What a month.......

I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped me to celebrate my birthday! It's been a fantastic month, and it wouldn't have been the same without all of you! I hope you've enjoyed all of the guest posts, here is a quick round up of them all:

• Birthday Guest Post: Connie from Dirty Footprint Studio
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Stephanie Kelly
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Laura from Violet Bella
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Katelyn from Peace, Leener
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Betsy from O Bella
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Beth from Deer Little Fawn
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Sarah from {Vie Bohemie}
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Maryam from Pamplemousse1983
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Tammy from Punk Rawk Purl
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Lauren from Ladaisi
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Megan from If I Were A Rainbow
• Birthday (Party) Foodie Post: Double Choc Muffins
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Stephanie from Femmena Mala
• Birthday (Party) Foodie Post: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Roxanne from Bakes-a-Lot Lady
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Shannon from Thumbin' My Way
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Trina from Feed the Birdies
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Miss Beck from VaaVoom
• Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Kristina from Tina's Tree
• Birthday Foodie Post: Lollipop Cookies

Today is the last day to save 25% off everything in my Shop-  there's some super cute owl and bird earrings, as well as necklaces, hair slides and some upcycled clothes - check it all out here, and use coupon PARTYTIME at checkout.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing my 30 before 31 list :)

Birthday Guest Post: Connie from Dirty Footprints Studio

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I couldn’t wait to turn 30.

Seriously.

On the day of my 29th birthday I started a daily countdown. I had a special pull-away calender and everything. See, basically, by 29 I was done with my 20’s and ready for something new. So ready for a new understanding--not just of life...

But of me.

And when 30 arrived I greeted it inside a circle of friends, with the Love of My Life at my side and all the margaritas and salty lime tortilla chips one chica could put down.

And oh, there was dancing.

Lots of dancing.

Plunging necklines.

And samba moves that would awaken any sleeping soul back into existence.

And there was me--thirty year old me.

And I leaned my hands heavily against that white porcelain sink in the public restroom at the back of the salsa club--and I took a long good look at the woman in the mirror looking back at me.

She made it.

She made it to 30.

And I couldn’t stop smiling.

Since that day, nothing has ever been the same.

Turning thirty was monumental--don’t let the plunging neckline fool you. Somewhere in between the rumba and the bachata I decided whole heartedly that I no longer would take this life for granted.

I abandoned my twenties in a salsa club....left it there to turn to dust and fade away....or simply get lost in the notes of the next mambo or merengue...and I have never regretted it for one minute to this day.

Polly....I wish you all the love and blessings and beautiful surprises that embracing thirty has in store for you. I wish you nothing but adventure and a new perspective on your already beautiful Creative Juicy Life. I wish you a happy birthday.

A very happy, happy birthday, dear friend. You made it.

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Connie is an artist and the owner of Dirty Footprints Studio and a huge inspiration. Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Stephanie Kelly

Roller Derby Birthday

One of my most memorial birthdays was my most recent one last May when I turned 26. For a while birthday celebrations were the same thing among my friends. Drinking at a bar. Don't get me wrong, this is a good standby, and usually always a good time, but it got old for me pretty quickly. Earlier in the year, my good friend Coty tried out for a roller derby team in Chicago, Windy City Rollers, and within a few months made it on the Manic Attackers. I went to a few bouts while she was moving up the ranks, and they were so much fun! I had a few preconceived notions about roller derby, most of them provided by my parents, but I was pleasantly surprised by the whole event. It took a while for me to get the hang of how points are scored and a few of the rules, but once I caught on I was enthralled. And the names of the players are awesome! "Val Capone", "Beth Amphetamine", "Athena DeCrime", "Notorious D.I.E." ...so fun! (And to understand the sport better, I recommend watching the movie "Whip It". I think they represent the sport amazingly and explain the rules really well.)

So when my birthday rolled around, I decided to get a big group together to watch the Windy City Rollers in action. We stayed for the 2 bouts (games). Coty played in the second bout, and it was a real nailbiter! Most of the bouts I've watched are pretty lopsided in points after a while, but this one was close until the very end. The Manic Attackers did win, and we all celebrated at the Derby After Party. My friends all had a great time, and really liked experiencing something new in Chicago. 

So if you're looking for new birthday party ideas, or just want to get friends together and try something new, check out roller derby. If you're new to the roller derby scene, do a quick online search for a team or organization in your area. 

Thanks again to Polly for the opportunity to do this guest blog post! Hope you have a great birthday month :)

- Stephanie (and if I ever try out for a roller derby team, Deathanie Killy, haha.)

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I met Stephanie when we were partnered up in the Strumpets Crumpets Valentine's Craft Swap! She has an awesome Etsy Shop you can check out here!

Wednesday Wisdom

And now I am 30

I woke up this morning and remembered I am 30! Still seems so crazy... as a kid 30 sounded ancient to me - and now I am 30. I had a great birthday though,  got spoilt with lots of lovely gifts - a new mannequin (an adjustable sized one too!), a table top easel, smellies, and cakes, and chocolate, and owl things!!

lots of gifts (and 2 cute girls who snuck in!! Lola got her ears pieced yesterday)

 We went out for drinks and lunch AND for dinner to Nando's - no cooking for me on my birthday LOL It was nice - a quiet day, but perfect - spent with my 4 favourite people :) And I was thrilled to be able to wear my new Skyline Fever tunic top and Violet Bella necklace that were gifts from my Mum :)

There are still 2 guest posts left to come, and on Friday I'll post my '30 Things' list :) Now I'm off to eat more cake ;-)  

AND YOU CAN SAVE 25% OFF EVERYTTHING WITH COUPON PARTYTIME UNTIL 1ST APRIL IN MY SHOP!!!!!

oh...and I posted the winners of my Birthday Giveaway yesterday - was it you??

Birthday (Party) Giveaway Winners!!!!

I want to thank each and everyone of you who entered :) 

Thanks for joining in my birthday celebrations!

Time to announce some winners!

And the winners are:

Prize #1

Steffani from Iffy Inklings

 Prize #2

Lesli


Prize #3

Melanie R

Prize #4

 Steph Cortes

Congratulations ladies!!! Please email me so I can send out your prizes :)

And for everyone else - coupon PARTYTIME gives you 25% off EVERYTHING in my Etsy Shop until the 1st April!

Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Laura from Violet Bella

Hey guys, this is Laura from Violet Bella.  I just wanted to share one of my most memorable birthday gifts from my adult years.  This was actually a gift given to myself, which sometimes can be the best kind!  I had the most special dress made for me by the ever talented Shauna of Poor Pitiful Pearl.  I sent her all of the fabric scraps to use in it.  All pieces from my childhood clothing, scraps my mother had saved of very special material, even pieces from one of my dad's old carpentry work shirts!  Talk about special energy going into a piece of handmade clothing.  It is so full of love and memories.  You can watch my silly little video I made of  it here.

Big Happy birthday wishes to Polly!  She is one of the sweetest hippest mommas out there!

Peace and Love,
Laura

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Laura is the amazing lady behind Violet Bella. I love her blog - full of inspiration, crafts, her beautiful home and pets and of course the fantastic clothes, jewelry and art that she makes. Check out her blog, her etsy shops here and here and her husbands etsy shop Skyline Fever.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Wasn't I cute??! Quite scary that that picture was taken 28 years ago!!!! And that I am 30 today?

At the start of the year, the idea of turning 30 seemed quite daunting. No more being a twenty-something, in my head 30 always sounded so 'grown-up'. But the more I've thought about it, the happier I am to be turning 30. The last year has been quite a ride. I've come a hell of a long way since this time last year, and finally feel after all these years that I am finally who I was meant to be/who  I want to be. That's not to say that my life is perfect, far from it - but I'm happy and content with who I am and where I am right now. I know what I want in life, and I'm on the path to make that all happen.

 

I'm looking forward to a new decade, to many more adventures and lots of love and laughter along the way!

I'm so grateful to all of you who have taken part in my birthday month celebrations! There are 3 more guest posts still to come. I'll be picking the winners for my birthday giveaway later on today. And you have 2 more days to save 25% off everything in my Etsy Shop - just use coupon 'PARTYTIME' at checkout!

Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Katelyn from Peace, Lover and Leener

 

 

Happy Happy Birthday to the lovely Miss Polly. We share birthday months. That makes me smile!
I don't do much for my birthday but I always enjoy myself. As a kid my sisters and I always got to pick our favorite meals for dinner on our birthday and enjoy it all as a family. No huge fanfare party with a ton of kids, just me, my two sisters and my dad and step mom at the time. It was so peaceful. It was also funny to torture my sisters with my meal I would pick for my birthday. Sloppy Joes. I loved them growing up and they HATED (still do) them! Heh heh heh. Then we would do it all over again with my mom when we would go over to her house after or before our birthdays. My mom always made cupcakes in ice cream cones. I love making them occasionally for nostalgic feelings to return.

Most girls get sad when they start to get older but honestly, I can't wait to see what is in store for the rest of my life at any age! I embrace getting older. Each wrinkle and grey hair each year brings me is just so fun and exciting to me.

Happy 30th Polly! Enjoy it!

Peace and Love.

Katelyn

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Katelyn blogs over at Peace, Love and Leener about life and her adorable daughter Leena. She also runs a fantastic Etsy Shop

Living Life Your Way.... Interview with Kamika from Searching for Serendipity

 

I've been working hard the last few months at overcoming my fears and following my dreams. So I'm running a series of interview with inspiring people to see what part fear has played in their life and how they've overcome it to live life their way...

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Hey! Tell us a little about yourself: 

 My name is Kami and I am a craftinista chica living in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. I write the blog "Searching for Serendipity" and run an Etsy shop called "Kamika Kraftz". I am happily married to my bestest friend, Ryan, and we live in a crafty house with a big garden. In terms of my blog  I try to keep things real and talk about life, crafts, pregnancy (I’m 6 months!), marriage, music and other things that we all can relate to. I learned last year that the things that make us smile and get us creating are so very VERY good for us. Crafting and blogging became a bit of a life raft for me to be honest, and I soon realized I wasn't alone. So I threw all of my passion into creating/blogging about things that make people smile!

Is the life you lead now, the life you always dreamt of?

Not really, lol! Don’t get me wrong I love my life but I never in a MILLION years thought I would even have kids, let alone be pregnant day dreaming about being a stay at home mom! My husband and I were staunchly anti-kid for a long time. And then one day, I peed on a stick and MY WHOLE WORLD CHANGED! I just knew I was carrying precious cargo and had to protect it with my life, and thankfully my husband felt the same way.  So here I am, counting down the days until my maternity leave begins and I can meet my little “bug”. I also never thought I would pursue my ‘art’ seriously, see I still even have to say it ‘art’....but I am trying and busy creating, sewing, crafting, and hot gluing my days away. Trying not to glue my fingers together in the process.

When You've faced difficulties, what has been your inspiration to keep going? 

My husband. He is my ROCK. My foundation in life and has been for 13 gloriously happy years. He gives me so much strength and support, it honestly blows my mind on a daily basis.

Fear affects us all at some point. What part has fear played in your life and how have you overcome it?

I have some anxiety issues...to be honest I have an anxiety disorder. So if I am not careful and mindful I can literally be CRIPPLED by fear and panic. My (negative) relationship with my mother has caused me a lot of fear, sadly, and embracing new definitions of what family is/can be has helped me shed my fears and let go. I look back on my twenties and realized I lost YEARS of my life to fear. Years that I can never get back. And that made me sad. So I ran away to an ashram and studied yoga, meditation, and mindfulness....and it changed my life! I still have anxiety, always triggered by fear, but I am learning to LET GO! LIVE! LOVE! LAUGH! I may not do yoga as often, but the life lessons on living an authentic life I learned at the Ashram have always stuck with me.

What advice would you offer on following your heart and living your dreams?

I’d go back to the above and tell you to learn to master your fears! Do not let them cripple you, or prevent you from living your truly authentic life. If something in your life is causing you fear, grief, sorrow, or angst....then critically look at it. Acknowledge how it has blocked you on your path to happiness...AND TEAR DOWN THAT BARRIER! Remember, fear is the mind killer (Dune lovers unite lol!)

What do you think are the three most important things you need to lead a happy and radiant life?

LOVE LAUGHTER AND GOOD FOOD!  

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You can find Kamika at her blog, her Etsy Shop, on Facebook and on Twitter

Party Weekend

Monday Monday - and it's a beautiful sunny one too! Hope you all had a great weekend? I had a nice long sleep last night, and feel a little more human today! I stayed up late sewing on Thursday, then my niece came up from London on friday night ready for my birthday party, so we stayed up late again talking and watching old 'Friends'. Add to that a few glasses of wine, a party, another late night and the clocks going forward - and yesterday I felt about 100!!!

But my party - oh it was such fun! It was a great evening, catching up with friends and having a good time. The girls had a few of their friends there, and had a blast - actually I think they had more fun than the grown ups! I was naughty and opened a few presents, but saved the rest until tomorrow! I'll share pictures of them all after tomorrow.

Yesterday was spent lazing around and waiting to go back to bed - I haven't been that tired in ages - and eating lots of cakes. We bought red velvet cupcakes and some chocolate whoopie pies and they were delicious.

Now I've got a ton of jobs to catch up on today - then it's birthday day tomorrow!!!! And I'd best put the finishing touches to my '30 things' list as well! I'll be back later on with a 'Living Life Your Way Interview' and another great Birthday (Party) Guest Post. So for now I'll leave you with some photos from Saturday night!

 

P.S Don't forget today is the last chance to enter my Birthday Giveaway - I will be picking 4 winners tomorrow :)

Saturday Sun

 

We've had  beautiful weather here again all week... it's so nice to be able to wear my sandals and picnic in the park! We've pretty much lived outside the last few days - after a long cold winter the sun is much needed. We bought Lola a new bike this week, so she's been out on that, and Baya is enjoying riding her trike too :)

Most evenings after dinner we've been down to the stream near our house, stretching our legs and seeing the ducks that are nesting there.

I also got my new necklace that I ordered from Ashley - you can see it in the photos above. I ♥♥♥♥ it!

Tonight is my birthday party :) I'm so excited!!! It'll be nice to get dressed up and go out - something that very rarely happens anymore!

I also added a few new pretties to my shop yesterday - and there will be more next week!! Remember you can still save 25% off everything until the end of March - use coupon PARTYTIME at checkout.

And you have until Monday night to enter my Birthday Giveaway as well!!!

p.s if you want to advertise your blog - I still have space for a couple of small sponsors left.

Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Betsy from O Bella

Happy birthday month to my dear friend Polly! I'm Betsy from O Bella Naturals and just love Polly, her writings, her crafty inspiration posts and her lovely family. In celebration of her 30th birthday - I put together a collection of photos of my ultimate birthday celebration. I've never had a huge party for myself, so I've made a pact that for my own 30th birthday in 4 years, I'll throw a celebration just like this. Sending out invitations now - will you join me for the party?

The place. Under a giant Oak tree in a spacious field, plenty of room to run and play.

The decorations. Romantic, sparkly white lights, candlit tables, white, drapy fabric.

The outfit. Something beautiful and free-flowing.

The music. Hand drums and acoustic guitars

Entertainment. Bonfires, star gazing, singing and music

The perfect end. Snuggling with my sweet, little family.  
(This picture is now outdated as we just added another baby girl to our family.)
 1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source

Thank you to Polly for letting me share a few birthday ideas with you all. I hope you have a fantastic birthday and are surrounded by your most precious people. If you've enjoyed my post, come say hello at my space, where I share about natural living, indie business, boho living, organic eating, creating, music, and living free. xo! Betsy


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Thanks Betsy - so grateful that you took the time to write this so soon after Ellie was born! Go visit Betsy at O Bella and say hello!

List 36: Birthday Related Movies

My list this week is birthday related movies, the first being one of my favourite movies ever, starring the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor who died this week. And I LOVE Sixteen Candles so much :)

Do you have a favourite birthday related movie??

 

p.s - there's still time to enter my birthday giveaway!

Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Beth from Deer Little Fawn

Hello Pixie followers! I'm Beth from Deer Little Fawn 

I was so delighted to be asked to be a part of Polly's birthday month here on Pixie Mama! Thanks Polly! I was especially pleased as March is my Birthday month aswell!

I thought I'd share this photo with you. It was taken on my 3rd Birthday. I was a big Donald Duck fan at the time. I had a Donald toy which went everywhere with me for a large part of my childhood (I still own him, he's just a bit battered). I think I must have been pretty darn pleased with that cake. I also like this picture because I'm wearing a fancy party dress! Which if I do say so myself, has a pretty awesome collar!

I hope you have good cake on your birthday too Polly!

Happy Birthday Month!

xBeth

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Beth is the lovely lady behind Deer Little Fawn - her blog is one of my daily visits, for crafty goodness and some visual delights. She also has shops on Etsy and Folksy - make sure you check them out!

And now she is 2!

We had a great day yesterday for Baya's birthday. She was so excited opening all of her presents! Her favourite seemed to be a little dog on a lead - she was so excited when she saw it she was squealing, clapping her hands and dancing around :)

Wew had a few of her friends round in the afternoon. They played pass the parcel, ate lots of party food, did some dancing and played out in our garden. Then after they'd left we headed to Pizza Hut for a birthday dinner. By the time we'd gotten home, all 3 girls (as well as Mummy and Daddy) were exhausted! But I think the birhtdya girl had a great day!

Now we need to rest so we're not tired for my birthday party on Saturday! I can't wait to wear the new dress I bought :) Here's a collage from yesterday:

Don't forget to go enter my BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY

Birthday (Party) Guest Post: Sarah from {Vie Boheme}

The Love Project

{Lovejoy St. Portland, OR}


Thanks for inviting me to be a guest at your celebration, Polly! The space you've created here at Pixie Mama is inspiring, lovely and fun to visit. You've infused it with beauty, and it feels just like a cozy cottage home. Guess what? My birthday is in March too! I've always felt lucky to have been born in the same month that welcomes Spring. It's a hopeful time of year, full of all sorts of secret possibilities and potentials. The faeries come out to play and wishes come true in March. I really believe it.
Today I'm going to share an artistic adventure I took recently. Hopefully it it makes you smile.


A couple weeks ago I began an awesome social art practice called The Love Project. My rules were simple: I would go to the Lovejoy neighborhood in NW Portland--armed with only my camera, some paper, a clipboard and a couple sharpies. My goal was to approach the community and create a collaborative artwork based on one simple question: "How do you show love?"
This is what happened:




At first I was tentative. Before I left my car, it took me some time to summon the courage to complete my task. I mean, I'm a shy girl. I like to give people their personal space. I try not to invade their bubbles. So, I don't often approach strangers. And I definitely don't approach them to ask for their help with an art project about love!

Mainly I worried that no one would want to participate. And I would return home empty handed, feeling embarrassed and sort of rejected.



But, nothing even remotely close to that happened. Thank goodness!


{"We Kiss!!!"}

Instead, the people I approached were super friendly when I asked them if they'd like to participate. They were generous with their time and genuinely interested in being partners in art. These beautiful folks were more than happy to collaborate with me for art's sake (for Love's sake). In fact, I think made their morning sweeter! And, the process of approaching these amazing people in the midst of their days, to ask them about love, did something really profound to me.


{Clockwise from top left: 1. "Creative random gifts and mix tapes. (Go John Cusack!)" 2. "I give BIG hugs" 3. "Nursing" 4. "Kisses. Funny Faces."}

The Love Project empowered me! It opened doors inside my heart that I hadn't even realized I'd shut. How long had they been shut? I suddenly lost all my shyness. I was too interested in learning about my community to think about being embarrassed or to be afraid of rejected. It was like I could fly!
Not everyone who I asked wanted to be part of this collaboration. Often people were too busy. They were on their way to work or maybe they were feeling shy. But the people who DID participate--those lovely lovers!--they more than made up for the folks who couldn't or wouldn't. Such sweet spirits. They're people who believe in both love and art. And they are exactly the kind of people I like to collaborate with.
I'm in awe that with just some sharpies, a camera and some paper, we can engage our communities in ways that are positive and uplifting and loving and joyful.



One little smile makes a whole world of difference!
I show love by doing collaborative art projects with my community.
How do YOU show love?

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What a beautiful project, thanks for sharing Sarah. You can see more of Sarah's photographs at {Vie Boheme}