I have been noticing more and more bloggers lately that post about some really personal opinions on certain matters. Things like breast feeding and politics. Things that as far as I’m concerned are not that fun to discuss. However… we want to be ourselves on our blogs. We want to attempt to stay true to who we are. Whether its a persona we created for your site, or if its the person you really are in real life, staying true themselves is a big thing for bloggers.

There are tons of different kinds of blogs. Fashion, lifestyle, interior design, food, personal, baby, mommy. The list goes on and on and on. So if I start a fashion blog and one day decide to interrupt my pretty dresses post with a post on American eating habits and how gross they are, what are you going to think? “Cool this chick has real thoughts”. Or “mind your own business fashionista”. Chances are, your reaction will be based on whether or not the blogger offended you in their opinionated post.

With that said. I don’t really stir the pot here on TTS. Trust me, I’ve got plenty of opinions, and I air lots of them here when they feel applicable but most of the time if I don’t like something, or disagree with something, I won’t take to my blog to discuss it.

So I started to think. Why does it make me uncomfortable to see bloggers take to their blog to discuss not so pleasant topics? Well, I think its because 80% of my life is not all pretty rooms, exciting projects, playing with puppies and jetsetting with my bf. Most of it is invoicing, billing, fighting for deliveries, saving pennies to take a vacation and all those not so glamorous things that we ALL have behind our doors.

I know this is quite the random stream of consciousness but it really is silly for me to click away in disgust from some of these more opinionated posts. I am being ridiculous by avoiding the not-so-sparkly things in life.

So let me ask you the question I posed to myself. We all know you’re here for the pretty (or at the very least, you’re here to see me make fun of the not so pretty). So what do you think when bloggers take to their sites to get on their soap box about personal issues. Yay or nay?

**Disclaimer: YES… this post is exactly what I am complaining about. A personal, not so pretty issue, being discussed on a blog. But I’m just so darn curious.

Oh and PS, I even thought about adding some pictures to this post. See?? The non-pretty makes me cringe here. What is it?

Well this week marks my one year bloggy anniversary. We’re so old. So to say thank you my favorite people, I have a little giveaway lined up!

The most gorgeous and talented Heather Willison from Stella & Dot has given us these beautiful earrings to give away here on Things That Sparkle.

We have discussed my love for green earrings before so as I am sure you can imagine, I am overjoyed about this!!

To enter the giveaway you should be a follower of Things That Sparkle. Then:

     * For your first entry, “Like” Heather’s Stella &Dot page on Facebook and leave a comment to
        let me know you did

     * For a second entry, visit her Stella & Dot Shop and comment to let us know which item you 
        are currently coveting!

     * For your third and final entry, you can follow me on twitter here and again, comment to let me
        know you are following!

The giveaway will be open all week long, winner will be drawn on Friday! Good luck!! xo

Ohhh and also, check me out over here today:

I’m sharing what makes my house a home, such a fun idea for a guest series!!

Today is my 25th birthday. Wish I was celebrating but instead I am taking finals (wah wahhh). But I got to celebrate for about 10 birthday’s worth this weekend. It was amazing, I have the best friends ever.

If I have time to take a break today, I’m going to go out for a quick dinner with a very special boy. Fingers crossed.

And THANK YOU special blogging friends for helping me reach 100 followers. It was my goal to hit that before New Years, and instead its a little birthday present. So thank you for being so fabulous and supportive and amazing.

xoxooxoxox A.

nicole at sketch42 had such a fun idea this week… to use images to define your own personal style. so i started to think, what is my style? its traditional but contemporary. its glamorous but liveable. one word that kept coming to mind was feminine. but feminine can be defined about 1,000 different ways. so while i perused some of my favorite images from last month’s rue i realized that almost every image i pulled could be defined as girly or feminine.

pink, with pops of color and a retro vibe?

vintage, soft pink?

tufted, metallic, floral glamor?

simple, clean with subtle femininity?

in your face, hard rock girliness?

or muted romantic?

what kind of girly do you like? or do you hate it all together?

i think if i lived alone my answer would be different, but with a picky boy in the house, my answer is subtle pops of femininity. im allowed some pink. and very few florals. but im getting there.