Take a “Road Trip” and win with Carolina Pad!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Carolina Pad! We look forward to working with you again! The winner is Janice Crespo. Congrats Janice! Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page! Watch for the next bag in the ‘Spring Into Bags’ series to launch SOON!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Ascending Butterfly Editor's Pick Sponsored By:

Independence Day weekend is notorious for taking Road Trips. Which means juggling keeping the kids entertained, keeping track of your itinerary, receipts and more. With the economy still in a state of flux, more and more people will be taking 'staycations', or driving out to Amusement Parks and State Parks.

I for one love Road Trips, especially with someone else doing the driving! I love to listen to music, sketch, doodle, and keep a travel journal. My travel journals end up looking more like a scrapbook by the time I am done because I'll add ticket stubs, pictures and more to my handwritten notes, but a travel diary has pretty much become a travel staple for me.

That's where Carolina Pad comes in, they take everyday products, add a dash of extraordinary design and make crafting, school supplies and office needs fun again!

I love Carolina Pad's site and think of them first when I'm ready to get new office products (especially for my home office!), I love having the entire suite of office care needs coordinate with each other perfectly. And I don't know about you, but I am so over plain manila file folders!

You all know I am all about shopping for a cause and working with companies that in some way give back. I was thrilled to find out about Carolina Pad's 2010 Commerce with a Conscience Collection! And OK the fact that the collection includes an array of pastel colored butterflies makes me just a wee bit biased I know.

Dreamsicle, a stylish new collection of school and office supplies, was inspired by the Girls on the Run mission and its founder, Molly Barker. These products, part of the Commerce with a Conscience™ partnership between Carolina Pad, Girls on the Run, and JACK!E, will be available in major retail outlets including Walmart, Office Max, and CVS later this year.

About

Girls on the Run® is a life-changing, experiential learning program for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.

I was delighted to try the first collection from the Studio C brand – Road Trip. Again I will admit to being a bit biased due to the butterfly design, but it was pure genius on a road trip, I was able to use the two pocket folders to keep track of my planned itinerary, and the personal size notebooks came in handy for keeping a travel diary.

 

I can't find one thing not to love about Carolina Pad, I love their products, and I love that they have a conscience; that they give back and want to empower young girls by bolstering their self-esteem and encouraging positive body, mind and soul development.

 
 

 

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Carolina Pad would like to provide 1 Ascending Butterfly Follower with:

 
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2 spiral-less notebooks
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2 personal notebooks
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2  two-pocket folders

Don't you just ♥ Carolina Pad? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Carolina Pad and pick a product you like and leave the LINK to that product in your comment entry! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Saturday, July 03, 2010 until Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly + @carolinapad #Win cool products from Carolina Pad! #Giveaways http://tinyurl.com/2w7zyu2

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) Carolina Pad on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @carolinapad on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Review this blog on Alexa HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please vote for my outfit 'Yay4WkEnd' @ Macy's Fashion director Giveaway. You can vote for me and also enter to win a $1000 Macys Gift Certificate too (by creating a styleboard of your own) vote HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

4 Winner Announcements - Is it YOU?

(1) Smooth Jazz Cruise Winners - 2 winners will sail along the hudson with a guest on the Smooth Jazz Cruise of their choice!
 

*Congratulations to 'NYCGirl0501' and 'SinglemamaNYC' the winners of Ascending Butterfly's Smooth Jazz Cruise Giveaway! Ladies we hope you enjoy your fun filled hudson cruise, with the smooth sounds of Spyro Gyra playing you are in for a great night SinglemamaNYC!

And 'NYCGirl0501' wishing you a Happy Sailing on your Mindi Abair cruise, If you take pictures, I defnitely want to see them!

I will definitely check back in here and post after I've taken my 'Guitars & Saxes' - Who doesn't like a little Sax at night? LOL

(2) ABCNecties.com - 2 winners won the necktie of their choice delivered directly to their doorstep! They are:

We have TWO more winners to include in our winner's announcements today! *Congratulations 'Breanne' and 'Elana' who both won the necktie of their choice from ABCNeckties.com! We'd love to see pictures of your fashionable guys in their brand new ties! Send them over and we will post them here!

So my apologies for no post yesterday, but my to do list wrapped itself around me like a tightly coiled snake and wouldn't let me free until some major personal and professional errands had been taken care of. By the time I was able poke my head through, I realized the day was done and there were no postings, and I owed you FOUR winners! So I figured I better burn the midnight oil and get more caught up!

So thanks for all the M.I.A emails. I was missing in action, but really was working on some kick butt projects coming up. I occassionally find myself stepping away from the monitor and handling the to do mountain, one paper, post it note, email message, direct tweet, or facebook message at a time.

Join me in congratulating our winners!

We would like to thank our sponsor ABCNeckties and Smooth Jazz NYC; We would love to work with you both again soon!

I know the holiday weekend is going to heat up and get busy soon, but don't forget we have great giveaways closing SOON, so Get them before they are gone:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 07/05 - 'Slip Into Summer' - Win a Mrs. Smith Bag! organization made easy with a bag with an inner pull out shelf, how cool is that? - Enter HERE!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 07/07 -It's our Blog-A-Versary but YOU get the Cake! - Win Chocolate Truffle Lava Cakes from Bake-Me-A-Wish! Enter HERE

 

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

*(we post our winner usernames instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes)

It's our Blog-A-Versary but YOU get the Cake! - Win Chocolate Truffle Lava Cakes from Bake-Me-A-Wish!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Bake-Me-A-Wish! We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation, follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page! (Watch for the next bag in the ‘Slip Into Summer' 2010 Special Feature to launch SOON. And for the return of Ascending Butterfly's Book Club!)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Ascending Butterfly Dads and Grads pick sponsored by

June 14th made Ascending Butterfly's 'Blog-A-Versary', our official one year birthday! I don't know about you, but the best way to celebrate a birthday is with CAKE. And if it's chocolate cake even better. And if there are truffles involved it's just as close to perfection as you can get in my book!

Last month, Eli's Cheesecake made our Mother's Day Buying Guide special, and this month Bake-Me-A-Wish is taking over to make our 'Blog-A-Versary' one to remember!

I had the opportunity to try their Chocolate Truffle Lava Cakes, they arrive in packs of 4, and are meant to be eaten warmed, you can pop them into the microwave.

Allow me to quote them, because I can attest to the fact that this is not only true, but a very accurate description of what to expect:

"After heating, each cake is a single-serve masterpiece with warm, thick chocolate cake, powdered sugar and a surprise inside - rich, liquid chocolate flows out of the middle for a taste experience beyond compare."

I have to tell you this is no ordinary chocolate cake. This is an experience. You are going to want to hide these and have all four for yourself. But if you can somehow manage to part with one, the person you share these with will love you forever! (OK, I can't guarantee that, but I sure know they won't forget you!).

You all know how much I love companies that give back, and even in my snacking, I want to find a way to make a difference. And these cakes tasted so much sweeter when I found out about 'Operation Birthday Cake'.  Bake-Me-A-Wish! in conjunction with their partner Soldiers’ Angels donate 5% of your order  to assist in their efforts in sending birthday cakes each month to soldiers overseas. This is very near and dear to me as I have family and dear friends who serve in our military, knowing that there is a company out there that cares enough to want our soldiers to understand just how much their efforts and sacrifice is appreciated by all of us back home, and that they won't miss out on having a 'real birthday' celebration while they are in active duty is something near and dear to my heart! If you have a soldier's birthday approaching, click here to send a cake to an APO/FPO address. So far, they have been responsible for the delivery of over 6,000 cakes in the past few years!

Recently, Bake-Me-A-Wish  helped to celebrate CPT Dan Murphy's 40th birthday, by sending 40 cakes for his 40th to Kosovo, you can see images from the birthday party celebration here. Do you want to help them to do something cool this 4th of July? If the Bake-Me-A-Wish  Facebook page reaches 4,000 fans by July 4th, they will donate 50 additional cakes then they did last month. That's 50 soldiers, 50 parties and a lot of really great moral! If you have a special soldier in your life, please Like Bake-Me-A-Wish on Facebook and encourage your friends to do the same!

The Chocolate Truffle Lava Cakes are the first cakes I have tried from Bake-Me-A-Wish and they won't be my last, they were truly sinfully delicious and a definite first choice for when I want to send something special to someone (and maybe to have in the fridge just for me too!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Bake-Me-A-Wish! would like to provide 1 Ascending Butterfly Follower with Chocolate Truffle Lava Cakes!

Don't you just ♥ Bake-Me-A-Wish!? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Bake-Me-A-Wish! and pick another cake that tickles your fancy and leave the LINK to that cake in your comment entry! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Wednesday, June 30, 2010 until Wednesday, July 07, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly + @bakemeawish #Win Chocolate Truffle Lava Cakes from Bake-Me-A-Wish! #Giveaways http://tinyurl.com/284wps9

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) Bake Me A Wish on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @bakemeawish on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Review this blog on Alexa HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please vote for my outfit 'Yay4WkEnd' @ Macy's Fashion director Giveaway. You can vote for me and also enter to win a $1000 Macys Gift Certificate too (by creating a styleboard of your own) vote HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

Today's Words of Inspiration - Make it a Butterfly Day!

 

I found this and couldn't helped but be inspired, it reads:

May the Wings of the Butterfly Kiss the Sun

And Find Your Shoulder To Light On

To Bring You Luck, Happiness, and Riches

Today, Tomorrow and Beyond

Today I wish you a 'Butterfly' Day, spread your wings, try your luck, make others happy and happiness will come to you in return!

I will have more winners for you tomorrow!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Winner Announcement -Ascending Butterfly's Underwear Drawer Makeover for Dad (or for you) Giveaway Winner!

*Congratulations to 'guettel78' the winner of Ascending Butterfly's Underwear Drawer Makeover for Dad (or for you) Giveaway! Enjoy your $50 Jockey.com e-shopping spree!

Join me in congratulating our winner!

We would like to thank our sponsor Jockey; We would love to work with you again!

Don't forget to check out the amazing selection of activewear and cool yoga clothes at Jockey.com

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 06/29 - Enter to Win a pair of tickets to a NYC Smooth Jazz Cruise of YOUR Choice! - (2 winners) - Enter HERE!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 06/30 - Enter to win a Stylish Necktie from abcneckties - it's as easy as a,b,c - (2 winners) by pressing HERE! (Does your grad have a tie yet for the big day?)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends 07/05 - 'Slip Into Summer' - Win a Mrs. Smith Bag! - Enter HERE!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

*(we post our winner usernames instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes)

'Slip Into Summer' - Win a Mrs. Smith Bag!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Mrs. Smith's Bags! We look forward to working with you again! Congrats to our winner 'Nana*2*4' (remember we post winner usernames)

NOTE: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page! Watch for the next bag in the ‘Slip Into Summer’ series to launch SOON.

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Ascending Butterfly 'Slip Into Summer' Special Feature Pick Sponsored By

As you all know we have been hosting reviews & giveaways of both emerging and designer handbags this year since Spring. The feature began as 'Spring Into Bags', but now that it is officially summer we have changed the feature name to 'Slip Into Summer' instead. The expanded feature will include shoes, jewelry, accessories, AND Bags! The winner of our last bag, Camenae's Siren Mogano Leather Bag Giveaway, can be found by pressing HERE.

While I'm not a mom, many of my friends are and I know many of you are too. I've had an amazing opportunity to feature a variety of outstanding leather bags. They are my passion next to travel and it's made this feature that much more fun for me.

But many of you asked for non-leather bags, vegan bags, and cruelty-free alternatives in the feature. And I am beyond happy to oblige. Especially with a bag that understands that function doesn't have to mean lack of style or form.

The biggest complaint I hear from many moms and from most women who commute daily with larger bags or totes is that a lot of 'roomy' bags all have the same caveat, it's hard to find anything that sinks to the bottom. Thanks to the unique design of Mrs. Smith's bags this is no longer an issue.

The 'shelf' on the bottom is by far my favorite feature in this bag. It easily slides in and out so you can find things faster and easier. It's pure genius! It allows moms to use this shelf to put food, snacks, pacifiers, all those things that normally get 'lost' within the bowels of large tote bags, and be able to retrieve them effortlessly!

Now for us non-moms, this is a perfect bag for summer outings, park, beach, zoo, amusement parks, etc. And I personally love this as a daily commuter & lunch bag. Now this is how you SHOULD 'brown bag' your lunch! I can assure you no more smushed sandwiches for lunch.

Did I tell you that this bag also converts into a backpack? Perfect for when you need your hands free. And most moms would say they always need their hands free! And as this is dads & grads month at Ascending Butterfly I wanted to let you know that they now have bags for men too! I also love the exotics in the new 'Elite' Collection of Bags, very stylish!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Mrs. Smith's Bags would like to provide 1 Ascending Butterfly Follower a bag from Mrs. Smith's Bags! (You will receive a bag based on available inventory chosen by Mrs. Smith's Bags)

Don't you just ♥ Mrs. Smith's Bags?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Mrs. Smith's Bags and pick the bag & pattern you would select if you won and leave the LINK to that bag in your comment entry! (You will receive a bag based on available inventory chosen by Mrs. Smith's Bags) (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 21 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Friday, June 25, 2010 until Monday, July 05, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly + @MrsSmithsBags #Win a Mrs. Smith's Bag! #Giveaways http://tinyurl.com/328b3xh

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) Mrs. Smith's Bags on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @MrsSmithsBags on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Review this blog on Alexa HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please vote for my outfit 'Yay4WkEnd' @ Macy's Fashion director Giveaway. You can vote for me and also enter to win a $1000 Macys Gift Certificate too (by creating a styleboard of your own) vote HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

Winner Announcement - Camenae's Siren Mogano Leather Bag!

*Congratulations to 'BigHappy Buddha'  the winner of Ascending Butterfly's Camenae Siren Mogano Leather Bag Giveaway! This bag has an ARV of $1,135, a big congratulations to our very lucky winner! Your bag is on it's way! Enjoy!

Join me in congratulating our winner!

We would like to thank our sponsor Camenae; We would love to work with you again!

Don't forget to check out the new Colore Collezione from Camenae which includes amazing clutch bags, belts, cuff clips, a scarf, a pendant charm, and even a pendant necklace!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ends Sunday, 06/27: Win a $50 digital gift card to Jockey.com for an Underwear Drawer Makeover for Dad (or for you!) by entering to win HERE! (They also have amazing workout/yoga clothes!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Enter to win a Stylish Necktie from abcneckties - it's as easy as a,b,c - 2 winners by pressing HERE! (Does your grad have a tie yet for the big day?)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Enter to Win a pair of tickets to a NYC Smooth Jazz Cruise of YOUR Choice! - 2 winners - Enter HERE!

Didn't win the Camenae bag? Don't worry, the next bag in our series will be posted soon, we will be hosting new bags approximately every two weeks ALL YEAR LONG! Thanks to your enthusiastic feedback and entries, we have many bags to present to you! So keep up the good work! Our feature that started out being called 'Spring Into Bags' will now be called 'Slip Into Summer' - the summer feature will include bags, shoes, accessories and Jewelry too!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

*(we post our winner usernames instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes)

Wordless Wednesday!

As it's Wordless Wednesday, I'm just going to let kitty take over!

Wake me up when it's Friday!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Win a pair of tickets to a NYC Smooth Jazz Cruise of YOUR Choice! - 2 winners

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Smooth Jazz NYC! We look forward to working with you again! The winners have been notified and upon confirmation, follower names will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Does the idea of a warm night and cool, smooth Jazz sound good to you? New York’s premiere summer jazz series is back once again! This is the Smooth Cruises’ 13th year aboard The Spirit of New York, located at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers (23rd St & West Side Hwy).

As part of our dads and grads month, helping you find unique gifts for that special someone, we'd like you to experience this one-of-a-kind LIVE JAZZ concert series as you cruise down the Hudson River taking in fantastic views of the Statue of Liberty and the breathtaking Manhattan skyline. This summer will feature ten of the world’s greatest jazz acts in an intimate setting, every Wednesday evening starting June 30th ending September 1st.

Here's the Skinny:

Where: Departing from Chelsea Piers in Midtown Manhattan.

When: Wednesdays June 30 - September 1

Smooth Sunset Cruise: Board: 6:00pm • Cruise: 6:30 – 8:30pm

Smooth Moonlight Cruise Board: 9:00pm • Cruise: 9:30 – 11:30pm

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Smooth Jazz would like to provide 2 lucky Ascending Butterfly Followers a pair of tickets to the smooth moonlight jazz cruise of YOUR choice!  (You pick the date, just remember it will be for the 'moonlight' cruise only 21 years of age and older please.) NOTE: The Guitars & Saxes concerts on 8/11 are sold out, so please don't select this date in your entry!

Don't you just ♥ Smooth Jazz? I know I do

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit Smooth Jazz and pick the cruise you would select if you won and leave the LINK to that cruise in your comment entry! This is for New York/Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, CT and Long Island only (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to New York residents who are 21 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Tuesday, June 22, 2010 until Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascending butterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly + @SmoothJazzNY #Win a pair of tickets to Smooth Jazz Cruise of choice! #Giveaways http://tinyurl.com/2uwfqcv

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) Smooth Jazz New York on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @SmoothJazzNY on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please vote for my outfit 'Yay4WkEnd' @ Macy's Fashion director Giveaway. You can vote for me and also enter to win a $1000 Macys Gift Certificate too (by creating a styleboard of your own) vote HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided tickets to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.

Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways - Make A Wish!

Yesterday was not only the Summer Solstice, but last night there was a comet in the sky! The green comet named 'McNaught 2009 R1' was named by Robert McNaught. A Scottish Australian who spots lots of comets. A comet can produce shooting stars, did anyone see the comet or shooting stars last night?

Even if  you didn't see it, Make A Wish today anway! If you need a reminder, visit this fabulous article on eHow called 'How to Wish Upon a Star',  it's so true that in adult-hood we often forget just how fun this can be!

Just remember, don't tell anyone your wish until it comes true!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I will a make a secret wish upon this night's first star!'

Spend some time each day enjoying focused breathing AND soul guided meditative visualization, in doing so, you can bring about amazing, profound and powerful changes in your life.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter here! Twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly - Today's Words of #Inspiration and Great #Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways on the upper right hand side of the page! It's just our way of saying Thank You for choosing to spend part of your day with us. We are really happy you landed HERE! Don't forget to use the share button below any inspiration to stumble, digg, tweet or share with your friends on facebook and twitter! And if you want to share inspiration with other members, Ascending Butterfly has a Community group with real time chat HERE! (Note we have moved our NING group over to Spruz, if you haven't already done so, please switch over to the new community)

Active Giveaways:

(1) Ends TODAY (3pm EST),  get in your entrry NOW - 'Spring Into Bags' Special Feature - Win the CAMENAE 'Siren Mogano’ Leather Shoulder Bag! ARV $1,135 enter HERE

(2) Win an Underwear Drawer Makeover for Dad (or for you!) - In the form of a Jockey.com e gift card for $50 HERE

(3) Win a Stylish Necktie from abcneckties - it's as easy as 'a,b,c' - 2 winners! enter to win HERE

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

TWO WINNER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Congratulations to 'Louis' (we post our winner usernames instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes) the winner of Ascending Butterfly's Dove Men+Care Giveaway!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Congratulations to 'saphyress' (we post our winner usernames instead of full names, this is why it's in quotes) the winner of Ascending Butterfly's 1800baskets.com Father's Day Meat and Cheese Grand Basket Giveaway!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Today's Words of Inspiration and Great Giveaways - Are you ready for the longest day of the year?

And no, I don't just mean because it's Monday! Today is officially the first day of summer and the summer solstice! Great now what exactly does that mean?

Glad you asked! Sol + stice derives from a combo of Latin words Sol meaning "sun" + Stice meaning "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to be standing still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year; it figures the longest day of the year would coincide with a Monday this year! The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

During half of the year, the southern hemisphere is more exposed to the sun than is the northern hemisphere. During the rest of the year, the reverse is true. At noontime in the Northern Hemisphere the sun appears high in the sky during summertime, and low during winter. The time of the year when the sun reaches its maximum elevation occurs on the summer solstice -- the day with the greatest number of daylight hours. It typically occurs on, or within a day or two of, JUNE 21 -- the first day of summer.

Early Solstice Celebrations

Awed by the power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.

The Celts and Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing and bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light. (It's way too hot for a Bonfire, but the dancing sounds fun!)

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth", resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June. (Do we have any Ascending Butterfly Brides this June?)

Today, the day is still celebrated around the world - most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice. (I have always wanted to visit Stonehenge during the Summer Soltice!)

Also known as:

The Summer Solstice is also known as: Alban Heflin, Alben Heruin, All-couples day, Feast of Epona, Feast of St. John the Baptist, Feill-Sheathain, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Litha, Midsummer, Sonnwend, Thing-Tide, Vestalia - who knew there were so many names? And I'm sure I probably missed a few more!

And this means what to me?

No matter how you choose to observe the solstice today, whether it's sunny where you are, partly cloudy, windy, rainy or otherwise, Get OUTSIDE! Today, mother nature will provide all the inspiration you need, if you just let her.....

Make the longest day of the year, the happiest day of the year for yourself. Lightworkers.org offers quite an interesting Summer Soltice Invocation HERE, and from it I found words that seemed like a perfect affirmation for this day 'I Am a manifesting Master Being of Light, Reflecting in the radiance of the Sun and Solar Core in Abundance, joy, Love,Wisdom and stability!"

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Happy News! - One of our very own Ascending Butterfly readers signed up using the button below and won an HP Mini Netbook!!! Congrats Theresa! If you haven't already done so, sign up today, it's fun, fast and no apps to install, maybe the summer sun will bring us both some good luck!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Win a Stylish Necktie from abcneckties - it's as easy as a,b,c - 2 winners!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor abcneckties.com! We look forward to working with you again! The winners have been notified and upon confirmation, follower names will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

Ascending Butterfly's Father's Day Buying Guide Pick Sponsored By:

Clean shirt, new shoes
And I don't know where I am goin' to
Silk suit, black tie
I don't need a reason why
They come runnin' just as fast as they can
'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man

Sound familiar? These are the 'Sharp Dressed Man' song lyrics from the band ZZ Top! (Songwriters: Gibbons, William; Hill, Joe Michael; Beard, Frank)

These words still ring true, women really are crazy about a sharp dressed man! We do notice the details, run down heels on shoes, no cufflinks, no tie, we notice! Just like we invest a great deal of time, money and effort on our look (not to mention the extra time to make it all look 'effortless'), we certainly expect the same effort from the men in our lives!

Those touches that show he genuinely cares about putting his best foot forward. That he wants to look good for himself and for you.

While women are notoriously accused of dressing nice for other women, men do the exact same thing with their ties. Men do notice other Men's ties and many engage in a healthy and fun rivalry of 'tie one-up-manship'.

Ties are also where many men express their individuality,  and various facets of their personalities are often expressed in their choice of tie. A man should have ties for various 'occasions' as well as various 'moods'. And he should also have choices in terms of price, variety and style, he should be able to shop online just as easily as visiting a brick and mortar.

Thankfully, now he does! Since 2000, ABCNeckties has been offering men's novelty and fashion ties, and since they offer a Money Back Guarantee, Fast Shipping, Easy Returns and 100% Secure Online Ordering, it's totally a no-brainer!

I received the 'Phillips Fashion Silk Tie' in the 'silver' color for review. What's not to love about a handmade, fashion forward silk tie that arrives at your door in lightening speed? My experience with ABCNeckties was a very positive one, and I definitely recommend using them to keep your sharp dressed man en vogue!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at ABCNeckties would like to provide 2 lucky Ascending Butterfly Followers the tie of YOUR choice! (Don't you just ♥ ABCNeckties?)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Visit ABCNeckties and pick the tie that you like and leave the LINK to that tie in your comment entry! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Sunday, June 20, 2010 until Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

Extra Credit:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascendingbutterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ok to RT: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - #ascendingbutterfly + @ABCNeckties - 2 winners will win Tie of Choice #Giveaways! - http://tinyurl.com/29cf266

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ – Follow, now called ‘Like’ (and don't forget to write on their wall that Ascending Butterfly sent you!) ABCNeckties on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @ABCNeckties on Twitter HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW METHOD OF EXTRA CREDIT, (You can vote daily for extra credit): Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please vote for my outfit 'Yay4WkEnd' @ Macy's Fashion director Giveaway. You can vote for me and also enter to win a $1000 Macys Gift Certificate too (by creating a styleboard of your own) vote HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

NOTE: Readers have asked us to make entering the contests and giveaways, faster and easier. Your wish is our command! We have moved our 'Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the day, which is where we host our giveaways, to the upper right hand side of the page. It will be located here from now on to make entering the giveaways faster and easier. Keep the suggestions coming, remember we also have a community group page with real time chat, you can give us your comments and suggestions in REAL time, how cool is that?

NOTE 2: Twitter followers: please remember you must also follow Ascending Butterfly using Google friends connect on the upper right hand side of the page for your entries to be processed. And remember if your profile does not have an email and you don't leave your email in your entry, we will not accept your entry. Make sure your entry or your profile have your email address!

Just a helpful Reminder: How to Follow A Blog Publicly Using Google Friends Connect:

Please look to the upper right hand side, where the follower pictures are. (Note the number of followers before you start this process)

1) press the follow button - the google pop up wizard will open, this is not an ad and your pop up blocker will not block it

2) tick the option that reads 'follow this blog publicly' once that button is selected, hit follow again - it should now read 'you are now following'

3) if the follower count went up you know you did it succesfully, if your profile has a picture, that picture will be the first one on the left side. If your profile doesn't have one, it should still be searchable on the members list. (Remember, following a blog, does NOT subscribe you to receive emails, you have to subscribe separately to do that, you will not receive emails for following)

Are you getting the dreaded 'Your Entry Can't Be Processed' message when leaving an entry or comment? Before hitting enter, highlight your comment and COPY it. If you get that message after hitting enter and your comment is still there, just ignore the message and hit enter again, then you will get a screen with a captcha code, enter the captcha code, then submit and VOILA. If after you hit the submit button the first time, you get the dreaded message and the comment 'disappeared' no worries, that's why I asked you to copy it in the first step. Paste it back in and submit again. This has worked for me when comment boxes have glitched on me, and I hope it helps you too!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner, this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.