NOW CLOSED! Fourteenth Blog Giveaway: A Gorgeous Floral Necklace

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This giveaway is now closed. Thank you.

One of the best things about blogging is the wonderful people you meet. Wait. Cross that out. The. Best thing about blogging are the people you meet. I have made so many wonderful friends here on this blog. You guys have no idea the joy you have brought me.

Thank you!

Thank you!

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This giveaway is a bit different. It is actually being sponsored by the lovely Heather from The Peacock Fairy. This is Heather wearing another one of her creations (this is not the necklace being given away. That one is in the following picture). Heather and I met through blogging and we have found so many similarities between ourselves. We both share a love of bohemian clothes. Cooking. And peacocks!

There is a big difference between us and that is that Heather is talented in jewelry making. She even uses a wood burner. I find this incredibly cool!

She owns the shop, The Peacock Fairy, on Etsy. She is so creative.

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The Peacock Fairy is sponsoring this giveaway with a necklace that she created.

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It is so pretty. I covet it. The design is like nothing I have seen before. It is the epitomy of feminine romance.

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She sweetly gifted me my own necklace, too. It has a gnome inside. Isn’t that the coolest?! I cannot wait to wear this everywhere!

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This giveaway will have four ways to enter.

The first and foremost being to leave a comment here on this blog about your favorite flower and why that is. Or the last time you gifted someone flowers or were gifted flowers. Did your partner ever give you flowers unexpectedly? You can answer any of these flower questions or make one up on your own. You could also just leave a nice comment on this post and that will suffice as an entry.

The second way to enter is to visit Heather’s shop and leave a second comment on this post stating which jewelry piece is your favorite that she has made.

The third and/or fourth way to enter is to leave a comment stating you are a registered reader of my blog and/or Heather’s blog. Each blog that you are registered for (there are many ways to register on the right hand side of this post. Facebook counts! And Heather’s twitter follow button is on the top right hand corner of her blog page and her Google Friend Connect button is in the middle on the right) counts as an entry. You must leave a comment stating you a registered reader of that blog. If you are a registered reader of both blogs, you may leave one comment stating that and I will count it as two, but it must be stated as such.

Limit four entries per person. Since I count the comments at the end, you must leave a comment for each method that you are entering with, unless stated otherwise.

This giveaway runs from May 10, 2014 12:00 a.m. PST to May 15, 2014 9:00 p.m. PST. I will be using random.org to choose one winner for the necklace from the comments entered on this post. I will contact the winner on May 16, 2014 via the email address provided in their comment/comments. I will post the winner’s name on this blog on May 17, 2014.

Past winners are welcome to enter this giveaway.

Thank you to everyone who enters!

And who reads!

And who clicks over to read sweet Heather’s awesome blog and check out her shop.

Heather and I really appreciate it!

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By commenting on this post, you are entering this giveaway for a chance to win one floral necklace and agreeing to the rules outlined in this giveaway.

I will attempt to contact the winner three times with the email address provided. If I have not heard from the winner within fourteen days from the first attempted contact, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be drawn.

* Negative comments (chosen at the discretion of the owner of this blog) will be deleted and that entry will be forfeit.

Outfit Sources: Anthropologie West End Top, H & M Skinny Jeans, Gnome Necklace c/o The Peacock Fairy, Forever 21 Backless Smock Dress, Tracy Reese sandals (old) similar here.

The Winner Of The Giveaway, Cravings and Blog News

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First, I want to apologize that my website has been wonky the past few days. It is the server and I am being told they are working on it. Fingers crossed it gets resolved soon! Again, I apologize!

The winner of the moon necklace is Jessica Wilhite! Congratulations! I really, really like this necklace. I hope you do, too! Enjoy! I am so happy for you!

My husband told me I should change the format of my giveaways to those easy ones. Those number-generated-generic-sterile ones. But I refused. I said, “But then I won’t get to read their cool stories!” Insert big pouty lower lip here. And I am so glad I didn’t, because you guys shared the coolest things this month! I love reading about your lives. Your beliefs. Your travels. Your loves. It honestly enriches my life so much, and I cannot thank you enough for that. But I will try.

Thank you! : )

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There are a few new things going on on this blog that I wanted to share. I think there is always room for growth. And I always want to be my own blog. And not like others. So, I recently added in Past Cards and will be doing those once a month. The above picture is a peek at the next post coming up soon. : )

I am also going to be introducing my sister onto this blog. She lives seven miles from me and I love her to pieces. Plus, I am tired of just pictures of only me. Since I will not post pictures of my children and my husband does not want to be on the blog (which is smart of him because I have an underwear post of his coming up soon. I cannot imagine why he doesn’t want his picture on this blog). I figured I would pimp out put up my nearest relative. I think this will be a fun feature we can do together once in awhile. She has a completely different style than I do, so it will be nice to share a different look on this blog. However. And this is a biggie. She is younger, taller and prettier, so I am not going to allow her on here too often, though. Just kidding!…But seriously.

In other revelations:

I am shy.

Painfully shy if I don’t know you.

Shocking, right?

And it takes me awhile to come out of my shell. I feel like this last year, I have slowly been sharing myself. But I finally feel safe enough to share all of me. Or as much as the majority of the public can handle. I have made so many friends here, I feeI like I can just be myself. If you look at my old outfit photos, I look terrified. I was even scared to smile. But all of that is changing.

Kind of.

I am sick of pictures of me always in the same spot in my outfit posts. I went through my blog looking for ways to improve it and that is one of them. And I was ashamed of how bad some of my pictures are. Bad me! So from now on, I vow to try to take better pictures. This truly, truly hurts my lazy heart. But I am excited about a change. I still might resort to the fireplace if we are really in a hurry. However, the majority of the pictures will be different this month. Please let me know which ones work and which ones don’t (nicely. Please don’t make me cry. I hate spending money on tissues). This is going to be a series of experimenting. I pretty much have no idea how to pose.

But you can’t fly if you never jump. Off an imaginary building. Built from words. And pictures. Into a cloud. That I still do not understand.

All right. I think that is it on updates. Let’s move on to the stuff I am craving this month. Oh. The cravings. They hurt:

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I want/need/can’t-afford-at-full-price the Vine Beaded Maxi Dress by one of my favorite designers, Vaneet Bahl. It is from Anthropologie. I am just hoping to get it on sale. So, save one in a small for me, would ya?

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These whale-tale measuring cups.

Oh.

Just oh.

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Um. Um. Um. Do I dare share these Concha Garden Planters? These will be at the top of my budget list for May. Again try to save me one… Or two… Or ten.

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Seriously, how close to Otomi could these be?

Must.

Have.

Them.

All.

Nowhere. To. Put. Them.

Sigh.

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Why? Why is the Plevna Top only available in petite sizing? My shirt is wet from the tears in my heart. And also, does anyone know what pants the model is wearing? They look great!

Needlework it Out Dress from ModCloth

And last, but not least, the Needlework it Out Dress from Modcloth. This dress is so awesome. The price is perfect. The color is perfect. Again, my budget is gone for thirteen more days. And the dress sold out. However, I have clicked their “I NEED IT” button in my size. They will notify me if it gets reordered. I have never seen them not reorder if an item is popular and they can.

What are your cravings this month? Do you think I should do a monthly video on this blog ? Yes. I am also thinking of doing a video blog monthly or posting a video here or some sort of recording device/contraption… Whatever those youngsters are calling the talking pictures these days. Whatcha think?

NOW CLOSED! Thirteenth Month Blog Giveaway: Moon Necklace

Thank you to all who entered. This giveaway is now closed.

It’s time for my monthly giveaway! : ). I love this day!

Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it. So, so, so much.

I never even knew I had so much to say. Or share. Or anything inside of me. And you have brought that out of me. You have made my world which was so small seem so much bigger. And I am so grateful.

I was thinking about what I wanted to give away this month. And I knew I wanted to support someone new (to me) on Etsy that I had not featured before. I love supporting the artists of this world.

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So, I purchased a necklace from Lunahoo, that I, myself, love. I think all of her jewelry on her site shows so much imagination and spirit. I love the bee products she creates, as well as the whimsical cats and cloud creations. I am thrilled with the item I chose to give away this month. And I love knowing it was handmade from a woman across the globe.

It is a Moon Necklace. It is handmade with love from Spain. I could not resist purchasing one for my daughter and myself to share, as well. I have always loved astronomy (that is until I took it in college. Ouch! The math! Who knew? But we will block that bit of unpleasantness from our minds). I also have a fascination with the moon. And I feel this represents how I feel about the readers of my blog. When I know you are reading, wherever you are in the world, I feel a connection to you. We might not be on the same place on this planet, but we will always share the moon.

Oh, man, now I’m all weepy. On to the rules:

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To enter for a chance to win this month’s giveaway: one moon necklace from Lunahoo on Etsy, please leave a comment on this post telling me anything you would like about the stars. For instance: what do you think of when you look up into the sky? Do you wish upon a star? Do you think we really landed on the moon? When was the last time you laid beneath the darkened sky just to stare at the beautiful vastness? If that is too personal, you may leave any comment on this post as long as it is positive.*

You may earn a second entry by following this blog on the right hand side of the page. There are many ways you can do so. If you are a subscriber, please leave a second comment stating that you are a subscribed reader of this blog.. That second comment is your second entry. I am not using the word “follower.” I have never liked it and so from this post on, I have chosen not to use it. You, of course, can choose how you word it. ; )

Limit two comments/entries per person.

This giveaway runs from April 10, 2014 12:00 a.m. PST to April 15, 2014 9:00 p.m. PST. I will be using random.org to choose one winner for the necklace from the comments entered on this post. I will contact the winner on April 16, 2014 via the email address provided in their comment/comments. I will post the winner’s name on this blog on April 17, 2014.

Past winners are welcome to enter this giveaway.

Thank you everyone for entering! And for reading! And for stopping by! And for your support! I love ya to the moon and back! : )

The photos are from Lunahoo’s shop on Etsy. The necklace is being shipped from Spain. It is still on its way to me. The moment I receive it, I will update these photos by adding some of my own!

By commenting on this post, you are entering this giveaway for a chance to win one moon pendant necklace and agreeing to the rules outlined in this giveaway.

I will attempt to contact the winner three times with the email address provided. If I have not heard from the winner within fourteen days from the first attempted contact, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be drawn.

* Negative comments (chosen at the discretion of the owner of this blog) will be deleted and that entry will be forfeit.

Winner Of The Giveaway, A Small Announcement, & Cravings

The winner of the blog giveaway is Kel! Congratulations! I am thrilled for you. : )

I loved reading everyone’s birthday memories. Many of them made we want some do-overs for my own. And quite a few brought back beautiful nostalgic memories. I also liked that some of your favorite birthday memories are not your own. So selfless! I love learning more about each of you each month. That comment section of my blog during my giveaways is not only my favorite part, because I get to know you better. But a friend of mine recently told me it is hers, too. Thank you so much for sharing and entering!

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An Announcement:

I am nervous about the announcement I am making right now. I couldn’t sleep last night. I have vowed to always be honest on this blog. I think it is important to keep it real here. After having this blog for one year, I have come to the realization that it is costing my family approximately $65 a month to keep it going. I love giveaways. I do not want to stop doing them. They are my favorite part of the blog. Giving back. To all of you. But my favorite part of life is being a wife and mother, so I must also think of my family. So, to offset some of the costs, I am going to be adding affiliate links to my posts. You probably will not even notice them. All this means is that when you click on a link such as an Anthropologie top, it will generate a very small commission for this blog. I will not be adding any more links than I normally would. I will never add links to a product I would not or have not purchased for myself. And there is always the option of just not clicking on a link. : )

I have added them to this post as a test run. All of these links in this post are affiliate links. I have also added a small Modcloth banner to my home page, because I love Modcloth! And I am happy to be working with the company.

Who knows? Maybe I could generate enough income for better giveaways. That would be a fun goal. And so, so cool!

Thank you for being understanding.

And now onto the monthly fun:

Everything in my craving list will have to wait until sale. That is just the way I like to shop. Unfortunately, I doubt we will see much in terms of big sales in April. March seems to have seen the deeply discounted winter sales.

I am not craving much. And I have a post coming up in the next week detailing my purchases for March. But twist my arm and I will reveal items I think are cool right now.

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This Anthropologie Farmer’s Market Peasant Top looks so pretty in the close up shot. The pattern looks very detailed and interesting. I love this. I cannot decide if it is because of the name of it more than the shirt itself. I hope it makes it to second cuts for me.

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I think these Selah Booties from Anthropologie are rad. I have no idea what I would wear them with. They would need to be under $50 for me to consider them.

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I love the color of these Ankle Zip Charlie Trousers. I think they are fun.

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And I NEED this Raja Wall Bust. Except, why couldn’t it be a dragon? I might be on the hunt for that instead.

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This $9.99 Ear the Call of the Wild Ring from ModCloth is neat.

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One more. I MUST snag at least one color of these Tassel Bloom Hoops from Anthropologie when they hit sale. They are my favorite things on their site right now.

Congratulations to Kel! I am so happy for you. There will be a new giveaway beginning April 10th.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

What are you craving? Anything on your wishlist I showed here?

P.S. Trying to claim a blog lovin’ account. Please ignore. Follow my blog with Bloglovin