Aug 21, 2013 | DIY
DIY kit company Darby Smart recently sprung onto the scene and is making waves with their fashion-forward packages of fun DIY projects you can make at home. Instead of a monthly subscription to their kits (which many other companies are using as a business model as of late), you can buy a Darby Smart kit any time, and for anyone! Inspired by Pinterest projects and catering to the community, the kits provide the materials and supplies to make chic and polished crafts for accessories, jewelry, and home decor. And at Darby Smart, anyone can become a kit designer! Designed by amazingly creative designers, bloggers, and crafters, the submitted projects are voted on by the Darby Smart community and then the most popular are turned into kits for sale.
I was recently sent the You-Nique Monogram Tote Kit to play with and create my own DIY stenciled tote. I decided to create a tote with a badge, with my personal mantra “DREAM IT / MAKE IT / DO IT” emblazoned on the front. Using the stencils and the glitter pen provided, I added some paints and glitter from my collection to create something with a throwback 80’s feel. 
And that’s the piece I created!
I had a lot of fun with the kit, which was easy to use, and I was impressed with how long the glitter pen held up and how much ink was in it. Plus – and here’s the BIG PLUS, folks – the tote is not the cheap kind of canvas tote you’d find for $5.99 at the craft store…it’s actually a heavy-duty canvas piece from Baggu, with inner snap, pocket, and adjustable shoulder strap. An extremely good value for the price of the entire kit.
And Darby Smart is also graciously offering 2 You-Nique Monogram Tote kits to give away to my readers!
Edit 9/1/13: Giveaway is now closed and winners are announced. Thanks!
How To Enter
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, please Pin your favorite kit from the Darby Smart website to show extra enthusiasm! (Not required for entry into giveaway)
Good luck!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent one You-Nique Monogram Tote Kit (retail value: $31) to review, and 2 Tote Kits will be sent to the winners of this giveaway, courtesy of Darby Smart. I received no other compensation, and the opinions above are my own. See my full Disclosure Policy here.
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Aug 14, 2013 | Blogging, Life, Score!
I was so thrilled to be recently contacted by M&J Trimming to participate in their Third Annual M&J Trimming Blogger Challenge.
Alongside other powerhouse DIY bloggers (such as Kristin of Glitter ‘n’ Glue and Lia of Smart n Snazzy), I’m in amazing company!
M&J Trimming sent me a box full of amazing DIY supplies as you can see above…and I got super-busy creating!
Read the M&J Trimming Intro to All the Bloggers Here
…and tomorrow head over to the M&J Trimming Blog, where all my projects will be available!
xo
Carly
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Apr 8, 2013 | Score!
It’s April already – which means a brand-new sponsor for Chic Steals and an amazing giveaway too!
This month’s sponsor is The Plaid Barn: a one-stop destination for daily sales of crafting and DIY supplies, all highly discounted from 60% off and higher. With items ranging from 5 cents – around $40 at the very most, all the supplies available on the site are super-affordable…and are of extremely high quality, rivaling that which you can get at retail stores (for a huge markup in the stores, that is). They have offered sales on washi tape bundles, mini clothespins, flower barrettes, printed scarves, pretty cabochons, and typewriter earrings (just to name a few), as well as DIY kits and grab bags full of lovely supplies. (Even after the Daily Deal has expired, you can still purchase supplies and kits here.) You can also hear an interview with founder Lindsay Edens that I did in my last Creatively Chic podcast here.
GIVEAWAY: A Box Stuffed with $50 Worth of Crafting Supplies
How to Enter
Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And that’s it!
Giveaway open to anyone, WORLDWIDE!
Giveaway period is open from now until Sunday, April 14, 11:59 PM PST.
Winner chosen by The Plaid Barn representative and notified by email.
Good luck!
xo
Carly
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Jan 14, 2013 | Beauty, Score!
I recently received a sample Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash, and it’s become my newest bath-time indulgence.
I’ve had really dry, itchy legs for the first time ever this Winter (maybe I’m allergic to my socks?? I’ve been wondering), and nothing has given me any relief. By night-time in the bath I am scrabbling away at my ankles, trying to calm the itchiness, slathering on lotion and moisturizers to no avail once I’m out. I’ve been using regular Dove bar soap in the bath, and haven’t had much of a problem with it…until now.
So I was really surprised that within a couple days of switching over to Caress Body Wash instead of soap, the itchiness had gone down tremendously. The wash is silky smooth and super-moisturizing, and even Lil Tot likes the fragrance of it.
It has a complex scent, of spicy orange rose and passionfruit: fruity, flowery, and Wintery all in one. I’ve never smelled anything like it before – and it makes my whole bathroom smell like a warm Winter punch (with orange slices floating in it), and lush gardenias and rose blossoms. Plus the scent lingers long after my bath, and I smell delicious for hours afterwards!
Courtesy of Caress® Passionate Spell®, they are giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky reader! With it you can purchase Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash to try out yourself, and snag yourself a pretty accessory to go with your gleaming, scented skin. Or use it wherever – on whatever – you want! Here are the details:
GIVEAWAY: ONE $25 Gift Card
How to Enter
REQUIRED:
1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite scent is (for body wash, perfume, in general, whatever!!)
And that’s it!
Total entries allowed: 1 entry per person.
Giveaway open to U.S.-based readers ONLY.
Giveaway period is open from now until Monday, January 21, 11:59 PM PST.
Winner chosen by Random.org and notified by email.
Good luck!
Edited to add: Giveaway period is now over, winner has been notified and sent their gift card. Thanks for entering!
And check out Caress on Facebook and on Twitter, with the hashtag #Caress, for more discounts, coupons, giveaways, and all the latest news on the brand!
xoxox
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was provided with Caress® product, a $25 gift card and information about the product by Caress®. All opinions are 100% my own. Read more about my Disclosure Policy here.
Post images from here, here, and here; opening photo collage by me.
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Nov 27, 2012 | Score!
I’ve partnered with Echoed.com that produces this cool new application called “Stories.” It’s an application that allows users to upload their own photos and write a “story” about the photos, vote on photos you like, and share content. Kind of like Pinterest but with more space for adding information, and space for different angles or descriptive photos. Plus it’s hosted right on your own site, so it creates a beautiful array of user-submitted content available to any visitor to see immediately.
You can now view DIYs submitted by Chic Steals readers (and submit your own!) in the bar appearing at the bottom of my site window. Press the double-down arrow to hide it. Reload the page to view the bar again. Click See All Stories to view all the DIY projects submitted by the community and get some great inspiration! Up-vote projects you like, and leave comments. I’m dying to see what all of you are making – and it’s a great way to get your DIY’s featured immediately on the front page of my site.
To promote this partnership, Echoed.com is offering a giveaway of a gift card to Michael’s Arts & Crafts to help someone create that fabulous DIY. Here’s how to win:
One Lucky Reader Will Win a $25 Gift Card to Michael’s
{just in time for the holidays!}
How to Enter
1. The Stories app appears as a gray bar at the bottom of your browser window while looking at my site. Click on the RED BUTTON on the right that says “Add Your Story.”
2. Register with your email address, Facebook login, or Twitter login.
3. Upload a photo of a Holiday-themed DIY you’ve done into the app. It can be a photo of any project that is holiday-appropriate (ANY holiday, even Halloween or Fourth of July!). It can be fashion, food, crafts, decorations, kiddie project…ANYTHING.
4. I will be randomly selecting one entry from the submissions (once the entry period is closed) as the winner.
Rules
Entry period is from now until midnight PST on Tuesday, December 3, 2012.
Winner will be randomly chosen from the entries posted until then.
Anyone over the age of 18 can enter – and you can enter multiple times, with a photo of a different DIY each time, to increase your chance of winning!
Giveaway is open to anyone, worldwide.
DO NOT post separate entries that use photos of the same project. Each time you “Add Your Story,” make sure it’s a different project!!
Total entries allowed: as many holiday-themed projects as you want!
Good luck!
xoxo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I have not received any compensation for this post. One $25 gift card to Michael’s Arts and Crafts will be provided to the winner of this giveaway, courtesy of Echoed.com. To see my Disclosure Policy, click here.
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