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**THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED!**
**CONGRATULATIONS TO MELANIE MONTEZ FOR WINNING!**
Hello and happy … GRATEFULNESS FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!!!!
This giveaway was actually supposed to happen LAST Friday, but because of being a very busy (but grateful!) bee, I postponed it until today. And I believe it was a blessing in disguise, because the inspiration I had for today’s question to enter the giveaway came to me on a run just this past week ;-)
The past few weeks have blessed me with so much positive support from all of you. A HUGE shout out to Brande of Victory Vintage for giving me words of encouragement when I needed them most.
And to Ana Marie Cris: Your comments on my blog posts — especially the one where I relay what I learned from a very negative experience of having my car broken into last fall — were SO supportive and fueled the flame that is Sammy Davis Vintage.
Also, I’ve noticed a few new followers to this site, which makes me super excited! Thanks and hello to Em of M & Em Style — so glad you’re stopping by and saying hello! Also, thanks to Sonia, Van of ThriftCore, Cindy from the Vintage Hat Shop, my Philly girl Fajr of Stylish Thought and quite honestly, ANYONE who has ever taken the time to leave a comment! I don’t get them often and when I do I am so stoked because I know that I did something in my post to inspire your words.
And today, I’d like to thank the Gratefulness Friday Giveaway sponsor Simone of Erstwhile Style for all of her support of Sammy Davis Vintage and of course, working as a vintage seller to spread the love of self-expression and fabulous fashion.
I’ve know Simone for about two years — we first met at the Manhattan Vintage Show. She is a gorgeous woman inside & out who inspires not only with her action, but her intent. Thank you so much Simone for sponsoring this giveaway!
So without further ado, keep reading after the jump to find out how you can enter to win the lovely vintage accessories shown above … and for inspiration on how to feel GRATEFUL today and everyday!
Thank you again to everyone for being on Sammy Davis Vintage right at this very moment … and for spending time on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr & YouTube!
Can’t wait for one of you to win today’s vintage prize!
xx, SD
I AM GRATEFUL FOR … CHANNELING MY INNER CHILD
Yesterday I was on a run in Central Park when I ran by a group of school children, probably about the age of four or five, singing and dancing in a musical circle of sorts.
A few of them had tambourines, others drums and one little girl looked like she was playing a ukulele guitar. It was probably the most adorable, inspiring scene I’ve witnessed all week — and what inspired me to write today’s Gratefulness Friday story on “channeling your inner child.”
Remember when you were young and the world felt like such a wonderful place? We had no fears, we had no judgements, we had no preconceived expectations. Everyone & everything was equal in our minds.
Because we had no fears, we’d climb that tree to the tippy top and declare ourselves “heroes of the day.”
Because we had no judgements, we’d play with anyone on the playground who’d combine their imagination with ours to create amazing visuals and situations using nothing more than what was available at that moment.
Because we had no expectations, if someone asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up, we’d rattle off the most “difficult” professions to achieve: Doctor, lawyer, firefighter, teacher, musician, actor, PRESIDENT!
Children are invincible beings. Not invincible in sense of physical immortality, but invincible in the sense of emotional confidence.
The musical circle I witnessed yesterday reminded me that children just don’t feel AWKWARD like us adults can and often do.
Imagine you and 10 friends gathering in Central Park to sing and play musical instruments. Probably wouldn’t happen unless you were all professionally trained vocalists and musicians, right? But since you’re most likely not the next Taylor Swift, your adult ego says “no” to the simple joys of gathering together to sing in a public setting.
I saw such clear & confident joy in these Kindergarten-aged school children gathering together to express creativity … none of them were holding back their singing from fear or passing judgement on others for their lack of “talent.” They were just being for the sake of being, no expectations.
My run yesterday showed me a scene of my childhood that if we chose to channel everyday, I believe would help us live as happy, compassionate creatures toward all and most important, ourselves. Because it is when we love ourselves that we can truly & genuinely love each other for who they are, too.
Because children love themselves for who they are — they love all human beings for who they are, too.
Today and everyday I want to channel to my “inner child” in such a way that rejuvenates this sense of self. Whether it’s gathering my friends in Central Park for a sing-a-long or making an ice cream sundae complete with sprinkles, chocolate syrup and gummi bears … I want to complete my character of “child” a little bit everyday so that I can live without fear, without judgement, and without self-imposed expectations that deny me of the gratefulness I deserve, and which I own right at this very moment.
So I want to hear from you for my own personal inspiration — what do you do as an adult that channels your inner child?
Leaving a comment on today’s blog post answering this question automatically enters you in the giveaway … and in a small way, is another easy reminder that no matter our age, youth is how we feel.
We are all children if we choose to be.
Thank you for inspiring today’s gratefulness Friday story, everyone! See you on the playground ;-)
xx, SD
BELOW: Me at age 12, dressed as a hippie for Flashback Day in elementary school
THIS VINTAGE PRIZE PACK INCLUDES ….
This week’s vintage prize pack includes pieces from two AWESOME decades in vintage fashion … the ’70s and ’50s!
It includes ..
(1) ’50s vintage floral Denton China broach, signed
(1) ’70s vintage cream handbag
HOW TO ENTER GRATEFULNESS FRIDAY #9
For a chance to win the entire vintage fashion prize packed listed above valued at $60, you must enter between today [Friday, June 24th] and by midnight on Monday, June 27th.
You can only enter once, and all winners will be drawn at random using the site random.org. Winners will be announced by Wednesday, June 29th.
Enter by answering the following question in the comment fields or Facebook comment fields below this contest post:
**What do you do today that makes you feel like a child?**
OTHER IMPORTANT RULES
**Entrants/Winners must be legal U.S. residents of the lower 48 states (not including Alaska and Hawaii) and at least 18 years old as of June 24, 2011.
**For full contest rules and regulations can be found here
**All information submitted by contestants is subject to Sammy Davis Vintage’s privacy policy found here
SPECIAL THANKS TO ERSTWHILE STYLE VINTAGE
**This week’s sponsor is Erstwhile Style Vintage on Etsy!**
Sammy Davis Vintage Gratefulness Friday Giveaways are made possible thanks to the generous donations of online vintage sellers.
To spread vintage love, I host these giveaways to not only introduce one lucky winner to the world of vintage, but to introduce all of you to an online seller with other vintage finds that you may want to give a happy home.
Please support the Gratefulness Giveaway sponsors by visiting their online shops and saying hello!
Get a 20% discount using the code SAMMYDAVIS VINTAGE at checkout on the following vintage pieces!
BUY THIS BABYDOLL CAFTAN DRESS!
BUY THIS SWEATER PONCHO DRESS!
BUY THIS FLORAL HALTER MAXI DRESS!
Thank you for supporting vintage sellers to spread vintage love!
HAPPY ENTERING & GOOD LUCK!!!!
To make myself feel like a child I usually go buy an ice-cream cone from an ice-cream truck or a grocery store and then go swinging on a swing set :) Or if it’s a rainy day, I crawl in bed and watch good old Disney cartoons! It’s a one magic carpet ride right there!
I try to let my inner child out as often as possible. Usually through playing “dress up”, watching cartoons, playing outside, buying child-like food or candy (cheese balls, poprocks, fun pops..) and most importantly by letting go of uncertainities and just laughing. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face. Thanks for the great post Sammy!
The way I Chanel my inner child is by being happy with simple things and let go of all the stress of being an adult …example eating candy without worrying about getting fat or sitting next to my mom and the smell of her perfume just makes me smile. In closing I really think we should never let go of our inner child if we ever want to escape the complicated world of adulthood.
How do I bring out my inner child? Enjoy my own. I have 2 daughters and to interact with them, play with them,and hear their perspective on things brings back the innocence and newness of the world. Its precious! Being a mom brings back my inner child ;-)
Brande
For me, going through my mother’s closet, jewelry, scarves, etc. takes me right back to when I was four years old, doing the exact same thing. My mom has always been stylish, and I’m sure that a lot of my ideas about fashion really come from going through her closets when I was a girl in the 70’s. It seems that, no matter how old I get, I still like to discover the treasure trove that is her wardrobe :-)
My favorite way, besides hanging out with my own children – is via crayons! I love to buy a big beautiful new box of crayons and color away – I go through a box about once a year – and I mean “go through”, as in using those babies up :D
Since I own a consignment shop my partner and I get first grab at things as they come in. At first I was like a kid in a candy store…..I bought way too many things and ended up with lots of clothes I didn’t need.
Now we don’t always buy things….we MODEL. When there are cute clothes, shoes, and jewelry we like we try them on and wear them for a couple of hours (or all day). I still take things home from time to time but mostly I enjoy playing dress-up….just like I did when I was a kid getting into my mother’s closet. Today it was a vintage lucite necklace.
What makes me feel like a child? Well, everytime I watch the Magic School Bus show with my kiddos I feel like I go back to the times when I used to watch it as a little girl. It puts a smile on my face everytime I hear the promo song, and I start singing along.
:)
To bring out my inner child I would definitely have to say playing tag! It usually results in me laughing to death, lol. That and listening to old songs with a bunch of friends dancing like crazy people, ha.
Spending time with my sister makes me feel like a kid again. She was my best friend growing up and still is to this day. While she’s only a year and a half younger than me, whenever we spend time together I end up feeling like a silly little girl because we inevitably start giggling like crazy over something ridiculous. We can dance in public or sing bits of songs and quote movies and shows that make each other laugh. She will always keep me young and I hope she’ll say the same for me!
What brings out my inner child? Is Dancing around the house, no care in world and screaming the song at the top of my lungs. Not a pretty site, but it’s just like I’m 10 again, well in my mind! Ha! And great entertainment for my 3 year old!
What do I do today to feel like a child? Well today was my daughter’s 6th birthday party. We played doge ball, parents vs the kids. It was a was a blast! It brought back so many memories :-)
I found pictures of myself as a small girl! Brought me back, wayy back..
I made my Kindergarten school photo my facebook profile pic.