hello mavens! i have an awesome giveaway today. why is it so awesome? because everyone, that's right everyone, wins.
the author of a new e-cookbook, dinner revolution, contacted me and is offering his cookbook FREE to any and all lifestyle maven readers. simply click {here} for your free copy.
dinner revolution contains over 200 healthy dinner recipes all of which have 10 ingredients or less and take less than 30 minutes to prepare.
it's simply fabulous, if you ask me...
cheers!
cailen.
i am so excited to be hosting a shabby apple giveaway today. i have long-admired shabby apple's women's dresses - their throwback fashions and vintage silhouettes are just my style : ) and not only are they giving away one of their lovely dresses, they are offering all lifestyle maven readers a special discount! enter the coupon code lifestylemaven10off at checkout for 10% off your purchase!
not familiar with shabby apple style? check out some of their fabulous dresses below.
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| fifth avenue dress |
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| bellissima dress |
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| jitterbug dress |
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| bernini dress |
and now, for the moment you've all been waiting for. a glimpse at the giveaway dress...
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| moon river dress (i.e. the GIVEAWAY dress) |
yes, that's right. shabby apple is giving the phenomenal moon river dress to one lucky lifestyle maven reader!
as a (50%) irish girl, i revel in the romanticism that accompanies st. patty’s day. each year, my parents host an authentic corned beef and cabbage (and soda bread and potatoes and roasted vegetables...) irish feast on the 17th of march. much of my extended family attends, and we celebrate our irish heritage with food (and drink).
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| credit [here] |
yet, despite my irish roots, i don’t believe in luck in the mythical, haphazard, out-of-the-blue sense. in my version, real luck occurs when the right circumstances come along and you capitalize on them. but, had you not been thinking about, working on and wishing for a “lucky break”, then you wouldn’t necessarily have recognized it as “luck” when it does come along. i also like this version of luck because it gives you some control. i.e. if you’re diligently working towards an important goal, you’re much more likely to catch a lucky break…
yet, despite my somewhat business-minded view of luck, i do (kind of) believe in lucky charms. (i know, i’m a rubix cube of contradictions.) i have a beautiful vintage wishbone pin from my grandmother that i love and consider it a bit of a “lucky” charm. i’m not sure if it has magical powers or just sentimental value, but i love to wear it on special occasions.
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| credit [here] |
well, before i confuse you (and myself) any further. here are some other notable thoughts on luck:
“i'm a great believer in luck, and i find the harder i work, the more i have of it.” –thomas jefferson
“luck is believing you’re lucky.” – tennessee williams
“luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don’t depend on it.” – unknown
“success is simply a matter of luck. ask any failure.” – earl wilson
“the day you decide to do it is your lucky day.” – japanese proverb
“what we call luck is the inner man externalized. we make things happen to us." – robertson davies
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| credit [here] |
so…do you believe in luck? what is your lucky charm?
p.s. don't forget to enter the brand building giveaway [here]..
[before i forget...be sure to pop over to makeunder my life to check out my diy design your life post]
do any of you watch bethenny ever after (previously: bethenny getting married?) on bravo? well, i almost hate to admit it, but i am strangely obsessed with that show. a former "real housewife of nyc", bethenny frankel is a successful entrepreneur - she's written several books, has a "skinny girl" margarita line of products and also has the reality tv show. busy lady. (blatant teaser: keep reading...there's a giveaway : )
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| skinnygirl margarita |
i think what has me utterly fascinated is how successfully bethenny (yes, we're on a first-name basis) has built her brand. (and, let's face it, that's pretty much what the blogosphere is all about - building a brand, a persona, a voice.) the cool thing about being your own brand is that it's completely self-defined. you decide what you stand for, what you talk about and what you endorse. you become a revered expert just by discussing/trying/doing things that you love or are interested in learning more about. pretty cool.
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| credit {here} |
as i've said before, that is what i'm working on here at lifestyle maven. one step at a time. i know it will take a while. kim kardashian, martha stewart and bethenny frankel didn't become "brands" overnight. it took time. it took effort. but, they also prove, it can be done.
i read a great book called crush it! by gary vaynerchuk. and it talks all about the steps involved in building a brand. it's an awesome read, and i would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make blogging (i.e. their brand) their full-time job (eventually). his step-by-step guidance really gets your wheels turning, and his advice is completely applicable and gets you totally motivated : )
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| this could be yours! |
i would like to send one lucky reader a copy of crush it! trust me, if you love your blog and blogging, you will not be able to put this book down. it tells you exactly how to turn your passion into a business/brand via social media. so cool!
the winner will be chosen at random next friday, march 18th : )
