Thanx for Staying

Now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Wednesday marks the 1 year anniversary of this blog. I can't believe I've stuck it out a whole year already! I was never the type of girl who was good at keeping a journal so it has been surprising to me how much I have come to enjoy sharing on here. My friends sometimes ask, "Who reads this thing? Why do you have a blog?" and I really did just start it as a way to keep family and friends back home up to date on what I was doing in Australia and as a record for myself of all the fun times I've had because I have an atrocious memory and would probably forget some of it otherwise.

Since starting the blog, I've made some blogging friends and gained a few readers and I wanted to do something to show my appreciation for you guys so I'm doing two giveaways. Because I am still in California waiting for my De Facto Spouse Visa to be granted, I figured I'd have the theme of the giveaways be Santa Cruz.

With that in mind here is what you can win in giveaway number 1:

I love supporting local artists so I love the whole idea of Etsy. After doing a quick search on Etsy for "Santa Cruz" I came across Nine Red's shop. Jesse makes some really cool shirts that I feel really reflect our area. Not only do his shirts have cool designs, they are also incredibly soft. When I received them in the mail, I contemplated calling the giveaway off and just keeping the shirts for myself! This shirt also comes in red and pink so head on over to his shop to check them out for yourself. I have one shirt in teal, size Medium (unisex) to give away.

Also, if you are a local or plan on travelling to the area, Jesse runs a great blog about all the different bar and restaurant specials that are on in Santa Cruz, too. The site is really easy to use and lets you specify what day of the week you are looking to eat out on and what type of food you'd like to have and then quickly brings up all specials that fit your requirements. As someone on a tight budget, I will definitely be using his site to plan my next night out! Santa Cruz Specials

Along with the shirt you will also win 2 banana slug shaped chocolates from Mackenzies Chocolates. One slug is chocolate and filled with peanut butter and the other is all dark chocolate. The banana slug is the mascot for UC Santa Cruz and real banana slugs can be found living in the redwood forests around here!

Image via mackenzieschocolates.com

Finally, you will also win a bar of Ginger Almond Oatmeal soap from Trader Joe's because I think TJ's exemplifies the California lifestyle, I love it, and my sister works there!

Rules to Enter the Giveaway (Please leave a separate comment for each and make sure you provide me with your email address so I can contact you if you win.)

1. For the first entry you must tell me what your favorite post from this blog has been this year and why.

2. For an extra entry visit the Nine Red Etsy shop and tell me what your favorite item is.

3. For another additional entry, become a follower of Little D Down Under.

4. Finally, for a third additional entry Tweet (or put up a Facebook link) about this giveaway and send me the link of your tweet.

Edited to Add: There is now one additional way to enter: become a follower of Nine Red's blog

This contest is open to the U.S. and Australia and will close on March 17 at 11:59 Pacific Time. After the winner is picked, they will have 3 days to respond before a new winner will be picked.