Dear friends and visitors,
With a light heart and a happy bit of gusto, I present to you:
See below for Giveaway Details - contest open through June 14th.
(And I can say with all certainty that this is a splendid bit of fun because, as fate would have it, I won a copy this spring at the
Local Kitchen giveaway!)
{ My copy, pictured here with homemade Pomegranate Syrup that I received from Kate back when she was moving from NYC to Austin, TX, cleaning out her summer preservation stash and offering a giveaway on her Facebook Page. Side story: Once her book arrived, I pulled out the syrup and proceeded to make myself a lovely beverage, and then sat on the couch, flipping through page after page, smiling to myself over all the great ideas worth trying. Consider this your warning: if you win, you may lose a few hours to happy browsing... }
I met Kate last winter through a web of Facebook Pictures
(BKswappers' Food Swap pics inspired our very own PDX Swappers group), Twitter Tweets
(she's fun to follow @hipgirls), and Helpful Emails (offering gracious to help as we sorted logistics for our first swap), and I'm now looking forward to a Real Life meetup when she travels through Portland this month on her
Hip Girls book tour and
PDX Swappers visit.
Kate's spunky, thrifty, DIY spirit resonates with my desire to give-it-a-go around the house and garden. Her tagline says it all: "Decorating, Dining, and the Gratifying Pleasures of Self-Sufficiency - on a Budget!"
Thinking about tackling a project? (Without breaking the bank!) Thinking about decorating your home or cooking something new? (Without packing up for an interior design academy or booking a trip to culinary school in France?)
The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking is divided into three helpful sections, each chalk full of easy-as-pie methods to take care and be smart in your daily living space.
I. Room-by-Room Guide to a Homey House, Homie
II. Impressive Acts of Domesticity: Do Try This at Home
III. Life After Restaurants
You can give the book an
online browse if you'd like to read more...and if you'd like to get a sense of her easy going, inspiring charm, give a little watch to her instructions for Homemade Marmalade + Waterbath Basics:
All ready to own your own copy?
{ Giveaway Details }
This giveaway will be open until
midnight, Pacific Standard Time, on Tuesday, June 14th.
In honor of the three sections of the Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking, please take your pick and leave a comment on one (or all!) of the following.
Decor & bargain hunting:
What recent thrift-store find are you most excited about?
Keeping up around the house:
Do you have a trick or two that you use for cleaning nasty spills with natural products?
Cooking, preserving, & entertaining:
Tell us a story about a favorite food project and how you shared it with friends.
Fine print: The winner will be selected at random. Harper Collins Publishing will ship a lovely copy directly to the winner's front door! Please leave your email address or twitter handle with your comments so we can contact you if you win. Each comment counts as one entry, and you may enter up to three times.
{ Your Chance to Meet Kate }
The June 24th
PDX Swappers &
Lost Arts Kitchen Meet-Kate
house party/book signing/food swap is now full, but...
If you live locally and would like to meet Kate, she's signing books at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing next week, on
Thursday, June 16th.
If you live out of state, you're also in luck - Powell's is selling and shipping signed copies! Head over to
their website for more info...
{ That's it ~ leave a comment for your chance to win! }
Don't be intimidated!
Leave your entry as grand or as simple as you would like...
As Kate's first page says:
I dedicate this book to all the beginners out there.
Keep at it;
we all have to start somewhere.
Until next time,
~Bethany
{ And the Winner is... }
June 15th Update: Congratulations, Chelsea! Your comment was selected using random.org. Thanks to all for entering and sharing terrific inspirations!