Everybody's A Winner Here

Most of us know how wonderful it feels to receive a compliment or how a kind word can brighten someone's day, but I have to admit that I'm guilty of not doing it nearly often enough. Especially when it comes to blogs and online forums, I tend to just "lurk" . . . enjoying the experience but never really saying much even when I think something I've seen is awesome.  Partly that's because I don't think I have anything particularly worthy to say - but, still, we should all do it more often.  Besides making the other person feel good, it's a great feeling to do something nice . . . plus, as I discovered recently, it can even have added benefits!    

Quick background . . .  a couple of the blogs I visit regularly are Gypsy Chick (aka Jodie Patterson) and Pink Paislee.  Both of these sites provide their readers with a steady supply of eye candy, inspiration, and terrific products.  To my delight, they recently joined forces & their first collaboration resulted in a simply yummy line of vintage (Jodie's forte) holiday papers called Father Christmas.  One of the cool things PP did earlier in the month was to sponsor a 12 Days of Christmas giveaway . . . with daily product tips, digital downloads, and lots of opportunities to win some of this scrumptious paper.  

Of course, I downloaded every single digi piece they offered.  And I bookmarked (and/or printed out) almost all the product demos.  I even used one of the items to create a quick layout for the Holiday Bingo contest I've been running at Scrapadilly.  Last, but not least, I was so taken with the line that I actually took the time to tell Jodie on her blog how much I love it.  

No, I wasn't one of winners - exactly.  But Jodie was so appreciative of the positive feedback that she made sure I got a prize anyway :-)  Helloooooooo, people . . . check out what I found on my porch on Christmas Eve:

We're talking the jackpot, folks . . . full sets of 12 x 12 papers AND 6 x 6 papers, plus two gorgeous Petaloo products - flowers from their Chantilly Collection & FloraDoodles Velvet Leaves!!  

I've already told both Jodie and Rebecca at Pink Paislee how totally thrilled I was to receive this most generous package, but I just have to say publicly that Gypsy Chick and Pink Paislee totally and completely ROCK!!

All this simply because I took just a teensy moment of my time to pay someone a compliment.  And I plan to do that more often in the future - not because I received this fantastic gift, but because the experience has reminded me how much it means to people to occasionally hear how wonderful or talented or smart or whatever they are.  Besides that, it doesn't cost you a cent, and it makes YOU feel good - IMHO, it's the quintessential example of how EVERYBODY can be a winner :-)

Now, if somebody out there can just help me find the time to dig my hands into all this yumminess and create something worthy, I will be eternally grateful!

Meanwhile, if I haven't bored you to tears yet & you're still reading this post . . . I've decided to share my bounty. Although you'll probably be able to find some next year, it's next to impossible to find Father Christmas for sale right now - it's been so popular that it's sold out almost everywhere.  Soooooo, anyone who leaves a comment on this post telling me how much they love the Father Christmas line will get their name put into the hat to receive part of my stash.  I'll use Random Generator to select a winner one week from today, January 6th.

And, just in case I don't get another chance to say this - Happy New Year!!  May 2011 bring you and those you love much joy & happiness . . .