Thank you all for entering the junghwa by amy stewart $25 gift certificate giveaway!  I have let random.org pick a winner and the winning number is #52!

I’ll give you a hint… the winner of this giveaway said that her favorite item was the i love knots natural rope bracelet (such a lovely pick I might add)!

Congrats to jennifer from i art u and jennifer young photography!  When you place your order at junghwa with amy stewart, just let her know the “Message to Seller” that you are the winner of my giveaway and she’ll refund you $25 buckaroos~! I’ve also sent Amy an email to let her know!

Each month, Sandy a la Mode sponsors get featured in a monthly Group Sponsor Love post (this is the first one since I just started sponsorship this month)!  Each month, I will post a collection of my favorite items/photos/etc. from each of my lovely sponsors!  It’s a chance to show off some more goodness from all those buttons on my right side —>

And it’s another chance for me to give all of you, my readers, followers, friends, commenters, supporters, sponsors a big fat virtual *hug* and if I could shout THANK YOU at the top of my lungs into your computer, I totally would!    You all make my day!

So for this installment, I’ve separated my sponsors into categories so you can get a better idea of what type of business each of my sponsors is!

{Accessorize}

{junghwa by amy stewart} – known for her rope bracelets and drawstring bags, this shop is full of lovely goodness!  amy is a super stylish chica who has her first baby on her way!  her blog is darling and is a must follow!  and in case you missed it, there is a giveaway going on right now for $25 credit to her shop, ends this sunday!

{much love, illy} – ilene and i met over the summer in her former city, chicago!  we ate cheesecakes, exchanged presents and couldn’t stop jabbering.  oh, and we took pictures of course!  ilene is a stellar tweeter, blogger, and an amazing crafter!  do you see her poppy headbands!? they are blowing up the blog world just as they should.  and not to mention, we have a winter swap planned for november, and we’re hoping you will join in on the fun!!

{snnewt} - samantha is one of those girls who you’d definitely want as a friend!  she’d always have your back and support you all the way!  her covered buttons are so lovely, especially the fabrics she uses!  if you need to buy a present for the upcoming holiday season, you can get 10% off your order if you enter “Sandy a la Mode” at checkout through nov 3, so hurry!!

{allora handmade} – allora is one witty, smart, crafty, busy and hilarious lady!  she participates in the famous queen bee market and has a blog that is totally alloricious (if you don’t know what that means, head over to her blog to find out)!  You want to know what else is soo cool about her???  We have the same birthday… which happens to be next Monday!  Happy early birthday twin!!

{janie liu jewelry} – janie and i have been friends since 2002, yes, that’s 8 years!! we first met at summer camp in taiwan and have kept in touch via facebook ever since!  she lives in NY with her husband and puppy and will gladly take you out if you go visit the city!   she also runs a paper shop too which i’ll talk about later!

{in honor of design} - anna is mother of one (soon to be two) and is an absolute doll!  her blog is one of the prettiest i’ve seen, probably because she is a designer herself!  her shop has soo many goodies to satisfy any female, from young to old!  come back next week for her feature + giveaway!

{Decorate}

{rik rak} – love modern and sustainable patchwork lovelies?! then this is the shop for you!  kristal, the owner behind the shop and this blog (which happens to be full of inspirations and giveaway) is a super nicey and so talented too!  these stockings are one of my favorite items from her shop, it’s obviously perfect for christmas but the design is so modern looking too!  i could totally see this hanging up over your fireplace, yea?!

{Capture}

{bllew photography} – you saw my boudoir session with lily earlier this week (here’s another pic from my session too) and there’s a $200 shop credit giveaway going on right now too, i’m not sure if they could be more generous!! i know first hand that lily is a wonderful photographer and although i haven’t worked with benson, i just have a feeling that the two of them are a great team to shoot portraits, weddings, whatever!

{anna wu photo} – i’m not sure if words could describe how grateful i am to anna for letting me second shoot a wedding with her this past weekend!  i truly learned a lot about what it takes to be a wedding photographer, and it is not easy!  not to mention, i guess they hardly ever eat on event days!    her photography is truly amazing and she even surprised the bride/groom with a same day slide show at the reception, so sweet!!

{Indulge}

{sweet lydias} – ummmm… need i say more!?! sweet lydias is a MA based smores shop but really she can ship them anywhere!  a few months back i won a giveaway for a box of smores and ohhh boy were they delicious!  they make great wedding favors, party treats, or just a daily dessert!!   yum, i could go for one right about now!!

{Print}

{studio MME} – have you seen a more elaborate pen and ink drawing in your life!? i sure haven’t!! megan is an illustrator and writer of children’s stories (ok how cool is that??) and her shop is full of series of magical prints! her blog posts are also very fabulously written!

{chicgeek designs} – lori and i must be twins separated at birth! we both LOVE to travel and taking photos too! she sells lots of fabulous prints from her travels and certain ones have quotes on them too!  she has a super fun blog too, go check it out!

{Blog}

{a spoonful of love} – shawni is fashionable, sweet, pretty, crafty, and knows how to cook (well)! what more could you ask for? and it’s all portrayed right on her fabulous blog! even better, she is starting an etsy shop soooooon, woohoo!! yay for more handmade shops! ok, go check out her cuteness!

{Design}

{sooki designs} – sooki has been a follower of my blog from the very beginning! she has been a constant supporter and has even won a few giveaways from me too! she’s the lovely lady who made my business cards (from overnight prints that i just received and i love) and she makes package designs, catalogs, and brochures for big companies too, so cool! and might i add that she takes some fabulous DSLR photos, usually of her adorable daughter mia, and posts them here.

{Write}

{grace hester designs} – grace designs paper goods for the modern family! her stuff is perfect for baby showers, kids, and adults alike! one of my favorite new items of hers are these notecards with a FABRIC HOLDER, did you see that!? it comes with a fabulous holder, so cool!  recently her calendars were featured on decor8, see more of her daily happenings here.

{moonbeamwishes} – ms. megan makes these super unique and adorable cards that are made with love, a pinch of magic, and a dash of hope! she is constantly coming out with new whimsical designs too! not to mention, she has a super cute blog and leaves the sweetest comments!  i’m so honored that she sent me a beautiful birthday package full of goodies for my birthday coming up on monday too!

{we heart paper} – remember janie liu jewelry up top? well here is the other shop that janie runs! how fabulous is it that she runs two shops! she’s constantly kept busy with custom wedding orders too but that’s not a bad thing! she is the master blogger behind janie hearts too, so go check it out!

{blushing pearl} – marsinah (love that name) truly has a beautiful shop full of pretty letterpressed paper goods! her designs are just impeccably detailed and perfect! she recently just released a holiday line as well and if you are looking for a more modern, non traditional birthday card or tag, her cards are totally the way to go! you can also learn more about her on her blog!

{Personalize}

{eclectic whatnot} – are you a DSLR camera owner? yes? then of course you need a strap cover to go with it so you can tell your camera apart from your next door neighbor’s! well look no more, ruthanne’s straps are shabby, chic and just plain fun! the lemon drop is my FAVE, the color combo and the ruffles and the polka dots, ahhh perfection! don’t forget to stop by her blog to check out her home ec projects!

***

Wow, that’s quite the rundown of sponsors! They make my right side soooo pretty and I love it!! Please take the time to send some love their way, they all totally deserve it because they are so so talented, don’t ya think!? If you are interested in sponsoring my blog, please feel free to email me at sandyalamode@gmail.com for details, rates, statistics, etc.!

I’m so excited to be celebrating my birthday tonight (actual b-day is on November 1) with friends, pizza, artisan ice cream, a few drinks and fun!  And on Monday, don’t forget to come back here for a ONE DAY BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY CELEBRATION filled with lots of goodies!

Hope you have a HAPPY, SPOOKY HALLOWEEN and get lots of candy!

So I’m quite behind on uploading photos and posting them to my little bloggity blog here… but I wanted to share these with you before Halloween!   As you know, this past weekend I went to LA for a wedding (pictures later), but not only that, I got to hang out with my family too!  My little nephew, Evan, reaches new milestones every time I see him (it’s usually a few months in between).  He can finally say my name “Goo Goo”, which means Aunt in Chinese.  It’s a little easier than saying Sandy since repetition is easier.  He says “Hi”, “Bye”, “I Wuv U’ and can kiss you on the cheek too, LOVE!  I soooo wish we lived closer so I could see him every day, but unfortunately that is not the case.    Here ‘s some of my favorite photos we took of him this past weekend… and no doubt I’ll be posting tons more later!

Hello little pumpkin!

Can you spot my nephew amongst all these pumpkins? 

Bella and Evan – best friends for life!

My wonderful family! <3

I’ll be back later with a Group Sponsor Love post so make sure to check back!  And also, on Monday, I will have a FABULOUS ONE DAY BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY in celebration of my birthday, can’t wait!!

What are your plans for the weekend??? Are you going to go trick or treating? If you said yes, I hope you are going with a child b/c you might be a little too old for it.    Are you staying at home and passing out candy?  What are you dressing up as?  Anything fun?

Hi friends!!  I just wanted to interrupt your regular blog programming to make a few announcements!  I have recently been deemed the Giveaway Queen by a few sources, I’m flattered to have this title and just want to let you know that there will be at least one giveaway (maybe two) a week from now until Christmas!  But I also have tons of other posts full of recipes, baby pictures, wedding pictures, inspirations planned as well, so don’t you worry, I’m not turning into a giveaway blog, I just love free stuff and even more, I love sharing it with you all while helping to promote HANDMADE/BUSINESS OWNERS!

With that being said…  don’t forget to enter the $25 shop credit to junghwa by amy stewart giveaway and the $200 credit to a photography session by San Francisco based Bllew Photography giveaway!  And next week, I’ll have a fabulous GIVEAWAY TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY on Monday, can’t wait!!

Next up, if you have been following my twitter, you will know that yesterday I mentioned that Much Love, Illy and I have something BIG planned for you all!  While this is not quite the BIG REVEAL yet, here’s just a sneak peek at the fun swap we’re working on…

The details will be announced next Thursday, November 4, so make sure to check back!!

***

And finally, it’s about time for another recipe don’t ya think?  Like that super LARGE pic haha?  This one I made for my coworkers and let me tell you, people came back for seconds and thirds and they were gone pretty quickly!  So I pretty much knew I wanted to make something with pumpkin (b/c it is pumpkin season after all and this post has me craving it) and I had an abundance of white chocolate chips in the house that my husband told me to use up, so put the two together… and you have a delectable cookie!  I searched my trusty recipe sites and found a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe on Food Network, only changes being that I used White Chocolate Chips instead of regular Chocolate Chips, I doubled the pumpkin, and doubled the spices~!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies (adapted by me)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups (12-ounce bag) white chocolate chips
• Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper. Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Did you notice how I called them Cake Cookies?? Well I think doubling the pumpkin does make it more cake like, but it’s definitely a good thing!!  I think you shall give these a try if you’ve been craving something pumpkin lately!

What pumpkin desserts are you making??

{website} {blog} {facebook} {boudoir}

Thank you all sooo much for the sweet comments on my Boudoir by Lily session!  They really made my day!  And today, I am back to make one of your days!!!    I’d like to officially introduce you to my sponsor, Bllew Photography (which Boudoir by Lily is a subset of).  Bllew Photography is a husband and wife photography team based in san francisco, CA but they can travel anywhere.  They shoot anything from wedding photography, engagement session, anniversary session, family portrait photography, head-shots, to now boudoir photography services! Their photographic style is very modern, sweet, and fun!  I can give a first-hand testimonial to say that they are very laid back, easy going, professional, and fun!

Here are some of my favorite photos from their blog:

Such a sweet and fun session!

Stunning!

Yes, they provide Fotobar Fun too!

That chandelier is AMAZING, don’t ya think?

{MEET THE ARTIST}

1) How did Bllew Photography begin?

For wedding or for leisure? If for weddings, we are located in the Bay Area so all the places here are just cool in general. For leisure, the coolest place we traveled to together so far would be Bangkok, Thailand. It’s a beautiful city with a lot of intricate handcrafted art and welcoming culture.

{GIVEAWAY}

Are you ready for this?  Bllew Photography is giving away $200 credit towards any photography session of your choice! Portrait session, wedding, anniversary shoot, boudoir session, it’s totally your choice!  Session must be in San Francisco and you have one year to redeem it!  Even if you don’t live in the San Francisco area, if you think you might be taking a vacation there in the next year, you should totally enter!!(Want to know what else is cool?? This is my 200th blog post, woohoo!! How perfect that the giveaway is for $200 haha!)

And just for a frame of reference 1.5 hour portrait sessions start at $300, 2 hour boudoir sessions start at $400, and weddings start at $2500.

To enter:

1. (Mandatory) Leave a comment on this blog post with your answer to this question, “What one accessory can you not live without?”

AND

Leave a comment on any bllew or boudoir by lily blog post.

For additional entries:
2. Like Bllew Photography on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall and then come back here and let me know you did so!
3. Spread the word via twitter (make sure to follow and use @bllew and @sandyalamode in your tweet)

Feel free to use this tweet:
Win $200 credit towards a photography session by San Francisco based @bllew photography on @sandyalamode http://bit.ly/bN8Fdl

This giveaway closes on Wednesday, November 3 at 9PM CST.  Winner will be announced shortly after.