Winnah!

Thank you everyone for participating in last week's Winning Wednesday contest, where we gave you multiple choice questions for Amanda C., our friendly and willing Frike!

The first person to get the largest amount of questions correct was Jen Carlson, with seven! Congratulations, Jen!

Here are the correct answers:

1) When I have free time, I really like to:
c- crochet

2) My favorite guilty pleasure snack is:
a- chocolate ice cream with potato chips

3) The worst movie or movie series ever made is:
b- The Naked Gun movies

4) Before I fall asleep at night, I have this one final thought:
a- Is my alarm really going off in 5 hours?

5) The most beautiful place I've ever been is:
d- Hawaii

6) Whenever I am sick, I:
c- Love to curl up in bed and sleep

7) The strangest costume I ever wore for Halloween was:
b- a deck of cards

8) My favorite color combination is:
c- Brown & Teal

9) When I procrastinate, the number one thing I put off doing is:
c- cleaning

10) On a scale of one to ten, my love for Cathy's Creations is rated as a:
a- 10 b- 10 c- 10 d- 10 (any were acceptable, naturally!)






This week's contest is going to be another guessing game, although of a different sort!

Please guess the following about our blog! Whoever gives the most correct responses by noon on Wednesday, March 7 will be the winner. Please do not forget that you must either sign in to your blog account or leave a name and/or email address or your entry will not be included in the contest. (If you forget these details, you may edit or reply by noon on Wednesday.)

1) How many total page views as of the writing of this contest?
a- 15,674
b- 30,868
c- 40,642
d- 12,478
e-all of the above for Tom

2) What browser is most commonly used to access our blog?
a- Google Chrome
b- Safari
c- Internet Explorer
d- Firefox
e- all of the above for Tom again

3) Which operating system is used most often to access our blog?
a- iPhone
b- Android
c- Macintosh
d- Windows
e- Tom? all of the above?

4) Our top three page views by country are The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Fourth on this list is:
a- Australia
b- Germany
c- Russia
d- China
e- all of the above for Tom

5) Our blog with the greatest number of hits was written in:
a- 2010
b- 2011
c- 2009
d- 2012
e- all of the above for... yeah, you guessed it...Tom

6) People who view our blog most commonly come to it through:
a- our website
b- Facebook
c- search engines
d- other referrals
e- see all the ones above? yeah... those

7) The most viewed 2012 blog was:
a- Benefit DOTD - Riley's Disney Dream
b- The Totally Unbiased Superbowl Contest (Based in New England)
c- Dooney and Burke Purse Raffle to benefit Aubrey Hope
d- Happiest Frike Memories - Random Giveaway!
e- none of the above (gotcha)

8) We are currently following ____ other blogs.
a- 17
b- 52
c- 4
d- 0
e- all of the below

9) Our total number of comments is:
a- 802
b- 1,356
c- 951
d- 1,983
e- a, b, c and d

10) The month in 2009 where we had our largest number of views was:
a- January
b- November
c- December
d- October
e- all of them... each and every one

Good luck!

Winning Wednesdays- Kickoff! Come play, and win on Wednesday!

In order to be able to win by Wednesday, we are posting today! These are the questions and answers about a Frike, Amanda C.! Please pick what you believe is the correct answer for each and reply in comments. The first person to have the most correct guesses wins! We will of course announce our first winner on Wednesday.

If you comment below, please be sure to include your name or email address so we can verify the winner! Also, please let us know if this contest was fun and if you want us to continue to do this theme for awhile or if you'd like some variety!



1) When I have free time, I really like to:

a- stalk celebrities
b- rearrange my pantry by dates on the packages
c- crochet
d- shave skunks

2) My favorite guilty pleasure snack is:

a- chocolate ice cream with potato chips
b- grilled cheese with extra cheese
c- an almond Hersheys bar
d- loaded nachos

3) The worst movie or movie series ever made is:

a- The Twilight saga
b- The Naked Gun movies
c- Police Academy
d- The Gods Must Be Crazy

4) Before I fall asleep at night, I have this one final thought:

a- Is my alarm really going off in 5 hours?
b- I think I forgot something important...
c- Tomorrow night I am definitely going to bed earlier.
d- I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

5) The most beautiful place I've ever been is:

a- Alaska
b- Japan
c- Mexico
d- Hawaii

6) Whenever I am sick, I:

a- Lay on the couch and watch TV
b- Get really whiny
c- Love to curl up in bed and sleep
d- Spend my time thinking back to the places or people I caught it from

7) The strangest costume I ever wore for Halloween was:

a- a rabid monkey
b- a deck of cards
c- a zombie school teacher
d- a certified letter

8) My favorite color combination is:

a- Black & Red
b- Yellow & Gray
c- Brown & Teal
d- Pink & Brown

9) When I procrastinate, the number one thing I put off doing is:

a- grocery shopping
b- taking out the trash
c- cleaning
d- shaving

10) On a scale of one to ten, my love for Cathy's Creations is rated as a:

a- 10
b- 10
c- 10
d- 10

Winning Wednesdays!

As if "hump day" didn't sound exciting enough, we are going to be offering all of you a chance to win something every Wednesday! This is how it will work:

-Each Wednesday we will introduce a contest, challenge or trivia.

-Participants will have until the following Wednesday at 12 a.m. to enter to win.

-A contest winner will be announced at the top of the new Wednesday blog.

-A new contest will immediately follow!


Here are the rules:

-One entry per contest, unless the contest rules specify otherwise.

-Please leave your full name or email address when entering contests so we know who has won.


To kick this off, we'd like to resurrect a fabulous idea from the past. In 2010, we had a fun contest to cheer up a Frike whose return to work after maternity leave had left her feeling glum. You can view this contest here! We would love to do something similar to this again, both to allow you a chance to win and also to get to know each other a little better. If you would be willing to participate in the Q&A portion of this contest, please let us know by volunteering below!

We will choose someone who volunteers below to "interview" and contact them via email to find out more about them. Then we will pick the first responder with the largest number of correct responses as the winner and announce, along with a new contest! If this contest is a big hit, we may revisit it again, or we might come up with something new every week and not repeat- what do you prefer? Let us know!

Please comment below if you wish to volunteer to be a participant! We can't wait to see who wins!

What It's Like To Work For Cathy's Creations (from the perspective of the humble blogger)

Writing a blog for a small business like Cathy's Creations doesn't generally lend itself to any sort of "about me"-type scenarios, but today I was given free reign to write about a subject of my choice to share with you all, and I really feel like I need to share what it feels like to work for such an astounding business venture.

I have had a few jobs in my life... mostly short-lived retail stints, between trying to pay the bills and juggle (and afford) full time parenting. Right now I am in college and am very privileged to have been offered a position here blogging for Cathy. Not just because of the extra income for my family, but because of the experience of having a job that matters.

Not many people can probably say they feel like their job is rewarding. As a stay at home mother in college, I certainly wasn't expecting to take on something else right now, whether needed or not. But working for a business that has, in my short time here, and in many months before that, done so much for so many has really opened my eyes.

I have been on Facebook for a few years now, and I have never seen such a loving and dedicated community of people on a business site as I do among the Frikes. Whether banding together for the family of a sick child going through unimaginable stress and horrors, or scraping up their own extra funds in the most financially draining time of the year to make sure that families in need had food, warmth, and shelter, you have AMAZED me. If anyone had told me that bracelets would make me feel like more of a humanitarian, I would not have believed them... but now I do. I have written blogs to inspire aid for those whose children are literally on death's door and sat here with tears in my eyes as I have seen the link to that blog be shared, the fundraising money going up and up, the changes being made in the lives of a total stranger who just needs something, anything, and knows we are there for him. It is a feeling money can't buy, it is a payment greater than anything I could see tallying up in my bank account, and it is a reward that inspires me not to wait for the next moment I am called upon, but to do more whenever I can.

I believe a blessed person is not a person who has everything they could want but someone who feels lucky for what they already have, and I believe our Frikes understand that. To see others give away their cause jewelry to someone having a harder time than they are, to watch Frikes randomly buy one another a bracelet out of kindness and wanting to spread a little cheer (someone even bought one for me once, totally unexpectedly!), to hear that people have paid twice as much for a Deal of the Day item just because there is a good cause behind it, to witness those going through their own battles in life reach out to another and give, give, give when almost anyone else would be unable to even function... refreshes my belief that we are not doomed after all. With all of the negativity in the world, we have people who understand that five dollars can change a life, or that a bracelet given out of love can make a difference in someone's day, or that words and love and prayer can be the only thing they have to give and the only thing someone truly needs. I am humbled.

To work for someone as incredible as Cathy has been a privilege. Cathy doesn't do well with the recognition... I know her well enough to know that just sharing the love is good enough for her. But Cathy, thank you. For your kindness, generosity, your late night auto-corrected non-sensical texts that test my ability to translate the English language, your friendship, and most of all, for this job, which has shown me a side of the world that not everyone gets to see... The compassionate, loving, caring, hopeful side of the world that we miss out on if we don't learn to appreciate the little things.

Thank you to Leah and Mallory, the talented women who, along with Cathy, create the gorgeous bracelets, charms, and other fantastic and creative items you buy. Without their hard work and dedication to Cathy's Creations, these fundraisers would never be possible.

And last but not least, thank you to YOU, the Frikes, for being there for one another, for sharing your unending support, laughter, tears, and love. You have all inspired me to continue to care about what I do. You have shared the blogs that I have written and spread the word to the world that there are people who need them. You have brought people to the page to expand the efforts of the business and help reach as many helping hands as possible, and to encourage those who need help to seek it. You have given what you can, when you can, and it has always been enough. You are so appreciated! Thank you for being who you are, and by doing so, improving who I am.

You are all proof that a bracelet can change the world.

Random Acts of Kindness Week

It's Random Acts of Kindness Week! Now that's our kind of week. We are all about some random acts of loving and kindness. Our Frikes practically embody the idea of generosity and giving! So here are some ideas for you to help promote this totally awesome week!

Bring in the mail for an elderly neighbor.

Shovel or plow the driveway of someone on your street.

Bring ginger ale or popsicles over to the house of a sick friend.

Babysit for no charge for a couple so they can enjoy some alone time on Valentine's Day.

Make a play date with a mom you don't know during vacation. Reaching out to others can make us feel good, even if it's uncomfortable at first, and you might make a new friend!

Leave a candy or a Valentine's Day/thank you card in your mailbox for your mail delivery person.

Bring a cup of hot chocolate to a receptionist at an appointment you have this week.

Put your spare change into a donation box at a register instead of pocketing it. Even a few pennies here and there can add up!

Bake a cake or cookies for someone who is lonely or needs a pick-me-up.

Order pizza for dinner for a busy friend who needs a break from cooking for an evening.

Offer to carpool or give rides to a friend's children this week. Maybe it will become a helpful routine for both parties!

Do a chore or favor for your spouse or partner that you normally do not do.

Call someone you haven't talked to in a long time to tell them you are thinking of them.

Bring a friend their favorite snack food or take them out to lunch.

Treat a single friend to a manicure or another girly pick-me-up on Valentine's Day.

When driving, let someone else merge into traffic.

Read books to children at a children's hospital.

Leave quarters in some machines at the store so a little kid can find them and buy something.

Put a cart back in the cart corral at the store when someone has left it in the parking lot.

Bring your own cart back as well.

Donate unwanted items to a local charity.

Buy toys at the dollar store and make goodie bags. Donate them to your local emergency services, so they can hand them off to children in a crisis.

Hold the door open for the person behind you, even if it's chilly!

If you have the funds, pick up the dinner check for an elderly couple eating out at a restaurant.

Buy baby supplies and donate them to a food cupboard- baby food, diapers, wipes, etc.

Donate a small amount of money to a local oil company and ask them to apply it to a delinquent bill for another customer.

Buy flowers for a community service leader who you feel doesn't get enough recognition.

Go through your children's old items and donate any good books, coloring books, art supplies, or gently used clothing to the local school.

Visit a nursing home with homemade cards for the residents. Take your time and say hello to everyone, reminding yourself that some of the people there have no company.

Donate gently used board games, left over art project materials, puzzles, and audio books to a nursing home.

Make a status on Facebook honoring a friend or loved one to give them a pick me up.

Compliment a stranger (but make sure you mean what you say!)

Make eye contact and smile at someone you don't know at a store.

Mail a postcard, letter, or photo to someone who lives far away.

Help an unemployed friend or family member look for a job or spice up their resume. Job hunting is very tiring and overwhelming.

Forgive someone who has hurt you in the past. This is just as freeing for you as it is for them. If you're not comfortable telling them, keep it to yourself.

Write a letter for your children or grandchildren to read in the distant future. You can surprise someone randomly years from now with a personalized letter meant just for them!

Visit the Humane Society and play with the pets. Random acts of kindness can be appreciated by all living creatures!

Pick up litter on your road. Involve your children and talk to them about community responsibility.

Say something encouraging to a friend who has been struggling with something like weight loss or overcoming an addiction. Encourage them to keep going and let them know you notice their hard work and progress!

Buy a few inexpensive staples and give them to a homeless person. Bread, fruit, cheese, deli meat, etc. can all make a big difference to a person who is living without a balanced diet.

Visit someone who can't go far. Many stay at home moms are often excluded from activities or can't afford to take their kids out regularly. Going to their home to visit them is easier for them!

Buy an iTunes card for a friend who appreciates good music.

Support a cause close to a loved one's heart, or help spread awareness to others.

Use social networking sites to promote a small business a friend has started.

Deliver flowers to the cancer ward of the hospital and ask the receptionist to have them delivered to a patient who comes to treatments alone or has had an exceptionally hard time lately. Sign the card anonymously.

Take a friend out for lunch and foot the bill.

Throw a surprise party for a friend or loved one to celebrate a recent accomplishment or exciting news.

Help a parent in the store when their child is having a tantrum or simply if they look tired/worn down.

Drop $5 in a parking lot or on the side walk and don't look back. Let a random person come across it!

There are many little things we can do every day to share a legacy of caring and sharing. Don't limit yourself to just this one week! Please tell us in the comments section ways that people have helped you before that has made your day a little brighter.

Welcome all new Frikes! We have a surprise...

We love waking up in the morning to new Frikes! (If you're new, you'll want to know this: you're a Frike if you added our page to your Facebook by clicking "like"- this means you are a friend/like!) Wow, have our numbers been jumping lately. Hopefully due to lots of exciting and encouraging new projects we are currently part of, since we feel really passionate about these endeavors as well! We hope that you all feel right at home here with us at Cathy's Creations! Please feel free to look around; there is always more to learn about us and what we do.

One of the things we would like to think we are really good at is welcoming new Frikes and surprising our loyal friends with giveaways. So, in honor of the fact that we have been privileged to add even more lovely Frikes to our page, we would like to announce a random giveaway winner right now! We will be giving away a personalized chainmaille charm bracelet to:

Lisa L. Zonghi

Congratulations, Lisa! Please email us to claim your prize!

Thank you for helping us reach our goals!

Oops! We missed it...

Because we've been so busy lately, we haven't paid much attention to the number climbing to the left of our fan page! But we did it, thanks to YOU! We have now reached, and SURPASSED, our ultimate goal of 3,300 Frikes! We are now at a whopping 3,353! Wow!!!

What this means is that it is time to give away another chainmaille bracelet! Please go here to see the final contest winner for this promotion!!! (Let's see how long it takes us to get 4,000 Frikes!)

We also asked you to help us reach this goal by Valentine's Day to show us the love. You did it! What this means for you is yet another giveaway!

So make sure to check back with us on February 14th for two major giveaway announcements- don't forget we are still running a contest to give away four Olive Garden gift cards worth $25 each!

Do you feel the love yet, Frikes? We sure do! Thank you!

Olive Garden Gift Card Giveaway!

Often, we realize that life is passing us by and that if we only had a little more energy, time, or money, we could do special things with those that we love the most. But with work, school, raising children, taking care of a home, and our many other tiresome and time-consuming daily tasks, it sometimes seems we can't find a way to make it all work out. Sometimes, though, all we need is a little encouragement to get us back on track. At Cathy's Creations, we think that one of the most important things we can do with someone we love is relax and enjoy some good food (and maybe a little wine?)

So... we are giving away $25 gift cards to Olive Garden to four lucky winners! And this time, you can win one for yourself!

What we want to know is why you want to win, and who you would bring with you. Maybe you and your son or daughter need some time together. Maybe you want to take your mother or father out to lunch and reminisce. Is it your brother or sister's birthday soon? Does your spouse or partner deserve a night on the town? Or perhaps a best friend would like a girl's day out. No matter what the occasion or why you want a card, you can tell us and enter to win!

To enter this contest, in the comments below, share with us who you'd bring and why. PLEASE do not forget to include either a full name (first and last) or an email address, or sign in to your Blogger account. This helps us verify the winners!

This contest will run for a week, which means that we will be selecting our winners on Valentine's Day! (Just so you don't forget that we love you.)

Good luck everyone!



-----

We decided to announce the winners early,
in hopes that you may get your cards by Valentine's Day!

The winners are:

Heidi Bernabucci (as nominated by Heidi Slattery)
Tom
Mary Gauvin
Judy Neyman

Congratulations!!!

Superbowl Contest Winners Announced!

Great game last night! Phew, it's a good thing we host totally unbiased contests. We'd really hate to have to sit here and admit anything about preferences and another team winning against ours. We're smart like that.

What a wonderful amount of participation from our Frikes on our Superbowl contest! Just like last night, I'm sure you are anxious to know the winners, so here you go!

There were two winners who were spot on with their prediction of Giants by 4:

Amanda and AshleeB!

Great job, ladies!

Here are the following 8 closest winners without going over (identified by the information that was left, if we don't have a definite name!):

Lisa Miller - Giants by 3

Amy - Giants by 3

michelecarrier@gmail.com - Giants by 3

Peppy- Giants by 3

Rose- Giants by 3

Chelsea Pokrzywinski- Giants by 3

Nancy- Giants by 2

ana.rucker@gmail.com- Giants by 2


Winners: please contact us with your address so we can send out the prizes!

Please, with all contests, leave enough information for us to use to verify that you are the winner. This means leaving an email address, a full name, or signing in to your Blogger account.

Thank you, and congratulations to all winners!!!

Dooney and Burke Purse Raffle to benefit Aubrey Hope

Meet Aubrey Hope. This sweet little girl was born on August 15, 2011 at only 31 weeks gestation. Immediately after birth, she was lifelined to Riley Hospital for children, where she spent almost three months in the NICU.

Aubrey was diagnosed with VACTERL association after birth. VACTERL association is a non-random set of birth defects whose presentation may be unique but where all of the symptoms are linked. The acronym stands for the different areas affected by the disease, with noticeable affected areas in the vertebrae, anus, cardiovascular system, tracheo-esophageal fistula, renal defects, and limb defects. Many babies diagnosed with VACTERL association have difficulty growing and gaining weight, but typically develop normally and with normal intelligence. A diagnosis is made if at least three of the seven defects are presesnt in infancy. Only about 16 out of every 100,000 live births present with VACTERL association.
Aubrey was also born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect, with severe pulmonary stenosis, scoliosis, hemivertebrae, bilateral clubfoot, and missing ribs. She was also born with contracted lower limbs, resulting in a diagnosis of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. Additionally, Aubrey suffers from severe reflux and mild chronic lung disease.

Suffice it to say she had a rough start. At five weeks of age, Aubrey had surgery to place a Blalock-Taussig shunt, but within a week the shunt had closed. For several days, Aubrey was intubated on Heparin while doctors planned the next move. Her parents write, "On October 4th, Aubrey was taken to the cath lab where two stents were placed in her right ventricular outflow tract. Several days later Aubrey failed an extubation and was taken to the OR again for a bronchoscopy and ended up having a supraglottoplasty. The following week Aubrey had a gastrostomy to place a G-tube. She came home in November with a G-tube and on oxygen. At home she's flourished and made it clear she's the boss of our house."

Recently, her parents learned that Aubrey may have a rare clotting disorder, Factor V Leiden. This is not good news for Aubrey, since she is outgrowing her stents and will need reparative surgery on her heart. Her parents and hospital staff have decided it is best for Aubrey to be sent to Boston's Children's Hospital for her high-risk surgery, which is scheduled for February 14th. Aubrey will also soon need spinal surgery in Boston sometime after her heart surgery, due to a rapid progression in her scoliosis.

To help aid Aubrey's family with overwhelming travel, living, and medical expenses, we are holding a purse raffle fundraiser with proceeds to benefit Aubrey's family during this difficult time.

We are accepting payments of $10 per entry into a raffle for this new Dooney and Burke Disney purse (the one available for raffle is pink- retail value +/- $155.00):



Payments should be sent through Paypal to cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com. The subject line must say "Aubrey." Please send your money as a gift, to avoid expensive fees (and because it is a gift! Thank you!!) All payments in increments of $10 will buy you additional entries into the raffle, which will be held Monday. There is no limit to the amount of tickets you can buy! So, for example, if you gifted $50.00, you would be entered into the raffle five times. Additionally, there is an Aubrey Hope Pendant available for sale through our website, with proceeds directed to the same cause, for those who would prefer to purchase the jewelry.

In comments below, please feel free to share love, support, and positive thoughts and prayers for Aubrey and her family during their difficult time.

Thank you!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The winner of the purse raffle is:

Leslie Ann Clark

Total amount raised:

$300.00

Thank you!!!

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Month - Fundraiser and Contest

When you think of February, you probably think of love and hearts. Which is precisely why February is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Month. Heart defects are the single most common birth defect. About 10% of newborns are born with a CHD. This means that roughly 40,000 children and families are affected each year by this horrible condition. Every day, 87 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect.

Only one percent of all funding from the National Institute of Health is distributed toward pediatric research, which means that less than one cent per dollar is able to be donated to this specific cause. Independent donations and fundraisers are fundamental in impacting the future of congenital heart defects.

Not only is funding important, but awareness can help encourage people to become an organ donor, or to make blood donations whenever possible. Every three seconds in the United States, someone requires donated blood. Often these are patients undergoing heart surgeries, including children born with congenital heart defects.

It is also important for the families of a child suffering with a congenital heart defect to know that they have support. Whether the outcome is blessedly resolved easily, or sorrowful, each family has a unique but common struggle.

It has been especially important for us here at Cathy's Creations to encourage parents to feel loved and supported through their difficulties because we are aware of, and friends with, so many people whose children are struggling or have lost a difficult battle with congenital heart defects.

Among them is an infant named Emily, who lost her battle at the painfully short age of only ten days old. Born in May 2010, Emily was diagnosed with a heart murmur. At two days old, during a routine exam on the murmur, it was discovered that Emily suffered from HLHS, or Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a condition in which the left side of the heart stops developing early in the pregnancy, sometime between seven and twelve weeks gestation. Desperate measures were taken to save her life, but her heart could not handle the stress. At just over a week old, Emily passed away. Emily's Heart Bracelet, and more details of her amazing story, are available on our website.

Chloe, born in 2004, shares a similar and heartbreaking story. Born with the same devastating condition, Chloe also lost her life despite a team of doctors prepared to assist in any way possible. Her parents have since created the Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund, which promotes awareness for CHD and also helps to raise money in order to provide funding for research in pediatric congenital heart defects.

In order to promote awareness of CHD, and to help this extremely under-funded cause, we would like to ask you to participate in a donation-based random drawing for our CHD Awareness Bracelet:

(This bracelet is available for purchase with proceeds to be donated to the same cause that will be supported by this contest.)

In order to enter to win, we ask that you make a donation in any amount you are comfortable with, whether it be a dollar or significantly more, to this Paypal address: cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com. In order to achieve as large of an impact as possible, and to give everyone a chance to contribute to this worthwhile cause, we are running this contest for the month of February and will draw a winner on March 1, 2012.

Donations that exceed $50 will receive two entries into the contest.

All of the money raised will support Hope 4 Tiny Hearts, the Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund. This is our second year participating in a fund raising activity for this cause, and last year we raised $2500.00! This amount was donated in full to the Cardiopulmonary Research Science and Technology Institute.

Our goal this year is to meet or exceed this amount.

Please consider a charitable donation for this worthy cause. While we are drawing a bracelet winner on March 1st, we are aware that anyone and everyone who can spread the word, share this blog, and donate anything from a moment of their time, to dollar from their pocket, are the true winners. We appreciate the love, generosity, and unconditional support from everyone willing to participate.

In the comments section, we invite you to share a story or name of someone you know who is affected by a congenital heart disease. Please also feel free to share if you have donated your money with this person in mind.

Thank you!