 Blogging resources are so many and varied! It is refreshing to find a blog, focusing on marketing, run by a stay at home mom, being creative in producing income, while helping others. Scarlet from Moms Wear Your Tees is one of those ladies.
Increasing our blog readership is what we all desire – but how? One of the best ways to increase your blog readership is through search engines – people finding your blog because they are looking for something that you are offering. Links to your blog are the primary way search engines rank your site. Links, therefore, are needed to get to and stay on top of the search engines results. Scarlet helps get you those links to your blog through the use of social media marketing. She has several avenues of advertising to help you get the much coveted links:
- She writes about your blog and features it on her Moms Wear Your Tees Blog with your website links.
- She posts on Twitter, Facebook, My Space, Yahoo groups, CafeMom groups
- You also get a permanent link through your logo posting on the “client calender” page
- Optional: If you have a company tee, she will wear it all day and post a picture of her in it to the different social media postings to give a visual to go along with the post.
While this is a new company, started in December of 2009, Scarlet is not new to marketing. Leaving a career managing such stores as Ann Taylor Loft, Express and Macy’s, she is now a stay at home mom getting creative with income earning.
I don’t know about you, but I am juggling being the mom of a large family and the responsibilities that entails, blogging and now being an independent stylist with Stella & Dot, so I am finding it difficult to do much marketing on my own. That is the beauty of Moms Wear Your Tees – Scarlet does it for you and since it is an endorsement by another mom, it appears less like advertising than if I did it myself! The prices of being featured by Scarlet vary according to the month you select and are priced per day.
I was given a day of social media website promotion through Moms Wear Your Tees for the review but no other compensation was
given.
The opinions expressed are my own.
Gardening – Children – can they go together and still yield produce? Definitely!
Garden Time Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 all dealt with different aspects of planning your garden. What about planning to involve your children – your family? Our lifestyle change involves working together as a family most of the time. Whether we are home educating or working in the vineyard planting, pruning or training – we are together. Planning, planting and harvesting our garden is no different. Our children love to be part of it and after all the work, they have a greater appreciation for the fresh produce!
Let your children have input as to the planning of the garden and where things are planted. Use this time to teach them about gardening – from location selection, plant selection to growing zones. Make use of teachable moments to instruct and build relationships.
Let them help with the planting. While your rows may not be perfectly straight and plants not equally spaced, the rewards of seeing your children excited about the growing plants are worth the sacrifice. Our young ones love to dig the holes for the plants, as well as, pressing the seeds into the soil and covering them up. Capitalize on their excitement!
Let your children help harvest. This is the most fun! They love hauling the fresh vegies to the house – they try to fill the wagon as full as possible! What a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment – they are so proud when the plants, they helped plant and care for, actually produce!
For a perfect looking, perfectly spaced garden, I would do it myself. But, the joy I see in my children as they help with our family garden is worth so much more than straight rows! They learn great work ethics, as well as, building family relationships as we work together as a family!
Besides, call it selfish, but, why would I want to do it all by myself – it is a lot of work!
Further Reading on Gardening: Gardening From Seeds
Photo Credit: Bing Images
This Giveaway is Now Closed. Thank you for entering.
Congratulations: #58 – Jodi Weiser
How to Never Look Fat Again – is it possible without dieting?
We have all heard of high-fat, low-fat and no-fat foods! But, how about applying those same terms to the clothes you wear? Charla Krupp, author of “How to Never Look Fat Again” has done just that. All women want to look thinner and more stylish, and now you can. Charla recommends a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise but also teaches you how to determine if an item of clothing is fattening or not. It is as easy as steering clear of high-fat clothes – those which make you look flabby and frumpy – and wear no-fat as often as possible. You can look thinner by tonight!
“How to Never Look Fat Again” covers such topics as:
- Easy ways to hide arm flap, a big bust, a muffin top, back fat, a big belly, a big booty, thunder thighs, heavy calves…
- High fat fabric colors and styles which make you look fat and those which melt the pounds away.
- Solutions for workout gear, evening wear and swimsuits.
- Charla’s “Brilliant Buys” and a list of products to avoid.
Charla Krup is a nationally known style expert who appeared for ten years on the Today show. She is a contributing editor to “People: Style Watch” and was formerly beauty director at “Glamour”, a senior editor at “In Style” and a fashion columnist at “More”. Her credentials are extensive and impressive!
My daughters and I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is filled with information which we found to be very helpful. Charla’s advise is practical and makes sense when we began looking at our wardrobes. It is true that if you must ask “Does this make me look fat?” you already know the answer! I would recommend this book to everyone!
You May Purchase It! How to Never Look Fat Again: Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner–Without Dieting! available in hardcover for $17.81.
You May Win It! I am pleased to offer two Dimes2Vines readers a copy of “How to Never Look Fat Again”. This giveaway will end on April 10, 2010 at 11:59pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
***Please remember to leave a comment for each of the following entries.
***If you already follow Dimes2Vines via RSS, Email, Twitter and/or Facebook - Leave a comment letting me know as your entry.
To Enter: Leave a comment letting me know what is your favorite “low-fat” piece of clothing.
Extra Entries:
**Follow Dimes2Vines via RSS feed or email.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Twitter.
**Tweet about this Giveaway and leave a link.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Facebook.
**Mention this Giveaway on Facebook.
** Enter my other giveaway.
**Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and leave a comment here letting me know which post you commented on.
The prize will be shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
I received a copy of “How to Never Look Fat Again!” for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own. A special thanks to the Product Review Place for this opportunity.
Don’t forget – today is Friday and that means it’s Mega Swagbucks Day! The big deal is that instead of winning 10, 20, 100 or 200 swagbucks, you might win 1000 or 2000!
If you are not familar with Swagbucks, it is basically a search engine which gives “bucks” randomly as you search the internet as you normally would. What could be easier? Do what you normally do online except now use swagbucks for your searches. Downloading the toolbar makes it easier because it is always at your fingertips. Plus, with the toolbar, you also receive emails from the swag guy containing codes in them which can be entered on the homepage and redeemed for swagbucks. There are also special offers available to complete (many of them free) which also yield swagbucks!
Take a minute to browse the swagstore for all the great prizes that your swagbucks can be redeemed for – everything from amazon giftcards (my personal favorite) to electronics to…
Just go to Swagbucks and sign up – you will get 30 Bonus Swagbucks just for signing up to get you started!
This Giveaway is Now Closed!
Thank you all for participating.
Congratulations Kat #273!
Stella & Dot has a new stylist – ME! I was so impressed when I began reviewing Stella & Dot, not only with their jewelry but also the company and its policies – that I was hooked. Check out my new website: www.stelladot.com/dinamarie. I am celebrating my new venture by giving one of my readers a Colette Necklace in Silver which retails for $138. Tracey Schwartz, a Senior Director with Stella & Dot has been wonderful in working with me!
Named after grandmothers, Stella and Dot, Jessica Herrin, CEO and founder, has created a modern home-based company with irresistible products. Their pieces are made in India and Asia and handcrafted by artisans with the utmost attention being given to quality. Why do I categorize their products as irresistible?
- Couture Design – Their trend setting pieces are designed in New York and San Francisco by award winning designers.
- Affordable Luxury – While there are higher priced pieces, plenty of styles are under $50.
- Style Statement – Their pieces turn even jeans into a high fashion statement.
Stella & Dot pieces are being worn by celebrities and have been featured in such magazines as “In Style”, “Oprah”, “Lucky” and “People”.
I am very impressed with the quality of Stella & Dot jewelry. The Colette necklace has such a feminine flare with its braided antique chain, faux pearls, and self-tie of grosgrain ribbon. Browsing the “Look Book”, it is difficult to choose between the beautiful styles! Thankfully, at Stella & Dot, you are provided a personal shopper, a trained stylist and I would love to help you in your decision!
If you would like to host a trunk show – please contact me, we can do it online! Our average hostess receives $250 in free jewelry using her hostess rewards! I can set you up on my website and you may have friends order online while you receive the benefits!
Interested in a career as a stylist? Come as you are -no special skills are required. You will receive all the training you need! There are no regular purchase requirements, no inventory to keep, no deliveries – they do it all for you! All it takes is $199 and this gives you $350 in jewelry of YOUR CHOICE! They have a wonderful “Jump Start” program to help you earn as much as $3000 in free jewelry your first 100 days with the company. They also provide free jewelry credit after you initial 100 day “Jump Start” program AND this is in addition to your fantastic commission! They work to help keep your money in your pocket! As you can probably sense, I am very excited about this opportunity!
 
You May Purchase It! Visit my website www.stelladot.com/dinamarie and purchase it online for $138.
You May Earn It! Host a trunk show and earn it with your hostess rewards for FREE!
You May Win It! To celebrate, I am giving one Dimes2Vines readers a Colette Necklace valued at $138. This giveaway will end on April 3, 2010 at 11:59pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be selected by random.org, posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
***Please remember to leave a comment for each of the following entries.
***If you already follow Dimes2Vines via RSS, Email, Twitter and/or Facebook - Leave a comment letting me know as your entry.
To Enter: Visit stelladot.com/dinamarie and leave a comment telling which piece is your favorite!
Extra Entries:
**Purchase an item from stelladot.com/dinamarie and leave a comment telling what you purchased = 10 extra entries per piece. Please leave separate comments for each #1-10.
**Follow Dimes2Vines via RSS feed or email.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Twitter.
**Tweet about this Giveaway and leave a link.
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Facebook.
**Mention this Giveaway on Facebook.
The prize will be shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
Here is a free organizer that I am just beginning to use and thought you might also benefit from! So far, it works great for recipes and can be used for much more. With just a few easy clicks, I have been able to save recipes from different sites – it is so easy!
“Springpad is a free personal organizer used to keep your favorite web pages in one place: recipes, notes, restaurants, books, movies, music, tasks & more.”
Just sign up with your email address and you are ready to go! Get Organized!
Another Freebie!
Here is a free, downloadable, excel template for a weekly, 2-wk and monthly menu planner. I had posted this earlier but thought it might be beneficial to remind you of it. I have finally moved into the computer age of technology, even with my menu plans!
Every cloud has a silver lining!
I never tire of the beauty of the sunrises and sunsets here in west Texas. Each is unique and absolutely gorgeous. This seems to remind me that no matter how dark and gloomy things may look, there is light waiting to dispel the darkness. A new day is dawning with new hope, adventure and challenge!
Planning your garden takes time as we have discussed in Garden Time: Part 1 and Part 2 but the reward are well worth it. Today there are a few miscellaneous items to think about.
Have you ever noticed the colorful maps on the back of seed packets? Those are not just for decoration. They give valuable information about that particular seeds hardiness in different areas of the country. The different colored areas indicate growing zones. Growing zones are based on temperatures, daylight hours and general climate. Favorable planting conditions vary from one zone to another so it is important to consider your location when planting seeds. 
If you have gardened before, are you switching your varieties to different locations than where they were in previous years? Crop rotation is usually thought of as important to the commercial farmer. But, it is also important to the backyard gardener. Certain plants are more prone to specific diseases and insects. Crop rotation discourages these from becoming concentrated in your soil. The squash bug is an example of this. Since crops use nutrients from the soil differently, crop rotation is an important step to help prevent soil depletion.
Lastly, I mentioned that when selecting your garden location, it must have water access. Vegetable plants as a rule need plenty of water, especially during germination. Sprinklers, soaker hoses , as well as, underground irrigation are several of the methods or watering your garden plants. Probably the least least efficient yet most commonly used and conveninient are sprinklers. They are inefficient because of water loss to evaporation. We used sprinklers while living in Alabama but did not water during the heat of the day because of the potential for evaoprative water loss. Here in west Texas with such a dry climate, we primarily used soaker hoses last year. This year, we have put in underground drip tape in the garden area.
I have attempted to cover at least the basics of planning your garden. Hopefully, it will help and be thought provoking. While the points covered may seem overwhelming, the time spent planning now can make the difference in a mediocre garden and a prolific one!
For further reading: Gardening With Children, Gardening From Seeds.
This Giveaway is Now Closed!
Thank you all for participating.
Congratulations Kisha!
Tutu anyone? Whether it is to play dress up, be a fairy or a princess, or just to wear around, tutus are in style!
I am excited to introduce you to Christen from the Etsy shop, Repunzels Bows ‘n Clips. She is the wonderful creator of beautiful tutus – for “little” girls and “big” girls. Yes, with a tutu, storybook time is here! What is more feminine, fun, fluffy and fanciful than a tutu? They come in all colors of the rainbow, embellished or not, and each of high quality tulle. They can be made sassy and short, or long and elegant.
Christen is the mother of four children. Having always been a crafter at heart she has found her niche making primarily tutus, bows and clips. Recently, she has teamed up with her sister and friend’s company and together they are called Spoiled Sweet. She enjoys working with both ladies and loves the fact that she can set her own hours, doing what she enjoys most – being creative.
Christine’s tutus are made with a waistband of elastic in these basic measurements: Infant (16″-19″), Toddler (19″-21″) and size 6-8 (21″ +). They can also be custom made by simply sending her the desired waist measurement. They are not just for little girls – even big girls are wearing them over their jeans! 
In addition, Christen also makes beautiful bows to match any tutu as well as many other styles. With sizes from “infant” to “big girls”, she has something for everyone.
Christen sent me two tutus – one for my 17 mth old daughter and another for my 3 yr old granddaughter. The girls fell in love with them immediately! In fact, my 17 mth old does not want to take hers off. Even her 4 yr old brother wanted to try it on – there is definitely something magical about them! As a seamstress myself, I always dreaded working with tulle – it is so fine, delicate and easy to tangle. Christen does a wonderful job and her workmanship is excellent. She is a pleasure to work with.
You May Purchase It! There are so many colors and styles to choose from! And, not only in tutus but also in the bows and clips! Just go to Christen’s Etsy shop, Repunzels Bows ‘n Clips and place your order. Good luck – it is hard to decide which one to pick!
You May Win It! Christen is generously giving one Dimes2Vines readers a tutu and matching bow in your choice of choice of colors. This giveaway will end onMarch 27, 2010 at 9pm CST and is open to all US residents. The winner will be posted here and notified by email. Please be sure to leave contact information.
***Please remember to leave a comment for each of the following entries.
***If you already follow Dimes2Vines via RSS, Email, Twitter and/or Facebook - Leave a comment letting me know as your entry.
To Enter: Visit Repunzels Bows ‘n Clips and leave a comment letting me know which tutu is your favorite.
Extra Entries – Don’t forget to leave a separate comment for each:
**Follow Spoiled Sweet via google friends connect.
**Follow Dimes2Vines via RSS feed and/or email (1 comment for each).
**Follow Dimes2Vines on Twitter.
**Tweet about this Giveaway and leave a link.
** Become a Facebook fan of Spoiled Sweet.
**Become a fan of Dimes2Vines on Facebook.
**Mention this Giveaway on Facebook.
** Enter my other giveaways.
**Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post.
The prize will be shipped direct from the sponsor of the giveaway. Dimes2Vines is not responsible for shipping or lost/damaged prizes.
I received tutus for review but no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own. A special thanks to Christen from Repunzels Bows ‘n Clips for this opportunity.
Blogging resources – there are so many available, how do you choose? I usually want to hear from someone who has used the product with success. One resource I have used with great success is 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. The techniques and tasks are simple and easy to follow and I have seem dramatic growth as a result of this workbook.
31 Days to Build a Better Blog is a downloadable workbook giving 31 tasks to be done over a 31 day period. Each day consists of a task (something to do) and teaching ( the hows and whys of the task you are given to do).
Blogging resource – great! But, how do you use this workbook?
- Intense training: Some bloggers set aside a weekend or longer periods of time to perform multiple tasks at a time.
- 1 Task a Day
- 1 Task a week
- Occasional inspiration
I tried to do 1 task per day but often I was not able to accomplish this goal. But, that makes this type of program great – you can work at your own pace.
Who is 31 Days to Build a Better Blog for?
- New Bloggers – those just beginning a blog but are not sure where to go next.
- Seasoned Bloggers – Anyone who wants to grow their blog and take it to the next level.
- Bloggers with Block – Anyone needing some inspiration!
Guarantee? A 30-day money back guarantee is given so if you are not completely satisfied, your money will be refunded. It is a win-win situation!
As a blogging resource it gets better! A Free Bonus Podcast: you will receive a free 1 hour question and answer session in which Darren tackles some of the most frequently asked questions from bloggers desiring to take their blog to the next level. A link to download this is sent shortly after you order the workbook.
Blogging resources are not new to author Darren Rowse, who has been blogging since 2002 on over 30 blogs. He is well known for his Pro-Blogger.net blog where he gives tremendous helps and tips. This website is a great resource!
I highly recommend 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and after all, with the 30-day money back guarantee, what do you have to lose?
Other blogging resources: Free eBook, “Make Money Blogging” .
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About Me 
God has amazingly blessed me, Dina-Marie, with a wonderful husband and 10 beautiful children. Moving from our "secure" life in Alabama to the "exciting" life of starting a vineyard in west Texas has been challenging to say the least. I have had the opportunity to take a crash course in frugal living and become a real farm girl - complete with milk cow and chickens. I have learned the importance of health from the inside out, "traditional" cooking and cod liver oil!
I hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have. |
