Alexa Blog Hop 5/31 – 6/6

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Welcome to this week’s Alexa Blog Hop. If you are a new blogger looking increase traffic, decrease your Alexa rank & gain new GFC (Google Friend Connect) followers, please participate!

You will need to install the Alexa Toolbar on your browser if you haven’t already. It only takes a few seconds! there are toolbars for Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox. (a tiny “A” icon that will show up in your toolbar once installed.)

The Alexa Toolbar will let you know your daily Alexa Traffic Rank- which will give you an idea of how your blogging efforts are paying off. You can also use it to check out the Alexa Rank of any website.
e.g. Today Facebook is ranked a 2, Blogger is a 44, Anthropologie is 4,511. Your Alexa Traffic Rank will most likely fluctuate daily and the lower you are the better. (it will help attract paying advertisers!)

here are the rules:
*download the Alexa Toolbar
*add your blog name & URL to the linky list below.
*then, follow any blogs on GFC/Facebook/Twitter that interest you (be sure to leave a friendly comment on their blog letting them know that you are a new follower so they can follow back!) if you are already a follower of their blog, just leave a comment asking them to visit you for the Alexa hop!
*feel free to grab the Spearmint Baby Blog Hop banner & post on your blog to get new people involved. (the more new people the better!)
* please note that i keep this blog hop open all week so you have plenty of time to visit all of the blogs on the list.

Show your BUMP!

I would love to Share my Bump!

We are expecting our first little boy in June and are positively thrilled to begin our family. My pregnancy has been relatively normal, but the one thing that has really made me pause was just how fast it went by. We told our families in November, found out the sex in January, and now its May and we just have a month left! I didn’t have many cravings over the course of my pregnancy, but definitely wanted to eat my growing body weight in dark chocolate. Although, that isn’t much different from how I feel when I’m not pregnant!

You can follow the rest of my pregnancy journey at my blog JT and the Sea and my twitter @horaceandmae.

Thanks so much!!
Jennifer

Are you EXPECTING?  Send up to 5 photo/s of yourself (and your BUMP) to Spearmintbaby@gmail.com.  

Include wks pregnant, boy/girl/team green, 1st/2nd/3rd baby, cravings, and/or something interesting about your pregnancy. We all enjoy reading fun pregnancy details!! If you have a blog, etsy store, or website we’d love to give you some link love!

Photographers, you can participate too! Just be sure that you have permission from clients before sending photos for use on Spearmintbaby.com.

Cardboard Houses

Jenn made these cute cardboard play houses for her kids. LOVE them! & how cool is the neon pink duct tape? Learn how to make your own HERE

photo of the day

My little Evie Wen makes all sorts of funny faces. This was taken when she was 12 days old. She’s now four weeks old. Amazing how little ones grow so quickly. I hope you post!

All the best to you and your family,
Elaine

To share your favorite photo on Spearmintbaby.com email it to spearmintbaby@gmail.com (subject: “Photo of the Day”)

Inspired by Wallpaper

Red Wallpaper by Marcel, Graham & Brown/Baby Mod – Olivia 3-in-1 Baby Crib/polka dot crib sheet/bird pillow/zigzag rug/California roots print/pink sherpa chair/finger puppets/bunny

This week I pretty much fell in LOVE with this Red Wallpaper by Marcel at Graham & Brown. It has a really interesting pattern that would be super cool in a dining room. But what about a nursery? Wouldn’t it be beautiful and unexpected on the accent wall behind the crib?

As soon as I saw the washed out red color of the wallpaper I thought about a modern white crib & black crib sheet. I’ve picked out a black/white (AFFORDABLE) subtle polka dot sheet from guess where….TARGET! My fave place!

I think this room would be perfect for the MODERN girly girl. It would also be easy to transition into a toddler room. For the rest of the details click on the links above.

Fishing Birthday Party

Summer birthday party season has begun, & if you are stuck for a theme I wanted to share this darling “Gone Fishing” party by Spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com.

The party comes as a DIY printable package that you can purchase here. So, you have a HUGE head start on party planning. (cupcake wrappers, food labels, invites, thank you cards, even the “gone fishing” banner is included!) SOOOO fabulous!

P.S. Rexford got his first fishing pole this spring:

photo of the day

Shanna

To share your favorite photo on Spearmintbaby.com email it to spearmintbaby@gmail.com (subject: “Photo of the Day”)

NOVICA

Are you familiar with the online shopping site NOVICA? I discovered it a few weeks ago & was so impressed!

A little bit about NOVICA:
It is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market. Their are thousands of top fair trade corporate gifts, accessories, jewelry and home decor items for sale!

My favorite part of the store is the HOME DECOR section. I really LOVE all of the interesting artwork for sale. Be sure to check out the Elephant Art. The paintings are actually done by elephants. It turns out the elephants LOVE to paint! So cute! By making the elephants’ art accessible, Novica is helping raise funds to support much needed elephant conservation centers. (money goes to such a great cause.)

I’ve put together a collage of some of my favorite things for sale at NOVICA including pretty summer jewelry and some accessories that I am considering for my living room. I also have my eye on a few paintings for my dining room.

Here are a few fun categories for you to start browsing: Silver Charm Bracelets, Amethyst Chandelier Earrings, Sterling Silver Earrings from Peru, Lockets, Silk Fans, Natural Flower Necklaces