade treats delivered locally and enjoyed by so many!
While her delicious pies can not be shipped outside of the area (booo ... y'all are missing out!!), Portland Pie will be sending TWO winners each a dozen homemade cookies!! Get your entries in ... these treats are amazing!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's Your Party

It's Your Party is back again this year celebrating another round of dot...dot...dot...'s holiday giveaway event!! This is definitely the shop you wanna check out for all your custom party decor! I have trusted It's Your Party with several of my party and special event needs, and they certainly do not disappoint! From banners to cupcake toppers, party favors to tumblers, let It's Your Party make your special occasion so much sweeter!

It's Your Party is offering a $15 gift credit to TWO winners! Entering the giveaway is simple through the box below!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Origami Owl

 

This company is one that has found a special place in my world. Origami Owl ... a place to create your life story in a locket! Gorgeous pendants, adorable charms, and all custom-created by you! You pick each detail that goes into your necklace, from the color and size of the locket, to the chain that it hangs from. Charms fill the inside and represent the important things in your life, from children and birthstones, to travel and hobbies, causes and foods to sports and faith! The consultant who introduced this to me is Wendy Korfel, and she is such a sweet person to work with! You will love putting together your very own locket with Wendy's help and a $25 gift credit to shop in her store!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sharee Boutique

For those of you who have been around here a while, y'all know my passion for color ... in my hair and on my nails! I have had purple and blue hair extensions, experimented with an ombre look, and have weekly mani sessions that I post about. This event just wouldn't be complete without a little bit of fun trendy styles that I enjoy so much! Sharee Boutique ... your one-stop shop where you can get the latest in hair chalks (see the color streaks above ^ ... temporary hair color applied with chalk and washes out when you are over it) and nail caviar beads ... you know, the little sprinkles that look yummy enough to eat, but look fabulous as a mani?

One lucky girl (wish it was me!) will win a color chalk in their choice of color and a set of caviar beads for that trendy manicure! Enter in the box below!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sophistifunk - The Shop

Miss Brie, over at Sophistifunk, has opened up a new shop full of cute bracelets to add to your accessories! Bright colors, chains, crosses, skulls, and more ... the latest trends and must-haves! I have an order on its way to me now, and I can't wait to receive my package in the mail!!

Guess who will also be getting a special delivery? One lucky winner of the sideways cross bracelet in silver! I absolutely love this bracelet, as it can be worn alone and simple, or layered with other arm candy!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jewls215

Don't you just love a cute little sign that makes a room smile? Jewls215 has some adorable wood signs that would make the greatest addition to any room in your home. I absolutely adore the distressed features and fonts used on these plaques and they would add such personality to your decor!

With the holidays upon us, wouldn't you just adore the 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' sign as a part of your Christmas collection? One lucky winner will call it their own ... multiple chances to win below!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love Kate ~ The Shop

Love ♥ Kate just opened up shop and I could not be more excited! Kate is a blogger and we have been friends (in my head) for years now (aka, I adore her blog and we are official FB buddies). She has such great style and fitness tips, (not to mention she is gorgeous!!), and she has just debuted how talented and crafty she is!! Cowls, cuffs, headbands and more!! Check out her blog and her shop ... you will not be disappointed! I already have a custom order placed!

For this giveaway, Love ♥ Kate is giving away a cowl style wrap in Winter White (shown above, modeled on her beautiful daughter). Enter in the box below.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Little Blue Olive

 

Little Blue Olive ... an adorable shop found on Etsy, that creates handmade hair accessories using chiffon, wool felt, fabric, ribbon, and various one-of-a-kind and vintage pieces. I am loving the chiffon flower headbands and felt bows! Those blue feather pins above are simply fabulous! I love the classy and girly look that these accessories bring to any outfit.

Little Blue Olive is offering a Chiffon Flower Headband in the color of choice to one lucky winner! Entering has been made simple ... just follow the options in the box below for your opportunities to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The 2012 Holiday Giveaway Event!!

Today is the day!! It's time to kick off this year's holiday giveaway event!! I am so very appreciative of all of my fans and followers and really enjoy hosting this event each year. We have some amazing companies participating this year, all very generous to be offering up such fabulous gifts for you all! Please show them some love and enjoy browsing through their shops, keeping them in mind for your holiday gift-giving this Christmas season!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

It's Almost Time ....

This HUGE event kicks off on Monday morning with 10 amazing giveaways!!

 

Grace and Lace

Jewls215

Sharee Boutique

Little Blue Olive

It's Your Party

Origami Owl

Portland Pie

Love ♥ Kate

Sophistifunk: The Shop

dot...dot...dot...

 

You won't want to miss this, so pop on by to see these fabulous shops and enter to win some fabulous gifts!!

Have a great weekend!!

 

Interview with a 1-year-old

Oh my goodness ... this had me laughing!

Hope you all are having a great week!! Monday kicks off the Annual Holiday Giveaway Event here on dot...dot...dot...!!! Amazing goodies from some fabulous companies - you will not want to miss this!! See you Monday!! 

DIY .. Glitter Polish Removal

I adore glitter nail polishes. Bright, shiny bling on my nails ... yes, please! I absolutely loathe trying to get the stuff off my nails though ... I had one removal process take 40 minutes! I will never get that time back on my life. Because of such hassle, I opt to stay away from the glitters. {Insert sad face.}

Then, along came the glitter-polish-removal-fairy, aka Whitney @ I Wore Yoga Pants to Work, with a magic tutorial that has changed lives.

 

Glue.

Yep, the stuff you used as a kid ... now in the form of a base coat!

 Take an empty polish bottle. Of course, no one has a clean, empty bottle. Here's my tidbit of info to obtain this ... empty the contents of a bottle you aren't into anymore (I used an old base coat I no longer used). When liquid no longer pours out, fill the bottle about 1/3 way with nail polish remover. Twist the brush on tightly and shake. The remover will clean up the remaining polish. I did this step twice and then rinsed the brush and bottle with warm water to clear out any acetone residue.

 Next up, add a tiny bit of water to the bottle. Like 5-8 drops - just enough to give Elmer's a little bit of mobility. Then fill the rest of the bottle with glue. Twist on the brush and shake until well blended.

That's it. That is the secret potion that will rid you of tears and unnecessary cussing when removing your glitter mani.

Paint this base coat on your nails and wait until they fully dry before applying your polish. You will know the glue has dried when it turns clear and your nails look like their natural state. Do not use any other base coat on top of this one.

Finish your mani as usual and add your top coat. You may be tempted to try to remove the glitter right away, to see if this little trick actually works. You can, but I recommend enjoying your rocked out nails for a couple days.

 I used China Glaze Pizzazz from their new holiday collection. The fabulous peeps over at China Glaze sent me over bottles of polish love from a couple of their newest collections. I will be sharing my reviews soon! I got so many compliments on this mani ... it is so gorgeous in person! I left the pic a little blurry so y'all can see the colors that make up this polish.

 

So how did the glue base work out?

Quite well!!

Check it out ... the polish PEELS right off when you are ready to remove it! That's right ... no nail polish remover required!! Grab a cuticle stick and lift up on the side of your nail ... the polish comes right up. The glitter only remained on the areas that received the thinnest amount of the glue base. I learned to make sure the glue was evenly distributed, or even paint a second coat after the first layer dried.

Has anyone ever tried this genius trick? Do you have any other tips on how you remove your glitter polishes?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday ... Happy Monday!! ♥

V to the L-O-G !!

Hey Peeps! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!! A BIG thank you to the gorgeous gals who guest posted here on dot...dot...dot... last week!! I hope y'all have been visiting their blogs and showing them some love!! Today I decided to VLOG!! Yup. That's right ... video blog up in here! The video isn't too long ... about 5 minutes of me rambling about what I put on my face every day. Check it out and comment ... let me know I am not a total dork. If y'all wanna see more vlogs, let me know some topics you wanna see me talk about. Make-up tips, polish techniques, how to make microwave popcorn ... I am full of awesomeness. I am not shy ... questions welcome, I will answer! Happy Monday, girls!!

 

Guest Post ... Easily Entertained

This week, here on dot...dot...dot..., I will be featuring some of my favorite bloggers! These fabulous ladies have agreed to bless my blog with their presence and awesomeness. Yep, that's a real word.

If you are visiting from their blog, WELCOME!! Let me know you were here by adding yourself to the GFC Followers box in my sidebar. I will be launching my Annual Holiday Giveaway Event on December 3rd and you won't want to miss out!! Thanks so much for dropping by!

xoxo

Hi, I'm Christina from Easily Entertained and I'm so happy to be guest posting! Just like April, I'm a mom of two boys living in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle). I blog about my love of TV, movies, books, music, musicals, celebrities, fashion and all things pop culture. I also share a little about my husband and kids and our adventures. Since I post a monthly Magazine Roundup and I know how much April loves Twilight, I thought I'd do a mini roundup of all the Breaking Dawn - Part 2 actors featured on the covers this month.
 

Ashley Greene - Seventeen She is so cute! I love every dress, especially the one on the cover.

 

Ashley Greene - Manhattan

Very sophisticated. I absolutely love all of the fashion I see here.

 

 

Ashley Greene - GQ

 Keep in mind, this is a men's magazine, but still! Her pouty face makes her look kind of old instead of sultry.

 

  

Dakota Fanning - InStyle UK This spread is amazing. She is such a successful child star turned serious actress. I really love the second dress.

 

Kellan Lutz - Essential Homme Doesn't he look like Ron Burgundy on the cover? I really like the lighting, clothes, and sets.

 

Kellan Lutz - GQ Italia Again, so serious. He is a very attractive man and these clothes are sharp. I'm digging the sweaters.

Kristen Stewart - Elle France, Cosmopolitan Norway, Glamour Poland, Backstage I'm surprised she wasn't on any real publications this month! These are all recycled from previous US editions. The Elle cover is great, Backstage is weird, and the other two are just eh.

 

Nikki Reed - Glow I love the light and all of the clothes. It's amazing how much prettier she is with her natural brown hair.

 

Robert Pattinson - L'Uomo Vogue I really like this futuristic/desert theme. But I gotta tell you guys, I'm Team Jacob! (Don't hate me).

 

Speaking of Jacob, I haven't seen much of Taylor Lautner lately, so I'm just gonna have to share some oldies, but goodies.

Are you excited to see the new movie? Have you already seen it? Are you sad that it's all over? Don't forget to stop by and say hi!