What's in a Word? WINNER: STEPHANIE!

Update: Stephanie is the winner!

The winning entry was "exophthalmoses" which is a protrusion of the eyeballs. I imagine we have a few more people with the condition after all the hard work on this challenge!

Congratulations Stephanie! Please visit my shop to choose your prize - a bar of vegan soap or two bath bombs - go ahead and check out but don't pay!

Stay tuned for another fun puzzler ... coming soon!

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This week's contest is a definite melon-scratcher. I hope you have fun with it!

The Challenge
Find the biggest point value word in the Scrabble letters below and post your winning answer via a comment to *this* blog posting.

The Rules
The challenge ends at 7pm PST on March 6th. The word with the largest point value will win. The word must be a real word and come up in a search result at Dictionary.com. If multiple individuals post the same word or words that are equal in value, the individual who posts first will win. Please be sure to either leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you win OR come back on March 6 to see if you've won!

The Prize
The winner will have their choice of any one bar of Vegan soap or 2 bath bombs from my Etsy shop!

Share the love - tell your friends about this fun giveaway contest too!

Hugs,
Layla

Featured! The Tea Review Blog

I'm thrilled to have one of my teas featured on The Tea Review Blog! My Tropicana Orange Pekoe tea seems to have received quite a good review!

Read the review and consider trying it yourself!

Hugs,
Layla

It's Coming ....

I cannot remember a time when I didn't love Depeche Mode.





While I'm busy packing orders and inventing great new products for my Etsy shop, I'm also secretly counting down the days til Sounds of the Universe is released. 54, 53, 52, 51, ....

Hugs,
Layla

Baby Clydesdale

These are the sweetest commercials I think I've seen in a long time...





Hugs,
Layla

Name That Fruit! WINNER: DAVID!!

Update: David is the winner!

The winning entry was:

Apple (green, granny smith), Mango, Plum, Lemon, Kiwi, Grapes, Honeydew Mellon, Peach, Currant, Banana, Pomegranate, Cantaloupe, Blackberry, Lime

David - have fun shopping at www.floweringtreebotanicals.com - when you check out, simply enter "Tutti Fruity" and I'll adjust your bill to reflect your $10 spree!

Stay tuned for another fun puzzler ... coming soon!

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I love fruit. All different kinds. I'm constantly amazed by how many different varieties of fruit there are!

For this week's giveaway, correctly post the names of every single fruit in the photo collage below in a single comment on *this* blog posting.

(Click the image to enlarge)

The first person to post the correct names of every fruit will win a $10 shopping spree in my Etsy shop! Contest ends at 7pm on February 27th and the winner will be announced shortly after!

I'm off to have an orange while you sort this one out.

Have fun!
Layla

http://www.floweringtreebotanicals.com

Fun at the Hogle Zoo!

I was recently approached by the Hogle Zoo in Utah about a fun program for kids - they have a fun event called "Cats and Cocoa" where they make bird feeders out of pine cones and serve hot cocoa after observing the beautiful big cats in their thick winter coats. Gosh, I wish I could have gone!

I was really lucky to be the shop that they picked to supply with the most important ingredient - 300 beautiful Ponderosa pine cones!

Here's a shot of a precious little girl picking up her pine cone to go get started:

Special thanks to Hogue Zoo for sharing the above photo - I'm honored to have helped with this fun, educational program to benefit the animals in their care!

If you'd like to make a pine cone bird feeder, I now carry a kit in my shop for just $3.50! Great fun for your little ones and the birds desperately need the food right now!

Hugs,
Layla

How Many? # 1 -- WINNER: CLEOPATRA!

Update: Cleopatra is the winner! There were 617 buttons in the pile!

I just can't help myself .. I thought of this new contest today and was going to wait til Monday to post it but ... here it is, a few days early:

Take a guess at how many buttons are in the pile! Note: I added a green arrow in the lower right corner - that gray button is about the size of a quarter.

For a closer look, click on the picture to see a bit larger version.

Here are the rules:

1) You may only post five times with one guess in each posting so make them count!

2) First guess closest to the actual number without going over wins (and yes, I counted every single button! Whew!) .

3) Contest ends on February 20th at 7pm Pacific Standard Time. Entries after this time will not be posted/eligible.

What you'll win:
- a bar of oatmeal, milk and honey vegan soap
- a lavender scented sachet
- a sample of rooibos loose leaf tea!

Good luck, have fun and tell your friends!

Hugs,
Layla

http://www.floweringtreebotanicals.com

What is it? # 2 -- Winner: "Jenny"!

The first person to leave a comment on *this* blog posting correctly guessing what the item is will win a trial size of loose leaf mango tea from my shop!


Please guess as many times as you like! Good luck and have fun!! The first person to post the right answer will be proclaimed the winner. The contest runs Monday through Friday!

Have fun!
Layla

Update: Jenny is the winner! It's a paperweight!

Jenny, please contact me at layla_colegrove@yahoo.com so I can get your mailing address for the tea! Congratulations!

2009 Paws for a Cause Auction!

It's that time of year again! My favorite animal rescue is gearing up and collecting donations for the annual Paws for a Cause fundraising auction!


Glitter Graphics


Please visit http://www.itsmeowornever.org/auction for more information! You can also stop by and pick up a really cool "blingie" like the one above to put on your blog, Facebook, MySpace or web site to help spread the word!

Thanks for your support!
Layla

A Surprise in My Mailbox!

What a lovely surprise I received when I checked my mail! Recently, I sold some lavender to "BJKnits" on Etsy and look at the lovely lavender-filled eye pillow she sent me in return!



Please take a minute to swing by BJKnits' shop - she makes some really neat things, her prices are ridiculously low and she's so sweet!

What is it? -- Winner: It's Meow or Never

For some fun, I'm posting a photo of a mystery item today. The first person to leave a comment on my blog correctly guessing what the item is will win a trial size of fragrant lavender from my shop!


Please guess as many times as you like! Good luck and have fun!!

Happy Saturday!
Layla

Update: It's Meow or Never is the winner! It's a Toucan!

New Product Packaging

I finally made up my mind - I wanted something simple that would allow the beauty of the product to show through while having my brand be front and center.


I just approached Molbak's to see if they'd be interested in carrying the Flowering Tree Botanicals product line and I'll be a nervous wreck until I hear back from them.

Wish me luck!

Hugs,
Layla

Migoto Neko (or My Cat Likes Orange)

Gosh, I hope I got that right, because I think "Migoto Neko" means "beautiful cat". At any rate, I was taking photos yesterday of some asian paper fans. It seems that Hunter wanted to help and he was really taken by this fan in particular - I think it's because orange is his favorite color:


"Hi Ma! Hey, whatcha got there?"


"Mind if I give it a whiff?"


"I love you, orange fan."


After all that sniffing and following me around all day like a puppy, Hunter had a nice long nap in my chair .. the perfect way to spend a "Caturday" afternoon.

Before slipping off to dreamland, Hunter wanted me to tell you that he's offering 15% off anything orange in my shop, today only, February 1st. Just mention how cute you think he is when you check out and he'll calculate your discount.

Hugs,
Layla