tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86591625908934106452024-03-13T12:57:10.285-04:00Cropped StoriesCropped Storieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17539968767267993736noreply@blogger.comBlogger429125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-11586543313630399442015-04-07T13:11:00.001-04:002015-04-07T13:24:17.978-04:00Easter Pictures 2015!<p>I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! </p><a title="Easter 2015 via Cropped Stories, on Flickr" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132339115@N04/17067886071"><img alt="Easter 2015 via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8732/17067886071_6914d5d85f_o.jpg" width="850" height="4082"></a> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-79444347400988253842015-01-06T19:39:00.001-05:002015-01-06T19:39:52.161-05:00Romantic $1,450 PayPal Cash Giveaway!<p>Who’s getting excited for Valentine’s Day? I know I sure am! I can’t believe it’s right around the corner. I feel so fortunate to be included as a co-host for this Romantic PayPal Cash Giveaway with some of the most truly amazing bloggers around the blog-o-sphere! No need for a fancy dinner, roses, jewelry, a night out on the town, or some decadent chocolate candies to make my Valentine’s day wonderful. Just provide me with an opportunity to give to others (okay, and maybe some chocolate), and I’m tickled pink! </p> <p>So, what will you do with the winnings? I’d love to hear. Feel free to drop me a comment and share your plans! Oh, and good luck!</p> <a name='more'></a> <p><a href="http://tablerpartyoftwo.com" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7556" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="Romantic Paypal Cash Giveaway | APeekIntoMyParadise.com #giveaway #blogger #paypal #cash #valentinesday " src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/APeekIntoMyParadiseRomanticCashGiveaway.jpg" width="755" height="755"></a></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif"><span style="color: #ff0000">#RomanticCashGiveaway</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">Show your valentine you love them with a </span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">pocketful of cash to make your loves wishes come true!</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 40px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">Spoil em' good! xoxo</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 25px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #0000ff">Thanks to 66 amazing friends and supporters of </span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 25px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #0000ff"><em>A Peek Into My Paradise</em> we are spreadin' the love with a</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 48px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">*CASH PRIZE of $1,450!</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 34px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">*Two winners of $500 each</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 34px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">AND One winner of $450!</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 36px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #0000ff">Meet your lovely co-hosts!</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0280.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7562" alt="Romantic Cash Giveaway | APeekIntoMyParadise.com #giveaway #cash " src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0280-1024x1024.jpg" width="755" height="755"></a></p> <p style="text-align: center">♥ Cathy | <a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/" target="_blank">A Peek Into My Paradise</a> ♥ Natasha | <a href="http://epicmommyadventures.com" target="_blank">Epic Mommy Adventures</a> ♥ Angel | <a href="http://sewcraftyangel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sew Crafty Angel</a> ♥ Katherine | <a href="http://katherinescorner.com" target="_blank">Katherine's Corner</a> ♥ Elena | <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Cropped Stories</a> ♥ Kimberly | <a href="http://www.loulougirls.com/" target="_blank">Lou Lou Girls</a> ♥ Angie | <a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/" target="_blank">God's Growing Garden</a> ♥ Linda | <a href="http://www.craftsalamode.com/" target="_blank">Crafts a la Mode</a> ♥ Censie | <a href="http://buildingourstory.com/" target="_blank">Building Our Story</a> ♥ Ce Ce | <a href="http://www.achimom.com" target="_blank">A Chicago Mom</a> ♥ Laura | <a href="http://notatrophywife.com" target="_blank">Not A Trophy Wife</a> ♥ Rhonda | <a href="http://www.mother2motherblog.com" target="_blank">Mother 2 Mother</a> ♥ Jillian | <a href="http://www.babydoodah.com" target="_blank">Baby Doodah</a> ♥ Shana | <a href="http://www.Technotini.com" target="_blank">Technotini </a></p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0281.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7563" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="Romantic Cash Giveaway | APeekIntoMyParadise.com #giveaway #cash #paypal" src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0281-1024x1024.jpg" width="755" height="755"></a></p> <p style="text-align: center">♥ Roberta | <a href="http://mommylikewhoa.com" target="_blank">Mommy Like Whoa</a> ♥ Rose | <a href="http://www.whatroseknows.com/" target="_blank">What Rose Knows</a> ♥ Ashlynn | <a href="http://abeautymoment.blogspot.com" target="_blank">A Beauty Moment</a> ♥ Heather | <a href="http://mommyonlyhas2hands.org" target="_blank">Mommy Only Has 2 Hands</a> ♥ Jennifer | <a href="http://www.bromefields.com" target="_blank">Brome Fields </a>♥ Sandy | <a href="http://www.sandyspov.net" target="_blank">Sandy's POV</a> ♥ Janine | <a href="http://sugarkissed.net" target="_blank">Sugarkissed</a> ♥ Kelly | <a href="http://trialandeater.com" target="_blank">Trial and Eater</a> ♥ Dee | <a href="http://www.meatloafandmelodrama.com/" target="_blank">Meatloaf and Melodrama</a> ♥ Roxanne | <a href="http://thehoneycombhome.com" target="_blank">The Honeycomb Home</a> ♥ Paula | <a href="http://www.thriftymommastips.com" target="_blank">Thrifty Mommas Tips</a> ♥ Andrea | <a href="http://tablerpartyoftwo.com" target="_blank">Tabler Party of Two</a> ♥ Laura | <a href="http://www.piesandplots.net" target="_blank">Pies & Plots</a> ♥ Logan | <a href="http://www.logancan.com/" target="_blank">Logan Can</a></p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0282.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7564" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="Romantic Cash Giveaway | APeekIntoMyParadise.com #giveaway #cash #paypal" src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0282-1024x1024.jpg" width="755" height="755"></a></p> <p style="text-align: center">♥ Christie | <a href="http://www.sparklesofsunshine.com" target="_blank">Sparkles of Sunshine</a> ♥ Michelle | <a href="http://www.thepaintedhinge.com" target="_blank">The Painted Hinge</a> ♥ Carrie | <a href="http://www.curlycraftymom.com" target="_blank">Curly Crafty Mom</a> ♥ Maria | <a href="http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com/" target="_blank">Simple Nature Decor</a> ♥ Danielle | <a href="sewmuchcrafting.com" target="_blank">Sew Much Crafting</a> ♥ Margarita | <a href="http://www.downshiftingpro.com" target="_blank">Downshifting Pro</a> ♥ Mohora | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MohoraBogdan" target="_blank">Mohora Bogdan</a> ♥ Anni | <a href="http://www.grapefruitprincess.com" target="_blank">Grapefruit Princess Reloaded</a> ♥ Anyonita | <a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.co.uk/" target="_blank">Anyonita Nibbles</a> ♥ Alycia | <a href="http://mitchalycia.blogspot.ca" target="_blank">Crazily Normal</a> ♥ April | <a href="http://www.aprilnoelle.com" target="_blank">Finding Favor</a> ♥ Sarah | <a href="http://www.venustrappedinmars.com" target="_blank">Venus Trapped In Mars</a> ♥ Sarah | <a href="http://www.savingssarah.com" target="_blank">Earning and Saving With Sarah</a></p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0283.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7565" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="Romantic Cash Giveaway | APeekIntoMyParadise.com #giveaway #cash #paypal" src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_0283-1024x1024.jpg" width="755" height="755"></a></p> <p style="text-align: center">♥ Susie | <a href="http://pinsandprocrastination.com" target="_blank">Pins and Procrastination</a> ♥ Debbie | <a href="http://www.heartbeatsSoulstains.com" target="_blank">Heartbeat Soulstains</a> ♥ Sofia | <a href="http://www.SomethingOnEverything.com" target="_blank">Something On Everything</a> ♥ Molly | <a href="http://www.adayinmollywood.com" target="_blank">A Day In Mollywood</a> ♥ Bonnie | <a href="http://www.oursecondhandhouse.com" target="_blank">Our Secondhand House</a> ♥ Darlene | <a href="http://mylittleshopoftreasures.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Let It Shine</a> ♥ Debra | <a href="http://www.msmoozy.com/" target="_blank">MsMoozy Open House</a> ♥ Janene | <a href="morethanmommies.net" target="_blank">More Than Mommies</a> ♥ Jeanne | <a href="http://www.animalbliss.com" target="_blank">Animal Bliss</a> ♥ Ashley | <a href="http://leavingtherut.com" target="_blank">Leaving The Rut</a> ♥ Kim | <a href="http://www.enjoytheviewblog.com" target="_blank">Enjoy The View</a> ♥ Christina | <a href="http://www.mamashighstrung.com" target="_blank">Mama's High Strung</a> ♥ Marilyn | <a href="www.4you-withlove.com" target="_blank">4 You With Love</a> ♥ Jennifer | <a href="http://www.simplenailsandbeauty.com" target="_blank">Simple Nails and Beauty</a></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 26px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #0000ff">Please be sure and <strong><span style="color: #ff0000">thank the amazing bloggers</span></strong> who helped me put together this phenomenal cash prize! I encourage you to hop over and take a peek into their paradise! </span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">And a big round of applause to our sponsors!</span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000"></span></strong>♥ Joy | <a href="http://yesterfood.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Yesterfoods</a> ♥ Erika | <a href="http://makeupfun.blogspot.it" target="_blank">MakeUp Fun</a> ♥ Melissa | <a href="http://nysavingspecials.com/" target="_blank">NY Saving Specials</a> ♥ Shane | <a href="http://whisperingsweetly.com" target="_blank">Whispering Sweet Nothings</a> ♥ Michelle | <a href="http://www.yagottahaveahobby.com" target="_blank">Ya Gotta Have A Hobby</a> ♥ Edna | <a href="http://thoughtsofhappiness.com" target="_blank">Thoughts of Happiness</a> ♥ Rebecca | <a href="http://www.ialwaysbelievedinfutures.com" target="_blank">Futures</a> ♥ Madison | <span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,8707,[null,0],[null,2,16777215],null,null,null,null,null,null,null,0,null,null,null,18]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Wetherills Say I Do"]"><a href="http://wetherillssayido.com" target="_blank">Wetherills Say I Do</a> ♥ Kimberly | <a href="http://www.lifeisalullaby.com" target="_blank">Life Is A Lullaby</a> ♥ Marti | <a href="http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/" target="_blank">Sewlicious Home Decor</a> ♥ Katriza | <a href="http://www.everythinghomelife.com" target="_blank">Everything Home Life</a> ♥ Stephanie | <a href="http://www.year-roundgiving.com/" target="_blank">Year-Round Giving</a> </span><span data-sheets-userformat="[null,null,8707,[null,0],[null,2,16777215],null,null,null,null,null,null,null,0,null,null,null,18]" data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Wetherills Say I Do"]"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif"><span style="color: #ff0000">Roses are red,</span> </span><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #0000ff; line-height: 1.5">violets are blue,</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5"><span style="color: #0000ff">who will be the lucky winner?</span> <strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Maybe YOU!</span></strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif; color: #ff0000">Tell us.....Who will you love to spoil this Valentines Day?</span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 30px; font-family: englebert, sans-serif"><a id="rcwidget_rdktsj29" class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/36bc51bd52/" rel="nofollow" data-template="" data-theme="classic" data-raflid="36bc51bd52">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></span></p> <address><span style="color: #ff0000"><em>Giveaway is open worldwide to participants with a verified PayPal account.</em></span></address> <address> </address> <address>First and second entry drawn will win $500 PayPal Cash each. Three entry drawn will win $450 PayPal Cash.</address> <address><em>All entries will be verified. In the event an entry can not be verified participant chooses to forfeit that entry and another winner will be chosen.</em></address> <address><strong><em></em></strong> </address> <address><strong><em>Winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email.</em></strong></address> <address> </address> <address>Giveaway will run from January 1st, 12AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time to January 31st, 11:59PM Pacific Daylight Savings Time.</address> <address><em>Any taxes or fees associated with the winnings of this contest are the sole responsibility of the winner according to their county, state and/or country laws.</em></address> <address><em></em> </address> <address><em>CASH prize is in US Dollars and will not be converted to any foreign currency. </em><em>Void where prohibited by law.</em></address> <address> </address> <address> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:048f9351-f8c0-4599-83f7-f55abc6fa04c" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/giveaway" rel="tag">giveaway</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/romantic" rel="tag">romantic</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/valentine's+day" rel="tag">valentine's day</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/paypal+cash" rel="tag">paypal cash</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/winners" rel="tag">winners</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/co-host" rel="tag">co-host</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/a+peek+into+my+paradise" rel="tag">a peek into my paradise</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/rafflecopter" rel="tag">rafflecopter</a></div></address> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-28054705632567200902014-10-31T03:00:00.000-04:002014-10-31T03:00:13.644-04:00Santa $1,000 PayPal Cash Giveaway!<p style="text-align: left" align="left"><span style="font-size: 26px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #0000ff"><font color="#4bacc6"><strong><font size="4">Get ready, ‘cause this is <font size="5">BIG</font>! About $1,000 in PayPal cash <font size="5">BIG</font>! <span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif"><font size="4"><span style="color: #0000ff"><font color="#4bacc6">Thanks to some amazing friends and supporters of <em>A Peek Into My Paradise</em> we were able to come together collectively with a</font></span><font color="#d19049"> </font><span style="color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484">CASH PRIZE of $1000, which will be split evenly between two <strong>VERY LUCKY</strong> winners ($500 each in PayPal Cash)! </font></span></font></span>It’s time to start thinking about what you would do with an extra $500 this holiday season! Yep, that’s right, an extra $500! Are your gears turning yet, thinking about what to do with all this money? Are things like cameras, laptops, a PS4, Christmas shopping, paying bills etc. dancing through your head? Consider all the wonderful possibilities and enter for your chance to win the:</font></strong></font></span></p> <p style="text-align: left" align="left"><span style="font-size: 26px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif"><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484">Santa $1,000* PayPal Cash Giveaway!</font></span></strong> </em></span></p> <a name='more'></a> <center><a title="Image by croppedstories, on Flickr" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/15049029394"><img alt="Image" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7477/15049029394_58f6aed3f3_o.jpg" width="800" height="800"></a></center> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484"><strong>YOU</strong> could be one of the recipients of $500 PayPal Cash! </font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 26px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484">Who's excited?</font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Santa-Paypal-Cash-APIMP.jpg"><font color="#4bacc6"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7053" alt="Santa Paypal Cash Giveaway | APeekIntoMyParadise.com " src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Santa-Paypal-Cash-APIMP-1024x1024.jpg" width="755" height="755"></font></a></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #0000ff"><font color="#4bacc6">And who do we have to thank for this amazing cash prize?</font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 27px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #0000ff"><font color="#4bacc6">Meet your phenomenal co-hosts!</font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_9755.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7054" alt="Santa Paypal Cash Giveaway CoHosts | APeekIntoMyParadise.com " src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_9755-1024x1024.jpg" width="755" height="755"></a><a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/COHOSTS2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7058" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="Santa $1000 Paypal Cash Giveaway | APeekIntoMyParadise.com" src="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/COHOSTS2-1024x1024.jpg" width="755" height="755"></a>From top left clockwise: Cathy | <a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.com/" target="_blank">A Peek Into My Paradise</a> ♥ Natasha | <a href="http://epicmommyadventures.com" target="_blank">Epic Mommy Adventures</a> ♥ Elena | <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Cropped Stories</a> ♥ Angie | <a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/" target="_blank">God's Growing Garden</a> ♥ Angie | <a href="www.jugglingactmama.com" target="_blank">Juggling Act Mama</a> ♥ Ellie | <a href="www.elliepetrov.com" target="_blank">Creative Geekery</a> ♥ Carrie | <a href="http://www.curlycraftymom.com" target="_blank">Curly Crafty Mom</a> ♥ Linda | <a href="http://www.craftsalamode.com/" target="_blank">Crafts a la Mode</a> ♥ Jillian | <a href="http://www.babydoodah.com" target="_blank">Baby Doodah</a> ♥ Barb | <a href="http://www.secondchancetodream.com" target="_blank">Second Chance to Dream</a> ♥ Laura | <a href="http://notatrophywife.com" target="_blank">Not A Trophy Wife</a> ♥ Katie | <a href="www.hecallsmegrace.com" target="_blank">He Calls Me Grace</a> ♥ Ady | <a href="www.whenindoubtjustaddglitter.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Just Add Glitter</a> ♥ Amy | <a href="Http://www.loveamybecca.co.uk" target="_blank">Love Amy Becca</a> ♥ Maria | <a href="http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com/" target="_blank">Simple Nature Decor</a> ♥ Debra | <a href="http://www.msmoozy.com/" target="_blank">MsMoozy Open House</a> ♥ Hilary | <a href="www.domesticblisssquared.com" target="_blank">Domestic Bliss Squared</a> ♥ Sofia | <a href="http://www.SomethingOnEverything.com" target="_blank">Something On Everything</a> ♥ Evelyn | <a href="http://www.myturnforus.com/" target="_blank">My Turn For Us</a> ♥ Shea | <a href="http://www.dixiechikcooks.com" target="_blank">Dixie Chik Cooks</a> ♥ Angela | <a href="http://www.shakebakeandparty.com" target="_blank">Shake Bake and Party</a> ♥ Ruthie | <a href="http://www.cookingwithruthie.com" target="_blank">Cooking With Ruthie</a> ♥ Nicole | <a href="http://nibblesbynic.com" target="_blank">Nibbles by Nic</a> ♥ Kathleen | <a href="http://www.fearleslycreativemammas.com" target="_blank">FC Mammas</a> ♥ Wanda Ann | <a href="http://memoriesbythemile.com/" target="_blank">Memories By The Mile</a> ♥ Christina | <a href="http://www.mamashighstrung.com" target="_blank">Mama's High Strung</a> ♥ Laura | <a href="http://www.piesandplots.net" target="_blank">Pies & Plots</a> ♥ Laura | <a href="http://michigansavingandmore.com/" target="_blank">Michigan Saving & More</a> ♥ Lisa | <a href="http://blogghetti.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bloghetti</a> ♥ Ashlynn | <a href="http://abeautymoment.blogspot.com" target="_blank">A Beauty Moment</a> ♥ Stephanie | <a href="http://www.year-roundgiving.com" target="_blank">Year-Round Giving</a> ♥ <span style="color: #000000">Barb | <a href="http://barbarasbeat.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Barbara's Beat</a></span></p> <p style="text-align: center" align="left"><span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #0000ff"><font color="#4bacc6">Please be sure and thank the amazing women who helped me put together this phenomenal cash prize for you to win! </font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center" align="left"><span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #0000ff"><font color="#4bacc6">These fantastic bloggers are truly wonderful and there is an amazing assortment of blog types represented. From personal to family blogs, fashion to having fun in the kitchen, there is a blogger for everyone to love!</font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 24px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #0000ff"><font color="#4bacc6">And a huge thank you to our sponsors! </font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center">Lisa | <a href="http://www.chronicallycontent.com" target="_blank">Chronically Content</a> ♥ Emily | <a href="http://nap-timecreations.com/" target="_blank">Naptime Creations</a> ♥ Amy | <a href="http://www.oneartsymama.com" target="_blank">One Artsy-Mama</a> ♥ Kat | <a href="http://www.iwantcrazyblog.com" target="_blank">I Want CrazyBlog</a> ♥ Jodi |<a href="http://thenoiseofboys.com" target="_blank"> The Noise of Boys</a> ♥ Jaime | <a href="http://www.couponsandfreebiesmom.com/" target="_blank">Coupons and Freebies Mom</a> ♥ David | <a href="http://davidsdiy.com/" target="_blank">David's DIY</a> ♥ Joy | <a href="http://yesterfood.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Yesterfoods</a> ♥ April | <a href="www.housebyhoff.com" target="_blank">House by Hoff</a> ♥ Becky | <a href="http://thisishappinessblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">This Is Happiness</a> ♥ Mindy | <a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com" target="_blank">Creative Juice</a> ♥ Shannah | <a href="http://www.justusfourblog.com" target="_blank">Just Us Four</a> ♥ Anyonita | <a href="Www://Anyonita-nibbles.co.uk" target="_blank">Anyonita Nibbles</a> ♥ Sarah | <a href="http://www.savingssarah.com" target="_blank">Earning and Saving with Sarah</a> ♥ Jaren | <a href="www.diaryofarecipecollector.com" target="_blank">Diary of a Recipe Collector</a> ♥ Lisa | <a href="http://www.condoblues.com" target="_blank">Condo Blues</a> ♥ Melissa | <a href="http://deliciouslysavvy.com" target="_blank">Deliciously Savvy</a> ♥ Nancy Jo | <a href="http://www.acookiebeforedinner.com/" target="_blank">A Cookie Before Dinner</a> ♥</p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 26px"><em><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484">Now, what are you waiting for? </font></span></em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484">Go enter and then cross your fingers, </font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 20px; font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484">toes and anything else you can think of to win $500!</font></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 28px"><em><span style="font-family: 'Cherry Cream Soda', sans-serif; color: #ff0000"><font color="#dd8484">Tell us.....What will Santa put under your Christmas tree if you win?</font></span></em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><a id="rc-36bc51bd36" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/36bc51bd36/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script></p> <address><em>Giveaway is open worldwide to participants with a verified PayPal account. </em><em>All entries will be verified. In the event an entry can not be verified participant chooses to forfeit that entry and another winner will be chosen. </em><strong><em>Winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email.</em></strong></address> <address>Giveaway will run from October 31st, 12 AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time to November 21st, 12 AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time. <em>Any taxes or fees associated with the winnings of this contest are the sole responsibility of the winner according to their county, state and/or country laws.</em></address> <address><em>CASH prize is in US Dollars and will not be converted to any foreign currency. </em><em>Void where prohibited by law.</em></address> <address> </address> <address> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:2b6df693-f622-4f76-8c12-77915f9293bd" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/giveaway" rel="tag">giveaway</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/santa+%241000+giveaway" rel="tag">santa $1000 giveaway</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/a+peek+into+my+paradise" rel="tag">a peek into my paradise</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/co-host" rel="tag">co-host</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/cohost" rel="tag">cohost</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blogger+opportunity" rel="tag">blogger opportunity</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/rafflecopter" rel="tag">rafflecopter</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/christmas+giveaway" rel="tag">christmas giveaway</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/xmas+giveaway" rel="tag">xmas giveaway</a></div></address> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-55726055468487024682014-10-08T09:55:00.001-04:002014-10-08T09:55:54.194-04:00My new beauty blog, Belle or Bust, is up and running!<p>Hey there! I’m excited to announce my beauty blog, <a href="http://www.belleorbust.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Belle or Bust</strong></a>, is finally up and running. As of now, I only have one post published, and my <strong><a href="http://www.belleorbust.com/?page_id=10" target="_blank">ABOUT</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.belleorbust.com/?page_id=342" target="_blank">CONTACT ME</a></strong> page completed but, hey, it’s up right?! And on Wordpress nonetheless! Yep, I <strike>learned</strike> am learning Wordpress. So far, I’m pretty impressed! Of course, my beauty blog will be a work in progress as I continue to make design tweaks, layout adjustments, add plug-ins, and optimize it for search engines! </p> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">Belle or Bust: My new beauty blog!</font></h1> <center><a title="Belle or Bust beauty blog announcement on Cropped Stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/15471139761"><img alt="Belle or Bust beauty blog announcement on Cropped Stories" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15471139761_ea8e1d9825_o.jpg" width="850" height="567"></a></center> <center><a title="Screenshot of my beauty blog Belle or Bust via Cropped Stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/15291340310"><img alt="Screenshot of my beauty blog Belle or Bust via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15291340310_d029f91f59_o.jpg" width="850" height="446"></a></center> <p>In the meantime, if you are interested in an <strong><a href="http://www.belleorbust.com/?p=224" target="_blank">Easy Everyday Make-up</a></strong> look, feel free to stop by and watch my video tutorial! My tutorial includes an easy two-color eye shadow demonstration that anyone, even those with little to no experience with make-up, can achieve. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe to my channel and give my video a thumbs up! Also, for those that are interested, I intend on publishing videos once a week so don’t’ forget to mark your calendars and check out my channel on a weekly basis. </p> <p>Lastly, don’t forget to connect with me. Leave me a comment or connect with me via social media. You can find all of my social media sites in my sidebar. I look forward to your visits and enjoy!</p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:f910b56e-af34-4228-a2ea-08c65d4d98e7" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/make-up+tutorial" rel="tag">make-up tutorial</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/makeup+tutorial" rel="tag">makeup tutorial</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/makeup+education" rel="tag">makeup education</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/how-to" rel="tag">how-to</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/how+to" rel="tag">how to</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty%2fstyle" rel="tag">beauty/style</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/belleorbust" rel="tag">belleorbust</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/easy+everyday+makeup" rel="tag">easy everyday makeup</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/simple+makeup" rel="tag">simple makeup</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/natural+makeup+look" rel="tag">natural makeup look</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/stila+in+the+moment+palette" rel="tag">stila in the moment palette</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/sigma+brushes" rel="tag">sigma brushes</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/sugar+by+fresh" rel="tag">sugar by fresh</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/the+balm+mary-lou+manizer" rel="tag">the balm mary-lou manizer</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mac+foundation" rel="tag">mac foundation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mac+prep+%26+prime" rel="tag">mac prep & prime</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mac+prep+and+prime" rel="tag">mac prep and prime</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/light+boost" rel="tag">light boost</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/maybelline+mascara" rel="tag">maybelline mascara</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/nyx+lipstick+592" rel="tag">nyx lipstick 592</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/lorac+blush" rel="tag">lorac blush</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/stila+one+step+correct+primer" rel="tag">stila one step correct primer</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/oil+of+olay+moisturizer" rel="tag">oil of olay moisturizer</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty+blog+announcement" rel="tag">beauty blog announcement</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/youtube+video" rel="tag">youtube video</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-90124188910976361572014-09-17T10:58:00.001-04:002014-09-17T10:58:56.928-04:00Livi’s first day of preschool!<p>It was Livi’s first day of school on September 15th, and she did me proud! I had mixed feelings about how she was going to react with dropping her off and not being able to go in with her. Our school has a strict policy in place that requires the parent to stay in their car at drop off so a teacher can escort them into the building. I was concerned Livi would question why I was letting someone she didn’t know take her away when we’ve been teaching her not to go with strangers since she was in utero. Okay, maybe not for that long, but close. Being that Livi was chosen off a wait list at the last minute, we missed the open house where we would have had the opportunity to meet the faculty and staff. With that said, I set up a meeting with her teacher so Livi and I could meet her in advance. Not only did this make Livi and I feel more comfortable about the first day of school, but her teacher was no longer a stranger.</p> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL: WHAT SHE WORE</font></h1> <center><a title="LIVI-1ST-DAY-OF-PRESCHOOL-VIA-CROPPED-STORIES" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/15074743037"><img alt="LIVI-1ST-DAY-OF-PRESCHOOL-VIA-CROPPED-STORIES" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/15074743037_3454d259c8_o.jpg" width="675" height="1749"></a></center> <p align="center">Shirt and sweatshirt jacket courtesy of <a href="http://www.gymboree.com/index.jsp?ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395917465&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374303003787&bmUID=kxWmL7e" target="_blank">Gymboree</a><br clear="all">Navy blue canvas cargo pants courtesy of <a href="http://www.hannaandersson.com/pdp.aspx?from=SC&pcid=27&styleid=41617&simg=41617_A91" target="_blank">Hanna Andersson</a><br clear="all">Adorable pink ballet flats with Velcro fastener courtesy of <a href="http://www.clarksusa.com/" target="_blank">Clarks</a><br clear="all">Convertible (2 sided) backpack by <a href="http://www.6pm.com/chooze-backpacks/COjWARCQ1wFaAsMc4gIDAQIL.zso" target="_blank">CHOOZE</a> courtesy of Nordstrom</p> <h2 align="center"><font size="4">PREPARING HER FOR THE FIRST DAY</font></h2> <p>Two weeks in advance, I decided to talk to Livi about how I was going to be dropping her off. The conversation went something like this:</p> <p>Me: “Are you excited for school to start?”</p> <p>Livi: “Yeah, I can’t wait!”</p> <p>Me: “You are going to have so much fun playing, learning, going outside, and meeting a lot of kids!”</p> <p>Livi: “Can I paint?”</p> <p>Me: “I’m sure you’ll be able to paint, but you’ll have to listen to the teacher so she can tell you when.”</p> <p>Livi: “Okay, I’ll ask her, acause (she doesn’t pronounce the ‘b’) I really want to paint mommy!”</p> <p>Me: “I know baby, you’ll have your chance.”</p> <p>Me: “You know mommy is going to drive you to school everyday and your teacher will come to our car and take you in the school.” Excitedly, I ask “What do you think about that?” “Won’t that be fun, going into the school like a big girl?”</p> <p>Livi: “Oh yeah mommy, but will you stay with me in the car until the teacher comes?”</p> <p>With this being her only concern, I answered both excited and relieved with an over dramatic “Of course; what are you crazy girl?” hoping to get a smile. Instead, she replied with an over dramatic laugh and the rest is really history!</p> <p>I went on to say that I’d help her out of her car seat, put on her backpack, and send her off with one of the biggest kisses in history. And that’s exactly what I did! Of course, when the day arrived to drop her off, Livi’s excitement could barely be contained. It was so refreshing! When it was her turn for the teacher to take her into the school, Livi couldn’t get out of the car quick enough. She nearly spilled out onto the pavement! The teacher and I shared a chuckle. Before she started towards the school, I heard Livi tell her teacher in great detail about the schoolbooks and pencils on her new shirt. Livi was so happy to be there that I even had to remind her for a kiss. She turned around, came running back towards me, and planted a big one on my lips. “Bye baby” I said with an accompanying wave and off she went. </p> <p>Of course, I cried in my car. However, instead of sad tears I had envisioned shedding, I was pleasantly surprised to find they were happy tears. I was glad my mom was there to share the moment with me although sad that my husband had to miss it. It was bittersweet! I couldn’t believe that all the worrying I did months in advance just waiting for this moment to arrive was for nothing. I’m even happy to report, I didn’t wait in the parking lot to count the seconds she would be back in my care. I was so grateful for the pleasant turn of events and will forever remember my baby’s first day of school!</p> <p>My girl did her momma proud! I don’t know how I got so lucky to be blessed with such an amazing child! </p> <p><strong><em>How did your child/children do on their first day without you? I’d love to hear! Feel free to leave me a comment!</em></strong></p> <p> <hr> <p><font size="3">If you missed my previous post, <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/09/interested-in-make-up-tutorial.html#.VBi_Pmd0wdU" target="_blank">Interested in a make-up tutorial</a></strong>, feel free to take a gander! I’ve been thinking of starting a beauty blog or YouTube channel and would love to know if you have interest in this topic. Also, if you have a second, go ahead and vote on my poll (right under my blog header in the sidebar). I look forward to viewing the results!</font></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:13e8d545-338d-443e-b6eb-d9cf6701bb4a" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/parenting" rel="tag">parenting</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/school" rel="tag">school</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/preschool" rel="tag">preschool</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/pre-k" rel="tag">pre-k</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/motherhood" rel="tag">motherhood</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/school+age+child" rel="tag">school age child</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/toddler" rel="tag">toddler</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/toddler+photography" rel="tag">toddler photography</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hanna+andersson" rel="tag">hanna andersson</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/chooze" rel="tag">chooze</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/nordstrom" rel="tag">nordstrom</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/gymboree" rel="tag">gymboree</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/clarks" rel="tag">clarks</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ballet+flats" rel="tag">ballet flats</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/canvas+cargo+pants" rel="tag">canvas cargo pants</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/sweatshirt" rel="tag">sweatshirt</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/what+she+wore" rel="tag">what she wore</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-31548627619459079082014-09-12T16:27:00.001-04:002014-09-12T16:27:29.219-04:00Interested in a make-up tutorial?<p>If you missed my previous post, <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/09/beauty-guru-or-bust.html#.VBIpO2d0wdU" target="_blank">Beauty guru or bust</a>, you’d know that I’m thinking of starting a beauty blog and YouTube channel. Before I do, however, it would be a HUGE help and greatly appreciated if you take a minute to vote on my poll (in the sidebar to the right). I’m anxious to see which topic you’d be interested in most! If you click the view button on the widget, it allows you to vote and leave comments. You can also leave me a comment here as well. In case you are torn between what you’d like to see on my new beauty blog, here are some new selfies to help you along. I had a blast with this make-up look. It was definitely Fall inspired. I used my new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Smashbox-Master-Class-Palette-III/dp/B00LKJBNHO/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1410476147&sr=8-10&keywords=smashbox+palette" target="_blank">Smashbox Master Class Palette III</a> for the very first time. And, before I let you go, <a href="http://www.sephora.com/magnificent-metals-foil-finish-eye-shadow-P382314?skuId=1538529" target="_blank">Stila beauty products</a> seriously rock! Just sayin’.</p> <a name='more'></a> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>INTERESTED IN A MAKE-UP TUTORIAL?</strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">You gals be the judge, do you think I have what it takes to educate the blog-o-sphere on the basics of make-up?</font></p> <center><a title="Purple silver and berry makeup for fall via cropped stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/15211680285"><img alt="Purple silver and berry makeup for fall via cropped stories" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3882/15211680285_23d7a7a221_o.jpg" width="550" height="546"></a></center> <p align="center">Oh, and before I forget, does anyone know how to take full length selfie? </p> <p align="center">Are people using cameras on tripods? </p> <p align="center">Using full length mirrors? </p> <p align="center">What’s the secret? </p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:3489a0e2-1f0b-497a-8d79-6ea1c028be1a" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/makeup" rel="tag">makeup</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/make-up+tutorial" rel="tag">make-up tutorial</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty+blog" rel="tag">beauty blog</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/stila" rel="tag">stila</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/smashbox" rel="tag">smashbox</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/master+class+palette+III" rel="tag">master class palette III</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty+guru" rel="tag">beauty guru</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/vote" rel="tag">vote</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/pollcode" rel="tag">pollcode</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/poll" rel="tag">poll</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/cosmetics" rel="tag">cosmetics</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/make-up+lessons" rel="tag">make-up lessons</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/make-up+education" rel="tag">make-up education</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/makeup+education" rel="tag">makeup education</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/selfie" rel="tag">selfie</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/fall+make-up" rel="tag">fall make-up</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-14709065834696173132014-09-10T20:25:00.001-04:002014-09-11T09:50:52.033-04:00Beauty guru or bust!<p>I’ve been obsessed lately with beauty gurus, both vloggers and bloggers. After much thought, I have decided to start a new beauty blog and/or YouTube channel. With Alivia starting school this Fall, I’ll have an entire hour and a half each day all to myself. I say that sarcastically since an hour and half isn’t even enough time for me to catch my breath never mind fulfill a life long passion of mine: MAKE-UP! And although it may not work out or fit in with our day-to-day activities and schedule, I’m still going to take the plunge and try! </p> <center><strong><font size="5">BEAUTY GURU OR BUST</font></strong></center> <center> </center> <center><a title="Makeup Tutorial Youtube videos or Beauty Blog via Cropped Stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/15015846698"><img alt="Makeup Tutorial Youtube videos or Beauty Blog via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3924/15015846698_48accb0c12_o.jpg" width="850" height="629"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="1">Go easy on me, I’m still trying to perfect my selfie skills. It’s not easy taking pictures of yourself without a little bit of face and/or body distortion.</font></p> <p><font size="4">With that said, I’d love to know what my readers would be interested in. Topics you’d like to see me post about, videos you’d like to watch, things you’d like to learn etc. </font></p> <p>For those of you interested, I have every intention of keeping my primary blog, Cropped Stories, up and running. Of course, since my leave of absence, I’m sure you’ve noticed quite a BIG change in the frequency of posts being published. I went from publishing 2-3 posts a week to 1 every couple of months. </p> <p>So, how do I intend to maintain two blogs when I can barely maintain one? <em>Lots of praying!</em> Praying for more hours in the day, ten more fingers to type with, Alivia to take naps, and a seemingly quick knowledge of video editing software. I just want to know how to add music to my videos already!</p> <p>Anyhow, your participation in my poll would be helpful and much appreciated. You can also feel free to leave me a comment or email me at:</p> <p align="center"><font size="3"><strong>croppedstories[at]gmail[dot]com</strong></font> </p> <center> <form method="post" action="http://poll.pollcode.com/23272449"> <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" width="407" bgcolor="#000000" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><font color="#ffffff" size="2" face="Georgia"><b>I'm thinking of starting a beauty blog or YouTube channel. I'd love to know which topic would interest you most.</b></font></td></tr> <tr> <td align="center"><font color="#ffffff" size="2" face="Georgia"><select name="answer"><option selected value=""></option><option value="1">1. Make-up tutorials/hauls</option><option value="2">2. Beauty product reviews</option><option value="3">3. Beauty product recommendations</option><option value="4">4. Fashion, accessories, and selfies</option></select></font> <tr> <td align="center"><input type="submit" value=" Vote "> <input type="submit" value=" View " name="view"></td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" align="right"><font color="#ffffff" size="1" face="Georgia">pollcode.com <a href="http://pollcode.com/"><font color="#ffffff" size="1" face="Georgia">free polls</font></a> </font></td></tr></tbody></table></form></center> <p>If you missed my previous post, <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/09/blogging-8-ugly-truths.html#.VBDWGmd0wdU" target="_blank">Blogging: 8 Ugly Truths</a>, feel free to catch up! Also, feel free to pass this along to others you think would be interested in voting! Have a great week!</p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:3595fb8b-4ff6-4695-9ac5-c1b9a9579d70" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty+blog" rel="tag">beauty blog</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/youtube" rel="tag">youtube</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/makeup" rel="tag">makeup</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/make-up+tutorial" rel="tag">make-up tutorial</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/selfie" rel="tag">selfie</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/poll" rel="tag">poll</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/pollcode" rel="tag">pollcode</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty+product+recommendations" rel="tag">beauty product recommendations</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty+product+reviews" rel="tag">beauty product reviews</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/fashion" rel="tag">fashion</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/accessories" rel="tag">accessories</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/vlogger" rel="tag">vlogger</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beauty+guru" rel="tag">beauty guru</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/vote" rel="tag">vote</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/fall+make-up" rel="tag">fall make-up</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-43093079416215210262014-09-07T10:00:00.001-04:002014-09-07T10:00:51.417-04:00Blogging: 8 Ugly Truths<p>Whether you are blogging as a hobby or do it full time as work, I’m certain you are all too familiar with the responsibilities that go along with it. And while the benefits may outweigh the disadvantages, there are still some ugly truths to blogging. Why write a post on it though? Well, because I was never big on denial. And as a veteran in the blog-o-sphere, I felt responsible to let all the newbies out there know the truth, or should I say “truths”! Yeah, they may be ugly, but you’ll find them helpful as well. And that’s what this post is really about: educating and helping you!</p> <a name='more'></a> <p>So, what do you say we get right down to business?</p> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">BLOGGING: 8 UGLY TRUTHS</font></h1> <p align="center"> <center><a title="Blogging - 8 Ugly Truths via Cropped Stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/14979814539"><img alt="Blogging - 8 Ugly Truths via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5584/14979814539_526a986466_o.jpg" width="450" height="450"></a></center> <p><strong><font size="4">1.</font> <u>CONTENT DOESN’T ALWAYS COME EASY<br clear="all"></u></strong></p>Realistically, fresh and unique content appeals to readers most so you may feel pressured when you’re unable to deliver. Let’s face it, for those of us blogging on a daily basis interesting topics can be difficult to come by. I think it’s common for dedicated bloggers to stay up many of nights racking their brains to come up with something, anything to write about. There have been numerous times I was desperate for content. <p>I would not, however, recommend posting for the sake of posting. Remember, quality is far more important than quantity. No content is always better than uninteresting content. Keep in mind your readers frequent your site for a reason. It’s because they like your content and count on you to continue publishing material that will keep them coming back for more!</p> <p><strong><font size="4">2.</font> <u>THE STOLEN IDEA<br clear="all"></u></strong>Although I haven’t had it happen often, only once in the past 3 years, doesn’t mean it can’t happen more frequently. I’d like to think I didn’t luck out in having it happen the one time, and that people are genuinely honest and capable of coming up with their own ideas but, unfortunately, it’s not always the case. </p> <p>Of course, this doesn’t mean that all ideas are necessarily stolen. For example, you publish a post on <em>10 Fall Fashion Finds</em> and 2 days later you see a similar post published on another website. Before you start pointing fingers, remember there is a little thing called coincidence. Remember the blog-o-sphere is GIGANTIC so having similar content published in the same week, even on the same day, across different blog sites is not uncommon. </p> <p><strong><font size="4">3.</font> <u>UNPLEASANT COMMENTRY<br clear="all"></u></strong>You can expect to receive a disparaging comment at least once in your blogging career. When I received my first displeasing comment, in addition to being shocked, hurt, appalled, etc., I was more concerned with how to address it. My first instinct was to reply immediately. With my head about to explode from anger, I felt it was in my best interest (and in the best interest of my blog) to sit on it for a day and allow myself to cool off. Revisiting it when you are more likely to be thinking clearly, is the best advice I can give you. Trust me, you may feel differently about it the next day. That’s the idea.</p> <p>When possible, try to avoid being an emotional responder. Although it’s difficult, leaving your emotions out of it will allow you to address it appropriately and professionally. Try taking the high road and respond with a simple <em>thank</em> <em>you for commenting and I hope you’re having a great day.</em> Recommending you to ignore it may be a controversial suggestion, but, depending on how inappropriate the comment, may be the best thing you could do. Remember, there’s no reasoning with someone that is obviously “off their rocker” so to speak. It’s sort of like adding fuel to the fire. As a professional blogger, you have more important things to be spending your valuable time on, so fight the urge to respond and do your best to move on.</p> <p><strong><font size="4">4.</font> <u>STALKERS DO EXIST<br clear="all"></u></strong>I’ve heard more horror stories than I care to admit about stalkers. If they are persistent, which most stalkers are, leaving frequent, unrelated, and inappropriate comments on posts are all typical behaviors. And if they are stalking your website, it’s quite common for them to stalk you in other places as well. Places such as your social networks, personal email, or via other forms you may have set up as a means for people to contact you.</p> <p>And don’t think it stops there. Trust me, it rarely does. As horrific as it sounds, people have stolen personal images off websites to pass them off as their own. Personal photos of your children, family, friends, and/or of YOU! And as horrible as it sounds, this is not the worst thing they could be doing with your pictures. If I have to spell it out, here it goes: S E X O F F E N D E R S and P R E D A T O R S. I hate to make you think about it as I shudder to think about it myself, but it doesn’t do anyone good to ignore the facts. I hope, from now on, it will be in the forefront of your mind.</p> <p>Although there are ways to make it difficult for people to steal your images, it is not preventable. Even with disabling the option to download or the ability to right click and copy images, there are still ways around these measures. The screen shot is an excellent example. Anyone and everyone can take a screen shot. Additional ways to steal images would be to take a picture of your computer screen. Yep, it’s that easy.</p> <p>Protect yourself and your loved ones by choosing images you publish on your website wisely. And if there’s ever a question as to whether you should publish a certain photo, go with your gut, and don’t do it! Remember, there’s a reason why you’re questioning it even if you’re not sure why.</p> <p><strong><font size="4">5.</font> <u>NETWORKING ISN’T ALWAYS FUN<br clear="all"></u></strong>Don’t get me wrong, I love to meet new people especially with similar interests, but having to network on a daily basis can start to become tedious and time consuming. The biggest challenge a blogger may face is finding new ways to meet people which is essential if you want to continue to establish friendships and increase your following. Once you’ve exhausted the common ways to meet new people like blog hops, link parties, social media, commenting, communities, etc.; what’s a blogger to do?</p> <p><strong><font size="4">6.</font> <u>BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHIC DESIGN IS REQUIRED<br clear="all"></u></strong>I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, blogging is a shallow business. A fair amount is based on looks! If your website design is cluttered, sloppy, full of distractions, etc., I can guarantee a first time visitor will be just that. Even if they can get past the design of your blog, and they find your content interesting, your poor image quality and unappealing graphics could possibly be the deal breaker for them. Say your goodbyes now. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they’re not coming back.</p> <p>Need some help? No problem. First, you do not need to hire a professional website designer. Feel free to check out <a href="http://www.thebloghangout.com/9-things-your-blog-site-should-contain/" target="_blank"><strong>9 things your blog site should contain</strong></a> and <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-make-your-website-visually.html#.UuMUwGco4dV" target="_blank"><strong>how to make your website visually appealing</strong></a> for ideas to incorporate yourself! Not a professional photographer? No worries; a lot of us aren’t. While your images don’t have to be pieces of art, they should always be properly exposed, proportioned, and sharp. No experience with graphic design? You don’t need any. Some people hear the word graphic and think illustration. My graphics never include illustrations mainly because I’m not that great with drawing digitally. <font color="#666666">Programs like <a href="http://www.picmonkey.com/" target="_blank"><strong>PicMonkey</strong></a> allow you to enhance your images with text and imagery with a simple click of your mouse. You can also use <a href="http://www.photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Photobucket</strong></a> to find images and graphics that fit the theme of your post and avoid taking photographs altogether.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="4">7.</font> <u>THE REPLY IS ESSENTIAL<br clear="all"></u></strong>I’m going to be honest with you; responding to comments and general inquiries (like email) are necessary if you want to establish an online reputation for yourself. This may not sound so bad seeing as most bloggers are usually social anyway. But let’s imagine that instead of a handful of comments and emails you would normally receive (like in the first few months when you were just starting out) turned into hundreds? Now what? The answer is really simple. Nothing. Nothing should change. Instead of it taking 15 minutes to respond, expect it to take a few hours now. Prepare for this by setting aside an adequate amount of time every day or over the course of a few days for responding and nothing else. Yes it’s that important, especially for building new relationships and maintaining old ones.</p> <p><strong><font size="4">8.</font> <u>FOLLOWING BACK; IT’S THE POLITE THING TO DO<br clear="all"></u></strong>So, your following is increasing consistently and you can barely contain your excitement? While this truly IS amazing and a reason for any blogger to celebrate, with it also comes the added responsibility of the <em>follow</em> <em>back</em>. Similar to <em>The Reply</em>, the follow back is equally important! Not only is it the polite thing to do, but it’s a great way to establish credibility. People will be more apt to follow you via other methods if they know they can trust you to follow back. In case you were unsure, it’s a “<em>scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” </em>type of business so, I recommend returning the favor, filing your nails, and scratching back! </p> <p>And even with all this said, here I am blogging away as if these ugly truths weren’t true at all. Or maybe there just not that ugly. Either way, I hope I will always find the time in my life to blog and I hope you do too! Because regardless of the disadvantages, blogging has far more rewards! It is one of the greatest tools to express yourself, be heard, educate, inspire, learn, and, most importantly, establish some wonderful, and in some cases, lifelong friendships! And isn’t that what’s it all about?</p> <p><font color="#4bacc6" size="3"><strong><em>I’d love to hear some of the challenges you’re currently facing as a blogger. Maybe you have an ugly truth to add to my list? Feel free to drop me a comment or email me at:</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3"><strong>croppedstories[at]gmail[dot]com</strong></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">If you missed some of my previous posts, feel free to check out some of my favorites including:</font></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/03/want-to-make-your-own-storyboard.html#.VAxfKGdOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">How to create a photo storyboard in Photoshop</font></a><font size="3"> (a video tutorial)</font></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/2012/07/youve-got-me-begging-freebie.html#.VAxf2mdOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Free travel packing list printable</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/03/skinny-people-have-feelings-too.html#.VAxcS2dOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Skinny people have feelings too!</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/11/8-hidden-blogging-mistakes.html#.VAxcyGdOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">8 hidden blogging mistakes</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/11/working-long-hours-could-cost-you-your.html#.VAxdEGdOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Working long hours could cost you your health</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/10/tips-for-coping-with-depression-while.html#.VAxdS2dOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Tips for coping with depression while exploring treatment options</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/09/establishing-writing-style-for-your-blog.html#.VAxdnWdOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Establishing a writing style for your blog</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/06/classic-pizzelles-recipe-youre-sure-to.html#.VAxeBWdOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Classic Pizzelles (a recipe you’re sure to love)!</font></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspiring-blog-headers-collection-of-my.html#.VAxedmdOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Inspiring blog headers (a collection of my favorites)!</font></a></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ed53d210-5809-4eb9-a054-7d4a2850b99b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blogging" rel="tag">blogging</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ugly+truths" rel="tag">ugly truths</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/tips+%26+tutorials" rel="tag">tips & tutorials</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/follow+back" rel="tag">follow back</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/reply" rel="tag">reply</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/photography" rel="tag">photography</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/graphic+design" rel="tag">graphic design</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/networking" rel="tag">networking</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blog+stalkers" rel="tag">blog stalkers</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/unpleasant+commentary" rel="tag">unpleasant commentary</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blog+content" rel="tag">blog content</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/stolen+blog+content" rel="tag">stolen blog content</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-41805743306123472812014-05-28T16:14:00.001-04:002014-05-28T16:14:06.711-04:00Isabella Fiore handbag for sale on ebay for just $75!<p><strong>Model: Toscana Rania Tote</strong><br clear="all"><strong>Color: Brown, camel, and black leather.</strong> <p><strong></strong> <p><strong>OUT OF STOCK or UNAVAILABLE (almost everywhere)</strong> <p>Authentic Isabella Fiore woven leather handbag with gorgeous brass hardware boasts incredible and intricate details <em><font size="3">(retails for $595.00)</font></em>. This handbag includes a generous sized outer pocket on the front and an additional generously sized zip pocket on the back. The shoulder handles are made of braided leather and the handbag open and closes with a magnetic closure. Inside, you will not be disappointed with the size. The inside also contains one large zip closure and 2 pockets including one for your cell phone. Still filled with original packing paper and an Isabella Fiore storage bag to keep your purchase safe and looking fabulous for years to come! The dimensions are: 16 inches across, 10 inches in height (from bottom of handbag to closure), 7 inches in depth, and the handle drop is 9 inches. <br clear="all"></p> <a name='more'></a> <p> <h1 align="center"><strong><font size="5" face="Cambria">ISABELLA FIORE HANDBAG FOR SALE ON eBAY!</font></strong><br clear="all"></h1> <center><a title="Isabella Fiore Handbag for sale on ebay via Cropped Stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/14106362897"><img alt="Isabella Fiore Handbag for sale on ebay via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/14106362897_05fd08f5da_o.jpg" width="900" height="1034"></a></center> <p align="center"><strong><font size="4" face="Arial">INTERESTED IN BIDDING ON IT?</font></strong> <font size="4"><strong><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=291156953205" target="_blank">Visit the ebay listing here!</a></strong></font> <font size="4" face="Arial"><strong>SHIPS FREE!</strong></font> <p><strong><font size="4">A little more on <a href="http://www.isabellafiore.com/pages/about" target="_blank">Isabella Fiore</a> (straight from their website)…</font></strong> <blockquote> <p>The inspiration behind Isabella Fiore, whose name means “beautiful flower” in Italian, stemmed from a rebellious spirit with bohemian roots. Almost immediately after debuting, the brand received overnight success. In 2001, the designers were nominated for the CDFA Perry Ellis Award for Excellence as well as the Designer of the Year Award from the Accessories Council in the same year. </p></blockquote> <blockquote> <p>Isabella Fiore was the first of its kind to create a contemporary handbag niche within the marketplace. For the first time, consumers were able to purchase a designer handbag at an affordable price; a revolution that still exists today. Gracing the pages of publications such as Instyle, People StyleWatch, Lucky, Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue and Elle, Isabella Fiore established itself as one of the most successful contemporary handbag brands on the market early on and has only advanced on this notion over the years.</p></blockquote> <blockquote> <p>Isabella Fiore continues to be a favorite among celebrity fashion icons such as Miranda Kerr, Jessica Szor, Katherine Heigl, Kate Bosworth, Katie Holmes, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Garner and Kate Hudson, whom the designs have been spotted on. </p></blockquote> <p><font color="#ff0000" size="4"><em>Don’t miss this opportunity, bid now!</em></font></p> <p>Happy Wednesday, and I hope you are having a lovely week!</p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:0788cfa0-6a05-4d44-9db2-62eb9621f798" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/retail" rel="tag">retail</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/sell" rel="tag">sell</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ebay" rel="tag">ebay</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/isabella+fiore" rel="tag">isabella fiore</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/handbags" rel="tag">handbags</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/for+sale" rel="tag">for sale</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/italian" rel="tag">italian</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/italy" rel="tag">italy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/accessories" rel="tag">accessories</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/fashion" rel="tag">fashion</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/bid" rel="tag">bid</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/buy" rel="tag">buy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/purchase" rel="tag">purchase</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/free+shipping" rel="tag">free shipping</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/consumer+information" rel="tag">consumer information</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/leather" rel="tag">leather</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/shoulder+bag" rel="tag">shoulder bag</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-75498457060136737462014-05-19T14:16:00.001-04:002014-05-19T14:16:48.785-04:00A birdie’s nest outside my slider<p>About a week ago, my mom and Alivia found a bird’s nest on the tree planted outside my slider. I’d been seeing this particular bird a lot, and it never dawned on me that I may have been housing a family of baby birds and a very protective mommy. Not really surprising. I’ve been oblivious to the simple “right under my nose” things lately with more complicated things consuming my mind these days. It’s true, that saying:</p> <p>“If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” <em>- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off</em></p> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">A BIRD’S NEST OUTSIDE MY SLIDER</font></h1> <p>I try to remind myself to do this, stop and look around, but it’s always been difficult for me to follow through. As the years go by, I’m happy to report I’ve been able to get better at it! In fact, it may be the reason I haven’t taken my camera out a whole lot. A lot of times I feel like I’m missing out on the wonderful things that life has to offer when I’m standing behind my lens instead of being interactive and really taking it all in with the people I love. Don’t get me wrong, photography will always be a love of mine and I’ll never put it down permanently, but taking a break has been a refreshing change.</p> <p>And now for a little birdie quote I thought fit nicely with my images…</p> <blockquote> <p><font color="#a5a5a5" size="4" face="Arial"><strong>A bird sitting on a tree is not afraid of the branch breaking because his trust is not in the branch but on it’s wings. So believe in yourself, and win the world!</strong></font></p> <p><em><font color="#a5a5a5" size="4" face="Cambria"><strong>- author unknown</strong></font></em></p></blockquote> <center><a title="Birdie's Nest outside my slider via Cropped Stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/14200478816"><img alt="Birdie's Nest outside my slider via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5154/14200478816_fa741fc14f_o.jpg" width="900" height="1827"></a></center> <p><font size="3">Wishes to everyone for a happy Monday and wonderful week! If you missed my previous post, feel free to catch up!</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/04/intermittent-exotropia-update-time-for.html#.U3pIB2dOUdU" target="_blank"><font size="3">Intermittent Exotropia Update – Time for Glasses</font></a></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:37988e79-76e1-46f6-a02a-944d0ff72caa" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/bird's+nest" rel="tag">bird's nest</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/mama+bird" rel="tag">mama bird</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ferris+bueller" rel="tag">ferris bueller</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/quote" rel="tag">quote</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/animal+photography" rel="tag">animal photography</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/natural+light+photography" rel="tag">natural light photography</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/baby+bird" rel="tag">baby bird</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/new+life" rel="tag">new life</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/nature+photography" rel="tag">nature photography</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-8639970811266751932014-04-01T17:18:00.001-04:002014-04-01T17:19:58.410-04:00Intermittent Exotropia Update – Time for Glasses<p>I haven’t done an update on Alivia’s Intermittent Exotropia for quite some time, so I thought I’d share the latest with all of you today. <p>Since I was sick, my husband took her to the last Ophthalmologist appointment. Before I go into what she said, let me catch you up with what’s been going on. As a reminder, you can read all my <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/intermittent-exotropia.html#.UWwKwL8obww/" target="_blank"><strong>Intermittent Exotropia posts here</strong></a> to catch up. <p>I’d been patching Alivia’s eye for two hours a night and keeping a close watch on her deviation. For months, the hubby and I didn't see it deviate much, so we decided to discontinue the eye exercises. She was doing good for awhile. Then, out of the blue, we started seeing it again. Mostly when she was in her car seat, looking out the front of the car through the windshield to the outside. At those times, we’d ask her to bring her eye in. Over time, she became a pro at bringing her eye in demonstrating impressive control over it which made us very happy. Happy for us and her! </p> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">TIME FOR GLASSES</font></h1> <center><a title="Intermittent Exotropia Update via Cropped Stories by croppedstories, on Flickr" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/13457356055"><img alt="Intermittent Exotropia Update via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/13457356055_f2398a8f12_o.jpg" width="999" height="903"></a></center> <p>Since the deviation was becoming more frequent, we decided to start the eye exercises again. Especially the exercise that tested her vision. For this exercise, we would use stickers of the alphabet and put them on a chair at different distances away from her while she covered each eye individually. While she could see very well with one eye, the deviated one was seeing alarmingly worse. The most frightening for us was when we sat her on the couch across from our 50 something inch TV, and she couldn’t tell us what was on the screen even when we froze the frame. After awhile, she broke down in tears. When we asked her what was wrong, she said she couldn’t see. She seemed frustrated and scared. I wanted to wrap her in my arms for an eternity to soothe her and that’s just what we did. The hubby and I decided it was enough with the exercises for that night. Since the vision in her deviated eye didn’t correct itself as we were told it could but instead got increasingly worse, we decided to call the doctor the next day. At this point, we were prepared to set up eye muscle surgery assuming there were no other treatment options. <p>At her most recent Ophthalmologist appointment, they administered eye drops and gave her an eye exam. The eye drops, in case you are unfamiliar with them, are to dilate the pupils to evaluate the internal ocular structures. <p>Since she did worse on her eye exam as we expected she would, the doctor recommended glasses. The suggestion for glasses were a surprise but, being that Alivia had an astigmatism, the doctor felt it best to correct it. The idea, or hope, was to correct her vision making it less likely that her eye would deviate. Seeing better may have been the incentive Alivia needed to make her want to use both eyes equally. Since her doctor wanted to exhaust all other treatments before resorting to surgery, especially on someone so young, we went along with it and purchased her glasses within a week. We also threw in a pair of prescription sunglasses as she has always been sensitive to light. In the meantime, we have check ups set up every three months to make sure her vision isn’t getting worse. If it gets worse, eye muscle surgery will have to be our next move. It will be, unfortunately, our last treatment option. <p>In the meantime, Alivia loves her glasses and, quite frankly, they love her! Just when I thought it wasn’t possible, she had become ten times cuter! I taught her how to put them on and take them off correctly using both hands. I also taught her how to store and clean them. It really wasn’t surprising watching her care for them so well. Every so often, she likes to take them off and give her nose a break (just like her mama). Although I have to remind her to put them back on sometimes, she has been great at doing it! No persuading; no bribery; no coaxing! She is such a great kid, and every day she continues to show us, at only 3 1/2, how responsible, smart, and grown up she is! It’s amazing, and we are super proud of her! <p><font size="3">If you missed my previous post, <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/03/skinny-people-have-feelings-too.html#.UzsrTmdOUdU" target="_blank">Skinny people have feelings too</a></strong>, feel free to check it out! I’ve received nothing but great feedback on it. Thanks to everyone that shared their personal experiences with me. You all made me feel much better at what has been a huge frustration of mine since I was a kid. You made me realize that I’m not alone and that writing about it was the right thing to do!</font></p> <p><font size="3">Hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday!</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ae970e45-b3df-4e47-a374-cc3eb599b75d" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/strabismus" rel="tag">strabismus</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/amblyopia" rel="tag">amblyopia</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/intermittent+exotropia" rel="tag">intermittent exotropia</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/family" rel="tag">family</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/eye+condition" rel="tag">eye condition</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/eye+deviation" rel="tag">eye deviation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/eye+goes+out" rel="tag">eye goes out</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/eye+exercises" rel="tag">eye exercises</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/eye+muscle+surgery" rel="tag">eye muscle surgery</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/eyeglasses" rel="tag">eyeglasses</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/astigmatism" rel="tag">astigmatism</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-11581347429112439242014-03-27T11:29:00.001-04:002015-01-11T14:25:00.659-05:00Skinny people have feelings too!<p>To those who think they can make remarks about a skinny person’s weight without hurting their feelings, let me assure you it’s not true. <p>I’ve had women, on occasion, make remarks about my weight. Most remarks are about how I could stand to put on a few pounds and others have been in response to my own thoughts of wanting to eat better and exercise. In addition to being hurt, I was shocked to realize how narrow minded and ignorant these women must be. It’s as if they can’t fathom the idea of a skinny person having cellulite or loose skin? It makes me feel like I have to convince them I am not anorexic or have distorted thoughts about my body image. In fact, I’m very realistic in relevance to my own appearance. I’ve never had an eating disorder and never thought I was overweight when I wasn’t. <strong>In fact, at this very moment, I am too skinny.</strong> And this is not my first time. I’ve been underweight a handful of times throughout my life due to illness. My weight has always fluctuated between 90 - 98 lbs. To put things in perspective, I am only 4’11 and 3/4. Occasionally, maybe twice, it’s been below 90 and above 100 lbs. Right now I’m only 88 lbs., and I’m trying my hardest to pack on the weight. I feel healthiest anywhere between 95-97 lbs. With that said, I have a lot of work ahead of me.</p> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">SKINNY PEOPLE HAVE FEELINGS TOO</font></h1> <center><a title="Skinny people have feelings too via Cropped Stories" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/16068902030"><img alt="Skinny people have feelings too via Cropped Stories" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7486/16068902030_c220e4116b_o.jpg" width="802" height="677"></a></center> <p><strong><font face="Arial Black">IT TAKES HARD WORK AND EFFORT TO GAIN WEIGHT</font></strong> <p>I hate to assume, but I’d have to be pretty naive to think there aren’t people out there that are probably thinking something along the lines of “woe is me” or “cry me a river” at what I’ve chosen to title this paragraph as if it weren’t true. Let me remind you, this isn’t a competition. Sure, I don’t know how difficult it is to have to lose weight, but I’d never compare the two, and I most certainly wouldn’t discount anyone’s feelings. I empathize with both the underweight and overweight equally. <p>So, here it goes. I wake up every day and have to fight with myself to eat. Not only am I not hungry, but most foods, the thought of them and the actual consumption of them, make me nauseous. This is also true for liquids. Drinking is just as difficult for me as it is to eat food. In fact, most drinks, even water, make me either nauseous as well or, worse, give me stomach aches that have me hightailing it to the nearest bathroom. Not a pretty sight, but I can’t paint you a partial picture and expect you to understand. And just when I’m done consuming one meal, It takes at least a couple of hours to talk myself into being hungry, or in the mood, for the next meal. My portions are usually very small and don’t consist of a wide variety of foods. To ensure I am getting the nutrients essential to keep me healthy, I’ve been relying on my multivitamin. It’s a constant battle. And even with my consistent effort, the weight continues to take it’s time showing up on the scale. I can’t understand for the life of me that even when I know I’ve been eating better than the previous month that, instead of gaining, I lost additional weight. I’m dumbfounded and impatient. Then before I know it, I’m frustrated, hopeless, angry, and depressed. What’s worse is that my future is predictable. I’ll wake up tomorrow and have to do it again. From experience, I know it will take, at the very least, months to get back to my target weight. <p>Now, does this sound easy to you? Fun? Effortless? <p><strong><font face="Arial Black">BEING SKINNY DOESN’T EQUAL HAPPINESS</font></strong> <p>I feel like a lot of people think they can make remarks about a skinny person’s weight because they think a skinny person is automatically happy. It’s as if a skinny person wanting to exercise is immediately translated into “I need to exercise to <em>lose</em> weight.” Like I mentioned in my previous paragraph, that’s not the reason I want to exercise. Most of the time, it’s to feel healthy, energetic, build muscle, and to tone the areas that tend to carry more weight than the rest of my body. Even when you are skinny, parts of your body carry more weight than others. Examples of these body parts include your glutes (particularly the lower part of the gluteus muscles that merge into the back of the upper thigh), the back of the upper arm, otherwise known as your triceps, the lower belly, and the sides of the upper thighs. I think now is a good time to recap some of the benefits of exercising. Benefits other than to lose weight may include: <p>1. maintaining your weight,<br clear="all"><strong>2. building muscle (which is essentially weight),<br clear="all"></strong>3. increasing your energy,<br clear="all">4. toning up,<br clear="all">5. strengthening your heart with cardio,<br clear="all">6. enhancing flexibility,<br clear="all">7. reducing stress, and<br clear="all">8. improving quality of life. <p><strong><font face="Arial Black">AND WHAT’S WITH THE DOUBLE STANDARDS?</font></strong> <p>More importantly, can we rise above them? So society says it’s socially acceptable to be skinny. In fact, skinny usually equates to beautiful. Just look at our current models or the ones that are competing in some of today’s most popular modeling TV series like <a href="http://www.cwtv.com/shows/americas-next-top-model/" target="_blank"><strong>America’s Next Top Model</strong></a> with Tyra Banks and <a href="http://the-face.oxygen.com/#fbid=zWQEintcZT-" target="_blank"><strong>The Face</strong></a> with Naomi Campbell. Personally, a woman can be as skinny as she wants, but I don’t think that automatically makes her beautiful. In fact, some of the girls on these shows I consider average at most. If I had the chance to have <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images+of+kate+moss&qpvt=images+of+kate+moss&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=CE585D90F2974E57E55DB1E8834FE132EDE41608&selectedIndex=537" target="_blank"><strong>Kate Moss’s</strong></a> body or <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=images+of+marilyn+monroe&qpvt=images+of+marilyn+monroe&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=BC3EE2C886AB42449476CEAD4411D08BD9C0EFB6&selectedIndex=307" target="_blank"><strong>Marilyn Monroe’s</strong></a>, I would choose, without hesitation, to sport the curves of Marilyn’s full figured frame. <p>HYPOTHETICAL CIRCUMSTANCE 1 <p>Imagine, as a skinny person myself, I made a remark to an overweight friend that she go to the gym or on a diet. Maybe, at a family gathering, I tell an obese cousin she should skip dessert or the reason she’s sweating so profusely is because she’s carrying all that extra weight and she’s out of shape. Maybe I could be so blunt as to bark at an overweight stranger on the street to move her fat ass so the rest of us can get by. CAN YOU IMAGINE? I shudder to think of the people out there that have the audacity to say things of this nature. <strong>I’ve never even used the word “fat” and there I was witnessing this abuse.</strong> Haven’t they ever heard of the saying “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.” Something tells me they have, they just don’t care! It would be easy and almost justified calling someone who insulted an overweight person a “bitch” or a “bastard." I realize, the profanity wouldn’t be necessary, but as a person witnessing it, I feel like those words would have the most impact! In fact, I’m sure most people would find that defending an overweight or obese stranger would be worthy of appraise, applause, or, at the very least, an admirable act of compassion. <p>Okay, it’s time for a 180. <p><em>ACTUAL EVENTS 1 - 3</em> <p>Based on my own experiences… <p>I walk into a store and the sales clerk asks me what size I am to assist me in finding a dress for a special occasion. I say, “zero” and the next thing I know I’m dead on the floor. Well almost. If looks could kill, I would have been. It’s not like I flaunted my size zero waist with spandex or walked in with my bikini on. In fact, I was more than happy looking for clothes on my own. She asked; all I did was answer. The rest of my shopping experience in that store was very unpleasant as the sales clerk brought armfuls of larger sized dresses to my dressing room insisting I try them on and that they would fit. Let’s just say she was a hell bent on letting me know that either I wasn’t a size zero or didn’t look like one. Like, who was I kidding? Apparently I needed to be smacked off my high horse. The one I had no idea I rode in on. I ended up walking out. <p>At a family BBQ, someone makes a remark along the lines of “good for you; you’re eating dessert!" The implications were many. One, was that I make it a habit to skip dessert. That couldn’t be further from the truth and this person was well aware of that. Two, was that I could use the fat and calories because, obviously, I was too skinny according to them. Lastly, I was afraid that the members of the family that didn’t know me well, as the remark was made publicly, might think of me as shallow and that weight was the only thing on my mind. This made my blood boil. Even if this remark was made from genuine concern and not intended to be hurtful, it still implies that the person thinks I’m too skinny. <strong>Have they ever considered I may be thinking the very same thing about myself? Or did I confuse them when I didn’t sit in the corner of the yard all antisocial acting sad and depressed like I hated myself? </strong>Do I need to do that for them to believe I do have issues with my body image? I shouldn’t have to prove anything to anyone. Nobody should. <p>I make mention to an acquaintance that I’m going to start exercising. Before I can even get the entire word “exercising” out of my mouth, she immediately pipes up and responds with “What do you want to do; waste away to nothing?” and “You don’t need to exercise!” My first thought was “why not just call me a bag of bones”? Did I mention I’m not a big fan of people who assume they know why a person chooses to exercise. And to voice her opinion with such certainty that she knew what was better for me <font style="background-color: #ffff00"></font>than <font style="background-color: #ffff00"></font>ME was not only inappropriate, but none of her business. <strong>What’s she’s done here is disguised an insult with what someone may mistake for genuine concern. It almost makes the person that has been insulted questioning the insulter’s motives. If I snapped back and defended myself, I could easily risk looking like a bitch, and if I didn’t do anything at all, I risk earning the reputation of a doormat. It’s a no win situation. </strong> <p>When an overweight person makes a hurtful remark to a skinny person, I feel like it’s tolerated by society and the person at the receiving end more than when a skinny person makes a hurtful remark to an overweight person. Society continues to make it worse for the skinny and malnourished. They’ve made it easy for people, most of which are women, to be angry with us by consistently introducing unrealistic standards of beauty. They’ve also taken our freedom to defend ourselves without being stereotyped as a bitch, insensitive, and ungrateful. We must be bitches if we can’t understand how lucky we are to be skinny, even if we are malnourished and unhealthy<font style="background-color: #ffff00"></font>. And while there <em>are</em> bitches out there let’s remember they are not all skinny. Bitches come in every race, color, and weight class. As long as society keeps putting us up on pedestals, it’s human nature for the ones that aren’t on those pedestals to want to tear us down. What the ones that sit below these non existent pedestals refuse to see is that we didn’t put ourselves up there. I can’t speak for all skinny people here, but I don’t think I belong on a pedestal. In fact, I don’t believe anyone belongs up there! I have a healthy sense of confidence, but I have to work at it constantly like now when I’m undernourished, too skinny, and unhappy with the way I look. Before you make a remark to a skinny person, I hope you've considered they may have an underlying reason for their weight such as diseases like Anorexia, Bulimia, Cancer, Depression, Anxiety, to name a few. Just because they may look healthy, are well dressed and groomed, doesn’t say anything about what they looked and felt like yesterday or what tomorrow has in store for them. Even unhealthy people have good days. <strong>Never assume a skinny person is confident. Never assume a skinny person is healthy. Never assume they’ve had an easy life. And never make hurtful remarks to anyone. </strong> <p>Sometimes what people are on the inside is completely opposite of what they choose to show the world on the outside. If you walked past me on the street, you’d see a 5 foot, 95 lb. girl. I have dark brown hair and eyes. On most days, my body is proportioned and body mass index is where it’s supposed to be. I choose clothes that flatter my figure. I enjoy putting makeup on and having my hair colored. I like the occasional manicure and pedicure. If someone I knew were to describe me, she or he would probably say I was cute, beautiful, pretty, ethnic, or petite. And while most days I have a healthy sense of confidence, there are those times, like now at 88 lbs., that I feel ugly, malnourished, bony, unmotivated, tired, hopeless, and depressed. I just hide it well. <p>So I’m skinny; GET OVER IT, 'cause I’m sure trying to. </p> <p><font size="3">If you can relate or reassure me I’m not alone, please feel free to let me know. I’d love to hear about it; maybe we can help each other.</font></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:eba93bad-07c9-41fd-b9d6-8d32ba1f2ce6" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/malnourished" rel="tag">malnourished</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/health+and+wellness" rel="tag">health and wellness</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/undernourished" rel="tag">undernourished</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/thin" rel="tag">thin</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/too+skinny" rel="tag">too skinny</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/socially+acceptable" rel="tag">socially acceptable</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/society's+standards+of+beauty" rel="tag">society's standards of beauty</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/losing+weight" rel="tag">losing weight</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/gaining+weight" rel="tag">gaining weight</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/benefits+of+exercising" rel="tag">benefits of exercising</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/insult" rel="tag">insult</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/hurtful+remarks" rel="tag">hurtful remarks</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/double+standards.+pedestal" rel="tag">double standards. pedestal</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/personal+experience" rel="tag">personal experience</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/underweight" rel="tag">underweight</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/overweight" rel="tag">overweight</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Barbie" rel="tag">Barbie</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/emotional+abuse" rel="tag">emotional abuse</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-44323851644500896902014-02-03T21:18:00.001-05:002014-02-03T21:18:05.899-05:00Leave of Absence<p><font size="4"><strong><font color="#008080">Sorry for the abrupt notice but, due to personal reasons, I will be taking a leave of absence from February 3rd through May 2014.</font></strong> <em>Unfortunately<font color="#666666">, I’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue The PINcentive Blog Hop as well.</font></em></font><font color="#666666"><em> </em></font> <p><font size="4">As a precautionary measure, I intend to update my email settings to generate an automated response to all inquiries. My hopes, however, are to be able to check emails a few times a week and to remain somewhat active on social media, so feel free to stay in touch! </font> <p><font size="4">A big thanks to everyone who has been following, reading, sponsoring, and linking up with Cropped Stories! Your dedication and support has been greatly appreciated!</font> <p><font size="4">In the meantime, happy blogging, happy Valentine’s Day, and I look forward to returning in the near future!</font></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-84588378954819877782014-01-31T09:00:00.001-05:002014-01-31T09:00:47.562-05:00A funny thing happened on the way to the doctor’s<p>This post is part of a writing prompt blog hop some lovely ladies host called FTSF (Finish the Sentence Friday). If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend checking it out! This week’s prompt was to finish this sentence:</p> <p><strong>A funny thing happened on the way to…</strong></p> <p>So, here it goes:</p> <p>Well, it wasn't so much a "ha ha" type of funny, than it was a "I have to find the humor in this" funny before I rip my hair out and lose my mind! </p> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="4">A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE DOCTOR’S<br clear="all"></font></h1> <center><a title="A funny thing happened on the way to the doctors via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/12227323385/"><img alt="A funny thing happened on the way to the doctors via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/12227323385_3e8118331b_o.jpg" width="670" height="539"></a></center> <p>I had planned a month in advance to have my mother-in-law watch Alivia while I went to a much needed and overdue doctor's appointment. After dropping Alivia off and going over a checklist of items to help my mother-in-law care for her in my absence, I was off to the doctor's. Did I mention it was about an hour away? Anyhow, I jumped in my car, put my seatbelt on, and opened the navigation app. on my Droid for directions. Since my mother-in-law just moved, I was unfamiliar with the area and had no idea how to get to the nearest highway. I was having a grand ol’ time driving, admiring the scenic route, and singing at the top of my lungs to my country playlist. And in the midst of my beautiful surroundings and the vocal stylings of Little Big Town, I was blissfully unaware of the time. When I did finally glance at the clock, I realized I had been driving for over 35 minutes with not a highway or familiar landmark in sight. Or was it familiar? I turned down the radio and began to take a closer look outside. Didn’t I see that farm already? And that little corner store? Seriously; what was going on? I pulled the car over to view the line-by-line directions and zoom out on the map to see the entire route. To my horror, I found that I had been driving in circles. Big circles, but circles none the less. I could actually see the route on the map as it circled around and looped back at this one particular street. I was baffled! And now, with only 10 minutes left to get to the doctors, I began to panic. I had no idea where I was nor which town I was in. That’s not even the worst part! Like I mentioned earlier, my mother-in-law just moved and I forgot her new address. And, apparently, I never updated her contact information in my phone, so I was sort of up sh#@’s creek without a paddle. In the meantime, I had to call my doctor at the last minute, explain to them what happened, and reschedule. I can only imagine what they were thinking when I told them I’d been driving in circles! <p>To make a long story short, I finally got a hold of my husband and he gave me his mom’s address. Only the navigation was still taking me in circles! I had to drive in a completely different direction just to get myself out of that "circle of hell" on the map. Once I did, I was able to reenter the address and navigate back to my mom’s house. <p>Of course, by the time I arrived, I was frazzled! Not only frazzled, but embarrassed to tell my mother-in-law that it took me 40 minutes to realize I was driving in circles! Lucky for me she cast no judgment and even tried to console me when my eyes welled up with tears just thinking about having to make another trip to the doctor’s office and finding a babysitter for Alivia. <p>I wanted to throw my Droid out the window, but I refrained myself. Now, instead of relying solely on my phone for directions, I always take a print out of directions with me as well. <p>Looking back I can laugh about it now, at how unaware and preoccupied I was to notice the same streets, farms, and stores, I repeatedly passed. <p>I’ve heard of navigation programs taking you the wrong way, or saying your destination is on the wrong side of the road, but never about taking someone in circles. Has your navigation ever failed you, or taken you in circles? If so, I’d really love to hear about it. <center> <div align="center"><a title="Janine's Confessions of A Mommyaholic" href="http://janinehuldie.com" target="_blank"><img style="border-top-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none" alt="Janine's Confessions of A Mommyaholic" src="http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo325/zepplin305/BlogHopButton.jpg"></a></div></center> <p>If you missed my previous post, <strong><font size="3"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/id-say-i-need-vacation-if-my-kid-werent.html#.UurbLmeYYdU" target="_blank">I’d say I need a vacation if my kid weren’t such a trip</a></font></strong>, feel free to stop by and check it out. Maybe my silly poem on parenting will put a smile on your face!</p> <p>Happy Friday!</p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:ef20b591-404b-4c39-8a18-dde69956b8ea" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/FTSF" rel="tag">FTSF</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/navigation" rel="tag">navigation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/droid" rel="tag">droid</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/just+say+no" rel="tag">just say no</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/circles" rel="tag">circles</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/driving+directions" rel="tag">driving directions</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/confessions+of+a+mommyaholic" rel="tag">confessions of a mommyaholic</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/writing+prompt" rel="tag">writing prompt</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blog+hop" rel="tag">blog hop</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/finish+the+sentence+friday" rel="tag">finish the sentence friday</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-82274046185677462592014-01-28T10:53:00.001-05:002014-01-28T10:53:52.760-05:00I’d say I need a vacation if my kid weren’t such a trip<p>Being a stay-at-home mommy to a 3 year old, while rewarding, is more challenging than anything else. Luckily for me I’ve always had a lot of patience. Or at least I thought I did, until Alivia turned 3 and started to prove me wrong. And while there are days I’d like to curl up in a ball, suck my thumb, and cry myself to sleep, most days I try to see the humor in things. I try to step out of my body as if I were an outsider watching us on TV. I try to imagine the genre we’d fit it into on each particular day. For instance, one day on my way upstairs to see what Alivia was doing, I found Vaseline all over her face, neck, clothes and, yep, in her hair. It was awesome having to scurry to clean her up as we had plans to go out. Yes, I’m being facetious. On that day, I’d say we were a comedy; the two of us! See, I can be easy going. While “the episode” was rather inconvenient, who wouldn’t have laughed at the sight of their toddler all greased up with that “deer in headlights” expression on their face while mommy repeatedly asked “why would you do this?” as if it could be rationalized. Seriously? Of course, I’d take those days over serious ones any time. In fact, days like those are a break from what seems to be the norm these days. The norm being Livi doing something she’s not supposed to and mommy having to put her in her room. If you read, <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/crying-and-whining-and-tantrums-oh-my.html#.UufR5Wco4dU" target="_blank">Crying, and whining, and tantrums, oh my</a></strong>, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s been a struggle for the both of us lately. </p> <a name='more'></a> <p>And I’m not sure how I still manage to find the humor in things that would normally have me checking myself into the nearest insane asylum, but I do. And when I find myself taking everything too seriously, I know it’s time to take a breather and write a poem?</p> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">I’D SAY I NEED A VACATION IF MY KID WEREN’T SUCH A TRIP</font></h1> <center><a title="I'd say I need a vacation if my kid wasn't such a trip via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/12183058836/"><img alt="I'd say I need a vacation if my kid wasn't such a trip via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/12183058836_39c6f81de3_o.jpg" width="900" height="378"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="3">Yesterday I removed a bunch of Play-Doh from her nails<br clear="all">And today a gooey substance I think was from a meal</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Then earlier she handed me a dried up piece of something<br clear="all">Apparently a piece of skin from the thumb that she’s been sucking</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">A minute ago she was dancing to some music on TV<br clear="all">And the hair I just pulled back is in her eyes and she can’t see</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">As I’m typing this very sentence, she’s picking at her lip<br clear="all">I’d say I need a vacation if my kid weren’t such a trip</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">She takes out all her toys at once and spreads them on the floor<br clear="all">It’s an obstacle course in my living room when it never was before</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Now she’s whining loudly and refusing to wash her hands<br clear="all">With her pants around her ankles in the bathroom where she stands</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Then she’s climbing on my legs, my stomach, and my head<br clear="all">I ask her if there’s something else she’d rather do instead</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Now I’m chasing her with a water bottle shouting “please just have a sip”<br clear="all">I’d say I need a vacation if my kid weren’t such a trip</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">And now I see she’s all dressed up in her favorite princess dress<br clear="all">The one that leaves a trail of glitter; what a fu@#ing mess</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">She’s asking me for the millionth time “can I have a cookie please”<br clear="all">And for M&Ms, and cupcakes too, and other foods like these</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Then at me comes a foot you see, and I’m sporting a big ol’ shiner<br clear="all">And just below my eye just ran my mascara and my liner</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">It’s that time I think, I think it is, to abandon this here ship<br clear="all">I give up, yep I surrender, and I really need that trip</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Then from the corner of my one good eye, I saw the sweetest sight<br clear="all">This kid o’ mine was napping soundly; out just like a light</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">So, yes, I do believe that God works in mysterious ways<br clear="all">And though I couldn’t take that trip, this break just made my day!</font></p> <p>See, now I feel better! And don’t you after reading that? It reminds me to appreciate the little things like unexpected nap times! <p>By the way, in case you were wondering, some of this poem was based on actual events and some was not. I dramatized a little for your entertainment! I hope it put a smile on your face! <p><font size="3">If you missed my previous post, <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-google-alert-for-post-ideas.html#.Uucb8Wco4dU" target="_blank">The Google Alert for Post Ideas</a></strong>, I hope you’ll check it out! </font> <p><font size="3">In the meantime, have a great Tuesday, and I’ll catch you on the flip side!<br clear="all"></font> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:a14e3d40-15d2-42ec-ae04-588d4617c7bf" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/parenting" rel="tag">parenting</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/motherhood" rel="tag">motherhood</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/3+year+old" rel="tag">3 year old</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/poem" rel="tag">poem</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/silly+poem" rel="tag">silly poem</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/vacation" rel="tag">vacation</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/trip" rel="tag">trip</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/family" rel="tag">family</a></div></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-85236556562996406102014-01-27T21:56:00.001-05:002014-01-27T21:56:42.585-05:00The PINcentive Blog Hop will resume next week!<a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop will resum on February 4th via Cropped Stories by croppedstories, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/12176465916/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop will resum on February 4th via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/12176465916_8a85b7f1d9_o.jpg" width="900" height="300"></a> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-16450229391016627092014-01-27T10:29:00.001-05:002014-01-27T10:31:08.449-05:00The Google Alert for Post Ideas<p>What is the most challenging part of blogging for you? For me, it's finding content that will stand out from the other one billion posts published on on the same subject. If you can relate, let me introduce you to <a href="http://www.google.com/alerts" target="_blank"><strong>Google Alerts</strong></a>. It's a great tool that allows you to receive notifications on a particular search query providing you with the most current and relevant search results on Google. In other words, if you'd like to receive notifications on social media, you would type social media in the search query box, choose your result type, how often you'd like to receive these notifications, and how many results you'd like to receive. Google Alerts gives you two ways to receive this information. One is to your email address, the other is to your feed. For a great tutorial on how to use Google Alerts, I recommend this article on <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Google-Alerts" target="_blank"><strong>wikiHow</strong></a>.</p> <h1 align="center"><font size="5"></font></h1> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="5">THE GOOGLE ALERT FOR POST IDEAS</font></h1> <p> <center><a title="The Google Alert for Post Ideas via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/12172933383/"><img style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="The Google Alert for Post Ideas via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/12172933383_64845e67ed_o.jpg" width="500" height="500"></a></center> <p>So, how can this help you with coming up with content? Well, let's discuss it further. <p>Blogging is like school in that it requires work and dedication. Don't think you can get away without doing your homework and studying. There's nothing more important than being up to date and current with the trending topics in your niche, so take the time and study the Google results. By knowing what's out there, you will be two steps ahead of everyone else. <p>Using the tool to find out what your competitors are blogging, posting, or writing about is essential if you want to ensure your content is fresh and unique. Now that you've seen a variety of posts on, for instance, the benefits of social media, you may want to blog about something that appeals to the same audience. I suggest reading some of those other posts and taking note of what might be missing from the information they are providing to their readers. While their posts may offer valuable information, no post could possibly touch on everything. So, what’s missing? Something as a reader, yourself, would want to know? If you can figure that out, consider you've struck gold! <p>Let me elaborate more. One of the Google alerts I have set up is for parenting tips. One day, while reviewing the Google results for all things parent related, I found a variety of articles and posts on potty training. And while a lot of the content I read included the tip to reward the child for using the potty, not one post/article mentioned how to put a reward system in place. Nor did they provide product recommendations to use as potty prizes, particularly ones that would both appeal to a toddler and were also affordable. You can imagine, this got the ol' gears turning and, before I knew it, my post: <a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/2013/05/potty-training-tips-potty-prize-basket.html#.UuViIf30C2w" target="_blank"><strong>Potty Training Tips: the Potty Prize Basket</strong></a> was born! THANK YOU GOOGLE ALERTS; IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE! <p>And in case you’d like to know how else Google Alerts can be used to your advantage, I found this great post on PR Daily: <p><a href="http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/Why_Google_Alerts_is_the_most_effective_free_marke_15380.aspx#" target="_blank"><strong>Why Google Alerts is the most effective free marketing tool</strong></a> <p>Definitely a must read! <p><font size="3">If you missed our previous post, </font><font size="3">Alicia from <a href="http://www.aromaofhim.com/" target="_blank"><strong>A Sweet Fragrance</strong></a> shares her new found knowledge of HTML with </font><font size="3"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-make-post-gallery-for-your.html#.UuZu5mco4dU" target="_blank"><strong>How to make a post gallery for your sidebar</strong></a>, so feel free to check it out!</font> <p><font size="3">And if you still haven’t stolen your very own <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/free-customizable-valentines-day-cards.html#.UuZvF2co4dU" target="_blank"><strong>customizable Valentine’s Day card</strong></a>, have some fun and steal away! There are quite a few designs to choose from!<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></font></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:b13a0b42-515f-48ec-8be7-ad101c53cae4" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blogging+tips" rel="tag">blogging tips</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/google+alerts" rel="tag">google alerts</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/post+ideas" rel="tag">post ideas</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blogging+resources" rel="tag">blogging resources</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/how+to" rel="tag">how to</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/wikiHow" rel="tag">wikiHow</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PR+Daily" rel="tag">PR Daily</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-84717492469886470932014-01-22T10:16:00.001-05:002014-01-22T10:18:22.459-05:00How to make a post gallery for your sidebar!<i>Hello readers of Cropped Stories! I'm Alicia and I blog over at <a href="http://www.aromaofhim.com/">A Sweet Fragrance</a>. My family and I are American-born but live as expats over in SE Asia. I blog about our life overseas, recipes I attempt to make while substituting lots of ingredients, projects I do around the house, "tot school" lessons I teach to my toddler, and lessons I learn through parenting and walking with the Lord. I hope you'll stop by my blog for a visit! </i><br><br>Just before the year 2013 came to an end, I decided I wanted to redesign my blog. I had a picture of what I wanted for the new design in my head but <i>getting</i> that design to appear on my blog required turning my thoughts into HTML coding.<br><br> <a name='more'></a>I honestly do not consider myself much of an expert with all of those backslashes, brackets, and quotation marks all mixed in with "a href=" and "img src=" ... etc., etc. It actually gives me quite a headache. Most of the time, I'm able to avoid the headache by simply typing my desired goal into Google and benefiting from the fruits of other people's HTML knowledge.<br><br>However, I found myself hitting a search engine wall when I decided that I wanted to have a “post gallery for my sidebar using Blogger” (I'm putting that all within quotation marks because that's exactly how I googled it). Most results mentioned using the pre-designed widget that Blogger already offers. Unfortunately, that was not the look I was going for. I wanted my gallery to fit snuggly in my sidebar, with images paired together in rows of two. Is that too much to ask for?? Apparently so...<br> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zw3Y7fIytms/UtVvpKZqaBI/AAAAAAAAFZY/k9zfL1cN7ps/s1600/how+to+make+a+post+gallery+on+sidebar.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zw3Y7fIytms/UtVvpKZqaBI/AAAAAAAAFZY/k9zfL1cN7ps/s1600/how+to+make+a+post+gallery+on+sidebar.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zw3Y7fIytms/UtVvpKZqaBI/AAAAAAAAFZY/k9zfL1cN7ps/s640/how+to+make+a+post+gallery+on+sidebar.jpg" width="596" height="640"></a></div><br>I also tried using <a href="http://image-maps.com/">image-maps.com</a> because it worked so well when I created my blog's banner. However, it was <i>not</i> working for me as I tried to link my little, square photos to each post. I've yet to figure out why I was having such a problem doing that, but I've put those troubles behind me. I was just about to quit and give up on the whole idea. It wasn't worth all the trouble and frustration. My eyes were getting dry from staring at a screen for so long. I was kicking myself for not getting Wordpress way back in 2005 when I started this whole "blogging thing". At that point, I think I went into La-La Land to give my brain a break and stared blankly at my blog on the computer screen. Then, I looked at my social media buttons:<br> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1RuSE_jufPQ/UtVw3dFMOWI/AAAAAAAAFZg/k0BLWVbIh_Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+12.15.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1RuSE_jufPQ/UtVw3dFMOWI/AAAAAAAAFZg/k0BLWVbIh_Q/s400/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+12.15.34+AM.png" width="400" height="151"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">They were all perfectly spaced in my sidebar and each linked to a specific page. "Wait a minute," I thought to myself as I returned back from La-La Land, "that's exactly what I want my post gallery to do too!" I knew there must be some way I could tweak whatever the HTML code was for my social media buttons and make it work as a post gallery. At this point, I had nothing to lose and a small possibility to gain a gallery. I opened up a Word document and got to work. When all was said and done, this is the HTML code I came up with:</div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ycc9jDJqPyM/UtVxsF3eBfI/AAAAAAAAFZo/F7V2RcOWOCk/s1600/Post+Gallery+HTML+code.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ycc9jDJqPyM/UtVxsF3eBfI/AAAAAAAAFZo/F7V2RcOWOCk/s640/Post+Gallery+HTML+code.png" width="640" height="280"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">It's highlighted and colored to draw your attention to a few customizable features. The above code provides you with 2 photos, side-by-side. I'm going to assume that you want a few more than just <i>two</i> photos for your gallery. Let's say you want a total of 6 images in your gallery, each linking to a specific post. What you'll need to do is copy the above code and paste it <b>three times</b>, one right below the other. Basically, each time you copy and past the code, you're adding a row of 2 photos. I highly recommend doing all this work in a Word document so you can play around with it before pasting it into a widget on your blog.</div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">I mentioned earlier that I wanted my image gallery to fit snuggly in my sidebar. However, my sidebar might not be the same width as your sidebar. This might mean you need to make some adjustments to the image width and height by making that number smaller or larger. For example, if the width of your sidebar is 200 pixels wide, adjust the width and height of your images to 100 pixels. If your sidebar is 400 pixels wide, adjust the width and height of your images to 200 pixels. </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">Not sure what the width of your sidebar is? You can find out by going to your blog's dashboard and clicking Template > Customize > Adjust Widths. You should then see something like this:</div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fTKtEk8DljU/UtV7--3YwGI/AAAAAAAAFaE/-iWz7TDuO7Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+1.02.51+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fTKtEk8DljU/UtV7--3YwGI/AAAAAAAAFaE/-iWz7TDuO7Q/s640/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+1.02.51+AM.png" width="640" height="220"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">As you can tell, my right sidebar is 280 pixels, <i>not</i> 300 pixels as you'll soon see below that I've rounded up. Obviously, there's some wiggle room when it comes to the <i>exact</i> pixel width of your sidebar. Just play around with the height/width number and see what you like best.</div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHbMGhKQrfo/UtVzbGv5sqI/AAAAAAAAFZ4/uX-O-6QdlXk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+12.26.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHbMGhKQrfo/UtVzbGv5sqI/AAAAAAAAFZ4/uX-O-6QdlXk/s640/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+12.26.39+AM.png" width="640" height="275"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">Now that we've discussed the HTML code, let's focus on the highlighted sections. For the sections highlighted in yellow, you're going to want to copy and paste the direct link to the specific post to which you're wanting to link (also known as the <i>permalink</i>). For the sections highlighted in green, you're going to want to copy and paste the URL for the image you want to be displayed for each post. How do you find the URL for the image you want to use? Great question. Personally, I like to use <a href="http://tinypic.com/">tinypic.com</a>. You simply browse and upload the image you want to use <b>(make sure you go ahead and crop your image to the desired pixel width and height before uploading)</b> and copy the "direct link" URL. <br></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rGvuJ_c3Jg4/UtV_4vpcZEI/AAAAAAAAFaU/m4IcQJqHz84/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+1.19.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rGvuJ_c3Jg4/UtV_4vpcZEI/AAAAAAAAFaU/m4IcQJqHz84/s400/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+1.19.47+AM.png" width="400" height="356"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">Repeat this process until you've reached the number of posts/images you want for your sidebar gallery. Copy the whole HTML code and paste it into an HTML widget on the Layout page. Place the widget where you would like it to be in your sidebar, click “save arrangement”, and voila! You now have an attractive sidebar gallery to draw your<font style=> </font><font style="background-color: #ffff00"></font><font style=>readers'</font><font style="background-color: #ffff00"></font> attention to other awesome posts on your blog.</div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">Currently, I'm using my sidebar gallery to highlight each of <a href="http://www.aromaofhim.com/2013/12/most-popular-posts-of-2013.html">my top 10 posts from 2013</a>. After the month of January is over, I'll update it to highlight another selection of posts from my blog. This is a great feature to have on your sidebar, especially if you've written a collection of posts for a specific holiday or season and would like your readers to have easy access to each post without having to search your blog. </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">If you want the images in your gallery to display the title of each post, I recommend using <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey.com</a> to add text to the image before uploading it to <a href="http://tinypic.com/">TinyPic.com</a> to generate the URL for the image. All websites I have referenced in this post offer their services free of charge, unless of course, you choose to pay for the upgraded services. However, paying is not necessary to achieve this sidebar gallery.</div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both">I hope that this tutorial was helpful! If so, I'd love for you to share and pin so that others don't have to go through the same headache I went through trying to figure out how to make a pretty gallery for my sidebar. </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSMbomhUbaI/UtYkXoCMNEI/AAAAAAAAFag/hoLb4500YGo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+12.46.52+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSMbomhUbaI/UtYkXoCMNEI/AAAAAAAAFag/hoLb4500YGo/s640/Screen+Shot+2014-01-15+at+12.46.52+PM.jpg" width="316" height="640"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both"> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><b><font size="3">If you use Blogger, do you know of another way to create a sidebar gallery?</font></b></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><b><font size="3">If so, please feel free to share in the comments section!</font></b></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><b><font size="3"></font></b> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><b><font size="3">Also, if you have any questions or something doesn't work quite right,</font></b></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><b><font size="3">just let me know in the comments section or send me an email: </font></b></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><strong><font size="3"></font></strong> </div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><b><font size="3">the.mrs [AT] aromaofhim [DOT] com</font></b></div> <p><font size="3">If you missed our previous post, <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/free-customizable-valentines-day-cards.html#.UthKdGeA0dU" target="_blank">Free Customizable Valentine’s Day Cards</a></strong>, feel free to stop by and download the design(s) of your choice!</font></p> <p><font size="3">Also, as a reminder, <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-pincentive-blog-hop-week-19.html#.Ut_eTGco4dU" target="_blank">The PINcentive Blog Hop: Week 19</a></strong><strong></strong> is live! I hope you’ll drop by and party with us!</font></p> <p><font size="3">And one last item on the agenda. I can’t forget to mention our <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/he-calls-me-grace-600-cash-giveaway.html#.UthKw2eA0dU" target="_blank">$600 CASH GIVEAWAY</a></strong>! That’s right; six hundred dollars!!!!! Don’t miss out; enter now!</font></p> <p><font size="3"></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:187f5053-5440-483d-9a63-5411fc7b2c99" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blogging+tips" rel="tag">blogging tips</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/photo+gallery" rel="tag">photo gallery</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/how-to" rel="tag">how-to</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/how+to" rel="tag">how to</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/contributor+post" rel="tag">contributor post</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/aroma+of+him" rel="tag">aroma of him</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/html" rel="tag">html</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/code" rel="tag">code</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/post+gallery" rel="tag">post gallery</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/learn+to" rel="tag">learn to</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/a+sweet+fragrance" rel="tag">a sweet fragrance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/clickable+images" rel="tag">clickable images</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/tutorial" rel="tag">tutorial</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/blogging+resources" rel="tag">blogging resources</a></div><br></font> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-50198566689669123662014-01-20T23:03:00.001-05:002014-01-20T23:03:58.373-05:00The PINcentive Blog Hop: Week 19<p><font size="3">Welcome to the nineteenth week of our blog hop!</font> <font size="3">Last week I shared the winner’s posts that were pinned the most times since our hop went live for the first time back in September. Since the numbers were so impressive, I thought I’d feature our <strong>Pinterest All-stars</strong> once again!</font></p> <p><font size="3">As a reminder, the winners of our hop get some major Pinterest exposure when their content gets pinned by my team of pinners (below) and by, YOU, the blog hop participant! I’m happy to report that the number of times our winner’s content gets pinned has been averaging around 60-70 times! <strong>As fantastic as this number already is, there are still many times our winner’s posts are pinned well over 100 times! Take a look for yourself!</strong></font></p> <a name='more'></a> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Pinterest All-stars via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11931773113/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Pinterest All-stars via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/11931773113_d7fb8a6dab_o.jpg" width="850" height="1098"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="3"></font><font color="#ff0000"> <font size="3">Oh, and if you’d like to pin these fabulous posts as well (if you haven’t already), feel free! </font></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font size="3"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326685615/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Biscoff Cheesecake Shooters</font></a><font color="#ff0000"> / </font><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326731679/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">DIY Laundry Detergent</font></a><br clear="all"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326889058/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Crockpot Cranberry Cider</font></a><font color="#ff0000"> / </font><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326603529/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cakes</font></a><br clear="all"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326516325/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">DIY Ribbon Organizer</font></a><font color="#ff0000"> / </font><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326799338/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">DIY Infinity Scarf</font></a></font></strong></p> <p>As always, a <font size="5">BIG</font> THANK YOU is in order to everyone that has been linking up. More so for making it EXTREMELY difficult for our co-hosts to choose winners each week and providing us with such great recipes, crafts, tips, parenting advice, tutorials, (you name it)! Your content has truly been a pleasure to read, and it keeps getting better each week! </p> <p>If this is your first time linking up; WELCOME! I am extremely excited to provide this link up for you today and the opportunity for you to increase your traffic, followers, and improve your page rank! </p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <h1 align="center"><font size="4"></font></h1> <h1 align="center"><font size="4">THE PINCENTIVE BLOG HOP; HOW DOES IT WORK?</font></h1> <p>Each week, 3 winners will be chosen by our co-hosts! As a winner, you will have the opportunity to:</p> <ul> <li>have your post featured, <li>co-host our next hop and choose our winner (a great way to make new friends and increase your following), <li>priority seating (which means I’ll add your post to our link up manually), and <li><strong>have your content pinned a minimum of 31 times by my Pinterest Incentive Program (PIP) team members below. </strong></li></ul> <p>Additionally your content will be pinned by the each blog hop participant! That’s right! Blog hop participants will be required to pin the winner’s content. The number of link ups we have will determine the total number of times your content gets pinned so, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SPREAD THE WORD! It will only benefit you in the long run! </p> <p>Now, according to proper blog commenting etiquette, REQUESTS TO FOLLOW BACK are in poor taste. <strong><font size="4">For this Blog Hop, HOWEVER, let’s rid ourselves of this rule (that’s right; throw it right out the window)! For this PARTY, they are ENCOURAGED and ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE!</font> </strong></p> <center><a title="The Pinterest Incentive Program Team Members via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10609343185/"><img alt="The Pinterest Incentive Program Team Members via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/10609343185_3cb72ecfcb_o.jpg" width="851" height="1327"></a></center> <center><strong><font size="3">If you’d like to connect with these lovely ladies, or pay them a visit, I’m sure they’d love to hear from you!</font></strong> </center> <p align="center"><a href="http://akitchenhoor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CHRISTIE</a>, <a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CATHY</a>, <a href="http://www.mychillthoughts.com/" target="_blank">CRISTYL</a>, <a href="http://createandbabble.com/" target="_blank">JEANIE</a>, <a href="http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/" target="_blank">MELANIE</a>, <a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/" target="_blank">MINDY</a>, <a href="http://www.moderncommonplacebook.com/" target="_blank">GINNY</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.kiddiefoodies.com/" target="_blank">GOSIA</a>, <a href="http://www.homeonderanged.com/" target="_blank">MELISSA</a>, <a href="http://www.janinehuldie.com/" target="_blank">JANINE</a>, <a href="http://www.justusfourblog.com/" target="_blank">SHANNAH</a>, <a href="http://www.karenssoiree.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">KAREN</a>, <a href="http://www.kleinworthco.com/" target="_blank">GINA</a>, <a href="http://schmigotzki.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CASSI</a>, <a href="http://agutandabutt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BETTY</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.momontherunx2.net/" target="_blank">JULIA</a>, <a href="http://www.momstestkitchen.com/" target="_blank">JAIME</a>, <a href="http://www.simplesavingsforatlmoms.com/" target="_blank">QUIDA</a>, <a href="http://www.mynotsosimplelife.com/" target="_blank">ELLEN</a>, <a href="http://www.iamannekehn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ANNE</a>, <a href="http://www.nuggetonabudget.com/" target="_blank">KERA</a>, <a href="http://www.pharr-away.com/" target="_blank">NICOLE</a>, <a href="http://www.serenityyou.com/" target="_blank">NATASHA</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.krystalskitsch.com/" target="_blank">KRYSTAL</a>, <a href="http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ANYONITA</a>, <a href="http://adishofdailylife.com/" target="_blank">MICHELLE</a>, <a href="http://www.theprincessandhercowboys.com/" target="_blank">BRITNEY</a>, <a href="http://wedofunhere.com/" target="_blank">JENN</a>, <a href="http://mztmitchell.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">TIFFANY</a>, <a href="http://www.vmg206.com/" target="_blank">MEGIN</a><strong></p></strong> <p align="center"><strong>Alternates<br clear="all"></strong><a href="http://tamaracamerablog.com/" target="_blank">TAMARA</a>, <a href="http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/" target="_blank">MARTI</a></p> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Hosts via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10394293326/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Hosts via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7382/10394293326_7df444a20c_o.png" width="850" height="154"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>OUR PIP MEMBER HOST & CO-HOSTS</strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">Host: Elena @ <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cropped Stories</a></strong> (<a href="http://instagram.com/croppedstories/#" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102758509830977850235/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>)<br clear="all"></font><font size="4">Co-host: Quida @<strong> <a href="http://www.simplesavingsforatlmoms.com/" target="_blank">Simple Savings for Atlanta Moms</a> </strong>(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SimpleSavingsforATLMoms" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/simplesavings/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/SavingsATLMoms" target="_blank">Twitter</a>)<br clear="all"></font><font size="4"><font color="#666666">Co-host: Britney </font>@ <strong><a href="http://www.theprincessandhercowboys.com/" target="_blank">The Princess & her Cowboys</a></strong> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/princessandhercowboys" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/bmills18/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102180003638298155379/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a></font><font size="4">)<br clear="all">Co-host: Anyonita @ <strong><a href="http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Anyonita Nibbles</a></strong> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AnyonitaNibbles" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/anyonita/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/AnyonitaNibbles" target="_blank">Stumble Upon</a>)</font><font size="4"><br clear="all"></font><font size="4"><strong><br clear="all">TWO OF OUR WINNERS FROM WEEK 18<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></strong></font><font size="4">Co-host: Marcy @ <strong><a href="http://www.day2daysupermom.com/" target="_blank">DAY2DAY Super Mom</a></strong> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/day2daySuperMom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/day2daySuperMom" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/112239979149616874152/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>)<br clear="all">Co-host: Rebecca @ <strong><a href="http://www.livingbettertogether.com/" target="_blank">Living Better Together</a></strong> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/livinbettertogether" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/fickrj5/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="http://instagram.com/fickrj5#" target="_blank">Instagram</a>)<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></font><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Rules via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10394263255/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Rules via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/10394263255_2486573635_o.png" width="850" height="154"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Link up anything and everything <strong>with the exception of giveaways, link ups, and paid product reviews</strong>.<br clear="all">Posts must be family friendly and published in the past month.<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><strong></p></strong></font> <p align="center"><font size="3">1. Follow the Host and Co-hosts via a minimum of one method they’ve chosen to include above.<br clear="all"><br clear="all">2. Display the Blog Hop button on your website (preferably in post or a sidebar).</p> <center><a title="cropped stories" href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UgD5lhYobww" target="_blank"><img alt="cropped stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9429302491_dcc53ddc9b_o.jpg"></a></center> <center><textarea id="code-source" rows="3" cols="19" name="code-source"><center> <a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UgD5lhYobww"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9429302491_dcc53ddc9b_o.jpg"></a></center> </textarea> </center> <center> </center> <center><em>For a smaller size, please visit my</em> <a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UhWBcJKThV1" target="_blank"><strong>PINcentive Blog Hop</strong></a> <em>page<strong></strong>.</em></center> <p align="center">3. Spread this wonderful opportunity and Tweet about it!</p> <center><a class="twitter-share-button" href="https://twitter.com/share" data-dnt="true" data-hashtags="bloghop" data-size="large" data-via="croppedstories" data-text="Come join us and enter your link at The PINcentive Blog Hop!" data-url="http://ow.ly/opKRg">Tweet</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script></font></center> <p align="center"><font color="#666666"><font size="4"><strong>4. REPIN THE WINNER’S CONTENT FROM THE WEEK BEFORE</strong></font></font><font size="3"><font color="#ff0000"><strong><br clear="all"></strong></font><font color="#ff0000"><strong>Please, for the prospective winner’s sake, don’t skip this step.</strong></font></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Wee 18 Winners via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/12052890346/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Wee 18 Winners via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3738/12052890346_7103d118d4_o.jpg" width="850" height="382"></a></center></font></strong> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"></p></font></strong> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"></p></font></strong> <p align="center"> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"></p></font></strong> <p align="center"><strong></p></strong> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327272225/" target="_blank">Delicious Pink Velvet Hot Chocolate</a></font><font size="3"></font></strong><font color="#ff0000"><font size="3"> /<strong> <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327272433/" target="_blank">Distressed Glass Made Easy</a></strong></font> </font><font size="3"><font color="#ff0000">/ </font><strong><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327272170/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Valentine Red Velvet Brownies</font></a><br clear="all"></strong></font><br clear="all"><font size="3">5. Link up using your post URL (<strong><u>NOT</u> the URL address of your main page</strong>).<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><strong>Please provide the TITLE OF YOUR POST under Name/Title.<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></strong>Most importantly, HAVE FUN, mingle, make some new friends, pin to your heart’s desire, and leave some comment love! <br clear="all"></font><font color="#4bacc6"><br clear="all"><strong><font size="3"><u>IMPORTANT PINNING TIPS:</u><br clear="all"></font></strong></font><font color="#4bacc6" size="3">Do not use the customized Pin It button that may appear when you hover over a participant’s thumbnail image.<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><font color="#4bacc6">Using it will <em><font color="#4bacc6">ONLY</font></em> pin the thumbnail image (linking you back to the website you are currently on) and not that person’s post.<br clear="all"></font><font color="#4bacc6">To pin correctly, please click on the text link below the thumbnail image to pin directly from their page.</font></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3"><strong><em>I reserve the right to remove any links that do not meet these requirements.</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font size="5">LIKE OUR BLOG HOP? DON’T WANT TO MISS A WEEK?</font></strong></p> <p align="center"><label for="mce-EMAIL"><font size="3">Subscribe to receive email reminders for The PINcentive Blog Hop!</font></label> <input id="mce-EMAIL" class="email" name="EMAIL" placeholder="email address" required=""> </p> <center> <div id="mc_embed_signup"> <form id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" method="post" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" action="http://blogspot.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=53f36a2cf98db051d7c8b79ad&id=6ebc25b0c8" target="_blank" novalidate=""> <div class="clear"><input id="mc-embedded-subscribe" class="button" type="submit" value="Subscribe" name="subscribe"><br clear="all"><br><font color="#ff0000" size="5" face="Arial Black">NOTE: GOING FORWARD, <br clear="all"></font><font color="#ff0000" size="5" face="Arial Black">OUR HOP WILL GO LIVE ON MONDAY NIGHTS <br clear="all">@ 10:00PM EST (an hour earlier)!!</font></div></form></div></center> <center><!-- start InLinkz script --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=363301"></script><!-- end InLinkz script --></center> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-37162229157431093942014-01-16T13:30:00.001-05:002014-01-16T13:31:36.951-05:00Free Customizable Valentine’s Day Cards<p>Love is in the air; I can feel it! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d offer YOU some free Valentine’s Day Cards! These are for those that will be printing their cards at home or know of a fabulous printer they’ve already worked with in the past! You can steal my cards in one of two ways. Either by downloading the Adobe Photoshop .psd file to customize yourself or by completing my form to have me do the work for you! That’s right! I will insert your images into my template and personalize with your family name(s). </p> <a name='more'></a> <p><font style="background-color: #a5a5a5" color="#ffffff" size="3" face="Arial"><strong>If you choose to take advantage of having me personalize a design for you, please keep in mind I have to keep my workload reasonable. With that said, I’ll be personalizing cards for ONLY 10 people. How will I decide which people? Great question!</strong></font></p> <p>I’m looking for great photos that will really make my designs shine as I intend to publish an additional post showcasing our beautiful work (your photos and my designs)! Let me give you some hints as to what I’ll looking for. Photos must:</p> <ul> <li>be properly exposed, <li>sharp, <li>contain colors true to the subject, and <li>be full resolution files</li></ul> <p>If you are unsure of whether your photos meet these requirements, please feel free to contact me to discuss. </p> <p><font color="#ff0000">For those of you interested, please provide me with your images via Dropbox (please use </font><a href="mailto:croppedstories@gmail.com"><font color="#ff0000">croppedstories@gmail.com</font></a><font color="#ff0000"> to share files) or Google Drive. <font size="4" face="Arial"><strong>Once completed, please complete my <a href="https://croppedstories.wufoo.com/forms/request-for-a-personalized-valentine-card-template/" target="_blank">form</a>. </strong></font>Of course, in order for you to receive your personalized card in a timely fashion, I’ll need the form completed ASAP. Unfortunately I will not be accepting forms received later than Sunday, January 19th, by 12:00 noon EST.</font></p> <p>Assuming your form is submitted by the deadline, I can provide you with your personalized Valentine’s Day card by Thursday, January 23rd (in some cases sooner). All cards will be sent to the recipients email address, provided in a .jpg format, and will be print-ready! </p> <p><strong>HELPFUL TIPS FOR PRINTING and PREPARING AT HOME</strong></p> <ul> <li>Use photo paper (premium or advanced recommended) <li>Use the correct size photo paper when possible. An excellent double sided photo paper to check out is <strong><a href="http://www.adorama.com/IPRCS57100.html" target="_blank">5x7 Project Extra Heavy Weight Double Sided Matte Inkjet Card Stock</a></strong>. For 8.5 x 11, I use <strong><a href="http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/HP-Paper/Premium-Plus-photo-paper/CR671A?HP-Premium-Plus-Soft-gloss-Photo-Paper-25-sht-Letter-8.5-x-11-in&jumpid=ba_r329_hhocse&aoid=44661&003=6663635&010=CR671A&ci_sku=CR671A&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=" target="_blank">HP Premium Plus Photo Paper in soft gloss</a></strong>. <li>Change your printer’s quality settings to print at BEST or MAXIMUM DPI <li>Use a paper cutter instead of scissors to trim the designs</li></ul> <p><strong>HELPFUL TEMPLATE INFORMATION</strong></p> <p>All my templates are .psd files and can be opened in Adobe Photoshop or Elements. Once opened, refer to the red and yellow highlighted layers to the right of your workspace. These are the only layers you should be editing. The red layers named “PLACE YOUR PHOTO HERE” are to insert images from your computer. The yellow layers named “EDIT TEXT” are to personalize with your last name or the names of your family members depending on the design you’ve chosen. With your red layer selected, go to File / Place to choose an image from your computer. Once inserted, you may adjust to fit the frame. For best results, remember to use full resolution images (images that have NOT been resized or, worse, compressed). </p> <p align="left"><font size="3">Now onto my designs. I hope you like them! </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">And in the true spirit of Valentine’s Day, all I ask is that you show me the love and…</font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#ff0000" size="3"><strong><font size="5" face="Arial Black">P<font color="#ff80c0">L</font>E<font color="#ff80c0">A</font>S<font color="#ff80c0">E </font>P<font color="#ff80c0">I</font>N <font color="#ff80c0">T</font>H<font color="#ff80c0">I</font>S <font color="#ff80c0">P</font>O<font color="#ff80c0">S</font>T.<br clear="all"></font></strong></font><font color="#ff80c0" size="3">It’s my only request for providing these free products and my service.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3"><strong><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2Zfw1Y2qbszQ3g2RWpaUGtkNDQ&usp=sharing" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD THEM ALL HERE</a></strong></font></p> <ol> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">GIRLS HANGING HEARTS / <em>5.5 x 5.5 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">BOYS HANGING HEARTS / <em>5.5 x 5.5 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">GIRLS CUPCAKES AND CANDY / <em>5 x 7 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">BOYS CUPCAKES AND CANDY / <em>5 x 7 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">GIRLS PHOTOS ON THE FLOOR / <em>5 x 7 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">GIRLS PIECES OF MY HEART / <em>8.5 x 4 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">BOYS PIECES OF MY HEART / <em>8.5 x 4 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">GIRLS HEART EMBLEM / <em>5.5 x 5.5 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">UNISEX HEART EMBLEM / <em>5.5 x 5.5 inches</em></font></div> <li> <div align="left"><font size="3">UNISEX SWEETHEART / <em>5 x 7 inches</em></font></div></li></ol> <p align="left"><font size="3">I have to apologize in advance for not having any photographs of boys to use in my boy templates.</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#1</strong></font></p> <center><a title="HANGING-HEARTS-Girls-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11982665505/"><img alt="HANGING-HEARTS-Girls-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/11982665505_413ec81971_o.jpg" width="625" height="625"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#2</strong></font></p> <center><a title="HANGING-HEARTS-Boys-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11982665605/"><img alt="HANGING-HEARTS-Boys-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/11982665605_36c865a374_o.jpg" width="625" height="625"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#3</strong></font></p> <center><a title="Cupcakes and Candy Girls Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11983792096/"><img alt="Cupcakes and Candy Girls Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/11983792096_aae6f5ae3f_o.jpg" width="650" height="470"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong></strong></font> <font size="5"><strong>#4</strong></font></p> <center><a title="Cupcakes and Candy Boys Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11983284173/"><img alt="Cupcakes and Candy Boys Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7339/11983284173_e59dbbf61f_o.jpg" width="650" height="474"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#5</strong></font></p> <center><a title="PHOTOS-ON-THE-FLOOR-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11983062294/"><img alt="PHOTOS-ON-THE-FLOOR-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3813/11983062294_8bfbca0b78_o.jpg" width="625" height="446"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#6</strong></font></p> <center><a title="Pieces of my Heart Front and Back Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11982664695/"><img alt="Pieces of my Heart Front and Back Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/11982664695_fec652fe24_o.jpg" width="675" height="638"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong></strong></font> <font size="5"><strong>#7</strong></font></p> <center><a title="Pieces of my Heart Front and Back Boy Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11983062144/"><img alt="Pieces of my Heart Front and Back Boy Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7384/11983062144_a05259d23a_o.jpg" width="675" height="638"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#8</strong></font></p> <center><a title="HEART-EMBLEM-Girls-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11983502506/"><img alt="HEART-EMBLEM-Girls-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3728/11983502506_cb49b125e6_o.jpg" width="625" height="625"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#9</strong></font></p> <center><a title="HEART-EMBLEM-Unisex-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11982971673/"><img alt="HEART-EMBLEM-Unisex-Valentines-Day-Card-via-Cropped-Stories" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2844/11982971673_3bc3e36143_o.jpg" width="625" height="625"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="5"><strong>#10</strong></font></p> <center><a title="Sweetheart Unisex Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11982664265/"><img alt="Sweetheart Unisex Valentines Day Card via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/11982664265_0599817fe4_o.jpg" width="650" height="928"></a></center> <p>If you missed my previous post, <strong><font size="3"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-birth-announcement-design-challenge.html#.UtgPa2eA0dU" target="_blank">Will you rate my birth announcement designs</a></font></strong>, I really hope you’ll check it out!</p> <p>Also, <strong><font size="3"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-pincentive-blog-hop-week-18.html#.UtgPh2eA0dU" target="_blank">the PINcentive blog hop</a></font></strong> is still live! Feel free to drop by and party with us. You wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing how many times our winner’s posts have been pinned would you? Trust me; it’s pretty impressive!</p> <p>And if you haven’t yet entered our <strong><font size="3"><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/he-calls-me-grace-600-cash-giveaway.html#.UtgPtWeA0dU" target="_blank">$600 cash giveaway</a></font></strong>, there is still plenty of time! Good luck!</p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:16005dc4-633e-4e1c-85b1-8c4e873ab471" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/valentines+day" rel="tag">valentines day</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/freebies" rel="tag">freebies</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/photo+templates" rel="tag">photo templates</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/printables" rel="tag">printables</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/valentine+day+cards" rel="tag">valentine day cards</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/customizable" rel="tag">customizable</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/personalized" rel="tag">personalized</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/graphic+design" rel="tag">graphic design</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/adobe+photoshop" rel="tag">adobe photoshop</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/holiday" rel="tag">holiday</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-65224292222736708772014-01-15T11:07:00.001-05:002014-01-15T11:09:49.875-05:00Will you rate my birth announcement designs?<p>Hey everyone! In case you are unfamiliar with the birth announcement design challenge on Minted, I blogged about it <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-minted-birth-announcement-design.html#.UtXtAGeA0dU" target="_blank"><strong>here on Friday</strong></a>. I’m super excited to have entered this design challenge and am hoping you’ll take the time to rate my designs. <em>By rating for my designs, you are NOT voting for me.</em> You are only judging my designs on a scale of 1 – 5 letting both the Minted community and judges know what you think. And though the public ratings are taken into consideration when they choose the winners, please be honest. I don’t believe in soliciting ratings from family, friends, or the blog-o-sphere just for the sake of scoring high. I really want your honest opinion, and I can assure you that all ratings are anonymous.</p> <h1 align="center"><font size="4"></font></h1> <a name='more'></a> <h1 align="center"><font size="4">SOME HELPFUL INFORMATION</font></h1> <ul> <li>I believe you must log in to vote. <li>Voting is open through February 3rd. <li>According to Minted, rating a design a #5 means you “Love It!” with a #1 rating meaning “Not So Much”. You will also have the option to choose a number somewhere in between. <li>To rate on ONLY my designs, feel free to click on the link below my images or go here to<strong><font color="#4bacc6" size="4"> <a href="http://www.minted.com/designer/elenaferdinand" target="_blank">VISIT MY PERSONAL MINTED PAGE</a></font></strong><strong><font color="#4bacc6" size="4"></font></strong><font color="#4bacc6"></font><font size="3"></font><font size="3"><strong>.</strong></font> <li>You can also click on the voting badge I added to my sidebar. Once it opens up the Minted website, you can click on my name under “ABOUT THE DESIGNER” and it will take you to my additional designs. <li>Interested in seeing the other submissions? Check out <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-vote?utm_source=communityemails&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=textlink" target="_blank"><strong>this page to vote blindly</strong></a> or this one to <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/133?utm_source=communityemails&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=textlink&sort=random" target="_blank"><strong>view the gallery and rate designs by designer</strong></a>. </li></ul> <p>Thank you in advance for those of you that choose to rate my designs! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Also, feel free to leave me a comment; I’d love to thank you personally. It’s the least I can do!</p> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136585"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - A kiss and hug" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/16/51/48/9892eb9fbeffc0c85e4da9df11a1afcd"><br>birth announcements - A kiss and hug</a><br clear="all"></center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136611"><br clear="all"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - New Life Crossword Puzzle" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/17/58/23/fa9cb4ae9045829a9982267762ed3d84"><br>birth announcements - New Life Crossword Puzzle</a></center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136615"><br clear="all"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Hanging Hearts" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/18/16/10/c3b7a440b4beed1a601e013f12678ec2"><br>birth announcements - Hanging Hearts</a></center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136623"><br clear="all"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Peek a boo Twenty Fourteen" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/18/27/43/387a80d633c0c6df840c7e4b6c6366b7"><br>birth announcements - Peek a boo Twenty Fourteen</a></center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136625"><br clear="all"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - One in a gazillion word search" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/18/38/11/b0c00803f667f3850d2d3c758970fb10"><br>birth announcements - One in a gazillion word search</a></center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136713"><br clear="all"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Music to our Ears" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/08/04/43/05/339f6babce14276b713333d002ddda39"><br>birth announcements - Music to our Ears</a></center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/137121"><br clear="all"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Tic Tac Toe" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/09/22/35/05/43b7d9dc19cf23ddd09f9c860fda93fa"><br>birth announcements - Tic Tac Toe</a></center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/137131"><br clear="all"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Twinkling Stars" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/09/22/45/53/5ab5e6dea3793ce6ffffb73816f35d35"><br>birth announcements - Twinkling Stars</a></center> <p align="center"><em><font size="2"><font color="#c0504d">*All photographs provided by </font><a href="http://www.minted.com/" target="_blank"><font color="#c0504d">Minted</font></a><font color="#c0504d">.</font></font></em></p> <p><font size="3">If you missed my previous post, you’ll definitely want to check it out! <strong>This week I shared the number of times our winner’s posts from <a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-pincentive-blog-hop-week-18.html#.UtXs6meA0dU" target="_blank">The PINcentive Blog Hop</a> are being pinned!</strong> It’s really rather impressive! Oh, and don’t forget to link up! Who knows, you could be our next winner!</font></p> <p><font size="3">Also, before I forget, have you entered our <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/he-calls-me-grace-600-cash-giveaway.html#.UtXtnWeA0dU" target="_blank">$600 Cash Giveaway</a></strong>? Yep, you heard it right; that’s SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS! Feel free to check it out, and good luck!</font></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:29ac44fa-73c9-4e10-978e-aa12bd0d36b9" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/minted+design+challenge" rel="tag">minted design challenge</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/designer" rel="tag">designer</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/graphic+design" rel="tag">graphic design</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/birth+announcements" rel="tag">birth announcements</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/vote" rel="tag">vote</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/rate" rel="tag">rate</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-66282631870213311622014-01-13T23:10:00.001-05:002014-01-13T23:10:04.731-05:00The PINcentive Blog Hop: Week 18<p><font size="3">Welcome to the eighteenth week of the blog hop!</font> <font size="3">This week, I thought it might be fun to let you in on the numbers. You know the numbers I’m talking about right?</font> </p> <p><font size="3">The winners of our hop get some major Pinterest exposure when their content gets pinned by my team of pinners (below) and by, YOU, the blog hop participant! I’m happy to report that the number of times our winner’s content gets pinned has been averaging around 60-70 times! <strong>As fantastic as this number already is, there are still many times our winner’s posts are pinned well over 100 times! Take a look for yourself at, what I’m calling, Our PINcentive Blog Hop Pinterest All-stars!</strong></font></p> <a name='more'></a> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Pinterest All-stars via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11931773113/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Pinterest All-stars via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/11931773113_d7fb8a6dab_o.jpg" width="850" height="1098"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="3"></font><font color="#ff0000"> <font size="3">Oh, and if you’d like to pin these fabulous posts as well (if you haven’t already), feel free! </font></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font size="3"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326685615/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Biscoff Cheesecake Shooters</font></a><font color="#ff0000"> / </font><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326731679/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">DIY Laundry Detergent</font></a><br clear="all"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326889058/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Crockpot Cranberry Cider</font></a><font color="#ff0000"> / </font><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326603529/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cakes</font></a><br clear="all"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326516325/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">DIY Ribbon Organizer</font></a><font color="#ff0000"> / </font><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876326799338/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">DIY Infinity Scarf</font></a></font></strong></p> <p>As always, a <font size="5">BIG</font> THANK YOU is in order to everyone that has been linking up. More so for making it EXTREMELY difficult for our co-hosts to choose winners each week and providing us with such great recipes, crafts, tips, parenting advice, tutorials, (you name it)! Your content has truly been a pleasure to read, and it keeps getting better each week! </p> <p>If this is your first time linking up; WELCOME! I am extremely excited to provide this link up for you today and the opportunity for you to increase your traffic, followers, and improve your page rank! </p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <h1 align="center"><font size="4"></font></h1> <h1 align="center"><font size="4">THE PINCENTIVE BLOG HOP; HOW DOES IT WORK?</font></h1> <p>Each week, 3 winners will be chosen by our co-hosts! As a winner, you will have the opportunity to:</p> <ul> <li>have your post featured, <li>co-host our next hop and choose our winner (a great way to make new friends and increase your following), <li>priority seating (which means I’ll add your post to our link up manually), and <li><strong>have your content pinned a minimum of 31 times by my Pinterest Incentive Program (PIP) team members below. </strong></li></ul> <p>Additionally your content will be pinned by the each blog hop participant! That’s right! Blog hop participants will be required to pin the winner’s content. The number of link ups we have will determine the total number of times your content gets pinned so, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SPREAD THE WORD! It will only benefit you in the long run! </p> <p>Now, according to proper blog commenting etiquette, REQUESTS TO FOLLOW BACK are in poor taste. <strong><font size="4">For this Blog Hop, HOWEVER, let’s rid ourselves of this rule (that’s right; throw it right out the window)! For this PARTY, they are ENCOURAGED and ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE!</font> </strong></p> <center><a title="The Pinterest Incentive Program Team Members via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10609343185/"><img alt="The Pinterest Incentive Program Team Members via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/10609343185_3cb72ecfcb_o.jpg" width="851" height="1327"></a></center> <center><strong><font size="3">If you’d like to connect with these lovely ladies, or pay them a visit, I’m sure they’d love to hear from you!</font></strong> </center> <p align="center"><a href="http://akitchenhoor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CHRISTIE</a>, <a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CATHY</a>, <a href="http://www.mychillthoughts.com/" target="_blank">CRISTYL</a>, <a href="http://createandbabble.com/" target="_blank">JEANIE</a>, <a href="http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/" target="_blank">MELANIE</a>, <a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/" target="_blank">MINDY</a>, <a href="http://www.moderncommonplacebook.com/" target="_blank">GINNY</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.kiddiefoodies.com/" target="_blank">GOSIA</a>, <a href="http://www.homeonderanged.com/" target="_blank">MELISSA</a>, <a href="http://www.janinehuldie.com/" target="_blank">JANINE</a>, <a href="http://www.justusfourblog.com/" target="_blank">SHANNAH</a>, <a href="http://www.karenssoiree.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">KAREN</a>, <a href="http://www.kleinworthco.com/" target="_blank">GINA</a>, <a href="http://schmigotzki.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CASSI</a>, <a href="http://agutandabutt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BETTY</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.momontherunx2.net/" target="_blank">JULIA</a>, <a href="http://www.momstestkitchen.com/" target="_blank">JAIME</a>, <a href="http://www.simplesavingsforatlmoms.com/" target="_blank">QUIDA</a>, <a href="http://www.mynotsosimplelife.com/" target="_blank">ELLEN</a>, <a href="http://www.iamannekehn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ANNE</a>, <a href="http://www.nuggetonabudget.com/" target="_blank">KERA</a>, <a href="http://www.pharr-away.com/" target="_blank">NICOLE</a>, <a href="http://www.serenityyou.com/" target="_blank">NATASHA</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.krystalskitsch.com/" target="_blank">KRYSTAL</a>, <a href="http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ANYONITA</a>, <a href="http://adishofdailylife.com/" target="_blank">MICHELLE</a>, <a href="http://www.theprincessandhercowboys.com/" target="_blank">BRITNEY</a>, <a href="http://wedofunhere.com/" target="_blank">JENN</a>, <a href="http://mztmitchell.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">TIFFANY</a>, <a href="http://www.vmg206.com/" target="_blank">MEGIN</a><strong></p></strong> <p align="center"><strong>Alternates<br clear="all"></strong><a href="http://tamaracamerablog.com/" target="_blank">TAMARA</a>, <a href="http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/" target="_blank">MARTI</a></p> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Hosts via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10394293326/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Hosts via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7382/10394293326_7df444a20c_o.png" width="850" height="154"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>OUR PIP MEMBER HOST & CO-HOSTS</strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">Host: Elena @ <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cropped Stories</a></strong> (<a href="http://instagram.com/croppedstories/#" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102758509830977850235/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>)<br clear="all"></font><font size="4">Co-host: Nicole @<strong> <a href="http://www.pharr-away.com/" target="_blank">Pharr Away</a> </strong>(<a href="http://instagram.com/pharr_away#" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.blogger.com/follow-blog.g?blogID=7176346697006093983&pli=1" target="_blank">GFC</a> / <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4306113" target="_blank">Bloglovin’</a>)<br clear="all"></font><font size="4"><font color="#666666">Co-host: Natasha </font>@ <a href="http://www.serenityyou.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Serenity You</strong></a> (<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3945394/serenity-you" target="_blank">Bloglovin’</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Serenityyoublog" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/+NatashaMairs/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a></font><font size="4">)<br clear="all">Co-host: Kera @ <strong><a href="http://www.nuggetonabudget.com/" target="_blank">Nugget on a Budget</a></strong> (<a href="http://instagram.com/nuggetsoflove#" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/kyrahanne" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kyrahanne/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>)</p></font> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>OUR WINNERS FROM WEEK 17<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></strong></font><font size="4">Co-host: Meg @ <strong><a href="http://lipglossandlumber.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lip Gloss & Lumber</a> </strong>(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/lipglossandlumber" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/megsluyter13/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/Lipgloss_Lumber" target="_blank">Twitter</a>)<br clear="all">Co-host: Melissa @ <a href="http://www.twoityourself.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Two It Yourself</strong></a> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TwoItYourself" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/melissaviscount/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="http://instagram.com/twoityourself#" target="_blank">Instagram</a>) <br clear="all">Co-host: DeDe @ <a href="http://designeddecor.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Designed Décor</strong></a> (<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/Designeddecor/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="http://instagram.com/designeddecor#" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Designeddecor/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>)<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></font><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Rules via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10394263255/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Rules via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/10394263255_2486573635_o.png" width="850" height="154"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Link up anything and everything <strong>with the exception of giveaways, link ups, and paid product reviews</strong>.<br clear="all">Posts must be family friendly and published in the past month.<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><strong></p></strong></font> <p align="center"><font size="3">1. Follow the Host and Co-hosts via a minimum of one method they’ve chosen to include above.<br clear="all"><br clear="all">2. Display the Blog Hop button on your website (preferably in post or a sidebar).</p> <center><a title="cropped stories" href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UgD5lhYobww" target="_blank"><img alt="cropped stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9429302491_dcc53ddc9b_o.jpg"></a></center> <center><textarea id="code-source" rows="3" cols="19" name="code-source"><center> <a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UgD5lhYobww"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9429302491_dcc53ddc9b_o.jpg"></a></center> </textarea> </center> <center> </center> <center><em>For a smaller size, please visit my</em> <a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UhWBcJKThV1" target="_blank"><strong>PINcentive Blog Hop</strong></a> <em>page<strong></strong>.</em></center> <p align="center">3. Spread this wonderful opportunity and Tweet about it!</p> <center><a class="twitter-share-button" href="https://twitter.com/share" data-url="http://ow.ly/opKRg" data-text="Come join us and enter your link at The PINcentive Blog Hop!" data-via="croppedstories" data-size="large" data-hashtags="bloghop" data-dnt="true">Tweet</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script></font></center> <p align="center"><font color="#666666"><font size="4"><strong>4. REPIN THE WINNER’S CONTENT FROM THE WEEK BEFORE</strong></font></font><font size="3"><font color="#ff0000"><strong><br clear="all"></strong></font><font color="#ff0000"><strong>Please, for the prospective winner’s sake, don’t skip this step.</strong></font></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Week 17 Winners via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11919964366/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Week 17 Winners via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/11919964366_ca01b84eee_o.jpg" width="850" height="229"></a></center></font></strong> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"></p></font></strong> <p align="center"> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"></p></font></strong> <p align="center"><strong></p></strong> <p align="center"><strong><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327220240/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000" size="3">DIY Dry Erase Calendar</font></a></strong><font color="#ff0000"><font size="3"> /<strong> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327220276/" target="_blank">DIY Dollar Store Chalkboard Tray</a></strong></font><font size="3"><strong></strong></font> </font><font size="3"><font color="#ff0000">/ </font><strong><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327220257/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff0000">Free 2014 Blog Planner Printable</font></a><br clear="all"></strong></font><br clear="all"><font size="3">5. Link up using your post URL (<strong><u>NOT</u> the URL address of your main page</strong>).<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><strong>Please provide the TITLE OF YOUR POST under Name/Title.<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></strong>Most importantly, HAVE FUN, mingle, make some new friends, pin to your heart’s desire, and leave some comment love! <br clear="all"></font><font color="#4bacc6"><br clear="all"><strong><font size="3"><u>IMPORTANT PINNING TIPS:</u><br clear="all"></font></strong></font><font color="#4bacc6" size="3">Do not use the customized Pin It button that may appear when you hover over a participant’s thumbnail image.<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><font color="#4bacc6">Using it will <em><font color="#4bacc6">ONLY</font></em> pin the thumbnail image (linking you back to the website you are currently on) and not that person’s post.<br clear="all"></font><font color="#4bacc6">To pin correctly, please click on the text link below the thumbnail image to pin directly from their page.</font></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3"><strong><em>I reserve the right to remove any links that do not meet these requirements.</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font size="5">LIKE OUR BLOG HOP? DON’T WANT TO MISS A WEEK?</font></strong></p> <p align="center"><label for="mce-EMAIL"><font size="3">Subscribe to receive email reminders for The PINcentive Blog Hop!</font></label> <input id="mce-EMAIL" class="email" name="EMAIL" required="" placeholder="email address"> </p> <center> <div id="mc_embed_signup"> <form id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" method="post" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" action="http://blogspot.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=53f36a2cf98db051d7c8b79ad&id=6ebc25b0c8" target="_blank" novalidate=""> <div class="clear"><input id="mc-embedded-subscribe" class="button" type="submit" value="Subscribe" name="subscribe"></div></form></div></center> <center> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:9117f682-2867-42eb-b6b1-3fb95fc9b5d7" class="wlWriterSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"></div></center> <div style="text-align: center"></div><br> <center><!-- start InLinkz script --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=360635"></script><!-- end InLinkz script --></center> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-21862567412953469482014-01-10T10:48:00.001-05:002014-01-10T12:52:42.800-05:00The Minted Birth Announcement Design Challenge!<p>I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s been a little slow over here in the land of Cropped Stories. Today, however, I thought I’d let you in on the big reason behind me being MIA for the past several weeks with the exception of my <strong><a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.Us9OafRDuQ6" target="_blank">blog hop</a></strong> (of course) and a <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/crying-and-whining-and-tantrums-oh-my.html#.Us9OhPRDuQ4" target="_blank">little venting about the little one driving me absolutely bonkers</a></strong>! </p> <p>I’m excited to share that I’ve been designing birth announcement cards for the <strong><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-challenge" target="_blank">Minted design challenge</a></strong>! In case you aren’t familiar with Minted, here’s a little about them straight from their website:</p> <a name='more'></a> <blockquote> <p>"Our purpose in life is to uncover exceptional design from all over the world and bring this to savvy consumers who won't accept anything else."</p></blockquote> <p>Along with the minted mission:</p> <center><a title="The Minted Mission via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11864016626/"><img alt="The Minted Mission via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/11864016626_9cab0758da_o.png" width="850" height="358"></a></center> <p>I’ve been a faithful and happy customer of theirs for several years now. I’ve ordered all of my holiday, birthday, and announcement cards from them since Alivia was born in 2010. Their selection of card and stationery options is one of the best I’ve seen, their paper quality surpasses their competitors, and their customer service is outstanding! With that said, I jumped at the opportunity to design for them! And although the competition was quite intimidating with amazing submissions from veterans in the design industry from all parts of the world, I still managed to swallow the big lump in my throat and push past my artistic insecurities to submit a nice assortment of designs I am proud of! Especially considering I’m self taught with design and illustration software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.</p> <p>In the process of submitting my designs, I noticed that in addition to being judged by a panel of Minted’s chosen designers/editors, the community and designers are also able to vote on their favorites. While exciting and a little scary, I can’t lie, I was generally concerned. <font color="#c0504d"><em><strong>I don’t believe in soliciting votes from family, friends, the blog-o-sphere, etc. just for the sake of getting votes. I want people to vote on my designs because they truly love them and/or would purchase them. </strong></em></font><font color="#666666">That’s not to say I don’t understand why Minted allows the community to vote. In fact, I think it’s a great business decision on their part as an additional way to gain exposure which they rightfully deserve being the great and reputable company they are.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="3">Even still, I am not asking for your vote. </font></strong>Instead, I would love for you to check out the designs (<em>not just mine</em>) and vote for your favorites. I guarantee you will not be disappointed as these birth announcements have been created by some truly talented designers! Their website also makes it convenient to share designs with others, so feel free to spread the word via your preferred social media method(s). <strong><font color="#d16349">THE DESIGNS WILL BE OPEN TO VOTING AFTER MONDAY, THE 13TH where I will display a voting badge on my website that will take you directly to their website.</font></strong></p> <p>To tempt you, I included my 8 designs below. By clicking on the link below my images, you are NOT voting for me. It will only take you to Minted’s website where you can view my design, vote on it (<strong><font color="#c0504d"><em>only if you like it please</em></font></strong>), and view the other submissions. You can also view the other submissions right <a href="http://www.minted.com/challenge/133?sort=random" target="_blank"><strong><font size="3">HERE</font></strong></a>. Oh, and please feel free to critique my designs on Minted’s website; I welcome the feedback and look forward to hearing from you! <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136585"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - A kiss and hug" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/16/51/48/9892eb9fbeffc0c85e4da9df11a1afcd"><br>birth announcements - A kiss and hug</a><br clear="all"><br clear="all"></center> <hr> <center> </center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136611"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - New Life Crossword Puzzle" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/17/58/23/fa9cb4ae9045829a9982267762ed3d84"><br>birth announcements - New Life Crossword Puzzle</a></center> <p> <hr> <center> </center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136615"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Hanging Hearts" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/18/16/10/c3b7a440b4beed1a601e013f12678ec2"><br>birth announcements - Hanging Hearts</a></center> <p> <hr> <center> </center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136623"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Peek a boo Twenty Fourteen" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/18/27/43/387a80d633c0c6df840c7e4b6c6366b7"><br>birth announcements - Peek a boo Twenty Fourteen</a></center> <p> <hr> <center> </center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136625"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - One in a gazillion word search" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/07/18/38/11/b0c00803f667f3850d2d3c758970fb10"><br>birth announcements - One in a gazillion word search</a></center> <p> <hr> <center> </center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/137121"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Tic Tac Toe" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/09/22/35/05/43b7d9dc19cf23ddd09f9c860fda93fa"><br>birth announcements - Tic Tac Toe</a></center> <p> <hr> <center> </center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/137131"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Twinkling Stars" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/09/22/45/53/5ab5e6dea3793ce6ffffb73816f35d35"><br>birth announcements - Twinkling Stars</a></center> <p> <hr> <center> </center> <center><a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/136713"><img border="0" alt="birth announcements - Music to our Ears" src="http://cdn4.minted.com/2014/01/08/04/43/05/339f6babce14276b713333d002ddda39"><br>birth announcements - Music to our Ears</a></center> <p align="center"><em><font color="#4bacc6">*All photographs were provided by Minted</font></em></p> <p>Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, participate in the voting process, regardless of whether you voted for me, and for any shout outs or social media shares you may choose to do! Also, if you know anyone, perhaps with a design background, that may be interested in checking out this challenge to vote or enter, please feel free to pass this post along. Although the deadline for this particular challenge is January 13th, there are always other design challenges on Minted to enter!</p> <p>Thanks again, and happy Friday!</p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:12fc6c8f-eea7-458e-ac86-a1cfd3a278d7" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/minted+design+challenge" rel="tag">minted design challenge</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/design" rel="tag">design</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/birth+announcements" rel="tag">birth announcements</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/designer" rel="tag">designer</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/votes" rel="tag">votes</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/digital+designs" rel="tag">digital designs</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/graphic+design" rel="tag">graphic design</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/stationery+products" rel="tag">stationery products</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/consumer+information" rel="tag">consumer information</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-29748620986011633062014-01-08T16:05:00.001-05:002014-01-08T16:05:17.804-05:00Crying, and Whining, and Tantrums, Oh My!<p>It donned on me, while I rinsed off dishes to put in the dishwasher, that I just asked my 3 year old if she was going to cry every day for the rest of her life as if she were capable of answering it honestly. Or as if it were a fair question to ask a child that age. <p>At the time, I'm sure she thought she was answering honestly as she mumbled what I thought sounded like a "yes", but I can't be sure since it got lost in the high pitch sounds of what resembled a puppy cry. This is what it sounded like when Alivia started to whine. Between her crying, and whining for what seemed to be the one millionth time that day, I thought I was going to lose it! Mind you, I haven't been feeling well. I have been fighting a sinus infection that spread through the house like a forest fire and even still, I mustered up the patience to make a silly game out of asking her not to run around the kitchen island near the hot stove. I would physically redirect her every time she would get near the stove, turning her around and pushing her off towards her dad who would do the same thing as she approached the other side of the island. All of a sudden, before the hubby and I knew it, she was crying and acting like her moody little self. You can imagine my patience, at this time, was dwindling, and quickly. I still demonstrated control when I demanded she go to her room in a relaxed and eager voice as if I were asking a waiter for the dessert menu. I can't deny that I was eager for her to go to her room so that I could enjoy some peace and quiet. I don't know what I was thinking. No sooner than we closed the door to her bedroom was she in full out tantrum mode. Screaming, kicking, crying, whining, etc.! </p> <a name='more'></a> <center><a title="Crying and Whining and Tantrums Oh MY via Cropped-Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11842681476/"><img alt="Crying and Whining and Tantrums Oh MY via Cropped-Stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3828/11842681476_bbbe170cfc_o.jpg" width="500" height="623"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>CRYING, WHINING, AND TANTRUMS, OH MY!</strong></font></p> <p>I could feel my face getting hot and the tears began to well up in my eyes. Without the hubby knowing, I casually snuck off to the bathroom to ball like a baby with questions like "where did I go wrong", "why was she acting this way", "am I being too hard on her", and the question that made me cry the most "when did we drift apart?" <p>Whether it was true or not, that's how I felt these past few months. It seemed like when Alivia turned 3, she became different. She was difficult, moody, stubborn, and questioning. Just when I thought she couldn't be any more repetitive than she already was, it became worse. She would ask something, I (or someone) would answer, and she would continue to ask again and again and again. It was nerve racking, frustrating, and anxiety provoking. Then, out of the blue, she started asking why all the time and questioning my disciplinary actions. Maybe you are familiar with this stage. Lord I hope you are 'cause, at this point, all I want to know is if there are others out there experiencing similar behaviors in their children. <p>But I'll tell you what kills me the most, that nearly splits my heart in two. It's a behavior that is the most challenging not to take personal. <p>It's the god-forsaken MOODINESS! Is that even normal? To be moody at 3? I realize the hubby may be partly to blame for this one (being a grumpy ol' bear himself), but I'm still thinking she's a little too young to demonstrate this behavior. I thought I had quite a few years before I had to deal with my daughter being mean or hurting me feelings. Wasn't that a conventional characteristic of the teenage years? Apparently the behavior didn't only define the teen years and this sick joke was on me! I'll never get over how heartbreaking it was to see her little hand push me away when I tried to cuddle her, ask her what's wrong, or simply play. Especially when all I could envision was that little hand tightly wrapped around my finger as she slept soundly in my arms in the first few months of her life. <p>What can I say; it's been hard. It's been disappointing. Mostly, though, it's been depressing. And the frequency of the punishments just seem to be increasing lately! And just when I thought I'd never be one of those mothers that sits outside their child's bedroom door after sending them to their room, there I was outside Alivia's room rolled up in the fetal position crying like an infant praying she wouldn't come out of her room and see me in all of my, um, splendor. <p>Between sending her to her room and taking toys away, let's just say it hasn't been Disney Land over here lately. In fact, if you walked into our house right now, you could probably cut the tension with a knife. It's been practically a war zone, and it's safe to say we are all sick and tired of living on fighting grounds. <p>Sometimes I wonder what gets me through each day without going completely insane or crying myself into an oblivion. And while I'd like to give up at times, I try to stay strong for my family, for Alivia. Although I may question my actions and wonder if I'm handling a situation the best I can, the healthiest thing I can do for everyone is exactly what I'm doing. I'll continue to question myself; it's what keeps me in check. I'll continue to feel disheartened when I have to take a toy away or send Alivia to her room; it's what keeps me humane. I will not call a truce; I will not give up. It's just not an option; not for this mommy anyway! <p>With Alivia growing into what I can only imagine is the first version of herself, I am happy to report she has also acquired some amazing characteristics and behaviors that any parent would be proud of. Even with her intermittent moodiness, she is, and always has been, a very loving child, and I never question that is her true self. She is super smart, imaginative, creative, and social. She's on many occasions demonstrated leadership, thoughtfulness, and has even learned how to stand up for herself. Mostly, though, she is a happy child. And isn't that what all parents want for their children (right after health of course)? Their happiness? <p>See, I knew must have been doing something right. <p><font color="#4bacc6" size="3">Now, it's your turn. Don't leave me hanging like I'm the only parent out there with a difficult toddler. If any of this sounds familiar, I need to hear from you especially if you have any helpful tips to get through this phase. I’d also love to hear how potty training is going. While Alivia has been trained for some time now, she has taken a few steps back. She’s been peeing in her underwear, something she’s never done before. And don’t even get me started on the pooping. It’s sort of a crappy subject for me (pun intended). </font></p> <p><font color="#c0504d" size="3">And before I let you go, there’s only 2 days left to link up to <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-pincentive-blog-hop-week-17.html#.Us24pPRDuQ4" target="_blank">The PINcentive Blog Hop</a></strong>! As a reminder, our winners (3 are chosen every week) get major Pinterest exposure. On average, our winner’s content is being pinned between 50-80 times (sometimes more)! Trust me, it’s not an opportunity you should miss out on! At the very least, you will be able to meet some new bloggers, find some inspiring posts to share, and make some new friends. Not too shabby if you ask me!</font></p> <p><font color="#4bacc6" size="3"></font></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:c27bfb89-382c-4883-84d5-dbd79c0d1128" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/parenting" rel="tag">parenting</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/motherhood" rel="tag">motherhood</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/tantrums" rel="tag">tantrums</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/crying" rel="tag">crying</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/whining" rel="tag">whining</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/toddler" rel="tag">toddler</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/family" rel="tag">family</a></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8659162590893410645.post-70568694200576753222014-01-06T22:55:00.001-05:002014-01-06T22:55:37.961-05:00The PINcentive Blog Hop: Week 17<p>Welcome to the seventeenth week of the blog hop! As always, a <font size="5">BIG</font> THANK YOU is in order to everyone that has been linking up. More so for making it EXTREMELY difficult for our co-hosts to choose winners each week and providing us with such great recipes, crafts, tips, parenting advice, tutorials, (you name it)! Your content has truly been a pleasure to read, and it keeps getting better each week! </p> <p>If this is your first time linking up; WELCOME! I am extremely excited to provide this link up for you today and the opportunity for you to increase your traffic, followers, and improve your page rank! </p> <a name='more'></a> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <h1 align="center"><font size="4"></font></h1> <h1 align="center"><font size="4">THE PINCENTIVE BLOG HOP; HOW DOES IT WORK?</font></h1> <p>Each week, 3 winners will be chosen by our co-hosts! As a winner, you will have the opportunity to:</p> <ul> <li>have your post featured, <li>co-host our next hop and choose our winner (a great way to make new friends and increase your following), <li>priority seating (which means I’ll add your post to our link up manually), and <li><strong>have your content pinned a minimum of 31 times by my Pinterest Incentive Program (PIP) team members below. </strong></li></ul> <p>Additionally your content will be pinned by the each blog hop participant! That’s right! Blog hop participants will be required to pin the winner’s content. The number of link ups we have will determine the total number of times your content gets pinned so, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SPREAD THE WORD! It will only benefit you in the long run! </p> <p>Now, according to proper blog commenting etiquette, REQUESTS TO FOLLOW BACK are in poor taste. <strong><font size="4">For this Blog Hop, HOWEVER, let’s rid ourselves of this rule (that’s right; throw it right out the window)! For this PARTY, they are ENCOURAGED and ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE!</font> </strong></p> <center><a title="The Pinterest Incentive Program Team Members via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10609343185/"><img alt="The Pinterest Incentive Program Team Members via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/10609343185_3cb72ecfcb_o.jpg" width="851" height="1327"></a></center> <center><strong><font size="3">If you’d like to connect with these lovely ladies, or pay them a visit, I’m sure they’d love to hear from you!</font></strong> </center> <p align="center"><a href="http://akitchenhoor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CHRISTIE</a>, <a href="http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CATHY</a>, <a href="http://www.mychillthoughts.com/" target="_blank">CRISTYL</a>, <a href="http://createandbabble.com/" target="_blank">JEANIE</a>, <a href="http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/" target="_blank">MELANIE</a>, <a href="http://www.getcreativejuice.com/" target="_blank">MINDY</a>, <a href="http://www.moderncommonplacebook.com/" target="_blank">GINNY</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.kiddiefoodies.com/" target="_blank">GOSIA</a>, <a href="http://www.homeonderanged.com/" target="_blank">MELISSA</a>, <a href="http://www.janinehuldie.com/" target="_blank">JANINE</a>, <a href="http://www.justusfourblog.com/" target="_blank">SHANNAH</a>, <a href="http://www.karenssoiree.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">KAREN</a>, <a href="http://www.kleinworthco.com/" target="_blank">GINA</a>, <a href="http://schmigotzki.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CASSI</a>, <a href="http://agutandabutt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BETTY</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.momontherunx2.net/" target="_blank">JULIA</a>, <a href="http://www.momstestkitchen.com/" target="_blank">JAIME</a>, <a href="http://www.simplesavingsforatlmoms.com/" target="_blank">QUIDA</a>, <a href="http://www.mynotsosimplelife.com/" target="_blank">ELLEN</a>, <a href="http://www.iamannekehn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ANNE</a>, <a href="http://www.nuggetonabudget.com/" target="_blank">KERA</a>, <a href="http://www.pharr-away.com/" target="_blank">NICOLE</a>, <a href="http://www.serenityyou.com/" target="_blank">NATASHA</a>,<br clear="all"><a href="http://www.krystalskitsch.com/" target="_blank">KRYSTAL</a>, <a href="http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ANYONITA</a>, <a href="http://adishofdailylife.com/" target="_blank">MICHELLE</a>, <a href="http://www.theprincessandhercowboys.com/" target="_blank">BRITNEY</a>, <a href="http://wedofunhere.com/" target="_blank">JENN</a>, <a href="http://mztmitchell.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">TIFFANY</a>, <a href="http://www.vmg206.com/" target="_blank">MEGIN</a><strong></p></strong> <p align="center"><strong>Alternates<br clear="all"></strong><a href="http://tamaracamerablog.com/" target="_blank">TAMARA</a>, <a href="http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/" target="_blank">MARTI</a></p> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Hosts via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10394293326/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Hosts via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7382/10394293326_7df444a20c_o.png" width="850" height="154"></a></center> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>OUR PIP MEMBER HOST & CO-HOSTS</strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">Host: Elena @ <strong><a href="http://www.croppedstories.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cropped Stories</a></strong> (<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102758509830977850235/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/croppedstories/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>)<br clear="all"></font><font size="4">Co-host: Julia @<strong> <a href="http://www.minivandreams.com/" target="_blank">Mini Van Dreams</a> </strong>(<a href="https://twitter.com/minivandreams" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/minivandreams/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/+Minivandreamsblog/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>)<br clear="all"></font><font size="4"><font color="#666666">Co-host: Jaime </font>@ <a href="http://momstestkitchen.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Mom’s Test Kitchen</strong></a> (<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/momstestkitchen/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/+JaimeO/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MomsTestKitchen" target="_blank">Facebook</a></font><font size="4">)<br clear="all">Co-host: Ellen @ <strong><a href="http://www.mynotsosimplelife.com/" target="_blank">My Not so Simple Life</a></strong> (<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/ellen_corathers/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/mynotsimplelife" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MynotsoSimpleLife" target="_blank">Facebook</a>)</p></font> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>OUR WINNERS FROM WEEK 16 (and 1 from week 15)<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></strong></font><font size="4">Co-host: Marisa @ <a href="http://www.burlapandbananas.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Burlap and Bananas</strong></a> (<a href="http://instagram.com/burlapandbananas" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/risarina/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/burlapandbanana" target="_blank">Twitter</a>)<br clear="all">Co-host: Jen @ <strong><a href="http://www.satsumadesigns.com/" target="_blank">Satsuma Designs</a> </strong>(<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/satsumadesigns/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/satsumadesigns" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SatsumaDesignsBaby" target="_blank">Facebook</a>)<br clear="all">Co-host: Tarana @ <strong><a href="http://www.sandinmytoes.tk/" target="_blank">Sand in my Toes</a></strong> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sandinmytoesTK" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/sandinmytoesTK/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/sandinmytoesTK" target="_blank">Twitter</a>) <br clear="all">Co-host: Mary @ <strong><a href="http://thatsmyhome.com/" target="_blank">That’s my Home</a></strong> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thatsmyhome.com.Recipes" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/thatsmyhome/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Thatsmyhome/posts" target="_blank">Google+</a>)<br clear="all"></font><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Rules via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/10394263255/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Rules via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/10394263255_2486573635_o.png" width="850" height="154"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="3">Link up anything and everything <strong>with the exception of giveaways, link ups, and paid product reviews</strong>.<br clear="all">Posts must be family friendly and published in the past month.<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><strong></p></strong></font> <p align="center"><font size="3">1. Follow the Host and Co-hosts via a minimum of one method they’ve chosen to include above.<br clear="all"><br clear="all">2. Display the Blog Hop button on your website (preferably in post or a sidebar).</p> <center><a title="cropped stories" href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UgD5lhYobww" target="_blank"><img alt="cropped stories" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9429302491_dcc53ddc9b_o.jpg"></a></center> <center><textarea id="code-source" rows="3" cols="19" name="code-source"><center> <a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UgD5lhYobww"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9429302491_dcc53ddc9b_o.jpg"></a></center> </textarea> </center> <center> </center> <center><em>For a smaller size, please visit my</em> <a href="http://croppedstories.blogspot.com/p/the-pincentive-blog-hop.html#.UhWBcJKThV1" target="_blank"><strong>PINcentive Blog Hop</strong></a> <em>page<strong></strong>.</em></center> <p align="center">3. Spread this wonderful opportunity and Tweet about it!</p> <center><a class="twitter-share-button" href="https://twitter.com/share" data-url="http://ow.ly/opKRg" data-text="Come join us and enter your link at The PINcentive Blog Hop!" data-via="croppedstories" data-size="large" data-hashtags="bloghop" data-dnt="true">Tweet</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script></font></center> <p align="center"><font color="#666666"><font size="4"><strong>4. REPIN THE WINNER’S CONTENT FROM THE WEEK BEFORE</strong></font></font><font size="3"><font color="#ff0000"><strong><br clear="all"></strong></font><font color="#ff0000"><strong>Please, for the prospective winner’s sake, don’t skip this step.</strong></font></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"> <center><a title="The PINcentive Blog Hop Week 16 Winners via Cropped Stories" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80364895@N04/11787766333/"><img alt="The PINcentive Blog Hop Week 16 Winners via Cropped Stories" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/11787766333_37079bb65f_o.jpg" width="850" height="229"></a></center></font></strong> <p align="center"> <p align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3"></p></font></strong> <p align="center"><strong></p></strong> <p align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327170832/" target="_blank"><font size="3">DIY Glammed Up Wine Glasses</font></a></strong><font size="3"> / </font><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327170941/" target="_blank"><strong><font size="3">SEO Checklist before you Publish a Post</font></strong></a><font size="3"> / </font><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210261876327170814/" target="_blank"><strong><font size="3">Sparkly Felt Fortune Cookies</font></strong></a><br clear="all"><br clear="all"><font size="3">5. Link up using your post URL (<strong><u>NOT</u> the URL address of your main page</strong>).<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><strong>Please provide the TITLE OF YOUR POST under Name/Title.<br clear="all"><br clear="all"></strong>Most importantly, HAVE FUN, mingle, make some new friends, pin to your heart’s desire, and leave some comment love! <br clear="all"></font><font color="#4bacc6"><br clear="all"><strong><font size="3"><u>IMPORTANT PINNING TIPS:</u><br clear="all"></font></strong></font><font color="#4bacc6" size="3">Do not use the customized Pin It button that may appear when you hover over a participant’s thumbnail image.<br clear="all"></font><font size="3"><font color="#4bacc6">Using it will <em><font color="#4bacc6">ONLY</font></em> pin the thumbnail image (linking you back to the website you are currently on) and not that person’s post.<br clear="all"></font><font color="#4bacc6">To pin correctly, please click on the text link below the thumbnail image to pin directly from their page.</font></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3"><strong><em>I reserve the right to remove any links that do not meet these requirements.</em></strong></font></p> <p align="center"><strong><font size="5">LIKE OUR BLOG HOP? DON’T WANT TO MISS A WEEK?</font></strong></p> <p align="center"><label for="mce-EMAIL"><font size="3">Subscribe to receive email reminders for The PINcentive Blog Hop!</font></label> <input id="mce-EMAIL" class="email" name="EMAIL" required="" placeholder="email address"> </p> <center> <div id="mc_embed_signup"> <form id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" method="post" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" action="http://blogspot.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=53f36a2cf98db051d7c8b79ad&id=6ebc25b0c8" target="_blank" novalidate=""> <div class="clear"><input id="mc-embedded-subscribe" class="button" type="submit" value="Subscribe" name="subscribe"></div></form></div></center> <center> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:9117f682-2867-42eb-b6b1-3fb95fc9b5d7" class="wlWriterSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"></div></center> <div style="text-align: center"></div><br> <center><!-- start InLinkz script --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=358122"></script><!-- end InLinkz script --></center> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07559948209456893245noreply@blogger.com5