Bling in the New Year Gift Swap

This past month I participated in the Bling in the New Year gift swap, which was all about accessories you could use for a New Years Eve party and beyond. I got paired with Allie, one of the organizers, and sent her a box of goodies earlier this month (even though I was tempted to keep some of the pieces myself!). Head on over to her place to see what I gave her! (erm, I may have forgotten to take a pic before I sent it off to her).

And here’s what she got me:

A very pretty beaded necklace! It’s a brass chain with champagne colored beads, and can be worn double-layered or as a longer single necklace. I don’t own anything like it yet and it will be super versatile, so it was perfect! And aside from just sheer pretty factor, it was also from iSanctuary, a company that helps survivors of human trafficking reintegrate into society. So, my necklace was handmade by a woman or girl rescued from slavery, and the proceeds go directly to her bank account to help her build a new life. If I’m reading the signature on the tag correctly, her name is Seema. Allie got a gift not just for me, but for this woman halfway around the world working to start over. That is pretty awesome.

Sadly, we had to cancel our New Years Eve party since Ian is still fighting off shingles, but I’m sure I’ll find occasion to wear this soon! Thank you, Allie! 😀

Happy New Years to all of you! What are your plans tonight?
 

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2012 in Review

I thought it’d be fun to do a little review of things that have happened on this here blog over the past year and see what’s what. I don’t generally pay too much attention to my pageview stats, so some of the selections for the most popular posts were a bit surprising. And some of the ones I’d really liked from earlier in the year I had forgotten about, so it was nice to revisit everything. 😀   Most Popular Posts of 2012 based on page views Outfits: Mustard & Stripes and Olive & Mustard. You guys were as much […]

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5 Things Friday

  1. So the evening of Christmas Day saw us take a trip to the emergency room because Ian was having severe pain in his ear and jaw – meds weren’t helping and it was getting steadily worse. This is the guy who doesn’t really like to go the doctor, so the fact that he opted for the ER when the urgent care center was closed told me it was pretty bad. But they couldn’t figure out what it was. They couldn’t find evidence of an infection or anything, but they gave him a generic prescription for antibiotics and told […]

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Monday Treasure Trove

Monday Treasure Trove

I know, I usually do these on Tuesday. But tomorrow is Christmas, and I’m scheduling this post ahead of time as it is. So, Monday Treasure Trove it is. How to Give Great Gifts. For you last-minute shoppers. 😉 27 Science Fictions That Became Science Facts In 2012. This is so cool. 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year. Scientists plan test to see if the entire universe is a simulation created by futuristic supercomputers. Are we living in the Matrix? Creativity Happens When You Least Expect It. Turns out the time you are most awake is […]

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December Sponsor Love

Sophie

Come meet two of the lovely bloggers who are medium sponsors here this month! I’ve been glad to have them hanging out in my sidebar. 🙂 I asked them some fun questions (and answered them myself at the bottom). Be sure to go say hi! And if you’d like to secure your own spot for next month, head on over to my sponsor page for info & purchasing. Motivated Madison Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest Hey, I’m Madison! Motivated Madison is where I blog about life and all the dorky, silly things I come up with. Sometimes this […]

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Book Review: The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker “On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow.” (from the book blurb). Intriguing, right? I thought so, too, so I put myself on the wait list for this soft sci-fi/coming of age story from the library. And it was interesting. The narrator is only 11 years old, so there’s a good deal of the discovering boys/feeling awkward/growing up stuff. But she also had a unique […]

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