Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Thank You and a Giveaway

Firstly, a really big thank you and lots of hugs to everyone who came over to my blog or commented on the feature over at Moxie Fab World yesterday, you made my day a happy day!

So, no card today, BUT, a Giveaway, and not just one, no, not two, not three, but 4 Giveaways over the next four and a half weeks.  That should take me to just about when I will most likely be logging off with our impending move back to South Africa.

This is the first Giveaway I have done, it's long overdue by blogging standards, however, I kind of struggle with Giveaways in general.  If you are not interested in my ramblings then just skip to the end I  guess.

I kind of feel strongly about Giveaways, for me, they represent a Thank You gift to those loyal cyber friends who add to the joy I feel when I craft.  To read your comments every time I post is heart warming, sometimes they make me laugh, they make me think, they make me more appreciative.  For me, a Giveaway is not meant for those in search of Giveaways!  (Bang!  Yes, I am leaving the US with a bang, it's called honesty.)

So, for that reason, I have put together several little parcels, each to be awarded to someone over the next few weeks.  (Obviously I am not going to cross check whether you are a first timer or not, that's not my problem, or my monkey to carry as they say). In the interest of being as fair as possible, no one can win twice, I hope you agree.  It doesn't mean you must not come and visit, or partake in whatever question I might pose that day, it simply means that I hope you understand when I will not put your name in the hat if you have won in one of my previous Giveaways over the four weeks.

I may have time to look into that automatic system that selects a winner, if not, all the names will go in a hat and I will pick one out with my eyes closed!

So, Giveaway No. 1.

All you need to do in your comment is tell me which country you have been wanting to visit but have not gotten to yet.  And why that country specifically.  That's all.  I don't need you to advertise my blog and all that stuff, this is meant for you, my friends for the last year and a half!  I appreciate you!



Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you in your comment.  Your e-mail is the best.  I will draw a winner on Sunday 29th April and will post the winner on Monday 30th together with Giveaway No.2. Good luck! (Oh, and of course I will post anywhere).

40 comments:

Janet a.k.a. swanlady21 said...

Going back to SA! Hope that it's a happy and successful move. I would love to go back to Cape Town . . . haven't been there for nearly 20 years! But a country I have not yet visited, and would love to is Italy . . . because of the cities (Florence, Venise, Rome), the culture and the food!

Janet a.k.a. swanlady21 said...

O - I forgot to give you my email :
jribet@intnet.mu

Virginia L. said...

Hello Brenda! It's so sweet of you to do this giveaway. I am just as happy as a clam to visit your blog no matter what. Anyhow my favorite place to visit will be my homeland-- Taiwan. I can never go back often enough and I'd love to visit soon...congrats on your MF feature!

Lisa said...

Well, firstly and for obvious reasons, do not add me to your giveaway drawing please!! I thought I'd answer the question just the same :)
I think Italy is high on my list of places to go. Mostly because my hubby is half Italian and his grandparents immigrated from there. It would be fun to go see where they came from and there are just so many beautiful places to see there, good food, great wine- you name it :) Someday.....
(I hope before that I get to visit someone I know in SA!!)

Rosemary said...

congrats on being moxie fabber of the week, brenda!! (sorry i missed it yesterday!) anywhoo... as to which country i would love to visit i would have to say hands down it would be new zealand. the scenery is spectacular and i would have a chance to meet my bloggy buddy sue!

Lin said...

Well, Brenda, I am going to miss YOU - you always leave the best comments! I cannot imagine packing up and moving so far, but it seems like you have things well in hand. I hope that once you get situated, you'll continue to blog from So Africa. I hope you'll share some of what it's like there...

Lisa Elton said...

Oh I feel like horrible follower Brenda...I read you had news but then I didn't see anything else until today. I will hurry over to Moxie Fab straight away to check it out!

Now as for your fun give-a-way. My husband and I long to visit Italy; Rome to be exact. We are Catholics and would love to visit the religious and historical places there. Someday we hope!!

Katy said...

I can't imagine moving from different countries! There's a lot of places I would like to visit. But if I had to choose one place I would say Italy--Rome is so full of history. And the food and wine--I hear that's good too :)

Tracey said...

Honesty is definitely the way to go, and way to be strong Brenda! The country I have been wishing to visit for many years is Switzerland...I would LOVE to do a bike tour around the country side to see the gorgeous scenery! I don't think running in those mountains would be too easy, so I stick to biking :) Thanks for a chance to win this awesome give-a-way!
TRace

Barb said...

Brenda, first of all, thanks for being honest. I think we all feel the same way about visitors who only comment when there is a giveaway. Second - it is so sweet of you to do four of them - thanks for the chance!

The country I would most like to travel to would be Italy. I have friends and family who have been there and they all say it is AMAZING! :)

Dawn T said...

What a nice idea Brenda. And I agree with you about the giveaways as a thank you to your cyber friends. If I could go somewhere, where I've never been, it would be Tuscany. I've been to other parts of Italy, but this appeals to me. Hope the organising is going well.

Natalie said...

Congrats on being featured on the Moxie Fab World. You've had quite the adventures as a marathon runner!!
I'm fairly new to visiting Moxie Fab but thought I'd check out your blog, so glad I did. Your cards are so cute and I like your style. Since this is my first visit, you don't need to add me to the giveaway. However, I'd love to visit Ireland and Scotland. God bless!

Jacqueline said...

Hi Brenda, looks like Italy is high on the list!
To be honest with you - there are no countries I would like to visit - I am a home girl - if I have to go somewhere I love Spain, but otherwise I am just as happy to stay at home....
Good luck with the preparations for your big move!

Katarina said...

Brenda, I like your honesty and I'm too new to your blog, but plan to come back :)
first on my very long list of countries to visit is Australia and has been since I was a teen. Second choice has come up the past few years - South Africa. I've heard and seen so many stories from friends who visited and would love to see it - wildlife, scenery and also the winedistrict, as I'm a member of a wine club and like SA wines a lot.
I wish you a smooth and safe move and hope to hear from you again when you're settled in.

CinnamonSally said...

Hi Brenda, I really hope you will start blogging again once you reach SA. Good luck with the move, I shall misas visiting. Reading all the comments it seems that Italy is high on a lot of lists, I am really lucky as I have been there quite a few times and love it. I would love to visit Australia but I don't thoink I will ever get there as I have a fear of flying and its so far away.
Sorry for rattleing on.
hugs
Sally

Michelle said...

Such a sweet giveaway, Bren! You are extremely generous!
I would love to visit Italy, that is where my family is from and Czeckoslovakia, that is where my husbands family is from. Thanks for the chance to win!

Robin K. said...

Hi Brenda! I have only just recently resumed blogging and visiting the blogs of others so I can completely understand your honesty regarding blog giveaways :) Love reading what others wrote regarding the country they would most like to visit. Several years ago when my father became very ill and could no longer really enjoy life my dh and I decided not to wait for "later on" and started to make our "bucket list" a reality. Since then we have been fortunate enough to visit several of our dream countries including Italy :) Sorry to ramble on so! Anyway - hope all goes well with your move and that you continue to blog once you've returned to South Africa. You would be missed in blogland otherwise :) Hugs, Robin

Small T said...

Congratulations on being Moxie Fabber of the Week!! :-)

I would love to visit Japan because the culture is so different. Oh, and I absolutely LOVE sushi! ;-)

Debbie said...

Brenda,I too hope you will start blogging again when you get back to S.A. My desire is to visit Ireland. My father's family was from there and sometimes I feel as though that is where I should be. I love my home in America but I think Ireland would be my second home if I could afford to have a second home. Good luck with your move, I hope everything goes smoothly.

Debbie said...

I forgot my email addy :
nursedeb77541@gmail.com

Emily Leiphart said...

You are super sweet to have a giveaway, Brenda! One place I'd love to visit is Croatia. I've heard so many wonderful things about it and seems like a gem in the Adriatic with all its little villages nestled in the cliffs by the ocean. I'd love to see it!

Isha Gupta said...

Congrats on the MF feature Brenda. I am glad to have found your blog thru the post. I would love to go to Egypt some day. I like all the Egyptian history and culture. Thanks for your sweet giveaway.

My Paper Epiphany said...

Oh dear, I just found your blog! thanks for your inspiration & for telling us about other inspiring crafters! I would love to go to Cambodia to see the amazing temples and villages before it is spoilt by toi many tourists! Good luck with your move. i've been to S.Africa and hope to go back with our family one day.

Bonnie said...

What a sweet give away! I would have to say I want to visit Ireland. That is where my family emigrated from. Have a cousin who goes frequently and he makes sure I get the pictures! My email is bditto@hotmail.com. Thanks!

pcm said...

Hey Brenda,
Agreed on the giveaway. I have to admit I don't follow your blog but I do admire over on Flickr :) I can't imagine what it is like to prepare for a move to a whole different country and to do it more than once! I have always wanted to go to china (i'm chinese) and I'm excited to say that I am finally going in june! Can't wait!

Judy1223 said...

Wow, Brenda, what a great post! I totally understand your feelings about a give-away...I have yet to do one because I'm not sure how to go about honoring my faithful followers (I hope to figure that out someday soon). It seems as though everyone wants to go to Italy...I have been lucky enough to tour most of Europe on my first anniversary with my DH, so I think my next destination wish is to see more of the USA (even though I live here, so much I haven't seen!). Top of the list is Hawaii, followed by Alaska in a close second. If I had to leave the country, I'd like to see Canada and Australia. A girl can dream...

Мария Доричева Maria Doricheva said...

Australia is such a far away country. It is more like a dream. Thank you, Brenda, for your generous giveaways and sweet spirit!

jintyoo7 said...

Honesty is the best policy, Brenda and I for one fully respect and admire you for that.

To answer to your question, I would like to visit Japan and see the amazing Cherry Blossoms and experience their culture, first hand.
:O)

walchowDesign said...

You are so sweet to have this giveaway, Brenda! Congrats on your MF!

I love to travel and never get enough of it so if someone were to send me to any part of the world, I would gladly accept it but at the moment USA would be on the list!

walchowDesign said...

You are so sweet to have this giveaway, Brenda! Congrats on your MF!

I love to travel and never get enough of it so if someone were to send me to any part of the world, I would gladly accept it but at the moment USA would be on the list!

Tara Cardwell said...

I just found you from Moxie Fab - I love your style.

What a great give away :-D The country I most want to visit but have never made yet is Morocca because I love the cuisine so much and am always inspired by the rich colours you see there.

Craftilicious at rocketmail dot com

Kailash said...

I am so excited that you are going back "home" but am sad that just as I made your acquaintance you will be so far away, I would love to always keep in touch....I would love to visit Israel, experiencing the spirituality of the world's oldest religions would be so special!!!!
Thank you for this lovely giveaway!!!

Kerry said...

Good luck with your big move. We are thinking about a small move soon, and it's overwhelming. Actually, I'd like to see South Africa. We have some church members from Durbin and I would love to see where they're from. I think my kids would love to see the wildlife, though I'd have to keep an eye on my daughter or she'll have climbed an elephant when I'm not looking.:) I hope you'll post pictures of the country when you get there.I've enjoyed seeing your cards over at the Hero Arts Flickr group. Good luck with the move.

ThePurplePlace said...

Congratulations again on being this MOXIE Fabber! I'm sure you must be glowing with joy!!!

I thin it's so sweet of you to host a giveaway after your wonderful news!!

As for places I would love to visit, I'm very comfy here in the USA and there are still many places I would love to see. My dream trip, which I do want to take some day is to go to Paradise Island in the Bahamas. It's looks like parardise to me!!

PS: When I have don blog giveaways I use Random.org and let it pick a number for me, then I count down to that post number and that is my winner! It's FREE too!!

This is the website:
http://www.random.org/

Vera Yates (Ling) said...

I love to travel, so there's quite a few country on my list. One of them would be New Zealand. My brother went there for 5 weeks and showed me some amazing, amazing nature view & experience (including swimming with seal in the wild). I want to go to see the view myself.

Cindy C. said...

Thanks for the fun giveaway and the honesty. So many places I want to visit, I want to go to Egypt to see the Pyramids, I want to go to China to climb the Great Wall, I want to go the Austraila to see the kanganroos, and South Africa to see the Safaris. Best of luck with your move.

Cecilia Hsieh said...

Brenda, I hope moving won't mean you won't be posting any more cards!! Thanks for the giveaway. I have always wanted to go to France, so many of my friends went last year!! Hopefully I'll be there within the next 5 years!
Congrats on being a Moxie Fabber, well done !!

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

So many blogs, so little time! I'm sorry I haven't followed your blog, nor visited too often, sweet birthday twin. Love your style and wish you all the best as you head back to SA! No need to include me in your giveaway - just wanted to stop by and wish you the best. And big congrats on the Moxie Fabber feature earlier this week!

Ava Gavloski said...

Australia is where i would like to visit. All the best in S. Africa.
ava

Inkyfingers said...

I would like to visit Australia and see all the wonderful sights on the other side of the world. Hope your move to South Africa goes well.