Mayflower Giveaway
Doesn't it feel like a good day for a Giveaway? I think so too. So how does this sound: win a $150 Gift Card to Home Depot by leaving a comment below. I'm not even kidding. $150 to spend as you please. On new paint. Or a new drill. Or maybe the materials to build a giant table.
Remember how awesome Mayflower was during the big move from New York to Colorado? Well. To thank them, I offered up a Giveaway spot. And they said: Sure thing! How about a gift card to Home Depot because we know how often home improvement projects are part of a move — both before and after. And I said: Right on.
I can hardly believe it, but our move was a full 2 months ago. Amazing. I loved looking through our photos of the big day and remembering the awesome crew.
So thanks to Mayflower for giving us this fab prize. I hope it inspires you to do/make/build something fun. And for those of you who are planning to move, or mid-move, or just moved, maybe a prize like this will help relieve some of the stress.
Speaking of which. So many of you gave me such great advice on how to make the move as stress-free as possible. I'd love to hear more. What are your best moving tips? Your best moving advice?
Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner on Monday.
----------------
Congratulations carly k! You are the big winner of the Home Depot giftcard from our friends at Mayflower. Yay!
Labels: giveaways
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Thursday, July 02, 2009
1222 Comments:
yeah for home depot- all the things i could do with that gift card!!!!
We might be moving soon! I would LOVEEEEEEEEE to win this!
My best moving advice- use Mayflower - we did 3 years ago and they were the best!
We've only done small local moves, but I would say to not be cheap! Hire the pros, like Mayflower, or at the very least rent a Uhaul that your family and the EQ can help load.
Everyone that loves you enough to help you move will love you even more for making things easier on them (and yourself).
Ooh ooh ooh! Me please :)
My moving tip: PACK YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT.
We just moved, had a moving company pack for us (My husband's new employer insisted on it) and it was a total DISASTER.
If you have a house full of bored kids, and a house full of moving boxes, let the kids loose with markers to decorate the boxes. Keeps them busy for hours.
My best moving advice is to plan on packing taking twice as long as you think it will. I'll never forget telling my husband "we're done" and then as we drove away remembering the attic. Twelve more boxes to go! augh!
Also, while I love your table I'm just not that creative for inside. Instead, I'd use that money to work on my deck and figure out how to make it less suburban-boring and more tropical-relaxing.
Count me in! I'm not moving, but I'd love to purge/organize like I am. Home Depot could CERTAINLY help me out with that.
Count me in. Would love to do something for our patio. Thanks!
I wish I was moving to San Francisco, too. Good luck!
my best tip is to get someone to pack for you. worth every penny.
Home Depot gift card would be great! We have lived in our house for a year and still have white walls. Paint would be great!!!
I would love a HD gift card! We have plans to paint the kitchen soon so that would be great!
Best packing/moving advice?
Don't try to do it without wine or margaritas!!
Oh, the colors I could put on my bathroom walls!! It is surprising how hard it is to comment while crossing my fingers!
Love Home Depot. My best moving advice is to label everything in detail.
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Oh I would love this prize!
And about making moving easier- I just de-junk the entire house before packing. We have moved 3 times in the course of our 2 year marriage and the de-junking is the only thing that makes it work (moving, not our marriage).
My moving advice is that the more organized the packing, the easier it is to unpack and set up house. That and LABEL! I always hate opening the "mystery box".
Seriously perfect give-away. I have no tools. Well, except for a tiny hammer and 1 screw driver. I need tools!
i love home depot!
AWESOME! Mayflower moved us years ago and they were wonderful!
I love home depot!!!
yeah!!! we just bought our first home and we could really, really, really use the gift card! yeah for home depot and yeah for mayflower!
I've moved right before my husband & I became engaged. We were married in April of 09 and are still fixing up our 1950's townhome. I'd use the gift card towards a beautiful/yet function medicine cabinet for the 1/2 bath we are currently remodeling. Everytime our house guests compliment the cabinet I'll refer them to your fabulous blog!
As for my moving advice...Once you arrive at your new place be sure to set up your bed/s first so at the end of the day you can slip right into them! Trust me you'll be ready for a good nights sleep after a long day of transition ; o ) and the last thing you'll want to do is assemble a bed at midnight!
Oh I would love to surprise my husband with this- we are still projecting post-move and it was 2 years ago :)
If only it were as easy to decide what project to spend this on as it is to enter the contest!
We are building right now so I could totally use this and use all this advice!
Here's a moving tip: If you have to pack something breakable,microwave some popcorn and use the popcorn as packing material instead of those Styrofoam packing peanuts.
Packing peanuts are not biodegradable, popcorn is. And it comes in handy in case you get hungry on the long trip. I've also used this when shipping presents to family and friends.
My moving tip: If it's still in a box since your LAST move, don't move it again!
Moving advice, huh? I haven't moved that many times, but I would say the best thing I can think of is to edit as much as possible beforehand. Nothing is worse than taking the effort to move a bunch of stuff that you end up getting rid of!
I love Mayflower AND Home Depot!
Great prize! My best advice is to keep a notebook just for all the details related to your move- a section on your current home with dates and reminders for shutting off utilities, etc., a section for your new home with checklists for turning on utilities, transferring phone numbers, etc., and a section for transit- how is everything getting from here to there, what did you pack together, etc.
Wish I'd known about Mayflower when we moved into our house last year. A Home Depot gift card would allow me to finish my daughter's room!
Label each box, 1, 2,3,.... and then have a typed packing list for each box.... keep all of those together in a folder. Takes a lot of time, but will be worth it in the end!
I need all of the above - paint, trim, windows, walls, fixtures, KITCHEN...(sob)
Someday we'll be able to move in. maybe.
Pick me! I have more projects than I can count waiting for funding at my house!
my advice is to purge every time you move. Its easier to unpack that way!
Awesome! We just moved and the gift card could really help us spruce up the place. Moving tip: if you are having packers, send your kids to a sitter. It's less for you to worry about and they don't freak out when they see their toys disappear into big box.
Awesome prize! So many ideas!
Home Depot rocks!
Moving advice - have a garage sale before! You get to purge AND make moolah.
My advice: Move often!
I know some people who despise moving, but honestly, I know of no better technique for "spring cleaning". I'm only 26 and have moved more than 13 times in my life.
YEAH! I could splurge on some paint! Best moving advice--use moving as an opportunity to purge some items you haven't used in a while!
If you haven't used it in a year, get rid of it!
I love Mayflower! We JUST moved and we spend a ton of time and $ and Home Depot - we love them, too!
I moved on Saturday. The best thing I did was hire movers--little do they know I would've paid them twice what they charged just so I didn't have to move myself in 100+ degree weather! Worth every penny.
I would love that! (I need to paint my kitchen!)
My best moving tip is: make tons of lists--nothing beats good organization when you're moving!
My moving tip is NOT to move around a holiday. The movers came to pack us up for a cross-country move the week of Thanksgiving. We and they were in a hurry and the packing was rushed--many things broken and ruined. If there is a next time, I wish we and the movers would have taken our time.
We just moved from Brooklyn to Austin and our new garden desperately needs a trip to Home Depot which we can't afford for now.
We will soon be in your shoes (moving) and this would be put to wonderful use - what great timing for this awesome giveaway - thanks for the opp to win - hope you're settling in!
catherine s.
I guess my advice would be to live like a move is coming. I like to get rid of junk often, especially kids clothes and toys.
We are hopefully moving soon- if somebody would just buy our house!! We could do alot in our new huge backyard with that giftcard!!
eastsideoliveoyl at aol dot com
Wow!! I've moved so many times that I would think I would have tips, but I don't really. Somehow I've managed very few breaks. We used PODS for one move because we had to put things in storage for half a year inbetween our moves.
Thanks for the giveaway! There's loads of things I could do with that.
I'm a huge Home Depot fan!
I hate moving, but love the fresh start you get when you land in your new location. Best of luck with the move.
My best moving advice is to have the movers pack your kitchen for you. They do a way better job with all those breakable dishes and glasses and jars, and it's so time consuming for us to do it it was a worthy expense.
we are just getting ready to move ourselves out to the country...we sure could use some home depot lovin! thanks for the giveaway!
We just moved...my tip would be to do as you did and get some help. My husband and I moved our king size matress upstairs to the master bedroom. No idea how we did it, but I pulled a neck muscle in the process.
And if at all possible, avoid moving in the rain!
We just bought ourselves a 1919 Tudor style home with some work to put into it! That gift card would sure help us out! My best moving advice would be Don't move!
Like with so many huge, stressful things, I think the only approach to moving is to expect the best but prepare for the worst!
I could so spend $150 at Home Depot with my eyes closed!
this would be great! we spend far too much at Home Depot as it is. :)
ooh I could really use one of these!
My tip. Don't take the clothes of the hangers in your closet. Instead attach the hangers together with twist ties, cut a hole in the bottom of a garbage bag and stick the bundled hangers through there. Easy peasy!
My tip, if at all possible HIRE MOVERS! Even if you have to pack yourself, hire someone else. Your friends will thank you!
This would be great. I have some painting projects to get started.
Have a box of picture hooks, tp, hammer, paper towels, and other things you would need first at your new home, and place in your car.
I love being a woman that loves Home Depot. What a great give away!
We are trying to sell our house for the second year in a row...this would be the best opportunity to spruce a few things up for potential buyers!
Sarah M.
ssmast@hotmail.com
I will definitely have to check into Mayflower next time we move! Thanks for all the tips. Here's to hoping the gift card is around to buy paint!
I would love this! I'm getting married in a few months and there are a few things I would like to change in my fiancee's house ;)
Start early don't wait till the last minute.
Our last move was almost a year ago, but I can think of so many home improvement projects that could benefit from a little extra moola!
We're building our first home right now and I could REALLY use this! Please pick me!
We're moving in two weeks! We SOO need this! Thanks for a great giveaway.
I would love a Home Depot gift card. Oh, the projects we have... This would help tremendously!
Before I moved from LA to Boston 21 years ago I went through ALL my stuff and got rid of things that I didn't need/want. No sense in moving it across the country.
My best tip: Label what room each box goes to. It makes unloading so much easier.
Oh my husband would be so jealous!
We're moving at the end of July and a Home Depot gift card would be divine just about now. The new place is a fixer upper and we still have lots of fixing to do. My advice is to win this great giveaway!
Best advice: get someone to load and drive the stuff for you!
Count me in. My husband would dig $150 to do with as he pleases at Home Depot.
My advice is to start packing early! I kept putting it off, thinking I might need something. Just pack it - and make do if you need an item. Especially in the kitchen. Get it done!
i can tell you exactly what NOT to do...pack almost everything in garbage bags the night before you move. how's that for a tip? ;)
oh the things I could do with a HOme Depot card- like get organized (the most important pre & post move advice!)
This would be so great for my new home!!
Stretch wrap, extra wide. For $22 bucks you can get 1500 ft 18 in. wide and it is so great for sealing up any and everything. We just moved to Portland, Or and our 1921 house could really use that $150! Thanks Mayflower!
My best moving tip is to get more boxes then you think you will need. Just packing up my kitchen alone took WAY more boxes then I thought. What an awesome giveaway!
Who doesn't love Home Depot!
Pick me, Pick me! Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Best moving advice?
Purge purge purge.
It's the best time to donate, sell, recycle, freecycle or toss all the stuff sitting around.
Thanks Mayflower! We're moving in 3 months and will surely be spending plenty of time at Home Depot!
I have a 50 year old house in need of paint and new baseboards! Pick me!
We had a horrible experience renting a Uhaul online...I would suggest if you are going the rental route to call a local distributor!
mayflower is the best!
we moved earlier this year (still not finished unpacking - don't tell anyone!) and still haven't painted our room or our daughter's. this card would be fab!
great giveaway!
Moving advice: Throw it out! You don't want to uppack those dried roses. So don't pack them in the first place.
Home repairs go on and on and on...whether you've just moved in or been in the same home for quite some time. I would love a gift card to home depot so we can work on one of our many, never-ending projects. Thanks.
Anne M.
We have never ending projects at our house so that gift card will be much appreciated!
Pack a box or two for the first night...sheets, blanket, towels, box of cereal,bowl, etc to make it easier to get the busy day started.
This card would go straight to my get-rid-of-the-1980's-carpet fund!!
i can't even BEGIN to think of the ways we could use this—it'd be gone in a flash!
OOhh pick me pick me! We bought this house a year ago and fixed it up... well, we still have a ton of finishing touches needed!!! I swear that Home Depot was my second home here for a while!
The best moving advice I have is label label label! It is the only thing that helps. It may take longer to start with but in the end it is the best time saver.
Like so many others have said: de-junk! No need to lug two extra toasters from home to home just because you might need them someday.
I am a huge Home Depot fan - hope I win!
What a fantastic giveaway! I would recommend NOT moving half of your stuff in a horse trailer...which is what we did when we moved here to Denver. Ha!
My comment is " I visit you each day you post" Now, I want to also comment that I would LOVE LOVE to win a Home Depot GC! HA HA Have a great 4th!
My best moving tip would be to declutter before you start packing and make several trips to your local thrift store, church or shelter to donate it to those that need it more than you do!
i would love to win this!
I wish I didn't have enough moves under my belt to have tips, but that's not the case. And we have another one soon. I would say:
1. organize before you pack.
2. move your self or go with a large/reputable company. one of our biggest mistakes was to trust "Boston Quality Movers" to take us cross-country.
3. ask for help with post-packing and pre-move in cleaning. it's too exhausting to do it all on your own.
Hoping for a home depot trip. That's a perfect incentive to do it all again.
I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, but last time we moved, I got stomach flu on The Big Day. I spent the day tucked up in bed (OK, on a mattress on the floor) sipping clear liquids while my house was assembled around me. I didn't move a thing.
And let me tell you, one year later and we could STILL use the Home Depot card :)
We are moving this weekend!!! Wish us luck!
My kitchen needs some Home Depot love!
Have a great weekend ~ your intinerary sounds wonderful! Just recently came across your blog and have it saved to my favorites that I check into daily. Thanks for sharing your life, ideas, and creativity with us all! p.s. thanks for the sandwich recipe!
This is the coolest giveaway ever!!! Yay for home improvement stores! My best advice? Purge, purge, purge! Let it go! Be free from what you don't absolutely love. We are still getting rid of stuff...after the move. We are temporarily renting a very small house waiting for our house to sell. You realize how little you really need to be happy when you have your family together. :)
Moving is on the horizon and who wouldn't love a Home Depot gift card? Thanks Mayflower!
My best advice is to get rid of everything you possibly can. Seriously, think about how much it will cost to get each size of truck (or if a company is moving, how much you are paying per pound or foot or however they do it), and then decide if you really love the stuff that much. Is your old couch worth the $500 it will cost to get the next bigger truck, or would you rather buy a new one when you get there with the money you saved by moving smaller (and by selling the couch on Craigslist--we figured we had about a $700 difference by getting rid of a few big items like that). Its so much easier and you can buy new stuff that you really love and will use that way!
I. Will. Take. It!
So great! Much like you, my husband just finished his PhD and we'll be moving our family to Boise, ID where my husband has a job as a biology professor.
i don't plan on ever, ever moving again...unless they cart me off to an old folks home in 60 years...so i don't have any advice.
but i would LOVE a home depot card!!!!
it's not green, but my advice is to splurge on clean paper (instead of newspaper) from the moving company or a local storage place for wrapping glasses, dishes, etc. -- that way you won't have to wash the dirty ink off everything when you unpack
We just moved about 4 months ago and had movers pack all our stuff. One thing I would have done differently is put together a few essentials to be packed together and clearly marked. Three months later my husband was still looking for his DRILL and we found it in a wardrobe box with a few jackets.
The gift card would come in handy towards that new screen door we're eyeing!
Awesome. Thanks for this!
I would love the gift card!
Now THIS is a giveaway I'd like to win. The possibilities are endless!
My favorite moving tip? After 17 moves in 37 years, the best tip is to have one box loaded with sheets for everyones bed, a towel/wash rag a piece, paper towels, flashlight, soap,... you can at least shower and sleep...
Awesome!!
Oh, my tip would be to write a short description on the boxes. Where it goes, what's in it etc.
Triple check your moving dates w/ everyone involved. Nothing worse than expecting a truck to be available and then finding out that you and the company are on different pages.
Oh the possibility of getting some projects completed...or at least started!
Orange is my signature color! Pick me! My best moving advice is to hire someone like Mayflower to do the work. Makes moving lovely!
My dream come true! Please pick me!
We just moved into a house and have some MAJOR projects to work on- this gift card would be heaven! Thank you!
having just moved a month ago myself, I could TOTALLY use a home depot gift certificate.
A home depot gift card would allow me to make so many of my creative ideas a reality- I hope I win it!
Making a mental list for Home Depot & a mental note for Mayflower. Now crossing fingers!
Another great givaway! I've already mentally spent the $150! There are always about 12 more projects to do than there is time around here.
Moving tip? Serious purge first.
utahraptors at zookee dot org
Who doesnt love Home Depot!!
Gasp! Pick me!
I'm closing on a new house in 2 weeks, so I really would love this! Oh, please, please, please!
Get more boxes than you think you need, recruit help, and start packing as soon and as much as you can.
I'm sure I could find some good use for $150 at Home Depot! Paint to fix my troubled table to start with...
We JUST moved, for the 4th time in 4 years, and I'd say friends. We couldn't have done it without them! Literally!
Also, a moving company WOULD be nice. :)
And again, never wait to move until AFTER the baby. Baaaaad idea!
This would be great to win!
Ooh, I wouldn't know which project to use it for!
Oooh! I love Home Depot!
I have no moving advice. It has never gone very smoothly for me!
I hope to not be moving again for a few years, but when I do I will have plenty of boxes. My moving tip, save all of your boxes when you buy things at target or get a delivery!
Is there ever a time when a gift card to home depot wouldn't be useful? Move or not, count me in!!
Hook me up. I've got lots of room to paint.
oh my goodness gracious, yes please!
I want to redo my daugters room so bad!
this would be such a helpful prize! Mayflower is an awesome company!!!
Happy 4th to All:)
PICK ME PLEASE!!!!!
My hubby and I recently got married and are in dire NEED of some type of Dresser with Drawers so I don't have to put all my jeans/pants on the floor inside our TINY CLOSET!! PLEASE PLEASE!!
Ok Moving Advice: Unpack ALL your boxes, otherwise you'll look for things you need for ages and not know they are packed away in some corner of your house....
Thanks for the great advice! We hope to move in the next 6 months.....
ooo... this would be put to great use! my best moving tip is to save the boxes that your larger things come in so that when you move, you can just them back into the box you bought them in and it fits perfect!
During our last move I was pregnant with our first child. We repainted nearly every room with colors I chose on my own - my husband was not about to argue with a pregnant woman over paint colors. My house now resembles a bag of rainbow skittles. We also have a new rule in our family - pregnant women are not allowed to choose paint colors! If I win the Home Depot gift card I will put it towards repainting our house before I get pregnant with our second child!
I've already spent this card three times over in my mind!
fingers crossed!
fun fun fun
i'm pretty sure i'd be my mother's favorite child if she got this randomly in the mail. their house in VA needs help, they just can't afford it!!
Moving advice- Downsize and simplify! We had a "moved" sale after we moved to our new place because we brought too much stuff. Dumb!
oh, awesome! thanks so much. my moving method- donate freecycle donate freecycle donate! also, make lots o lists, start packing up as much stuff as early as you can, and use big chunky permanent markers to clearly label each box.
have the kids pack their toys in a special box. that way when you arrive in the new house it is like opening a present and it is easy to find something for them to do!
We are doing some remodeling so that we can, hopefully (fingers crossed), move soon.
This would be quite nice. :)
Moving is never easy! Yeah for Home Depot!! Please...
sign me up.
My favorite part of our move across country was the fact that the moving company packed us. It was so much more relaxing than our move across town (where we packed and moved ourselves).
And I would dearly love this gift card. I'm totally in nesting mode and want to paint my entire house! :)
awesome giveaway!
what a great giveaway. it would go straight to our backyard makeover.
Home Depot! Wow -- my husband and I are always looking for little ways to improve our (first) apartment! Or I would love to give it to my FIL... he is a regular handy-man who has done some much around here, it would be nice for him to get a chance to invest in some fun stuff (aka tools).
My advice: enlist a great team of friends and family... and try to have as much fun as possible!
Three cheers for Mayflower AND Home Depot!
what a great giveaway! thanks!
Don't forget the dog!...we almost did.
We just moved after having a baby on June 1st...and I NEED to repaint the living room. Would LOVE to win this!
I need to paint!!! This would be awesome!! I hope I win, I hope I win, I hope I win.
I could definitely use moving advice myself! I do love to purge each time I move. And taking advantage of friends to watch the kiddos while going through everything. Next time I move I will strive to NOT procrastinate!
Oh, fabulous!
We could really use that Home Depot card as I watch the water leak onto the floor in our new addition. FUN times. {crossing fingers that I win}
hope I'm not double posting-- there was some problem with my original comment... This is a fabulous giveaway. I'm sure my husband would salivate with all the things he would like to get. (Maybe we just won't tell him!)
Best moving advice is when packing up, if you haven't worn/used it in the last 2-3 years, DONATE IT!
What a great giveaway!
Oh the possibilities!
working on remodeling the kids bathroom next week...this would be lovely. Thanks!
Im getting read to paint my room! this would be awesome!
Oh, I could really use this! Best moving advice. Purge, purge, purge!
We need this at our house!
My advice: Moving is a hassle and not much fun. Do your best to go with the flow and remember that life is a journey...not a destination.
this would go straight towards paint for our blue-and-green-and-mustard-yellow (and all wrong) walls. thank you for the opportunity to win such a generous prize!
Ooh! I love it! Thank you!
Hi - long-time reader but this is my first post for a giveaway and we could really use this one! We are moving across the country next month - from Phoenix to DC (okay trying not to panic as I read that! only six weeks left) and are totally excited for this new adventure. Less excited about putting our house on the market here and paying for the move. SO, the Home Depot GC would be a huge help wrapping up our house here and making our new apartment homey. And, will definitely give Mayflower a call for a bid - nice to hear about good experiences with movers. Thanks for the recommendation and fingers crossed we get picked! :] Carrie K.
I am moving in a month and this would be awesome!
Happy 4th of July :)
I could really put this gift card to use!!
My moving advice...hire someone else to do it! :)
Before a move we always have a moving party in which the guests are encouraged to take whatever they want from a designated room in the house. Stuff gets new owners, friends get momentos, and we get lighter boxes on moving day, a win all around!
I am dying to buy a new light fixture for my dining room.
Hmm, advice...having a professional help pack you up is awesome! Especially when you are 8 months pregnant (like I was).
Take the opportunity when packing up to PURGE or GIVE AWAY what you no longer use...you'll be happy when you unpack!
Make one (or two) boxes of stuff you need right away (toiletries, clothes, towels for the shower, etc). Definitely get your bed set up first thing!
Most importantly, if people help you move. THANK THEM. And return the favor when it comes their turn!
I love this giveaway. I am so impressed at all the stories about Mayflower, I am so going to remember them for the day we have to move. Which I am hoping is no time soon.
well we are about to move and my husband is stressing BIG time--this would make him feel better!
please? we're the kind of couple that goes on dates to home depot. no seriously. :)
have to try! crossing my fingers
Power saw and paint. That's what I have my fingers crossed for!
We so need that. We are buying a new house that is a fixer-uper.
with breakables, err on the side of too much packaging- boxes DO get dropped, and you want the china to be secure!
Wow, that truly is a fantastic giveaway ... thank you so much!
(And aren't stress-free moves so wonderful?? My parents had a nightmare of a move and so it's so good to hear of the good ones!)
Summer projects here we come!!
well done mayflower. great company name. and great job in moving the Blairs.
I could really use this gift card, so many house projects in process for us right now! I have loved reading all the moving tips. Along the lines of many others, my advice is to use the move to get rid of extra junk that's just taking up space: purge! We all have so much more than we need but we get complacent with it; a move can be the impetus to clear it out.
what a fantastic giveaway!
One thing that helped us a lot in our most recent move is color-coding boxes to correspond to rooms. I just used colored post-it notes on the boxes (held down with packing tape), and that made it really easy for us and the movers to put the boxes in the right rooms (who wants to lift & move a box twice?).
A lesson I learned from my dad (who worked in shipping for many years) is to ALWAYS tape your boxes shut, with the two sets of flaps laid flat. The approach of interweaving the flaps (so that 1/2 of each one is sticking out) compromises the strength of the box.
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