Canvas Factory Giveaway!! *ended*

I love taking pictures.  I have so many prints that are waiting to go into scrapbooks.  But some of my favorites get put into frames so I can enjoy them daily.  I also love to have my favorite shots turned into canvas prints.  There is something special about turning your 4x6 photo into a beautiful canvas for your wall.

So....I'm excited to be working with Canvas Factory for another giveaway!

Their website makes it so easy to order your canvas.  Just pick the size you want, upload your photo (from your laptop, phone, Insta, FB, Dropbox or Flickr) and voila - you'll have your beautiful, high-quality canvas in days! The process couldn't get any easier.

The canvas on the bottom normally hangs in my son's room, but I moved it here to show both canvases. 

Close up of the latest canvas on the bottom! 

The two canvases in my pictures are both from Canvas Factory.  The top one is my kids on my daughter's graduation day.  The one resting on the mantle is the latest one I've ordered.  It is of my son and two great friends he met at the Duke TIP summer program last year.  I had to cover the girls' faces since I don't have permission to share them with the world, but you can still see the fantastic quality of the print.  The photo that was used for the canvas was taken on my iPhone, no fancy camera or anything!

I love the quality of my Canvas Factory canvases, and the care they take in shipping them.  It was packaged so carefully and I received it in perfect condition.

Canvas Factory is giving one of my readers their own canvas, too! Just enter through Rafflecopter below and stay tuned to see who wins!!
(I have a new IG so be sure to follow the new one as one of your entries, too!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Medieval Times Atlanta Castle Giveaway and Back to School Drive! #MTFAN *ended*

Medieval Times Atlanta Castle ~ Family 4 pack GIVEAWAY! 

photo credit ~ Medieval Times Atlanta

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament’s Atlanta Castle is dedicated to “Chivalry in Action” and in honor of this philanthropic mission, they need our help for their largest-ever back to school drive.

For the first time ever, they will be providing 750 book bags to 15 pre-selected Atlanta-Area Schools!

So how can you help?  If you are local you can drop off new school supplies at their Sugarloaf Mills location - 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville GA 30043

Now through July 28th, guests who donate at least one unused school supply per ticket when visiting the Atlanta castle will receive up to $22.00 off their adult-priced tickets. Guest must show proof of donated items upon arrival at the Box Office.  Such a great way to help local kids be prepared for back to school! #ChivalryinAction

Want to win a family 4 pack of your own to visit Medieval Times Atlanta?  

Enter via rafflecopter below!! 

The person who will be donating the most supplies to this awesome back to school drive wins the family 4 pack of tickets!! Woohoo! (Minimum of 1 supply per person/ticket)

To be eligible you must be local to Atlanta, and be able to visit Medieval Times by July 28, 2019.  I will notify the winner on the 24th and you have 24 hours to confirm that you can attend.  Of course, you will need to take your school supply donation when you visit MT, too! You'll get a fun night out, and local kids will get much-needed school supplies! 

I'll be attending Medieval Times with my friend Dana and our daughters next week.  Follow me on IG, FB and Twitter to watch all the fun!! I've got some awesome school supplies to donate, too! 

Comments are not working for some reason, so please enter via Rafflecopter and I will pick a winner from there - so sorry for the issues blogger is having! 

Red Oak Lavender Farm ~ Dahlonega, GA

I love using herbs, botanicals and essential oils.  Especially lavender! I have a sleep mist, linen spray, bath salts, bath bombs and more that use this flower's calming fragrance.  It's definitely a favorite scent!

Three years ago, we first heard of Red Oak Lavender Farm.  I took my son to visit in the summer of 2016 and it was all I could have hoped for!  Beautiful gardens with rows of lavender, and the most amazing gift shop with homemade goodies and more!  Spending time out with the lavender is so peaceful and calming! Butterflies are everywhere and there are so many photo opportunities!

We took lots of pictures, and I knew wanted to come back soon.  However, an allergy to bees and other stinging insects made my son nervous to come back - bees are all over the farm, doing their thing!  So I didn't get to visit for a while.

Last summer my friend Katherine visited Atlanta from Houston.  She, like me, loves lavender and other essential oils.  So I knew she would appreciate a visit there.  She traveled with her one year old, and I think he enjoyed it too - lots of room to walk and explore!

This farm is not like the huge ones you see pictured in France or the Pacific Northwest with row after row of lavender.  Georgia does not have the ideal climate for lavender, but these folks have made it possible with a lot of hard work!  They have approximately 2.5 acres of lavender - about 60 rows that are 100 feet long.  They grow over 20 varieties of lavender on the farm.  It's really amazing, considering this plant should not grow here due to our humidity, clay, and other factors.

The family that owns the farm lives in the house attached to the gift shop. Not only do they harvest the lavender to sell, they distill the oil from plants to make pampering treats for you.  There are also culinary treats like Lavender Sugar, Lavender and Pink Himalayan Salt, and Herbs de Provence.  Those busy bees out by the lavender make the most delicious lavender honey.  You can get it fresh from the farm here!

I've purchased linen sprays, lavender-filled bookmarks, bunches of dried lavender, lavender soap, lavender honey, and a few other wonderful gifts there for myself or family/friends. The prices are great and the products are lovely.  Please check it out when you go!

Here it is, summertime again.  I'm ready for another relaxing trip to Red Oak.  I hope you will give them a visit, too!  There is a $5 fee for adults to visit during June, but now that it is July, entry is free!  From my home in NE Gwinnett, it was less than an hour drive to get there.

Check out this video I made on our visit last year!

And here are some of my favorite pictures from both visits...

D back in 2016.  He's grown up since then - now he is tall and skinny! 

Baby Lennox got his picture taken in this adorable butterfly chair last summer.

Sign from 2016 - they grow double that, now! 

Bee Hives!

Parking is in the front yard or along the driveway.  For special events, they offer parking at a neighbor's farm across the street.

Don't forget to visit the gift shop!

It smells so lovely, too - the scent of lavender is everywhere.

Here's what you need to know to plan your visit!

Red Oak Lavender Farm
2882 Red Oak Flats Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
Phone: 706-974-8230 during business hours
March 1 - December 15 ~ Wednesday - Friday 11 - 3  Saturday 10 - 4
Closed on July 3 & 4, 2019
Email: RedOakLavender@gmail.com