Your New Best Blog

Guys, you need to meet Amy. Amy blogs over at Sweet Home Santa Barbara and I am so happy to be featuring her this month!

Elizabeth: What makes you feel brave?

Amy:  I feel brave when I think about the tough times and heart ache that I have overcome. Knowing that God has gotten me through the hard things that I have already faced, makes me feel brave enough to face whatever is in my future.

Elizabeth: What adventure can you not wait to have?

Amy: I cannot wait to meet my future husband, and experience the adventure of falling in love together.

Elizabeth: Amy, tell us a story about yourself in six words.

Amy: I am oddly good at Limbo.

She wasn’t kidding.

Go visit, follow, and be sure to read some of Amy’s amazing posts, like this one on the need for perfection. It totally spoke to me.

love, elizabeth

Big, exciting, awesome news!

Ooops, no. I’m not pregnant. But thank you for asking, Mom.
I have been hinting that something really cool is about to happen over here at Love is the Adventure and now I am going to tell you about it. A week from today, I will be partnering with someone special for a really unique giveaway! Let the countdown to giveaway day commence!

Here’s a little clue…




Yup.

In other blog-type news, I recently had the chance to do a little mini blog makeover for Ashley over at A Recipe for Sanity and I thought you all might like to see it! I’m certainly not a professional but I had fun and she was nice enough to let me get creative. I’m always happy to help you in your space, too, as part of your sponsorship package.

Lastly, I am doing my darnedest to get around the internet and visit as many of you on your blogs as I can! Help me out and leave a comment sharing your blog address and something fun you’ve been writing/taking pictures of lately. I’d LOVE to stop by your space and check it out!

Just SEVEN WHOLE DAYS until giveaway magic! Get excited.

love, elizabeth

Help Me Pick!

First things first, I thought you all might like to see the letter I received from RAINN last week: Dear Elizabeth (and all of YOU because you voted/sponsored in June and July), Thank you for your recent contribution […] Your support makes it possible for RAINN to provide critical services to victims of sexual violence. Since 1994, RAINN has touched the lives of millions of Americans. The National Sexual Assault Hotline has provided free, confidential support to more than 1.4 million Americans, and we have experienced record increases in hotline usage in recent months. Your generosity also allows us to educate over 130 million Americans each year on sexual assault prevention, prosecution and recovery; and work with policy makers to improve the criminal justice system and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. […] Sincerely, Scott Berkowitz, President and Founder.

All sponsorship funds earned here at Love is the Adventure were donated to RAINN for the months of June and July.

 

This month, all sponsorship proceeds are going to a charity that helps and protects animals but you have to help me decide which one. Click on the links below to visit each organization’s website and decide who you think we should donate to!

- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

- World Wildlife Fund

- The Humane Society of the United States

I still have some sponsor spots open! For just $4 or $6, you can promote your blog or business through Love is the Adventure AND give to a worthy cause. Click here to find out how. All ad spots run for 30 days, regardless of when you begin sponsorship.

To vote, scroll right to the sidebar and check out the current poll!

love, elizabeth

PS: Stay tuned for exciting blog news on Monday…

Help Me Decide!

Part of my decision to offer paid sponsorship opportunities on Love is the Adventure was to have a chance to not only make a difference for the growth of other bloggers, but as a potential way of giving back to communities. So here’s where you can help me…
100% of sponsorship proceeds for the month of June will be going to a non-profit. But I can’t decide which one!
Here are the choices:
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network)
Their mission statement:

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization and was named one of "America's 100 Best Charities" by Worth magazine. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org) in partnership with more than 1,100 local rape crisis centers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

Safe Horizon
Their mission statement:

Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim assistance organization and touches the lives of more than 250,000 affected by crime and abuse each year. Whether we are responding to child abuse, domestic violence, or other violent crimes, we help victims and their families heal and rebuild their lives.

Safe Horizon takes action by providing practical services like a new lock, 24-hour hotlines, safe shelter, and food as well as supportive services like mental health counseling. Our dedicated staff offers compassionate, expert support, helping victims find hope by offering a chance to tell their story in their own words, a guide through the criminal justice system, and a safe place to sleep.

Our services are models for programs across the country and around the world, and our staff provides critical technical assistance, education and training to service providers, government organizations, corporations and the media worldwide. Our experience for over a quarter of a century gives us a credible voice for leading change in systems, policies, and legislation. We are recognized as national leaders and are sought out as experts on violence and victimization.

Safe Horizon also raises awareness of issues of violence and abuse, and its impact on the home, the workplace, and communities. Through speaking engagements, media and online outreach, integrated public awareness campaigns, and distribution of public service materials, Safe Horizon reaches millions of people each year, educating the public and inspiring them to take action to help move victims of violence from crisis to confidence.

 

Childhelp
Their mission statement:

Childhelp is a non-profit organization whose mission is to meet the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children. Childhelp is not affiliated with Child Protective Services, any governmental agency, political party, religious denomination, or any other entity, organization or institution. Although Childhelp promotes the right of children to be free from abuse and neglect, we do not endorse or oppose any political or legislative action, or affiliate with any outside organization. Our primary purpose is to focus our efforts on advocacy, prevention, treatment and community outreach.

To vote, scroll over to the sidebar on the right and choose which organization should receive a donation from Love is the Adventure this month!
Want to sponsor for the next 30 days and have your sponsor fee apply towards one of these charities? Click here to find out how.
love, elizabeth

Sponsor in June

June is a measly 9 days away and I wanted to let all of you know about sponsorship opportunities for the coming month! I will be offering three levels of sponsorship in the hopes that one of them might fit your blogging needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also have a limited number of 200 X 100px size spots available for button-swapping so please email me if this is something you might be interested in!

Here are a few things to know if you’re interested in sponsoring:

*All sponsors have the option of having a button designed free of charge for use in this blog space and any other.

*PassionFruit handles all ad space. This makes it super easy for you to format your button and offers the most convenient payment options (including major credit cards and PayPal).

*50% of all monthly blog revenue will go to a non-profit organization or charity voted upon by readers so you can promote your blog or business AND give to a worthy cause. June’s potential charities are RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), Safe Horizon, and ChildHelp so if you make the decision to sponsor in June, you will also be benefitting one of these organizations.

*The focus of this blog for the last two years has not been profit-driven and that is not going to change. What I’ve learned in partnership with other blogs is that sponsoring a blog motivates my own productivity and stimulates my creativity as a blogger. My hope is that if you choose to partner with Love is the Adventure that you feel that the ad fees serve not as a deterrent to sponsoring but as a way of ensuring that you are receiving a quality advertising and social media marketing service that is encouraging and helpful to you as a blogger.

Have questions? Comments? Are you interested in reserving a space for June? You can email me or comment below!

love, elizabeth

What’s your theme song?

So if theme music played every time you entered a room, what song would it be?

I asked my four May sponsors this question and here’s what they told me…

Sarah from Sarahcastically

“Hello” by Martin Solveig and Dragonette

Twitter

 

Courtney from Baxtron{Life}

“Sober” by Pink

Twitter – Facebook

Stephanie from Total Swillyness

“Country Girl” by Luke Bryan

Sarah from From the Desk

“Will You Be There” by Michael Jackson (from the Free Willy soundtrack)

Twitter – Facebook

 

Mine would be “Last of the American Girls” by Green Day.

If you haven’t been over to visit these incredible women and their blogs, I hope you’ll take time to now! So. worth. it.

Okay, lay it on me. What would your theme song be?

love, elizabeth

Sponsor for Free

Are you interested in some ad space for a button or shop in the months of April and May? I am offering button-swapping and guest-posting opportunities…I will also offer one to two free shared posts featuring your blog if you are interested in participating in that.

The only requirements: I need a 200 X 200 size button to post on the sidebar. You can snag mine on the sidebar, as well (email me if you need a different size).

Email me here if you’re interested in either trading buttons or guest-posting!

Who, I ask you, doesn’t love free blog advertising?

More vacation pictures from Hatteras Island tomorrow…

love, elizabeth

Button-Swapping and Giveaways: Sponsor Without Spending a Dime

I love blogging. I am always humbled to know that people take the time to read anything I write and to care a little about what’s going on in my life and I am so delighted to get to know all of you through your own blogs!

 

Source: toostinkincute.blogspot.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Many of my best blog friends are sponsor-friendly places and many are striving to be successful blogging and etsy businesses. That’s never really been the purpose of this blog and that’s okay. But sometimes I wish I could sponsor a few of the blogs I really, really love. Because, like many of you, I’m on a teeny-weeny budget, I can’t really afford to sponsor anyone.

And since I’ve decided not to sell ad space here, I’d like to offer a couple non-monetary ways to sponsor Love is the Adventure so that if you, too, are looking for cost-effective ways to gain readership or business, you have the opportunity to do that.

Ways to Sponsor:

Button Swap for December and January

If you’re interested in this option, just drop me an email and let me know! I’ll need the html code for your button and I’ll be happy to keep it in the sidebar through January 31st.

Sponsor a Giveaway

Do you have an Etsy site or business that you’d like to promote? I’m happy to advertise it if you’d like to give something away to readers! I’m happy to advertise your blog, your business, and/or your Twitter/Facebook feeds in a post and with a button.

If you’re interested, send me an email at loveisadventure@gmail.com and let’s chat about it! If you have another creative idea for blog exchange, I’d love to hear it.

Regardless, I love all of you. Thanks for sharing yourselves with me every day.

love, elizabeth