Friday, May 14, 2010

Blogoversary & Giveaway! It's here!!

Holy crap, guys! As of May 19th, my blog will be one year old!! How freakin' exciting is that?? I never knew when I started blogging that I would have so much fun and be introduced to so many amazing people, but it's all true. So thank you, yes all of YOU, for being your awesome selves and helping Sami by the Sea along through its very first year. (Awwww.)

For my birthday blog celebration I'm hosting a giveaway! It's nothing huge, as I am surely unemployed (hopefully not for much longer!), but I wanted to do this as a way to say thanks to all of you in a hand-made, sea-like way...


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I've recently discovered these tiny little jars, and have been traipsing about the beach (the non-touristy areas, I mean, who wants to traipse with tourists and their band-aids anyways?) collecting sand and shells and arranging them just so. It's a great way to bring that beachy feel into your home; as you can see, this one is on my kitchen windowsill.


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You can get a better judge of size in this photo with the votive candle! What I enjoy about these little jars is the size of the shells needed. I have a few other glass vases around the house like this, one is long and rectangular, and one is a large glass bowl. I can use bigger shells for those obviously, but the tininess of the shells needed for these jars is what makes it so awesome! I find a lot of times the you'll find the little baby shells completely intact, not broken in half or chipped. I like to use them alongside chipped pieces of bigger shells with really fun colors and textures. :)



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Here you can see a little more detail on the top layer of shells. The barnacley piece on the bottom was a really awesome find, and added some fun variety along with the pure black shell and the orange one with the snail pattern. :)

SO! THE GIVEAWAY!

One lucky reader will be receiving two jars of their very own, complete with the freshest beach sand my feet have ever laid eyes upon (huh?) and your own personal assortment of hand-picked fresh outta the tide shells. (I find the best specimens when I walk right at the waterfront.) I'll send you the two jars, the shells packaged carefully in their own little bag, and the sand in another separate bag, so you can assemble them however you want at home.

My jar has about 14 small shells in it, so it's not completely full. If you want more shells than that, like to fill the jar up all the way to the top, just let me know! I'm always happy to hang out on the beach for more time... ;)

Since the winner will receive two jars, you can either assemble them as I did mine, or dump all of the sand into one and all of the shells into another for fun variety. The choice is YOURS! :)

HERE ARE THE RULES!
They are very easy! You won't have to promise me your first born,
or recite Jabberwocky backwards in Pig Latin.
(I don't like contests that make you jump through a lot of hoops!)

RULE 1
Be a follower of SbtS, and leave a comment!
Tell me what one of your favorite things about going to the beach is.

(OPTIONAL) RULE 2
Blog about this giveaway! Leave a separate comment with a link to your post.


DONE! Totally easy peasy. I'll choose a winner on Wednesday the 19th. Happy entering, and happy Friday! :)


14 comments:

Shelley said...

congrats on almost one year!

those jars are such a cute idea! i love anything that contributes a beachy-vibe to my apartment!

Gnetch said...

Those are totally pretty.

I wonder what I will do for my readers when I reach my first year on January 2011. Congrats on your blogoversary!! ♥

Amanda said...

what a cute idea! happy anniversary :) I'm going to the beach tomorrow, so this post has totally got me in the mood! I love the way the air smells...all salty and fresh! (and of course I follow!)

Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird said...

Happy blogoversary!! And I want to win, I want to win!! What a great idea for a giveaway!

Unknown said...

Happy one year of your blog, you lovely lady!

You know I'm a follower ♥

and my favorite thing about the beach? Really? Wow. Well, where to start? I love the smell-sounds-sights-feel-tastes of the ocean and sand. Even the salt water in my nose, because I just love the beach that much.

Yes please.
xoxox

Lady Hill said...

Happy Blogoversary!
I'm a follower :-)

I love those jars! I'd love to get my hands on those for other cute craft ideas too. I have a few jars around my apartment of mini beaches I've collected over the years and would love to win some of your beach too!

My favorite part of the beach is how small it makes me feel. Nothing helps clear my head like standing by the Ocean and listening to waves crash and the seagulls overhead. The beach will always remind me of my grandmother (she had a house right on the water) and I just always feel so safe there.

fromlazytolady.blogspot.com
fromlazytolady at gmail dot com

Meg @ A Dash of Nutmeg said...

Happy Blogoversary & Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!

Unknown said...

Happy 1st Birthday! Just stopping by from SITS.. Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!

Ms. Understood said...

Happy Blogoversary! I celebrated mine recently as well. Thank you for stopping by my blog. Good luck with the job search and I hope you won't be unemployed for much longer.

Unknown said...

Bravo! One year of blogging under your belt :)
My favorite thing about the beach is the wavy saltwater hair.

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite things about the beach is sitting on it first thing in the morning watching the sun come up when no one else is on the beach, feeling the sun on my face, it's warmth, and the sound of the waves crashing. It's just the most beautiful thing! I just found your blog from Blogfrog and I'm excited to have found it since our blog is about our journey with our home business so we can move to live on the beach :-) I have to share with you my jars I created too with seashells in them.

Unknown said...

I love watching ocean waves!

The jars are adorable (& so is your blog, I'm now following)

Congratulations on your anniversary & hi from the Blog Frog community!

Nicole said...

What the heck!? I could have sworn I joined in! Anyway Happy Anniversary! COUNT ME IN!

I am a follower and that jar is ADORABLE!

I love the sounds of the beach, the waves, the birds, the kids everything is so relaxing!

Emma @ Outmumbered said...

I am following you now...

I love paddling in the sea and the feeling when the sea rolls away again... it's like the sand is melting under your feet.