Thanks to everyone who entered our very first QStyle raffle. Our prize was $150 worth of merchandise generously donated by Chico’s. And the winner is (drumroll)…LUCY LEE from Hamilton, Texas.

I do not know Lucy personally, but when I emailed to give her the news, her cute response was, “Hot diggity!” After that, I instantly loved her. Here’s a photo Lucy had taken after she received her prize. What a cool lady. (And don’t you just want to own that kitchen?)

Here’s Lucy’s message to us:

“Love what you and Janna help us be–confident women.”

Thank you, thank you, everyone for your valuable comments and feedback. We will definitely have more giveaways. I certainly think it is as much fun for us as it is for you.

F.A.S.T.

Have you seen this billboard while driving on the street or highway?

If you have, chances are you were as perplexed as I was. The acronym for F.A.S.T. is not explained.

So I went to our local hospital to learn more and found this:

F.A.S.T. stands for:

• FACE – Look for uneven smile. (Ask the person to smile. Is one side of the face droopy or numb?)
• ARM – Check if one arm is weak. (Have the person raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?)
• SPEECH – Listen for slurred speech. (Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence such as: “The sky is blue.”)
• TIME – Time to call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room. (Even if the signs go away. And take note of the time the first symptoms occurred.)

If you experience even one of these signs, you could be having a stroke. Call 9-1-1 immediately. A friend’s mother noticed slurred, incomprehensible speech (with no other symptoms) and was rushed to the ER. She was having a stroke. Remembering F.A.S.T. can help you or someone you know. Go to Strokeassociation.org for more information.

Cheating with Flowers

Ever since my interview with  Janet Coon of Shabbyfufu.com, I’ve been using her simple flower trick to help stretch my floral budget and  create more arrangements–even though I’m  buying the same amount of flowers. How? By using single blooms and placing them in small vessels instead of putting all my flowers in one larger container.

Here’s how I bought just a few flowers and created two sizable arrangements:

I cut flowers into individual stems and placed one or two in each container. You can use mason jars or soda, wine, or liqueur bottles. (How about personalizing decorations at a party using the guest of honor’s favorite beverage bottle? Perhaps Dr. Pepper or Corona?)

I had some flowers left, but not really enough for a full arrangement. So I added some realistic-looking silk flowers to help fill in. Can you tell which are the real ones and which are the silks?

Using these tricks, you can totally increase your flower power.

Here are more photos from Janet at Shabbyfufu.com.

Cheers to Wednesdays!