Giveaway

Put Your Crown On by Queen Latifah and Samantha Marshall


Modeled after Maria Shriver's Just Who Will You Be, Queen Latifah's goal with Put On Your Crown is to help young women build a strong sense of self-esteem. A US Dept. of Justice survey found that females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to partner violence than any other group, almost triple the national average. Cases like Chris Brown's assault on pop star Rihanna showed an ugly side of adolescent life. However, Queen Latifah has always been a shining example of a woman happy with herself and unwilling to compromise to fit into the "hollywood ideal" of what a confident beautiful woman should look like. 

About the Author
Queen Latifah was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. The Queen got her first break in music when a demo tape featuring one of her raps made its way to Tommy Boy Records. She was signed and immediately became a hit. She won the Best New Artist Award in 1990 for her album "All Hail the Queen" which also went platinum. The second single from the album, "Ladies First," was eventually named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll.

By the time her second album "Nature of a Sista'" came out in 1991, Queen Latifah had begun investing in small businesses in her neighborhood, and acting both in television and movies. After the death of her brother and a soured deal with Tommy Boy, The Queen released her third album, "Black Reign", and founded Flavor Unit Records and Management. She also landed a regular spot on Living Single and went on to star in a plethora of feature films including: Set It Off, The Perfect Holiday, Taxi, and Bringing Down the House.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Thanks to Anna at Hachette Books, three readers of this blog will win copies of this book. Books will be shipped direct from the publisher. US and Canada only, no PO boxes please. Contest ends on Sunday, June 6, 2010.

Rules for entry of this giveaway are very simple:

1. Leave your email address in a comment. Please give me a way to contact you, in case you are a winner!

2. For an extra entry, be a follower of this blog. (Please leave a separate entry)

Giveway

What to Wear For the Rest of Your Life
Ageless Secrets of Style
by Kim Johnson Gross

Every woman's closet-no matter the size-is a room of her own. In that space hang side by side the special occasions and the everyday, the triumphs and the disasters, the memories we want to keep and those we should jettison. Gross helps us to reconsider our closet identity and discover who we want to be. She shares her personal journey and the intimate, poignant and often humorous stories of the dozens of women she interviewed across the country. Along with calming fashion advice about how to choose flattering clothes that will fit any woman's shape and style, Gross's engaging stories will help every woman evolve gracefully from wife to mother, from empty-nester to globe-trotting adventurer--whatever role she chooses--while letting her style express her inner beauty. 

About the Author

 Kim Johnson Gross has worked in the fashion industry for over 30 years, as a Ford model, an editor at Town & Country, Style Director at Avenue, and Fashion Director at Esquire. She is author of The Chic Simple books, which were international bestsellers and inspired the popular Chic Simple Solutions column that appeared for five years in InStyle. Gross wrote the "What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life" column in More for two years. She's been interviewed as a style expert on the Today show, CNN, the CBS Morning Show, Good Housekeeping, AARP, Business Week, Dove. 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Thanks to Anna at Hachette Books, three readers of this blog will win copies of this book. Books will be shipped direct from the publisher. US and Canada only, no PO boxes please. Contest ends on Sunday, June 6, 2010.

Rules for entry of this giveaway are very simple:

1. Leave your email address in a comment. Please give me a way to contact you, in case you are a winner!

2. For an extra entry, be a follower of this blog. (Please leave a separate entry)

Giveaway

101 Things I Learned (TM) in Fashion School
by Matthew Frederick, Alfredo Cabrera

The world of the fashionista is brought to vivid life with 101 introductory lessons on such topics as how a designer anticipates cultural trends and "sees" the fashion consumer, the workings of the fashion calendar, the ways a designer collection is conceived, the manufacture of fabric, fashion illustration, and more.

Illustrated in the distinctly unique packaged style of the bestselling101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, this new book on fashion design will be a perfect book for any fashion school wannabe, a recent graduate, or even a seasoned professional.

About the Author


Alfredo Cabrera, who is based in New York City, is an award-winning fashion designer and illustrator. His clients have included Henri Bendel, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Jeans, Xpress, The Limited, Girbaud Jones New York, Nautica, FUBU, Izod and Liz Claiborne.


He is a faculty member at the renowned Parsons Institute / New School for Design.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Thanks to Anna at Hachette Books, three readers of this blog will win copies of this book. Books will be shipped direct from the publisher. US and Canada only, no PO boxes please. Contest ends on Sunday, June 6, 2010.

Rules for entry of this giveaway are very simple:

1. Leave your email address in a comment. Please give me a way to contact you, in case you are a winner!

2. For an extra entry, be a follower of this blog. (Please leave a separate entry)

Book Extras

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About Author

Alfredo Cabrera, who is based in New York City, is an award-winning fashion designer and illustrator. His clients have included Henri Bendel, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Jeans, Xpress, The Limited, Girbaud Jones New York, Nautica, FUBU, Izod and Liz Claiborne. ... more

Audio and Video

Giveaway

101 Things I Learned (TM) in Culinary School
by Matthew Frederick, Louis Eguaras

Louis Eguaras, a renowned chef at the Le Cordon Bleu Program at the California School of Culinary Arts, provides readers with a terrific overview of what is truly involved in the preparation, cooking, and presentation of meals. He also provides invaluable insights into just what is involved in making this one's chosen profession.

The book will feature a wide range of illustrated lessons, from how to properly hold a knife... to the history of food... from food preparation and presentation... to restaurant hospitality and management, and much more.

The book will be presented in the distinctive and highly-attractive packaged style of 101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, and will be the perfect gift for anyone who is thinking about entering culinary school, is already enrolled, or even just the casual chef.

About the Author

LOUIS EGUARAS is a chef and instructor of international cuisine in the renowned Le Cordon Bleu Program at the California School of Culinary Arts. He is currently teaching courses in cooking and food history.

His twenty plus years of experience includes responsibilites as Staff Chef at the White House and Camp David, and Executive Chef and Marketing Manager in several other settings.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Thanks to Anna at Hachette Books, three readers of this blog will win copies of this book. Books will be shipped direct from the publisher. US and Canada only, no PO boxes please. Contest ends on Sunday, June 6, 2010.

Rules for entry of this giveaway are very simple:

1. Leave your email address in a comment. Please give me a way to contact you, in case you are a winner!

2. For an extra entry, be a follower of this blog. (Please leave a separate entry)

Yay, Hooray it's Friday. 

My girlfriends and I have been planning this for a few months and it is finally here, we are going away on a Mom's only weekend.  This is this first time that I have left both of my girls for a whole weekend, I know that I will miss them terribly but Mommy needs some time to myself.  I was a single parent for many years and I had fabulous parents that would take my son for a night now and then and when we moved to Alberta he would go and spend sometime with them every summer.  Since I am now married and have two little girls and my dad babysits it is sometimes hard to get away even with my hubby. All I know is that some of the luxuries I am looking forward to is staying in bed without anyone jumping on me, I will miss the cuddles though.  Eating in peace I seem to shovel food down and truthfully I am constantly getting up for someone's else's needs so finishing a meal in peace will be great.  Having a bath all by myself and getting ready will be so wonderful.  I know that I am going to soak up every luxury and feel recharged.  Here's to my fabulous weekend.  I will be spending it with two wonderful people and I know we are going to have lots of fun!

See you later.