November 23, 2011

Erica Sara Designs Giveaway!

It is no secret that I am all about being grateful for what I have. After all, the name of my blog is "Grateful Mama". If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that, despite the challenges that have been thrown my way in terms of my daughter's and husband's health, I am truly grateful for the wonderful life I have. I am GRATEFUL for my daughter, and what she can do in spite of the obstacles she has had to overcome. I am GRATEFUL for my husband, who loves me and provides stability for our family. I am GRATEFUL that my body allows me to swim, bike, run and participate in my beloved half marathons and triathlons.

This month, November, is the perfect month to celebrate gratitude. To that end, I am proud to announce a giveaway from my favorite jeweler, Erica Sara.

Erica is an amazing woman. I met her last year on Twitter and somehow, among the hundreds and hundreds of people that I've connected with there, we developed a close friendship. We also started to motivate each other on Daily Mile. She is a runner, a yoga fanatic, a graphic artist (she re-designed my blog for me earlier this year!) and a fantastic jeweler. She creates gorgeous jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, even cuff links) and has a line of race bling that I covet. She also, at my request, created my "born to do this" necklace, which she now sells on her website. Please, go look at her jewelry line; each piece is more gorgeous than the next. In short, I am a blessed woman to call Erica my friend. I can't wait to meet her in person one day.

Erica and I want to host a giveaway based on gratitude. We want to help create a better world, to have people "pay it forward", for we are all blessed, regardless of what challenges or obstacles we have. The winner, who will be chosen at random using a random number generator, will have a choice: they can either choose this beautiful "Gratitude" necklace, OR a race bling necklace (either the 13.1 necklace or the 26.2 one).

"Gratitude" necklace

"13.1" necklace

"26.2" necklace


So, what do you have to do to enter? While there are many optional entries, which will be explained below, there is only one required entry: to do something to help change the world in a positive way (no entry will be valid without this).

Some ideas are:
  • Donate food to a local food bank
  • Volunteer for day at a local organization
  • Check on an elderly neighbor
  • Write a check for charity
  • Donate toys for Toys for Tots or a similar holiday toy drive
  • Pick up litter in your neighborhood
  • Shovel snow for someone who can't

The only limit is your creativity!

The contest will end on Friday, December 2 at 5:00 PST. Again, the winner will have their choice of one of three necklaces (either the 13.1 necklace, the 26.2 necklace, or the Gratitude necklace). Entries will be as follows (and PLEASE leave a separate comment for each entry!)

  • MANDATORY ENTRY: do something positive for the world and write in the comment section what you did.
  • OPTIONAL ENTRIES (one entry for each):

1) Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect by clicking on the "follow" button on the left side of my blog. Leave me a comment telling that you are now following me. If you are already a follower of my blog, you can leave me a comment telling me that too. This will give you one entry.

2) Follow me on twitter (@sugarmagnolia70) and leave me a comment telling me that you are now following me. Again, if you already follow me on twitter you can leave me a comment telling me that as well. This will give you one entry.

3) Follow Erica (@ericasara) on Twitter and leave me a comment that you are following her. This will give you one entry.

4) Become a fan of Erica Sara Designs on Facebook, and leave me a comment telling me you've done so. This will give you one entry.

5) Follow Erica's blog and leave me a comment telling me that you are doing so. This will give you one entry.

6) Tweet the following: "check out the #giveaway @sugarmagnolia70 is doing with @ericasara's race bling/jewelry! Go to http://is.gd/a6gEx1 for more details!". You can tweet this once a day, giving you one entry per day, until the contest ends.

Good luck! Thank you, Erica, for allowing me to give away one of your gorgeous creations. And thank you, dear readers, for going out there and making the world a better place. My life is indeed better due to the inspiration I get from all of you!

72 comments:

  1. donated food to a local pantry, im also donating toys for kids in hospitals

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  2. I usually walk in our neighborhood with a garbage bag in my pocket so I can pick up odd bits of trash. I was motivated to do this a few years ago by a young friend.

    I also donate food to our local food bank.

    Lovely post and great motivator!

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  3. I am a follower and regular reader of your blog.

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  4. I am already following you on Twitter.
    @eatrunsail

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  5. Now following @ericasara on Twitter as well.
    @eatrunsail

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  6. follow erica on twitter also
    @joesahfeen

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  7. I am now following Erica's blog too. Cute.

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  8. And I tweeted today November 23rd.

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  9. I volunteer with sick kids at a camp in Maine! Those are my favorite weekends of the year. :)

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  10. I am also a fan of Erica's on FB!

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  11. What a great idea! I've always done volunteer work, but my favourite thing I do is visit an old friend of mine who lives by himself. He's 78 years old, and rides his bike everywhere. I pick him up his lottery tickets every now and then, and every year surprise him with a birthday present.

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  12. I tweeted again today. November 24th.

    Happy Thanksgiving Day.

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  13. Just found your blog. Love it. So many reasons to give thanks! I too am thankful that I can do the things I can do that allow me to help others. Volunteering reminds me to be thankful for the little things I can do that I often take for granted. Thanks for your blog!

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  14. I tweeted again today. November 25th.... would love to win this beautiful jewellery.

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  15. I volunteer every week in our local hospital's ICU waiting area helping patient families

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  16. Already follow you on twitter-I'm Suz4AU0608

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  17. Tweeted again today November 26th. I really wanna win!

    https://twitter.com/#!/eatrunsail/status/140484743585206273

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  18. I spent the day Monday Nov 21st helping people get registered for our Annual Thanksgiving 5k/10k race here in Sacramento that benefits our local food bank.

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  19. I already follow you on Twitter! =)

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  20. I now follow Erica on Twitter!

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  21. I am following Erica's blog! Love it!

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  22. I am following your blog ~ and grateful I found it!

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  23. I am following Erica Sara Designs on Facebook

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  24. Just tweeted the giveaway! <3

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  25. Hello, I'm following your blog.. love it

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  26. Good morning Mama... I'm following on Twitter :-)

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  27. Hello, I'm following Sara on twitter :-)

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  28. hellloooo I just became a fan of Erica on facebook, love everything

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  29. I just read Erica's blog is awesome ... :-) I'm following her blog

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  30. I tweeted again today. November 28th.

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  31. I applaud you for hosting such an inspiring giveaway during a time in which its easy to focus on the materialism. I donated money to my favorite charity and I am donating a bunch of my clothes to Goodwill this week. I also do a yearly giveaway on my blog where I donate money to the winner's favorite charity and there are other goodies too. :)

    xoxo,
    Margaret
    --
    margeincharge(at)gmail(dot)com

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  32. Yes, I totally want to win one of these and I hope that I do something to make the world a better place. It is my aim to do one kindness everyday. The days when I am stuck in the house I tend to lean more towards hoping my writing have a positive affect on someone's life. But while I am out, I always pick up litter and have taught my children to do the same. Once a week I buy coffee for the next person in line and I absolutely refuse to try to wiggle out of a conversation with an overly talkative senior citizen because I believe they deserve my respect and attention and probably spend too much of their days alone. I will totally tweet and facebook this contest as well but I really want to win so I hope that it doesn't dilute my chances.

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  33. I would love one of these necklaces!

    I am visiting my fiance's aunt in the hospital tonight and along with flowers for her, will be bringing a bouquet for the nurses' station - nurses do so much and are so rarely recognized.

    I follow you on Twitter (queencityrunner) and followed Erica. I follow you blog, Erica's blog and "liked" her Facebook page. I sent out the tweet and have one scheduled through Hootsuite for tomorrow, Thursday and Friday.

    Thanks for running the giveaway!

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  34. I went to the grocery store today and I saw o box for donation, so I bought 6 can of soup, 2 boxes of cereal, and 2 packages of pasta and made my donation today, that makes me feel so good, also there are collecting toy, I don't have kids, but I know somebody that her kids has a lots of toys that they don't even know that they have them.. so I decide to go over there and collect as much as I can :-)
    I just moved to San Antonio, TX, so I found were the Food Bank is and I'm planning to go this week in order to donate my free time, that for now I have plenty ... Love the way that a person that I don;t even know (talking about you Grateful Mama) can make me think about to help other, more that I usually do.
    I'll keep updating my donation homework, and I'll post a pic on Twitter... have a wonderful day everyone... GOOD JOB

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  35. I am writing hand-written love letters to 12 people for "More Love Letters 12 Days of Love Letter Writing" campaign to those who need a little more love this Christmas season.

    xo Marie
    Chocolate & Wine

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  36. im going to my orientation at NYCares this saturday so i can start volunteering all over manhattan on the regular :) i'm excited!!!

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  37. i also follow eric sara on twitter!

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  38. and now i follow you on twitter!!

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  39. I help pack food bags and deliver for kids on free lunch program so they have food over the weekend when they wouldn't have any. My 7th grade small group and I are also treating and Angel to some pretty cool gifts this year!!

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  40. I tweeted again today November 29th.

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  41. What a great idea for a giveaway! I love it! I've donated to the NYC Food Bank this season, our building is collecting food! We also signed up to participate in a gift giving program for children through our building and will be making a wish come true for a kid this Christmas!

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  42. I've been following you on twitter for a while now from @earlymorningrun

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  43. I'm now following your blog and can't wait to read more!

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  44. I follow Erica Sara on Twitter, too.

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  45. I also follow Erica Sara's blog. Love the Monday Mantras!

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  46. I volunteer at local races throughout the year as well as at events for children with disabilities.

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  47. I follow Erica's blog and love hearing about her races!

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  48. I tweet yesterday 29th and today the 30th .. I just find out the Food Bank in my location has not more space for people on December, that means that I can do nothing until 2012.. but that means also that a lot of people is helping in those days, I love that ... I'm giving away my old running shoes for the homeless people, my gym is collecting them on Dec 17th

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  49. I am going to be working at a soup kitchen next Monday at All Souls in the UES. I already follow Erica on twitter

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  50. Tweeted today, December 1st.

    Me and my trash bag are heading out for a run this morning! Have a wonderul day...

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  51. I tweeted today December 1st... I'm so exited with this challenge, I have so many ideas to help people, no only this month, next year too..... MERRY CHRISTMAS

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  52. I tweeted today December 2nd. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  53. Today was raining here in San Antonio, TX... leaving the gym I saw a lady with 2 kids, she was in her way to get her car, and she was trying to protect the kids from the raining, the bigger one was crying like crazy because she didn't want to walk and she was getting wet .. so I decide to ask permission to the lady to carry the girl and take her to the car, so I can help and she could walk better and faster with the other one, she likes the idea, the girl let me carry her(thanks God), I put her on my back, cover her with my jacket and run to the car, so by the end she was cracking up, because I started running funny and telling her that I was made from sugar lol ... that made me feel so happy, I helped somebody and a little girl smile because of me... Thanks God for the rain, even from a raining day we get something.. have a wonderful weekend :-)

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