Sunday, October 21, 2012

2012 SoCal Social Wrap Ups

Thank you all so much for an amazing SoCal Social 2012!!

It was so much fun to see those of you who joined us last year, and to get to meet all our new friends from this year!

We would LOVE to see your roundup posts - it's so fun to visit and see the highlights from everyone's day.

So link up here - and have fun checking out all the posts!!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Sponsor Highlight: Krylon!

We are so excited to welcome Krylon as a Sponsor of the SoCal Social this year!

 
Of course you all know Krylon and their awesome paints - Regular Spray Paint, Rust Protector, Chalkboard Paint, Glitter - and so much more!
 
 
 
Now that we're all drooling over the paint - let me show you something you might not know about!


Have you heard of their Projects In a Can Website?


You can of course get easy access to the main Krylon website, and check out all their products, but my favorite part of ProjectsInACan.com is all the inspiration!

They have Indoor and Outdoor projects, ways to transform your home, and even Holiday Project ideas!

 

Aren't those Wine Bottle Jack-O-Lanterns fun?
 
You should also check out the Krylon Vault! It's a way to save your projects - and they can be featured on the Projects In A Can site - and even shared on Krylon's social media!
 
 
 
 
You can also find Krylon on Facebook and Twitter! Make sure you follow along for lots of Krylon Inspiration!
 
Facebook: Krylon Crafts and Krylon DIY
 
We also recommend using the Hashtag #Krylon on Pinterest - it will make it so easy for people to find your awesome Spray Paint Projects!
So much Krylon awesomeness!! I am definitely going to be using those two new sites in the future!


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Sponsor Highlight: Lion Brand Yarn!

We are so excited that Lion Brand Yarn will be joining us this year as a SoCal Social Sponsor!

Lion Brand is a family owned and operated business with a passion for providing quality yarns, and has been around since 1878. They have a huge selection and variety of yarns - pretty much anything you want for any project you'd like to make!!

 
 They have everything from wool and acrylic yarns, to cotton and sequins and fun fur and so much more!!

One of my favorite new products of theirs are the BonBons!

Bonbons are collections of 8 miniature skeins of yarn, available in 6 assortments; metallic, and mercerized cotton combinations. They are perfect for any project requiring multiple colors, such as amigurumi, colorwork, embroidery, and embellishments They’re also a fun way to introduce kids into crafting with yarn.

Our attendees are going to get a first hand look at these little guys and I know they're going to love them!!

Lion Brand Yarns is also a great resource for free patterns!! I know that I check their site first when I am needing a crochet pattern - they have over 4000 patterns at lionbrand.com - everything for knitters and crocheters - and patterns for general crafting too!

Image of Pom-Pom Mobile  Image of Gaelic Bay Afghan Image of Fast and Easy Cowl Image of Friendship Bracelets Image of Mitered Crochet Baby Blanket

You can find out more about Lion Brand Yarn at:
Facebook - for lots of info and deals -
Twitter - updates and more -
and Pinterest - for tons of Yarn project inspiration!!

 
 

Disclosure: We have received Lion Brand Yarn products as a donation for the SoCal Social. All opinions are my own.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Yumminess from Meringue Bake Shop

We are so excited about the Dessert that we'll be enjoying at the SoCal Social!!
It is being provided by the fabulous Kristin at Meringue Bake Shop!

 
 
Meringue Bake Shop came to be in 2008 when Kristin's love for baking started to garner order requests from coworkers, friends and friends of friends. Kristin and her husband Lyle run the business out of a commercial kitchen in Fullerton. In that kitchen, they make their award winning cupcakes and PushCakes along with other mini desserts, cookies and cakes.
 
 
And in 2012 they launched their cupcake cart!
 
 
The cart can be found at various locations through out Orange County. A schedule is posted monthly on their website. And the cart is also available to rent. It's a great addition to a birthday party, graduation, wedding, or any other type of celebration.
Meringue Bake Shop's creations have received praise from publications such as Foodbeast, Gourmet Mom On The Go, CakeSpy, Hostess with the Mostess, Cupcakes & Cutlery, California Wedding Day, The Bump, OC Register, OC Weekly, Orange Coast Magazine, OC Family, and more. 
 
 

For more information on Meringue Bake Shop, like them onFacebook and follow them on Twitter. You can also follow along on Instagram at @meringuebkeshp!


Hungry yet?? Me too!
We are so excited that Kristin and Meringue Bake Shop are sponsoring the SoCal Social this year!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

HURRY! Book your room at The Atrium! The rate is going up!

Hi all!  We have until October 3 at noon, PST to get the $98 rate at The Atrium.  After noon it goes up to $129!

The hotel had a big group make reservations for our same weekend and we haven't had too many of you make your reservations yet, so we are going to need to release those rooms if you all don't get a move on!  It's a great deal at $98, so make sure you get in on it!!

Please call 1-800-854-3012 to make your reservation.  If you encounter any difficulty, please ask for Scott Bruno.

After all, you don't want to end up crashing someplace like this for the night...


Friday, September 21, 2012

Need a place to sleep the night of the SoCal Social...?

For those of you who are traveling a ways to join us on October 20 (you NorCal girls know who you are!) or those of you who are also taking advantage of our fabulous Spa Day on October 21...  We have a good hotel deal for you!

The Atrium Hotel in Irvine has set aside a small block of rooms for us and have given us a great rate.  

Click HERE to see the room amenities.
They are giving us a rate of $98 a night, which includes all applicable taxes and fees.  So, grab a roomie** and relax.    Just mention the SoCal Social when you call to make your reservation.  We've arranged for a late check out if you need it, just be sure to let them know at the time of your reservation.

The Atrium Hotel 
18700 MacArthur Boulevard  Irvine, CA 92612

1-800-854-3012


Click HERE to see more photos of this beautiful hotel, less than 15 minutes from Saturday's event at the Orange Circle!

Be sure to check out all of the Spa Services available.  If you have purchased the Spa Day, you can choose anything from the Spa La Carte menu.  Make sure to let us know which one you want.   (Remember that the spa service, all gratuities, lunch and pool-side cabana are all included in the price of the Spa Day.)  If you would like to add additional services, Complexions Day Spa is giving you a 10% discount.  Call to arrange for those on your own, and mention SCSO10.  1-562-493-2441

Hope to see you there!
**We will be posting a "Roommates Wanted" thread on the Facebook page.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Sponsor Highlight: Goose Creek Candle Company

We love candles.  Love them!  (Especially if they smell yummy.)  So we are so excited to introduce you to our newest sponsor, the Goose Creek Candle Company .  They have eleventy billion fabulous candles.

They sent me two of their American Heirloom jar candles to try.  I love candles that smell like food.  If a candle can make it smell like I've been baking something delicious, it's a really good thing.  These smell divine.  In addition to providing ambient light and a fabulous fragrance, candles are supposed to be part of your decor... right?  These will fit in anywhere, and the jars can totally be reused once the candle has burned away.

These candles smell fantastic even when they aren't lit... that's how great they smell.
Maple Toddy 3 wick candle.  mmmm.
Also?  It burned evenly.  I hate it when you have a candle that burns down the middle, leaving you with just a bunch of wax.  The Goose Creek candle burned at an even rate.

They have adorable candles for Halloween.  How cute are these?!

They have cute ones for Christmas too.  They have jar candles, pillar candles, warmers, room sprays and those little air-fresheners for your car.  Tons of yummy-ness!

These would make great gifts, so definitely check out their website and check them out on Facebook and Twitter too!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sponsor Highlight: Wallpaper For Windows

You guys, I have to tell you my personal story about Wallpaper For Windows, our newest sponsor.  I am pretty sure that several of you will be able to relate to the problem I had.  (I say had because Wallpaper For Windows saved the day and solved an argument I had with my husband.)

My Hubs and I had been butting heads over our garage.  Not only about whose mess/clutter was on whose side of the garage, and who had more crap than the other, etc.  but also about the windows in our garage.  I hated that you could pull up into our driveway and see what is inside, right up against the door.  (A filing cabinet, gardening supplies, sports equipment, etc.)

If there is a way to photograph glass without a reflection, I would love to hear about it...
I also hated (Hated!) that as you were walking up to our front door you could see the entire messy contents of Hub's workbench/crap filled horizontal surface.  (This is also something my mother commented on.  Often.  "Your house looks so cute until you see the crap in the garage window....")


I had wanted to hang up curtain panels, or spray the glass with frosting spray, anything actually, to block out the mess.  Hubs claimed he needed to be able to see out onto the lawn, needed light, etc.  He wanted to put up blinds (which I strongly suspected wouldn't happen).  So for a few years we'd been talking about it, arguing about it, but not doing anything about it.  (We're supah-motivated like that...)

Wallpaper For Windows to the rescue.   They contacted me about trying out some of their removable covers/clings for glass.  They have a huge selection on their website.  I couldn't decide.  I couldn't think of a creative project.  I knew I wanted to do something fun.

Then it dawned on me: The Garage!

I only measured the glass panes on the garage door  because I assumed the panes over the workbench were the same size.  Then I counted up the total of panes and sent in my request.  (Tip of the Day: NEVER assume that all of your windows are the same, exact size.)

Hubs was NOT on board with the idea.  He thought it would be too dark in the garage.  He thought it would look bad from the outside.  Wrong on all counts. (And he admitted it! Dontcha love when that happens?!)

Wallpaper For Windows cuts the pieces to your specifications and sends them on a roll of peel and stick backing, along with the super easy instructions for installation.  It turned out that the window panes over the bench were slightly larger that the panes on the door.  (I didn't measure them because they were too hard to get to.  oops.)

The funny part?  My measuring mistake was the perfect husband and wife compromise.


We ended up taking the slightly undersized frosted squares and centering them on the glass. This is very easy to do.  Clean the glass, then spray it with water that has just a few drops of liquid soap in it.  Peel the Wallpaper and "float" it into place.  Then you just take a credit card (or something similar) and squeegee it into place.  Ta Da!



Even though I mis-measured the panes, centering the frosted squares worked for both of us.  Hubs can still see out and doesn't feel like it is too dark.  I am happy because you can't see the crap as you walk up to the front door.  Winning!


Much better!  The garage door looks better too.
These are the panes that I measured correctly...
Wallpaper For Windows has all sorts of decorative options, not just the privacy film.  Check this out:

or how cool is this?

...or a smaller project...?

If you think about it, it's a pretty cool solution to a very common problem.  We're so glad they're participating int The SoCal Social!

You can also visit Wallpaper For Windows on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

SoCal Social Ticket Giveaway - Sponsored by SNAP Conference!

We are so excited to be holding our last giveaway for a SoCal Social Ticket - being brought to you by the fabulous Tauni from the Snap Conference!


Tauni is one of our favorite people - she is sweet and supportive and she is the genius behind the SNAP Conference!



Viv and I both attended Snap last year and one of our favorite things about it was the sense of community we felt there.


The blogging community is just that... a community!  We get to know other bloggers... to care about them, and to feel like we know them... Which is exactly why we wanted to have the SoCal Social - to give bloggers a chance to get to know each other and build and develop friendships! We are thrilled that Tauni is supporting the SoCal Social by offering a giveaway for a 2 Day Ticket!  That's right!  The SNAP Conference is sending someone to both days of the SoCal Social!

One lucky winner will get to attend both the Swag Walk & dinner on October 20 and the fab Spa Day on October 21!  (If you win and you have already purchased one or both days - we will refund you your original ticket cost!)

The 2013 Snap Conference will be held April 18 - 20 in Utah! Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, Sept. 18 (our phones, laptops, and ipads have reminders set!)  They will sell out early - so make sure you buy your tickets as soon as they go on sale! (Plus the first 50 tickets will get a $50 discount. Woohooo!)

You know what else?!  We have some amazing news about one of our giveaways at the Social this year too -  Tauni has generously offered a ticket to the 2013 SNAP Conference for a SoCal Social attendee! Is that awesome or what?!
(Giveaway will cover admission to SNAP - not hotel or transportation or incidentals - also if you are the winner and have already purchased a SNAP ticket, you will receive a refund!! We just love Tauni. :)

So are you ready enter to win a Two Day Ticket to the SoCal Social?

We are running the Giveaway through Rafflecopter - click here if you need instructions to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway.

The Giveaway will close on Friday, September 14 - Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Sponsor Highlight: The Duck Brand

It's been said that there are only two "tools" a home ever really needs:  Duct tape and WD40.
If it moves and it shouldn't...? Duct tape!
If it's stuck and it should be moving...?  WD40.

Well, we don't know if there is any cute WD40 out there, but The Duck Brand has created tape that is so fun and creative that it's taken duct tape out of the garage and into crafty supply closets everywhere!


Perhaps you've heard that kids have been making wallets out of Duck Tape?  It's a very fun project for kids and grown-ups, alike.
Here's a great example from Kim at Seven Thirty Three. Her nephew specifically requested a duct tape wallet for his birthday.

How about jazzing up some plain black boots with The Duck Brand's cheetah print?
That's exactly what Kaysi from Keeping It Simple did!

Jewelry?  Yep!
Check out this Anthropologie knock -off using Duck Tape and paper clips from Sugar Derby.

Or this fun, colorful bracelet...
From Heather at Dollar Store Crafts.


Let's move on to the home decor possibilities, shall we?
Connie from Measured By The Heart added some oomph to a plain lampshade.

You will have to see this Hello Kitty Cat Feeder from Plucking Daisies in order to believe it...

Don't forget the holidays!
Plenty of designs to cover your pumpkins with.
Funky Zebra Stripe pumpkin from The V Spot.

Valentine's Day?  Christmas?
Lots of possibilities for this wreath from Poppies At Play.

Want a whole bunch of Duck Tape ideas?

Check out this round up of projects from Saved By Love Creations.

We are so excited that The Duck Brand is working with the SoCal Social!  Here's a little sneak peek of what they've got up their sleeves for our attendees...

You can visit The Duck Brand at their website, like them on Facebook, and follow them on both Twitter and Instagram.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

SoCal Social Ticket Giveaway!!

We are so excited to announce that we are having a giveaway for one Registration/Ticket to the SoCal Social!


The winner of this giveaway will receive Registration for both days of the SoCal Social - a $100 value!

And if you've already registered for the Social - go ahead and enter - we will refund your registration if you win! Is that nice of us or what?

You don't want to miss out on all the fun - we have the fabulous Swag Walk, dinner at Avila's El Ranchito, all the swag and giveaways and of course Mark Montano on Saturday -


And Sunday we have the amazing Spa Day at Complexions Day Spa! Yummy food, relaxing pool time, massages, pedicures, and more!



We have such amazing sponsors for this years event already! The giveaway entries will give you the chance to check out their social media links and find out who they are!

We will be doing this giveaway with Rafflecopter - click here if you need instructions on how it works.  You have more than 32 chances to enter available to you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will close at midnight (EST) on August 23 and we'll announce the winner on Friday August 24 - good luck!!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Sponsor highlight: Fish Foam

We are so excited to welcome our newest sponsor, Fish Foam Glass & Window Cleaner!

No one likes to wash windows, right?  So you certainly want to make sure that they are clean the first time!

When I first heard about Fish Foam, I thought it was kind of a funny name for a glass cleaner.  I will tell you something: This stuff could be made out of fish parts, for all I care.  (It's not... but even if it was, I wouldn't care.)  It's made with alcohol, not ammonia.   I have never seen a product that cleans glass so quickly and easily.  It's a foam, so it doesn't drip.  It cuts through grease (so I have even used it on my granite counter tops) and it doesn't leave behind any streaks.

You know what else?  The Fish Foam people are so nice!  They were sponsors at the Haven Conference back in June.  They gave out full size samples of Fish Foam and were giving out little yo-yo's just for fun.  Having 4 boys, some of my blogger friends donated their yo-yo's to my cause.
You know what happened?  The Atlanta TSA opened my luggage for inspection and they stole some of the yo-yo's!!!  Crazy right?  I blogged about the theft.  You know what Fish Foam did?  They mailed 4 replacement yo-yo's along with the sample of Fish Foam directly to my home!


So let's review:  Super nice, customer service oriented company with an amazing product that works better than anything else that I've ever tried...?  Yep.  Fish Foam fits that bill.

We are so excited to have them on board as a sponsor!