Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop 07.10.11 + Labels Giveaway You Don't Wanna Miss

I'm so excited that you're here :) Are you ready to showoff your greatest and latest posts? Zoom right in and link up. When you're finished, may I request that you scroll back up and continue reading the rest of the post? We have one practical giveaway which I invite you to join, lovely co-host to follow via gfc, and a useful blog tip to protect your blog from hackers. Lastly, a party is not complete if we don't get to meet new friends so I encourage you to visit one another's blog and say HI to each other :D

Giveaway

I've always been a fan of everything labeled and Ginger from Ginger Snap Crafts has the products that made me swoon. She said that labels are a great organizing tool. She also admonished to give everything a place in your home. Amen to that!



(Up above are examples of her chalkboard labels.)

Her labels are made with vinyl lettering which are super easy to apply. Your home will look so organized with these black and white labels.

Source: etsy.com via Homemaker on Pinterest

She can also make 5 fun kitchen labels, just for you. Those who want their containers labeled like these, raise your hands. (Me, too, me, too!)

Source: etsy.com via Homemaker on Pinterest

This, my friends, is what captured my heart. Her Do it Yourself Craft Kit: Seasonal Block comes with a 3.5 inch by 7 inch block of wood and the vinyl negative to use as a stencil for the word spring, summer, fall or winter. Perfect for decorating when seasons change.

Source: etsy.com via Homemaker on Pinterest

For those of you who have little ones using sippy cups, she can make 3 personalized names (approximately 1 inch by 4 inches) for your child's cups or your water bottle. It's worthy to take note that these labels are dishwasher safe :)

Source: etsy.com via Homemaker on Pinterest

Her Etsy contains the instructions for applying vinyl lettering and it's super duper easy to do so.

I admit, I'm jealous because Ginger is rewarding you with a $25 store credit. How I wish I can join my own giveaway but oh, well. I'll just save up so I can buy her labels. If you want an organized home, her products will definitely take you there.

(An excellent way of personalizing your computer.)

Source: etsy.com via Homemaker on Pinterest

Here are 9 easy ways for you to snag $25 worth of labeling supplies.

Important entries:
1. Browse Ginger's Etsy store. Leave me a comment which item you want to buy if you win the $25 store credit.
2. Follow Ginger Snap Crafts via GFC and let her know I sent you there. Come back here and leave me a comment (1 entry).
3. Like Ginger on facebook. Come back here and leave a comment that you did so. (1 entry)
4. Follow Ginger on twitter. Come back here and leave a comment that you did so. (1 entry)

Extra entries:
5. Subscribe to my blog by email (1 entry)
6. Add me in your blog roll, and leave a comment. (1 entry)
7. Follow me and leave me a comment that you're doing so. If you're already a follower, leave a comment, too. (1 entry)
8. Like me in facebook, and leave a comment. (1 entry)
9. Follow me on Twitter, and leave a comment. (1 entry)

Nine easy ways for you to win this terrific giveaway, dear friends! It ends on July 21st at 11:59 pm, PST. Thank you, Ginger, for this timely and useful giveaway!

Co-host
I'm happy to share a very interesting info about Emily from Blu Babes Create. She was a contestant in the Miss Teen Calgary pageant. Her blog is a scrapbook of her decor and much more. She loves everything to do with the royals as evidenced when she incorporated the concept of royalty in her tablescape. Say HI to her and she'll be so happy to hear from you.

Blog Tips
Turning on google's 2-step verification helps keep hackers away. I felt disheartened upon learning from my friend Mel of Mel Dreams Often that her blog and email were hacked. She lost her blog, her followers, her alexa ranking, etc. She had to start all over again but as of this time, her blog is down and I haven't heard back from her yet. In order to protect you, my friends, turn on this google feature and you'll thank me for that down the line.

Favorite Blog
You clicked, inlinkz tallied. The readers' favorite blog post this past week, being the most viewed post, is Lindsay's DIY Curtains. Such a great idea to add color in any room.

Source: southernlovely.blogspot.com via Homemaker on Pinterest

Our Party
To the main course of this post.
For those of you joining us for the first time, we only have 2 easy, simple rules:

1) Link up your creative post - can be a DIY project, decor, photography, crafts, recipes, poem, thrift finds, link party, or that informative syndicated post that can make us laugh, or cry - in short, whatever you're proud of! And if you like to link more creative posts, go for it! We'd love to see them :) (No links to businesses or giveaways. We have another party for these exclusively every Tuesday called Market Your Biz & Giveaways at 5 pm, PST.)

2) Follow as many blogs as you desire, preferably starting first with the one who linked before you and after you, before branching out, and let them know by leaving a comment. (Following me and the co-host will be very much appreciated, and we definitely follow back. Just let us know you're following.)

Displaying the party button on your blog, while optional, is very much appreciated :)

Link opens up every Sunday at 5:00 pm, PST and ends Friday at 11:59 pm.

Because I like something different, I'm using the reverse entry for inlinkz - so the most recent participant will show up as number 1, thus giving everybody a chance to have the #1 spot.


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Friends, go ahead and mingle with one another :) Happy partying!





Burning question:Are you using 2-step google verification? If not, what are your measures to protect your blog from hackers?

I totally use google's 2-step verification. A few months ago, google notified me that somebody across the world was trying to hack my blog so google suggested that I turn on this verification. I did. It's a pain in the tush because it wants me to verify my identity every 30 days, for each computer or iphone I use. But it's worth the peace of mind. The hackers might steal your password but they can't still log on because google will send the verification code to your own cell phone. That's a great second layer of protection. How about you?