November Sponsor Giveaway!

Happy November everyone! Today is a super special day for me, number one because this is the month in which our son will be born...and number two, this is the very first month I am doing sponsorship/ads here on Sometimes Sweet! This is all a learning process for me, so as time goes by the way I do this may change, but for this first month, here's how this is going to work:

All of the following (AMAZING) shops and blogs are my larger sponsors, and they are each offering one item for this huge, multiple-winner giveaway! All you have to do is the following:

Leave your name and email address in the comments.

*(and see below for a way to get one additional entry too!)

Yup! That's it! On Monday, November 22nd I will pick 9 different winners at random, who will win the different prizes. I didn't want to get super complicated, and next month I may do separate giveaway posts, or have one big winner who wins everything. But this month I will be choosing nine names...so you have a GREAT chance at winning any one of these super-neat items! Again, simply leave your name and email in the comments to enter.

To get one additional entry, you can blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave an additional comment with a link to that blog or tweet, along with your contact info again.

So overall you can put your name into the drawing twice.

I am just so excited about each and every one of these amazing shops. I got such a big, big response about sponsoring my blog and I am so pleased to present these wonderful women as my very first sponsors here. I also have seven more sites I will be highlighting in my "small ad" post later this week, so you'll have seven more shops/blogs to check out as well. Many of you know I've been thinking about doing this for a long time, so I am just over the moon happy about bringing all of these great people to you, and supporting local/small/handmade businesses and blogs. In the future I am most likely going to keep my ads to a smaller amount, but this first month I thought I would do a few more than I normally would.

Be sure to check out my sidebar for all of the new, wonderful buttons I have displayed there, and give each one a little click and say hello!

And now, without further ado, below you will find a small description of each shop, as well as the item or items they are graciously giving away. The links for each blog/shop can be found by clicking the shop/blog name, and also grouped under the first photo. Have fun exploring and clicking around, and good luck!

1) I'm Kyla Roma, a twenty-something prairie girl living under the biggest sky I've ever seen. When I'm not blogging I'm designing blogs with Freckled Nest and running my etsy shop, A Little Thistle. I'm a black tea aficionado, life long vegetarian, tattooed lady, puppy mama and photography addict trying to live joyfully in every moment I've got.


http://www.kylaroma.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/alittlethistle

Giveaway item: Penny Farthing Bicycle Necklace


2) Doodle creates custom, modern and affordable paper goods you won't find anywhere else. We love to make stationery, recipe cards and custom invitations which we mail directly to your door. Each design is original, each card is hand cut and we strive for great quality and quick turnaround!


http://www.doodlepapergoods.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DoodlePaperGoods

Giveaway items: Teal Arrow Stationery Set of 8 and the Purple Beads Stationery Set of 8. The sets each include 8 cards and 8 brown Kraft paper envelopes.


3) Studio M.M.E. is a quirky pen and ink art shop where you can find everything from antlered girls to hungry moons. Run by illustrator Megan M. Eckman, the shop abounds with humor, childish play, and the feeling of nostalgia thanks to the mostly black and white prints. For those who are still children at heart, Studio M.M.E. offers a wild visual thrill that embraces those old games of pretend.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/studiomme

Giveaway item: one 5" x 7" print of "Imogene Coming Home"


4) Tumbleweeds Oddities is a marketplace created by Beca Lewis Skeels and Doug Switalski, two southern transplants with a big heart for junk yards and recycled art. From our recovered earth-friendly leather and (vegan) vinyl bike saddles to our hodgepodge collection of vintage and recycled curios, oddities and recovered taxidermy, you can find a whole mess of curiosities in our shop for any collection, at every price range.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/tumbleweedsoddities
http://www.curiositiesandthelike.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/tumbleweedsoddities

Giveaway item: Hot Pink Recovered Suede Bike Saddle handmade entirely from recycled materials (don't worry Vegan friends, all of our leather products are vintage or recovered from the scrap bin and recycled for posterity, we love animals!!) - Worth: $50.00

5) Hi everyone! Over at Happy Owl we are so glad to sponsor the lovely, long time blog friend Danielle! Happy Owl is a warm little space for me to share my musings, our loves, our two young boys and our wild life. We were born and raised in California and are living our dreams in Juneau, Alaska.


http://juneauecomommie.blogspot.com/

Giveaway items: "Alaska Autumn Favorites": Here are a few of my favorite things to share with you; a pair of fabulous metal candle holders (perfect plain or craftily recreated by you), cozy custard fingerless handwarmers made by me, a set of adorable vintage apple tea cups and a surprise gift also made by me. Enjoy!


6) My name is Susannah Bean and I live in the midwest with my hilarious boyfriend Chris and our adorable kitty Mr. Littlejeans. I taught myself how to knit and crochet, and I like to make things that I can't find anywhere else! I have a blog about my life and crafts, and my shop is full of cute and cozy accessories.


http://susannahbean.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/susannahbean

Giveaway item: one pair of fingerless mitts (I call them The Lady Mitts, but it's a terrible name haha)


7) Pleasantly Plump [Knits.] is a combination of my love for knitting & all things sweet & plump!! Each pair of booties are hand-knit with love & personality for your baby's tiny toes!


http://www.etsy.com/shop/pleasantlyplumpknits
http://www.pocketfulofpretty.com/

Giveaway item: Gift Certificate for one pair of custom plump booties

8) Hello Dearie is a fiber arts company that designs original dolls and other textile goods. This mother-in-law/daughter-in-law team enjoy collaborating on new ideas and creating together.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/hellodearie

Giveaway item: This is our Elf OFF the shelf. He doesn't just sit on the shelf; he is ready for fun...and just in time for the holidays!


9) Gypsy 05 is more than an artistic statement; it is an expression that stands to make a difference in the world. "good planets are hard to find" is the motto that began Gypsy05's exploration to fight against environmental exploitation. Through the art of fashion, Gypsy 05 aims to communicate that the beauty of nature is a marvel. Gypsy's one of a kind designs incorporate organic fabrics, low impact dyes, and water based printing in every collection as part of our mission in environmental awareness. Our story suggests the importance of smelling the roses rather than picking them; of getting inspired by the beauty of the vast ocean rather than polluting it. The message is to Recycle, Reduce, Re-planet and feel naturally confident and free while living environmentally friendly.


http://www.gypsy05.com/shop/index.aspx

Giveaway item: a surprise Gypsy pack worth $225! The winner will provide their size, and Gypsy 05 will provide a fabulous prize pack full of adorable clothing.


So don't forgot, just leave your name and email to enter once, and you can come back and enter a second time by leaving your name/email again in that second comment, along with the link to a blog post or tweet about this great giveaway!

Good luck! :)

p.s., If you are curious about advertising YOUR shop or blog here for the busy retail month of December, I will make a call for ads on November 15th (they'll go quickly!), so keep your eyes peeled. If you'd like to get a jump start and reserve your spot, email me at sometimessweetblog@gmail.com and be sure to check out my ad info page here.

On nasty, anonymous commenters...

{image via weheartit}

What could I possibly say about this topic that hasn't been said a million times? It's funny because a year or two ago, when I received my first mean anonymous comment on this site, all of my blog friends said something along the lines of "congratulations, welcome to the club!" Getting anonymous comments are (unfortunately) par for the course. If you get a few hundred, or a few thousand visitors everyday you can be assured that there is a large handful of those people amidst that big number who probably can't stand you yet still come by to read what you write! It sounds odd, but it's so true. It goes back to number five on my "things I learned in my 20s part one" (click here to read). The point I made there is that not everyone will like you (and that's okay)! Mean comments don't happen very often on this blog, but they do every once and awhile. I don't care about whatever it is they decide to say, but the fact that someone is out there, so worked up and ANGRY...taking so much of their energy to write something nasty...well, that kind of freaks me out. Luckily I'm at a point now where it doesn't get to me. We're all human though, and if you're not in the right mindset, words can definitely hurt even if they aren't true statements- the anger alone can be the upsetting part. Just this week I had an anonymous commenter come and leave a comment, which was ironic because just the day before my friend had gotten a similar, horrible comment on her blog that we had discussed for a bit. I chose to delete the comment and just quickly respond on the post, telling the person not to come back. I'm sure they're still reading, and that's okay (oh heeey rude anon!), but maybe that person has thought a bit about how silly and sad they really sounded, although that's probably a stretch. Opinions are welcome- yes, even negative ones about me- and I of course support everyone's right to say and feel how they want, but when they turn nasty it's just wrong. So with all of this in mind, I just wanted to share a couple of things that have helped me when I've received rude comments.

• Remember that you are dealing with a very sad person behind that anonymous screen. For someone to come willingly to your space on the internet, read what you have to say, and then take the time to leave a rude comment, really takes a lot of negative energy. In the past few years I've gotten away from even reacting to these people and instead it's turned into feeling so, so sad for them. What an unhappy life to want to bring others down, and try and hurt them!

• The happier you are, the more "haters" you will receive. My blog is generally pretty upbeat, I talk about happy topics, use a lot of exclamation points from time to time, post quotes that inspire me, and I make no apologies about leading a life full of love that I am incredibly thankful for. I can imagine this would really annoy some people. You have to remind yourself though that these commenters have come willingly to your blog. Remember that. They have sought you out. Don't let someone else make you feel bad about putting yourself out there, or being happy, just because they're not.

• Also, remember that the internet is just that- the internet. Don't get too wrapped up in what anyone thinks, be it good OR bad. Blogging is fun, but it should be something that enhances your life, not something that becomes your life. I personally like to take a "delete and ignore" stance on anonymous comments- I responded a bit to the person the other day, which I probably shouldn't have, but I went ahead and deleted their rude comment because I didn't want the entire thread to turn into people "defending" me unnecessarily and defeating the whole purpose of what should have been a positive post. Handle the comments however you'd like, but for me, not even allowing them to exist works well. It can be hard not to want to defend yourself, but by doing that you totally are validating the effect and importance of the nasty words. I used to feel like I had to write back to anything rude or unkind. "Fake?! You want to call me fake? How dare you! blah blah blah!" What an epic waste of energy. Instead, just move on.

• And don't forget, the rude person often has some reason for not liking you, your blog, their perception of you, whatever, that has less to do about you, and a LOT more to do about them. That phrase "haters gonna hate" fits pretty perfectly into this- no matter what you do, you can't please everyone, so just worry about your own happiness and wish the best for anyone who decides to try and bring you down to their negative level.
  

Thanks for reading this little list- so much love and happy blogging! :]

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