$200 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Happy Wednesday! 

Today I am teaming up with a bunch of blogger friends to bring you another great giveaway! Enter to win a $200 Amazon Gift Card!

Good luck!

GIVEAWAY

Use the form to enter below and good luck!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway One lucky winner will be selected at random and contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize before an alternate winner is selected. Open worldwide.

$500 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Happy New Year! 

I'm partnering with some blogger friends to offer you guys a chance to win a $500 Amazon Gift Card! Christmas is over so this giveaway would be a perfect chance to treat yourself to something fun!

There are many ways to enter and I promise that you will find some new really cool bloggers to follow along the way.

Use the form below to enter and good luck!!

$500 AMAZON GIFTCARD GIVEAWAY

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New Year's Giveaway!

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I'm so excited to be hosting my second annual New Year's Giveaway on my blog! 

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     I've had so many amazing opportunities through photography/Instagram/blogging and now my VA business and it wouldn't be possible without all of the wonderful people I've connected with along the way! I love using this end of the year giveaway to give back to one of my followers. 

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     Last year I based the giveaway around some of my favorite companies that I worked with throughout the year and it was mostly geared towards moms + kids. This year, I'm doing an all girls giveaway to celebrate my female followers + friends who have stuck by me this year! I've only partnered with shops that I already followed and absolutely admire on Instagram! I'm actually really jealous putting this together because I want to win everything for myself now... ;)

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The giveaway is taking place on Instagram (so click over and enter there!) but I'm sharing a little bit about each shop involved with you here!

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Planners 4 All

Website // Instagram

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I don't know what it is about paper products and planners but I really never get sick of seeing them come across my Instagram feed! Tiffany is such a sweet gal and one thing that is unique about her planner business is that she also makes planners for kids! I love seeing all of the new, fun + colorful designs that Tiffany comes up with! Planners 4 All is giving away one adult 2017 planner of choice that can be personalized or monogrammed!

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Feather and Wild

Website // Instagram

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I am in loovvve with the hippy-dippy vibe of all of the products at Feather and Wild. I pretty much want everything in their shop. I only recently began to learn the story behind this handprinted clothing shop which consists of a husband and wife team ( and their 5 adorable kiddos )! You can learn more about their story here. Feather and Wild is giving away one of their gorgeous Manifest sweatshirts.

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Sweet Journey Shop

Website // Instagram

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Melanie is the face behind the Sweet Journey Shop and she is also a blogger at Life's Sweet Words and an avid RV traveler! I love Melanie's sweet and adventurous spirit. I still dream of traveling more in my life so she is definitely an inspiration to me! I fell in love with her mugs when I started seeing them pop up on Instagram. Sweet Journey Shop is giving away one "Adventure Fuel" mug. 

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Koala and Rawr Soaps

Website // Instagram

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Koala and Rawr is the cutest shop that creates beautiful soap masterpieces! One neat thing that they offer are custom photo soaps! Wouldn't they make the coolest party favor ever? My favorite though are these pyramid soaps. The best part is that there is jewelry hiding inside! Koala and Rawr is giving away one Triceratops Horn Soap. (with a jewelry surprise inside!)

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Shop Ava to Zoe

Website // Instagram

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I've recently connected with Janette on Instagram and she is a super talented blogger as well as the shop owner behind Shop Ava to Zoe. She creates gorgeous hand stamped leather goods. I love the hip and modern feel behind her shop and I can't wait to see what new products she comes up with this year! Shop Ava to Zoe is giving away two custom hand stamped leather keychains.

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Julia Paris Jewelry

Website // Instagram

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Julia Paris Jewelry creates handcrafted jewelry which she describes as, "minimal and modern with a touch of bohemian chic." I absolutely love her style and all of the gorgeous and timeless pieces she creates! I feel like everyone could find something they love in this shop. Julia Paris Jewelry is giving away a set of silver hexagon rings.

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I'm so excited to gift one of my followers all of these gorgeous prizes!
You all are the best and I'm so thankful that you've stuck around for another year at By Gillian Claire.

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Head over to Instagram to enter to win! Best of luck and best wishes in 2017.

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planning for 2017.

*This post is in partnership with STARTplanner. I only partner with brands that I use and love. Thanks for supporting my family by reading along!*

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The end of 2016 has held some huge transitions for me. The biggest being that I quit my day job and started my own Virtual Assistant business. It's basically my dream job because I'm able to use what I've learned in my  5+ years as a blogger to turn around and help businesses understand the world of Influencers. I get to do fun things like run other social media accounts and establish blogger to business relationships.

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Overall it's been an awesome experience, however making the switch to working from home has definitely been stressful for me. There is so much about this field that I'm having to learn and pick up along the way. Some weeks I've felt like I'm working around the clock which basically, I have been.

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While working from home can seem pretty great on the surface, it also comes with it's own unique set of challenges. I already knew from my work as a professional photographer (and blogger) that time management is something I struggle with. I am pretty much an unorganized hot mess and when it comes to working from home, it can really hold me back.

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One thing that I am excited to do in 2017 is start using a planner again. With my new job, I need  something tangible to keep me better organized. That's why I was so excited when STARTplanner sent me their beautiful Hustle Daily Planner to use next year! This is by far the nicest planner I've ever had my hands on. This planner is thick and each weekday has a full page spread which will be a huge asset to me when I'm planning my work week. The Hustle Planner has all kinds of great extras like a "goals" section where you can create a vision board as well as worksheets to break down your goals into manageable deadlines throughout the year!

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I don't have any set New Year's Resolutions for myself yet, but I am hoping to get off on the right foot simply by getting back to the basics a little bit. I'm hoping this planner will help me organize my days  so that I can be more efficient with my work, have time to hit the gym and keep track of my kids' activities as well!

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STARTplanner is giving away a planner to one of my readers! It's easy to enter. 
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1. Click here to fill out the easy entry form ( I promise it just takes a second! )
2. Head over to my Instagram @bygillianclaire and make sure you are following me + @startplanner
3. Comment on my Instagram planner photo sharing one of your goals for 2017
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I will be announcing the winner on Instagram on Christmas Eve!

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Best wishes for 2017 to you all! 
Any work from home mamas out there that can share some words of wisdom with me?

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portrait of my boys: Belly Sketcher.

*Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to see how you can enter to win your own custom  watercolor painting!*

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I was so honored when Ines from Belly Sketcher contacted me and offered to paint a portrait of my boys! I am so in love with her colorful and whimsical style.  Ines is a former architect who has turned her focus to her true passion: painting. She paints expecting mothers, families and children and is located in Portugal but is working on expanding her business abroad!

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To have a painting of my little boys at this stage of our lives is a gift that I will absolutely treasure forever. I'm amazed at how well she captured my babies; Asher's crazy cowlick in the front and Roman's little round cheeks. This painting feels like a window into my heart, two little boys surrounded by lovely, swirly colors, sharing love with each other and with me everyday.

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I am currently hosting a giveaway on my Instagram featuring some of my favorite companies that I've had the chance to work with through blogging and Ines has generously offered to giveaway a custom watercolor portrait to the winner! Be sure to check out the giveaway: here for a chance to win a treasure like this for yourself!

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Happy Monday, friends!

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( Check out the Belly Sketcher Instgram feed @bellysketcher to see other wonderful artwork! )

*my favorite things: GIVEAWAY!*

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Hello, friends! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday! 

I'm here to share my "favorite things giveaway" that just went live on my Instagram today 

and I hope that you all check it out @bygillianclaire to enter!

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I'm so thankful for the wonderful people that I've had a chance to meet and work with this year through photography/blogging + Instagram! I'm excited to end this year by partnering with 4 of my favorite brands to give one of my followers the chance to win an awesome prize from each!
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Here is what you will receive if you are the lucky winner:
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Custom Watercolor Painting by Ines Pargana of Belly Sketcher

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You guys,  I am completely in love with this painting that Ines did for me. 

I adore her style and she somehow managed to capture Roman and Asher perfectly. I will definitely be doing a post about her company, Belly Sketcher soon. Don't miss out this chance to win your own custom maternity or family portrait! 

This painting will definitely be a lifetime treasure for me!

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Choice of Kid's Tee Shirt from KidTeez
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We have loved working as Brand Reps for KidTeez over this past year. Their site is just filled with adorable shirts to choose from. You can check out a post I did featuring KidTeez a while back: here.
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Framed Instagram Print from Pictli
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Pictli is an awesome app that delivers framed Instagram photos to your door! I loved having the chance to try out Pictli over the summer and have two of my favorite photos framed! I am horrible at actually printing and displaying any photos in my home and this made it so quick and easy!
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Digital Download Print from Fox and Arrows Co.
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Dena is one of my favorite bloggers at Live Love Simple and she has recently opened up a print shop called Fox and Arrows Co. Dena is so talented at everything she does and of course all of her prints are just absolutely lovely. Be sure to check out her new Etsy shop!

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Information on how to enter can be found on my Instagram post: here.

Have a great Monday!

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$150 giveaway!

hey everyone! i'm on a little blogging break but i'm here today with a giveaway that i'm participating in via erica's blog. 

be sure to check out the blogs of some of these awesome ladies who are participating!

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good luck!!

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True Colours

The Phuket Family

Tales of a Young Mama

Momista Beginnings

Comes in Colours

HI & LO

Enjoy Essential

Rachel Boulevard

Foreign Geek

Life of TOI

A Gray Rainbow

A Moving Story

To the Sea

This giveaway is open to anyone with a PayPal account (this is how the money will be sent).

The winning entry will be verified.

The winner will chosen on Mother's Day (May 11th) and be notified via e-mail.

If the winner doesn't respond within three days a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

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