Til Death Do Us Part

Doesn't this couple look royal?

Meet the beautiful bride, Kelly, another one of our beloved sponsors for the $125 Giveaway.  Kelly's blog name is Til Death Do Us Part. 
How fitting is that on this big day?

This newlywed knows how to create some pretty things.

 Kelly also has an Etsy shop-

You can find sweet things like these-

 Q&A with Kelly-

What is the best blogging tip/advice you have learned or been given?

Be honest, and blog when you have something to say.  You have to be yourself, and you can't make your life into something it's not.  There is beauty in everyone's life and home and endeavors, even if you live in the the most plain house and aren't particularly creative.  Sometimes, the pressure to post every day or almost every day has caused me to "force" posts.  When that happens, the honesty vanishes.  I think that above creativity or inventiveness or style, people value honesty.

Do you have a method of commenting and visiting blogs and if so, what?

It's so hard to visit all the blogs I want to and keep up with all the creative women who blog.  To try to manage my blog reading and responding, I keep a big blogroll on my sidebar, and I try to respond to comments right away so they don't build up.  I also try and comment on as many blogs as possible--I know how much hard work and energy goes into crafts and design and how much I appreciate feedback, so I try to give that to others every day.

L-O-V-E

 
Be a follower of Til Death Do Us Part for another chance to win the Giveaway, which is now extended through Tuesday, May 3rd.  Winner to be announced Wednesday, May 4th. 



Thank you Princess Kelly for your generosity!

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Ruffle Heaven

With ruffles being all the rage, I'm pleased to take you to a little bit of ruffle heaven, Etsy shop Raggy Girl. 
Owner Tracey is next up on the list of generous sponsors for the awesome $125 giveaway here at Beatrice Banks.
This chicka knows how to sew some ruffles!

 How about a little Paris whimsy?

For the vintage collectors, Tracey also owns Etsy shop-
Raggy Girl Vintage. 
Charming vintage finds.

Go shop til you drop.  And for another chance to win the Giveaway, become a follower of her blog-
Raggy Girl Vintage. 

Tracey gives the following blog advice and tips-

The friend who first introduced me to blogging gave me the advice to comment lots, and to link up to parties. This definitely helped “launch” my blog. I try to keep this up as time and posts permit. Be authentic and specific in your comments.

The best tip I have learned is to post the best quality photos you can, which can sometimes be challenging with time, lighting or other constraints. I’m working on this! As creative people, many of us are very visual so good pictures are what catch our attention.

Thanks for being so sweet Tracey!

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Say It With a Card...or a Tag

Make yourself happy when you shop at Cards by Carla!
Carla is another one of our generous sponsors in the $125 giveaway for Beatrice Banks.  She is graciously offering the lucky winner a $20 gift certificate to her Etsy shop.  

I love her tags! 

Need some for Easter?

So many beautiful tags-

 The little robin is my favorite.  It's what drew me to her shop-

If you've bought a greeting card lately, you know a pretty one will cost over $5.  Carla offers beautiful handcrafted cards for $5!  Who wouldn't want to receive a gorgeous handmade card rather than the generic store bought ones?

She puts such effort and detail into all of her creations.

Carla also has a blog- Paper Pastorale.
Being a follower will give you another chance in the  giveaway. 

We can live and learn from others who have experience.  Carla offered some great words of wisdom when I asked her to share blogging tips. 


This is what I've learned. When I first started my blog, I posted about 360 days a year for two years. I was on a lot of design teams, and I needed to use and show the product I received for free. This eventually became incredibly overwhelming, and I wound up taking almost a year off from my blog. I am slowly trying to get back into it and show a little moderation this time. My advice is simple: Do not let your blog control your life. 

When asked do you have advice on how to keep up with blogs, her reply was-

I have no helpful advice on this question. I don't know how people keep up with so many blogs. I will say that if a blogger is only commenting in order to get comments, then it's just not genuine. Do the best you can. Blogging can be edifying and fun, or overwhelming and stressful. Guess who gets to decide which one it will be?

Hmm... I think I know the answer to that one.

Smart chick!

  
Thanks Carla!

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Burlap and Blue

Wouldn't you love a pillow like this?

You can learn how to make one of these here or you could win it in my GIVEAWAY.

Meet one of our fabulous sponsors.  

Etsy shop owner, Linda has generously donated a $20 gift certificate to her shop.  She has so many beautiful items, it'll be hard to decide on which one.

Burlap and Blue was recently featured in Brides Magazine.

You will see the famous chalkboard dessert pedestal in the April 2011 issue.

Burlap and Blue is a growing blog so I asked Linda to share her best blogging tip. She said,

"Some of the more obvious blogging advice (blog consistently, know your "voice") apply, of course, but lately I've been also realizing the importance of the quality of your blogging. You and your blog should always maintain a degree of professionalism and high standards...if you don't take your blog seriously, others won't either. This includes always using the best quality photos that you can, citing sources, and interacting with your readers just as you would your clients!"

If you haven't entered the $125 giveaway, go HERE.

 
Thank you Linda!

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$125 GIVEAWAY

Via

WELCOME!

 

I'm celebrating 600+ following friends!  Sometimes blogging can be a love/hate relationship.  Can't live with it and cant' live without it.  Either time or inspiration lacks momentarily and we all think of quitting, or at least a lot of us do.  But we keep blogging because it's fun. 
I am so very grateful for all the wonderful friends I've met.  Your words of encouragement, creativity and ingenious posts are such a great source of inspiration.

So with gratitude...

It's a $125 shopping spree provided by me and 5 other awesome and kind sponsors!

1.  $25 Ebay gift certificate from Beatrice Banks
2.  $20 gift certificate from Burlap and Blue
3.  $20 gift certificate from Cards by Carla
4.  $20 gift certificate from Raggy Girl Vintage
5.  $20 gift certificate from Cotton Breeze
6.  $20 gift certificate from Bella Rosa Antiques 

These shops have fabulous stuff!  Check them out by clicking on the above highlighted names.

Via

It has become increasingly difficult to keep up with everyone. At one point, I kept all of my followers on the sidebar and would visit daily. Now I randomly choose a few to visit each day along with those who visit me.  I don't like it but, it's a time factor.  I've learned, "The lack of commenting is not the lack of interest."  I'd like to hear your ideas on this or another great blogging tip.

Via

How To Enter

1. Leave a comment letting me know you are a follower of  Beatrice Banks . 
There are 7 other ways to increase your chances of winning!
Choose as many or as few as you'd like but leave a separate comment for each action. 
( Feel free to come back and add as you please.)

2.  In one sentence, give the best blogging tip you've received or learned.
3.  Copy and paste giveaway button on your sidebar and/or post about giveaway on your blog.







<br /> <a href="http://beatricebanks.blogspot.com/2011/04/125-giveaway.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaZ5kXo49b8eH1Jn7MZsgtF4-UvMTMttDnx4TbQiC-Ah-MLQJSIuH2G3NEi5T0gi2JTDLeIisze2j5_qQcBxBZ6TjKLhSXu2GTGBOF47OyE41_xDgd4n2imQUBK7YhdZOsY45ObUasOw/s1600/125dollargiveaway_button.png"/><br /> </a>









Be a follower of:
4.  Burlap and Blue
5.  Paper Pastorale
6.  Raggy Girl Vintage
7.  Til Death Do Us Part
8.  Bella Rosa Antiques


April 30th is the last day to enter. 
Winner will be announced May 4th.
Winner from outside of the U.S. will be responsible for extra shipping.  
Shipping costs are at the discretion of sponsors and may or may not be included in the gift certificate.

Via

Posting to Pink Saturday

Happy Spring!

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A Winner

The day is here.  Time for the giveaway.  We have professional style drawings around here.  It was fun and saved us $5 to not use the computer version.  Here's how it's done.

1.  Put names in a hat.

2.  Appoint a handsome Master of Drawing.

3.  Give the names a good stir.

 4.  Close eyes and pick.

 5.  Point to the lucky winner.

6.  Repeat step 5 by having big brother grab it from you to show how to point correctly. (note to self- make sure kids' fingernails are clean before taking a close up.)

And the winner is...Yvonne at Stonegable!  I can't think of a sweeter person to win. I think she's been following me since I first started blogging.  She's an extraordinaire photographer, chef and decorator.  Love her blog!  Congratulations Yvonne!
I wish I could give each of you a gift.  I love giving and I love my blogging friends.  Appreciate all who followed me from A Doctor in the House.  Beatrice Bank is currently at 1/2 of the following but I'm encouraged because it's only been up a week.  It was puzzling when some whom I thought were good friends didn't follow me over.  But I'm not crying over it because I've made so many wonderful new friends. That's how life is in general.  Every time I move (which has been plenty,) some friends are left behind, new friends are made along the way and true friends hang around forever. I'm grateful for ALL of my friends today.  I guess I really do have a gift for everyone today, my friendship. Thanks for hanging around!

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