Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Buzz on by Thursday!

Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug!

Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!

If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:

Follow ALL of the Hostesses

If you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!

If you are already a follower let us know so you can be entered in the blog spotlight.

  1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)
  2. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug via Google Connect. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.
  3. Thanks for BEEING a part of Buzz on by Thursday fun!!!
    The BUZZ about our Blog Hop doesn't end there, you can get more entries by doing 1 or all of the following below. Make sure to leave comments for everything you do:- Subscribe to the RSS feed of Fashionably Organized, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug.- Follow Fashionably Organized (@FashOrganized), Emmy's Closet (@emmyscloset) and Sunny Bug (@Sunny_Bug) on Twitter.

    - Like Fashionably Organized, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on Facebook.

    - Post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog, and make sure to post the button on the left hand side of this blog within your post. When you leave a comment, be sure to add a link to your post.

    - Post the Buzz on By Thursday button from Fashionably Organized (in the footer), Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on your blog.

    Would you like to sponsor Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.


Wordless Wednesday -- Hey Soul Sister...





Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Winners! Winners!

Thanks soo much to all of you who entered my 500 fan giveaway!

Drumroll please....Out of 239 entries the winners are...

#223 Mason & Lilli's Mommy!
Congrats on winning a $20 gift certificate to my shop!

AND...
#106 Jasmin!
Congrats on winning a $15 gift certificate to my shop!


Winners were chosen via random.org and have been emailed. They have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose again.


That was fun! Oh and get this...I'm now at 769 fans --YAY!-- you guys ROCK! Let's do this again at 1,000! Spread the word!

Thanks for the LOVE -- LOVE ya too! :)



Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Buzz on by Thursday and Giveaway!!


Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug!




Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!
If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:
Follow ALL of the Hostesses
If you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!
If you are already a follower let us know so you can be entered in the blog spotlight.
Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)

  1. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug via Google Connect. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.


This week for Buzz on By Thursday we are giving away this adorable and handy organizer stuff bucket!! Perfect for all of your organizing needs. Your choice of hot pink and pink or pink and brown.


The comments from Fashionably Organized, Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet, and Sunny Bug will be tallied and a winner will be picked at random via random.org on September 29, 2010 10 PM MST. This is giveaway is open to US residents only.





    Thanks for BEEING a part of Buzz on by Thursday have fun!!!The BUZZ about our Blog Hop doesn't end there, you can get more entries by doing 1 or all of the following below. Make sure to leave comments for everything you do: -
Subscribe to the RSS feed of Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug.

Follow Fashionably Organized (@FashOrganized), The Two Savvy Sisters (@Twosavvysisters), Emmy's Closet (@emmyscloset) and Sunny Bug (@Sunny_Bug) on Twitter.

Like Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on Facebook.

Post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog, and make sure to post the button on the left hand side of this blog within your post. When you leave a comment, be sure to add a link to your post.

Post the Buzz on By Thursday button from Fashionably Organized (in the footer), The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on your blog.

    Would you like to sponsor Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.

Hey y'all! Thanks so much for joining us for "Buzz on by Thursday"! I PROMISE that I will follow ya back, I've got 2 crazy kids so it may take me a few days, but I'll be there! I would love for you to check out myGIVEAWAY for reaching 500 fans on facebook! All you have to do is leave ONE comment on thegiveaway post and you're entered! Of course, there are other fun ways to enter too! GOOD LUCK!!
:) Sara

Monday, September 20, 2010

Interview: Heather of Chickabug




I am super excited to have my first "interview" on my blog and who better than Heather of Chickabug!


Heather and I first met when I wrote her in January about invites for my daughter's first birthday. Wait...let me back up :) Know this about me: I am an OBSESSIVE party planner. I love everything about birthdays, parties, and all that goes into planning them. When my daughter was 3 months old (yes, 3 months!) I started searching around for invitations and all things "party". I knew that I wanted to have some sort of garden party and came across these Bug Garden Invitations in Heather's shop. Immediately, I fell in love! I "hearted" them on Etsy and continued on my search. So now we can fast forward to January again :) When I was ready to order, Heather's invites were still, BY FAR, my favorite so I sent her a message on Etsy. A few conversations later she had a custom order set up for me with invites, address labels and favor tags. She changed around some colors & fonts for me and they turned out absolutely PERFECT!



I honestly can not say enough about Heather as a person and her customer service. She is ridiculously awesome! She is soo quick to respond with emails & proofs and is always willing to help out any other way she can. Since that first order for Emmy's party, Heather has also created Ry's 3rd birthday invites, address labels, favor tags, my Emmy's Closet logo, banner, avatar, gift certificates and stickers- all of which I absolutely LOVE and could not be happier with. I really can't thank her enough for all she's done for me with Emmy's Closet. Her designs have put a face (an adorable face) to my shop :)



Go take a peek at Heather's shop on Etsy. You absolutely will not be disappointed. She offers EVERYTHING for all your party needs -- Invites, labels, favor tags, water bottle labels, banners, cupcake toppers...you name it! Oh, and can't forget about all the awesome DIY printables. Heather also has the cutest blog where she offers great party advice and tips and you can see all her creations in action with all the wonderful customer photos.


I am so glad to have Heather as my "internet" friend. She is honestly one of the sweetest girls I know and she has become my go-to-gal for the million things that I need help with. :) I look forward to our weekly chats and can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I SO enjoyed reading all her fabulous answers and hope you will too!

Here we go!



About Heather:

Tell us a little bit about where you're from.
I've always lived in Maryland--I grew up in southern Maryland, attended the University of Maryland, then moved to the Baltimore area and have been there ever since. I've never shelled a crab in my life.

When did you realize that graphic design was your thing?
Halfway through college. It's kind of crazy -- I had never taken an art class until I signed up for Art 101 my junior year. I liked it, and the professor told me I was good at it. The next thing I knew, I was an art major! I got a job at an advertising agency right out of school and have been working as a graphic designer ever since.

What's a typical work day for you like?
My days start early and end late. I try to get a little work in before going to my regular job, and afterward I'll typically work from 6 or 7 until 1 am or so. On weekends I start the day at Starbucks on my laptop, then I work the rest of the day at home. I wish I could say I have some sort of method or game plan, but I really just try to do whatever is most pressing at that moment. I stress out when the most pressing thing is ten things at once--and that happens a lot. ;)

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Still in front of a computer, of course! But -- big decision time! -- Chickabug will be my full time job. I'm very close to being able to work for myself, and that's really exciting and also really scary, too.


About Chickabug:

How did you come up with the name Chickabug?
My first pet was a tiny green parrot named Chicka. I'm big on nicknames, so I often called her Chickabug. When I needed a business name, that's what popped into my head first -- it's cute, it's fairly unique, and chickabug.com was available. Sucess!

How did you decide to sell on Etsy?
I've always loved, loved, LOVED Etsy. Before I was a seller I was totally addicted to Etsy shopping (that's where I bought most of the art in my house -- and I have more art than walls). When I decided to start selling, too, it was a no-brainer.

What is your favorite theme in your shop?
That's so hard to say! I love them all, of course! Design-wise, I honestly could never choose a favorite. But I think the most fun one to write was the robot theme -- there are so many opportunities for cute puns! (The "initiating gratitude sequence" thank you card makes me smile EVERY time.)

Any upcoming projects we can look forward to?
I have so many themes that I haven't had time to list for sale yet, so there's always something new and exciting coming soon!! Also, there are more free printables in the works for How Does She, where you can download my designs for free when you sign up onto their mailing list. We come up with new printables about every 2 months, so there's always something new around the corner for subscribers!


Randoms!

If you could max out your credit card in one store, what would it be?
TARGET! What DON'T they sell? (They even have a Starbucks inside -- now that's heaven!)

What's in your fridge right now?
Fruits and veggies from the farm stand down the street, green tea, and a huge dish of fool-your-cheese-eatin'-friends vegan lasagna.

It's Saturday night, what are you up to?
I'm working -- probably while listening to the Real Housewives, Top Chef or Toddlers and Tiaras. (Reality TV is my guilty pleasure.)

What is your favorite vacation?
Cape Cod, just after Labor Day. It's so quiet then, it's like you have the whole place to yourself. And it's so beautiful -- you have parks, beaches, and lakes, all close by.



Just for fun!

Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate and more chocolate! I'd eat my iMac if it were dipped in chocolate. ;)

Coffee or tea?
I'm a major caffeine addict right now, so I have to have both every day!

Cat or dog?
Dog, hands down! My dog, Charlotte, is an Australian cattle dog mix. I adopted her two years ago, and she's the most loyal and intelligent dog I've ever known. I love her to pieces.

Lake or ocean?
The ocean -- I love the sounds of the waves.

Even or odd?
Odd. Design-wise, most things look best in sets of three.

Early bird or night owl?
Night owl. It's well past midnight right now!

Road trips or fly?
I'd rather fly, but I always take Charlotte on vacation with me, so I have to drive. (spoiled mutt.)

Call or text?
Email -- my cell phone is always lost and/or dead. I'm a terrible phone person!

Summer or winter?
Summer for sure! I can't stand the cold. If it's 70 degrees, I have a sweatshirt on. Plus, the snow really messes with the mail system, which adds SO much stress to my life. ;)

Cook in or eat out?
I almost always cook in, and I eat at my desk WAY more often than at the table!







Welp, there ya have it. I think you can tell by now how highly I recommend Heather and her oh-so-wonderful shop. If you get the chance to work with her in the future, I GUARANTEE (hands down) that you will be more than thrilled!


Show Heather some LOVE :)


Friday, September 17, 2010

It's official...my baby grew up!

Where does the time go?? I can't believe I just sent Ry to his first day of preschool! He had a wonderful first day and we are so proud of him. We love his school & his teacher and are so excited for what this year has in store for us! Just wanted to share some pics of my big boy :)


Lovin' his backpack!
Ry & Emmy :)






How Does She offered these adorabale FREE Back to School printables designed by my favorite person ever, Heather of Chickabug. I COULD NOT WAIT to print some out for Ry's first day!! (Sign up for How Does She updates and get printables like these right to your inbox!!)






Of course, Chick had to say, "see ya later" to her big brother in style...sportin' her Back to School Crayon Clip!



And off he went with NO TEARS (wish I could say the same for myself, at least I made it to our car first!)





GIVEAWAY REMINDER:

My 500 fan giveaway is STILL going on!! Come on and enter RIGHT HERE! Just one comment gets you entered but of course there are other fun ways to get extra entries!! GOOD LUCK!!




Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Buzz on by Thursday

Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug!


Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!
If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:
Follow ALL of the Hostesses
If you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!

  1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)

  2. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug via Google Connect. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.


This week Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters is not joining us per se. Feel free to go to her site, but you will not find a post like this on her site. However, she is part of the fantastic bloggers doing BlogMania. Head over to The Two Savvy Sisters and enter to win her Party Like a Princess prize package.


    Thanks for BEEING a part of Buzz on by Thursday have fun!!!

Would you like to sponsor or do a giveaway on Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.





Hey y'all! Thanks so much for joining us for "Buzz on by Thursday"! I PROMISE that I will follow ya back, I've got 2 crazy kids so it may take me a few days, but I'll be there! I would love for you to check out my GIVEAWAY for reaching 500 fans on facebook! All you have to do is leave ONE comment on the giveaway post and you're entered! Of course, there are other fun ways to enter too! GOOD LUCK!!
:) Sara





BLOGMANIA is here!!


Blogmania has begun! WOO HOO!! Over $34,000 in prizes... I might just sit at this computer all day! ;)

You have to go check out The Two Savvy Sisters blog where I am a Blogmania sponsor. I'm giving away some birthday bows and she has FABULOUS other prizes too! There is a linky on the post and it directs you to every other blog hosting Blogmania today-How fun!

Two Savvy Sisters is also having a great special in her Etsy shop right now...purchase any Halloween or Fall banner and recieve 12 party circles FREE!!








If you are a new follower from Blogmania...WELCOME!! I'm so happy to have you here. PLEASE check out the GIVEAWAY I am hosting (post below) to celebrate my 500th Facebook Fan!!
All you have to do is leave ONE COMMENT on that post and you are entered. Of course, there are other fun ways to enter too!


Have a great day everyone & GOOD LUCK!!



Monday, September 13, 2010

500 Fan Giveaway!!!







It seems like yesterday I was having my 300th fan giveaway and here we are at 500!! I can't believe it! I am SO incredibly grateful to all of you who have helped me get to this point, and there are A LOT of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now, I think 500 fans is a pretty big milestone and I'm obviously super excited so...let's do something F U N!! To celebrate 500 fans I'm going to have a "Fan & Customer Appreciation Game" going on for the next 2 weeks. There will be TWO winners!

1st prize: $20 gift certificate to my shop
2nd prize: $15 gift certificate to my shop



HOW TO ENTER:

Simply leave me a comment on this post and THAT'S IT, you're entered! (Please be sure to leave your email if it's not in your profile so I have a way to find ya!)


Want some extra entries??? SURE THING! (hey, the more entries the better your chances!)



  • Follow my blog- 1 entry

  • Refer a friend: Refer any friend who you think might be interested in my page & etsy shop and have them write on my wall telling me you sent them. 1 entry for every fan you refer!

  • Make a purchase in the next 2 weeks from my Shop- 10 entries

  • Leave a review if you have made a purchase from me. Review tab is at the top of my fan page- 3 entries

  • Upload a fan photo to my fan page- 5 entries for every pic posted

  • Spread the word about my giveaway through FB, Twitter, Blog etc. and let me know-5 entries for each



Now...to make it EASY you DO NOT have to leave a separate comment for each entry. You can simply leave one comment for everything you do and I'll keep track of everyone's totals.

Example comment: "I am fan on FB, I follow on twitter, I just posted a fan photo, I left a review....10 extra entries"

You can also come back at any time and leave another comment if you complete another entry.


I will keep track of all "refer a friend" totals. Oh, and if someone did refer you to my page a while back you can write on my wall now to give them credit!





Alrighty, I think I've covered everything! Giveaway will end 9/27 and winners will be chosen by random.org.

GOOD LUCK and thanks for being so awesome!! :)















Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Buzz on by Thursday and Giveaway!!




Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug!


Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!
If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:
Follow ALL of the Hostesses
If you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!
If you are already a follower let us know so you can be entered in the blog spotlight.

  1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)

  2. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug via Google Connect. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.


This week for Buzz on By Thursday we are giving away a set of Bee Line Magnets from Sunny Bug opening on Etsy later this month. Bee Line is all about: Making a Bee Line toward Positivity & Empowerment.
YOU can BEE who & what you want...BEE happy, creative, unique, peaceful, a friend, a "be-liever", BEE real & true to yourself. The comments from Fashionably Organized, Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet, and Sunny Bug will be tallied and a winner will be picked at random via random.org on September 14, 2010 10 PM MST. This is giveaway is open to US residents only.




    Thanks for BEEING a part of Buzz on by Thursday have fun!!!
    The BUZZ about our Blog Hop doesn't end there, you can get more entries by doing 1 or all of the following below. Make sure to leave comments for everything you do:
    - Subscribe to the RSS feed of Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug.
    - Follow Fashionably Organized (@FashOrganized), The Two Savvy Sisters (@Twosavvysisters), Emmy's Closet (@emmyscloset) and Sunny Bug (@Sunny_Bug) on Twitter.
    - Like Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on Facebook.
    - Post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog, and make sure to post the button on the left hand side of this blog within your post. When you leave a comment, be sure to add a link to your post.
    - Post the Buzz on By Thursday button from Fashionably Organized (in the footer), The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on your blog.
    Would you like to sponsor Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.

Wordless Wednesday -- ZzZzZz

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Halloween Giveaway & "Buzz on by Thursday" Blog Hop!!



Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy's Closet! Buzz on by Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us we promise you will have a blast!





The Two Savvy Sisters












If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:


Follow ALL of the Hostesses, if you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!


WE DO FOLLOW BACK! If you are already a follower let us know.


1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once) and post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog, and or post the button on the right hand side of your blog


2. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy's Closet Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.


3. Start to follow as many blogs as you would like. (Make sure you leave a comment so they can follow you back and tell them where you are from!) When you receive a comment from a new follower, return the favor & follow
This week for Buzz on By Thursday we are giving away a HALLOWEEN Printable Party Package from The Two Savvy Sisters and 3 adorable HALLOWEEN hair bows from Emmy's Closet. The comments from both Fashionably Organized, Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy's Closet will be tallied and a winner will be picked at random via random.org.

































For Additional Entries for the Giveaway you may do one or all of the following, but please be sure to leave a separate comment for each one.


- Subscribe to the RSS feed of Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy's Closet.
- Follow Fashionably Organized, Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy's Closet on Twitter.
-Like Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, and Emmy's Closet on Facebook.
- Post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog, and make sure to post the button on your post. When you leave a comment, be sure to add a link to your post.
- Post the button from Buzz on BY Thursday on your blog

Winner will be chosen using random.org on September 7, 2010 at 10pm (MST)


Thanks for BEEING a part of Buzz on by Thursday have fun!!!




Would you like to Sponsor Buzz on By Thursday and advertise your product on BOBT? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters, Candice from Fashionably Organized, or Sara from Emmy's Closet for more information.
Happy Hopping,
Candice, Nicole, and Sara