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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romey turns 9.

 

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words can't even touch how i feel about my first baby, roman, turing 9 years old today. when he was born, i was practically a baby myself and how lucky i am now to have grown through these years with him by my side. i call him "moon" and he calls me his "star" and it's a universe that i'm pretty damn proud to be a part of. 

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just some words i shared on instagram on roman's birthday 12/6 

during his birthday week i tearfully went through these old photos of him, thinking deeply about this beautiful boy and what he means to me.

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happy 9th birthday romey, i can't wait to see what another year brings. <3

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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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middle of nowhere, nebraska.

 (Fall Road Trip, 2015)

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I was pretty elated honestly to find this perfect junkyard / corn field behind our hotel in the middle of nowhere, Nebraksa last fall. These are the settings that photographers' dreams are made of. I finally found time to edit these and I have to share because they are my absolute favorite kind of photos: adventuring with my little boys and chasing them around in the setting golden light.

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giving the gift of art / with Chalkola.

* I was compensated for this post and received these products free of charge. 
All words + opinions expressed are my own. 

Thanks for supporting my family by reading along; I truly appreciate it!*

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My kids are really into art right now. They've always been little artists but they definitely go through phases. I was so excited when Chalkola wanted to partner with my blog because I knew their chalk markers would make a perfect birthday present for Roman! His birthday is coming up in December and I always have to get creative to think up enough presents to cover birthday and Christmas for him! I loved the packaging of the Chalkola markers and I thought it was be neat to get Roman something a little different to add to his art collection.

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Asher and I did this super secret photoshoot while Roman was at school and Ash was pretty pumped that he got to try out Roman's present first. Chalkola sent us their 8 pack of jumbo chalk markers as well as a 10 pack of thinner chalk markers that comes with 6 metallic markers.

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I really had no idea what to expect with the idea of "chalk ink markers." The team at Chalkola let me know that these markers work best on non-porous surfaces such as chalkboards, whiteboards, glass and windows. I picked up a couple little chalkboards and whiteboards at the dollar store for us to use. (You guys, does anyone else love the Dollar Tree?)

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Asher had so much fun trying these out and having a little art time after school. The ink is super bright and it's definitely unique to any craft product I've used. I was not prepared for how messy this would be. For some reason when I heard the word "chalk," I was thinking dry but the ink that comes out of these markers are more of a paint consistency. They are definitely worth the mess but I would not suggest doing this on your carpets as shown here! Next time I will for sure have the boys doing this project on a better surface but hey it's all in the name of pretty blog photos, right?

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Chalkola is currently offering my readers 20% off any order through Amazon with code: 20OFFSTR  

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These markers would make a great Christmas present for your kids who are into art. I think that it's always nice to have some new, fun art supplies stashed away for those horrible cold winter months!

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Have you guys heard of chalk markers? What cool presents are you starting to stash away for your kids this Christmas?

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portraits of ash at 5.

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This little boy... he let me do a little photo shoot of him in exchange 

for an extra piece of Halloween candy. Bribery captured by camera once again. 

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     Asher started Kindergarten this year; his very first year at school. Honestly we have spent the entire last year preparing him for this, easing his mind into this idea of "school," and most importanty the idea of being away from us. This boy has always been our wild little soul; needy, sensitive and sometimes yes, difficult. With the difficulties though have come great rewards; the sweetest and most unique soul, a child who needs me deeply and in turn has made my need for him strong and fierce as well. Words cannot even begin to describe Asher who has been a fiery, wonderful and treasured gift in my life.

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     I honestly didn't know how he'd react to school. I feared that it would be incredibly rough for him. But friends, it has been a dreamy seemless transistion. As with most things in his life; potty training, weaning from breastfeeding, etc... transitions often seem insurrmountable for Asher but out of nowhere he is ready to go all in.

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     Kindergarten at Asher's school is full day but we found out that you can indeed pick your child up before lunch and take them home and you better believe that's what we chose. I don't know why I'm always trying so hard to keep my kids with me every possible minute of the day. In a way it's maybe made motherhood more exhausting and weary but these boys have always been my life's dream so I'll continue hanging on as hard as I can.

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     Asher loves school. He jumps out of bed every morning to pick out his cute little 5T tee shirts and jogger sweatpants. He comes home and sings all the songs and repeats all the cute little rhymes word for word. He brings home a backpack filled with the cutest little crumpled Kindergarten art that makes my heart melt day after day. He's very good at math and is learning to read and write. He was over the moon about Halloween and had by far the scariest costume in the class, his dream come true. He's happy and it looks like he's doing just fine...

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I'm so proud of you, Ash. Thanks for taking me up on that extra piece of candy so that I could capture these moments with pictures and words.

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