BlogHer - The Recap (Part 2) a.k.a. THE SWAG

The biggest comment I got from the people I met at BlogHer was, “You are so tiny.” I guess they expected me to be larger than life. Ha! I’m only 5’2″ so most of the other bloggers towered over me. But, while I might have been “tiny”, the amount of SWAG (Stuff We All Get) at the conference was “HUGE”.

The only thing bloggers love more than shopping is…. FREE shopping!!!!!! That’s basically what the EXPO and Parties were like. Freebies thrown at you. Try this, try that, this is new, this is better. The amount of “stuff” was incredible. Yes, I admit I was a big Swag Whore and took it all… and then some. Hey, I’ve got three daughters… I couldn’t bring home just one or two things could I?

Swag Bags from BlogHer 11

It was a good thing my husband and kids drove down to meet me in San Diego because the amount of bags I had (7 shopping bags plus another duffle bag I had brought with me to collect even more stuff) took up the entire car. I had to put my suitcase in HIS car just to get everything home. Crazy!

So what kinds of goodies were actually in these bags? Why, I’m so glad you asked.

Just some of the Swag.

There were food items, medicinal items, books, office supplies, beauty items, baby items, apparel and even feminine hygiene products and other super secret feminine products that I can’t name here (but you can read about them on other less family-friendly blogs). Some of the Swag was good. Some of the Swag was bad. These are just some of the highlights.

Skanz Bracelet

One of the best Swag items I got was from the Blogging Angels Breakfast I attended. They asked for our information ahead of time and had Skanz create individualized QR codes for us that they put on a bracelet. These are just awesome. The code contains my name, blog, twitter, picture and email so anybody who has a QR scanning app on their smart phone can just scan my bracelet and find out my info. Love this!!!!!

Whitening Booster

I am super excited about this new product: it’s a teeth whitening booster that you just squeeze on top of your regular toothpaste when you brush your teeth. It’s also inexpensive and you don’t have to mess with whitening trays or strips that not only are incredibly inconvenient but they are expensive and DON’T WORK! I’ve already started to use it and I have very high expectations for this. Who doesn’t want whiter teeth, right?

Tempur-Pedic Pillow and Sleep Mask

The Tempur-Pedic people were giving away Neck Pillows and Sleep Masks. Awesome! These are made out of the same memory foam material that their fabulous beds are and I just love these. I also entered the contest to win a bed… ummm…. I’m still waiting for that email letting me know when it will be delivered. I might be waiting a while, huh?

Flip Flops and Flats

Seriously, who doesn’t love getting free shoes? I do!!!! At the Collective Bias/Cheap Sally Dance Party we all got Vix/Impanema Flip Flops (Holy Cow!). These are so darn comfortable, I just know I will be living in these the rest of the summer. And… I snagged a pair of Dr. Scholl’s Fast Flats. These are ballet style flats that fold up into a super adorable gold bag that you can throw in your purse for when those heels are killing your feet. I’ve wanted to try these forever and know I have a pair. Super comfy.

Paper Coterie Notebook

This was another product that I “pre-ordered”. I gave Paper Coterie my name and they created this custom journal for me. (It’s hard to see but my name is on the orange stripe.) I love this little book and plan to use it to write down all my incredibly creative blog post ideas. Paper Coterie does all kinds of customized books and calendars. I just might end up ordering one or two as gifts in the near future.

Philosophy Beauty Samples

I may be one of the last people to ever try Philosophy products. I have always wanted to but just kind of never got around to it. I love that I got a bunch of samples to try. This stuff smells amazing! I’m already in love with these products. I have a feeling I might have just found a new beauty line.

3M Products

3M… how I love you! We are an office-supply loving family. We should have stock in Post-It Notes because we go through packs and packs and packs of them in our house. I got these adorable little Post-It Note holders that look like purses. How cute are they? And the extra Post-It Notes and the Pens and the colorful wall stickers so my girls don’t have to stab my wall with push-pins to hang up their pictures. We are well stocked with 3M Products now.
So… lots of really great products. These were just some of my favorites but I got tons more stuff. As I sort through more and more of it and try out other products, I’ll let you know what else I find.

DIY Office Redo with Glidden - the "Before"

When the opportunity to select a room in my house for a makeover came across my email last week, I jumped at the chance.  As an interior designer, I knew that I could magically transform a room… after all, I had done it for my clients.  No problem, right?

Well…. the problem lies with the fact that in the 12 years we’ve been living in our house, our office has never really been completed.  It has turned into the “we don’t know what to do with it so let’s put it in the office” room.  David’s desk is a mess.  My desk is a mess.  Oh hell… I don’t even USE the office myself anymore because I can never keep my desk clear for more than a day or two.

But, I am up for the challenge and this gives me the incentive I need to get the job done.  I have a reveal to do by the end of the month.  No time to waste.  Time to shop for some new paint colors.

Want to see the “BEFORE”?????

So what am I going to DO with this mess?  I went to Walmart, of course, to pick some paint colors.  Paint is cheap, easy and the best way to transform a room.  Glidden has a new line of Tester Paints that makes doing it yourself so easy.  As a designer, the first thing I always tell people is NOT to go by the little paint swatch you pick up in the home improvement store.  Even if you tape it up to your wall, the color rarely looks like it does on the little card.  Why?  Because your wall is NOT a piece of paper.  Depending on the type of wall, the texture of the wall and the light that hits that wall… the same color of paint can look different in every room of your house.  If you are clueless as to which color direction to go in, check out Glidden online.  They have great tools to help you decide on what colors are best for different rooms.

ALWAYS get a tester and actually paint your wall to see what the color looks like.  Live with it for a day.  Look at it in the sunlight.  Look at it at night.  If you can live with the color after 24 hours then go ahead and buy that gallon.  Glidden testers are awesome.  They come with their own little brush!  How cute it this?

Glidden testers with their own little brush.

These are the colors I chose to test on our office wall.  What do you think?  Which color would you choose?  Leave me a comment and let me know, I’m curious if you think the same way I do.

Palomino Gold, Icy Teal, Antique Silver

The Palomino Gold looked a lot more mustard on the paint card than it did on my wall.  This reminds me of the color we originally painted our living room when we first moved into our house.

The Icy Teal looks a lot more turquoise than teal - that might not make a lot of sense to most of you, but for someone who studied color for years, it made a huge difference to me.

The Antique Silver looked a lot less silver and a lot more sky blue on our wall.  It looks a lot like the color we have in our bedroom.

Let me just add that it was really my 11 year old daughter who ended up choosing the color.

Want to try Glidden testers out for yourself?  From July 17 - July 30 you can get a $2.00 off coupon on one of the many Glidden testers from Walmart at Gliddentesters.com.

You can find out my decision and see the completed makeover by the end of the month.

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Glidden Testers/Paint. #collectivebias All designs, color selections and opinions are my own.

Fun Summer Project with Elmer’s Painters Markers

Elmer’s Painters Markers

I love doing crafty projects with my girls - it’s fun for them and I get a chance to see how creative they can really be.  I had been planning on letting them decorate plain white tennis shoes once school was over and this Elmer’s opportunity fit in perfectly with that plan.

Plain white tennis shoes can be found in most discount stores.  I purchased Lauryn’s at Walmart for only $5.00 but I had to get Temera’s and Amanda’s at K-Mart.  Those were $9.99 and $7.99 respectively.  Obviously, the larger the shoe, the higher the price.  Still… under $10 for a pair of sneakers is a pretty good deal.

Supplies: white tennis shoes and Elmer’s Painters Markers

I’ve done other projects where I used paint pens before: pillow cases, t-shirts and tote bags come to mind.  I have used other brands of pens but I’ve never really found a great brand to work with.  Most paint pens are more like a highlighter than actual paint.  I was curious to see how the Elmer’s Painters Markers would be different.

I have to admit, they weren’t easy to find.  I looked everywhere.  Walmart didn’t carry them.  Target didn’t carry them.  Joann’s didn’t carry them.  Finally… success… Michael’s had a few boxes left on the shelf.

Slim pickings at our local Michael’s Craft Store.
Finally found! Elmer’s Painters Markers.

I was so glad I finally found them.  A little on the pricey side, a set of 5 markers cost $16.99.  Luckily, Michael’s usually has either 40% off or 50% off coupons that make them much more affordable.  So, back home to do some painting.

Amanda painting.

The first thing I did is take the shoelaces out of the sneakers.  This made it much easier to paint without the laces getting in the way or getting paint on them.

Coloring is easy.

If you want to plan out your design, you can use colored chalk to draw with on the sneakers.  The chalk will just get covered by the paint, or you can use a damp rag to erase it away.  When you are ready for the Painters Markers,  you just use the Marker as you would if you were writing on paper.  The paint soaks into the tip and it’s very easy to draw pictures or write words.  What I really like about these Markers over using regular markers or Sharpie pens is that they don’t bleed into the fabric.  They also don’t go on thick and goopy.

Temera likes to plan out her drawings.
Coloring the grommets was genius.

 I love how all three girls did completely different things with their shoes.  Temera painted the grommets and did the same design on both shoes.

Temera’s creation.

Amanda went the graffiti route.

Amanda’s creation.

And Lauryn went all out… the color til it hurts route.

Lauryn’s creation.

I’m a little sorry that I didn’t get a pair of shoes for myself.  I think I need to go buy a pair and do the same thing before our trip this summer.  So far, we’ve painted 3 pairs of shoes and there is plenty of paint left in the Markers for more.  That’s a good deal considering most of the other paint pens we’ve tried run out with one project.  The wish my store had more of a selection to choose from.  And I really wish the other stores in my area would carry them.  Elmer’s Painters Markers come in a 5 pack or are sold as single use pens.  I chose the Craft Pack with the pink, purple, orange, yellow and brown.

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer’s #gluenglitter #collectivebias.  All opinions are entirely my own.  I love these paint markers and will definitely use them for other summer projects.