Social media and raising awareness of little known illnesses and incredible people!

This is a bit of an odd post, but one for some reason I feel compelled to write...... 

Now social media like Facebook and twitter can cause a lot of problems for some people - you only have to watch an episode of Jeremy Kyle and hear about some relationship destroyed by facebook. In fact there are TV programmes devoted to mishaps from social media sites. 

But Facebook can be useful in many ways..... Through it I have being educated on several inspirational people who are undergoing difficult times but still remaining positive and who work endlessly to promote awareness of their suffering. 

The main page that I follow is Claudia's Cause this is about a young girl who has Metastatic PineoBlastoma  a rare and aggressive tumour within her brain. Her family are a huge inspiration to me when I am feeling low and fed up, what they are going through on a daily basis is unbelievable. As a mum I find the whole family brave and incredible and I do feel honoured that through the regular updates we can be a part of the struggle with this horrible incurable illness. 

As well as round the clock intensive nursing the family are big fundraisers and advocates for charities such as  Headsmart an organisation devoted to helping diagnosis of brain tumours in children and young adults. Clic sargent a charity for children with cancer and Believe in Magic who help provide wishes and dreams for really poorly children. Only recently a Ball was held as a fundraising project and over £8000 was made to help these well deserved causes. It is this I find truly inspirational..... I don't know if I could have the energy or love to work tirelessly for others at the same time as witnessing the huge suffering of my child. I would like to think that I would be as generous with my time and as positive as Claudia's mum and dad, but in reality I think if I was in a similar situation I would fall apart. 

Only a couple of years ago I watched my dad going though a similar illness and I thought it unjust and cruel because he was only 50. Perhaps it is witnessing his pain and strength that made Claudia's story appeal to me so much? She seems to have the strength of a million men and seems to be fighting tirelessly against this disease which is debilitating her. 

It has touched me so much that I log into her page on a daily basis just to see how she is and how her amazing supportive family are doing. But when I have been reading the updates it seems to me that people are messaging offering their 'not so supportive advice!'  This annoys me so much-  how dare people pass judgement on this family when they are not walking in their shoes???? Could they help raise awareness and funds to help others when going though such life changing events?? Yes we as readers all have an opinion when someone is sharing intimate details of their lives with us....but respectful people would keep these opinions to themselves. 

That is just my thoughts anyway.... I wanted to help raise awareness of this amazing family and worthwhile causes they campaign for. I would love to be able to contribute more and offer a financial donation to the charities but until I get a job I am unable to. So if this post makes a few more people aware of the illness then I feel that is ok for now.... as soon as I am in a position to donate then I will. 

(If you want to read more of Claudia's cause then there is also a webpage here   http://www.claudiascause.co.uk/  ) 

My prize winning April!!! Long may my luck continue!!!

My last post told you all about my comping frenzy - it seems that it has paid off!! 

• 4 Boxes of Kelloggs Cereal! Won through a blog (Received 30/04/2013) 
• The Girl Behind the Mask - book by Stella Knightly. Won from Shaz's book blog via facebook (Recieved 27/04/2013)
• Jack the Giant Slayer goodie bag - 2 tshirts, hoodie, notebook, pen, hat and earphones! Won through a film website!! (in march) (24/04/2013) 
• JollyWobbles DVD (childrens Justin Flecter aka Mr tumble!) Won through a blog rafflecopter comp - (23/04/2013)
• Primavera Intensive revitelising face cream. Won through a like and share competition on facebook. (18/04/13) 
• Sightseers on Blu-ray! Won through a film website! (17/04/13) 
• £20 scratchcard win After deliberation decided to put any lottery wins £10 or over on here. (16/04/13) 
• Mariella Mystery - childrens book! Arrived 15/04/13
• Mackies icecream Voucher Won from answering a Mackies Survey! (Received 13th April) Worth £3.50
• Office goody bag (Pink pen, chocs, teabag & cup) Celebrity angels - Received 6th April) - entered through a website. 
• Nestle Oats and more cereal - full size box- won through facebook (Recieved 5th April) 
• Google Nexus 7 tablet - 16gb - Gumtree competition - (Received 4th April) worth £180
• Hotel Chocolate Easter egg - You crack me up - from the good natured company.A surprise win received 3rd April - must have won in March. Worth £27

This massive list is my total prizes for the month of april - even though I won some of them in March I received them on the dates stated! 

Yesterday I also got another 3 winning emails (WEM) so hopefully that stands for how lucky I will be in May! I am really loving these competitions I find on http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/  the people on there are so lovely and friendly and there are a lot of comps added daily! Plus I like being able to help manage the forum yourselves by reporting expired comps and adding new ones! 

Website Review and Wishlist - ORTAK JEWELLERY

www.ortak.co.uk

Is a jewellery website that I came across a couple of weeks ago now.

What struck my eye first of all is the elegant and classy design of the website itself. The white background is a neutral colour which makes the items themselves stand out more upon the page and you are not distracted by pop ups and advertisements, leaving you to focus on the wonderful items. 

The layout makes the website very easy to navigate around and technically all the links I clicked when exploring the designs worked. There is nothing worse than a broken hyperlink!! 

Categories

Contemporary Jewellery - 

     Stylish silver and amethyst Set!

The price for this is £68 and the sterling silver and purple amethysts work so well together and compliment each other perfectly! 

Chunky silver ring!

I adore chunky silver jewellery and this ring is such an eyecatching piece. I would wear it everyday and on special occasions (like my super rare nights out!!)

I think it is a very reasonable price too at £47.

Classic Jewellery

Celtic Style ring with various stone inserts.

This ring comes with a selection of stone or enamel inserts. Which honestly means I would find it hard to pick just one! Wouldn't it be good to be affluent enough to afford one of every style! (Maybe when I win on ITV?!?) The prices vary depending on the finish and it is sold in many styles.

Earrings - from Achnabreck

There is a full range of this circular jewellery which is based on patterns left in Scottish rocks. I love the idea of a modern, trendy piece of jewellery which is inspired by nature.  These are priced at £26 and would make a lovely gift for someone.

Giftware

Baby Girl Figurine

Perfect for a new or expecting family, this is an adorable keepsake that would make a wonderful present. 

Priced at £19.50 it is affordable to those on a limited budget. There is also a matching 'Baby Boy' version which is equally as cute.

Bags and shoes compact mirror

Another little gift idea - I like this almost retro design which is simple and useful too! This would be a welcome addition to my make up bag. Costs £14.10 

Current Promotions

March madness - Exclusive Online only. Some fabulous jewellery at amazing prices. 

Zodiac Promotions - I love this offer - depending on which month it is there is a reduction on the birthstone necklace  The usual RRP is £49 but if purchased between the dates that correspond with the Zodiac sign then the necklace is £37. (For example if the Aries Gemstone is bought between 1st March - 19th April then it is the lower price) 

Mailing list & Brochures

To ensure that you do not miss out on any new items or awesome offers then you can sign up to the mailing list  HERE ...

There is also an option to download various - Catalogue downloads

Summary

In future when I am shopping for presents or even contemplating treating myself then this is a website that I will definitely click on again! I have signed up to the mailing list so in future I will be aware of all promotions. And without a doubt I would recommend this website and company to other people! 

If you like the designs above and want to see more then check it out - a lot of the styles can be customised with metal type and stone or enamel finish. So you can really create a piece which is personal to you! 

Google Petition - please sign

A lot of you have heard that from April Google plus is no more!

In reading up about why and how and all the in's and out's of the decision I have stumbled upon this Petition set up on www.change.org. Dan Lewis from New York set it up and at the time of writing this is has had 101,809 supporters . I myself am one of those!!!

The petitions objective is written below - and if you agree then the link to follow is at the bottom of this post! 

Dear Google:

A few years ago -- years, wow -- Google Reader was one of my go-to social networks. It was an accidental one. I was using it for its intended purpose -- aggregating and reading a lot of web content in one place -- but it turns out, a lot of other people were doing the same thing. A lot. Many of which shared interests and when you added the amazing (amazing!) share and comment features, Google Reader blossomed into a wonderful experience for many of us, core to our day-to-day consumption of content online.

Unfortunately, you decided to kill those "extra" functions. I'm not here to ask you to reverse that (you should, though). In doing so, Google Reader's day-to-day value declined, and I, like many, ended up using it less often. Instead of hitting the bookmarklet I have on my Chrome install three, four times a day, it's now a once a day (okay, once every other day more often, recently) experience.

But it's still a core part of my Internet use. And of the many, many others who are signed below.

Our confidence in Google's other products -- Gmail, YouTube, and yes, even Plus -- requires that we trust you in respecting how and why we use your other products. This isn't just about our data in Reader. This is about us using your product because we love it, because it makes our lives better, and because we trust you not to nuke it.

Oh.

So, please don't destroy that trust. You're a huge corporation, with a market cap which rivals the GDP of nations. You're able to dedicate 20% of your time to products which may never seen the light of day. You experiment in self-driving cars and really cool eyewear which we trust (trust!) you'll use in a manner respectful to our needs, interests, etc.

Show us you care.

Don't kill Google Reader.

KEEP GOOGLE READER RUNNING  sign here

REVIEW / WISHLIST - MooKow Army Jewellery

I like it when I come across a company on Facebook or Twitter, especially if they sell amazing stuff. MooKow Army definitely fits that specification. I like quirky and usual and this place has that but it also has cute and adorable too.

These Strawberry cupcake earrings are priced at £2.50 and have flecks of glitter in them which makes them sparkly! I know a lot of little girls (and big girls) who would like to add these to their collection.

   

These Monochrome Star earrings are on trend and adorable. At the attractive price of £2.00 these would enhance any trendy black and white outfit!

There is a full range of the quirky and fantastic Lego Earrings - and this is such a simple idea but so effective. You could colour coordinate lego according to the clothes you have on that day!

For animal print lovers there is this Pink Leopard Print Choker at £6.00 it is approx 13" long and fastens with a clasp. (There are a lot of more gothic-y chokers and necklaces on there too. Something for everyone!!

  This Alice in Wonderland key necklace has to be one of my all time favourites. It is £8.99 and has diamante detail which always makes it that bit more special. The Alice in wonderland range is all excellent though, if I am honest I would be happy to add any to my jewellery collection. 

         I am not a big broch wearer however there are some in the Cameo range on here that I would definetely purchase. This gothic female Cameo  would match some of my tattoos! It is priced £6.50.

Some more outstanding items are these Strangeling Figurines  by Jasmine Becket-Griffith are so fab!! It was a tough choice because I do like them all - but this Valentine Dragon (£14.00) has to top my poll of favourites!! This would look amazing on my shelf!

Love Never Dies Cruet Set is found snuggled within the sale category and priced at £9.99 would be a welcome sight among my condiments!

For a special occasion or a fancy dress night out there is also a massive range of Fashion Contact lenses at the very reasonable price of £13.00. To help care for these there is also a care pack that you can buy for £2.99.

Finally (otherwise I will end up showing you every item that is sold!!) there is this Alchemy Gothic single black rose. I would make myself an unusual flower arrangement using several of these and priced at £2.50 I would be able to make it look impressive! 

So I really recommend checking this site out. Even if you have not got a gothic or quirky style there are lots of items which I am sure you will like - or even know someone that does! I know that as soon as I get a job I will be visiting to purchase some items and not just drool over them!! 

There is also a Facebook page too - with some additional items for sale. 

COMPETITION LINK- Ravi Famous £100 online voucher

Another competition link for a £100 clothing voucher to spend online at Ravi Famous 

I had a quick look around the website and picked a few items I would treat myself to if I was lucky enough to win! 

I love this skater dress with floral motif and I like it in the red colour they do too! 

This geek t-shirt is fab and comes in other colours too.

This looks both cute and snuggly warm!

But there are lots of amazing clothes to pick at a really fabulous price so maybe you should check it out and then head over  To this facebook competition here you could end up being lucky enough to expand your summer wardrobe!!

Good luck! 

In Love With Fashion Wish list! (Albeit a gothic theme!!)

etailpr blog have teamed up with In Love With Fashion (ILWF) and are running this amazing competition where you can win £200 to spend online.

All you have to do is head on over to ILWF and pick some items and accessories that you like, then put them onto a collage to show them off. Now this is only the second time I have done something like this and the first time I have done a photo collage thing! So yay to me!! (haha) 

I found 5 items that I would be pleased to add to my some what dark wardrobe.      

        1  . Black and silver stud and buckle trainers at £38 I picked these because they look

 comfy and I live in trainers. (At the moment - when I get a job the 

posh shoes will come out!) The studs give that 'rocky' vibe which I know and love so these would coordinate with a lot of clothes I already have.

                      2.  LOU LOU Black Velvet Burnout Skater Dress  at £38

This is like because I consider it multi-functional. For the day time it can be teamed with funky tights, comfy shoes and for a night it could be jazzed up with a belt and some eye-catching accessories. I love wearing velvet too, its such a cuddly fabric. 

3. Black skull patterned bag with dark silver skulls! Was £35 NOW £17 (Save £18) 

I adore and love this bag. Its black, its big enough for me - yet not too big to fill with kids sweets and wipes etc... It has skulls on it - but in a subtle way. (This photo doesn't do it justice, click on the link and look in closer detail!) I just hope they still have it by the time I can afford it- because no spare income at all right now AND I WANT IT SOOOOooooooo MUCH!! 

4. Black Tie-Dye long sleeve high low top!  £28 I have always liked tie-dye but do prefer it in the two-tone colours rather than the psychedelic hippy tones! This could be teamed with a skirt, leggings, jeans - it is so versatile and because it is tie-dye it is so ontrend too! 

5. Lou Lou Purple Prom Skirt £36 - as with the dress I do need to wear more skirts and I love prom style skirts. It is purple not black - but as I wear both colours it would match many other items I have. 

I know it is a dark and maybe gloomy theme for some people - but I always wear dark clothes and feel naked wearing white or other pale colours!! I wanted to do this to show that even people with alternative fashion style can shop at fashionable & trendy stores. 

I think I have achieved this pretty well? 

To have a go at this yourself head over to etailpr and check out their guidelines on how to enter. It closes on the 15th March and the winner will be hand selected by Love's design team. 

.

COMPETITION LINK - Chi-Chi dress and GHD's

ENTER HERE to have the chance of winning a dress of your choice and some ghd's then click the link.

Many methods of entering so you can double or even triple your chances. 

Rafflecopter form with 10 days left to enter. 

Fabulous competition so don't miss out!! Who doesn't need a new dress every now and then? 

My guide to competitions - You gotta be in it to win it!

As you can see from the posts on here it is obvious that I like entering competitions. I have been doing them for over 10 years now on and off and have picked up several hints, tips and useful knowledge about the world of online competitions.

I am not saying that I am the ultimate comping champion - there are other really successful blogs and people out there with a lot more experience than me. But still I would like to make my mark and share my opinion, if it helps anyone then it's a bonus!

Why do we enter competitions? (in my opinion) I think mainly it is the excitement, everyone can be skeptical about the odds and chances of winning. That is until you hear you have won your first prize - skepticism soon turns to feverish searches of other competitions you can enter and eagerly waiting for an email (WEM), phone call or surprise delivery off the postman! It becomes like a buzz / addiction and even the little wins can provide excitement. I also think the current economic climate plays a part in the massive rise of compers. Money is so tight for everyone that the little wins can mean a treat for the family or a pampering session for yourself.

Where to find competitions? 

• I've previously mentioned www.theprizefinder.com which I still use daily because they have a clear and concise method of listing comps as well as providing a tracker system so you know what you have entered. I tend to go on the new competitions list and then check on the closing date list to make sure I have not missed any I wish to enter. It is worth checking back a few times as the new competitions list is updated throughout the day.

• There is also www.loquax.co.uk which is a forum based site now, but as I have been logging in on a regular basis I have discovered that it is equally useful in finding other competitions. It can be a bit harder to navigate with just list after list - but there are some hidden gems of competitions on there. Like prizefinder you need to register with the site. Reading the forums it is a very friendly bunch of compers and they are ready to offer help and support where they can. 

• On facebook there are several groups I have come across that generally focus on the thousands of comps on social networking sites. Competition Addicts is one of these and it may be a small group but with people helping to post competitions then I think it will grow and be a useful tool in comping success.

• Another facebook group is UK freebies and competitions an even smaller group which focuses on only competitions that are shared on Facebook and contain no links to another webpage. Occasionally competition can be found on here that are no where else so it is worth checking out. 

What do I think of Facebook / Twitter comps?
I do like comps on facebook and twitter and over the past 6 months have had a bit of joy from both these sites. The groups mentioned above provide valuable comping buddies who help share the comps and keep an eye out for your name in a winning post.
There are downsides though, some people who don't like entering giveaways can get frustrated with the amount of likes and shares that you do. I think I have 'lost' quite a few school friends from my FB feed because I post too many posts about comps. But I am not particularly close to old school friends so have not gone to the effort of making a separate account just for comping. If people don't like all my posts then they have the option to delete me or change the settings so they don't see so many things they don't want to.


How do you know if you have won on Facebook / twitter?
Readers of my blog will know that I have missed several prizes through twitter and facebook because there are that many notifications your name can get lost. Some companies who run the comps can not tag you in a post to highlight the fact you are a lucky winner and even if you have selected to get all notifications from the company there is still the off chance your name can be missed.

www.social-searcher.com  is a website that helps you check if your name has appeared on social networking sites. It is free to use and most importantly easy to use, simply type in your name in the search box and put congratulations or winner next to it and press search. I do this several times a week to make sure I have not missed a prize.

There are also groups on FB which copy and past all the winning posts they come across - here people can tag you and highlight the fact you have won.

The winners circle  is a really popular group with a lot of updates on purely people that are named as winners.

Competition checkers  is another one - although this allows you to add to a document when you win something and offers some other general comping advice.

Both these groups in my opinion are worth joining and checking regular - if you are a competition addict!!

Rafflecopter competitions. 
Increasingly Rafflecopter forms are been used by blogs and independent companies through FB to run competitions.

Personally I love rafflecopter competitions because you get many ways of gaining extra entries and you can visibly see how many people are in the running for the same prize as you.
I use my FB account to enter them but using your email to log in is an option that some people may prefer.

Over the past couple of months I have won several prizes from these kinds of comps and always found the people who have run them to be friendly and approachable.

Other competition blogs which are invaluable! 

Here are the links for some other blogs which explain in a much better way than me about competitions, they also run a few themselves on occasion.

Competition Grapevine

A winning touch

Super Lucky

If you like entering comps as much as me then perhaps you should check these out and see if there is any advice and tips that will help you?

Instant Happy!!

ANOTHER LUCKY WIN!

If you read my last post then you will see I nearly missed out on a prize. This was because the competition was on Facebook and I missed the original post where I was named as the winner. It was only by a stroke of luck I caught my name on the last day I could claim the book! 

I received the book this morning from Publishers Group UK and am so pleased with it. I love reading and this book is full of 10 second attitude makeover quotes. 

My favourites include

 "Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love!"

"Angry thoughts make your mind messy!"   &  

 "We're all beautifully different. cherish what makes you YOU!"

This is a useful little book for me because I can be so negative and full of self doubt a lot of the time, which comes from 16 years of depression. I do try to be positive but some days it feels impossible. Maybe now I can get my little book out and inspire my mood and make over my attitude? 

Cloudfreebies.co.uk - New website & a win!!

Cloud freebies is a website I came across recently when I had just started entering competitions again. Initially it was the cute logo that stood out but as I signed up to updates on FACEBOOK and TWITTER I began to take advantage of the fab links that they posted.

As well as providing links to new online competitions and freebies they run their own comps and have money off vouchers. So this is a really good website for those that like to use the internet to learn about new products, free samples as well as been beneficial all those other competition addicts out there-  like me!!!

Cloud Freebies will be one website in future that I will always click onto when I am perusing the latest online offers. Not only because I was one of the lucky ones to win a £25 Love2Choose voucher but due to the customer service and communications with the staff which were outstanding. I did not know I had won the competition -  for some strange reason my Hotmail email address was not showing any messages and Facebook where I had entered the competition was acting up too. So the team at cloud freebies were having no joy trying to get hold of me and give me the good news. I have heard of of a lot of companies and websites who not been able to reach the lucky winner end up having to redraw the names and pick another lucky person. But yesterday on Facebook a message appeared on my profile asking me if I had received any DM's (direct messages) - with the answer from me being negative I was asked to email them personally because they had sent messages and wanted to contact me. Thinking on I replied to them with another email address I use and this time I was successful in hearing I was the lucky recipient of a voucher.

I was so pleased - I do love winning prizes and this voucher can be used at many suppliers ( Homebase, Superdrug, Wilkinsons,  Argos  Iceland  Shoezoe & Matalan - to name a few) so it means I will be able to treat myself for my 30th birthday in 9 days time!!

But if I am honest what pleased me more was the effort used to let me know I was a winner. I personally have missed a few prizes on Facebook and twitter because companies can not tag your name in a status and without the @ on twitter a tweet can go un-noticed. (In fact the next prize I am posting about was nearly one of those!)

Because the staff there put the extra effort in the website will be one that remains firmly in memory and one I will definitely visit in future.

Maybe you should check it out too?

http://cloudfreebies.co.uk/