2013-2014 Monthly Chevron Calendars, a Giveaway, and a Sale - Ends 6.22.13

Last night I uploaded the latest to my Etsy store: 2013-2014 monthly chevron calendars! June 2013 through December 2014 are included in this set, as well as two versions -- one with a Monday start for the week, and the other with a Sunday start. This item is an instant download, like most of my documents in my store. {Did you know that Etsy now lets sellers do that?!}

Prizes: 2013-2014 chevron monthly calendars {PDF file}

Number of Winners: three

To Enter: You must use the Rafflecopter widget below. It's really easy to use and makes giveaways a lot easier for me to manage. The widget will tell you what your commenting topic is! (mandatory)

Giveaway Ends: Sunday, June 23 @ 12:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). Three winners will be chosen using the Rafflecopter widget. The winners will be announced on the widget and will be emailed to claim their prize. The winners have 48 hours to respond to my email to claim their prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Rules & Disclosure:

• You must be a follower (through Twitter, FB, GFC, or RSS/email) of The Nest Effect to win.
• The winners will be chosen by rafflecopter.com.
• This giveaway is open to readers everywhere.
• Please make sure your email is either linked in your profile or on your blog OR that you include it in your comment. If I can't find your email address, I can't contact you as the winner.
• You must comment as your first, mandatory entry. All entries will be verified when the winner is chosen.
• This giveaway is not sponsored by a company. These are my files that I sell on Etsy.

To celebrate summer, I'm offering 40% off of everything in my Etsy store through Saturday, June 22. Use coupon code SUMMER40 at checkout to receive the 40% off discount.

I will not apply the discount code after checkout. Please do not purchase, then send me a message saying you couldn't figure out how to use the code. It's honestly a hassle to do partial refunds on Etsy for discounts. 

To use the coupon: on the cart page there's a TEXT link that says "Apply shop coupon code" {see image below for example}. Add the coupon code in the box that appears. Make sure there isn't a space after the coupon code in the text box. If you have any questions, please contact me before purchasing!

Windows 8 & Microsoft Love #WindowsChampions

I have been using my Microsoft Surface for a few months now and absolutely love it. The Surface runs Windows RT {which is a mobile version of Windows 8}.

To log in to my Surface, I need a Microsoft account. This account syncs across all of my Windows/Microsoft products and devices. I have a Zune music subscription and I can access my subscription on both my laptop through the software and on the Surface through the music app. It's pretty awesome.

The picture above is my Start screen - which is the "home" screen I view when I log in. The Surface has a touch screen, so everything is easy to navigate with the new Windows 8 app menu. Honestly, I'm not sure that I'd be crazy about Windows 8 without the touch capabilities. Being able to navigate the Start screen on a Windows 8 PC via touch is just so incredibly user friendly.

Windows 8 definitely takes some time to get use to. Knowing some tips ahead of time definitely helps...

• Windows lets you personalize your content. The lock screen acts as your entry into the OS.
• Picture password allows you to personalize your story and you can touch on various areas of the photo to unlock your screen.
• The Start screen allows you to organize apps and content by category. You can create your own unique personalized experience through the lock screen, picture password and the start screen. 
• Search: You can easily search Windows via the Search charm. 
• Apps/Windows Store: Pepperplate app is a really easy way to stay organized in the kitchen and create your own cookbook. When you purchase an app, you can use that app on up to 5 devices. The AllRecipes app is also a great cooking app. 
• Snap: Snap lets you multitask on your Windows 8 device. You can get more done when you snap a second app to the left or right side of your screen.
• SkyDrive: You can store you music, photos, video etc.

Last week Office 2013 was released. I use Microsoft PowerPoint to create all of my files - for my classroom, Etsy, etc. - so I was quick to purchase the new version. So far I am absolutely loving it. More on that in a later post. View all of the free templates available for Microsoft Office.

If you’re a college or University student, check out this awesome deal on Windows 8.

• College and university students with a valid email address can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro online for just $69.99 USD via the Microsoft Store. For more information, check out Microsoft News Center or the Windows blog.

For more Windows 8 info from Microsoft, check out the Windows Experience Blog.

I am a Windows Champions blogger and I received loan of a laptop and may receive other equipment from Microsoft to assist me in evaluating Microsoft products and services for my blogging activity.