eShakti Review by Mrs. Couch & $15 gc Giveaway! CLOSED

WINNER! Congratulations to Susan of A Day in the Life!

Oh, eShakti, how I love thee!

eShakti sent me this sweet little black dress to review

I love it!

I felt like singing, "I feel pretty!" all day long.

eShakti is a fantastic online shopping site to work with

they pay close attention to what the customer wants

even welcoming custom orders

I admit, I opted for the easy order of size 12 please

great service.  great product.  great price

eShakti is so great, they are giving a $15 gift card to one lucky Brown Couch Events reader!

Head on over to eShakti, browse around, then come back here and tell us your favorite item.
Hey, be sure to check out their accessories, too!

Like what you see?
Become a fan of eShakti on Facebook
Follow eShakti on Twitter

Open to USA Only!
Ends May 12th

BCE {hearts} UMI shoes! - Review by Courtney of Simple Saving Secrets

UMI Shoes sent me their Bo Peep in pink plaid flower to review.

I fell in love with the looks of these shoes as soon as I opened the box!





They are so cute and not too bright of pink to mismatch my daughter's outfits.

UMI also delivers on comfort. The outside of the shoes are very soft and flexible. The inside of the shoe is just as comfortable and easy to get her foot into.




I really like that the strap goes around a metal loop and then attaches to velcro making it more secure on her foot and harder for her to get them off. She wore them all day for two days straight and never complained. We usually have a very hard time getting her to keep her shoes on, but she never tried to take these off. She would even put her little foot out to show them off when someone would ask her about her new shoes. We are very happy with them and would recommend them to friends.

 Review by Courtney

Simple Saving Secrets

Carolina Pad for Tax Time Giveaway - Review by Courtney of Simple Savings Secrets

Contest Closed! Winner contacted and will be announced soon!

I am definitely an organizer,  but my husband is not.

We have had many discussions about him putting a receipt in the wrong place.



So when I received this wonderful pack of organizational tools from Carolina Pad, I was very excited to get all of my past and current tax papers organized.








My current filing was not working with the limited folders and random categories. I used the big 26-pocket folder to put all my past tax year papers in the same place. I added some of the folders and labeled them according to type of tax paper (donations, retirement, medical, etc.) so I can put the current year receipts in there, too. I used the clips to keep W-2s separated inside the folders.








My only complaint is that even though it came with multiple tabs for the folders, they were only months and the alphabet, but I needed years. I would have liked to see them add in yearly tabs as well. But that was a very small inconvenience and I simply wrote the years on the extra tabs. Now all of my tax papers are in one place and easily accessible. Plus, I love how cute everything is! No boring plain colors, but bright and girly designs. It made it all a little more fun.

Review by Courtney

Simple Savings Secrets

Win a set from Carolina Pad of your own for Tax Season!

Carolina Pad and Brown Couch Events wants to know how you would use the Hot Chocolate set to stay organized for the Tax Man!  Tell us in a comment below.

This giveaway open to USA & Canada!

Ends midnight March 15th, Eastern Standard Time


Discount!  Use code:  Tax_Relief to receive 10% off any online order!

Click the e3 to learn how to earn extra entries!

eShakti Contest - Who is the eShakti Woman?

In 25 words or less, describe the eShakti Woman.  And, mention 3 items on the eShakti site that best represent you!  Answer these two questions and win up to $250!  One first prize of $250.  25 prizes of $50.  Every entrant receives a $10 eShakti gift certificate!  No purchase necessary.

Please note:  eShakti will chose the winners, not Brown Couch Events. 

Contest ends midnight Pacific Time, March 31, 2010

Important:  click the photo on the right, it will take you to the contest entry form.  On the form it will ask if you came through a blogger.   Here is the information you need:

Blogger's Name:  Deborah Brine
Blogger's page URL: http://browncouchevents.blogspot.com/2010/03/eshakti-contest-who-is-eshakti-woman.html

All the Best!  Have fun!  Let us know if you win!

Periphery Designs' A Little Piece of My Heart Necklace Review by Mommie Daze

I received the A Little Piece of My Heart Necklace from Periphery Designs in silver.

It's so pretty, and delicate. The the sweet little 1/2 inch heart is hand-forged which gives it a unique look. It's just one of those things that makes you feel good when you put it on.

It arrived ready to present as a gift packaged in a box tied with a lovely ribbon.

This is certainly a great romantic gift for Valentine's Day.

But I think would also make a nice gift for your daughter, BFF, or anyone who is extra-special and you want to say, "I love you," too.

Review by Colleen of Mommie Daze

WIN IT! Play Valentine's Blog Party Game -Leading Men Match-Up for your chance to win A Piece of My Heart necklace. USA Only.  Ends February 14th. Click here to play to win.

Scandle Candle Review by Courtney

Today my house has a wonderful aroma flowing through it that can only be described as fruit in the air. It is the Scandle Body Massage Candle in Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. After burning for approximately an hour and a half, the wax was completely melted and I was ready to try using the oil as a hand treatment. I must admit that the thought of pouring hot liquid into my hand went against everything I had been taught as a child ("Don't touch - it's hot!"). But I was very surprised to find that it was not too hot to hurt in any way and yet warm enough to feel the moisturizer immediately working. I covered both hands completely and continued to rub it all in for at least 2 minutes. I used a little too much for just my hands and had to rub some of it off. It was very soothing and my hands still feel soft even after being washed later. My only disappointment was the strong smell of the candle. It was a little too overwhelming once I had it on me. It wasn't bad being just in the air because it flowed throughout the house. But once I had it on my hands and it stayed with me everywhere I went, I quickly realized just how strong it was. However, for a soothing and relaxing at home spa treatment, I truly enjoyed this candle. Even better, it's good for my skin and the environment!

Thanks for this opportunity to review the Scandle Candle! I had fun with it!

Reviewed by
Courtney of Simple Saving Secrets

WIN IT! Play Valentine's Blog Party Game - Serenade with Kisses to win a Siamese Slanket of your own. Open USA Only! Ends February 14th. Click here to play to win.

A quick note about the redesign...

Apple releases the iPad, we release BCE 2.0...but at least we're not the subject of period jokes.

I (Mr Couch) promised myself I would get this thing out, and lo and behold I did! Sort of.

It's been a long time coming, but finally the blog redesign is here. In all its new, shiny and things-aren't-quite-completely-working-so-please-be-patient-y'all troubled state.

We're working hard on making this a thing that really works, and looks good, and is functional, and we're getting there. And holding an event at the same time. And one of our two computers has packed up and disappeared (see my earlier rants here and here. And never buy an HP) but we're ploughing through.

I also want to point your attention to the sidebar to the right. It's essentially going to be used to update you to whatever is happening with the blog that doesn't require a full post. Kind of, tweet-length updates. You'll see them happen periodically as I make changes to the blog and want to let you know, especially if it affects you, our wonderful visitors.

Please as always, feel free to let us know what you think about our new design or anything else connected with BCE - we love hearing from you!

Lovopoly Game Reviewed by Mommie Daze

Lovopoly is a board game for couples that you customize just for you.

I placed the order on their site, and it was really simple to do. First, you have to enter 22 of your favorite places. These can be any places that are special to you as a couple. I chose places that we've visited together on vacation. These 22 places become the spaces on the board. Then you upload your own photos for the game pieces, as well as some other photos that go on board. That's all there is to it. Lovopoly does the rest.

According to Lovopoly's site that game helps couples share memories, and think about who they are and where they want to go. This certainly is a unique idea. I don't think I've seen a customizable game like this before.

You're sure to surprise your special someone if you give them this for Valentine's Day. I'm excited to receive our game. It should be here any day now. And there's still time for you to order. According to their site you can order as late at February 9th, and still receive your game in time for Valentine's Day.

Reviewed by our Michigan Mommy Reviewer

Colleen of Mommie Daze

WIN IT! Play Valentine's Blog Party Game - Pop The Question! for your chance to win a Lovopoly Game of your own. Open USA Only! Ends February 14th. Click here to play to win.