Need a cool new header for your blog like the one here at AntiBarbie.net? If so, take a chance at winning one for free by entering our brand new contest! You can enter two different ways:

1.) Write an HONEST recommendation for AntiBarbie.net on EntreCard.

2.) Write an HONEST review of AntiBarbie.net on your blog.

Then come back to this post and in the comments section, let me know which of the two methods you’ve done or if you’ve done both. If you’ve chosen to do a review, please leave a link to the entry post if a trackback didn’t take place. The winner will be chosen at random on March 15th.

Good luck to all whom enter. Oh, and if you want to see the header I created for the last contest winner, you can find it at the Vaguetarian Tea Room.

The Bebo Author Blog is running a huge short story competition extravaganza! The great thing about this contest is that it’s promptless and all genres are welcome. That means that you can work within your element and submit a priceless gem. Might I add that you better submit a gem too because the prizes are fabulous and the judging panel is impressive. Besides, you are going up against the AntiBarbie herself, so you better be on top of your game!

What might you win, you ask? How about a free self-hosted wordpress blog for a year, Amazon vouchers, Entrecard credits and books for starters! Sound good? Then head over to Bebo Author and read more on how to enter!

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Dear Shabby Contest. I am pleased to announce that while it took me a long time to pick a winner, I have finally come to a decision. The winning letter shown below was posted by Teeni of the Vaguetarian Tea Room. Dear Shabby had some fun with it. I’ll let you all know when the header is done so you folks can see my work! Congrats Teeni and thanks for the hilarious letter. I wonder what Dear Shabby has to say on the subject…

Dear Shabby,

It is with great trepidation that I am writing this letter to you. It is of the utmost importance that nobody learn of this transmission. The consequences to my professional and personal life would be dire, indeed. I trust that you would not violate any confidentiality agreements or codes of conduct and that I won’t face repercussions of the sort if this letter were, perhaps, posted on some random blog somewhere.

(more…)

Well the Win A Custom Header Contest officially ended yesterday at Midnight EST. I hate to keep you all in suspense but I am going to look over the letters from all the contestants for a second time. I’ll make a decision within a couple of days and then contact the winner in order to secure the right to reprint their ‘letter’ with Dear Shabby’s response attached to it. It’s really going to be a tough decision to make. The letters were all so good. Here are a list of the contestants and their entries. They are all great reads. Check them out or miss out on creative silliness at it’s finest:

EvilWoobie, Andy, Teeni and Bun-Girl
Thanks for all your patience!

I just wanted to write this quick note to let people know that the ‘Win a Custom Blog Header Contest’ is closing in a week. If you are interested in participating, please read the contest entry information and rules. There haven’t been many entries so far, so you would have a very fair chance of winning should you enter!

So, let’s get those creative juices going and let me see just what you bloggers are made of!

That’s right. AntiBarbie.net has somehow managed to accumulate over ten thousand visits in it’s short blogging life. I figured now would be as good a time as any to do a recap of some of the things going down on AntiBarbie.net:

First of all, there is a little known story in my archives that went up the day after I started my blog. I don’t think many people have seen it but it’s a great read and one of my favorite stories. If you haven’t already, please read the tale of The Ethereal Messenger.

The second thing I want to let people know is that I am thrilled so many people took the time to try and spread the word about the ‘Win a Custom Blog Header Contest‘ I am running. However, if someone would throw a few social bookmarks my way, I would be forever grateful!

When my blog had just hit three weeks of age, I signed up for a blog interview at bloginterviewer.com and they finally put it up. If you like, feel free to drop by and see my blog’s interview. (Although the statistics are way off now…)

Last but not least, I thought this monumental moment required a meme! So, I am going to do the following Crazy Eights Meme as tagged by Claire.

8 Things I’m Passionate About:

1. My obnoxious but lovable little monkeys
2. My incoherent scribblings
3. Good Greasy or Sweet Food
4. Music that speaks to my soul
5. Debating religion/Atheism
6. Size acceptance issues
7. Alcohol and lots of it, baby!
8. Misunderstood animals (Like Ratties and Mice)

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:

1. Become the supreme empress of the entire universe. (Hopefully before lunch.)
2. Watch my children grow into beautiful women with babies of their own.
3. Write a book that isn’t self-published and gains a little popularity.
4. Travel to exotic locals like Ireland, Australia, Rome, and Pluto.
5. Learn to control my little temper *cough*
6. Find a career that suits me. (You know, for when the whole empress thing get old.)
7. Horde all the white chocolate in the world.
8. Learn a foreign language. Namely, man speak!

8 Things I Often Say:

1. No! (in true auctioneer style while chasing after a toddler)
2. Don’t even think about it, young lady!
3. Poopie little prissy pants princess (Yes, I am around kids way too much.)
4. I will smack you down like the hand of God! (Eh, it sounds good when I am really pissed.)
5. What the fuck?!
6. Someone just kill me already. (Complete with finger gun to head motion.)
7. Why?
8. I just want to go colonize my own damn planet.

8 Books I’ve Read Recently (or Still Reading):

1. Such a Pretty Face
2. The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century
3. Beyond the Highland Mist
4. Fat!So?
5. A Fat Girl’s Guide to Life
6. Carrie
7. The Dark Half
8. Training Your Pet Rat

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over:

1. Uninvited by Alanis Morissette
2. Thoughtless by Korn
3. Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
4. Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day
5. Land of Confusion by Disturbed
6. Unforgiven by Metallica
7. Get Back by Ludacris
8. Imaginary by Evanescence

8 Things that Attract Me to my Best Friends:

1. Willingness to put up with me!
2. Wit
3. Humor
4. Candor
5. Loyalty
6. Individuality
7. Taste
8. Compassion

Okay, now to tag a few victims, wait… I mean, friends. Yes, friends.
Kaylee, Karloff and Auntie Dar

Enjoy writing fiction? Want a custom header for your blog? Then this is the contest for you! The object of this contest is to write a funny letter to a made up advice columnist I’ve created named Dear Shabby. Here is an example of a letter that I whipped up:

Dear Shabby,

I could really use a bit of help and I really have no one else to turn to. I think the dust bunnies in my house might be plotting against me. You see, they have started gathering in large numbers but always in secret.

They hide behind the bookcase, under the bed, numerous places in the attic, and most recently, I found a large number of them gathered around the moldy half-eaten cookie that lives under the fridge. I often wonder if he is their leader. I have tried talking to him on many occasions but am ignored. I’ve never seen such an openly hostile cookie. I always thought cookies were sweet!

How do I regain some control around the house without declaring an open act of war or disturbing their delicate ecosystem? I have tried sending in my gerbil, Inky, as a good will ambassador to their most populated regions but she was rather useless. She spends her time chewing holes in the furniture instead of doing her job.

They know I have the ultimate weapon at my disposal and am not afraid to use it. I am not a violent person but if it ever comes to the point where it’s them or me, I will vacuum every inch of this house, so help me god!

Do you have any suggestions for me? I am getting desperate and a tad bit scared.

Sincerely,
Dusty Dolly
of
Walla Walla, Washington

The entry that I find the most amusing wins a custom header. Please note that while the header will be customized based on the winners specifications, I use stock images in the graphics I create so I am somewhat limited in the amount of fine detail I can give a header. For example, I could make a header of a cat without any trouble but if you were to ask for a skeleton cat that’s dressed up in a princess gown with a bowl of red jell-o dumped over it’s head, I probably wouldn’t be able to swing it.

All entries must follow these simple rules or be disqualified:

1.) One entry per person please.

2.) The entry *must* be up on your own blog with a link back to this post (and a mention of the prize would be great too!)

3.) The entries can be as long or as short as you want but all entries are due by December 17th!

After the contest closes I will take a very short interlude to read all the entries/letters and pick the winner. The winning entry will be posted on this blog, along with Dear Shabby’s response. Good luck and have fun with it!