Win a copy of Giada De Laurentiis' new cookbook (and a $50 VISA gift card to start your own Italian pantry)!

**This giveaway has ended.**

Clarkson Potter is partnering with me for this giveaway!

Warm weather is finally here in Iowa. This past week, we (and by "we" I mean "my fiance" because he has the green thumbs in our relationship) planted our first garden at our home. I can't wait for those summer days when we'll have fresh tomatoes, onions, asparagus, and more! While we do a fair amount of grilling out during the summer months, I also love putting our fresh produce to use in pastas and other Italian-inspired recipes. Giada's my go-to ever since that fateful college day I made her cacio e pepe with pancetta and arugula.

Win the new Haven's Kitchen cookbook (and a Williams-Sonoma stainless steel tool set!)

Hello, lovelies! Today, Artisan Books has partnered with me to support an exciting new cookbook: The Haven's Kitchen Cooking School: Recipes and Inspiration to Build a Lifetime of Confidence in the Kitchen. One lucky The Lovely Side reader will win this must-have manual to kitchen confidence and a shiny Williams-Sonoma stainless steel tool set (prizing pictured above). Keep scrolling to read an excerpt and enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget down below.

No matter what kind of home cook you are—budding beginner or full-on chef—this book will come in handy and equip you with the fundamental building blocks you need to feel confident and at ease in the kitchen.Want to know how to boil eggs or whip up the perfect omelet? What about making dressings, stocks, and sauces? Or properly stocking your fridge and pantry? Cayne's got you covered. I'm most interested in getting over my fear of frying (it's a thing) and learning to pick and cut my own herbs. 

Win an #EverythingEverything movie/book prize pack!

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Thank you Warner Bros. Pictures for providing the prizing and samples for this sweepstakes.

Good morning, lovelies! I'm so excited about the giveaway kicking off today.

Nicola Yoon's bestselling book Everything, Everything has been on my TBR list for a while—and now, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, and director Stella Meghie are bringing the swoonworthy romantic drama to the big screen on May 19. The film stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games) as Maddy, Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) as Olly, Ana de la Reguera (Sun Belt Express), and Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls). 

And thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures, one lucky The Lovely Side reader will receive this adorable prize pack, including a copy of the book (movie tie-in cover), Everything, Everything tank top and backpack, and a $25 Visa gift card to go see the movie in theaters.

How to Plan a "Paint & Sip" Bachelorette Party (and win 2 FREE tickets to Muse Paintbar!)

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This giveaway sweepstakes is sponsored by Muse Paintbar. 

Live in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Main, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Virginia? I've partnered with Muse Paintbar to give away 2 FREE tickets to a painting session! Click through and scroll to the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom to enter. 

There's nothing like gathering your best girlfriends, getting gussied up, and going out for drinks—especially for a bachelorette or birthday party. But what could make the evening even better? Uncorking a bit of creativity along with the wine. Pulling out some paint brushes for the beer. And getting artistic with more than just cocktail recipes. I'm talking about throwing a little paint into the mix—making memories and a masterpiece on your ladies' night out—at a Muse Paintbar.

'A Colorful Way of Living' Book Giveaway

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It's 1982. Barbara Bradley Baekgaard (daughter of Vera Bradley—yes, that Vera Bradley) and her friend Patricia Miller are sitting in the airport during a layover. A parade of suitcases pass them by—each one as dull, drab, and bulky as the next. "This place could use some color!" Barbara remarked.

Those words set a colorful, creative idea into motion. 

The women returned home to Indiana, got out a few Simplicity patterns and a Singer sewing machine, and set to work. The Vera Bradley Company was born.

This past week on April 4th, Barbara released A Colorful Way of Living—a lovely and inspiring guide to being more, creating more, and doing more—the Vera Bradley Way.

Win the Season 3 DVD of #BroadCity

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With the holidays over, winter starts to feel especially dismal. Am I right? Cold weather, dreary skies, icy sidewalks—all perfect excuses to stay inside and binge watch. 

Courtesy of Comedy Central, I'm giving away the new Season 3 DVD of Broad City, plus a $25 VISA gift card—consider it spending money for snacks for your Broad City binge-sesh with friends.

The DVD is available in stores now, but this is your chance to get a FREE copy! 

The Wangs vs. the World Book + Makeup Giveaway

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This giveaway is brought to you in partnership with  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Time for another book giveaway, lovelies! And this one combines two of my favorite things: books and makeup! Jade Chang's debut novel The Wangs vs. the World hits bookshelves today! 

Side note: Isn't the cover of this book gorgeous?!

Bridget Jones's Baby Baby Giveaway

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This post and giveaway are brought to you in partnership with Universal Pictures.

**This giveaway has ended. Stay tuned for more giveaways!**

A Little Romance Book Giveaway for Fall: Win 'The Protector' and a romantic prize pack! (Closed)

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This post and giveaway are brought to you in partnership with Forever, the romance imprint of Grand Central Publishing. Thanks, Forever! :)

**This giveaway has ended. Stay tuned for more giveaways!**

Fall is such a romantic time of year. The night air gets crisp. The leaves turn fiery colors. Doesn't it make you want to light candles, pour a glass of wine, and curl up in bed with a tall, dark, handsome ex-SAS sniper/bodyguard? Or, maybe a novel about one—and his romance with a beautiful heiress in need of protection?

Sing Street Giveaway! #SingStreetDVD

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Happy August, lovelies! Today I'm partnering up with Anchor Bay Entertainment in celebration of their new film, SING STREET—a feel-good, coming of age story written and directed by John Carney (Once, Begin Again) featuring the ultimate soundtrack of the 80's.

Springtime Decorating with Gordmans | Win a $25 gift card for your own spring shopping!

As Springtime settles in, I get the itch to not only do some spring cleaning, but also do some spring decorating. I don't want to overhaul my apartment, but I do love swapping out heavy winter fabrics and incorporating bright, fresh bits of color. One of my favorite one-stop-shops for decor is definitely Gordmans.

Win a Lunar New Year Fire Monkey pin from Treat & Company | Giveaway

Last month marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year. And to celebrate the Year of the Monkey, TREAT & COMPANY created these gorgeous fire monkey pins.

Each pin is 3D-printed, hand-painted, and locally manufactured and designed in Minnesota. They make a thoughtful and beautiful gift to commemorate major life events - weddings, anniversaries, babies, birthdays - or to treat yourself. (And the classy, geometric designs would work for guy or girl.)

SISTERS Movie Giveaway (Closed)

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are reuniting (yay!) for the upcoming film SISTERS, which hits theatres on December 18. And thanks to Universal Pictures, I have the pleasure of giving away a special party pack to celebrate the movie's release! 

One (1) lucky The Lovely Side reader will receive:

• ban.do Giant Gem Speaker
• SISTERS Sweatshirt, T-shirt, and party cup

Win a signed copy of A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison (Closed)

In case you missed it, last January I read and reviewed A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison.

My Review, in short:

I loved it. I couldn't put it down. (It's not often I devour a book in four days.) And I highly recommend it to you if you're looking for an engrossing, multifaceted story that combines drama, mystery, and romance with beautiful, graceful, and believable writing. It's the story of a woman's past secrets coming back to haunt her. And there's nothing cliche about it. 

Reading this involved going a little off the beaten path. I usually read historical fiction, but I'm so glad I tried something different. I gave it 5 stars over at Goodreads.

(You can read my full review here.) 

So today, I'm super thrilled to announce that I have the huge honor of giving away 2 signed copies!

Holiday Decorating (and Smelling!) | Air Wick Holiday Scents Giveaway (Closed)

It's the most wonderful time of the year! (At least, I'm just telling myself that until I'm no longer wishing I were in sundresses and sandals. Ahhh, summertime, how I miss thee.) But really, once I get past the shock of the first snow (last weekend) and my hardy Iowan spirit sets in, there's a lot to love about winter. Mostly: the holidays.

It's time to hunker down and get cozy. 'Tis the season for sipping hot cocoa and eggnog, spending time with loved ones, eating savory meals, wearing those super-soft fleece pants all day long, decorating the house in a festive spirit, and (of course) enjoying the delightful holiday scents like fresh pine and warm cookies. Those scents (and those fleece pants) are just such a magical part of this time of year.

Speaking of those wonderful scents, Air Wick sent me over some of their holiday scented candles and scented wax melts to help create the holiday atmosphere in my home!

Anthology Candles Giveaway: Scents inspired by your favorite music, books, and movies (Closed)

Thanks to Anthology Candles, my lovely little Victorian apartment now smells like Scarlett's southern plantation! ;)

The other day, my boyfriend asked "What would you like to do this weekend?" He laughed when I told him that I wanted to visit a little shop down the road and smell all the candles.

I love candles. I love how they smell. I love how they set the mood for writing, for cleaning, for cuddling with my cats while binge-watching historical period drama. I love how they make wonderful, usable gifts - to give and receive.

I'm super excited to introduce you to Anthology Candles. The handcrafted, all-natural, soy candles are inspired by music, books, and movies. The scents are completely unique and ideal gifts for the unique, hard-to-buy-for. There's one inspired by Ed Sheeran's romantic Thinking Out Loud. Another, called The Great Pumpkin, is a spiced pumpkin ode to Charlie Brown. You'll even find one inspired by the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. I love the variety.

Brunch @ Bobby's Giveaway | Enter to win 3 Bobby Flay cookbooks! | #ad #giveaway #BrunchatBobbysBook (Closed)

*** This giveaway is now closed. ***

Prizing and samples provided by Crown Publishing.

I love brunch. Especially in the comfort of home. A little backstory: One Sunday, the bf and I hopped over to a nearby town for lunch. When we got there, we discovered that it was brunch-only day. So we decided to give it a try. It was decent, but not amazing. Then we went up to the counter to pay our bill. Our jaws dropped. Nearly $40 a person for a sub-par brunch that didn't even include alcohol. Ugh.

Needless to say, we didn't go back for that brunch. The next weekend, we whipped up our own brunch of tasty frittata and mimosas. It was delicious. It was affordable. And there were leftovers. ;)

So when Crown Publishing offered to send me over a copy of Bobby Flay's new cookbook Brunch @ Bobby's packed full of brunch recipes and a giveaway... How could I resist? 

Giveaway: 'Everybody Rise' by Stephanie Clifford + $50 BaubleBar gift card (Closed)

 Samples and prizing are provided by St. Martin’s Press

Is your stack of summer reads running out? Is your beach bag suddenly lighter for lack of reading material? Luckily, it's time for another book giveaway here on The Lovely Side. One lucky winner will receive a copy of Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford, plus a $50 BaubleBar gift card! This giveaway is open to US addresses only. Prizing and samples are provided by St. Martin's Press.

Scroll down to learn about the book and its author, read an excerpt, and enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget.

Book Giveaway! Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky | #Blueprints (Closed)

Summertime has finally arrived. It's the season for sunny days and spreading out a blanket in the grass or a towel on the beach, then plopping down to stick your nose in a pageturner. And on the stormy days... What's better than curly up with a good book while it rains outside your window? 

This summer, it's my reading goal to step outside my typical book zone. You'll most often find me with a historical fiction novel, but summer's the season for trying something new. I've got a stack of books piling up on my nightstand, and Blueprints is at the top.

Giveaway: Win this dry-erase chore chart from Roommate Harmony (Closed)

I love to-do lists. I don't always love the to-dos that fill them up, but I do enjoy checking, crossing, and erasing them off as I complete them. Living on my own, there's no one to tell me to do the dishes, put away laundry, or clean the bathroom except... well, me.

Roommate Harmony sent me over this nifty dry-erase chore chart to try out - and giveaway (but more on that later). For me, this is a great way to organize my many weekly to-dos. When I come home from work, I often want to eat an easy supper and spend the rest of my evening playing with the cats, reading a good book, or binge-watching Netflix... or some combination of those. But I sometimes have work, blogging, or writing to do. And the last thing I want to do is wash dishes or vacuum Cotton's massive amounts of fur.