Sum-Bo-Shine Organic Veggie Crayons Giveaway!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Jamie

I have a huge appreciation for the arts, and have started to pay attention to different kind of art supplies out there so when I ran across Sum-Bo-Shine I was curious.

Sum-Bo-Shine caters to babies and young children with their organic baby skin care, organic finger paint, and sidewalk chalks, and their organic crayons.  It was their art supplies that truly caught my eye.  The fact that their products are made from organic fruit and vegetables, and completely non-toxic for your child!

The first of its kind, and yes, hand to mouth safe.  There is no petroleum or other toxic substances in these crayons.  Instead, they’re completely made from organics: organic fruit and vegetable powder.

These crayons are also vegan; no wheat, no sugar, no preservatives.

These crayons are made of squares so they easily fit into your child’s palms, and they can even stack the crayons together.  Although, still supervise your children at all times.  These crayons are not meant to be eaten.

I know a lot of my readers have small children so now you have a chance to win a set of your own organic crayons:

But first, make sure to connect with our sponsor on Facebook

What is it: Set of Organic Crayons from Sum-Bo-Shine

Retail value: 12 dollars.

How to Enter:  Leave a Comment, something nice please!

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.  Open to US Residents only.  Must be 18 years or older.  All rules can be found here.

Winner will be selected via random.org and emailed of notification.

Contest ends Friday, May 4th at 9pm PST

 


Categories: Giveaways | Tags: , , , , , | 20 Comments

Green Chopsticks Fun! via @greenchopsticks

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Jamie

I first heard about Green Chopsticks when I interacted with them via social media prior to #ExpoWest then at the expo I met up with John Hang, the media relations coordinator from there.  He was great, open, and friendly.

He invited me out to their facility, and of course, I brought along a group!  Green Chopsticks has an open door policy within their facility to check out how they run things, and it’s also to show that they are abiding to standards and have nothing to hide.

Let me run you through the process:

The first thing we did when we got there was walk through the cleaning room.  We were told to sanitize our hand then we were all given lab coats!  Then we were told to walk through the little room above where air would blow out at us to get rid of any particles hanging onto us.  We’d walk out of the room in the black mat to sanitize our shoes.  This is the process they go through every morning when the workers start their day in the plant.  This was the first time I ever had to be sanitized down completely.

The next stop was the dough room.  This is literally the room they make all of their dough.  Because it was later in the day they were done with this step of the process.

Once the dough is made, it is put on these giant spools which then get threaded through the machines in the following rooms.  Btw: That is John Hang above.

You know what I love about Green Chopsticks?  They utilize all fresh products, and on a daily basis cut their own products for the dumplings and potstickers.   And wow, I’d be streaming tears being surrounded by all those onions!

This is the giant mixer that combines all the ingredients together.  The meat, the vegetables, and the spices to make this giant filling.

The following room was my favorite of the entire tour.  This is where you saw the machines in action, and saw the process of the dumplings being made.

BTW: I could watch this machine for hours.  First, as the dough was cut out then spun around in the process of the dumplings being made to them coming out on the conveyor belt.

What are they doing above?  They’re going through every dumpling and getting rid of the ones that didn’t make the cut or form the way they were suppose to.  I think it’s pretty rad that they do this.

After the sorting process, the dumplings make their way to the giant freezer.  This is where they get ready for the packaging process.  This freezer is huge, but by the end, the dumplings are frozen and ready to go.

And voila.  The other side of the freezer.  They land into this fun bowl where workers pack them up into their packaging to be sent out.  That day they were working on putting the product into sample boxes.  These are the boxes they bring to their road shows they do while working at Costco’s.

Where can you find Green Chopsticks?  Right now, they can be found at Bristol Farm’s and Gelson markets.  I was in Bristol Farms yesterday looking for them.  They were priced pretty reasonable at 4.99 a bag.

They also do 5 roadshows a week starting on Thursday and going through Sunday at various Costco’s throughout the LA area.  Each week on their website they post where they’re headed.

They can also be found in the Pacific Northwest.  If anyone back home is interested in these products I’d be more than happy to work with you to try to get some sent your way ;0

That night I went home and made my first batch of the dumplings, and was pleasantly pleased with their taste.  I just boiled them in water.  Next time I’m going to sear them nicely in the frying pan, that was the way John Hang recommended.

*Disclosure* Green Chopsticks did not pay me to post this, but after the tour did provide me with free samples of their dumplings and potstickers.  All of the information above was written straight from me.  

 


Categories: Cooking, Fun Stuff, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | 21 Comments

10 Things I Learned from the #Blogosphere

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Jamie

I haven’t been blogging all that long, but I’ve observed a lot, and through the process I’ve learned a lot.  Here is my Top 10 things I”ve learned from the Blogosphere

1) Sharing is Caring

Whenever I see someone tweet out something I’ve written or see it posted on facebook, it makes me smile.  I also remember the first time one of my articles blew up on stumbleupon.  I was blown away, and I realized then that the possibilities were endless.

But, in the same regard, I’ve realized that I must pay it forward so when I see an article I truly enjoyed or a giveaway that may not have too many entries I try to pass it on by leaving a comment, tweeting it out or posting it via my facebook.

2) We all have something to teach

Look around the blogging world and you will run across people of many talents.  There are the photographers, the foodies, the fashionistas, the mommies, and the amazing entrepreneurs.  Each one of us has a gift, and it’s through our blog we tend to share those gifts with others.

We have something to teach one another by sharing our stories, our experiences, and our journeys.

3) Some people ARE just funnier.

Some people truly have this gift of turning an ordinary story into complete laughter just by the words they choose.  Some people say some of the darnest things that make you say, “why didn’t I think of that?”  It is in these moments we all just need to sit back, appreciate, and laugh a little harder.

BTW: I’m just not that funny, I’m too damn literal 😉

4) Some People Get It, Some People Don’t

Somewhere there has to be a blogging etiquette book out there.  Somewhere there has to be social media etiquette.  As we all try to learn our own strategy and learn about one another we may just cross that line 😉 That line that tells us, “whoops, we just don’t get it.” or “whoops, I shouldn’t have done that.”  or “whoops, I have no idea what I’m doing.”  Sometimes we get it, and sometimes we are the ones that don’t  😉

5) We’re not perfect.

We make mistakes.  We have journeys in life, but when it comes to our blogs, and through writing it out, we often find we run across a person who’s going through a similar experience.  It makes you realize how big this world is.  Or perhaps you run across a person that’s going through a far worse situation than the one you’re in.  It makes you think, and it makes you realize that yes, we’re not perfect, and yes, everyone’s going through something.

6) Friendships can be made online

There’s some people you meet and you have this instant connection, and then there are others where it takes a bit more time for that friendship to grow, but yes, through the means of sharing blog posts, through commenting, and through interacting, friendships bloom.  And it’s pretty awesome.

However, then again, there’s the times where we find ourselves getting attached to a specific blogger by what they write, and they may not even know who the heck you are 😉 That happens too.

7) No One Drinks Alone

Okay, I wasn’t entirely sure if I should put this one out there.  But think about it, it’s been a rough week at home, or work.  You open up a bottle of wine, and hop on twitter, and boom, there’s #winebuzz happening or #wineparty happening.  If you shout out something about wine, more than likely, someone will be there joining in 😉

8) You learn a lot through observation

This is where I learned a lot about blogging.  I would read other’s blog posts, I would see what kind of articles brought in a ton of comments, and I would revamped my articles, my posts to suit my readers.

I would observe the interactions on twitter to see what others were doing, or observe how another blogger interacts in person.  When you just sit back and observe, you take on an entirely new perspective.

9) It’s always better with a support system

The first few months of blogging I really didn’t know anyone.  I was on twitter flopping around like a fish trying to find my way in this vast world.  Soon, I was introduced to So Cal Lady Bloggers, and then I was introduced to The Catacombs Society, and that’s when my support system started to come together.

A group of ladies coming together to help each other with blogging, commenting, sharing.  And all of a sudden, I was getting more comments, getting more views, and people were starting to read.

10) Everyones not a photographer! 

This one I tend to forget, a lot.  Whenever I go to an event or festival, I observe the room and observe how many people are running around with cameras.  I observe how many people are taking their cell phones out to take pictures.

It’s hard to believe, but yes, not everyone is a photographer.  And it’s okay!!!

It just means they have talents elsewhere, and as I dig through the blogs, I find it, and appreciate their talent when I do.  OMG, those DIY Craft Projects, they’re so creative, or how a person came up with a certain recipe.

For me, it’s about appreciating what we all have to offer one another.

So, what things have you learned from the #blogosphere?

 

 

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Categories: blogging | Tags: , , , , , | 27 Comments