Archives For Giveaways

The Worth of Her Work (Interview & Giveaway)

Renee Ann Smith —  June 17, 2013 — 9 Comments

God has blessed me with wonderful friends to inspire me along the journey of life. Today I’m featuring a gal I’ve known since she was 19, my sweet friend Sarah Trop. Sarah knows no strangers—she’s one of those folks who brings joy and laughter when she enters the room and makes everyone around her feel special. She loves God, her family, her friends, her church—and interior design. I’ve watched Sarah become a bride, a mother, and now an entrepreneur. I’m excited to share her story & a giveaway today!

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John & Sarah and the kiddos

How did you get started as a small business owner?
We started our furniture design business, FunCycled, about a year and a half ago because I wanted to be home with my kids—they’re growing up too fast! First, I thought about making jewelry and crafts. Then it came to me: my husband John enjoys building furniture, and I melt over interior design.

Plus, I’ve been painting since I was twelve. Mom and dad paid for us to have art classes. Since we were homeschooled, they figured this would give us more “culture.” (lol.) FunCycled actually started as a blog to show people how we redid furniture pieces in need of new life.

After I ran out ofroom in my house, we began selling what we made. Then people started calling to ask if I could find furniture to custom paint for them or paint furniture they already owned. We’re all about adding the fun in upcycling!

How do you accomplish what you need to while raising the kiddos?
Now THAT’s a good question. More days than not, I start out overwhelmed. Then I ask God for help. He shows me what He has planned for my day and enables me to accomplish all that I have planned.

First thing in the

I always remember that I started all this to spend time with my little ones. So most days I work while they nap. (And, yes, I have 3 and 5 year-olds that still nap!) My hubby is not a night owl so he’s in bed by 8pm, as well as the kids. That leaves me from 8pm to 12am to create. This schedule generally works. But I must admit, my kids know more about paint colors, fabric designs, and the best places to find furniture than most. They’ve even been known to help their Mommy with a paint brush!

What are some benefits you love most about the work?
My favorite thing about what I do is being able to meet new people and create something that brings joy to their home. There’s something special about helping a customer re-imagine a piece of furniture. It’s amazing how a new design, color, or knob can bring a piece to life. Creating a pretty piece of furniture just makes me happy!

How do you decide on projects and where do you sell your pieces?
I really just go with my gut. If I see something that I can picture redone in a certain way, I buy it. If it’s free, I take it and hope the idea comes to me in time.

I sell my pieces on our website primarily but am hoping to have more time to dive into other areas once the kiddos are in school in September.

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The most popular question I get asked is, where do you get all of your pieces? People don’t usually like my reply because it’s not a quick, easy way for them to go get the same thing. I’m always on the lookout for furniture with potential anywhere I go—yard sales, Craigslist, even garbage day. (Yes, I’ve been known to dumpster dive !)

Secondly, people ask me if I can paint furniture they already own or help them find a piece that would work for their home. The answer is YES! We can paint what you have or find what you’re looking for. I have much more access to finding pieces than most people do.

Where are we located?
We are based out of Troy, NY. We don’t have a retail shop—yet. Right now, we do everything in our home and either deliver or hold the piece for pick-up. We have shipped our furniture throughout the country—to North Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Massachusetts—and we’ll ship to you!

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What’s next for you?
FunCycled has grown so much that it’s more than one person can handle. We’ve been praying about my husband quitting his job and joining me in the business. And we finally have complete peace about this next step. So our exciting news is that my husband will be joining FunCycled full-time! We’ll now have time to custom build furniture and expand into interior painting and color consults.

flur de lis 2GIVEAWAY: To celebrate this new phase of FunCycled, Sarah’s giving away this beautiful wall piece: Flur-de-lis Cast Iron Hangers with Burlap on Reclaimed Wood. It’s a $25 item that she’ll send to you for FREE! (Also, free S&H, US only.) The giveaway will run until Friday, June 28th.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. In that one comment, you can list any bonus entries you’ve completed. You don’t need to leave separate comments. (Since I do have to moderate some comments—especially if you’re new to the blog—don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up right away.)

**Also, I believe you have to enter your email address in order to comment. Though you can’t see your email address here, I can view it from my blog dashboard. So don’t feel you need to write your email address again in your comment

Bonus Entries:

Thanks for reading Sarah’s story. Have a great day, friends!

This week I’m linking up with Miscellany Monday, Monday Musings, Hear It on Sunday, Soli Deo Gloria, Unite @Rich Faith Rising, The Better Mom, Covered in Grace, Modest Mondays, GraceLaced Mondays, Raising Arrows, A Mama’s Story, Teach Me Tuesdays, Gratituesdays, Just Write, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Teaching What Is Good, Mom’s Library, Tuesday Tips, What I Learned This Week, Heart and Home, God-Sized Dreams, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots at Home, Wise Woman Builds Her House, Tell His Story, Wholehearted Home Wednesdays, Thursday Favorite Things, Thriving Thursday, Hearts for Home, Thoughtful Thursday, Raising Mighty Arrows, Share the Joy Thursday, Time Travel Thursday, Thumping Thursday Blog Hop, Favorite Things, Faith-filled Friday, Bloglovin Bog Hop, Fellowship Friday, Friendship Friday, Freedom Friday, Aloha Friday Blog Hop, Sunday Collective, Heart Reflected, and Weekend Whatever.

In Christian Living, Giveaways, Inspirational Lives , ,
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Lead Your Family Like Jesus (review, giveaway, free graphics)

Renee Ann Smith —  April 4, 2013 — 3 Comments

Lead Your Family Like Jesus

Feel free to download & share

I don’t have kids of my own, but after twenty-five years of observing family dynamics from behind my teacher’s desk, I’d have to say that parenting is the hardest job in the world. At our Christian high school, we dedicate ourselves to coming alongside parents as they seek to lead their children to Christ, guide their character development, and prepare them for life. So I’ll be sharing my copy of Lead Your Family Like Jesus with as many parents as possible.

I discovered this book as part of inspirational fiction author Tricia Goyer’s Launch Team. She co-wrote the book with Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. 

Are you wondering what qualifies Tricia to write a book on parenting?

  • She began motherhood as a teen mom.
  • After she gave her life to the Lord, He led her to marry a godly man.
  • She and her hubs had two more children.
  • Tricia became a working mom (she’s written 30+ books) and homeschooler.
  • She started a Crisis Pregnancy Center.
  • She leads Teen MOPS.
  • Her family teaches children’s church together each Sunday.
  • Now that Tricia has a married son, son in college, and daughter in high school, she and her husband recently adopted 3 young children.
  • She provides a home for her grandmother, and Tricia is a grandmother herself.

Are you catching on that Tricia has much practical wisdom to share with parents in all stages of their journey? You can connect with Tricia here at her website, on Facebook & on Twitter.

How will reading Lead Your Family Like Jesus benefit you? This book will help you “take Christ out of the spare compartment of your private spiritual life and give him free rein in all your daily actions and relationships.”

I’d sum up the main takeaway with these lines: “Leading like Jesus as a parent is first a spiritual matter. Whenever you have an opportunity to influence the thinking and behavior of other family members, the first questions you have to answer is, ‘Am I motivated by self-interest or by the betterment of those I’m serving?’”

My favorite chapters discussed the concept of EGO. Initially EGO stands for Edging God Out and allowing Pride and Fear to dictate our choices, actions, and reactions. The authors remind us that “Edging God Out separates us from Him, from others, and from knowing the true selves He designed us to be.” They then encourage us that “when we replace our tendency to Edge God Out with Exalting God Only,” we operate from Humility and Confidence and “influence our kids in a way that points them to Christ.”

Lead Your Family Like Jesus

Feel free to download & share

***Thanks to Tricia and Tyndale House for sending me a copy of Lead Your Family Like Jesus to review. Please, don’t miss picking up a copy of the book here! Both parents and parents-to-be will appreciate this book. And if you are a grandparent, one of the nicest things you can do for your grandkids is to share this book with their parents.

More encouraging quotes from the book:

“By looking at Jesus, you can learn how to build a loving relationship with your children and extended family—no matter how you were raised and no matter what challenges your family faces.” (Click to Tweet)

“When the bills appear bigger than your income, trust in God by acknowledging that He is your Provider. He will supply what you need—not always what you want. He promises to take care of His children.” (Click to Tweet)

“Family members will experience what’s in your heart and head when your motivations and beliefs about parenting affect your hands—your actions.” (Click to Tweet)

 Now for the GIVEAWAY!!! Continue Reading…

In Blogging for Books, Book Suggestions, Giveaways, Launch Team , , ,
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Fool for Books Giveaway Hop (March 31 to April 7)

Renee Ann Smith —  March 31, 2013

Fool for books hop image 2013

UPDATE: Winners will be announced soon!

I’m glad you stopped by to help celebrate Spring with a Fool for Books Giveaway Hop! All week long you can hop around from blog to blog and scoop up some great book-related prizes without leaving the comfort of your own home. This exciting event was organized by Inspired Kathy of the I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Blog.

The hop will run from Sunday, March 31, to Sunday, April 7th, at 11:59 pm. Do you remember how it works? You can enter my giveaway and then hop to any blog on the linky list (at the end of this post) to see what they’re offering. Who knows what wonderful prizes are out there?

The Doorkeeper Prize: I’m giving away TWO $10 Amazon Email Gift Cards. That means two winners! Just to show my appreciation for those of you who follow and visit my blog! I will email the winners on April 9th and post their names after they respond.

Steps to enter . . .

1. For your mandatory entry, leave a comment on this post. 2. In that one comment, you can list any bonus entries you’ve completed. You don’t need to leave separate comments. (Since I do have to moderate some comments—especially if you’re new to the blog—don’t worry if your your comment doesn’t show up right away.)

**Also, I believe you have to enter your email address in order to comment. Though you can’t see your email address here, I can view it from my blog dashboard. So don’t feel you need to write your email address again in your comment

Bonus Entries:

Continue Reading…

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Follower Love Giveaway Hop

Renee Ann Smith —  February 4, 2013 — 137 Comments

follower loveI’m glad you stopped by because this week we’re celebrating February with a Follower Love Giveaway Hop! All week long you can hop around from blog to blog and scoop up some great book-related prizes without leaving the comfort of your own home. This exciting event was organized by Inspired Kathy of the I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Blog.

The hop will run from Monday Night, February 4th, to Monday, February 11th, at 11:59 pm. Do you remember how it works? You can enter my giveaway and then hop to any blog on the linky list (at the end of this post) to see what they’re offering. Who knows what wonderful prizes are out there? Continue Reading…

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Giveaway: Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska

Renee Ann Smith —  January 8, 2013 — 45 Comments

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UPDATE: I just emailed our winner. Congratulations, Brenda! Please send me your mailing address. And thanks to all who entered! Blessings!

It’s GIVEAWAY time! Here’s your chance to win my extra copy of Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss.

Synopsis: Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But Ginny needs advice from the one person who will look out for her best interests—her former fiancé, Brett Miller. She travels to the remote town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, where the town’s colorful characters and stunning scenery provide respite from LA’s pressures.

In Glacier Bay, Ginny discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between Clay, an early missionary to Alaska Territory, and Ellie, the woman who traveled there to be his children’s governess. When Ginny is reunited with Brett in Glacier Bay, will she discover—as Ellie did—that healing and love are sometimes found in the most unexpected places?

Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska tells the story of two women who run to Alaska when their lives are in crisis. There, God meets them with healing, hope, and love.

For my take on the LFYIGBA go here.

GIVEAWAY: All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. (USA & Can only) I’ll let the contest run until Tuesday, January 15th. Feel free to complete any of the bonus entries. Be sure to stop back in on the 15th to see if you’ve won!

Bonus Entries:

 And now for a little something extra! Since I’m on Tricia Goyer’s 2013 Launch Team, I’m linking with several other team members for a Glacier Bay Giveaway Hop. If you enter their giveaways, you’ll increase your chances of winning. Also, some are adding special things to their giveaways. To check out what they’re offering hop around to any of the sites below. Enjoy!

 

In Book Suggestions, Giveaways , , ,
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Elizabeth Ludwig’s No Safe Harbor (review and giveaway)

Renee Ann Smith —  December 14, 2012 — 25 Comments

No Safe Harbor

UPDATE: A winner has been chosen! I’m just waiting for details on how you will receive the book before I contact you. Congrats & Merry Christmas!

If you’re partial to turn-of-the-century romantic suspense with a touch of Irish charm, you’ll enjoy Elizabeth Ludwig’s No Safe Harbor. The story begins on Ellis Island in 1897, where the heroine, a young lass named Cara Hamilton, has just arrived from Derry. She meets the hero, a fine braw lad named Rourke Walsh, on the ferry to the mainland. Rourke finds himself quite taken with our Cara’s red hair and innocent eyes. Too bad he has vowed to kill her brother.

At first unaware of the intrigue surrounding her twin brother Eoghan, Cara rents a room, finds a job, and takes every opportunity to search for him. She cannot understand why Eoghan does not come to her. Until, as Booklist puts it, “An evolving series of twists and turns uncovers the truth about her brother, and about Rourke, forcing Cara to make hard decisions to save those she loves. Praised for her past works of historical fiction, Texas-based Christian-fiction-author Ludwig keeps readers on the edge of their seats in this suspenseful romance, interlaced with period detail, as desperation to find her family takes Cara down a hazardous road to loved ones lost and found.”

the quiet man

John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara in The Quiet Man

No Safe Harbor is a fast-paced, entertaining read. I could easily imagine this book as a Hallmark movie and had fun imagining some of my favorite Irish actors—Maureen O’Hara, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gabriel Byrne—playing various parts. I hope to meet these characters again in a future book. Thanks so much to Elizabeth Ludwig and her publisher for providing a copy for me to review!

GIVEAWAY: Elizabeth has offered to give a copy of No Safe Harbor to one of you! NOTE: I had trouble sending out the books from last month’s hard copy giveaways, but you don’t have to worry about that. This book will be coming from the publisher.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing. (USA only) I’ll let the contest run until Friday, December 21. Feel free to complete any of the bonus entries.

Bonus Entries:

***You can purchase a copy of No Safe Place at this link.

Elisabeth Ludwig

Elizabeth Ludwig

About the author: Elizabeth Ludwig is an award-winning author whose work has been featured on Novel Journey, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian Pulse. Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, and often attends conferences and seminars, where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoyed a wide readership in its first full year, with more than 17,000 visitors in 2011. Along with her husband and two children, Elizabeth makes her home in the great state of Texas. You can connect with Elizabeth at her website www.elizabethludwig.net.

 

In Blogging for Books, Book Suggestions, Giveaways, I wish it were a Hallmark movie ,
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Thankful Giveaway Hop (November 7th to 13th)

Renee Ann Smith —  November 7, 2012

UPDATE: My winners from the contest are Juju at Tales of Whimsy and Anita Yancey! Congrats, ladies! I’ll be emailing you soon :)

I’m glad you stopped by because this week we’re celebrating November with a Thankful Giveaway Hop!

For about a week, you can hop around from blog to blog and scoop up some great book-related prizes without leaving the comfort of your own home. This exciting event was organized by Inspired Kathy of the I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Blog.

The hop will run from Wednesday, November 7th, to Tuesday, November 13th, at 11:59 pm. Do you remember how it works? You can enter my giveaway and then hop to any blog on the linky list (at the end of this post) to see what they’re offering. Who knows what wonderful prizes are out there!?

The Doorkeeper Prize: I’m giving away a $10 Amazon Email Gift Card. And, if the response is so great that I end up with lots of new FB and Twitter fans, I’ll add a card. That would mean two winners! Just to show my appreciation for those of you who follow and visit my blog! Check back here to see the winners’ names posted on November 14h. (If the winners do not see their names and contact me, I will also email them.)

Steps to enter . . . Continue Reading…

In Blog Hop, Blogging, Giveaways , , , ,
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Transformation: At the Feet of Jesus with Joanna Weaver (plus giveaway link)

Renee Ann Smith —  November 1, 2012 — 5 Comments

Feeling a little weary and worn today? Take in these heartening words from Joanna Weaver’s At the Feet of Jesus . . .

“One of the most precious ways God expresses His love for us is through His Word, the Bible. The Hebrew word for Bible is Mikra, which means ‘the calling out of God.’

Isn’t that wonderful? We don’t have to wonder what God thinks, what He feels about certain topics, because to a large extent He has already told us through Scripture. Better yet, we don’t have to wonder whether He loves us or not. According to my dictionary, the Old English word for gospel is godspell. God spells out His love for the whole world to see. It’s right there in His Word.

‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you,’ the Lord tells us in Isaiah 43:1,4. ‘I have summoned you by name . . . You are precious and honored in my sight . . . because I love you.” We are a chosen people. Made holy. Deeply and dearly loved by God. How do I know that? I hear God’s voice telling me, ‘calling out’ to me, every time I open His Word.

I love the way Kent Hughes describes the intimate impact of spending time with God. ‘Think of it this way,’ he writes. ‘Our lives are like photographic plates, and prayer is like a time exposure to God. As we expose ourselves to God for a half hour, an hour, perhaps two hours a day, His image is imprinted more and more upon us. More and more we absorb the image of His character, His love, His way of dealing with life and people.’

That’s what I want. That’s what I need. And that’s what I receive when I spend time in God’s Word and in prayer. I get more of Jesus and, in the process, a little less of me.”

A message from the heart of author Joanna Weaver . . .

“‘Change me, God!’ These words have been my daily prayer since I was a young Christian. My deepest fear has always been waking up twenty years from now still the same person I am today. With the same annoying habits and petty attitudes, the same besetting sins and false beliefs—all because I refused to change. I don’t know about you, but that terrifies me.

I want to be more like Jesus. I need to be more like Jesus!

Transformation. That is my heart’s cry—not only for me but for you as well.”

I first learned of Joanna’s heart for spiritual transformation through her book, Lazarus Awakening: Finding Your Place in the Heart of God. So I was eager to get my hands on her devotional—and with good cause.  At the Feet of Jesus has been a source of encouragement and inspiration. I love being able to soak in Joanna’s wisdom and comments on Scripture with each morning reading. And since Christmas is just around the corner, I can’t help but think that this would make a great gift for the friends on my shopping list!

If you’d like to pick up a copy, you can purchase her beautiful book at this link. (HINT: Did I mention it would make a great gift?) ***Thanks to Litfuse Publicity and WaterBrook for providing a copy for me to review. Continue Reading…

In Book Suggestions, Devotional Thoughts, Giveaways , , ,
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