I admit I have been a little remiss in my blogging of late but I have a good reason for doing so. I was hunting BARGAINS!!!

hehehee
(insert maniacal laughter here)
(rub hands with glee)

I found what I consider to be possibly the best cookware you can use. A big call? Perhaps. I have been using a Baccarat 8Lt stockpot for just over a year now and the results have been phenomenal. Imagine using a pot that distributes heat evenly throughout the pot due to an impact moulded stainless steel + copper base. You don't have to stir every 2 seconds because the pot somehow doesn't seem to cook on (burn). Don't ask me how, it could be the stainless steel factor, could be the quality and thickness of the base, I just don't know. Whatever the reason, it makes for a much more pleasant cooking experience. You can cook almost eight litres of pasta sauce, curry, whatever you fancy, and freeze a whole bunch of containers for those nights you can't be bothered cooking. Which for me can be quite a few nights.

So here it is, my newest acquisition:




















Baccarat Pinnacle 5.4Lt Stock Pot $34.95 from OO.com.au
The normal retail price is approximately $80.00, which is a pretty big saving!!

This size pot is better for reducing sauces in a quicker period of time. The 8Lt pot can take a long time to reduce so the 5.4Lt is the ideal choice for making sauces and casseroles.

I have already christened the pot with garlic, olive oil and onions, which became a pasta sauce that is out of this world (I followed my partner's secret recipe!)

In fact it's making me hungry...

It is about lunch time here...

er...signing off!

technorati tags: baccarat pinnacle cookware

OMG. I am totally blown away.

I received the rest of my prize from the competition mentioned in an earlier post. I really can't say enough nice things about E.L.F. Cosmetics (Eyes, Lips, Face) - they are a real find. Because they forgot to send three of my items, they generously threw in the following bonuses:


Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in "Strawberry Creme" - vitamins A & E with shea butter.









Hypershine Gloss in "Joy" - super shiny reflective gloss that stays on for ages.








Plus, (this is the best one!) an e.l.f. cosmetics bag, similar to the one pictured:














Plus my original prizes came through and I have tested each of them:

Natural Radiance Blusher in "Shy" - this is a beautiful shade, goes on smoothly and isn't too overbearing, just a nice hint of healthy colour.














Plumping Lip Glaze in "Plum Pout" - this is my favourite one, you apply the clear glaze first, then apply the colour on top. The thing that annoys me most about plumping lip glosses is that most of them taste like battery acid. This lip glaze smells subtly of strawberries and is very pleasant to apply. Stays on for ages and does just what it says.








Brightening Eye Colour in "Silver Lining" - I have generally found eyeshadow to be a difficult area - the texture can be cakey or the colour just not right, or they can get all gluggy and weigh down your eyelids!.

This one however, gets it just right - the colours are perfect and the consistency is light and smooth and it's easy to forget you are wearing it.












I have noticed they have a 30% off sale going at the moment and if you sign up you get a chance to win $100 worth of e.l.f. cosmetics.

They did an excellent job of looking after me so it's the least I can do to give them a bit of a plug!

technorati tags: free cosmetics

The following post is brought to you by Overstock Art...



















Are you familiar with this picture? It's hard not to recognise Gustav Klimt's distinctive style of painting. Klimt was born the son of a gold and silver engraver in Vienna, which influenced his use of gold and silver in his paintings. It is also hard to ignore a painting that has graced many a lounge room, doctor's waiting room and office. I think I even used to own a poster version of this very picture. It is not very likely that you will be buying the original artwork, unless you are sitting on a lazy million or so. Klimt reproductions are highly sought after today, however you can get hand painted oil reproductions of Klimt Paintings to hang on your own wall, which can be a lot more elegant than a poster. You can also select various canvas sizes and it is possible to order framing as well. There is a nifty feature on the site that allows you to select from a variety of frames and visually preview the painting inside the frame itself.

How exciting! Last month sometime I left a comment on The Bargain Queen's blog and recently found out I won a whole bunch of cosmetics from E.L.F. Tee hee!! Many thanks to the
Bargain Queen for running the contest.



































So far I have received this nifty professional eye widener (the white eyeliner that makes your eyes stand out!), eyeliner in black and a blushing and bronzing brush.

I have tried out the two eye pencils and I was very impressed. Easy to use, good consistency and above all, they looks great on. I will try the brush and review the other products when they arrive.

I am waiting on a delivery of three more items that should be arriving tomorrow or the next day:






































Plumping lip glaze in plum pout, natural radiance blusher in "Shy" and "Silver Lining" Brightening Eye Colour.

I am also very impressed with E.L.F.'s customer service. I called yesterday to say that only 3 out of the 6 items had arrived and they called back by the end of the day, organised to send the rest of the items, then decided to throw in some more cosmetics for my trouble. So in a way I won again! :-)

technorati tags: cosmetics contest

I'm going to be honest here, termites really creep me out. In fact most tiny, multiple-legged creatures give me the willies. I have seen what termites can do to a weatherboard house and anyone who owns a piano strikes a chord of terror when termites are mentioned. If you want to deal with termites or get a termite inspection organised, you can check out this online guide to how to combat the little nasties.


This post was brought to you by Termites Guide.