23 posts tagged “vox”
Vox has done it again, and it's pretty awesome this time around. Vox is currently helping to host the HP Themes Contest, an event that's being shared between some of the biggest (and best, in my opinion!) blogging sites around: TypePad, Vox and LiveJournal.
I got pretty psyched when I heard about this event because it reminded me of past contests Vox has hosted. Back in late 2006, we hosted our first banner contest, and the winners of the contest got the chance to host their winning banners on Vox so other bloggers could use the designs on their own blogs. I wasn't yet a part of the Vox team then so I was legible to win-- and I did! Two of my banners were chosen ("Beads Love" and "Bubblegum Skies" as seen below) to be used by other people, and I have to say: knowing that other people appreciated what I had to offer, both artistically and bloggingly (tee hee), made me feel pretty awesome. In fact, Team Vox back then liked so many of the banners so much that the team extended the winning number! That just shows how many talented people we have here at Vox. And now that the site is even bigger than before, I think we can expect even more spiffy entries. ^___^
Like I mentioned above, the HP Themes Contest at Vox is a little different. Not only will the winner get his banner chosen to be used on TypePad, Vox and Livejournal, but cash prizes are going to be given out to the three favorite banner winners-- $1800 worth! *dances* If this event would have happened back in 2006, I think I would have been antsy with anticipation to see how my banner was doing with the votes, haha.
Here's a confession. One of my favorite things about blogging at Vox is visiting the Design page. Even though I often host my own banners for my own blog, it's fun to see where Vox likes to go with the designs it hosts. Plus, I get pretty inspired by other peoples' banners, which sparks a lot of creativity with my own designs. Some things that I'd really like to see pop up on the Design page someday are:
- More banners containing photography (we have so many talented photographers here)
- More banners made with homemade art, like drawings and paintings
I guess what I'm really looking forward to seeing is the raw art that people can come up with. I like knowing that something digital like a blog banner can be made using tools that are both modern and traditional. I think a lot of people might immediately jump to banner ideas with fun ideas involving work done in Photoshop and Illustrator, which are great programs to use for something like this contest. Something that we don't see very often though are the talents found outside of the computer world, like using stencils or paintbrushes. As long as you have a scanner and a simple image/art editing program then, you can crop the images down to the right size.
I think what matters most is the inspiration that comes out of whatever a person enjoys doing. For instance, I'm fascinated with color-- how colors work together, how lack of color exists, the brightness or dullness of colors, etc. Being able to experiment with with my hobbies for a contest like the one going on for HP Themes is not just fun to do, but it's an opportunity for me to play with new ideas. I've used my photograph, my love of kawaii and even my favorite hamster ever, to create pretty banners. Some of my favorite hobbies have produce really wonderful results:
Of course, anyone who wants to enter will probably want to read the rules before entering a banner. I'm not sure if any of these would work because of the credit (kawaii.vox.com) I put on each of them. ^o^ The ones above are in my private little Kawaii at Vox database, but I'd still love to create a new banner (even though I can't win since I'm a Six Apart employee...) just to show how much I love the contest idea.
If anyone who reads this post submits a banner to the contest, please, please, please let me know. I'm anxious to see what my friends are coming up with. Also, if anyone needs help with any design ideas, I'd be happy to throw some ideas out there or give my personal feedback. And if anyone has questions about the HP Themes Contest, definitely submit some feedback by contacting the Vox team.
I guess the thing I really wanted to say about the contest is that winning something like this really is possible. Whenever I see a contest, I get pretty overwhelmed with the possibility of not winning but knowing that I've won something like this in the past, and seeing a lot of my friends win at the same time, makes me realize how possible winning this contest really is. If anything, have fun when you submit a banner entry. I can't wait to see what everyone makes!
To make up for my absence during the December holidays, I decided that I wanted to make up for my lack of cards and gift-giving by sending out something for the next holiday: Heart Day!
I have to be honest. I'm not really one to celebrate something like Valentine's Day. Even Shawn and I don't go out of our way to get each other extravagent gifts. My feeling on the subject is that if you care about someone, you'll show him/her that type of love all year 'round. With that said, I have to be a hypocrite and change my beliefs around this year.
I feel like I missed out on a lot of the holiday fun. Everything seemed a bit dull this year because of all the work I was wrapped up in-- no fun! To spice up my life and the Vox atmosphere a bit, I'd like to offer a little Valentine to anyone that reads this post. ^__^ I've even stocked up on a ton of kawaii cards for my friends this year, which is something I haven't done in many years.
This invitation is open to everyone, whether you're in my Vox neighborhood or you aren't, whether we know each other or not. I think that Heart Day is a great time to get to know both old and new friends.
If you're interested in having a pretty Valentine sent to you within the next few weeks, you need to do two things:
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Leave me a comment in this post and let me know you're interested. (Depending on emails alone in the past has proven to be troublesome, so an extra note in a comment always helps!)
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Send me an email (milkeyes@gmail.com) and provide the following:
Your Vox Name:
Your Real Name (first and last):
Your Address:
Once I have this information, I can go ahead and send you a fun Valentine. (I'm still trying to think of a little gift I could send along with each letter. Hopefully, I can think something up before Heart Day gets here.)
If you're not interested in having a letter sent to you, it's no problem. ^^ Just know that I wish you a happy Heart Day 2008. Try to remember that Heart Day isn't about being in a relationship or being part of a couple; it's about loving yourself and those around you. Heart Day is about brilliant independence just as much as it's about sharing your time with a loved one. That's what I've learned throughout the years.
Anyway, I hope to hear from some of you Voxers. I'd love to spread a lot of love around this time of the year-- as much as possible! ^0^
November has included one of my longest absences on Vox, and after all this time has passed, I'm starting to wonder what even happened to November. It was here and now it's almost gone.
I have a lot to catch up with and a lot to say, so I thought I'd sum up how my month has been going through a series of little snippets from my life. I feel like I often share huge chunks of my life at Vox, and switching a post around to a small medley of events might be fun for a change.
Kawaii design. I thought I'd start off by introducing my new banner. Kawaii (at) Vox (dot) com finally has a new look and feel to it. I've been struggling with what kind of banner I wanted my blog to have. I'm extremely picky and very obsessive over the appearance of my Vox. The content is important, yes, but the whole look of my personal space at Vox is just as essential as the rest of it. The usual routine for making and choosing a banner for my Vox usually consists of: having a photoshoot, editing old photos, experimenting with color schemes, finding fun brushes to use (if needed), and then either trashing the results or actually settling on using a banner. The entire process usually takes a couple of days. I don't like switching around my banner a lot, so whatever I decide on means that it will be around for a while. After a lot of work on this last banner, I finally decided on Kawaii Pink Medley:
I wanted to include a lot of the elements in my life, especially ones that I love right now. I figure that Lola the fawn stands for my plushies; Yukimo shows for my love (of Yukimo!) of pets; and Plum represents my adoration (for Plum!) for dollies. Being the narcissist that I am, I like including a photo of myself to kind of, I guess, represent my blog as a whole. (After all, I'm the voice, tee hee.)
The kitties. As I mentioned in a past post, Beth and I decided to keep our sister kitties. Falling in love with them took a little longer than usual-- a lot longer than it usually takes me to fall for a cat. Even though it took a while, the wait was worth it. Both Edgar (Ed) and Isis are pretty awesome companions, and although they're a little insane, I like their craziness around the apartment (sometimes). After all, unpredictability is priceless.
As much as I hate to admit it, Beth and I have had an easier time bonding with Ed. Even though the sisters were raised the same, Ed has a much more friendly personality, and she's a lot more willing to be happy. She's the only cat I know that will pur for no reason at all. I'll walk into a room and Ed will be purring so loudly that I can feel the floor shake.
Isis, on the other hand, has really stayed in her shell-- and not in a good way. An example of this is when I get up from the couch to go to the kitchen. I won't even be heading towards where Isis is laying down on the floor, yet she'll see me coming and run away and hide under the bed for hours. If I get up and go to the kitchen when Ed's around, she'll either follow me or affectionately rub against my legs. Beth and I are still giving Isis the same amount of attention as Ed, but it's hard having such an unfriendly kitty around the house, especially one that hates to be held and scratches. (I have some painful pieces of evidence on my stomach if there's any doubt about Isis.)
Despite their differences, Beth and I love Ed and Isis. It's great having built-in friends. ^__^ More of Ed and Isis can be seen in my My Kitties collection.
The work load. I wish I could say that the stress wasn't as much of a problem anymore, but to be completely honest, it's about the same. I've been working my butt off at school. On the days that I'm not in classes, I'm either working or doing schoolwork (projects, papers, presentations, etc.). On the days that I do go to school, I'm working in between the classes. This time of the year is always crazy, and this November is no exception.
Blog, blog, blog! One of the benefits of working and being a Professional and Technical Writing major is that I can have some fun by combining both worlds-- that of school and that of work. Throughout the semester, I've been doing a lot of interviews for papers and projects with fellow bloggers, friends and co-workers. Like a lot of the projects that I've chosen to do, one of the last projects I worked on focused on blogging. My Technical Writing professor assigned the class a huge project where each person had to write a technical description. I chose to focus my descripion on networking at Vox.
As long as I've been at Vox, I've noticed that a lot of the articles and people who help others expect the new people at Vox to be familiar with everything blogging has to offer. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. A lot of new Vox members are often unfamiliar with what blogging is and how it can be used as a networking tool. They sign up for an account but then never return because no one explains to them what they can do to get their blog "out there." Bloggers not only want to write, but they want to meet people and share their thoughts with them. Because of new members' lack of networking know-how, I decided to create a description on how people can get to know the ropes of Vox for networking uses, whether it be for social or business reasons. Some of the results can be seen here:
Here are little pieces of my project. The entire technical description was several pages long, but as long as it took to create, I found that I really had fun when I wrote this. I'm a huge fan of screen shots and creating tutorials for helping people, so I guess that's why this project didn't seem as painful as some of the other ones I've had to do. Plus, I was able to focus on a topic that I love: blogging!
I'm currently working on an article that involves many Voxers and their thoughts on blogging. The article is for my Creative Nonfiction for Publication class. I'm thinking about posting it here once I have it completed (which should be sometime later this week).
Mapling it up with gaming. So after my long days of work, work, work, I realized that I needed some sort of release. I resorted to one of my on and off obsessions: Maple Story. I decided to pick up where I left off with my very first character, Minkka. Instead of going out every weekend, I've been sitting in my cozy apartment, zoning out by playing MS and finally leveling Minkka to 50. *grin* I couldn't be happier with her level right now. MS is great for not only relaxing, but for socializing as well. A lot of my old online friends started to slowly come back to the game, and I've been able to get a lot of energy out just by chatting with them through the game.
... And when I "socialize" on MS, that also means that I'm spending money on making my character super kawaii. I hate to admit it but I've spent a good chunk of change on Minkka-- her appearance, her accessories, and her pet(s). This last round of playing has resulted in a lot more clothes for Minkka. (I decided to go pink this time.) Her outfit includes: the Starry Pink Beanie, the Pink Sunglasses, the Pink Camo Hoodie, the Brown Plaid Pants, the Pink Ogg Boots, the Heart Tattoo Gloves, the Bunny Doll Cape, and the Seal Pillow Weapon.
The above screen shot shows Minkka in action: kicking some Master Chronos ass by using her Holy Arrow power.
My month. November has been a long month. The main thought that's keeping me going at this point is the middle of December-- when all of my classes end and some of the stress is gone. I'm so pumped for the holidays and my birthday right now. As much as I hate to admit it, I love this time of the year.
Exactly one year to this day, Vox made its public launch. The website opened its doors to the public and let thousands of people into one of the greatest blogging networks around. I'm so proud to be part of such a great community, and I'd like to dedicate this post to Vox and every single Voxer out there.
I've received countless gifts throughout the past year; Vox is to thank for many of them. I think my favorite gift of them all has been the opportunity to express myself to people I've never even met in person. To know that I can use my blog as a creative and personal outlet in so many ways is pretty extraordinary.
My passion for photography was strong before, but it's grown even more since I started posting photos here at my blog. I know that I've mainly focused on a small portion of my life (with dollies, my sisters, Shawn and things I come across in my everyday life), but I've been able to slowly pick up new photo subjects that catch my eye. I think that one of the great things about Vox is how willing to encourage every reader is. With the encouragement and small pushes in new directions from awesome friends here, I find that my confidence is building day by day. I don't consider myself a very social person outside of the internet, but blogging at Vox has made me feel a little stronger. The fact that I can step outside, taken in my surroundings, and then form new ideas about what images I want to capture is a confident step in the right direction. I no longer feel the need to socialize in the way that other college students do anymore. I've realized how great it is to strengthen what I do have and what I really enjoy-- and that's the quiet atmosphere of my blog in the company of people that I call close friends. (That's you.)
My blogging life extends to amazing highs, ones that I can really say I'm proud of. About two months after Vox made its public launch, I hosted my very first Kawaii at Vox raffle. Over 80 people participated at the time. I was ecstatic! Then, only eight months later, I threw my second raffle. By then, after Vox's community had grown even more, over 100 people joined in on my event. Knowing that people in just one community on the internet could have fun through such a simple event like a raffle really made me smile.
It was the events and the dedication Voxers had to their friends here that have made Vox what it is today. Like I've said before, the amount of community participation between each other and Team Vox is incredibly strong. I think that community is what makes Vox stand apart from every other blogging website out there. I've had the pleasure of being able to see both sides of the spectrum. On one hand, I was a simple blogger who enjoyed her occasional blog post, and on the other hand, I was given the opportunity to work with a great group of hard working people who have dedicated their working lives to better the entire idea and vision of Vox. I take a look at the leaps that I've made in my life thanks to every single ounce of luck (and fate) that has come my way, and I can only say one thing: thank you-- to Vox and to every Voxer who has been able to participate in this great blogging experience.
Vox, you are my favorite blogging place and I don't know where I'd be without you today. Watching you grow up into the strong and healthy community you are today makes me so, so proud. Happy anniversary, Vox!
I've been slowly trying to fall back into a comfortable routine in the past week or so. Previous to that, I had been so focused on getting things done that I didn't take any time to just enjoy... life? In between my last post and the one I'm writing right now, I've had some not-so-good experiences, times that I'll be happy to forget about.
I wrote two posts this last weekend. Only one post made it to the public, and even that one stayed just a few minutes. Something about the posts didn't quite click. I'm very particular with what I share with people, and that side of me isn't something I'm proud of. To those of you who caught that post, thank you for the private messages. You will never really know how much I've been soaking in your advice and your concerns about my life, but just know that your words are fueling me to just keep going through all the bad stuff. I'm pushing my way through this bad time in my life thanks to you. Even though I haven't responded to a lot of comments and private messages, I plan on doing so soon. You're all so wonderful-- thank you.
Instead of ranting on and on about the bad stuff, I thought I'd wrap it all up in a nutshell. That way, the reality of everything seems less harsh and somewhat distant.
Basically, the move was more difficult than Beth and I anticipated. Our apartment was one big mess, one in need of a lot of repairs. The air conditioner was broken for a week, leaving Beth and me with an apartment that was 95 degrees after walking (a long walk) home from classes every day. The manager of our building suddenly left her job and left us with no one to contact as far as repairs and Beth's parking space went. In the end, Beth found out that the parking space promised to her from before we even signed the lease was unavailable. This wouldn't be a huge deal, except for the fact that we live in a busy city, on a crowded college campus. Having no transportation is proving to be difficult (and boring).
Since the air conditioner was broken, the only source of ventilation we had was opening the windows to hot, but breezy, weather. The window in my room was broken and let in swarms of flies, spiders and mosquitos. I'm still recovering.
From day one, the cable company has screwed up our phone, wireless internet and cable TV. Over the past week, Beth and I, together, have probably spent over four hours arguing and pleading with the company to get everything around our apartment to work. Tears were involved on my part. (I have a love/hate relationship with technology.)
The good news about my situation is that I was given a few days to rest this weekend. Surprisingly enough, I discovered that working doesn't even seem like real work anymore. Work is more of my getaway from all the crap that classes give me. I've never dreaded working for Vox (the first job that I actually enjoy), but it still seemed more of a structured routine a few weeks ago. I realized that classes make work seem more fun. Work is freedom. In the work world, I'm an adult with responsibilties, not a student who has to do homework assignments. In a way, I've already graduated from college just because I know how ready I am to be in the working world. That's a nice thought, and I think I'm starting to get the hang of this transition-- a little at a time.
One perk about my new place is that the apartment building allows the tenants to have cats. (This is the part where I jump up and down, squeal, dance and make merry.) *dances* As mentioned in past posts on my blog, I live for cats. I have always been drawn to them, but I've never had the opportunity to have one as a companion for myself. This apartment, as horrible as it may seem right now, is giving me that chance to finally have a kitty for myself.
Beth and I went to the Humane Society to check out the kitties this last weekend. Our experience with the people that worked there was anything but good, but in the end, we did get a better idea of what we're looking for as far as cats go. ^__^ For the next few weeks, I plan on checking online ads, newspapers, other animal shelters, and friends of friends who have ads for giving or selling kitties. I know that raising a new kitten can sometimes cause a little more stress, but for me, it's the kind of companionship that I need right now-- with or without the stress. Animals have an amazing calming power on people, and I can only see good things happening with the new addition(s) to our little apartment family.
The only part about getting a cat that made me hold back was Yukimo. Small hamsters don't always bode well with kitties running around the house, but I think I can make the situation work. I'm confident in myself as an animal lover; I can train a cat well enough to not want to eat or "play with" Yukimo. After all, Yukimo is a huge part of my life already. I wouldn't even think about getting a cat unless I was positive that Yuki could handle the change.
Yukimo's a fighter. She can take anything! I think I can, too. (Yukimo's inner fighter must be rubbing off on me.)
With the raffle going on, my work responsibilities changing, and a lot of personal things going on in my life in the past few weeks, I've had very few chances to keep up with Vox-- ironically enough. There's so much I want to just spit out into one entry, but there's a lot that's been happening that I feel I need to figure out myself right now, so I'll let some of that be. In the meantime, I've been trying to keep busy (like I need more to focus on!) with little side projects. Sidetracking is what I do best; it's one of my many hidden talents, heh.
I've been getting stressed over classes starting up in about two weeks. At this point in my life, I feel and I know that school is obsolete for me at this point. I'm going into my fifth year as a college student, and it's difficult facing the reality of an entirely new year when I know that I've already absorbed four years of information-- some helpful, some pointless. I started to get antsy last year with taking classes I found out I never even needed to take, so I'm hoping that being enrolled in classes that are mandatory for my English major (meaning, they'll apply to what interests me) will somehow give me the drive to push through all the stress and overcome... college altogether.
Shawn and I are in the same boat when it comes to how we feel. At this time, we both have good jobs that we're pretty happy with, and we know what we want to do with our lives. We keep telling ourselves and each other than one more year is nothing-- we can get through another year of classes. (I suppose another hidden quality in me is being revealed: impatience. Actually, I'll put a positive spin on this one and say that I'm eager to get out and do my own thing.)
Speaking of Shawn, he was recently offered a full-time position as a Computer Programmer for Kohl's for after he graduates. Until then, upper management offered to let him keep working there under an internship-type deal. Adult life is looking up for the both of us more and more every day. I seriously can't believe that just one year ago, we were so far from where we stand now-- without steady jobs, without an income, without that needed confidence to just move on through all the crap.
That's why side projects make the stress easier. I get a chance to focus on things that are important to me, yet don't require immediate attention. At the moment, I'm working on something for my friends at Vox and for anyone else that decides to join in. It's nothing official for Six Apart; it's just a Lauren fun thing, but I think it'll prove to be very helpful for all Voxers. I'm excited to work on it more. I've already gotten started on it, but I still need to tweak out some ideas.
Another little project I've started on has to do with one of my hobbies: Tamagotchis. I've been a fan of virtual pets ever since I was in sixth grade, and I've slowly adopted more cute pets into my digital family. Just the other day, I ordered two new Tamagotchis, versions 4.0 and 4.5. Bandai is getting more creative with every release, because the ones I'll be getting in the mail any day now will be even more interactive. Knowing this pushed me to get more active in the Tamagotchi community online, which of course means I joined and re-joined a couple of forums. ^__^ The project I started is another blog that is dedicated to keeping track of my Tama's growth. I needed something to take my mind off of things this weekend, so I decided to mess around with designing a layout for my Tama blog. Here's how it looks so far:
I worked a good chunk of my afternoon getting the coding to work. I forgot how challenging learning a new blogsite can be. I don't plan on posting a lot about my life there, but it'll be nice giving small updates about my Tamagotchi.
Along with working on some blog projects, I've been sprucing up some of the Vox groups I host. I've been going through them and making sure that everything is working well. If anyone has any concerns, comments or suggestions for any of the groups they know I host, never hesitate to let me know.
The Kawaii Anniversary Raffle Event has almost reached its final stage. I still haven't mailed out the packages, but I plan on doing so tomorrow. Life kind of got in the way this past week with work scheduling between Shawn and me. Mainly, Shawn had to work around his own schedule so he could finish the <3 Vox bracelets according to the wrist sizes that all the winners provided me. He was finally able to finish all of them last night. (Whew!) I'll try to rush to the post tomorrow so everyone can receive their packages this week.
I've found that the best way to deal with stress is to reward myself every so often. A little present reminds me that, yes, there's still something to look forward to. I can work, but I can have fun at the same time. I bought Plum and Lamb a few new pieces of clothing, which has been tons of fun. I've been able to relax and know that my dolly family is comfy and fashionable all at the same time, tee hee.
My second treat to myself was a Nintendo DS Lite case. Shawn and I went to Toys 'R Us the other day, and I found the very last hot pink Princess Peach DS case there. The case is so, so cool-- seriously. There are so many little compartments that help me organize my DS life!
The case is wonderfully heavy, full of quality and fun places to put my games, stylus, DS Lite, and a card where I can put my Wi-Fi game codes. The best part is how perfectly all of my DS accessories and console match. I am the biggest fan of pink and Princess Peach, so having all these pink digital goodies makes me incredibly happy. I've been playing with the case alone for days. If a case can be this entertaining, why even bother having a DS Lite console? *grin*
And I think I'll save everything else I have on my mind for another future post. For now, it's time to sit back and relax. I hope everyone else can do the same. <3
Thankies to everyone that entered my Kawaii at Vox annivesary raffle! The event was extremely successful. Before I get to the results, I'd like to talk a little about what my experience has been like here at Vox, and I'd also like to show how much has happened in the past year-- through me, a person, and through a website as wonderful as Vox.
A year ago, one of my best friends, Celena, wrote about switching over to a new blogging site in a Livejournal post. (Yes, I used to be an avid LJ fanatic!) I was curious about the site called Vox and wrote an email to her to ask for more information about it. She immediately sent me an invite, and I got down to business, meaning, I had to pick the aboslute perfect name for my brand new blog. The cool thing about starting up with a site that's in its beta version is that all the names that a person wants at a site that has been up for years will most likely be available at a new website, like Vox. Sure enough, the name "Kawaii" was available-- I snatched that baby up.
I had picked up the term "kawaii" from a lot of my dolly friends. We're all into the same cute things: dollies, vinyl toys, Sanrio (Hello Kitty), adorable stationary, etc. I figured that "kawaii" could somehow bring together everything that made me happy in life. According to Wikipedia, kawaii is "cuteness has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms. Foreign observers often find this cuteness intriguing and sometimes strange because the Japanese employ it in a vast array of situations and demographics where, in other cultures, it would be considered incongruously juvenile or frivolous (for example, in government publications, public service warnings, office environments, military advertisements, and commercial airliners, among many others)."
Through the alias, Kawaii, I've been able to grow as a Vox member by expressing myself, sharing my interests with others, and learning new aspects of cuteness through other members. As I've continued to post in my blog, I've been able to share many parts of my life that aren't so cute, which has allowed me to come into my own as an individual more than anyone may ever know. So for this, I thank all of my Vox friends who have given me the privilege of sharing their lives with me, and allowing me to share personal parts of my life with them in return.
I've never been able to chart my life in such detail before. In fact, I don't think I've ever grown so much in just one year! The Narcissist in me won the rest of me over and decided to pull together a collage of photos to show how I've changed from August 2006 to August 2007. Although I may look the same on the outside (for the most part), looking at all the photos together makes me realize how much I have changed, on the inside and outside. I feel good about myself because I know I'm finally an adult in the working, blogging and friending (heh) world-- the real world.
My appearance and inner self isn't the only thing that's been slowly evolving. My actual Vox blog has been, too. ^__^ The beta version of Vox didn't allow its users to use their own banners to design blogs, and even without that option, I found that I was able to express my personality through the templated designs. Knowing that I can look back at Vox and my life, and combine the two together to show how much we've grown, is a pretty cool thing.
The main goal I had with this blog was to share the fun and creative parts of life with other people, whether the people were friends or strangers. That's why this anniversary event was so meaningful to me. With this event, I was able to actually share, in a physical way, bits and pieces of what I've shown you through the internet. Over the year, I've shown you my dolls, vinyl toys, photography, cute pieces of stationary, and other miscellaneous items. I hope that this event allows all of you, whether you're the winners of the raffle or not, how important it is to have fun with life-- be colorful, be creative, take photos like crazy, look at the positive even in the pinnacle of negativity. Like I say in my video (several times, I think), you guys are awesome.
And without further delay (as if this entry wasn't enough), here are the winners of the Kawaii at Vox anniversary raffle!
I wasn't planning on doing a video to announce the winners, but there seemed to be an interest for another raffle video, so I went ahead and did the drawing of winners that way. ^^ So people who can't view the video still know who the winners are, here's the list:
First Place: Maggie, extraordinarilynice
Second Place: Jen, tristessa
Third Place: Cindi, cynddylan
Fourth Place: Ayana, sillyani
Fifth Place: Cindy, mms0131
Again, congratulations to all the winners! I really hope you enjoy all of your prizes. I will be contacting you within the next two days (probably on Sunday) with an email of congratulations and questions about addresses and wrist sizes (for the bracelets). I will hopefully be able to send out the packages early this week. ^_____^
Over 143 posts have been made, 488 photos have been uploaded, and 360 neighbors have been added to Kawaii in the past year. And in all the chaos of blogging, a lot of love has formed! Today (August 3rd) marks the one year anniversary of my Kawaii blog here at Vox, and to help celebrate the occasion, I've planned another fun event that any Voxer can join. ^___^ The event will take place from August 3rd to August 10th, so while the contest is running, I will not be making any new posts to my blog. In order to be eligible for this event, please read all of the rules provided below.
How to Enter
This is a raffle that I have put my whole heart into, so keep in mind that there is no cost or penalty to enter this event whatsoever. The only real "rules" for this event are that 1) you must be a Vox member, and 2) you must follow the steps below:
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Read the entire post over so you know exactly what's going on. ^^
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If you decide to participate, leave a comment in this post with your email address, and tell me that you're joining. (You can scramble your address if you want, since I know people worry about receiving spam mail.)
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Copy and paste this form and fill out the following information in an email to milkeyes@gmail.com
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Name (first and last):
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Vox URL:
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Are you in Kawaii's neighborhood?
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A raffle number (or numbers) will be sent to you, so keep track of what number(s) you have.
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Tell your friends about the raffle! (As more people enter the raffle, more prizes will be added to the first place winner's package.
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Watch for the results on August 10th.
I'll be keeping a list of those who enter with the comments that are left. (Please leave the requested comment. I want to make sure I get everyone's email and make sure none get sent into my junk box. I can keep a running tally this way.)
Every member of Vox may enter this raffle, whether he/she is in my neighborhood or not. Those of you who are in my neighborhood will have the special bonus of getting two raffle numbers entered just by following the directions. Even if you aren't interested in the prize itself, there's bound to be a relative or friend who would appreciate these gifts.
You will not be charged with any shipping. The only people who should be aware of putting money into this are those of you who are not within the United States. I am not responsible for any shipping taxes that outside countries give to those who receive packages. I will be shipping the prize out by Priority mail (if you're within the states) or EMS (if you're outside of the country). If you're not comfortable with accepting a gift that may hold you responsible for taxes, simply don't enter. ^_^
*Keep in mind that I will not ask for every person's personal address. I will only be asking for the winner's address and will contact him/her through email once the raffle is over. I am a respected and honorable member of the Vox community and I will in no way hand out your personal information to any other sources. I would never jeopardize my friendships with those here at Vox. Again, if you don't feel comfortable with the possibility of giving out your address, please do not enter. If you want some kawaii fun though, please read on!
What the Winners Will Receive
Unlike my past Kawaii at Vox events, this event has multiple winners. So, not only do you have a chance at winning free kawaii prizes with free entry, but you have an even better chance of winning because of the high number of winners there will be!
Every single winner will automatically win a <3 Vox hemp bracelet (handmade by Shawn himself ^_^). I will be asking the five winners their wrist sizes so I can tell Shawn exactly how big to make each bracelet. (The <3 Vox bracelets shown in the photos were made specifically for examples.)
The first place winner will not only receive every prize listed in the list below, but he/she also has the opportunity to get several other special prizes as more raffle participants submit entries into the event. For example, once I note that 75 people have entered, the first place winner will receive a very rare prize: a Tokidoki fan signed by the artist himself, Simone Legno. That's why it's important that you enter, but it's also key that you tell your friends about Kawaii's very first Vox anniversary-- the more, the merrier! ^^
Here's everything each winner will receive:
First Place:
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Blythe Petite Doll: Spring Chocolat
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Froggy photo album
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Short Cake + Cookie stationary set
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Happy!! Candy stationary book
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Mimippi bunny "checkbook" (notepad)
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Boo Boo Brothers piggy notepad
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Kawaii Boy sticker pack
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Blythe postcard
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Brown Sugar: Cute Girls tin case with goodies inside
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2 sheets of kawaii stickers
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Moo Stickers pack (NEW!)
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<3 Vox hemp bracelet
20 raffle entries made: 3 small photo prints of mine, all signed
50 raffle entries made: Unipo vinyl figure
75 raffle entries made: Signed Tokidoki fan
Second Place:
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Blythe Petite Doll: Perfect Bohemian Beat
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Hamster photo album
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Cute Animals multi-sticker pack
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Power Girls notepad
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Kawaii kitty notebook (with handles that make it look like a shopping bag!)
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Apple Town item
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<3 Vox hemp bracelet
Every winner will also receive a handwritten letter of congratulations (for winning) and thank you (for participating in) the event. ^__^
Third-Fifth Place:
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<3 Vox hemp bracelet
For a better look at all of the prizes, check out the special Kawaii Event collection I made. I will be turning off comments on the individual photo pages, so please leave all of your comments/questions in this post.
When the Raffle Ends
Once again, the raffle takes place from August 3rd to August 10th (which is one week). At midnight on August 10th, the last day to enter the raffle, I will be closing down the event. Any entries that come in after that time will not be counted.
At noon on August 11th, I will be announcing the winner of the Kawaii at Vox event in a new post at my blog. The five winners will each receive an email from me to notify him/her of her placement. They will be expected to reply within at least two days after receiving the notification email. If they choose not to respond, I will be drawing new winners. (No worries, no prize will be lost!)
Depending on how long it takes for me to wrap up all the packages and when I have the time to send everything out, the packages should be on their way to the winners within a week of the raffle's end.
Thankies to You!
I would like to thank everyone who has left me comments, written me messages, and let me have the chance to get to know them. I feel honored to know so many sweet and gifted Voxers. Seriously, you guys-- you rock!
Good luck, and have fun! *pumps fist in the air*
Update
For updates on what's going on with the Kawaii raffle, check out the comments I leave with "Updates!" at the beginning. For now, I'd just like to thank everyone that has already signed up for the event. You've helped promote the event so much that this post landed a spot on the Explore page. =D *dances*
My hair is so freaking long now. I'm very tempted to get it cut, but I'm resisting that temptation because I know it will just grow out to be this long by the time classes start up again. Now that I'm earning my own money, I'm beginning to realize why cutting back on "unnecessary expenses" is very, very necessary.
I asked Beth why my hair was growing so fast in such a short amount of time, and she suggested that my birth control pills could be responsible. I'm happy that the pills are helping the pain from my Endometriosis, but I wish some of the side effects could be a little less severe. I've noticed my hair growth rate increasing, weight loss and feelings of horrible nausea early in the morning. The nausea only lasts for about an hour, but the sick feeling is still something I've come to dread. I always try to sleep through it, rather than wake up and sit through it alone.
The hair growth and weight loss are side effects that I've come to deal with, and I don't really mind them. Ever since I switched from the first birth control pills I was on to the brand I take now, I've been much happier and a lot more energetic. (At least, that's what Mom tells me every time she sees me when I go to my parents' house.) The weight loss is something that Shawn's been worrying about lately, but I'm trying to make sure that it doesn't get serious in any way. I don't like it that he has to worry about me in that way.
A little over two years ago, I went through a major life change that affected the way I live-- mentally and physically. I'm not going to go into too many details right now, because I plan on writing a post dedicated to staying healthy in the future. My little "life story" kind of goes along with that post. For now though, I'll just say that a lot has changed in the past two years. I was never "bigger" in any sense, but I did have a little extra weight that was unhealthy for me in an emotional way. I wasn't happy with who I was and I couldn't grasp that fact at the time. After realizing that I needed to make a drastic move, the new, healthy part of me started to slowly take its rightful place in my life. I went from weighing 128 pounds to weighing 104 pounds. The loss of weight was slow, so in no way did I just drop the pounds.
The weight loss was completely unintentional. I never thought I was fat, but now that I look back at those days, I realize that I just wasn't the best person I could have been-- I wasn't happy with who I was, which makes me think I was "fat" with unhappiness. Now that I don't eat greasy or fast food like I did before, and now that I watch what kind of meat I eat, I feel fresh and clean all the time. When I first started taking the birth control pills, my doctor warned me that there was a chance that I'd either gain or lose a few pounds, which made me feel uneasy. The very idea that I would be changing who I was, yet again, just didn't sit well with me, especially since it didn't seem like I'd have control over my own body. After seeing that I have control over how I feel now, I don't feel as threatened by the pills. If anything, I feel more in charge. And I'm definitely in less pain!
Another factor that may be weighing in *chuckle* is the amount of work I've been putting into my life. Never have I been so adament at making sure that I'm kept busy during, what used to be, a vacation time. I grew up spoiled with the idea that Summer break means lazying around the house all day, but now that I actually have life goals for myself, I want to make the best of my time by working towards something I love. Knowing that I get to help maintain an amazing blogging site every day makes me so proud. I'm proud because I finally have a job that I enjoy doing, and I get to use my experiences here to throw myself even further into the adult world-- along with the dream of someday having my own life with Shawn. My future with him is what's keeping me going right now. He gives me reason to want to do well.
That's why I owe a lot to Shawn right now. I recently found out that I will be an official Six Apart employee who works full-time! I've been taking on more and more responsibilities with Vox ever since I started, and even though everything with my job has seemed to go extremely fast, I'm happy to know that I get to incorporate myself even more into the blogging network through such a great company. It's nice knowing that what I'm giving to my team and to Voxers really matters and makes a difference. My main objective right now is to get through the school year and then, hopefully, go full-time for good. (I'll have to cut back on some hours when classes start up, but I still plan on trying to maintain a regular work schedule.)
Knowing that I'm working hard has made me smile more than anyone can imagine, and it's made Beth, Shawn and Mom even more proud of me. That's something that means more to me than... anything. Life is good right now-- busy, but oh-so-good.
I wasn't planning on making another post until my Kawaii event, but as it turns out, the "secret packages" that are on their way to me are taking longer than expected. The