Close To Home Event Kick-Off!!

We're so excited to have you here participating in our April blog event...

"Close To Home Camping and Nature Art"

Just in time to get ready for summer!

To find out more about all the fun stuff we will be doing this month, please visit the Close To Home Event page for all the details and upcoming goodies.

We'd like to start with a bang with our sponsor HealthyHikerGear.com!  Sound good?  We think so.

There are so many things to do and places to go for a vacation close to home.  I've heard some refer to this as "staycationing".  Camping, hiking, picnicking or even hanging out in the backyard with a fire pit and some marshmallows can be loads of fun for you and your families. This picture is one of my very most favorite places in the whole world to go and it's just over an hour away!

There are so many products which make camping, picnicking and hiking easy and affordable and shopping is right at your fingertips.  HealthyHikerGear.com is an online retailer of all the camping and hiking gear you need PLUS lots of awesome gear for backyard and other outdoors fun.  Have you ever gone out in the backyard at night with headlamps and searched for bugs in the lawn?  Super fun!  Have you ever camped at the beach and searched for shells in the morning?  Ok, we're nowhere near the ocean here but I am going to guess, super fun!  Have you ever headed out on an impromptu day hiking trip with camera in hand?  Again, super fun!

HealthyHikerGear.com also offers a broad selection of sleeping bags (because some of us are picky when it comes to what type of bag we will sleep in!), solar and battery flashlights and tent accessories including heaters and showers for those that prefer to be pampered in the great outdoors.  Oh, back to those sleeping bags... believe me, claustrophobia and mummy bags do not mix! .shudder.

I think we would all agree that one of the very basics of spending time in the outdoors is having a tent and guess what?  Yes!  HealthyHikerGear.com has generously offered one of you lucky Artsy Chaos readers a tent of your very own!

This gorgeous Eureka Tetragon 5 tent is up for grabs!  A retail value of $75.  Eureka has been making quality products since 1895 and Healthy Hiker Gear is an authorized retailer.  The Tetragon 5 tent is lightweight and sets up easily making it perfect for hiking trips.  We really like that it has a "bathtub" bottom to prevent leaks from rain and splashing.  Can't wait to win it?  The Eureka Tetragon 5 can be purchased at Healthy Hiker Gear.

The giveaway portion of this post is now CLOSED.  Congrats to our winner, SETexasMama !!

Want to enter the giveaway?  Just follow these rules.  Be sure to leave your email in your comments if it isn't in your profile so I can find you if you win.  Thanks!

MANDATORY ENTRY Do either OR both of the following for 1 entry each.

*1)  Like Healthy Hiker Gear on Facebook. Leave a comment and include your Facebook name (first name, last initial).  Please feel free to leave a comment on their Facebook wall if you would like.

*2)  Follow Healthy Hiker Gear on Twitter.  Leave a comment and include your twitter name. 

Please note:  If you have neither a Facebook nor Twitter account and would still like to enter, please shoot an email to artsychaos@ yahoo(DOT)com for an alternate method.

EARN EXTRA ENTRIES, complete as many as you like:

*3)  Visit HealthyHikerGear.com and leave a comment with another product you'd like to try.

*4)  Follow @ArtsyChaos on Twitter.  Leave a comment and include your twitter name.

*5)  Like the Artsy Chaos Facebook fan page.  Leave a comment and include your facebook name.

*6)  Follow the Healthy Hiker Gear Blog via RSS or email subscription.  Let me know you follow.

*7)  Follow Artsy Chaos with Google Friend Connect (in the right sidebar--->).  Let me know you follow.

*8)  Tweet this giveaway using the button below the post.  Leave the URL to your tweet!  You can tweet once daily if you'd like, just come back and leave a comment to let me know.  Or, if you'd prefer, share on facebook or another social networking site. Just leave the URL in a comment and let me know (once daily).

Giveaway ends April 21, 2011 at 11:59 pm MST.  Be sure to leave your email or  have it in your blogger profile so I can  find you if you win.  Open to residents of the US and Canada who are 18+.  Winner will be selected  by a true random generator.  Winner must respond to winning email in 48  hours or a new winner will be selected.  No compensation was given for this article.  Thank you to HealthyHikerGear.com for providing the winner with their prize.