Blogmania is This Weekend!

Earlier this week I blogged about a very special necklace I had created with turquoise and petrified wood, Chitralekha was her name.  To complete the look, I made some fun, beaded dangle earrings.  The earrings use some vintage czech glass button beads and I've embroidered around them with seed beads.  I added fringe for fun with turquoise chips dangling off the bottom.  They are a great compliment and were so fun to make! 

This weekend is Blogmania - a HUGE bloghop giveaway.  I am unable to participate this round due to some personal circumstances.  However, I want you to win a boatload of prizes.  So if you're interested in hopping around to all of the Blogmania blogs - and let me tell you, "boatload" is not a dingy.  :o)  It's like the USS Alabama + the Love Boat combined (Nearly $15K and growing!)  You can hop from blog to blog, checking out their prizes and entering to win what you wish. 

To start the party, I want to refer you to Bree's blog.  http://breebee.com/  Bree has done a ton of work to organize all the bloggers and prize sponsors for the giveaways.  The party starts at midnight tonight and runs through the entire weekend.  From Bree's blog, you'll be able to enter her giveaway and she will have links to every other blog participant!  So hop around, and enjoy meeting new bloggers!

I hope your weekend is superb!  Thanks so much for visiting with me this Friday!
{Hugs!}

Want more traffic to your blog? Blogmania is your answer!

Blogmania is open to YOU!

Blogmania has proven to be a lot of fun. Not only do you get to see a lot of amazing blogs/bloggers that may have otherwise been buried under the sea of blogs but you get to potentially win a ton of prizes! Last season over 35K in prizes were dished out worldwide!

Would you like to be a part of this crew of Blogmania bloggers? Would you like to become more PR friendly, grow your blog, meet new bloggers, form new relationships with bloggers and shop owners? Regardless of your blogging goals, be it one or all of those,  you will have FUN! 

If you are interested in being on the Blogmania 2011 crew please send me a note at designsbydawnmd@gmail.com and I will respond with the details of the event. Registration is open until March 1st but those that sign on by Dec 15th, 11:59pm EST will be entered into a CASH prize drawing!

Want to learn more about BLOGMANIA?  Check out my Blogmania Page for an overview of what Blogmania is and updates from previous Blogmania events!

Look forward to helping you get involved if you so choose! :)

{Hugs!}
Dawn
Blogmania Dream Team Leader

Blogmania Pictures - PRIZE Package Update

Click to Enlarge and Get a Blogmania Sneak Peek

Oh I am so excited to be sharing this with you.  Previously I had shared a sneak peak of a few of our prizes included in our Blogmania Giveaway.  Our theme for the team is "Our Favorite Things!"  So as you can imagine, this prize package is a dream for every woman, wife, daughter or mother!

Well imagine my delight this week as we've gotten in even more BEAUTIFUL blogmania prizes!  The best part is that our prize collection is going to make the lucky winner feel like it's Christmas in September!  I wanted to share with you a little bit about what I've been oogling over this week!

SecondSurf.com Custom Designed Necklace with Peace Pendant

Barbara with SecondSurf.com has included this gorgeous necklace.  The necklace features one of very own, custom-designed pendants.  The message is Peace and the look is a soft, simple elegance.

Azure Island Designs Turquoise & Coral Charm Bracelet

Heather with Azure Islands Designs has an AMAZING Charm Bracelet.  Designed in Sterling Silver, Turquoise and Coral.  Each charm represents one of her favorite things!  All of the charms are also sterling silver and include:  xxxooo, whales tail, sail boat, sun glasses, four leaf clover, Florida charm, starfish, (of course) butterfly, shell, sun, VIP, ribbon, and a peace sign.  Plus it's totally adjustable to fit any wrist size.

Juls Beads Steampunk Design Necklace & Earrings

Juls with Juls Beads has used a combination of chain and seed beads to create her interpretation of Steampunk Designs.  It's created in black, white and silver so it's the perfect compliment to any outfit!  Dress it up or dress it casual, one thing is for sure... the lady wearing this necklace and earrings will get TONS of compliments!

If you're not drooling now, then you should check your pulse!  As a team, we're so excited to share "Our Favorite Things" with you for Blogmania.  If you want to win, seriously mark your calendars.  This Wednesday and Thursday (the 15th and 16th) come back here and leave a comment on the Blogmania Giveaway post that will be up.  Anybody can win, US, Canada, Italy... it doesn't matter, we're not setting restrictions!

The only thing I ask, is please, please, please stop by and visit my team members blogs as well.  They are all wonderfully talented women who have become dear friends through blogging.  They are all so special and one of a kind, you're sure to see quickly why I just love each one of them!

Azure Islands Designs

Butterfly Fondant Cakes & Desserts

Juls Beads

Purple Vine Design

SecondSurf.com

SLM Petersen

Have a wonderful week!
{Hugs!}
~Dawn

Sneak Peak - Blogmania Giveaway Prizes

As we're getting closer and closer to Blogmania, Team Favorite Things is starting to put all of our goodies into a Santa sack for one lucky winner!  Because I like you... I'm going to give you a sneak peak.  But only because you're special.

Just look at what two of our sponsors have sent me to be included for the winner!!!

Stacy at SLM Petersen has sent a collection of products worthy of drooling over... seriously.  She has written her own cookbook about Budget Friendly Cooking, included a washable mini cook book, an ADORABLE Brecipe book awaiting your recipes and a recipe-card-carrier to go.  I love the "To Go" recipe card holder - it's perfect to take to a potluck with copies of your dish to pass recipe - OR- for students that study from note cards... what  PERFECT back to school organizer that fits in any backpack or purse!

And would you just look at this?

Vanessa at Butterfly Fondant Cakes & Desserts has included this adorable high heel cake server!  It's absolutely precious and has such a classy style.  It's perfect for the princess birthday cake - or the bachelorette cake or a baby shower cake even.  I'm also very excited to share with you that Vanessa has just launched a brand new website to help her customers with choosing their cakes & desserts, but also to include her party planning supplies and ideas in the future.  You can take a look for yourself at: http://www.partybutterfly.com

One thing is for certain, whomever wins this prize package is going to be in for a HUGE treat!  It'll be like Christmas in September!

I can wait to share more as I receive more pieces of Our Favorite Things package.  I really want to thank our team as this giveaway is bigger than I ever would have imagined.  I've had so much fun seeing everybody's creative work all summer long and I can't wait to share their creations with you in the future!

If you're interested in participating in Blogmania in 2011, we're already starting the planning.  As a Team Leader I will be taking a more active role in promoting the entire event in addition to giving excellent PR to my giveaway sponsors.  For more information, you can visit my website and find out how to be on the Blogmania 2011 Dream Team.  Or if you'd like to partner with me, send me an e-mail and I'll get you more details on how we can work together.  designsbydawnmd@gmail.com

Can't wait to share more with you and help you build your blog!

Have a fantastic day!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

New Blogmania Sponsor - With A Touch of AWESOMENESS

You'll think so too when you meet Julianna Cannon from Juls Beads!  I am so excited to introduce you to our newest team member.  As part of Team Favorite Things, our Blogmania giveaway centers around some of our favorite things.  Well this girl... she just LOVES Fire & Glass.  And you should see what she does with her fire & glass.  She makes the most amazing lampwork glass beads.  I met Juls while wandering around Blog-o-sphere a while ago.  I instantly loved her sense of humor and the way she communicates with her readers.  Seriously if you visit Juls Blog and don't laugh... then you probably aren't yet fully awake and should grab another cuppa java!

Not only does Juls create one of a kind beautiful glass beads with her bare hands... but the finished jewelry she creates is equally amazing.  What she can do with those itty bitty seed beads never ceases to boggle my mind.  Juls Jewelry (wow that's a tongue twister) is stunning and sure to tease your eyes as well.

When Julianna inquired for the scoop on Blogmania I was tickled to share with her.  She has been inspiring me with her blog and beautiful creations for some time.  She's one of those gals when I met her I felt like we could be sisters from different Mrs. & Mr.'s.  She's a southern gal from Alabama, quite the free spirit moving and creating as inspiration strikes.  She's also stubborn like someone else I know (after all, I am a redhead!) :)  When I asked Juls what made her tick, here's what she said.

"Art is reflection of the soul; fueled by emotion and awe inspired. While we may leave a part of ourselves with every person we touch, our words inevitably fade to whispers. In art there is a melody we sing right out loud; leaving behind a footprint of tangible expression~ of ourselves and of our humanity."  ~Julianna Cannon

I just love her artist statement and I've grown to love her as one of my blogger sisters!  I'm really excited to be able to introduce you to Juls.  If you've been a follower of my blog, you saw many moons ago about one of Juls beautiful beads that I won... because I made her laugh so hard she snorted Dr. Pepper up her nose... true story! :)  As a special treat for you and to kick off Juls joining Team Favorite Things Blogmania Giveaway, she is hosting a Back to School Sale in her Etsy store! She's put EVERYTHING on sale... yes everything.  But you only have until Saturday to scoop up all the beautiousness you can handle. 

To get in touch with Juls and share a few giggles you will want... no wait... need to book mark her site!

Blog:  http://julsbeads.blogspot.com
Lampwork Glass Etsy Store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/julsbeads
Bead Destash Etsy Store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/dietbeads

Juls, welcome to our team!  I hope you feel cozy enough to put your feet on our virtual coffee table. :)  One thing is certain, whomever wins our prize package (which is currently over $500) is going to be one lucky person!  It'll be like Christmas in September.  To find out more about Blogmania visit my blogmania page above.  Hope you get a few giggles as you get to know Juls!  She's really a wonderful friend!

{Hugs!}
~Dawn

Prize Update - Blogmania Prize Package is Growing!

Our Blogmania Prize Package continues to get better and better!  Stacy Petersen, an incredibly talented crafter has created a new product that she's also including in our HUGE Blogmania Giveaway!  I personally love these recipe books!  Not only are they cute, they are absolutely practical!

Finding the perfect gift can be complicated and adding a personal touch can make the task even more daunting.  So where do you go from here?

You go to SLMPetersen's Etsy Shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/slmpetersen?section_id=7131769) and pick up one of these cute Recipe Albums.  Then when it arrives in your mailbox you tear into it with excitement and joy, fill it with your favorite recipes, wrap it up in pretty paper and give it to that special someone.  People appreciate "Recipes from the Heart" because you've put it together with love and you're giving them a taste your family recipes!

These great little albums make great gifts for ANYONE!  Yes, anyone – Mother, Father, Grad, Bride, Groom, Best Friend, Love of your Life.
Need ideas on giving? 

-  That next Bridal Shower you are hosting, ask each quest to bring a favorite recipe or two to fill the little album with, at the end of the party you can present the bride to be with a lovely gift that represents everyone who was at the shower.  This is a gift she will treasure and use for years to come.
-  That Family Reunion you have planned for this summer is going to be loaded with great food!  Ask everyone who will be attending to bring a copy of the recipe for the dish they will be sharing and tuck them into one of these albums.  What a great way to remember all the food and all the people you love.
-  Off to College!  What a better gift to give the kid who’s headed to college this fall.  Fill it with all their favorite dishes and copies of mom’s easy to fix dishes.  Won’t take up much room, but just might cut down on the home sick feeling when comfort food is the cure.


There really are endless ideas for the great mini albums!  Be creative and get giving!  I just love how creative Stacy is.  Like me, she is a die-hard foodie.  So we share a lot of food stories, memories and great ideas.  To connect with Stacy, please check out her blog - http://slmpetersen.blogspot.com.  You can also find her on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SLMPetersen2!

Want to learn more about Blogmania or interested in joining our team?  Click on the "Blogmania" tab above to get all the information you need an meet all of our sponsors!

Blogmania - Twitter Party with PRIZES!

Blogmania bloggers are all about building relationships - between our blogs, our cherished readers, the online community and business owners. We value each other's opinion as we all are endeavoring to make the best choices for our home life. So it seemed natural to partner up with The Lane Real Estate Team and Breebee's blog to bring you our first ever twitter and blog blast party.

The Lane Real Estate Team is all about building relationships through communities - specializing in Kennewick Homes for Sale. And Bree is a blogger - and a mom - trying to think outside of the box and help build community ties in NW Columbus OH via her Kid event website! Our other twitter party sponsors also offer items to help strengthen and maintain relationships - from stationary to hand stamped sentiments.

Our Party Theme: "Building toward Blogmania with The Lane Real Estate Team" http://www.joelane.com/

Info on the Blog Blast:

If you post on your blog(s) our announcement between now and the twitter party you will be entered to win $100 cash. If we reach 500 blogs there will be two additional $50 drawings, totaling 3 winners! You can email Bree, breejanderson@gmail.com or blogmaniapr@gmail.com for the HTML code for blog(s) links and some posting specific OR ask me (Designsbydawnmd@gmail.com) for info and I will provide you with an HTML code.

Please return with your specific blog post links on Bree's Blog, under her Twitter Party PAGE tab.

Info on the Twitter Party:

9:30-10:30pm, Sunday, August 22nd, EST we will party!

There is a custom tweet grid and a linky for early RSVP. RSVP'ing early also enters you into special drawings. You do not have to RSVP to tweet and win but the 'extra' will not be available.

You can win both the blog blast and at the twitter party!

RSVP at BreeBee's:

New Blogmania Partner - Butterfly - Fondant Cakes & Desserts

Eat your heart out everybody!  Seriously... our newest Blogmania partner is going to make you want to! 

Vanessa Edil, the owner of Butterfly - Fondant Cakes & Desserts has partnered with Team Favorite Things for Blogmania.  I feel very lucky to have known Vanessa for over 16 years (yikes!)  Vanessa has always been incredibly talented and creative.  Since we last saw each other in person, she's gotten married, moved to Istanbul, Turkey, had two beautiful little boys and started her own cake and party supply business.  Now that's a whole lotta shakin' going on!  I honestly think she's found a time machine to generate more than 24 hours in a day.  :)

Vanessa's Cakes originally caught my eye when she started posting photos on her Facebook Fan Page.  Every picture I saw, I said "Oh, that's my favorite" until I saw the next and the next and said the same thing about each one.  It simply amazes me Vanessa, just what you can do with your gifted hands and some frosting!  

For those that know me... I have a very, ummmm, gifted sweet tooth :)  So one of my favorite things is birthday cake!  Which means Vanessa and her beautiful fondant cakes fit our theme perfectly!  For Blogmania, Vanessa is giving away one of her ADORABLE High Heel Cake Servers.  While it might be challenging to get a iris cake all the way across the ocean, the cake accessories and party supplies will be able to ship globally.

Isn't this adorable?

To get in touch with Vanessa and see her amazing "Cake-ability"  you have to check out Vanessa's Facebook page and blog.  :o) Here's the links to connect with Vanessa via her internet real estate:

Website & Blog:  http://www.partybutterfly.com  *Make sure you follow and see more of her awesome work!
Facebook Profile:  http://www.facebook.com/vanessaedil
Fan Page:   http://www.facebook.com/ButterflyCakesDesserts

Vanessa, Welcome to our team!  We can wait to see more of your creations and share your ever growing cake and party supply business with our fans and blog readers!

Blogmania Update

What an incredible team we have for our Blogmania Event September 15-16th. Our team, "Team Favorite Things" is having a HUGE giveaway (and growing) of some of our FAVORITE things! Currently our giveaway for Blogmania is nearly $400 in prizes and includes the works of very talented artisans.

Our Blogmania Giveaway includes custom designed jewelry from Azure Islands Designs, Barbara at Second Surf and myself, a full set of custom designed notecards from Purple Vine Design AND a washable mini-cookbook and recipe card holder perfect to take exchange recipes in your purse from Stacy Petersen!  And there's one more surprise partner that we'll be revealing very soon... so stay tuned. 

Right now registration is closed to enter as a blog.  However, as we've found out, working as a team makes Blogmania even more fun... and our reach is extending much farther than any of us could have reached on our own!  Right now our team is in the US & Canada with our newest team member coming from Istanbul TURKEY!!!  That's the power of partnering up as a team!  I don't think any of us would have been able to connect with a large part of the Turkish population, but sharing & cross promoting each other, our reach goes beyond with the eyes can see.

As a team, we cooperate with each other following each other's blogs and cross-promoting each others creations from our online stores.  Between Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media outlets, we're sharing everybody's talents with a global market.  I also have given our blogmania team members exclusive advertising on my new website - Designs by Dawn Marie.  Everybody has unique talents and one-of-a-kind creations and I think my team will agree, it's much more fun to co-op and share them as a team.

If you're looking to get more traffic on your website, blog or to your online store, working with a team to cross-promote is a great option.  Team Favorite Things is happy to welcome new team members for our Favorite Things Blogmania Giveaway and cross promote your work too!  If you're interested in joining us (and having a LOT of fun) you can e-mail me directly at designsbydawnmd@gmail.com and I'd be happy to get you more information. 

Blogmania is growing... our giveaway is growing... the fun we're having is definitely growing... are you growing?  :)

{Hugs!}
Dawn

  |    This is a GREAT Book if you want to learn more about
 V   online marketing.

Patriotic Wire Crochet Jewelry

Welcome to July!  With Independence Day on the 4th for those of us her in the US, I'm hearing all about the good things people have planned to celebrate.  Of course municipalities have fireworks and ice cream socials, some do parades... but lots of families use the holiday as a weekend to spend time together.  Many businesses are closed on Monday the 5th in observance this year since the holiday falls on a Sunday! 

What I love to see is how festive people get when they celebrate the 4th.  They're all decked out in Red, White & Blue, they sport some really fun jewelry... if they are at the fireworks, most often they are wearing "unique" jewelry made of those glow sticks.  Very fun, very festive! 

We celebrate with a family BBQ and just enjoy quality time together.  Everyday is a gift, and we make sure to cherish it! 



Tomorrow at noon EST, Sky Purington is holding the drawing for TWO winners of Designs by Dawn Marie Jewelry.  If you haven't gotten your comment in, pop on over to Sky's Blog here and follow her instructions! :)

I'm very excited we've just gained another new Blogmania partner.  I can't wait to introduce you to her and her business.  You'll want to "eat her up" (pun intended!)  For updates on Blogmania, check out my Blogmania Page and you'll get to meet all of our Team Favorite Things Sponsors!  Our prize package is growing, all of our sponsors are seeing more traffic to their websites and blogs and we're having so much fun!  If you're interested in joining our team, drop me a line for details!  designsbydawnmd@gmail.com

Do you have any festivities planned for the weekend?  I'd love to hear what you're doing! 

{Hugs!}
Dawn

New Blogmania Partner - SLM Petersen

Please join me in welcoming Stacy Petersen as the newest member of our Blogmania Team.  When I met Stacy, I was instantly intrigued by her blog.  She loves Food & Crafting just like I do.  I thought she'd be a perfect fit for our theme "Our Favorite Things"  Stacy has been blogging for quite some time now and her biggest challenge was getting readership to her blog.  I loved her blog and offered to partner with her and help her build a bigger group of followers. 

Stacy is a very talented woman that wears MANY hats.  She runs two online stores, one in Etsy, and the other in Artfire.  (those will both be linked)  Stacy is a passionate foodie and has been collecting recipes since she taught herself to cook in her twenties!  I have to giggle because of her "Why" for teaching herself to cook.  She was sick & tired of frozen pizza, pot pies and ramen noodles!  LOL 

Stacy also has a passion for all sorts of craft hobbies.  She loves sewing, crocheting and embroidery just to name a few.  While they are hobbies that date back decades, Stacy does an exceptional job of creating modern projects from her traditional hobbies.  As part of her passion, she features and sells vintage sewing patterns.  As we all know, styles are cyclical, the 70's have come back around.  So the patterns Stacy offers while the packaging is vintage, the styles are once again very trendy.

For Blogmania, Stacy wants to make sure nobody has an excuse not to have good food.  So she is including one of her mini-cookbooks, a recipe card holder and she continues to surprise me with other ideas and prizes.  One thing is certain, Stacy is full of surprises, and has a tremendously caring heart.

Stacy, I can't wait to see what you come up with next! :)  I look forward to seeing more of your blog posts and checking out your store.  Please take a minute to stop over to Stacy's blog, say hello and give her a follow!  Stacy is a huge Facebooker as well, so you can always chat with her there!  Here's Stacy's links so you can get in touch with her right away.  Stacy has a wonderful story of what makes her tick on her blog!  Check out her "Who I Am" and you'll know exactly why Stacy & I clicked right away!

Blog:  http://slmpetersen.blogspot.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/SLMPetersen/400239890583?ref=ts
Artfire Shop:  http://www.artfire.com/users/SLMPetersen
Etsy Shop:  http://slmpetersen.etsy.com
Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/slmpetersen/

If you are interested in partnering with our team, and collectively helping each other promote our participants blogs, feel free to check out my Blogmania page.  I'm more than happy to answer your questions.  Thanks again Stacy for joining Team Favorite Things where we all can share some of our Favorite Things!

{Hugs!}
Dawn