The eighth person to comment on this post is Erin. Erin wins a Senseo Single Coffee Maker thanks to the generous folks at Senseo. Thanks to everyone who participated!

By Darin (hubbie)

My brother-in-law introduced me to the art of coffee making several years ago and we’ve been using his french-press method ever since.  When the folks at Senseo came along and offered us a coffee maker to review that would automate our coffee making experience, I was a bit skeptical.   But, I must say, if you enjoy coffee, this makes a fine cup for your one-at-time needs.

You’ll need to stock up on the little coffee pods and always have some on hand.  If this will be your main source of java for your morning wake-up and you like your coffee strong bodied (like we do), then you might be using 2 pods per cup of joe.  Here’s how it breaks down using some amazon.com numbers:

Senseo Coffee Maker:  $64.99 – one time purchase . (Amazon.com link)

Senseo Coffee Pods (Breakfast Blend) = $27.84 / 108 pods @ 2 pods/cup = $0.52 / cup.  (Amazon.com link)

So if you’re on the go and need a single cup for the road, 50 cents brews you a very fine cup of coffee.  My favourite is the Breakfast Blend.

Now, there’s a caveat here. I checked out the reviews on amazon.com and there’s lots of 5 and 4 star reviews on this coffee, and plenty of tips and techniques to make that big cup out of just one pod, so do some reading up on other coffee junkie’s methods there too as you might be able to get it down to just $0.25 a cup with some practice.

The nice folks at Senseo are sponsoring a giveaway here on IW and offering up a Senseo Coffee Maker to one of our readers.

Here’s what you need to do to have a chance at winning:

1. ‘Like’ us on Facebook (already a fan? no prob.)

2. Leave a comment at the end of this post telling us about your favourite at-home coffee making method. Remember, it’s how you make your coffee at home, not what your favourite coffee shop brew happens to be.

3. Cross your fingers and wait until I announce the winners on August 15, 2010!

You have until 11:59 p.m. August 13, 2010  to enter. This contest is open to residents of Canada and the U.S. only. Winners will be selected by random number generator.

Good luck!

Full Disclosure: I love coffee. Senseo gave me a coffee maker for free to try. I like their coffee. I have provided links in this post to the coffee maker and the coffee pods via my amazon affiliates account and if you make a purchase when you get there, amazon gives me a cut. That’s what keeps this website going. That seems to be how a lot of other bloggers do it too. Some are up front about it like us, others aren’t. We hope you find this site helpful and see that we’re not all fluff-n-buff and full of fake rah-rah-rah-siss-boom-bah about the stuff we get to review.

And the winner of the Photo Card Creations $100 Gift Card giveaway is …..  Sarah M., who picked the Happily Ever After thank you card design as her fave.

Sarah M. was the third one to comment on the giveaway. The number three was chosen by The Random Number Generator.

Congrats Sarah and thank to Photo Card Creations for offering up this lovely prize!

Looking for unique save the dates? Personalized wedding invitations? Thank you notes? Look no further! Photo Card Creations is offering IW readers a chance to win a $100 gift card!

Photo Card Creations is a leading online retailer of premium custom photo cards, announcements & invitations.  They specialize in wedding, baby & holiday cards.   Their cards are designed by talented graphic artists who will work with each customer to customize their cards to reflect their own personal style.

They just launched a shiny, brand spankin’ new website with hundreds of fresh card designs, and they’d LOVE your feedback!  Just leave a comment below telling us which card style from their website is your favorite & why you’d like to win this giveaway. And don’t forget to fan Intimate Weddings on Facebook!

Here’s what you need to do to have a chance at winning:

1. Fan Me on Facebook (already a fan? no prob.)

2. Leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which Photo Card Creations card style is your fave, and why.

3. Cross your fingers and wait until I announce the winners on June 1!

You have until 11:59 p.m. May 31, 2010  to enter. This contest is open to residents of Canada and the U.S. only. Winners will be selected by random number generator.

Good luck!

Congrats to Bethany who is the lucky winner of a Blank Label custom dress shirt! Bethany designed this Blank Label shirt for her groom! Bethany was chosen by the random number generator.

BTW, Blank Label is offering $10 off to IntimateWeddings.com readers on custom men’s dress shirts. Use the code intimateweddings when placing your order. Offer valid until  3/31/10.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Blank Label for offering up such a fabulous prize!

Your odds are still pretty darn good to win a Blank Label custom shirt valued at up to $150.  Contest closes March 6, 11 a.m. Click here to enter.

Close your eyes. Now picture your fiance’s handsome face on your wedding day. Is he wearing a smile from ear to ear? Of course he is – because he’s marrying you. But I’ve got one more reason for him to smile big.

It’s that ultra dapper Blank Label dress shirt he’s wearing.  He’s never looked so good. To think, he designed the darn thing himself. And thanks to you, he got the shirt for free. That’s because you entered the IW Blank Label Giveaway!

What is the IW Blank Label Giveway you ask?

First, I must tell you a bit about the company, Blank Label. The site lets you literally design your own custom men’s dress shirts with a few clicks of the mouse. Choose the fabric and all the fixens’. You can even have the shirt monogramed. And the cool thing is that you can fully customize the colours to suit your wedding color scheme.

One lucky IW reader will win a Blank Label shirt* (valued at up to $150) simply by heading on over to Blank Label and using the dress shirt app to design a sizzlin’ hot shirt for her man.  (Your link will look something like this but with a different number: http://www.blank-label.com/dress-shirts-style/home.aspx#474131213121147424740411041104112474111116121111 )

Once you’re done designing the shirt, which should only take a few minutes,  simply cut and paste the link to the design into the comments below. And as one final step become a big ol’ Fan of IW on Facebook (that is, if you’re not already a fan!)

*winner required to pay shipping cost, which is $6 U.S in the U.S and $12 for international shipping.

You have until 11 a.m. March 6, 2010  to enter. This contest is open to residents worldwide. Winners will be selected by random number generator.

Looks like romance is in the air – and soon to be in the mail for Sara, whose comment was the 119th comment on the Night Owl Paper Goods Giveaway. Her number was chosen by True Random Number Generator.

She wrote:

“As for romantic: My fiance sets up blankets and pillows for us to lay on the back of his flat bed truck and snuggle while we look at the stars and chat until we fall asleep—not in the dead of winter of course! The first time he did this was the evening after we had announced to our family we were getting married. I can’t wait for spring to get here so we can start doing this more often!”

Sara will win a whole bunch of fantastic loot from Night Owl Paper Goods! Congrats!

BTW, I loved reading all of your comments about how you define romance! It’s obvious you ladies snagged some good ones!:) Thanks so much to all of you for participating! And thanks to Night Owl Paper Goods for the generous prize!

Want these? All of ‘em?

You are going to LOVE this Valentine’s Day Giveaway from Night Owl Paper Goods! One lucky winner is going to win all of the stationery goodies (and the canvas tote!) pictured above valued at more than $100.

If you haven’t heard of Night Owl Paper Goods, you must take a look at their truly lovely and unique wedding stationery.

Night Owl Paper Goods makes handmade letterpress cards and eco-chic wooden goodies that are unlike anything else! Their work is inspired by Swedish and American folk artists, British haberdashers, as well as the cute critters and colossal colors provided by Mother Nature. Above is just one of many beautiful wedding designs they offer.

So, back to the contest.

Here’s what you need to do to have a chance at winning:

1. Fan Me on Facebook (already a fan? no prob.)

2. Leave a comment at the end of this post telling me what you consider romantic (i.e. a walk in the forest; sushi and saki by candelight; baking bread together etc.) or tell me about something romantic that your partner has done for you.

3. Cross your fingers and wait until I announce the winners on February 14!

You have until 11:59 p.m. February 13, 2010  to enter. This contest is open to residents of Canada and the U.S. only. Winners will be selected by random number generator.

Good luck!

(Bella-the-dog not included.)

Congrats to Emily L. who is the lucky winner of the Ban.do no.60 bridal headband contest.

Emily L. wrote:

This is so beautiful!! I am looking for something gorgeous to wear on my hair, to complement my much simpler gown.

Emily was the 43rd person to comment. The number chosen by The Random Number Generator was 43.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this fabulous giveaway!