Showing posts with label Books by Bloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books by Bloggers. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Craft Failing...Online *and* in Print!

It's a double craft fail day here at Random Handprints!

First, my advent calendar gone wrong was featured on Monday on CraftFail.com! Check it out in all its imperfect glory in Unattractive Advent Calendar Adventure.

Also, just when you thought my craft failing couldn't get any better (or would that be worse?) I'm featured in the newly released Craft Fail book! Check out CraftFail: When Homemade Goes Horribly Wrong.



It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has crafts that don't turn out exactly as planned.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Join Us This Thursday, October 17, for Girls Night Out in Westfield, NJ!

Jersey girls! Come join the fun at Westfield's Girls Night Out!



Come sip champagne while the experts help you find the perfect shade of lipstick!

We'll also be signing copies of You've Got Lipstick on Your Teeth and reading our favorite (and funniest) essays at Blue Mercury (82 Elm Street) from 5pm to 8pm.

I'll be there with my co-authors:

Kim Bongiorno of Let Me Start By Saying
Kim Forde of The Fordeville Diaries
Dawn Weber of Lighten Up!

And the anthology's editor, Leslie Marinelli of The Bearded Iris will also be there all the way from Atlanta!

Can't wait, and hope you can join us!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

"You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth" is an Amazon Hot New Release - and I'm In It!

Congratulations to Shannon S. the winner of a copy of "You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth!" Email me: anna at randomhandprints.com for details and to claim your prize!

I'm in a book. In a book with some of my most favorite bloggers.
 

And as if that wasn't enough - and it's totally enough - the book is a Hot New Release on Amazon.


 

You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth is an anthology of 39 hilarious, mostly true essays compiled by the folks from the website In the Powder Room and edited by the one-and-only Leslie Marinelli - who you might know better as The Bearded Iris.

My contribution to the anthology is "The Last Nice Jewish Boy in Boston" which tells the story of how I met my husband. It takes place in the 1990s, a simpler time when the Internet was just a bitty little thing and texting was something you heard about people doing in Europe but were pretty sure was never going to catch on in the U.S.

For those who watch Princesses Long Island, my story is pretty much Season 1 condensed into 1,500 words without the Long Island accent.

"You Have Lipstick on your Teeth" is available on Amazon for Kindle and in old-school paperback.

To purchase from Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Kobo, Diesel, Apple, Sony Reader, Nook or wholesale quantities... click here.

AND IF YOU'RE LOCAL IN NEW JERSEY...  we'll be holding a book signing for "You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth" and I Just Want to Pee Alone at Kidville Westfield on Thursday, September 12.  Come join us for refreshments and lots of laughs and fun.


Last but not least, I'm giving away a copy of "You Have Lipstick On Your Teeth" to one lucky winner!

To enter, just leave a comment with your favorite shade of lipstick! Giveaway closes on Monday, September 16 at 8:00pm EST.  {Giveaway now closed.}

And if you want to know how things between the Nice Jewish Boy from Boston and me turned out, head over to Facebook where I chronicle the joys of marriage to my beshert at Instructions for My Husband.

Winner announced on Tuesday!

Monday, July 15, 2013

The Best, Most Amazing Summer Reading Giveaway EVER... and there's more, too!

Picture yourself poolside, or lounging on the beach. It's nice, right? But it could be better. What you need are some great books to make you laugh, and some seriously stylish summer accessories. Well, we have you covered. First up, we're giving away six (count 'em, SIX) funny books that you probably already own because you have such great taste. But if, by chance, you've been busy reading the dictionary cover to cover or you tried to buy these and Amazon was all like, "Sorry, too slow, sucker. Sold out!" today's your lucky day!
 
 
At Least My Belly Hides My Cankles: Mostly-True Tales of an Impending Miracle is the debut novel of the amazing Paige Kellerman, of There's More Where That Came From. In it, she props her cankles up on the coffee table of your heart and tells the tale of her pregnancy with twins, from the reluctant announcement of the pregnancy test results to the experience of being hoisted awkwardly (is there any other way?) onto the delivery table. You'll be able to relate to every word, and Paige's unique storytelling style will keep you laughing, guaranteed.

Abby Still Has Issues is the second book by Abby Heugel of the award-winning blog, Abby Has Issues. It features a ton of laugh-out-loud essays that could only be plucked from that wonderfully neurotic head full of issues we all love so well. Laugh along as she admits to being smelly (it's not what you think), converses with her pants, and reveals why other countries hate us (hint: it's our eyelashes). Intrigued? YOU SHOULD BE. Because it's full of awesome.

I Just Want To Pee Alone, a hilarious collection of hilarious essays about motherhood by 37 hilarious mothers, covers every parenting topic from planning for your baby, to being driven insane by your children, to... wait, are there other parenting topics? Yes, don't be silly, of course there are. There's something for everyone in this #1 best selling humor anthology which, I don't mind saying, at one point ranked ahead of Tina Fey's Bossypants - a fact that many of the co-authors plan to have engraved on their tombstones.

Ketchup is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves by Robin O'Bryant of Robin's Chicks is full of funny stories about motherhood, sex talks, the terror of car trips, and all those eye-roll inducing, forehead-vein popping, laugh-out-loud things that bond parents together under the flag of Oh Thank Heavens, It Isn't Just Me.

Also win a copy of Adrian Kulp's hilarious book Dad or Alive: Confessions of an Unexpected Stay-at-Home Dad, which is based on his popular blog DadorAlive.com. With chapters like "She's Gonna Have Daddy Issues" you know this book will be funny, relatable and just a little bit twisted (in the best possible way).
 
And we understand that you'll need to keep the kids occupied if you're hoping to get enough time to yourself to read a book with more than eight syllables per page. That's why we're also giving away 75 Ways To Have More Fun At Home, a fantastic e-book by Anna of My Life and Kids that's absolutely bursting with activities for your kids. These are cheap-to-free, unique, realistic ideas for things that real people could and would actually do. You don't want another summer day to go by without it!

I can say, without fear of hyperbole, that you're entire summer will be a complete waste of time if you don't read these books - so in the event that you don't win this amazing prize package, check out the links and buy your own copies. You'll be glad you did.

Now, while you're enjoying these fabulous books, you want to look fabulous too, don't you? Never fear, we have that covered, too! To keep the hair out of your face while you're reading (or while you're serving up a wicked ace on the beach volleyball court), you'll need headbands and hair ties from A Girl and Her Band.

These suckers are nonslip, moisture wicking, antimicrobial and machine washable, not to mention cute as all getout. A Girl and Her Band is a company started by regular (but fantastic) mamas who support and empower active girls, and give back to the community by donating a portion of all website sales to a different charity each month. They've generously offered up three headbands of your choosing, and they're throwing in a 5-pack of matching hair ties, too! Their company makes your heart feel as good as your hair will with this essential set of accessories.

As if that weren't enough to make you look like a million bucks while you're enjoying your summer reading, you'll also get a Vera Bradley Summer Pack, which includes a Vera Bradley sarong, a small mesh tote, and a beach towel in the gorgeous Go Wild pattern.
 
AND, just in case we missed anything, we're throwing in a $125.00 Amazon gift card so you can treat yourself to something special (I don't know if Amazon sells fruity drinks in coconuts with little umbrellas in bulk quantities, but I'd look into that if I were you). ENOUGH ALREADY, you say! I'm interested, so how do I enter?!?

To qualify: You must be able to read, or know someone who is willing to read to you, and live in the United States. Recommended: Tissues, for laughter-induced tear blotting. Large-rimmed Jackie O sunglasses for increased mysterious cool factor. A few seconds of free time here and there for reading.

Required: Do the little Rafflecopter thingy. Winner will be chosen at random and notified after the giveaway closes on Sunday, July 21. If there's no response from the winner within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen and so on until I decide just to keep everything for myself. (I'm kidding, of course. OR AM I? Yes, I'm kidding.) a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 3, 2013

Week in Review: New Jersey Farmers' Markets, A Fantastic Cookbook and A Boonton Book Signing

Much like last week, I don't have much to report.

For Wonders of Westfield I wrote about where to find Jersey Fresh produce, farmers' markets and CSA farm shares.


Pictured above: my kids enjoying a farm share hat, the healthiness which is clearly somewhat mitigated by the booze and ice cream cones in the background.

For New Jersey Family, I got the chance to interview Kelsey Banfield, who wrote The Naptime Chef, which is one of my most very favorite cookbooks. You can read the interview here, as well as her recipe for Sticky Orange Drumsticks.

So while I have not have written much, I have had lots of fun afternoons with friends and family.

Photo by American Vernacular Landscapes
Oh! And I almost forgot - for those of you near Boonton, NJ we're having a book signing and reading for I Just Want to Pee Alone, this Friday, from 5:00 to 8:00pm.

Thursday is also the opening of Boonton's outdoor arts installation, Dogs on Parade, so it should be a fun night. If your Jersey-local, please come!

 
 
What do you have going on this week?
 
My son has his last day of preschool, and my older ones are in the final countdown for summer to begin.
 
And me? I'm looking for the perfect Pinterest ways to celebrate the first day of summer (totally wish that I was kidding, but I'm not) and my efforts at being a grown-up are still going strong. I'll be back with a full report on that soon.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Week in Review: Sea Lion Exhibit at Turtle Back Zoo, A Book Signing in Princeton and A New Facebook Page!

This was a fun week.

For Barista Kids I covered Blueprint Studio, a new place for kids fashion design and photography classes, camps and parties in Millburn, as well as the new Sea Lion Sound Exhibit at Turtle Back Zoo:



For New Jersey Family, I covered clever temporary tattoos, a whimsical children's book, ideas for old-fashioned picnics, how to have a fancy day with your daughter, and more. You can read about it all here.


Thursday night I met up with two of my co-authors from I Just Want to Pee Alone to sign books and talk motherhood and mayhem as part of Girls Night Out in Princeton, NJ. The Farmhouse Store was gracious enough to host us, and we had a fantastic time.

 

I'm above in the middle, with Amy of Funny is Family on the left and Kim of The Fordeville Diaries on the right.

And last but not least, I've started a new Facebook page.

It's called Instructions for My Husband, and it's a place not only to lovingly mock our husbands, but to poke fun at children, pets and roommates of all kinds. Come say hi at facebook.com/InstructionsformyHusband and share your stories!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Week in Review - Gun Sense, Mother's Day and a Book Signing on Thursday

I'm not gonna lie, it was nice this week returning to my social social media using ways. If you want to hear about my week (semi) unplugged, I wrote about it for Barista Kids: Reflections on a Week Spent (Semi) Screen-Free.


On Saturday, I joined gun sense advocates for a march in Verona Park. (You can read more about it on the The Alternative Press - West Essex.) It was by far the most meaningful part of  my Mother's Day weekend. Participants carried eight flowers, representing the eight children who die every single day from guns and gun violence.


I urge anyone who believes in enacting common sense gun laws, to go from just thinking yes, I support that! to yes, I will volunteer, write letters to the local papers, and email my elected officials!

I do all of those things through the group Moms Demand Action, and I feel like my contribution is making a difference. But we could make a much bigger impact with your voice.

So please, if you have time, or can make time, join a group in your area or participate in the national campaigns sponsored by Moms Demand Action.

If you're here in New Jersey, consider following the Moms Demand Action -  New Jersey Facebook page to stay up to date with events, legislative updates and other campaigns for gun sense in New Jersey.

And last, I'll be at Princeton Girls Night Out with two of my co-authors from I Just Want To Pee Alone: Kim Forde of The Fordeville Diaries and Amy of Funny is Family. We'll be signing books and reading at The Farmhouse Store, as well as sharing laughs and exchanging our best tales of modern motherhood. Oh, and there will be wine.

Here are all the details:


Hope to see you there!

What are your plans this week?

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Week In Review: Other Stuff I Wrote and Reflections on Being (Semi) Screen-Free for Seven Days

Last week I went (semi) screen-free as part of Screen-Free Week, presented by Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, which is one of my very most favorite organizations.

And while I didn't spend the week completely screen-free, it was 100% Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram free, which alone is a pretty big accomplishment for someone like me who (I now realize) spends a lot of time on social media.

I did keep-up with my writing day job, which was part of why I didn't go completely screen-free.

For New Jersey Family, I wrote Seven Cinco de Mayo Activities for Kids. I found a bunch of unique ideas, like build-your-on Mayan pyramids, so if you're looking for some inspiration check it out

For Barista Kids I shared Five Great Books for Mother's Day -- and we're giving away copies of all of them, so go enter!

For Wonders of Westfield, my son and I went on assignment and covered 6 Great Playgrounds in Westfield.
 

As for this week, I think I'm going to take what I learned from my (semi) screen-free week and remember the world really does keep going just fine even if I'm not photographing what I ate for lunch on Instagram or sharing my latest ridiculous story about my kids on Facebook. That being said, I'm also pretty excited to go back to my old ways this week. Get ready for a photo retrospective of my garden!.

Have a great week everyone! Who has good plans?



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