UPrinting Giveaway!

Have you ever seen those amazing canvas prints of family photos? They're like artwork - so gorgeous. I've always wanted to get one. If you have, too, today is your lucky day! UPrinting.com is sponsoring a giveaway and you could be the recipient of the following prize:

1 pc. rolled canvas print for one (1) winner

16” x 20”

With 2-inch border or No border

1 Business Day Turnaround

*Free shipping

Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only

So, tell us Jennifer, how can we win this fantastic prize? You have one week to do each of the following things once for one entry each:

1. Comment below saying which photo you would blow up or where you would hang it.

2. Follow UPrinting on Twitter

3. Add UPrinting to Google+ Circle

And now for the legal stuff:

1. This giveaway is open to US residents only, 18 years old and above.

2. No prize substitutions allowed.

3. Winners are allowed to win once over a six-month period.

4. Only email addresses used for the giveaway will be eligible to claim the prize.


Giveaway begins on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 and will end on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 12:00pm. One  winner with a valid entry will be selected using the Sequence Generator at random.org.


You should assume that I will receive free print products in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions. Interested to hold a giveaway like this? Please sign up here.

Why Twitter Rocks

Comments are now closed.

When I first discovered that anyone can follow you on Twitter, and you don't exactly have to accept them, I was a little freaked out. I don't have to follow them back, but I usually check to see if I want to. A certain amount of spam is to be expected, but then there are the weird ones like these:

Zero tweets? Following 1,920? What I want to know is who the 554 followers are and why? Weird. The egg avatar is almost always a dead giveaway.

When I first started tweeting, I was clueless about how to do it. But after awhile, I became more comfortable with it. In fact, downright addicted to it - worse than Facebook! And here are some of the reasons why:

My Tweeps.
I have met a lot of cool people on Twitter who I would not have otherwise found. And my bloggy friends who are on there? I really get to know them. Reading someone's blog lets you into their minds to a certain degree and tells you if they would be someone you would want to hang out with.  Tweeting with them takes it to another level. It results in actual conversations. I miss chatting with them on days when I'm not on Twitter. I've mentioned it before. So has Liz at A Belle, A Bean and A Chicago Dog. She's got several posts about how important Twitter is, but one of my faves will always be our macaroni and cheese chat.

Current Events.
I can't stand to watch the news. It's not that I don't care about what's going on in the world, it's that the headlines are always negative. There's never any focus on the positive. I prefer to listen to the updates on the radio or scan the Internet. But I only do that occasionally, so most of the time I have no idea what people are talking about. Now that I'm on Twitter? I'm all over it! People want to be me. Ok, not really, but I can carry on a conversation without sounding like I live in a bunker with only access to "Sesame Street" for news updates.

Marketing.
Done right, marketing on Twitter can be incredibly effective. For example, Tim from Sogeshirts. While I'm not one to buy funny t-shirts often, I know the day will come when I need to get something like Little League shirts made that aren't the boring, run-of-the-mill ones you get at the local Dick's Sporting Goods. And I will have Tim in the back of my mind, ready and waiting. Why? Because he isn't just posting updates about the latest thing they're selling. He interacts with everyone. He has almost 14,000 followers, and he still makes time to chat it up with people. It's not always about work or sales, it's just him being the cool guy he is. Plus he retweets and Friday Follows like a madman.

And finally, what prompted this post, is that companies who pay attention? Can increase customer loyalty and get good publicity. Take, for example, the recent convo I had with Lynn from All Fooked Up and Kris from Pretty All True.

Downy

 

Even without a hashtag, the people at oneCARE Co (who distribute Downy Wrinkle Releaser) saw my post and sent me one back saying they would send me a free sample. 

At first I thought maybe it was a scam, but I checked it out the best I could and gave them limited contact info just in case it wasn't legit. And then about a week later, I got a package in the mail. Twelve 3-oz., travel-size bottles. Sweet! They have no idea that I'm going to post this, Tweet this, FB this. I'm sure they hope that I will, and their hopes will be realized.

And to share the Twitter/Downy Wrinkle Releaser love, I'm going to give half of them away to one lucky entrant. 

There are three ways to enter. Here's how:

1. Post a comment below.

2. Tweet this and copy me (@MidwestMomments) for verification. Post a comment below noting that you did.

3. Go to my Facebook page and if you don't already, "Like" it. Then post a comment on the wall that says:

Midwest "Mom"ments and I are wrinkle-free!

Then post a comment here to tell me about it.

Do one or all - you get an entry for each comment below.  Be sure to include your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win.

All opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced by any other source. I was not compensated to provide an opinion of the product or Downy. This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on Monday, February 21, 2011 and will end on Monday, February 28, 2011 at 12:00pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected using the Sequence Generator at random.org. The winner will be announced on or before Friday, March 4.

And the Winner Is....

...Karinya from Unlikely Origins! Congratulations, Karinya!

Husky 20-Piece T-Handle Driver Set

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I'm excited to have my first Giveaway here at Midwest "Mom"ments! Husky provided a complimentary set of tools to me to review, and you, dear readers, get to be the recipients of them when you enter to win.

THE PRODUCT
The product I was given to review is Husky's 20-Piece T-Handle Driver Set (SKU 836 395) pictured here.

The set contains the following items:
Square S 0
Square S 2
Slotted SL 2
Slotted SL 5
Hex H 1/8
Hex H 5/32
Phillips PH 1
Phillips PH 2
Pozi PZ 0
Ratcheting T-Handle Driver with 10 Bits

For more information on Husky and their tools, see their website  http://huskytoolsnews.com.

THE TEST
Husky is a well-known name in the tool world, so I had fairly high expectations for this product. Luckily it showed up at Christmastime, so I had plenty of toys that needed screwdrivers for assembly/battery upgrades to test them on! To be fair, none of them required the Square, Hexagonal or Pozi drivers, so I can't speak to their usefulness, but I am confident they are made of the same quality as the other items in the set.

One toy required a Phillips head to remove the battery cover. I used the Husky Phillips PH 1 for the job. The grip was comfortable and felt secure. The battery cover didn't provide much resistance, but it was easier to use the T-shape than a standard screwdriver handle which can cause your hand to feel tired. I used the ratcheting handle with one of the Phillips bits to replace the cover, pictured here. Because that was a fairly simple task, I also tried it on a tougher item, a chair that had a screw that needed to be tightened.

THE RESULTS
+ They are screwdrivers and they did their job.
+ I much prefer the T-Handle grip to a standard screwdriver. It's more comfortable and I get better torque with it.
+ The ratcheting handle is even better for heavy-duty jobs. It kept the tip in place which helped avoid stripping the screw head.
+ I also liked the T-Handle and ratchet because they prevented the fatigue that is sometimes associated with using a standard screwdriver handle.
+ Ergonomic shape is easier for someone to use who has arthritis or other issues with regular screw drivers. 
+ It comes with a "Guaranteed Forever" warrantee that states if it ever fails, Husky will replace it for free.
- Storage might be a little more cumbersome due to the shape.
- The sizes available are limited.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10

BUY IT!


THE GIVEAWAY
Now the part you've all been waiting for. There are three ways to enter. Here's how:

1. Post a comment below.

2. Tweet this and copy me (@MidwestMomments) for verification. Post a comment below noting that you did.

3. Go to my Facebook page and "Like" it. Copy and paste this as a post to the page:

Midwest "Mom"ments is Husky! (In a good way.)


Post a comment below noting that you did.

Do one or all - you get an entry for each comment below.  Be sure to include your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win.

I received a free 20-Piece T-Handle Driver Set for hosting this review and giveaway. Please note: I only received one set but was able to open it without destroying the packaging, so when you receive it, it will have already been opened. All the pieces have been replaced and no damage was done to the item when it was tested. All opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced by any other source. I was not compensated to provide an opinion of the product or Husky. This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on Thursday, January 6, 2011 and will end on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:00pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected using the Sequence Generator at random.org. The winner will be announced on or before Friday, January 14.