WhirlyBird Granola GIVEAWAY

It's TIME for our first giveaway in December...and the first giveaway for our birthday bash! Hooray! Get ready to eat your heart out in GRANOLA...and even better, it's local (from Cincinnati)!

WhirlyBird Granola. I can't get over how cute their marketing is. Just go look at their website and you will see what I mean: burlap flag banners and birds that whirl. And it must be delicious, because Drew Lachey (brother of Nick Lachey and a Cincinnati native) eats it for breakfast.

I met up with Christy, the owner, at a Starbucks in Cincy to snag a few bags of Whirlybird and give it a whirl (pun intended!). She was really sweet and excited to be working with PD! Plus, she has three ADORABLE little kiddos, and you all know how much I love kids (in fact, as I'm writing this, I'm nannying a 12 week old infant! SO CUTE.). 

They currently have four flavors: Original, Vanilla Berry, Chocolate, and the seasonal Gingerbread. As far as my favorite flavor goes, I'm having a REALLY hard time choosing between Gingerbread and Chocolate.

WhirlyBird uses all natural ingredients and makes every bag in small batches. It is free from artificial flavors and preservatives, so that's a plus. It's also vegan friendly and incredibly delicious! Their website offers a lot of great, unique ways to eat granola besides just tossing it with milk or grabbing it by the handful (although that's not bad, either!).

Is your mouth watering yet?

I thought so. 

Here is what you need to do to win FOUR BAGS (one of each flavor) of WhirlyBird Granola.

Each thing you do is an entry. Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT in the comment section for each thing you do or your entries won't be counted!

1. Follow Passing Daisies on Twitter and tweet "I just entered to win FOUR BAGS of @WhirlyGranola from @passingdaisies! Head to the blog and ENTER TO WIN now! #birthdaybash #giveaway"

2. Instagram a picture of this post (or a picture on it) and say "I just entered to win FOUR BAGS of Whirlybird Granola from @passingdaisies13! Head to the blog and ENTER TO WIN now! #birthdaybash #giveaway"

3. Pin this post on Pinterest and say "I just entered to win FOUR BAGS of Whirlybird Granola from @passingdaisies! Head to the blog and ENTER TO WIN now! #birthdaybash #giveaway"

4. Comment on the PD Facebook page and tell me how you would eat this granola. 

5. Follow PD on Google (right hand column, where it says "Followers" AND//OR subscribe to PD via email.

That's all she wrote, folks! Now get entering! Only people living in the United States can enter to win. Giveaway ends on FRIDAY DECEMBER 13TH at 11:59PM. Winner will be contacted by email.

EDIT// Giveaway now closed. Congrats for #4, Ray! Please email me your contact info.

The 2013 Gift Guide For....[THE MUSIC JUNKIE]

Welcome to the next installation of the Passing Daisies 2013 Holiday Gift Guide! 

Today, we are focusing on the music lovers in our lives. We've already talked about HIPSTERS and VEGANS, so make sure to check out those gift guides, too! Here's a look at other upcoming gift guides:

[The GEEK]

[The BOOK NERD]

[The VINTAGE]

[The TRAVELER]

[The DRINK SNOB]

[The DIY ENTHUSIAST]

[The BLOGGER]

So, music lovers. These are the people who know about pretty much every band and up-an-coming artist there is. You've probably never heard of them, but your friend definitely has and thinks they make great music. Your friend probably plays an instrument (or two), but if they don't, they want to learn. Keep reading for some unique gift ideas for those music junkies you know and love!

Spotify Premium

Spotify is way, WAY better than Pandora or iTunes Radio, and your friend probably knows that. A subscription to Spotify premium is $9.99 a month, so why not buy your friend a few months worth of advertisement free music? They can play their favorite songs on all their devices (iPhone, iPad, computer, etc.), and they can listen to entire albums for free. 

Sugar & the Hi-Lows

This band is definitely NOT well known, but their music super catchy. It sounds retro and has a vintage feel, much like the artists themselves, Trent Dubbs and Amy Stroup. 

Deas Vail

Another indie rock band that's not too well known, Deas Vail has a GREAT sound. They have a great mix of acoustic and hard rock. Very catchy. While you're at it, check out the lead singer's solo stuff, Wesley Blaylock. "Falling Into You" is one of my all time favorite songs.

Go Local

All music lovers want to keep up with the local music scene, and probably enjoy attending local music concerts where they can discover new artists. Look up some bands from your area and buy your friend some local tunes. For Cincinnati, some local bands include Walk the Moon, Foxy Shazam, Archer's Paradox, Mia Carruthers & The Retros, and The Harlequins. 

Ticket Stub Diary

If your friend doesn't like getting rid of tickets from concerts, why not buy them a book where they can store them all?

Mason Jar Speaker

A little bit hipster, a little bit music junkie. The best of both worlds!

Crosley Record Player

Play those old fashioned records in a stylish new turntable! Any music guru will tell you how much better records sound than CDs.

Music Wall Quote

Etsy has a bunch of cute, homemade lyric art, or you can shop local stores to support your local artists!

Hand Stamped Guitar Pick

Why not get an awesome, hand stamped guitar pick? You can search Etsy and find a pick that says virtually everything, or special order a pick to say whatever you want. 

Woodstock T-Shirt

I hope this gift guide has sparked some ideas for the music fanatics in your life! If not, hopefully I introduced you to some great new bands. Check out Deas Vail! Really, please check them out. I love that band! 

Calling All Cincinnatians!

Are you from Cincinnati, have visited family in the city, or know of great, local places in the area?

Comment and let me know your favorite places to go!

I want to do features on local companies - those hole-in-the-wall places that not everyone knows about. I will be working with Whirlybird Granola pretty soon, a local granola company whose product you can buy at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Rookwood Commons.

Where do YOU like to go?

It can be small shops, restuarants, health & fitness related... ANYTHING!

Gimme your suggestions, people.