Are you one of those bloggers who don't enter contests and give-a-ways, because you think you "never win anything"? Well, let me tell you...you, too, could be a winner! Within the span of two weeks, a couple of months ago, I won not one, not two, but THREE different FABULOUS gifts from various blogs that I follow.
So I got an email from a lovely woman from Maya Road urging me to reply since she'd been trying to reach me so that I could claim my prize. I had completely forgotten that I had left a comment on a blog post in which Maya Road and Stampendous teamed up to generate new fans. When the package arrived a few days later, I felt like a little kid at Christmas. The ribbons and cords and twine from Maya Road are over-the-top! -In fact, the gorgeous plaid ribbon I used in the Garden Railroad Layout in my last post was from this wonderful gift package.
Best of all, the Jumbo Lily Rubber Stamp from Stampendous was one that I was desperately yearning for...I just fell in love with it on their website and was really hoping to get it one day. I couldn't believe that I had won it! -Along with an acrylic block to attach it to. Soooo happy to have these great items!
About a week later, I saw my name on Graphic 45's blog as a winner! At first, I wasn't even sure what I had won, since I leave comments on G45's blog regularly (LOVE THEM). To my delight, it turned out to be their brand new, hot-off-the-press, Tropical Travelogue line! The whole line! -Chipboard tags and the 8"x8" paper pad in addition to the 12"x12" paperpad!
Those of you who are familiar with Graphic 45 papers know what an incredible score this is. The papers are top-notch quality...gorgeous colors, fabulous images... absolutely delicious, and a MUST for an island-inhabitant as myself. Martha's Vineyard can hardly be considered a tropical island (it's been hovering between 10-30 degrees Fahrenheit these past two days of January), but much of the paper would fit any island theme...and, of course, it will be perfect for layouts of my Key West vacation I took a while back. Over-joyed!
Well, my winning streak didn't end there. After posting some of my artwork on Graphic 45's Community Gallery, to my surprise, I received an email saying that I had been chosen for a 'random act of kindness' for being a contributing supporter of the site. I nearly keeled over! Well, they sent me a lovely little package with some seriously wonderful goodies. Take a look:
I've been so wanting to try Graphic 45's new cling stamps, and the ones I received are from the beloved Curtain Call line. How fun is the Eiffel Tower stamp...or the Can-Can Dancer stamp? The chipboard flowers and buttons are from G45's Staples Collection. And then there are those versatile word ribbons and lace! I sure am a Lucky-Ducky!
Last year, I won a spot in Christy Tomlinson's She Art Workshop through the Where Women Create website by leaving a comment there. I wrote about how that experience changed my life by expanding my scrapbooking and papercrafting into mixed media artwork in this blog post: Scrapbook Techniques Enhance Mixed Media Art. It was an amazing on-line workshop that pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to spread my creative wings.
Well, my intention for posting this was certainly not to brag or to be a show-off (truly, I always thought I was one of those people that never win anything!) -I simply want to encourage all of you to take a leap of faith now and then. Bloggers LOVE IT when their readers leave messages and many businesses gage their popularity by how many messages are left after their blog posts, or how many "Likes" they accumulate on Facebook. Some pretty great prizes...often called "Blog Candy" or "Random Acts of Kindness", are offered on a regular basis to those who leave comments, in an effort to build a bigger following. So go for it!
By the way, I will be offering some nice little Blog Candy in my next post. I will be participating in a fun-filled Blog Hop through Let's Scrap. I will be one of fifty hostesses posting inspirational card sketches on our blogs and challenging you to create greeting cards based on the posted designs. So do check back in and do participate...and try to leave a comment (also called Blog-Love) whenever you can. Who knows what random acts of kindness may be waiting for you right around the corner?
Spreading some Blog Love, -Enikö
