Pay it Forward

Obvious confession time: I've been severely behind in my blogging for months now. I've been putting off this post with the idea that I should catch up with my "real" blogging, first, but I give up. I need to do this. If I eventually manage to catch up with the other stuff, great.... but I'm not going to force this to wait anymore.

Back in March, I accepted a gift from Allyson with the requirement to Pay it Forward. It was an awesome gift - something like 20 beautiful hand-made cards, each as lovely and useful as could be! I've already used a few, and feel so happy sending them out to friends and family. Now, all I have to do, is share something with three more people. It's been a long time coming, huh? (Hello, July... where on earth did you come from?!?)

Please please please comment here and agree to take a gift from me! All you have to do is pay it forward yourself. I don't care if you give away 3 more things to bloggers or to real-life friends, or even if you only give away one thing to one other person. I'll be honest and say that I feel QUITE guilty that it's taken me this long to put up this post, especially when I've had 3 things just hanging around waiting to be given away!

If you win, I either have to be able to mail the item to you, or give it to you in person. So, be prepared to let me have your name and address, if I don't have it already!

I have three beautiful hand-made items from Etsy for you to choose from.

Number 1, a fun and practical palm tree bag, made by Kennedy Grace boutique on Etsy. I'm sorry that I'm not going to drag out my ruler for you, but this bag is as tall as the length of my forearm, a bit wider than that across, and about 2-3 inches deep. Definitely roomy! It's got 4 outside pockets, 2 inside pockets, and a little ribbon loop for attaching things like your keys. The handles are a lightweight bamboo, it's got an attached black ribbon accent, and the bag can stand up on its own. Feels very sturdy and durable, and looks perfect for summertime!! I'm just not much of a purse person, so I'm passing it along. It's brand new and unused.

Number 2, a lovely sea-green and blue paisley diaper and wipes pouch made by Shut the Front Door at Etsy. It has a velcro closure and will definitely fit plenty of diapers and wipes. Love this concept - it makes grabbing a diaper and wipes to throw in your bag such an easy chore! And I personally think the fabric is so stylish. :)



Number 3 is a set of beaded french hook earrings with silver findings by dedesbeads at Etsy. I completely wish I could use these. I ordered a gorgeous beaded necklace several months ago, and the seller was so excited that she ran out and made a free pair of earrings to send to me as a gift. It was so unexpected and thrillnig! But I don't have pierced ears... and I think this is the first time I've ever regeretted it!! I think I'd wear them every day, if I could... they're just such a gorgeous shade of blue. They are even more impressive in person... when I haven't taken a picture with poor lighting at 10pm, that sort of thing. I'm almost certain that there are two swarovski crystals on each earring- they are vibrant, shiny, and match the shape of the swarovski crystals I worked with during jewelry-making fun on vacation in Colorado. :) They're also made with .925 silver, so they'll be good for those of you with sensitive ears!

So all you have to do is comment here, and in about a week's time, I'll randomly choose 3 winners to receive a gift! Go ahead and state your order of preference for a prize in your comment, but if things don't work out automatically, prize winner #1 will get first choice, followed by prize winner #2 getting second choice, etc. And remember - if you win a prize, you need to be prepared to pass a gift on to another person! Your choice of gift type, gift recipient, and method of giving. Just Pay it Forward, simple as that. And feel free to tell other people about this little giveaway! I know I've been blogging so infrequently, that my readership is languishing a little bit. Of course, I'm happy to just give things away to my family, but if you want to make it more fun, I might even throw in one of my recently read books for fun, you know? ;)

Also, just a quick disclaimer: I'm only willing to ship within the continental U.S. With Jesse's job being very likely gone in the near future, I don't want to spend a fortune on shipping.

(Phew! Now I can get along with catch-up blogging guilt free, now that I've finally taken care of this Pay it Forward thing!)