Apps, Giveaways, Cool Links, and a Cry for Help!

Once again, I'm going through my daily blog reading and wanted to share some cool links with you.

But before I do even that, I need to promote one of my favorite apps for Google Chrome.  It's Feed Squares.  I rarely go to Google Reader any more because of this app.  It puts every feed that you have on your Reader into neat little squares.  It's fairly customizable and really easy to use.  You even have choices on how you read things.  Each of your folders is a link at the top and, when you click it, it pulls all of the feeds that are filed under that folder together and takes away the rest.  You can choose whether to read entries from oldest to newest or vice-versa, to not show read entries, to dim down blogs without updates... it's truly an awesome app.  And best of all, it's a free app.  I say try it and if you don't like it, disabling is easy as well.

Now on to the stuff I'm finding in my daily reading.

First up, is a giveaway over at Better than Naked Vintage Finds.  This is a blog that I started following for one of the Swap-Bot Blog swaps I did.  Not only does she show off the finds that she has for sale at her boutique, but she does weekly giveaways on Wednesdays.  This week, the giveaway is an awesome 60's Upcycle Purse.  The rules for entering are there and incredibly simple.  So if it sounds like something that might interest you, check it out!



Mommy Mandy is my giveaway central today, at least thus far.  I have   giveaways and promotions from her site to share today.

I'm fairly low-maintenance when it comes to my hair, even more so now that my hair is shorter.  But I know that there are others of you out there who might want a chance to win hair goodies.  Mommy Mandy is giving away a Karmin G3 Salon Pro over on her blog.  The giveaway ends April 19.  So if it sounds like something that might interest you, head on over and take a look!

She's also doing a promotion for Famigo, the Mobile Fun Company for Families.  Take a 5 minute survey (link is on her website), and you'll be entered for both the $20 Target gift card that Mommy Mandy is giving away and the Kindle 3G that Famigo is giving away.  This is one that I HAVE entered.

The next one is for PillowPets, again from Mommy Mandy.  All you need to do is let Mommy Mandy know what your favorite part of the new PillowPets site is. (Her giveaway entry is here.)  She's also got info regarding getting extra entries.

I'll try to post some more giveaways tomorrow.  Because lots of my favorite bloggers have pretty awesome giveaways.

Now for the cry for help.  I want a button for my blog.  Not only do I want a button for my blog, but I want the cute little thing where people can just take the code for my button and put it on their site and off they go, letting people know that they read me (at least occasionally) and think that my blog is worth checking out.  But there are two problems with this.

Problem number one, I have very little creativity.  I do try, and sometimes I come out with cool things.  But usually those are non-electronic.  I know that there are some places out there where someone could make their own blog (and I also know that some of my friends love to create things on PSP or PhotoShop).  I need to be pointed in a good direction for where I could make a button or who I could beg with tears for help making one.

Problem number two, I have not been able to figure out how to put code on my blog in a way that could be easily copied.  I've looked around and I haven't had any luck. I'm probably putting in bad search terms.  But if someone could just point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it.

Now off to my regularly scheduled posts...