Okay folks, this is it! The BIG day. I know you ‘all have been on pins & needles just waiting for us to announce the winners of the 2010 “You’ve Just Been Spotted” Orange County Blog Awards.  But, before we dive right into the drumroll & announcement, we want to take a moment to refresh your memories…

In case you forgot, the Orange County Blog Awards were established in 2009, to celebrate & recognize the “best of the best” websites, blogs & social media gurus that Orange County has to offer. Of course C & I could have simply picked our favorites, but really, where’s the fun in that? Instead, we asked our readers to nominate their favorites. Then, we complied all of the nominees into one big, Huge, GINORMOUS list & opened the “polls” to the public. Although, C & I consider all of our nominees winners, in the end, the persons in each category with the most votes, is crowned the winner. With 17 different award categories, 300+ nominees (holy cow!), 6,238 votes (YES! You read that number correctly) – we take our winners seriously. What do they win, you ask? An amazing trophy (a jar of gumballs) & serious bragging rights.  So without further ado, YOUR 2010 “You’ve Just Been Spotted” OC Blog Award Winners & Runners up are:

Best Personal &/or Family Blog
Winner: Whoorl, Runner Up: My Favorite Everything

Best Kid & Family Blog
Winner: Tiny Oranges, Runner Up: Daytripping Mom

Best Creative Blog
Winner: This Mama Makes Stuff, Runner Up: Cupcakes & Cutlery

Best Cooking & Baking Blog
Winner: The Cupcake Activist, Runner Up: Picky Palate

Best Food &/ or Restaurant Blog
Winner: OC Register Food Frenzy, Runner Up: OC Register Fast Food Maven

Best Shoppying &/or Beauty Blog
Winner: Hair Thursday, Runner Up: Boutiquing.com

Best Lifestyle & /or Design Blog
Winner: Whimsy & Wise Events, Runner Up: Utterly Engaged

Best Photography Blog
Winner: Jenner Rose, Runner Up: Joe + Kathrina

Best Business Oriented Blog
Winner: Wright Creativity, Runner Up: Society of Socialpreneurs

Best Local Business Blog
Winner: Seatbelt Blog, Runner Up: Belly Sprout

Best Humor Blog
Winner: No Sex and the Suburbs, Runner Up: Mommypants

Best Disneyland Blog
Winner: Disney Parks Blog, Runner Up: Babes in Disneyland

Best Sports &/ or Fitness
Winner: Simply Fit Mama, Runner Up: The Surfboard Man

Best Etsy-ish Shop
Winner: Rags to Stitches, Runner Up: Swanky Paper

Best OC Food Truck
Winner: Piaggio on Wheels, Runner Up: Tropcial Shave Ice

Best Micro-Blogger
Winner: AngryJulie, Runner Up: Momfluential

Best Local Blog
Winner: I Heart Old Town, Runner Up: The Glamorous Life Association

This past Monday evening, almost 300 people (nominees and their families) joined C & I at the ultra-fabulous children’s museum, Pretend City. That’s right, they closed the place down just for our guests!

Imagine if you will, an evening totally dedicated to celebrating all of our nominees & how wonderful they (& their sites) are. Think paparazzi everywhere, flowing drinks, delectable treats & a plush orange carpet. Basically, it was like the Oscars, only oranger, & eveyone’s kids were invited.

Ready to hear more party details? We mixed, mingled & had an incredible, hands-on, interactive party experience at Pretend City. We  dined on hand-scooped Mango, Lemon, Bada Bing Cherry & Sugar Free Strawberry flavored Joe’s Italian Ice, freshly baked Meringue Cupcakes, & an array of delicious The Scoop on Cookies, all while sipping on selections from our very own IZZE bar (complete with bar tender & all). While the kids explored, played, crafted & snacked on HAPPYBABY snack mix, the adults had the opportunity to “bid” on a slew of raffle prizes. Although everyone received raffle tickets, those who gave back (by donating props, supplies & used books to Pretend City), were given a little something extra. At the end of the evening, winners were announced, prizes won & everyone went home happy, tummies stuffed & with some exhausted kiddos.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our “You’ve Just Been Spotted” Orange County Blog Award partners & sponsors. Without the following people & companies this amazing, super-fantastic event would have been would not have been possible: Pretend City, Joe’s Italian Ice, Meringue Bake Shop, The Scoop on Cookies, IZZE Beverage Company, Screamin Daily Deals, Plum District, OC Parks, Piaggio on Wheels, Hilton Anaheim, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Scooter’s Jungle, Shutter Sisters, Kait Emerson Designs, Airzone, LulyBoo, Irvine Park Railroad, The Disneyland Resort, Ridemakerz, Clipa, Discovery Science Center, Studio DMM, Ruby’s Diner, Baby Emi Jewelry, Embassy Suites Anaheim South, mailbox ART, Dana Wharf, Team Sparkle, Tera Rae Stephens, Jenner Rose Photography, Disney on Ice, Smart Girls Who Surf, Pure Barre Newport Beach & Mission Viejo, Stella & Dot, Razor USA, Happy Baby, & Anaheim 300.

Congratulations to all!

xoxo, C & K

images via Marcie Taylor Photography & K