Thursday, December 9, 2010

Celebrating kindness with a blog hop, inspiration, & a heap of giveaways!!!

So what exactly is this blog hop all about?  Well, first and foremost its about one simple and beautiful word...kindness.  Secondly, its about 5 lovely and unique ladies with a goal to inspire you.  Join us on this blog hop journey to warm your soul, spark your creativity, and a chance to win some fabulous prizes.  Enjoy your journey and Happy Holidays! 

Blog Hop Info:

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.  ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I love this quote from P.S. I Love You.  It always reminds me not only to be kind, but just how easily a little kindness can be spread.  Through the 26 years of my life, I have been a most fortunate witness to beautiful, spectacular, love filled, and down right productions of compassion & kindness.  I have met people (both men & women) who dedicate their entire lives to the needs and care of others.  I have been witness to entire communities coming together to support one family or person in need.   These are all snapshots of kindness at its best.  This inspiration always has me searching for things that I can do to continue this spread of love.  As a stay at home Mom with two busy toddlers, a design business to run, a husband, family, and home to take care of, I don't have the time to do things on such a grand scale.  My days are full and my free time is limited...sound familiar?  However limited our time, and despite our demanding schedules, we can still participate in the spread of kindness.  On a smaller scale, and in your own creative way, you can still bring a little light to someones day while nurturing your soul in the process.  Kindness surely doesn't come effortless to me among the chaos of life.  Practicing kindness is exactly that...practicing.  Practicing to develop a lovely and lifelong habit.  I want to share kindness not only for myself, but for strangers, for friends, for my daughters, for the world.  This is one habit that I am working ceaselessly to own, to share, and to pass on.  One of my favorite and most simplest habits in the spread of kindness is to try and compliment at least one stranger a week.  We all know that receiving a compliment, particularly from a stranger, can brighten our day.  Send an anonymous note to a friend letting them know what a wonderful person they are and how much joy they bring to your life.  At Starbucks, buy the gal in line behind you a Peppermint Brownie (which I can tell you would absolutely make this girls day!) and wish her a Merry Christmas.  Leave an inspirational note on the mirror in a dressing room.  More often than not, little things make a much bigger impact than we imagine.  Practice spreading kindness and find simple and easy ways to incorporate it into your life.  Then, when a small bit of kindness finds it's way back to you, you can smile knowing that you were apart of creating a beautiful and wonderful circle of kindness in this world.

 For more ideas and inspiration on simple, and just plain awesome ways to spread kindness, Operation Nice.com is a must visit!  I adore this site...who's owner, Melissa Morriss Ivone, has created a fresh, beautiful, and fun site dedicated to reminding us that "a little nice goes a long way."  You can also grab the Operation Nice blinkie (^^^that cute guy up there!) for your blog or website to help spread the word about this amazing site and their beautiful message.

Ok now....is anyone interested in a giveaway!?!?! Heeheehee...I thought so!!!  In the spirit of kindness, and giving, and all that lovey dovey stuff, I'm giving away 3...yes 3 prizes this weekend!!!  On Monday morning,  3 random posters will be selected to receive their choice of one digital scrapbook product from my store at Two Peas in A Bucket.com (here), aaaaand, a copy of my newest product before it hits stores!  The new product is a set of 4, clean and perfectly simple card templates from my (new to come!) Simplicity Collection.  Preview below!  To enter simply post a comment with an idea for a random act of kindness, then keep those fingers crossed!  Good luck friends!!!


Blog Hop Info:

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11 comments:

  1. Very cool idea. A random act of kindness could be leaving a really good novel somewhere for someone to pick up and hopefully enjoy. Thank you so much for the chance to win.

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  2. Awesome idea of putting a note on a mirror in a changing room, I'm totally stealing it!

    My idea is just to be aware of the people around you, you can see who needs to be shown kindness.. I have bought coffee for the person in the drivethru behind me (it also touches the cashiers heart!), bought a meal for someone in a restaurant who looked down on his luck and bought a new burger for a teen who had his made incorrectly but was too shy to ask for another... My last suggestion, do it in secret from others if possible, it's more rewarding that way!

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  3. Love RAKs! May be something I do during this last week of work before the Christmas break. Thank you for the inspiration.....and hookin' me up with the Blog Train.

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  4. So cool! Love you and Love this blog. PICK ME!! HEE HEEE

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  5. I love the idea of complimenting a stranger. Everyone LOVES a compliment and I know when I receive one, it really brightens my day! GREAT IDEA!

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  6. WOW the template is pretty and so simple!! lovely!

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  7. Being stuck in traffic is a very trying thing for me. Letting someone slide in front of you can make the situation a little better for someone else, and make you feel a little better. It doesn't take much to spread a little kindness

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  8. LOVE LOVE LOVE this post;) (I'm not commenting to win, I'll go buy your stuff anyday!)

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  9. So hard to remember to be kind to strangers, but so rewarding for both parties when one is kind. :-)

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