Whether you run an ETSY or an online shop...OR if you just want to promote your own blog, this is a great opportunity to get you seen!! Try it out! My blog attracts LOTS of readers from all over the world!
Take advantage of 'one of our lowest advertising rates ever'. If interested, please email me here.
We also have rates for text links if you're interested. Email me for more info!
Why Advertise on Made by Girl ?
Reach thousands of visitors per day
Affordable ad rates compared to other blogs with similar amount of traffic.
Your business can be seen by magazine editors as well as Interior Designers who frequent my blog.
Made by Girl has been featured in many magazines & is always being updated!
Sometimes I'll select & write about a sponsor, not all are selected.
I have links on many blogs which bring in lots of traffic, currently over 280,000 visitors per month.
*(special is 3 months for $150. Button ads must be 120x120 in size- non animated, animated ads are an additional fee. Special valid until the end of this month. )*
Wedding Porn (definition courtesy of Meg/Mrs. Dahlia): Magazines, books, and websites devoted to planning weddings. Typically have elaborate photo galleries. Promotes sense of entitlement and creates need for previously unknown commodities, such as chair diapers. Often promoted by the Wedding Industrial Complex -- businesses, such as florists, dress designers, and banquet halls involved in various aspects of weddings that will often charge more because it is for a wedding.
Today, I have unsubscribed from the following websites:
www.theknot.com www.getmarried.com www.davidsbridal.com www.weddingwire.com www. jcrew.com (where the bridesmaids got their dresses)
Aahhh, freedom!... Well, except for the fact that The Knot signed my up for The Nest, who will probably automatically sign me up for the The Bump in about a year-ish. Wedding, home, baby -- will it ever end?!
The one subscription that I will maintain, at least through Christmas, is my rewards membership at Things Remembered. I really love giving and receiving personalized gifts, and they have some great specials.
Between Things Remembered and Red Envelope, I'm sure that everyone who is important in my life has something with their name on it!
Wedding Porn (definition courtesy of Meg/Mrs. Dahlia): Magazines, books, and websites devoted to planning weddings. Typically have elaborate photo galleries. Promotes sense of entitlement and creates need for previously unknown commodities, such as chair diapers. Often promoted by the Wedding Industrial Complex -- businesses, such as florists, dress designers, and banquet halls involved in various aspects of weddings that will often charge more because it is for a wedding.
As the clock winds down, I'm getting wedding porn less frequently. It hasn't completely stopped but the general flood of mostly useless information has slowed down to a steady trickle of an email here, a postcard there, etc.
However, there has been one piece of mail that I've consistently gotten each month since June. (Remember that we got engaged at the end of April.) I am apparently a new subscriber to Horse Illustrated.
No, that is not a typo. I did not mean Sports Illustrated, I meant Horse Illustrated. You know: the big, galloping, neighing, snorting, smelly, kinda frightening but the stuff most kids' dreams are made of creature.
I cannot think of anything tying me to this magazine, except that I started receiving my subscription at the peak of being inundated with wedding porn from other sources with which I had no obvious connection.
In fact, I've only ridden a horse once. I was 8 years old, and it was an uncomfortable, terrifying experience.
To start off, I had a stubborn, unresponsive horse with a tendency to wander away from the rest of the group, increase his pace from a walk to a trot when I pulled on the reins to slow him down, and urinate often (which was a huge deal breaker for 8-year-old Val).
Next, we were in the woods... winding around a hill... on a narrow path... with a sharp drop that overlooked a stream.
To top it off: my saddle was fastened incorrectly.
I have a bad record with ill-fitting sports equipment. The first -- and only -- time I went skiing, my boots weren't tight, and it was icy. Not only would my skis not slow down regardless of how big of a "pizza" wedge I did, but it hurt when I fell. No soft powder here, just solid, frozen ground. Also, the last time I went rollerskating, one of the wheels kept sticking. Another ugly day of pain, followed by another uglier week of bruises.
But I digress.... Anyway, during the entire hour-long ride with Nightmare Horse on Danger Trail, my body was swaying back and forth precariously on my loose saddle. Of course, since it was my first time on a horse, I had no idea that it wasn't supposed to feel this way.... And overhearing the chastising that the stable manager gave the tour guide when she discovered the error upon our return ("What were you thinking?! She could have been seriously injured. That little girl could have died, Sarah!) only made matters worse.
Needless to say, my Horse Illustrated magazines end up promptly recycled the day that I get them. Although I may try my hand at riding again during our mini-honeymoon, I will not be an equestrian fanatic any time soon.
Once upon a time, a woman only wore an ivory gown when she was... tainted (a "nice" way of saying pregnant, already had children, second marriage, etc.). In fact, it might cause a scandal if a woman otherwise presumed to be virginal wore something besides bright white on her wedding day.
In today's age, it's not uncommon for a bride to wear white to her second wedding, or for a first-time bride to wear ivory. Ivory is a softer color, and it's more flattering to most skin tones than white. All white can actually be quite stark.
Some brides even choose to stroll down the aisle in a white dress with a pop of color -- such as a sash -- that complements the wedding colors. At the extreme, a small but growing number of brides even decide to shock everyone with a bold red dress.
While white may be a sign of purity in the Western world, brighter colors are often the tradition in many Eastern cultures -- symbolizing good luck or future wealth and prosperity. Check out Red Hot Brides for more pictures of women who made the bold choice of wearing a colored dress.
When I was looking for a dress, one of the options that I was leaning toward (and even purchased but returned) was a beautiful ivory lace gown. However, the main reason that I had doubts had nothing to do with the outdated stigma associated with ivory.
The main problem with ivory is that it's just hard to match. Everything about weddings is centered around the color white. From the shirts and spectator shoes that the men in our bridal party are wearing, to the flowers in my bouquet, to the linens on our tables: White takes a co-starring role in most weddings.
Part of me wanted to just wear it anyway. It's close enough, right?
The answer is, "No!"
After talking to my photographer, it turns out that ivory really does show up as dingy when put next to pure white.... And I'm sure that all of my Spelman sisters can agree that the one girl that decided to wear a cream dress for her traditional attire during our first convocation stuck out like a sore thumb.
Me on April 11, 2006 (Class Day) at Spelman in my traditional white dress attire: white dress, flesh-toned stockings, black closed-toe shoes.
In the end, I decided to go with a white wedding dress. Despite all of the unique things that Lu and I are bringing to this wedding, tradition wins on this one.
** Wedding Porn Wednesday: Wedding Gown Style **
Since it is Wedding Porn Wednesday, I would be remiss if I didn't discuss some wedding gown porn. Besides being spammed by all sorts of bridal boutiques, here's some of the better porn that tempted even me:
1) The David's Bridal $99 sale: It lured me into the store twice -- enough said. No, that's not enough because I walked out both times with a great dress. Even though I returned the ivory dress, I was still definitely pleased with my experience.
2) Free Stuff: At some boutiques, they'll offer you free veils, shoes, undergarments, etc. if you buy a dress. Since these accessories can rack up to several hundred dollars purchased separately, it's definitely worth checking out these deals.
3) Running of the Brides at Filene's Basement: The ultimate example of what the wedding industry can do to otherwise normal women. One store + One day + 1700 designer wedding gowns for 70-90% off (i.e. $10,000 dresses selling for $249) + hundreds of "teams" of bridesmaids, moms, etc. = Mayhem!!... But mayhem that's supposed to be really fun. If you're getting married soon, the Chicago event is on Friday, DC's in July 30, and Boston and Cleveland are having their sales at the end of August.
Wedding Porn (definition courtesy of Meg/Mrs. Dahlia): Magazines, books, and websites devoted to planning weddings. Typically have elaborate photo galleries. Promotes sense of entitlement and creates need for previously unknown commodities, such as chair diapers. Often promoted by the Wedding Industrial Complex -- businesses, such as florists, dress designers, and banquet halls involved in various aspects of weddings that will often charge more because it is for a wedding.
I haven't done one of these posts in awhile because all of the wedding porn that I've been getting has been pretty typical: bridal magazines, "free" giveaways, countless catalogs of invitations, wedding party gifts, ceremony/reception decorations, etc.
However, I recently got an advertisement in the mail that didn't go immediately to the recycling bin: a brochure from Sandals. Hmmmm....
Now, I'm a huge fan of the all-inclusive vacation experience and had heard about Sandals resorts before. Beach, pools, entertainment, relaxation, great food, and no worries about pulling out our wallets the entire time.
Lu and I had an amazing vacation when we visited the Valentin Imperial Maya in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for his birthday last year.
Lu and me enjoying our complementary beachside couples' massage in the Riviera Maya.
We were "lucky" enough to plan our vacation during the swine flu scare, so we paid about a third of the usual rate for the five-star, all-inclusive resort. We loved every minute of our time there -- even the night that it rained, and we can't wait to go back to another resort.
....We're just not sure if we want it to be our honeymoon.
Since Lu and I are getting married during the fall, we decided that we're going
to spend our first few days of newlywed bliss exploring the wonders of nature -- and each other -- at a cozy bed and breakfast, probably in Deep Creek Lake, MD or somewhere along Skyline Drive in Virginia. We'll get to relax, Lu
will be able to take some gorgeous pictures, and we can just have some quiet romance before getting back to the PhD grind.
As nice as that will be, we also want to take a more traditional honeymoon when we have time to escape from the world for a week. (Yep, we're getting married during Fall Break and honeymooning during Spring Break. Don't laugh. It's actually pretty common among graduate students.... Okay, you can laugh.)
Back to my original point, Sandals is beautiful and we know that we'd thoroughly enjoy ourselves, but we can go to a beach anytime. Besides, do we really want the cookie-cutter honeymoon experience? Well, maybe.
As exciting as it would be to cruise the Mediterranean, trek through Morocco, or have an eco-friendly honeymoon at a coffee plantation in Costa Rica, we have to weigh the pros and cons and consult our bank accounts.
On the other hand, these next few years will be the only time in our lives where we'll be in our mid-twenties with no children to worry about. Can you really put unfettered fun into a budget??
Wedding Porn (definition courtesy of Meg/Mrs. Dahlia): Magazines, books, and websites devoted to planning weddings. Typically have elaborate photo galleries. Promotes sense of entitlement and creates need for previously unknown commodities, such as chair diapers. Often promoted by the Wedding Industrial Complex -- businesses, such as florists, dress designers, and banquet halls involved in various aspects of weddings that will often charge more because it is for a wedding.
Not all wedding porn is created equal. While the majority of matrimonial smut that I receive comes via email and is fairly obvious (lots of bright colors, catchy titles, and "teaser" article introductions), I have to applaud the creativity of some wedding porn producers for holding my attention for more than two seconds.
These are the types of wedding porn that lure me in the most often: 4. The "Huh?"
Most wedding porn covers the usual suspects -- dress, food, photography, cake, music, etc. However, I always pause when I get an email with something totally unexpected.
Last week, Ann's Bridal Bargains sent me an email with the subject "Save Those Lips for Kissing..." Intrigued, I followed the link to a page on wedding seals and envelope moistener. Yes, someone actually makes envelope moistener!
3. The Free Giveaway
In the last month, you'd be surprised at how my luck has changed. In addition to getting engaged to the man of my dreams, I've been on a winning streak. I've won free make-up, free groceries, free jewelry, free vacations. In fact, I've been so lucky that I've "won" contests that I haven't even entered. Hmmm....
As a graduate student, it's hard to pass up anything free. However, I've learned to ignore any and all phone numbers that I don't recognize.
2. The Quiz
I'm a quiz junkie. I know that quizzes tell me absolutely nothing about who I am or what I should do as an individual. In fact, most of them are predictable, and I don't even fall into the broad categories that the quiz makers have created.
Buuttt, they're fun and harmless... not to mention a great way to procrastinate! Besides, you never know, I might just find out what my perfect honeymoon or wedding day hairstyle should be.
1. The Sale
Never, never, never, EVER pay full price for anything wedding-related. Something is always on sale somewhere. In this last week, I've seen sales on favors, centerpieces, pew bows, bridesmaids gifts, groomsmen gifts, ribbon, tulle -- you name it, there's a promotion for it.
As a bride on a budget, advertisements for sales have become one of the highlights of my day. Sad, I know, but wedding costs add up fast. When I see a sale on cases of mini bottles of apple cider, it's hard to say, "No."
(Although, I am learning how to watch and wait. I wouldn't want Lu to get jealous over my budding relationship with the UPS guy.)
Wedding Porn (definition courtesy of Meg/Mrs. Dahlia): Magazines, books, and websites devoted to planning weddings. Typically have elaborate photo galleries. Promotes sense of entitlement and creates need for previously unknown commodities, such as chair diapers. Often promoted by the Wedding Industrial Complex -- businesses, such as florists, dress designers, and banquet halls involved in various aspects of weddings that will often charge more because it is for a wedding.
In the last week, since my actual engagement, my wedding-related emails have TRIPLED. I get about six wedding-related emails each day from David's Bridal, The Knot, Our Wedding, and a website that's actually called "Get Married." Some companies even have my phone number. No idea how that happened!
Instead of even trying to keep tabs on how many emails I get, I've decided to stick to brochures and letters that come in the mail. This week, we have wedding porn from:
Venues
-- Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA (below) sent a postcard. It didn't have many details, but they emphasized their "excellent service, superb cuisine, and unparalleled attention to detail." Do I hear dollar signs??
-- Weber's Inn in Ann Arbor, MI sent me a nice letter advertising their Grand Ballroom and Atrium Ballroom. They have seating for up to 290 guests, and they provide setup, teardown, dance floor, linens, napkins, tableware, and centerpieces. Not bad for a large, all-in-one wedding... in Michigan. However, ours will be in Maryland.
-- The Homestead in Glen Arbor, MI (below) sent a brochure. I really like this place! They offer three different wedding ceremony and reception sites, and they actually include prices on their website. They're in the moderate price range with upgrade options, and it's right on Lake Michigan and gorgeous!
Flowers
-- Viviano Flower Shop in Ann Arbor, VA sent me a booklet with lots of pretty pictures but no real information, except a promise to make my reception "sparkle." I didn't know that flowers could sparkle....
Stationary -- The Dandelion Patch in Vienna, VA sent a postcard. They've gotten several awards from top bridal magazines and are locally-owned, which is great. I normally don't get excited by invitations and stationary, but it'd be fun to see what they have to offer. I think I'll make a trip here to look at their options when I head back to the DC-area.
Registry -- Aahhh, Williams-Sonoma. Jeremy and I love to cook. Although we don't think that anyone will buy us a $40 spatula for a wedding gift, we both love to dream about the day that we'll have a beautifully-outfitted Williams-Sonoma kitchen. We're certainly going to take up their offer for a private appointment and pray that we don't drool on anything, especially the Giant Donut Cake Pan Set. Yumm....
Wedding Porn (definition courtesy of Meg/Mrs. Dahlia): Magazines, books, and websites devoted to planning weddings. Typically have elaborate photo galleries. Promotes sense of entitlement and creates need for previously unknown commodities, such as chair diapers. Often promoted by the Wedding Industrial Complex -- businesses, such as florists, dress designers, and banquet halls involved in various aspects of weddings that will often charge more because it is for a wedding.
Wednesdays are often a lazy blogging day for me. Starting next week, I've decided to start sharing all of the wedding porn that I've received over the last week. To expand the definition above, I'll also share postcards and mailers that I receive from various companies.
The purpose of this is three-fold:
1) To show you the ridiculous amounts of material that I receive in any given week. There will be some regulars on the list (mostly David's Bridal and The Knot), but I also receive a few to several items each week from random companies.
2) To keep an online record of everything. I don't like to hang on to unnecessary papers or emails, so I trash tons of stuff and make a mental note of the seemingly "good" deals. Unfortunately, those mental notes aren't as reliable as I thought they'd be, so this is a better way to keep track of everything.
As I've always said, I think ad rates for small businesses should be affordable. Any Small biz interested in advertising on MadeByGirl, email me. I am offering you ads on my site at $55. I get many readers, so your bound to get more traffic. It's a good deal at $55/month no? Buttons 120x120 will be currently accepted & will be placed on a first come first serve basis. Email me at Jen@madebygirl.com if interested, thanks! : )
