Anniversary Celebration – Day 5

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

This week has been awesome.  It’s like an amazing vacation you don’t want to end.  Or a really fun dinner party that you don’t want to leave so you linger….  Okay, maybe not as awkward as that, but I think you get it.  It’s been so much fun and I’ve loved having you all.  ♥  Today, we celebrate with the superb Mindy Young of Dear Emmie.

 

 

When I first set up my website and blog, I was so green.  Web hosting, domains, servers…. all rubbish.  I went to school for IT Programming and know my way around a computer just fine.  I know WHAT hosting is, but I had no idea which companies I should have invested my time and money in, which platforms would be the most user friendly, give me ample options, or be delicious to look at.  The avenues I first chose were none of those things.  I had a snapshot of those humble beginnings somewhere, but I deleted it – like a bad childhood photo you’re anxious to forget.

 

How did I stumble upon Dear Emmie?  Really, I don’t know for sure.  I think it was one of those things where you see on your facebook newsfeed that a friend of a friend commented on so-n-so’s wall post…  Or something like that.  I do remember being completely sucked in, browsing her online shop, and thinking “oooh, I love that!  and that!  and that!”.  But it was her website templates that really had me.  Immediately, the gears in my mind started turning, and I couldn’t stop thinking about making a big change in my website.  And as my husband knows and fears, when I start obsessing about needing something, I will not rest until I get it.  Right now, I’m zoned in on getting an iMac.  I’m laser beamed in on that thing.  When Mike asks what I want to do today or what I want for dinner, the answer is always the same.  iMac.  In my experience, it’s the persistent ones that get what they want – even if they only get it by annoying the hell out of the opposition.  It’s how we got our house, an iPad, a front loading HE washer & dryer, and our youngest daughter.  :)

In any event, now convinced that I needed a Dear Emmie template, I got in touch with Mindy for some help in getting started.  Mindy is a retired professional photographer turned rock star web designer.  She is also a one of the most genuinely sweet and helpful people you could hope to meet.  She walked me through the entire process, was a wonderful cheerleader, and helped me through every bump in the process.  She helped convince me to move my site over to ProPhoto (which is the required platform for her templates) and it has been the best decision I’ve made for my business/blogging adventure.  My only regret is that I didn’t discover ProPhoto and Mindy’s work sooner.

 

A few samples of Dear Emmie’s templates:  (Check out the full collection here!)

 And my own site, dressed in her Dear Emmie finest.  :)

 

Beautiful right?  These templates are ready to go right off the bat, and many of the features are fully customizable.  And if you’re not in the market for a new template, there’s also a Dear Emmie Design Store, where Mindy sells more of her gorgeous work.  Maybe you’re looking for a new logo or a branding bundle to match your site, icons for your blog, or even some Photoshop actions to help perfect your photo editing.  Yep, Mindy does that too.

And guess what?  One of Dear Emmie’s Pro Photo site templates could be YOURS.  You heard right – on this, the last day of my First Anniversary Giveaways Celebrations, Mindy Young and I are giving away one Dear Emmie template for ProPhoto.  Can I get a standing ovation?

(Please note:  To be able to use one of these insanely pretty templates on your website, you will need to purchase and install ProPhoto.  And if you’re on the fence about making the switch, check them out.  The sites are geared toward professional photographers, but really anyone who is looking to showcase their work can use them!  This is just my personal opinion, but ProPhoto has been extraordinary for me and was a super smart choice.  And, if you’re a business, the purchase is a tax deduction!)

 

{the details}

All week long, we’ll be using rafflecopter to gather giveaway entries and randomly choose our winners.  Each day, we’ll be giving away a new prize from another of my favorite companies and to be eligible to win prizes from each day, you’ll need to come back and visit all week long.  In other words, if you want to win Wednesday’s prize, you’ll need to come visit me again, find Wednesday’s post, and enter the giveaway using the rafflecopter widgit on that post.  All giveaway’s will remain open until Sunday, August 5th at 11:59pm and winners will be announced on this blog the following week.  (**This prize requires the use of ProPhoto.**)

Links for this week’s earlier giveaways:

Day 1 – market street stamps —>here

Day 2 – i love it all —> here

Day 3 – the twinery –> here

Day 4 – Le Box Boutique –> HERE

 

Here’s today’s Giveaway!  

(You may need to wait a moment for the widget to appear.  If it doesn’t, try refreshing the page, or clicking the link below.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more design goodness:

Explore Mindy’s main website and blog…..

Browse her addicting design store…..

Bookmark her awesome ProPhoto store front…..

And stop by her facebook page to see what Dear Emmie will come up with next!

These five giveaways will be closed for entries on Sunday the 5th at 11:59pm.  Get your entries in and watch for the winners announcement next week!

Best of luck to all of you!

♥, Ashley