Celebrating Others, Plus a Giveaway!

Something Trina said about jealousy and selfishness in yesterday’s post has stuck with me. She suggested encouraging and celebrating others, congratulating them on their successes whenever we start feeling jealous. “When we get outside of ourselves and think of others,” she explained, “jealousy has no home.”

I kind of love that.

Since I have so many blogging friends doing some amazing things, I thought I’d use today’s post to celebrate a few of their recent achievements. And make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom because there’s a HUGE giveaway that you’ll definitely want to enter.

Looking for some low-tech fun? My friend Mari just launched Smallful, an online shop offering paper toys and decorations you can print from home. Mari, the blogger behind Small for Big, just happens to be a toy designer and illustrator, and she created all of the Smallful digital downloads herself.

Right now you’ll find paper dolls, haunted houses, and animal masks that are perfect for Halloween. In addition to holiday-themed downloads, Mari will be offering party hats, planes, art prints, mobiles, and more. I recommend joining her super secret club, The Small Set, for sneak peeks and free printables.

And I have to give a shout-out to the lovely and inspiring Kim from DESIGN + LIFE + KIDS, who is making the leap from full-time blogger to retailer. Kim’s new shop, DLK, is a natural extension of her design-oriented blog, stocked with children’s fashions, accessories, and housewares that reflect her modern aesthetic.

DLK reminds me of a hip neighborhood boutique that only carries the best of the best and the coolest of the cool. It’s a curated collection of Kim’s favorite things, and all of the children’s items have been approved by her two beautiful daughters. Some of my favorite pieces include a pizza t-shirt, modern alphabet mugs, reversible crowns, and this eye-catching poster.

Finally, there’s a blogging milestone to celebrate: My friend’s design and lifestyle blog, Ciera Design, turns five this month! You might remember Ciera from our Alt Summit panel on Growing a Small Blog. In addition to being a blogger, she’s a graphic designer specializing in brand identity and graphic design, the founder of The Made in Mind Social, and the author of a guide to planning local events.

Damn, girl!

To celebrate her five year “blogiversary,” I’m partnering with Ciera and 20 other bloggers for a kick-ass giveaway. One lucky reader will receive a $400 prepaid MasterCard that can be spent anywhere in the world that accepts Debit MasterCards. Simply follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway was made possible by these amazing bloggers: