Beauty. Fashion. Food. Lifestyle.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Happy Birthday to Me! Birthday, Lies and A Winner!

Today Is My Birthday!

Why the hell am I blogging today? LOL Seriously though, I'm truly grateful and glad I can share it with all of you! :)

I came across this "Happy Birthday To Me" pictorial spread on TokyoFashion.com in January. It's a Birthday-for-One fashion editorial and I thought it was SO much fun!

I can't explain why I love it, because I'm truly a minimalist and this is wayyy over the top with stuff. However, it all just seems to come together.

I love the title of the pictorial, her happy birthday tiara, box of krispy creme doughnuts, confetti, cards, balloons, streamers, strawberry shortcake, makeup, party hats, colored hair..OH MYYY! HaHa

To me it's like Alice in Wonderland gone Haywire. LOL Everything I love is meshed together.

The pictorial features Japanese model Hirari Ikeda. The photographer is Kira. Hair and Makeup Artist is Mai Kiyota. Concept is Hirari Ikeda.

Enjoy!!!




 
See the Making of "Happy Birthday to Me"
in the video below:
To see the COMPLETE spread click HERE.

 
Soooo, what's a party without gifts?
I was going to do a giveaway today on my birthday, but a disturbing and serious situation in the last giveaway came up, that made me decide not to (and rather address the problem in this post). 

I'm very disappointed in a blogger that LIED about an entry in Rowena's giveaway. The blogger claimed to have followed Rowena's page on Facebook and her Etsy shop. She did neither! I despise a deceptive person and definitely a liar. 

I work too hard to supply nice products in giveaways for someone to falsify and try to CHEAT other honest bloggers out of a win/prize. For the most part (as do so many others) I use my own money to pay for prizes, that are presented in my giveaways. I supplement the cost of prizes by writing posts for companies (sometimes featured on Fridays) that I believe in and whom want a sponsored post to appear on A Very Sweet Blog. I could keep that money for myself! But instead, I turn that money into a prize for my readers. 

To show you how serious I am about this incident, I've deleted you from my blog roll and will no longer comment or patronize your blog. You may not care, because there are a million blogs out there that can replace me. However, you will remember this post and what I'm saying to you. You messed up! You made a bad decision! In life, I've messed up! I've made bad decisions! No one is perfect! But it's recognizing what you have done and learning from it. Don't hurt people that are nice to you. There are few of us out there. But trust me there are plenty of wolves.


Bad decisions like this affect your CHARACTER. Your character is everything. It's your word. It's how others perceive you. If you fudge on something like this, what else do you fudge on? Break this bad habit NOW!You will only lose in the end and make a bad name for yourself. I'm chewing you out and jumping in your ass publicly because I liked you, valued you as a reader and never want you to do this again. You hurt me and disappointed Rowena. We're not deserving of this. We both forgive you, but want YOU to be a better person than what you showed and thought of us last week. I'm nice, but don't ever try and get over on me. I will not stand for it. Instead of responding to my reader's post tonight, I had to take time out and write this. You have my email and Rowena's if you wish to apologize or talk about this situation.
 

 The winner of the 8x10 print from Rowena's Etsy Shop is... 
Samantha of Style of Sam
Congratulations Samantha! You picked the Mercer print!
I'll be contacting you by email to confirm everything! 


Rowena of Rolala Loves is offering ALL of my readers 
20% Off and Free Shipping
on any order from her shop through 2/27/12
Use the code: AVERYSWEETBLOG
Isn't she a doll? That's very generous! Thank You Rowena!


Ok, it's Mardi Gras time here in New Orleans and it's also my birthday so I'm off to celebrate!
I promise to read your blogs. I haven't forgotten about you, but I had to address the situation above and I've been celebrating my birthday/mardi gras all weekend 
(Mardi Gras ends Tuesday at midnight). 
Everything will be back to normal soon. ((HUG))
SHARE:

62 comments

  1. HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO YOU KIM!! & go party it up, you only have birthdays once a year so go tire yourself out ;DD
    & I totally get what you mean about this spread-- so over the top you can't help but love it haha!!
    So sorry there are unfortunate people on the blogosphere-- & that you have to take the time out of your life to address it, & on your birthday =[ Shame on them for being untruthful!
    We all appreciate your giveaways & blogging & partnerships with awesome people & thanks for always thinking of us!
    xx Corinne
    cateyesandthighhighs.blogspot.com

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  2. Whoop Whoop, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL! I hope you have the sweetest of days and a brilliant year ahead of you!

    Well said in the post, you are nice, generous and caring... I'd hate to have someone take advantage of that!

    Rock on Birthday girl!
    x.o.x.o
    Will remember your b'day now, as Boys was yesterday!

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  3. Happy Birthday doll!! I hope you have the most beautiful of days!! Enjoy it with lots of laughter, peace and fabulous times..I hope all your wishes come true now and always!! It's good to stand up for something you feel is wrong, if you don't, who will then!?! It was a really silly thing to do, just follow the people and that's that, if your not able or willing, don't enter!! Anyways, let that be done and gone and just focus on your special day and Mardi gras, fabulous, I always wanted to go and get some beads, haha!! Enjoy doll and the happiest of bithdays to you..you are a wonderful heart and I am blessed to know you!! xoxoxo

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  4. Happy birthday Kim! Hope you have a fabulous day:)
    ~Anne

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  5. Happy Birthday, Kim! Hope you have a great one! *HUG*

    I'm so sorry to once again hear how mean people there are out there. Because most of the bloggers really realize the trouble that goes with arranging a giveaway. And therefore, will be glad to like & follow sites simply out of respect (and for the awesome prizes, too)

    Have a lovely week! xoxo

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  6. Happy Birthday, Kim! Hope you have a great one! *HUG*

    I'm so sorry to once again hear how mean people there are out there. Because most of the bloggers really realize the trouble that goes with arranging a giveaway. And therefore, will be glad to like & follow sites simply out of respect (and for the awesome prizes, too)

    Have a lovely week! xoxo

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  7. Happy Birthday, Kim! Hope you have a great one! *HUG*

    I'm so sorry to once again hear how mean people there are out there. Because most of the bloggers really realize the trouble that goes with arranging a giveaway. And therefore, will be glad to like & follow sites simply out of respect (and for the awesome prizes, too)

    Have a lovely week! xoxo

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  8. A very Happy Birthday to you, Kim!
    I hope you have an amazing day and year ahead.
    miss b x

    http://missbbobochic.blogspot.com/

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  9. Happy Birthday, Kim, dearie! Hope you'll have a blast!

    Shame on that person. I've held a few giveaways on my blog and for the first few, I used to kindly nudge ppl if they didn't follow the rules, but after a while, I can't be bothered. If they really can't even follow simple rules, I sure as hell am not running around to remind them. Also, every time I pick a winner, I'll check through all their entries. I've had to disqualify a few who were actually lucky enough to be selected BUT they never followed the rules so out they go. Simple as.

    This turned out to be a rant haha sorry

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  10. happy happy birthday to you Kim!!! wish you all the happiness!!! i love reading your blog and pelase continue it :)
    i just give you an award i hope you like it.. check my latest post :)
    take care. xoxo, Haus of Gala

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  11. Happy Birthday Kim!!! I wish you have the most wonderful time today. You deserve nothing less! And I hope you get showered with lots and lots of birthday gifts! lol :P

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  12. happy birthday, kim! hope your day is filled with amazing things!

    congrats to sam! you picked a gorgeous photo. :) i love that photo.

    it is unfortunate that some people say they are following you or... have followed directions with the giveaway, when in fact they didn't. this has happened to me before.

    hope you had a great day!

    xoxo
    jasmine

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  13. Happy birthday, sweet blog friend. What are you doing blogging today?;-) xx

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  14. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A BEAUTIFUL KIND SWEETEST PEACH EVER!

    bump the liars, glad you addressed it, nothing but a hair flip.

    XOXOX HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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  15. Those pix are stinkin' fun!!! xoxo A-

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  16. Happy birthday doll! I hope it's your best year yet :)

    XO
    www.pearlsandpaws.blogspot.com

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  17. Happy, happy birthday to you!!! I hope that it is totally amazing. Forget about the person who lied and just party it up :)
    Sarah
    http://comingunstitched.blogspot.com

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  18. Happy birthday! Hope it's a wonderful one :)

    -Sharon
    The Tiny Heart

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  19. Happy Birthday Kim, may your coconuts always be higher than your grass skirt...lol. Go enjoy and relish the moment. Lots of love to you, be safe. Dawn Suitcase Vignettes xoxo

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  20. Happiest of birthdays to you. Enjoy every minute and don't let anyone get you down. Karma is real.

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  21. happy bday girl. on a side note, you nearly burst a vein there. sorry to hear about the incident

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  22. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! lovely ads

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  23. Happy Birthday, Kim! Don't let this affect your day. **hugs** I'm puzzled why someone would want to lie in a giveaway??!

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  24. Happy belated birthday to you!

    I am confused as to why someone would lie when participating in a giveaway, it doesn't seem like fair play at all. With facebook you can always find out who is following as well, but the main point is that the person should not have been deceptive in the first place. It puts a downer on the whole thing!

    Anyway I hope you don't let it get you down too much, and enjoy your birthday :) xx

    www.almostdelightful.com

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  25. Happy birthday Kim! :)
    i hope you have a great time and memorable celebration. i also hope you stay healthy and happy for this year and on!

    i am disturbed to hear about what happened in your last giveaway, but i must say i had a similar experience in my giveaway as well. i was working on a spreadsheet and found a couple of professional giveaway bloggers and turns out not every entry was collected as they are claimed.

    i am glad you addressed this issue and did something about it, though.
    it's important that others know you are generous, not stupid. ;)

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  26. Happy Birthday to you, Kim!!! May it be the sweetest of birthdays yet! :) I really love the fashion editorial you've posted, but hey, I love almost everything Japanese-fashion-related :)

    I'm sorry to hear about the giveaway dilemma. I've experienced the same thing when I did my birthday giveaways last month, and it really SUCKED. I hate it when people lie :(
    ♥ laura
    the blog of worldly delights

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  27. Happy Birthday Kim. I hope you have a wonderful day and I wish you many more. I absolutely love your blog. It makes my day when I read it.

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  28. Happy Birthday Dear and many Happy Returns
    http://fashberries.blogspot.com/

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  29. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you have a wonderful day!

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  30. Happy birthday Kim!!! You're allowed to be over the top on your birthday. Love your blog and you. Your always one of my favorite stops :)

    and I can't believe that someone faked out the contest! That's just rude...

    Have an amazing day!

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  31. KIM DARLING! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! How does it feel to be so fabulous and have a birthday at the same time? Yes, it's SO disappointing when someone tries to slide under the requirements on a giveaway! I also hate it if someone follows and then if they don't win, they remove their "follow" afterward. Love Rowena too ... a sweetie-pie!

    {ps everyone will be voting on Aimee's date outfit this week thru Wednesday ... and, of course, YOUR suggestions are one of the choices!} xoxoxo

    Sandy at Ooh La Frou Frou
    http://oohlafroufrou.blogspot.com

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  32. Happy Birthday Kim! Wishing you a very beautiful day and all the best in upcoming years.

    Patience
    You're invited to participate in Giveaway to win a J-Crew Bracelet and Zara Clutch worth $260:
    J-Crew Bracelet and Zara Clutch Giveaway

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  33. happy birthday!!!
    enjoy mardi gras. nola is my fave US city.
    I understand you are hurt. I don't have a FB, but when I enter contests, my sister, who has a FB, likes the page for me. If I win a contest, I explain that when contacted. I hope you will reconsider.

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  34. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kim!! Hope you have a wonderful day on your special day:) Great pictures I love them too:)

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  35. Happy birthday! Hope you have a great day! And I am in LOVE with the spread!

    http://confessionsofabeauty-holic.blogspot.com

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  36. Happy birthday to you Kim! i hope you enjoy this day and won't let others ruin it for you, i really don't understand why would anyone join a giveaway without following all the steps to enter first.
    this is very very mean thing to do. and i am sorry for you.
    i am glad you wrote this post thought, cause people should know that what they are doing isn't right

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  37. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hope you have a great day!!
    xo
    MosaMuse

    MosaMuse.blogspot.com

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  38. first of all happy birthday again!you are a great person to take your time out and address this issue..i didn't even know this happened..well you always learn new things..
    have a great day and great years ahead!

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  39. I can only wish you a very happy birthday!

    It sucks that that issue occurred. =(

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  40. Kim!! Happy Birthday!!!!

    And love that you are ruling the blogging world. I don't know if I could ever enter something without actually doing what was needed.. .. love that you did the shout out.

    Hope you have a fabulous birthday otherwise, some champagne and some shopping!

    Red Soles and Red Wine

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  41. Alice in Wonderland gone Haywire is the perfect description for this editorial. I love the riot of bright colors. I think I'm just going to stay in bed and eat sweets for my next birthday lol.

    Happy birthday again! I wish you much love, laughter and happiness now and always Kim!

    Thanks for your support and for addressing the issue!

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  42. Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day.

    I love this photo shoot, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland too.

    Sorry to hear about the giveaway incident and props to you for calling them out in a very classy way (not listing there name) and letting people know it's not right to lie... even on the internet.

    Congratulations to the rightful winner!

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  43. Happy Birthday Kim!!! I hope that you have a fabulous B-day! This is a fun photo shoot. It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland and a little bit of the perfect rebellious teenagers room! haha

    Rhe
    rhestyle.com

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  44. Happy birthday pretty girl.

    You are so lucky to party at Mardi Gras you deserve it pretty girl.

    I am sorry that someone did that and it totally sucked.

    Ps. I got my chocolates today and they are yummy.

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  45. super happy birthday! I hope that you have a better time than it looks like the girl is having in those photos!

    xoxo navy & orange

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  46. Happy Bday! Wishing you lots of laughter and happiness on this day.

    Lol, I love your description of the theme- Alice in Wonderland gone haywire. Cute.
    I agree, for some reason it works. It makes you want to know what the story behind it.

    Great post.

    coffeebreakcrn.blogspot.com

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  47. I hope you had a wonderful birthday! This spread is unreal! I love the donuts. They look delicious.

    http://rambleswithreese.etsy.com
    http://rambleswithreese.blogspot.com

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  48. Hope you had a Happy Birthday Kim!!!
    ~Karen
    http://fashionboardconfessional.blogspot.com

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  49. Happy B Day Kim. Hope you had a great time minus a giveaway participant gone wrong. It is a shame for someone to do that. Most likely they think they can get away because we may not check the entries..well guess what ..we do and you are screwed!!!

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  50. I hope you had a wonderful, fantastic, amazing birthday! You deserve it! I am so sorry to hear about what happened, I can not imagine how disheartening that must have been! Such a fun spread! Happy birthday!

    -Jacqueline

    www.jenesaisquoifashion.blogspot.com

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  51. Ahh, I'm a little late on this, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM! I hope you still had a wonderful day despite the hiccup with an entrant in your giveaway.

    The Happy Birthday To Me pictorial is so crazy! Over the top, but hey, everyone likes to celebrate one way or another. I wouldn't mind having lots of donuts from Krispy Creme all to myself! Mmmm... thinking about it now is making me hungry!

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  52. happy belated birthday, kim!!! hope you had a wonderful day with lots of delish cake!

    i've always known you to be super supportive of others, so for someone to be less than honest is a real bummer.

    btw - i got my book today, thanks!!

    [oomph.]
    Share the Love - Giveaway

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  53. Happy happy happy birthday! I hope you had the happiest birthday of all :)

    So sorry to hear about the dishonest contest winner.

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  54. wow! i'm on overload with all those yummy food images! happy bday!


    GTBB,
    http://badjoan.blogspot.com
    http://cookingjoan.blogspot.com

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  55. happy belated bdAY hope you got everything u deserve and more

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  56. OMGOSH Kim! Happy Belated Birthday!!!! I am so so behind on my blog reading that I missed your post. Anyhow the wishes are the same and may you have a blessed year ahead. Cheers Birthday Gal and keep celebrating Fabulous YOU!!!! Party like a rock star!
    xoxo
    Maria
    http://onestyleatatime.blogspot.com/

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  57. Congrats to Sam!

    Kim - I admire you for your honest words. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt that maybe they planned to follow the rules but wasn't able to access it at work, etc. etc. I know, I am a pushover! But I am glad you have addressed the issue here. Hopefully the person will learn the lesson and not make the mistake in the future.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN =)

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  58. Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kim AND Happy Mardi Gras too!!! Hope you are enjoying all the festivities and food!! YAY!

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU so much for hosting this giveaway!! Your email was such a fantastic way to start my week! And I am so thankful to have met Rolala through you!!

    And I'm sorry about the situation that you had to address.

    Have an awesome rest of the week!

    xo, sam

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  59. Happy Birthday dear...I left you a wish on the next post. I hope you had a wonderful day. Mardi Gras sounds amazing..cant wait for your write up and pics on it!

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  60. Happy belated birthday gorgeous!!!! I'm sure you had an amazing time.


    <3 Marina
    Fashion.MakeUp.LifeStyle

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  61. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!!! Oh, my, this editorial is like my haywire dream-come-true, all diving in the sweet goodness and pretty pink, and balloons, and cake and tiara!!! Gorgeous and nutty-beautiful! I LOVE it! :)
    Good luck!

    skinnymoonstick.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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