My 700th Post and a Giveaway, of Course !

TA-DA !!!!!

Today’s post is my 700th Post on Queen of Arts !

Wow, that is a lot of things to share !

I have been writing this blog for just over 4 years

(March 8th was my 4 year anniversary which I missed ! Ooops!)

and it has been viewed over 87,000 times !

(Thanks, Blogger stats page !)

I have sat down 700 times to share bits of myself, my art and my heart !

That is an amazing number to me !

I really love my blog.

I am proud of it, for the positive messages it shares.

I am grateful for it, for the amazing, dear relationships it provides in my life.

I am committed to it, for it brings love, joy and connection into my world and gives a special place where I can shine my light and be myself.

So here’s to the next 700 posts !

Of course, there has to be some treats involved in such a celebration !

For my dear Blog Pals that visit, cheer me on, send me love and make me feel so wonderfully seen,

I am giving away some Queen of Arts Studio treats.

There are three packages for the winning.

Package # 1 includes a “Green Angel” postcard, a set of two “Looking for love” magnets, and one “Joy” car jewelry rearview mirror dangle.

Package # 2 includes one bag of 13 Rock My World rocks and a “Just Open the Door” postcard.

And Package # 3 includes 1 5X7 “Mermaid” card, and one set of two “If You’re Alive, You’re Creative” magnets. Oh, and I will probably add in a bit of rock joy, for good measure !

To be entered into the giveaway,

just leave me some comment love on this post !

I will be away next week, enjoying the sea with my Honey, so I will randomly draw the names of the three winners one week from today,

on Sunday, May 7th.

You will all have a chance to win one of the three prizes.

I will email the winners to get your mailing info. after the drawing.

Good luck, Beautiful Ones,

and thank you for all the wonderful stuff that you bring to the world !

Big, big, Love !

Blogaversary Give-Away Winner !

Happy Saturday Morning to everyone ! Just a short post to announce the winner of my One Year Blogaversary give-away. The Hubby used the old Random Number Generator last night and it chose Lucky Number 13 ! Kind of appropriate since it was Friday the 13th !

And our winner is the lovely, supportive and oh so talented

JerriAnn of Commuter's Journal !!!!!

JerriAnn's comment about what she has learned from blogging is the following :

"The number one lesson I've learned through blogging -- we are all connected. And how cool is it that we've made friends not just all over the USA but all over the world?"

I think JerriAnn and I connected through the monthly GPP Street Team Crusade Challenges. Sometimes it is hard to believe that this all started only a year ago ! I do know that JerriAnn is always there for me in Blogland, leaving comments that make me laugh or make me feel genuine encouraged and appreciated. She always makes me feel connected, and I know that many others appreciate her presence as much as I do.

Yay for JerriAnn ! Send me an email with your address, Sweet Thang, and I will put the finishing touches on your Queen of Arts Package of Love and have it off to you asap !

Thanks to everyone for all the sweet Blogaversary wishes. I am so very happy to be a part of this Blogland community. It gives me so much, everyday ! Cheers !

Back tomorrow with my Brush Effects playtime stuff !

Have a great Saturday !

Happy Blogaversary to ME !!!

So guess what ? Yesterday, March 8th, marked One Year of Blogging for the Queen of Arts !

Woo Hoo ! Happy Blog-aversary to me !

I knew this date was coming along and have been working diligently behind the scenes with my very special Computer Geek Extraordinaire, David, to change some things around here for my blog-aversary ! We were away for the weekend in Montreal for some family fun and I had to wait until today to do my blog-aversary post.

David has taught himself a whole bunch about blogs, blog templates and html and using my original art work and my background design, he created this whole brand new look for the Queen of Arts Blog ! We still have a few little tweaks left to do but thanks to the Man, we were able to launch the new look today. I love it so ! I am so grateful for David's remarkable talent and his tenacity to get things done just the way I wanted them ! Thank you, Sweet Man !

I am also grateful for my Blogland adventures everyday ! It never ceases to blow me away that there are so many supportive, creative, talented and generous people that I am fortunate enough to connect with everyday through our Blogland exchanges. Starting this blog one year ago was my way of reaching out and trying to find a community but I never imagined the love, the kindness and the genuine pleasure I would receive as a result ! Now I can hardly imagine my life without Blogland !

Here is a huge example of how wonderful blog-pals can be ! I know the sweet and lovely Carolyn from 8 Golden Paws through our Blogland connection. We comment back and forth on each other's blogs and found out that we both had a huge interest in going to the Squam Artist Workshops in September 2009. A few emails and a great phone call later, we are going both going to the retreat as room mates, classmates and friends anxious to share our art adventure ! How cool , Right ?!!!

And guess what ? We have never even met face to face ! And yet, my sweet Blog-pal Carolyn, sent me this by Priority Mail this morning :

And inside was this sweet pink note :

And wrapped in this lovely striped tissue paper was THIS :

Magnificient Queen Of Arts Blog Birthday Crown !!!! Gorgeous on the front

And on the back !

The Queen had to call the King to take some pictures of this wonderful treasure ASAP ! (Please ignore the bedhead hair !)

Happy Bedhead Queen !

Lovely Shot of the Crown !

The King's Arty Shot - notice how the eyes of the Queen are echoed in the crown ?

How lucky am I to have such a friend ? It made me feel so loved and cared for to get this thoughtful and beautiful gift from a person who has never met me face to face but already knows my heart ! So very, very sweet ! Thank you so much, carolyn !!!

(Attention - Give Away Coming - Attention - Giveaway Coming !!!)

So to complete my one year blog-aversary post, I am offering a little giveaway in honor of my love and appreciation for my Blogland friends. I will put together a little care package of Queen of Art treats, such as a note card or two with prints of my journal pages on them, a few Rock My World Rocks, some pretty painted papers to use in your own collages and some other little trinkets of love ! In order to enter the giveaway, please leave me a comment on this post sharing one special lesson that you have learned as a blogger. This Friday, March 13th, I will ask the King to draw a random comment and send the Blogland Love Package off to the winner !

Thank you so much to all my Blogland friends for making my world a kinder, better place and for all the wonderful, inspiring adventures each and everyday ! Sending out big love hugs !