50th Sonoma Bento Post and Giveaway!

I am so excited! This is my 50th Sonoma Bento blog post. Looking back I can see my style developing and my photography skills improving. :) I really appreciate all of the people who have encouraged me to try new things and explore the world of bento. Bento has helped me pack more nutritious lunches that are smaller in size but bigger in flavor. I've made new friends from all over the world, and found a new way to express my creativity. To celebrate, I have put together an awesome giveaway with goodies I picked up in San Francisco Japantown. Here's what you could win (this contest is open to everyone, even outside of the U.S.!):

Friends In The Sea Bento Box! This bento box has three tiers, including the upper utensils compartment. The top tier is 360ml, the lower tier is 280ml. It comes with pink chopsticks, a pink elastic bento strap, and a removable plastic divider for the top tier.

A frog shaped mini craft punch to make kawaii cutouts from nori and soy papers!

Two egg molds for hard boiled chicken eggs. There is a fish shaped mold and a car shaped mold.

A package of jewel-toned bento picks in an array of animal shapes, including fish, seals, and a few seashells. There are 30 bento picks in this package.

Pokemon Furikake Seasoning! Aaaaag! So kawaii! I found this at Nijiya Market in their vast selection of furikake. This package has four foil packets of Pokemon shaped fuikake. 

There are two packets of Pikachu furikake, and two packets of Piplup furikake. There is also a Pokemon sticker trading card. I think I might die from cuteness.

A handmade Sonoma Bento Box Strap! This cutie 'octodog' strap is made of felt, and attached to a blue felt and elastic band that will fit a three-tiered bento box. It will fit bento boxes up to about 32cm around, including this Friends In The Sea bento box. And it's awesome! Check out more of my cool handmade bento box straps at my Etsy shop!

And finally, since I am all about seasonal and local foods, The Farmer's Market Cookbook by Richard Ruben. It has over 100 recipes organized by season, and has awesome lists of what produce is ready during Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Many of these recipes can be used to make yummy bento fillings.

I loved this Friends In The Sea bento box so much, that I had to get one for myself and one to give away. Here is how I filled my aquatic bento:

In the upper tier: blue tinted rice, a broccoli leaf, an octodog decorated with cheese and nori, cheese bubbles, a cheese starfish, a cheese seahorse, nori seaweed (ha ha), and grapes. In the lower compartment: steamed broccoli, cherry tomatoes, blue tinted rice, cheese bubbles, and a cheese jellyfish decorated with nori eyes, red pickled ginger mouth, and rice noodle tentacles.

I drew the seahorse on paper and used a toothpick to trace around the pattern and cut out the cheese shape. It worked really well!

The jellyfish was a last minute idea. I originally thought I might try a fish made out of a hardboiled quail egg, but this was easier and turned out super cute. I featured this bento on Shannon's What's For Lunch Wednesdays blog, a great place to find inspiring bento ideas.

This is what the cover of the bento box looks like. And don't worry, if you win the prize you are getting a new one, not the one I used to make this bento. :)

Ok, the important part: HOW CAN YOU WIN?

1. This part is Mandatory. You MUST be a follower of my blog. To follow my blog, simply click the Follow with Google Friend Connect button on the right side of this page, or click the Follow link located at the upper left corner of the blog. Leave a comment telling me that you follow the blog and what your Google ID or Blogger ID is.

2. Mention this giveaway on your own blog or twitter account for a second chance to win. Just post a comment here with a link to where you mentioned my contest.

3. For a final chance to win, leave a comment here telling me about your local farmers market and what you like to buy there.

Please leave separate comments for each of your entries. Entry deadline is Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Winner will be selected randomly from entries. Good luck!