No great challenge is without a fun prize, right? There’s a $25 DeNami gift certificate to the DeNami website up for grabs! Does this challenge sound like something you would like to play along in? You can find ALL of the details over on the CAS-ual Fridays blog. Also, be sure to stop by the DeNami blog as I have posted the links of the DeNami DT gals who joined along in this challenge. :)
Oh, I am so excited about this post. For about a year, I have wanted to feature some of my favorite bloggers, but was scared to put myself out there. If I did this, then that means these AMAZING people would look at my little blog and well, this terrified me. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t have the most profound/ interesting/ creative posts. However, as many of you know, my posts show where I am on my journey and let you glimpse into my life. In my attempt to face one of my fears, I FINALLY took the plunge. I asked one of my go-to bloggers if she would consider being featured on my blog. My heart skipped a beat when she said yes! (I now know what guys feel like when they propose and the girl says yes)
I’ve been a HUGE fan of this blogger for quite some time. I used to listen to her as a morning DJ when she lived in Washington and then somehow found her on Twitter. I started following her and then we became friends on Facebook. We have had small interactions here and there, but nothing too earth shattering. Honestly, this woman amazes me. She is an amazing mom and wife, has ridiculously close taste in music/ tv shows/ movies as I do and is super witty. To top that off, she is incredibly business savvy and hilarious. Can you say package deal?!
Without further ado, I am honored to bring you my very first Featured Blogger…..
Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?
Ha! Which one! I’m a blog addict. I have a blog for my business which is www.weddingpreviewevent.wordpress.com. We (my business partner and I) started it to represent real people in the wedding industry. We’re not interested in fluff (you can find that anywhere on any blog), we’re interested in talking about life, wedding plans, botched DIY projects and more. We like to connect with those who meet the vendors we support through the Wedding Preview Event. We are the go-between between couples getting married and the experts who help create that dream wedding. We’re unbiased and super cool. Oh wait, that’s like being self-proclaimed cool. Dang it! Writing fail.
The other blog I have (I’ll stop at two for now) is called No Thinking Required. It’s basically a virtual viewing party involving 30+ women who are scattered throughout the US but still wanted to “get together” to talk about our shows, books, celeb gossip and more. This is a new venture for me. I’m a pop culture junkie and I’ve found a bunch of women who feel the same way. I launched this site about a week ago and we’ve got our ladies all lined up to do their show updates. It’s fun. I love that sort of thing. No Thinking Required is such a perfect name, too. Credit goes to Jennie, who is a high school friend who is now living in Florida.
What inspires you for your posts?
I’m inspired by anything and everything. Life inspires me. I don’t mean that in a whimsical way, though. As far as my work blog goes (Wedding Preview Event), we have a weekly schedule of subjects. I know what’s coming so whenever I hear something, read something or experience something that has to do with my subject, I jot it down in Evernote and get back to it when it’s time for me to blog. I am an idea a minute type of person so inspiration isn’t tough to come by. Dedication is the tough part. So far so good, though. I’m really really proud of our work.
As far as No Thinking Required goes, everything I write is stream of conscious. It may not have to do with the subject at hand, rather something I picked up on during a TV show or thoughts that ran through my mind after seeing just a split second of a clip.
Do you ever find it difficult to be “real” and put yourself out there?
Not really. I started blogging when blogging wasn’t the cool thing to do. I worked in radio and I literally observed everything around me and just started typing. I didn’t edit anything. Ever. That’s what I found to bring in the most readers. I could be honest and there actually were other people who were looking for honesty. Go figure. I do the same today. If you don’t like me or my writing, I’d say that my blogs aren’t for you. I’m okay with that. I won’t change my style, though, because I become extremely boring and that’s when I get writer’s block. Like, right now, I have no idea of anything I’ve written actually makes sense. I won’t go back and read my answers before I hit submit.
Are there blogs that you visit on a daily basis? If so, which ones?
Actually, no. I don’t typically read other blogs because they are boring to me. I’m not saying that mine are the best, it’s just a style thing. I’m not interested in looking through photograph after photograph with a short description afterwards. I’m interested in humor, real discussions and a unique personality behind the writing. I’m not saying those blogs aren’t out there, I just haven’t found the person who has a style that brings me back on a daily basis. There are some gossip sites I visit (www.wetpaint.com, www.dlisted.com) but as far as other wedding blogs (my industry)? Nah.
Okay, now onto some fun questions that are non-relevant to blogging…..
If you could be a celebrity for one day, who would it be? Why?
Oh geez. This is the best question EVER! I’m trying really hard not to morph multiple celebrities together to create the ultimate famous person. I think I’d be…um….agh. I don’t want to mess this up. I think I’ll go with Kelly Ripa. She has a job that I’d love. She is relaxed in her daily routine, she spends time working out, she’s got a super-hot husband and she can shop whenever wherever. I’d be game ANYDAY! Plus, I think she makes drinking coffee look fun.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Reality TV. By far. I love the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I watch Orange County but it’s become such a wannabe rich group that it’s nauseating. Don’t get me wrong, I still watch. I love Revenge, Keeping Up with the Kardashians (don’t judge), The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars. Oooh, back to the previous question. I love Maria Menuonos. I’d stare at my abs all day and laugh like her (duh, I’d be her) just to annoy people.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
I’m kind of focused on New Zealand lately. For some reason, NZ seems like a great place to vacation. I’ve been out of the country exactly three times and I’d like to broaden my reach.
Name 5 things that you are most passionate about:
In no particular order:
1. Success
2. Organization
3. My little family. Can one be passionate about their family?
4. Designer jeans
5. Any song I’m singing. I’m a horrible singer but I’m passionate. That’s got to count for something
Okay, now how fun was that interview?? I think my admiration (or rather infatuation) of Tawsha just grew a bit more. A ginormous thank you to Tawsha for spending a bit of time with me today. Now that you see how fun she is, I’m sure you want to follow her too! Here’s where you can find her:
I hope you all enjoyed my very first Featured Blogger post. The list of bloggers I follow is quite long, so hopefully we can continue this feature for quite a while. :)
Like I mentioned above, this was a little stretching for me (to go outside my comfort zone), but I hope it was worth it for you all. I would LOVE to know what you thought of this post- a quick comment or a lengthy one *big grin* would be fab!
Have a fantastic Monday- I’ll talk with you all soon!
It’s Thursday and that means it’s THANKFUL Thursday. My week has been difficult, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to be thankful for. I think that even in trying times, there is so much to be thankful for.
my family- they are here for me through thick and thin
AMAZING friends that I’ve met through my blog and Twitter
frozen yogurt (or froyo as I call it) I’m just a tad bit addicted to this tasty treat
SWEET emails from my blog readers
This week I have been particularly blessed with many emails from various blog followers. It honestly warms my heart when I get emails saying how you like a specific post, or how one gave you courage to try something new. I must admit, I’m not the gifted writer so I am beyond flattered and grateful that you all follow me.
Okay….now on a different note…
I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time, but I just didn’t have the courage. Since I’ve been trying to go outside my comfort zone, I took the plunge. I’m not disclosing the content yet- you’ll have to come back on Monday for that! :)
Thank you so much for visiting my blog today. My question to you: what are YOU thankful for today?
The phrase above pretty much sums up my life right now. There is a chapter that has ended, but I know that there are new chapters ahead. My personality naturally gets timid and scared when new things come, but I am consciously trying my hardest not to let this happen.
I’ve heard the saying “you have to just take it by the horns”, but honestly, does that really work for anyone? I tend to think that some new chapters call for “baby steps”. I’m currently taking this approach, but if you all have other suggestions, pass them along! :)
I hope your current chapter in life is a pleasant one. If you feel up for it, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email (click the envie on the right side).
Just popping in really quickly with my take on the latest Retro Sketches #13. I just love these sketches! They aren’t too fussy, which is perfect for me. I like sketches where it leaves some “wiggle” room and doesn’t have lots of elements.
Here’s my card….
I decided to rotate my card this time around. Pulled out my well loved Whimsical Flowers set and went to town. {This card also works with the current DeNami Addict Challenge #1, which is a garden theme!}
Just a quick post saying I have to skip my Thankful Thursday post today. This morning/ afternoon I have dealt with food poisoning and have been hurled over in the bathroom for quite a bit. Guess that late night stop to a 24 hour diner really wasn’t such a great idea yesterday. Yuck!
Hoping to be 100% better soon so I can get a real post up in the next day or so. Hope YOU all are doing well!
Recently I have had some extra time to do some “fun” crafting, which is SUPER rare for me. Most of the things I create are for work, so by the end of the week, I don’t often have energy to create things “just because”. A few days ago I needed to create a lot of things, but was stuck in a rut. After sitting for a while (with an empty craft desk), I finally decided to create something that wasn’t on my “to-do list”. Imagine my surprise when doing this prompted all sorts of creativity that was carried out into my required projects.
I’m in LOVE with the Flower Box Window. There is just something about it that is so fun AND I’ve never seen another stamp like it before. For those in the city, I could picture these little boxes as a “garden”, since space would be limited.
That’s all for this post. Thanks so much for stopping by. Be sure to check out the two challenges I mentioned above!
I recently posted that I have a new craft studio area. Oh my, I am still in awe of this beautiful new area of the house that I get to devote to everything crafty! My parents know that I spend quite a bit of time in this area, and since it also doubles up for work, I got an extra large area.
I’m still far from having this area completed, but I thought I would post a quick picture of the area and then a before and after picture of my new Copic storage.
Like I said, this area still has a lot of work that needs to be done. I’m still looking for storage for more supplies, but want to wait for the perfect solution. After all, once I get everything together, I don’t plan on doing it again anytime soon. :) {I’m planning on posting more detailed pictures once I have everything organized}
Here’s the new Copic storage I have. I got this little treasure at Goodwill for $3 and once I saw it, I knew I had to use it somewhere in my studio. I got some white paint and found it to be perfect for my Copics. The best thing? There’s still room for some more!
That’s going to wrap up this blog post. Thanks for stopping by!
It’s time for the DeNami May Blog Hop! I was sad I wasn’t able to participate in the last one, so I made sure I found a bit of time to play along in this one. After all, pastels are so fun to play with!
If you’ve started from the beginning, you should be coming from Rochelle Washington’s blog. However, if you started here, that’s okay too! Just be sure to visit the DeNami blog so you can see the complete listing of blogs.
With the theme being pastels, I immediately thought of flowers. It’s Spring and I’m obsessed with the Spring Flowers I set- it was meant to be. :) A while back I purchased the Martha Stewart picket fence border punch and knew that I had to use it on this card. Isn’t it a fun one?
I needed a subtle background, so I brought out my Modern Borders set and used the argyle image. Definitely can’t live without this set- it has argyle AND chevron in one set?!
It’s off to the next stop on the hop: Jennifer’s blog! Remember to leave a comment on each stop for your highest chance of winning one of the DeNami gift certificates!
Thanks so much for hopping along- I hope you were inspired by my card.
It’s time for another Thankful Thursday post. This one is special because it lands on the exact day of my little brothers 12th birthday! Words cannot express how much joy and happiness he brings into my life. He is such a thoughtful guy and always has such a giving heart. We may have a large age difference, but we are pretty close. I love how he just randomly asks questions and tells me random observations. I cannot believe he is already 12- I remember the day he was born so vividly. The years go by way too quickly…..
Since it’s Evan’s birthday, I’m doing a listing of the things I admire in him:
I’m thankful that you have such a thoughtful spirit
I’m thankful that you take initiative in many different ways
I’m thankful that you are a hard worker
I’m thankful that you can make the family laugh
{picture when he was younger}
What about you? What are YOU thankful for this week?
