Buh-bye, pasty winter legs. Hello, just-off-the-beach beauty!

Win a FREE organic spray tan for you AND a friend at YOUR house with The Pure Tan, an innovative mobile spray tan company that uses the highest quality, most natural tanning products in the industry. No Sesame Street orange here, ladies.

To win:

1. Simply visit www.thepuretan.com. Click “services” and read about the events that would be perfect for The Pure Tan.

2. Then just comment below, telling us what upcoming event in your life needs a little prepping from The Pure Tan!

A winner will be selected randomly by April 1, 2010, notified via e-mail, and announced on www.blackdressredwagon.com.

The Pure Tan uses only earth friendly, skin-loving ingredients (no formaldehyde, parabens or alcohol) that will leave you looking like you just strolled off the sand. Now, that’s a great way to get ready for spring!

Don’t worry, with warm weather on the way, you’re golden with The Pure Tan!  Right now, receive $10 off a spray tan for you and a friend.  The pure tan is an elite mobile airbrush tanning service that uses the best natural and organic product in the industry.  Call Stephanie Davis at (678) 234-5554 or visit http://thepuretan.com for more information and to learn about the benefits of hosting your own tanning party!

Coupon must be presented at time of service. May not be combined with any other offers.

Hooray, it’s time to reward one deserving mom by making her a celebrity for a day! We’re going to wine her, dine her, pamper her, photograph her and feature her on the spring covers of Little Black Dress/Little Red Wagon Magazine. But, first, she has to WIN!

To VOTE for your favorites:

• Simply scroll down and check the picture(s) you like. (You can choose more than one, and you can click a pic to enlarge it.)
• Then click “Vote.”
• Come back and vote often now through March 20. You can vote as many times as you like. (It’s like American Idol. Only better.)

A winner (mommy + children) will be announced on March 21.  The winning cover mom will receive:

• A photo shoot with Little Black Dress/Little Red Wagon photographer extraordinaire Summer Adams. Photos from that shoot will appear on the spring covers of LBD/LRW!
• A signature, customizable spa package (including childcare!) at The Spa at Governors Towne Club ($235 value)
• A $100 gift certificate to Mojave Southwestern Grill and Margarita Bar
• A haircut, color and design from Avanti Color Salon

So, let the voting begin!

For official contest rules and guidelines, click here.

Sponsored by:

The Grub:

Gabriel’s Restaurant and Bakery, renowned for its mouth-watering desserts and daily helpings of fresh veggies, announces its expanded new dinner menu, new hours and a new chef.

Chef Brian Charles has joined the culinary team at Gabriel’s Restaurant. Brian, along with owner and cookbook author Johnnie Gabriel, has developed an expanded dinner menu that debuts this week. Rotating dinner specials will include Shrimp and Grits, Chipotle Maple Barbeque Beef Brisket, Fried Tilapia Over Cheese Grits and Fried Chicken. Gabriel’s will also offer such favorites as meatloaf, roasted chicken, and country fried steak and salmon cakes nightly.

Brian graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta’s Culinary Program and gained popularity during his time as a chef at Marietta Country Club and Pinetree Country Club. His followers will be pleased to know his culinary creations can now be found at Gabriel’s.

“Our goal is to provide a warm, friendly restaurant where you can bring your entire family for delicious, southern comfort-food at a good price,” says owner Johnnie Gabriel.

Gabriel’s will now serve dinner Tuesday – Saturday nights until 9 pm. To celebrate the new menu, kids 10 and under will eat free with each paying adult on Friday and Saturday nights through March 27th.

Johnnie Gabriel, along with her husband, Ed, opened Gabriel’s in 1996. They started with a small bakery which has since tripled in size and evolved into a full-service restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts six days a week.

Gabriel’s reputation for mouth-watering desserts and homemade southern cuisine has been recognized with numerous awards in Atlanta Magazine’s Best of Atlanta editions along with publication of recipes in national magazines such as Cooking with Paula. Johnnie has cooked with Paula Deen, America’s beloved chef and Johnnie’s cousin, on Paula’s Best Dishes and Paula’s Party. Johnnie’s cookbook, Cooking in the South with Johnnie Gabriel, is in its second printing, and Johnnie just announced that her second cookbook, Second Helpings, would be available in the fall.

The Guide:

Gabriel’s Restaurant and Bakery, located at 800 Whitlock Avenue in Marietta, is open Mondays from 7 am – 6:30 pm and Tuesdays – Saturdays from 7 am – 9 pm. They can be reached at 770-427-9007 or found online at www.gabrielsdesserts.com.

by Wendy @ The Shabby Nest

Welcome to Week 1 of So You Think You Can Decorate! I’m so excited to be a part of this amazing competition!

This week’s challenge is accessories. It’s amazing what accessories can do for a room. Case in point, my little boys’ room.

Because we are currently living in a rental home, we aren’t able to paint. When I put my boys’ beds in their room, it was just blah! Can you say, “BORING BEIGE”? I knew that accessories were going to play a major role in bringing some interest to the space.

But I needed inspiration. I have a collection of vintage sock monkeys that I inherited from my mother, and I knew that I wanted to use them in my little boys’ room. So I chose a sock monkey as my inspiration accessory. I decided to use the colors found in the monkey as the color scheme for the room: chocolate brown, tan, and white with touches of red for an accent. In the photo below, you can see how I brought these colors into the room with the fabrics I used on the accent pillows.

Here’s a pillow hint: King size pillows work well on twin size beds…They are the same width as the bed, so they are very substantial looking. (Compare the before picture above with the after pictures to get a real feel for what I mean.)

Then, in order to visually seperate the headboards from the wall (since both are essentially the same color) I decided to do two things.

First, I extended the curtain panels behind the headboards. I made the curtains using a tan and white ticking fabric that was both boyish and created visual texture. They were so simple to make. I had to sew two lengths of fabric together to create the width I wanted, but then, since I wasn’t sewing a curtain rod pocket, all I did was hem the edges all the way around. And since I wasn’t using them for light control, I didn’t need to line them. Straight line sewing. Simple.

The second thing I did to create the visual separation was that I added a row of brown nailhead trim along the top of the headboard. This allowed me to create a sort of border between the headboards and the curtains behind, and to bring in more of the chocolate brown color.

And if you’d like to know how I made the headboards, I talk about it here.

In the photos below you can see that I chose to make the curtains stationary by suspending them from curtain rings and more brown nailheads. A circle motif is repeated in the rings, the nailhead trim on the headboard, and then in the accent pillows on the bed with a stitched circle pattern in the large brown pillow, and polkadots on the smaller budoir pillow.

I also added a personalized piece of art from one of my favorite online shops, Sarah and Abraham, above each of the boy’s beds (the art features a silhouette with each boy’s name). I made the art appear to be hanging from the curtain rings above by attaching a chocolate brown ribbon to the back and clipping it to the center ring above.

The dresser in the room is an heirloom piece that we inherited from the hubby’s grandmother, so I wanted to take extra care how I accessorized it. I added another sock monkey, as well as a vintage shoe stay and a barn star tied to a lamp with red checked ribbon. I added an additional punch of red with the cute “giggle” sign, and finished off the grouping with a vintage-look world globe.

As I mentioned before, the room is shared by my two youngest boys (aka the toddler demolition team). I decided to accessorize each of the beds in the same way to create a sense of symmetry and add to the visual appeal of the space. But to add individuality, each of the beds has a monogram, and of course, the art above each bed is personalized as I mentioned previously.
Now here’s a little bit of information that you probably won’t care about at all, but which I think is very clever. Mr. Three’s bed originally belonged to my oldest son. Now, the monograms (which are made from white felt) on the bed are attached with fabritac which is not nearly as easy to remove as hot glue. So, you may ask, how did I change the monogram? Luckily Mr. One’s monogram is BHE and Mr. Three’s is BHL…so I very carefully cut off the two horizontal lines at the top of the “E” to create an “L”. Pretty quick thinkin’ huh?

Overall, a great start to this room!! Can’t wait to finish accessorizing the other three walls.

Shopping Resources:

Brown polka dot fabric on budoir pillow: Brown Dottie by Moda

Stripe fabric on accent pillow: Wanna be a Cowboy by Samantha Walker for Riley Blake

Brown circle and square accent pillow: Walmart

King size pillow case: Better Homes and Gardens for Walmart

Osnaberg fabric on headboards: JoAnn’s

Tan and white ticking fabric: Walmart (believe it or not, I scoured the internet to find this fabric to no avail, then happened upon it at my local Walmart for only $4/yd. Serendipitous, no?)

Personalized Silhouette prints: Sarah and Abraham

Hope you enjoyed this little project as much as I did.

Wendy is the author of the popular decorator’s blog, The Shabby Nest. Decorating is her passion, and her family is her inspiration. Her goal is to create a warm, welcoming environment without breaking the bank. And she loves to share her ideas with you.

(Content and photographs are copyright of The Shabby Nest.)

Girl, you’ll be lookin’ fine this spring break with a fabulous new Vera Bradley tote from PerryWinkle’s Gifts.

Here’s how to win:

1. We love, love Vera’s four adorable new spring patterns! Check them out: www.perrywinklesgifts.com/main/category/events-and-news
2. Which is your fave? Simply leave a comment below, letting us know which one YOU’D like to take on spring break!

One lucky winner will be randomly chosen on April 1, 2010, announced on blackdressredwagon.com, and notified via e-mail.

And if you aren’t the lucky duck who wins, you should just take your little ol’ self to PerryWinkle’s in Marietta to check out one of the largest selections of Vera Bradley in all of Georgia. So many options…so little time ’til spring break!

PerryWinkle’s Gifts . 3718 Dallas Highway, across from The Avenue at West Cobb . Marietta, GA . 30064 . 770-795-0075 . info@perrywinklesgifts.com

The Gig:

Button nose. Dimpled chin. Whispy curls. All captured forever in a precious silhouette. Now, can you think of a better Mother’s Day gift for grandma (not to mention yourself)? Neither could we!

The Guide:

Who? Taught by his grandfather–world-famous silhouette artist Carew Rice–Clay Rice has been carrying on the family tradition for more than 30 years, traveling extensively throughout the United States and cutting nearly 15,000 children’s silhouettes from live sittings each year. He also works in metal, and his signature pieces are large silhouette scenes sought by collectors worldwide; some are on permanent display at the South Carolina State Museum.

When? Saturday, March 27, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Where? PerryWinkle’s in West Cobb at 3718 Dallas Highway, Marietta, Georgia.

How much? Cost is $40 for two copies of one silhouette with additional copies available for $10 each.

Make your appointment: Appointments are required and reservations can be made by calling 770-795-0075.

PerryWinkle’s has the area’s largest selection of Vera Bradley and carries some of the finest gift lines in the industry including Vietri, Emily Ray, Trollbeads, Trapp, The Thymes, Crabtree & Evelyn and Archipelago. PerryWinkle’s is open Monday – Friday 10 – 7 and on Saturday 10 – 6. The phone number is 770-795-0075 and the website is www.perrywinklesgifts.com.

Enter to win a custom cake from Gabriel’s Desserts in Marietta!

Atlanta Journal-Constitution readers just voted Gabriel’s one of their favorite places for birthday cakes. And if you’ve ever tasted a dessert from Gabriel’s, you know why! Now one lucky winner will enjoy a delicious custom-designed cake for their next special event or birthday party.

To enter:

1. Visit www.gabrielsdesserts.com and browse Gabriel’s fabulous dessert selections.
2. Then, in the comments below, just post the dessert you think sounds yummiest.
3. The winner of the custom cake will be selected randomly and announced on blackdressredwagon.com (and via e-mail) on March 19, 2010.

The cake giveaway must be redeemed by December 31, 2010. Maximum value: $75

Tell me if this scenario has ever played itself out in your house:

You wake up from a decent night’s sleep. You and your little darlings head downstairs to read classic literature (watch an obscene amount of cartoons) and have a healthy, organic breakfast (out of a box).

However, when you pop open the pantry, you notice that the box of Apple Jacks (Apple Dapples if you are frugal) are all gone. First you look harder… maybe they just ended up behind something else. So you start pulling everything out–off the shelf–in hopes of finding that lime green box. Only it is not turning up!!!!

Meanwhile, Child senses your emotional crisis and starts asking for his breakfast. Mommyyy, I am STARVING!!! Can I PLEEEASE have my cereal?? Pleeeeease!!!

The pseudo polite and pseudo whiny request turns into a full on tantrum. (Insert lots of crying, lots of whining, lots of negotiations, lots of pleading, begging, desperation, etc.) It is not pretty and you are not proud. But in all fairness, you get pretty miffed when SOMEONE drinks the last cup of coffee before you have had enough, so you understand your child’s frustration a little bit.

Eventually Child is placated with a bowl of Rice Crispies (Rice Poofs if you are frugal) and order is somewhat restored to the house. Then Daddy comes downstairs. He pops open the pantry and grabs the box of Rice Crispies. And then he says, “Oh yeah, I ate the last of the Apple Jacks last night. Can you pick up some more at the store?”

Boo. Hiss. Glaring evil eye looks. Mental death threats.

Inside your head (and possibly out loud) you scream “HOW COULD YOU?! You know the Apple Jacks are for Child! I wanted Apple Jacks, too, but instead I had oatmeal. Plain. Do you know what I just went through??? (No, you were sleeping.) Why would you eat the last of the Apple Jacks? Why?!! Okay, so you live here and have just as many rights as Child. And, okay, so you have a great job that pays for pretty much everything we have. And, yes,  you are a wonderful husband and father. BUT DON’T EVER EAT THE APPLE JACKS AGAIN OR I WILL RIP OUT YOUR EYES WITH A PLASTIC TODDLER SPOON.

There is a secret code that certain food items–although you, the adult, purchased them and also love them–ARE NOT FOR YOU. It is just understood. You open the fridge for an afternoon snack, or midnight snack, and see that cup of chocolate pudding. DON’T TOUCH IT! It is not really for YOU, the caregiver, the provider, the nurturer. The plain yogurt with absolutely NO flavor is for you. Know your place.

Allison is a mother of two…almost three, and will probably have up to five if her sanity holds. She and her hubby live in Atlanta, Georgia, and are enjoying the joys and pains of being parents. Mostly, they just laugh a lot. To read more by Allison, click here.

The Gig:
A date? What’s that?! It’s what you get when you drop off your kids at Little Bears Indoor Playground in Kennesaw on March 12 for Parents’ Night Out!

The Guide:

When: March 12, supervised care from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Where: Little Bears Indoor Playground, 2655 Cobb Parkway NW, Suite 105, Kennesaw, GA 30152

How Much: Cost is $25 per child (additional siblings $20 each). Includes a child-friendly meal, snack and juice. A deposit is required to reserve your spot. Reserve your spot by Wed. March 10, 2010.

Make Your Reservation by March 10: For more information or to make your reservation, please contact Anna Rincon at Little Bears Indoor Playground, 770-429-0331, anna@LILBEARS.com, www.LILBEARS.com.

Take a much-deserved night on the town and leave the kids at Little Bears.  You will enjoy some quiet time with your sweetheart while the kids play in a safe, clean and nurturing environment!