Blogger Meetup Recap + A Giveaway!

*UPDATE* The giveaway has been extended through Wednesday, 9/18 for...reasons. A winner will be announced Thursday, 9/19. May the odds be ever in your favor.

A few weeks ago (geez, has it been that long already?) I went to another AZ Blogger Meetup party thingamabob. David stayed home with the girls and I had a perfectly splendid evening out.

For one thing, the party was held at this little boutique off of Ray and I-10 called Clothes Minded. The store's owner Kim was such a gracious host, and the store itself is awesome. Great clothes, pretty accessories, artwork by local artists...I was smitten. I didn't want to browse the merchandise too much (still in the middle of my spending fast, you know) but believe me, I was tempted!

For another, there were treats. Cute ones. Almost too cute to eat. Almost. Me being me, you know I only hesitated for about a second before downing this li'l guy.

This is, incidentally, the only photo I took the whole night. I'm a terrible blogger.

For a third, the presentations were great.

Ashley LeMieux of The Shine Project talked about using blogging as a platform for making a difference...and if anyone knows about that, it's her. She's busy helping inner city high school students learn leadership skills and civic responsibility, then helping them raise money to attend college so they can eventually go out and make the world a better place. Good stuff, that. I'm feeling inspired to do some stuff that I've put on the back burner for a couple years now. No time like the present!

After Ashely spoke to us, we got to preview a local clothing designer's fall line (can't remember the name though! Alas!) which included, among other rad things, a gold leather cardigan. Let me repeat myself. Gold. Leather. Cardigan.

Seriously.

A bunch of us skipped out early and went to dinner (which was honestly the best part of the night because, oh, I love these women so much!) but I can't wait to go back and do some actual shopping. Did I mention the gold leather cardigan? I mean, come on.

Photo ganked from Ali (who is behind the camera). L to R across the back: Chrissy, Lydia, me, Allora, Camille, Hope, Siri, Karly, and Ashley (who is down in front)

Which brings me to the giveaway: Clothes Minded gave me a $25 gift card to give to one of my readers! THAT'S YOU!

Since I know many of you are not local, and since I sincerely want to keep the gift card all to myself, I'm making this a choose your own adventure type giveaway. The winner has a few options:

1) Take the card. If you live here, or plan to visit in the near future, it's all yours, no strings attached.

2) Have me use the card on your behalf. I will go to Clothes Minded, find something I think you'd love, buy it for you, and send it in the mail. Your budget is $25, of course, but I'll take care of shipping fees. Because I love you.

3) Pick an equivalent prize. Like I said, I would keep this card if it weren't earmarked for you. But if you don't want it, I'll use it for myself and send you something else. Like a $25 picture frame with one of my photos in it, or $25 worth of Sour Patch Kids, or a $25 cake plate, or...oh, the possibilities are endless, really.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post sometime between now and Monday, September 16th, telling me which option you would choose. A winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday.

Good luck!

*REPEATED UPDATE* The giveaway has been extended through Wednesday, 9/18 for...reasons. A winner will be announced Thursday, 9/19. May the odds be ever in your favor.