Friday Friends.

The winner of the love ring giveaway is Sandy a la mode!! Email me chica!

And now I'd love to introduce you to some friends of mine :)

One of the first blogs I started following was Kaity's. I LOVE her writing style and that she is a HUGE Hunger Games fan. If you go to her page you'll find the Hunger Games just everywhere. She's Team Peeta. I'm Team  Miley Cyrus' Boyfriend  Gale! Go say hi, Kaity is awesome!!


My name is Kaity, and I blog over at adventures of an American girl.  I'm just an average college student battling Alabama's crazy weather and massive piles of homework.  I started blogging last May as I was preparing for a summer spent studying in the south of France; I was originally just writing to keep track of my adventures abroad, but I have since follow in love with this wonderful bloggy-verse and my focus has expanded to include all sorts of randomness.  I love to cook and to write and to take pictures - and of course I love to share about all of the above! 


blog: http://la-fille-americaine.blogspot.com/
twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kaitybeee
pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kaitybrown/

And then this fool. I don't even know what to say about her. I mean, if you follow my blog you know I talk about her all the time...and in real life. I even pick out stuff at Antrho that looks like her...and then she buys it without even knowing I knew it was her. I even suggested we move in together on "accident"? Be her friend. You want to :)


And Everything Nice is a lifestyle and fashion blog covering everything that I love: fashion (duh), graphic design (hire me!), weddings (duh), recipes (drool), and anything and everything in between. Sometimes I get personal and sometimes I keep it professional. I design wedding invitations and social stationery, business cards and logos too! I also frequently enter in Minted design challenges. Recently one of my designs won!! Hooray! It's an art print and you can find it for sale starting at the end of the first week in April from Minted. Feel free to make an account and vote for me!

blog: www.andeverythingniceblog.com
twitter: theniceblog
instagram: theniceblog

Need more blogs to stalk? Check out last month's Follow Friday! It's happening again here next Friday so get ready! Have a fabulous weekend loves :)
Posted by 6 comments:

I used to read word up magazine.

Regarding the post title, I just felt like you all needed some Biggie in your life today.

Quick reminder: Today is the LAST day to enter the love ring giveaway!

Now for some more fun stuff! :) Tammy from Lemons, Avocados, and the Bay is giving away an ad space for the month of April on my blog today! AND I'm giving away an ad space for the month of April on her blog today! So I guess that means this is a giveaway swap?? HOLLA!

Photobucket


You only have to enter on ONE blog's page as the rafflecopter entry system is linked to both of our blogs. We will pick TWO winners one for each of our blogs. It's a short little giveaway, so you only have until this Saturday March 31st to enter! (( If you win and have already sponsored for this month, I will credit you for May :) don't fret))

Mandatory entry requirements:
1. Follow my blog via GFC
2. Follow Tammy via GFC

Additional Entries:
1. Follow me on twitter @itsmehollieann
2. Follow Tammy on twitter @bayparkdream
3. Like Tammy on facebook here
4. Tweet about the giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Easy does it! The winners will be chosen randomly and announced April 1st.

Best of luck and thank YOU for being my friend! 
Posted by 4 comments:

Juice Update.

Many of you asked me about my 3 day juice/smoothie detox I started on Monday and I promised to share today. So here goes....

About a month or two ago, I met Ashley at the SoCal Blogger Meet Up. Everyone was really excited to speak with Ashley about her 30 day (YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT THIRTY DAYS) juice detox. After listening to all of the health benefits about her journey, I simply declared something along the lines of "that's not for me." I mean let's be real, I FREQUENT In and Out. I had to stop going to one In and Out location because they knew my order and I was embarassed! That's bad, right? I mean how is a girl who likes her fair share of cow (sorry, vegetarians) going to even consider something like this?

During the past month, I've tried to eat much healthier by adding fruits and veggies only to my breakfast and lunch. I have stomach/digestive issues which can be uncomfortable (read: bloat & other IBS-like symptoms) and wanted to have more energy with my busy schedule and just overall better health. I'd been feeling great lately, and decided I'd try a 3 day version of Ashley's. All I can have are juice/smoothies with fruit and veggies. ONLY. Okay, plus water.

Last week, I had a HUGE all fruit smoothie each morning and a power bar later in the day to hold me over until dinner. I was feeling AMAZING! So I'm thinking "What's 3 days?", right?

HA!! HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!Don't be fooled. THREE DAYS IS HARD!!!


Saturday I went fruit and veggie shopping. My veggies were limited as I don't have a juicer and can only work with a blender. I'm not ready to commit to a $100-$300 juicer for three days. Monday was day one. And to be frank with you, it was TORTURE. I made smoothies from this website and some based off of Ashley's blog. ((I'd HIGHLY reccomend checking out her blog if you're interested in doing something like this.)) Around 3 P.M. on Monday I was SOOOOOOO hungry I honestly could have eaten my own arm. Alright, maybe this is exaggeration. But around this time of day last week, I'd eat a protein bar and keep on truckin. This time I wasn't allowed. So after work, I went home. And complained. A lot. And texted everyone I knew who'd tell me to keep going. I had an apple. A smoothie. I started getting some sort of acid reflux/heart burn from all the fruit and little veggies. (HINT, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE VEGGIES)

And then what'd I do? I had a bite of pizza.

Oh yes, you read that right. One bite.

And then, I went to bed.

Feeling better. And worse. All at once. I promised one bite wouldn't kill me, and I'd go strong the last two days.

Yesterday was a little easier but still pretty hard. I was much more prepared about actually HOW MUCH fruit and veggies I need to NOT feel tired. I still craved something other than fruit and veggies. I was still hungry but this time I wasn't on the verge of falling asleep at work. I tried to come up with hilarious excuses to just say "Screw it" and stop the detox. They seemed so absurd that they actually kept me going. For example, I concluded if I won the lottery last night I was going to run to Panera and get myself a bagel. You know the first thing you buy when you win the lottery is definitely going to be a $2 bagel. I mean, DUH.

I'm sure this is not the most inspirational post about juicing. Really, go check out Ashley for that! :X

If anything, I've learned how important fruits and veggies are into my diet. I know, I know, I should have known this already. I mean this is common knowledge. But even eating them for half the day with a sensible diet (like last week) I had a HUGE increase in energy, little to no bloat, and I was...er...a lot more regular. Sorry, TMI! If you're interested in juicing, I'd HIGHLY reccomend doing your research. And be prepared! It's not a walk in the park. Even at three days. But, you learn A LOT about your body and that is most important.

Have you done a detox before?
Posted by 25 comments:

How To...

Rock long skirts.

See how they piece it together?
-Belt
-Long Necklace
-Cute strappy sandals.

You can do it too! Do you love this as much as I do? Hello, spring!











PS-Win my favorite ring here!!
Posted by 21 comments:

Juicin + Sponsor

Hi friends! Many of you have asked me about my juice/smoothie detox that I'm starting today (EEEK!) so I will be sharing a post about it on the blog on Wednesday! Not gonna lie, I had chinese food last night which probably wasn't the best idea as a pre-detox meal. Let the hunger games pains begin! ;)




Calling any interested April sponsors!

Have a blog or business you'd like to promote? I'd love to work with you and help spread the word!

I will only be taking a limited number of each ad size to make sure that I have enough quality time to dedicate towards each blog's feature post. 

Rates are as follows:

SMALL
200 x 150=$5 per month
Includes group feature/introduction post (one feature post for every three months )

MEDIUM 
200 x 200=$10 per month 
Includes group feature/introduction post (one feature post for every three months )

LARGE
200 x 300=$15 per month
Includes group feature/introduction post (one feature post for every three months)

*All payments accepted through paypal only*

I'm also...er...very active on twitter if you haven't noticed...so I'd be happy to help spread the word about your blog/business/sweet life on other social media sites during your sponsorship as well :)

Stuff sometimes people want to know:
As of 2/27/12
+597 followers  friends via GFC
+808 followers on twitter ((@itsmehollieann))
+4-5 new posts per week
+topics: style, design, lifestyle, "humor";)
+17,000+ pageviews for the month of January and on track to increase substantially for the month of February

For the right product, giveaways can be negotiated through email.

Interested? Email me! hollietakesnotes@gmail.com

PS-Found this on pinterest and had to share! What a better way to think of Monday!

Posted by 13 comments:

Friday's Letters

Photobucket





Dear Katniss, I love you....but I finished the end of Mockingjay. I am not impressed. In fact, I am depressed. However, you can redeem yourself this weekend when I see THE HUNGER GAMES in the theater!!!! Um, yes. #cantevenwait.

Dear every person owning hunter boots or wellies, I'm sincerely, sincerely, jealous. It's raining here Sunday!

Dear Boy manfriend, you are my rock. You bring out the best in me, no doubt about it.

Dear Blender, we're going to be great friends starting Monday. 3-5 day juice detox here I come!

Dear God, the signs given to me to keep doing what I'm doing is greatly appreciated. I am thankful to  be a person who can recognize those signs. I hope that I can only continue to grow as a person and enable myself to have more gratitude in challenging situations.

Dear Friday, I thought you'd never come on Monday. But you found a way to show up! I knew you would ;)

Posted by 21 comments:

I give to you...

Today I'm giving one of you lucky readers one of my absolute favorite things.
This love ring from a cute little Etsy shop.
I feel as if I don't even need to say anything else about it. I'm obsessed. It's adjustable. Gold or silver! Your choice :)

How to Enter:
Mandatory Entry:
You MUST be a follower of my blog via GFC

Extra Entries:
PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ADDITIONAL ENTRY. Thanks! :)
-Follow me on twitter @itsmehollieann
-Follow me on instagram: holliegolightly
-Follow me on pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/holliegolightly/
-Tweet about this giveaway!

Giveaway entries will be accepted until Thursday March 29th, 2012 at 11:59 PM with the winner announced Friday March, 30th!
And may the odds ever be in your favor!
Posted by 187 comments:

SOLO (not the candy)

You may remember this post when a pair of SOLO eyewear sunglasses were given away on my blog! Okay, maybe many of you new readers do not. So good thing you're here now to read about my favorite sunglasses, right? ;) But look at these bad boys. Seriously. Cute. (No not me...the glasses...ha!)




For every pair of SOLOs purchased, a portion of profits are donated to fund prescription eyeglasses or eye surgery for someone in need. The sunglasses are super affordable (read 50-60% less then your designer glasses) and have natural bamboo arms (AKA REAL!) They are seriously SO so cute and look good on everyone. Ask Sar she won a pair!






SOLO eyewear launched their kickstarter project TODAY.  


Haven't heard of kickstarter? It's the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. I mean yes, SOLO eyewear is a "creative project" but they're already pretty successful as they've been featured on the news and radio several times AND sold out of their last collection. Plus, they throw great parties ;) I'm going to one tonight in honor of their new venture! They have 41 days to raise 10,000 dollars. Each pledge level comes with different incentives such as car decals, t-shirts, stickers, annnnnnnnnddddd pre-orders! The summer collection is now available through pre-orders only. The styles and colors are yet to be announced, but I can tell you, they're AWESOME. They have two repeat colors, two new colors, and a whole new style. SOLO eyewear WILL be huge, I'm tellin' ya! Please take the time to visit their site.



'












 Oh and for those of you who made it to the end of this post...I'm GIVING AWAY one of my favorite things (CLICK THAT LINK cough cough) tomorrow!! If  TODAY you tweet @SOLOeyewear with a link to this SOLO eyewear post....you can have a secret extra entry in the giveaway tomorrow! This entry option will NOT be listed tomorrow on the entry options. However, I will honor it for those of you who are SOLO fans, tweet, and comment tomorrow saying you tweeted today :) Happy tweeting!
Posted by 8 comments:

Laughter on a Tuesday.

This week I'm going to focus on the basics. The little things that make every day full of laughter and happiness. One of those little things for me is doing a post full of ridiculously funny things from around the web. Sometimes I call them "Friday Funnies" and sometimes I'd post them randomly during the week to beat the weekday blues. These made me die of laughter. Enjoy!









Source: google.ca via Sherry on Pinterest

Posted by 17 comments:

Day to Day

[1] Spent part of the weekend with Lauren! It was so awesome to finally "meet" her.  And yes, we liked each other in person too ;)

Thursday we ate a restaurant in Little Italy with her sister and friend. I forgot how charming that part of downtown is! It's the perfect girls night out happy hour place hands down. Saturday we went shopping for something like FIVE hours, in the rain, in an outdoor mall. Now that's dedication. I also  took Lauren to In and Out for her first time. She approved. And considering I had it two days in a row, I approve too.

I ENDORSE IN AND OUT.

(kidding...but I do...)

[2] What I got at Nordstrom Rack. Sperrys AND mocs!  #YES!
[3] Saturday night I went to a wonderful friends house for a small get together in honor of St. Patricks Day. 
[5] Boyfriend <3

The past few weeks I've been feeling really like I'm getting stuck in a rut. I'm moving forward on my goals with school, but working a job that's not a dream job, and a 9-5 lifestyle with school at night has been taking its toll on my outlook. I've even felt like I have needed some sort of blogcation at times. I haven't had the same passion for being creative and blogging in the past few weeks that I've had in the past. I can think of topics I'd love to write about but the words haven't been reaching my keyboard. I don't feel motivated or inspired in the past two weeks or so. I've had little energy or passion about anything during the week. It seems like lately I've been putting too much focus on the fun of the weekends to get me through my life right now. My weekends never let me down, I just want to feel like I have a bigger purpose in the present with where I'm going in this life.  I just feel like I don't want to "go through the motions" until I finish school. I want to know what's next. I want to find the passion again in what's outside my weekends...if that makes sense. 

 How do you get yourself out of a rut?
Posted by 16 comments:

Kewl Katz

Just gonna throw it out there. I met Lauren last night. More on this later ;) 


Now I want to introduce you to some awesome new blogs :)


I'm obsessed with this ladies Particularly their vlogs. They're straight out of like QVC, I swear. My vlogs are filled with long pauses of "UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" Fashion, beauty, you name it. They have it. You need to know these fashionable bloggers.

Hi, we're Jayme and Mendi from Her Late Night Cravings.  Over on HLNC, we blog about everything from beauty products to our favorite recipes to fashion trends...anything that a girl could possibly love.  We also do lots of videos on our blog and boy do we have fun filming those!!  Check out a few and we think you'll see what we mean.  We'd love to have you stop by and visit us.  Please drop us a comment, if you do...we love hearing from our readers!  Let us know what you're craving!!

Photobucket


I love a funny blog. Whitney is just that. Need a laugh? Then read this one every day and you will surely be a very happy person! Not even kidding she is down right hilarious.

i don't take myself seriously. i'm pretty sure that is the first thing you would notice when you visit my blog. i am also not fashionable. i am not crafty. all things i pretend to be…but i am not. but my saving grace is that i am hilarious. so that works for me. i spend my days building buildings [nbd] and nights watching dvr, participating in mug night, and studying to rule the world. come on over. i am pretty sure you will like me. if you don't think i am hilarious, i will at least make you feel better about yourself.



instagram: @whitcole


Kara is a sweet new blogger who posts about what is on her mind. From posts about Boy Meets World to nightmares from episodes of Pretty Little Liars, there is something for everyone! You'll love her :)

Hello! My name is Kara and I blog over at The Snugly Duckling. I'm extremely new to the blogging world and I feel like my blog is always changing. From designs to the actual content, we're a mess! I mainly try to post DIYs. I almost always link up with Sarah here for Tickle Me Tuesdays (check it out!). I like trying new recipes and trying them out on you. I'm hoping to make a few close friends through my blog as so many of you have!



blog: thesnuglyduckling.blogspot.com 
twitter: @snugly_duckling
instagram:snugly_duckling
pinterest: snuly_duckling

HAPPY WEEKEND FRIENDS!!!!!!!!
Posted by 2 comments:

What time is it?

I'll let the pictures speak for itself.









I die. Aren't these the cutest? End of story post.
Posted by 25 comments:

Shift, shift.

Happy Tuesday!

Here's your inspiration for today. Shift dresses.

Yes, you can wear a shift dress.
As long as it's on the dressier side no one will think you're wearing pajamas, promise.



Source: bhldn.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Source: plumo.com via Natalie on Pinterest




Posted by 23 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)