Ginormous Giveaway, Enter Now

Rosie from Craftbotic is hosting the most amazing giveaway ever, to celebrate her 500 GFC follower milestone.   I just had to jump into this one and offer up a giveaway prize of my own.

Rosie: "Enter the prize packages you fancy winning (btw - that will be all of them!) and show my lovely prize donors some awesome Craftbotic love. Three giveaways are open world wide, while the others are USA only. Please make sure you live in the USA to enter the last two or I won't be able to give you any of the prizes. Then I would feel mean!"

The giveaway is open for one week starting at 9am (GMT) on Monday 5th November until 9am on Monday 12th November. Winners will be announced later that day. You will have 48 hours to acknowledge your prize win. Prizes are as stated and non-transferable.  New winners will be drawn for each prize pack if no response is given within 48 hours.

Prize One - From Rosie with Love!

$30 Credit to Sassy Lemonade Etsy shop (One of my favourites!)

Check out some of the gorgeous jewellery you could buy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Yellow Prize Pack - Worldwide

• 3 months of large ad space + option of interview, guest post, or giveaway (Kate @ Classy Living)
• A custom blog or facebook banner with free fineart photography (worth $35!) (Ana @ Ana Eugenio)
• A custom 'About Me' image  (Anissa @ Chasing Hailey)
• A handmade, crocheted, ear-warmer flower headband (Brittany @ Secondhand Solace)
• 200 x 200 60 day ad space and $10 etsy story credit to her own store (Leslie @ Violet Imperfection)
• One month large ad space at Live Life Love (Cassie @ Live, Life, Love)
• $10 Amazon Gift Card (Brighton @ Dear Brighton)
• Free book (for book club) and one month 200 x 200 ad space (Angie @ Glorious Imperfection)
• Two weeks in post ad space, including advert creation worth $25 (Brooke @ Covered in Grace)
• Set of custom social media buttons (Allyssa @ LyssBarn)
• XL Ad. 200x300.  1 of 2 available. Top of sponsor spots. Rotates with each page refresh. Includes solo guest post & giveaway. Optional group giveaway. Unlimited twitter/facebook mentions.(Kelly @ Houtz House Party)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Green Prize Pack - Worldwide

• MUA Undressed Palette (dupe for Urban Decay's Naked Palette)  and MUA Constellation (Scorpio)  (Sarah @ Life in a breakdown)
• One months large ad space (Malo @ Life feels good in Portbail Beach)
• Two months 200 x 200 ad space with optional guest post or full blog feature (Julie @ White Lights of Wednesdays) 
• Three months 200 x 200 ad space (Genna @ Freed at Last)
• Custom blog signature (Chelsea @ Truly Lovely) 
• 125x125 ad space for a month (December) AND Tri-pack design - Blog header, share button, Facebook Cover - worth $60 (Angie @ Womanhood with Purpose)
• Two months ad space (Kate @ Life as we know it) 
• $10 shop credit for her brand new etsy story (Jennifer @ Busy Being Jennifer) 
• A custom 'About Me' image (Paige @ Eloping the Stethoscope) 
• One month ad underneath 'About Me' section of site (Katherine @ Green Thickies) 
• A medium-sized ad space (Twins!) and a set of 4 handmade cards. (Jillian @ Hi It's Jilly!)
• A copy of 'Men I Loved Before' by Adele Parks (Lieke @ Swirling Away) - Europe Only
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pink Prize Pack - USA Only

• 2 months Large ad space (200x200) worth $30 (Katlyn @ The Dreamy Meadow)
• $10 Starbucks gift card (Sara @ MissVentrella)
• A blog banner and a sampler set of handmade cards (Emily @ She's Got a Camera)
• "Featured Ad Space on my blog (worth $15) and a print from my shop (worth $10 + shipping) (Amy @ The Charming)
• $25 credit to her etsy shop (Amie @ Pinkapotomus)
• A surprise gift bag worth $10-15 (Allana @ A husband and a dog)
• Custom set of blog buttons (Jesse @ Jesse Kay Graphics and Design)
• A Sinful Skin Lotion. Made with natural ingredients. Pure and spa-grade. No chemicals, fillers, gluten, parabens, paraffins, SLS, or SLES. (Jourdan @ Two Million Miles)
• $5 Starbucks gift card (Tabitha @ Mommy, Daddy and Mason)
• One month ad space and feature blog post (Anja @ Cocalores)
• 200 x 200 ad space for one month AND $5 Starbucks gift card (Alejandra @ Army Wife, Mommy Life)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blue Prize Pack - USA Only

• One month large ad space AND $10 shop credit to her store envy shop (Sarah @ All Things Blogs)
• 250 x 250 Large ad space with optional guest or feature post AND $10 Amazon gift card (Mia @ Chronicles of Chaos)
• $10 credit to Domestic Creations store envy shop (Kendra @ A Proverbs 31 Wife)
• 2 months free large ad space -- Appears at the top of the ads section and is excellent for lots of exposure! Comes with a group introduction, social media mentions and an option for a guest post, product review or giveaway.(Brittany @ The Sapphire Bee)
• $5 Starbucks Card eGift & A Peck (200x200) ad spot on her blog for 30 days (Carrie @ A Frugal Foodie Wife)
• 2 months Medium ad space with shared feature post (Kim @ Single Doubt)
• 4 custom blog buttons (Breenah @ By Breenah)
• $15 Starbucks eGift card (Alicia @ Quicktastic Adventures)
• Medium ad space (Carly @ Lipgloss and Crayons)
• Mini zipper pouch from 31 gifts worth $12 (Jessica @ A Bunch of My Nonsense)
• Small 'I love you dear' deer sign in purple from her etsy store (Bethany @ Pitter and Glink)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I told you it was an absolutely fantastic, hey? Thank you so much to everyone who has donated, entered and helped me celebrate reaching the 500 mark. I am SO happy (despite wanting to keep all of these prizes for myself!) 








 

October Blog Angel Recap

I'm a first timer to Blog Angels and I really enjoyed it as a way to get to know more people.  Throughout the month it was really fun to have some added traffic to my blog as well as to have a new blogger to follow and get to know.

I'm proud to present to you once again my new found blogger friend, Jen from That's What She Read.

I really couldn't have been paired with a better blogger.  She's freaking hilarious, so everyday when I go visit her blog she has me cracking up sometimes to the point of tears.  I've helped her out by commenting when she cracks me up and promoting her wherever I could.  We both have a joint interest in wine tasting, so hopefully we can do some blog post swapping in the near future.  But, this lady is busy!!  I look forward to having her be part of my favorite blogs from here on out.   My Angel, Alex from Army Wife, Mommy Life!  

She has been a true angel, following me and commenting frequently.  She also swapped buttons with me to help promote my blog.  Alex (Alejandra) is a dedicated military wife and mother of two adorable little girls.  I look forward to continue to be blogging buddies from here on out.  Thanks ALEX, you rock!

I do think this experience has been fulfilling from a promotional stand point, but most importantly I think I've made some great connections that will last beyond this event.

It's OK Thursday, Random Thoughts

Yay for Thursday; so close to the end of the week!  Thanks Neely for the fun link-up! It's OK.....
That I overuse exclamation points!!!! That I haven't packed or done laundry in preparation for my trip to Dallas and Chicago; I fly out early Saturday morning That although I have sworn to stop shopping online for myself, I signed up for a Living Social for Cross Fit classes.  My body needs it. That I've been not cuddling my kitty, Lucy enough.  She just attacks me to pay me back. That I haven't bought my wig for my Halloween costume yet. That I have overbooked my next 6 weeks, who needs time to relax? That I had to fight with my contractors, because I won. That I scheduled something for late Friday night even though I have to be at the airport for a 6am flight on Saturday morning. That I'm jealous of my best friend Mike because he's in France. That I got black stuff all over my face today at work, because it looked like I was working hard. That I have to sit in hardcore traffic after work because the end will bring me painting, drinking wine and hanging with Kathleen.

How I feel from time to time.

October Blog Angel Reveal!

This is my first time joining the Blog Angel Project, have you heard of it?  It's basically an opportunity for bloggers to secretly help each other out and spread the blog-tastic love.  The brains behind the operation is Rosemarie over at Craftbotic and she amazes you with the amount of work she puts in to match up so many bloggers.  

I was really skeptical about joining Blog Angels because I'm fairly new.  I felt like I wouldn't be able to make an impact.  One of my fellow bloggers, Celeste @ Crazy Beautiful Life urged me to not worry about it and go for it.  Even just being loyal and commenting frequently brightens a blogger's day.  And now to the reveal, drum roll please...

The beautiful and hilarious, Jen Herron from That's What She Read

I was excited to have been paired with Jen, since I'm an avid reader.  But, much to my surprise she provides a lot more than just book reviews and recommendations; her blog is sprinkled with both hilarity and true honesty.  I think everyone can relate to her on many levels.

So far, my help has been in the form of reading her posts and commenting on them.  I also added her to my "The Coolest" sidebar, where I put my sponsors.  The most amazing part about our match-up was that I had the opportunity to be her 100th GFC follower!  How do the stars align so perfectly; must be the magic of the Blog Angels Project.  I'm looking forward to the 2nd half, where we can chat openly and perhaps do some additional collaboration.

My favorite part about Jen's blog is that she is blogging for herself; it is her outlet.  That is exactly how I feel. We all want followers and comments, but for me I'm doing it for myself.  It's my own virtual diary or scrapbook, or as Jen puts it her, "Blog Sweet Blog".

Woo, what a relief to not have to keep this secret any longer; looking forward to chatting with Jen openly from here on out.

Follow Me Wednesday Blog Hop -- I'm Co-hosting!

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Welcome to Follow Me Wednesday Blog Hop!

3 Four and Under is proud to bring you {Follow Me Wednesday} Please welcome this weeks co-hosts!
 Pretty Living PDX  
  Sippy Cups and Pearls
Quirktastic Adventures 
The Rehomesteaders 
    The Domesticated Me
Thank you for linking up each week, we really appreciate it!   This is a wonderful way to meet new people and follow some awesome blogs!

Please remember to tell your friends!  The more the merrier!

Here is what you do!

1. Please add your blog address to the blog hop list.

2. Please follow the host and co-host blogs! 3. We would love you to tweet about the blog hop. Tweet

4.  Please place the Follow Me Wednesday button somewhere on your blog

5.  If you are new to this hop, Welcome, and please leave us a comment and we will be sure to follow you back!  And make sure to visit this weeks co-hosts and show them some love.

 6. Then, visit the other blogs on the list. 

Follow them and I'm sure they will follow you back!

Please leave them a comment telling them you are visiting them from {Follow Me Wednesday}!

We all love comments!

Please link up family appropriate blogs only, any blogs that are not family appropriate will be deleted

<center> <a href="http://3fourandunder.blogspot.com/search/label/Follow%20Me%20Wednesday"><img border="0" src="http://i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx189/trishabdesigns/FollowMeWednesdayNew2.jpg"/></a></center>  

Reminiscing About Childhood - Sunday Social

Brought to you by Neely!

Since I'm sitting here at work watching roof and floor coatings dry I thought it would be fun to link up through Sunday Social.  This weeks topic is about our childhoods which is always a fun topic to reminisce about.  

This Weeks Questions:
1. What do you miss most about being a kid? I miss how everyday was about being with friends.  At school or daycare you were always just interacting with friends.  As an adult it takes a lot of effort and planning to have friend interactions.  

Here's me and my bestie, Nathan, striking a pose!
2. Did you have a nickname growing up? Oh yeah, about a million.  Here are a few: Leeds, Leesh, Scooter, Bevis, Smooch, Sissy, I'm sure there were more.

3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess? Me and my bestie, Ashley, were the best bar flippers ever.  We did all these fancy flips and swings and whatever they're called on the bars.  I still can't believe I could do that.  We thought we were so cool, oh wait, we were so cool.
4. What did you want to be when you grew up? Up until my Sophomore year in high school I wanted to be various things:  Marine Biologist, Elementary School Teacher, and Dentist.  Then Sophomore year after chatting with my Chemistry teach I decided, I'm going to be a Chemical Engineer.  And poof, that's what I did.  
5. What was your favorite toy? I remember popples, cabbage patch kids and pound puppies when I was younger.  Then I definitely got into barbies.

6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about? I used to do these insanely inappropriate impressions of Michael Jackson.  And, yes we have it on video.  I was reaching pretty deep in my naughty bits...  But, everybody egged me on, cause it was that funny.
Join in this Sunday social, it's fun to think back to those fun, happy times!

Blog Angels Sign-Up Tomorrow, Count Me In!

I was a little hesitant about this because I'm so new, but I've been convinced by the lovely Celeste @ Crazy Beautiful Unique.  I can't wait to sign up to tomorrow and get started.

You might have heard the name 'Blog Angels' popping up all over your social media over the last few months and wondered, what ARE they going on about?

Blog Angels is run here at Craftbotic. Every two months 100 bloggers get the opportunity to help each other out, build friendships and community in the Blogosphere.

The principle is easy. By signing up to be a Blog Angel you are promising to help another blogger for a whole month.  The least you need to do is comment twice a week on their blog, but the possibilities to do more is endless.

In the first two rounds of Blog Angels we had people commenting, guest-posting, giving social media shout outs, new blog design features and warm words of encouragement. Some people swapped addresses and sent little packages. The choices are endless.

So what's the catch? Well, it's all done in secret. For this round, things are changing slightly. Here are all of the details:

1. Sign up is on 15th September. The form you fill in can be found at here, but also on these sites:

A Little Piece of Me

The Houtz House Party

Lipgloss and Crayons

White Lights on Wednesdays

 2. The form is slightly more detailed to help with the matching process. It still takes less than 5 minutes to complete though.

3. The project will start on 1st October and will be secret for the first two weeks. This will allow you to get to know your blogger, build up a relationship and start to act to help them. You would need to as a minimum comment twice a week on their blog.

4. After two weeks you link up a 'reveal' post at Craftbotic on 15th October.

5. You can then communicate with your blogger and give them more specific help, build friendships and develop your role. This is the newest part of the project and came out of a long conversation with the angel regulars.

6. On the 31st October you write a 'reflection' post reviewing your experience of Blog Angels and what you achieved with your Blog Angel.

It's pretty simple. These small steps will help you to be part of growing community of bloggers who care.

On a serious note, there is always a 'drop off' of Blog Angels. Those folk who get busy and disappear. Apart from being incredibly uncool, it is completely unnecessary. Please make sure you have time to help out in October BEFORE signing up. If life gets crazy you just need to email and let me know. Orphaned bloggers can then be reassigned.  In Blog Angels the only thing you are guaranteed is the opportunity to help some-one else.

What an amazing opportunity that is! The first 100 people to sign-up before 25th September will be taking part. We all hope that it will include you!