Startup Schwag Bag # 10

What's in ze bag?

I gave a hint yesterday about what I received in my schwag bag when I posted on a photo of one of the shirts I received on Everyday Randomness, but I've been so busy this week I just haven't had a chance to get a post up!

The truth is I was so busy I didn't check my mail for 2 days. My schwag bag may have arrived Monday or it could have been Tuesday, but I didn't get a chance to check the mail until Wednesday morning. I probably wouldn't have grabbed it then if I hadn't noticed my mailbox was so full the door was hanging open!

I was pleasantly surprised to see two t-shirts in the bag this month, although I think one of them won't be worn around my mother. That would be the Zivity, but I know there are others, like my mother, who don't agree. She'll have a big enough problem with the fact that the shirt says "It's not porn". The word "porn" would set her off. I on the other hand think the shirt is very catchy, and I'll be rocking it like crazy.

I like the idea of Zivity, but maybe that's because I greatly appreciate pin-up style art and nude artwork that shows the beauty of a woman's body apposed to porn type photos. I use a lot of nude artwork and pinup style artwork in the website designs I do, which is mainly why you never see my design work on my actual sites.

Zivity is in beta stages right now, and accounts are only available to a limited number of photographers and women who would like to "model" on the site. Any woman can choose to find a photographer she would like to work with, take photos in the way she feels comfortable, and post them on the site to earn money...which you can read about on the site.

The site has strict guidelines for the photography, and they do allow nude photography but only if it follows their guidelines. The concept is to show the beauty of all women, not just stick thin models. I also like the fact that Zivity will be a subscription service once it's fully launched, and no photos are available without the subscription. That also helps to keep prying underage eyes from viewing things they shouldn't.

The other shirt found in my bag this month is a Plurk shirt! I've slowly started to make the transition from Twitter to Plurk. I prefer Plurk, but I was having trouble reminding myself to stop by the site to post since there isn't an external program or browser plugin. My problems were solved when I did find a small Firefox extension that puts Plurk in your sidebar. If you're looking for a way to interact with your friends online or time line your life without all the problems of Twitter try Plurk! If you're interested you can add me as a friend!

I do promise to post photos of me actually wearing the shirts at a later time. I just don't look anywhere near decent enough for photos this morning. After a shower and some makeup I'll reconsider.

Last but not least there was the handful of typical stickers for various companies thrown in the bag.



This month's stick assortment consisted of Armor Games, Magnify, Nimbuzz!, PriceAdvance, and Zilok. Now your mission is to check out the one's you've never heard of to see which of these services might be useful to you. I'll definitely be checking out Nimbuzz!.

Candle Buzz Box April 2008

My Candle Buzz Out Of The Box sampler box arrived today! I've been waiting for this one because I knew it would be jam packed full of tons of great goodies. I will be reviewing each and every item in this box, and although it might take me a couple weeks to get through them, I promise I've already taken all the photos this time. You won't have to wait around for my crappy camera to work it's magic.

The box is absolutely jam packed this month! Ignore the yellow stuff that seems to be floating to the side of the photo. I needed Hubby to hold the calendar in place, and he wanted to cover his hand so it didn't take away from the box lol!



I know I've complained before about how I was getting tired of seeing fliers from companies without products (after all people are paying to receive these samples), but I didn't have any of that in this box! I was quite happy to see it since it's becoming a very negative aspect of a few of the other sample boxes out there for sale.

I've said before, and I'll say it again. The Candle Buzz boxes are my favorite of all the sample boxes. A majority of the samples are full size products, and I get a good mix of stuff. As much as I love bath & body stuff, candles and tarts have my heart. With a Hubby who comes home from work with really stinky feet and two pets in the house, I want my house to smell good!

Now there's an Out Of The Box Sampler Blog where you can read reviews of some of these awesome products, participate in little games to win coupons, and get to know Dawn, the woman who puts these wonderful boxes together for us! Stop by and check out the blog while I work on my reviews for you guys!

A Blog For You To Peep

If you're looking for a new blog to read stop by My Cornerstone Trio. I wanted to mention the blog because the author, Anna, is a very good friend of mine. She's a beautiful person inside and out, and this really shows through on her blog. Although she only began blogging a short time ago, she's already developing quite the fan base because her writing is genuine and really great. Stop by and show her some love. I'm sure she would really love to hear what you have to say about her writings!

Tech Bargains

If you're looking for bargains on Electronic goods check out tech bargains the site that helps you find the cheapest deal you can get for your electronic needs. Get up to the minute RSS updates on the latest deals in HDTVs, GPS, digital cameras, iPods, desktop computers, cell phones and more all at one convenient place.

Browse discounts and coupons for online stores like Staples, Newegg, Dell, and Best Buy. Tech Bargains also keeps you up to date with weekly email newsletters that show you what deals are happening that week as well as customized deal alerts based on your interests. Take advantage of exclusive deals while searching through the extensive product database, reading reviews, and comparing products. They even give you updates on the Black Friday deals!

Do you need a last minute gift for a birthday or holiday? Tech Bargains can help you there, too. The site content is updated 24/7 even on weekends and holidays. With Christmas right around the corner and a ton of birthdays to buy for this month I'm going to keep this site bookmarked. You never know when I'll find a great Christmas present for a big discount, and we all know I can't afford to turn down a bargain!

Lots of Fun

One thing I seriously love is going to the theme park. We've got Six Flags a little over an hour away, Carowinds about 2 hours away, and then we've got Dollywood 4 hours away so we visit at least one of them each year. I love having all these Theme Parks so close to us, but it does get boring sometimes visiting the same ones year after year. I would really love to visit some of the other theme parks throughout the world.

One theme park I've heard a lot about is Pleasure Beach Theme Park. It's located in the UK and it's got some of the biggest theme park attractions in not only the UK, but the world! I would seriously love to check out some of the rides like the Pepsi Big Max One, Infusion, and Ice Blast. They've even got a twin-track coaster where you race the other coaster down the track! I would definitely love that, but I've got this thing with not riding wooden coasters. Hubby would definitely ride it though! Next year when we go to England for my cousin's wedding I might just have to see about taking a day trip to Pleasure Beach.

If You Drink and Drive...

Speaking of Los Angeles, I heard about some Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys | California Felony Misdemeanor DUI Lawyers that I'd want to represent me if I ever got into any trouble out there. Not only are the guys at Kestenbaum, Eisner, & Gorin packed full of weird names, but they've got some excellent records. Just look at the picture of these guys. Don't they look super smart? The group is made up of lawyers who are all former LA prosecutors, so you know they're good, but on top of that they're ranked in the Top 5% of US Law firms, and they've got a combined 50 years of experience. Those are just the kind of guys I'd want representing me. Then again, I don't think we'll ever have to worry about me getting a Felony DUI because I don't drink and drive. You shouldn't either!

Support Breast Cancer Awareness With Free 411

A lot of my friends online and offline know I use Mypoints. It's so easy to rack up points via the emails and through the points I earn when I shop online, and normally when I have so many points I donate them to one of the charities. My last big points donation was to the Red Cross, but it'll be awhile before I have enough to make a good donation again. Even though I can't do that, Mypoints showed me another way that I can help donate to Breast Cancer research, and it's pretty cool because it's with a service I already use so I thought this was definitely worth sharing.

This month every time you tell someone about 1-800-Free-411 and they use the service $1 will be donated to Breast Cancer Research! I think that's just awesome because I use 1-800-Free-411 anytime I need to call 411 for a listing. It's free to use, and it's just like dialing regular 411 without having to deal with the phone charges. It costs me $.99 every single time I call 411 from my cell phone, so I started using this service a long time ago. 1-800-Free-411 pays for it's calls with short advertisements that play before you receive the number you're calling for. The advertisements aren't annoying or long, so I think it's worth it to get the listing for free. In fact, most of the time when I call I listen to a short little message about McDonald's so it's not that bad. So, go ahead and check out the service, make the call, and have $1 donated to Breast Cancer Research! Don't forget to tell everyone you know so they can have $1 donated, too!

Auction Your Work Away

If you've ever needed someone to do some handy work around your house, or if you work in a field where you bid on jobs, here's a website you can appreciate. www.LocalDemand.com is a site where you can post projects you need done or bid on jobs to do the work for others. I really can appreciate this site because hubby works in construction, and a lot of his side jobs are "bid jobs". If you have no experience with this, it means he has to bid on a specific job, and the lowest bidder normally wins. Hubby loves to work, so he's always looking for extra work to do on the weekends, and now I can introduce him to this site.

Basically the site is set up like the Ebay of the home improvement world. For example, if you need someone to install hardwood flooring in your home you post your job and others will bid on it. People who are experienced in hardwood flooring installation will bid on your job, and you get to choose who will do the install. You don't have to stick to one price quote. You get the opportunity to choose from multiple bids to get the best price and quality work.

I'll definitely be checking this site more often. I don't see anything in my area currently, but I'm going to set up automatic keyword emails to inform me when something that hubby might be interested in is available in the areas he works.

London Attractions Pass

I've never been out of this country, but I've always wanted to travel around the world. One place I've always wanted to visit is England, particularly London. I found something today that adds an incentive to visiting. It's called the London Attractions Pass, and for one low price the pass will get you into 56 London Attractions for no additional cost. That's a really good deal, especially when most of us already have to pay for airfare and other travel costs just to visit the country.

Paying one low price for 56 attractions is not only cheaper, but it beats having to wait in line with your money at each individual attraction. Instead you get to skip the line and move right on to what you're really there to see. Not only does the pass save you money, but it saves you time as well.

Some of the attractions the pass gets you into include the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, London Zoo, and Windsor Castle to name a few. Stop by Shakespeare's Globe or St Paul's Cathedral or check out the other attractions the pass offers.

Spreading It Thick

Aren't all blogs a gossip center of some sort? Whether we're talking about products, discussing other bloggers, or things that happen in our daily lives, we all are gossiping in some way. I know I've been guilty of blog gossip before on a couple of my blogs. Most of that gossip dealt with my personal life, friends, and family, but some of it has also been about other bloggers. A lot of us choose to spill it to our blogs instead of gossiping to our friends.

Blogs and gossip are two key features of a new tv series Gossip Girl on The CW. Gossip Girl is a new drama centered around teenagers and based on the novels of Cecily Von Ziegesar. The show centers around the lives of a bunch of teenagers in New York, specifically the Upper East Side who deal with teenage issues including sex and drugs while attending an elite school of some sort. The show is created by Joshua Schwartz who also created The O.C., and Stephanie Savage.

What's so interesting about this new teen drama? While the show mainly deals with the lives of two best friends, Serena and Blair, and their crush on the same guy, Nate, the series is actually narrated by "Gossip Girl", a blogger who uses her blog to gossip about the other teens to keep rivalries stirring and the gossip spreading. "Gossip Girl" is voiced by Kristin Bell, and she keeps the flames of gossip burning while she continues to anonymously blog about the inner circle of these friendships. It wouldn't be much fun if her friends found out she was the one dishing the dirt would it?

Gossip Girl airs September 19th on CW, and I think it's going to be a show a lot of teenagers will tune into. Check out the Gossip Girl widget below to get a sneak peak for yourself.

Blog Directories

Every webmaster knows links to your site are a must to bring in traffic, but not everyone knows where to get those links. A lot of people choose to use link directories, and most bloggers know that we can definitely benefit from directories like this. A lot of bloggers don't realize that there are blog directories out there that cater only to the blogging community.

First of all you might ask why link building and directories are so important. Search engines use links as part of the algorithm to decide where your blog ranks in search results. Basically search engines see each link as a sort of vote for your site. The more of these votes you get, the better your blog ranks. The best way to gain better position is through one way links, but there are few ways to get one way links. The best way to do this is through a directory, but most directories list all websites, so it's important to find a blog directory.

I was just checking out Alive Blog Directory, and I like the look of their site. Not only do they have a clean design that's easy to navigate, but the Blog Directory is just that, a directory designed only for blogs. Although the blog directory is of it's own, it's built upon the Alive Web Directory. This is a good thing because it segregates blogs from the rest of the websites listed, but it allows you to pull traffic from visitors to the web directory. I also like how you can choose from a huge selection of blog categories instead of just labeling your link as a blog like you would have to do with most other generic directories. You also have options for deep links as well as standard, featured, yearly, or permanent listings.

Clocks

When I was a kid, my grandparents lived in the house I live in now. I grew up spending my weekends and summers here, and I always loved all the decorations and knick knacks my grandma kept everywhere. There was one thing in this house that I loved above all others though. My grandpa had a gorgeous old clock that sat on the top shelf of the built in china cabinet in the dining room. It was the old kind that needed to be wound everyday, and when I was around he'd lift me up and let me wind it for him.

I always said I would live in this house, and I always said I would have a beautiful clock that would sit on that top shelf. What I realized today is that I haven't followed through. I really do need to find a clock to sit on that shelf, although I doubt I'll never find one that will hold as much value for me personally as my grandpa's clock. I can at least find a beautiful one that will remind me of it.

I was just looking at some Howard Miller clocks, and I did find one that reminds me of my grandpa's clock. The Howard Miller Langeland Mantel Clock looks very similar to the one my grandpa had, but of course it's definitely a nice updated version. It would look beautiful sitting on the top shelf of my china cabinet, only I wouldn't have to take the time to wind this one everyday. I love the fact that it has an automatic nighttime chime shut of feature. One thing that drives me crazy is waking up every hour at night when a clock goes off.

Who knows, I might even be able to win something if I decide to buy my clock now. I'll have to talk to hubby and possibly see about getting one after we catch up from his recent wreck.

Elegant Dresses

It's nearing the end of prime wedding season, but that doesn't mean the weddings will stop. I'm already scheduled to be in two this year, and I just found out yesterday there might be a third. I already have my dress for the first one, but I'm not looking forward to purchasing more Dresses.

At least I know my best friend's wedding won't be too fancy. She's having a small wedding with only a matron of honor, so she offered to pay for half of my dress. We're still searching for one we both like, so maybe I should introduce her to the Elegant Mart website. They offer free shipping on all designer gowns, and the prices aren't really that bad either. I've paid way more for dresses that aren't half as beautiful as what they offer. That's probably because Elegant Mart also offers a 120% low price guarantee.

I'll definitely have to bookmark this site. I know quite a few girls who will be needing prom dresses as well this year, and this site looks like a good place to find one.

Candle Buzz Box

I received my Candle Buzz Box aka the "Out Of The Box" Sampler yesterday, and after seeing all the wonderful FULL SIZE goodies I'm wondering why I haven't made myself stay on top of ordering this one. This was the first time I actually remembered to order the box before it sold out, and I will definitely be getting this one more in the future. As much as I love the Little Black Box, I loved the Candle Buzz box more this month. Just look at all the goodies I got!


I've already ripped away all the packaging and set a few of these out around the house to make it smell great. I'll start reviewing a few of these soon, but here's a list of everything.

• Gramma Frans Fixins- Crow In Da' Cornbread Wax Melts
• French Hill Country- Mango Papaya Scoopables
• Things That Make Scents- Soy Tarts in Home Sweet Home & Banana Kiwi
• Bath and Body Bliss- Peppermint Foot Scrub
• Country Hill- Sugar Scrub
• My Lip Stuff- Pancakes & Syrup Lip Balm
• 4 The Luv of Jam- Spiced Pumpkin Votive candle and Pink Sugar Bubblin' Milk Bath
• Scrappin With Army Wife- 2 Scrap Tags that say "Happy Birthday" & "Ho Ho Ho"
• Country Road Primitives- Indonesian Cinnamon Spice Soap
  
• Busy Bee Candle Shop- Small Honeysuckle Rose Tart and Large Black Cherry Tart
• Ugly Duckling Designs- Banana Nut Bread Votive Candle
• Tickled Pink Scentsations- 2 Soy Tarts in Sage & Citrus and Mint Angel
• Pookie- Gold Makeup Pencil
• Just Peachy Candles and Soaps- Green Apple Goats Milk Soap
  

Life As It Should Be

Have you heard about the Coke zero "Life As It Should Be" Campaign? If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be the director of your own movie, Coke Zero is giving you the chance to do this! Just choose which black and white film you'd like to direct, then add your own flare to it. You can write your own script for your character, and if you've got a voice recorder you can even add your own voice. When you're done your clip will get added to the site with clips made by other people, and everyone gets to vote on which one they like best. You can even send your movie to your friends, so why not head over and make something they'll surely laugh about!

Lowering The Debt

I paid off another credit card today, and I split a large balance from one card to two. A lot of people don't realize this can actually help when you're trying to control your debt and raise your credit score. It actually hurts your credit score to have one card with a very high debt amount that is close to your limit, and it can help raise your score a bit if you separate that large amount into two smaller ones that are not so close to your card limit. When looking for a card to transfer part of your debt to, you've got to pay attention to the features and benefits you will receive. Don't just fill out the next credit card offer you find in your mailbox.

It's always good to look for a card that offers you 0% APR for 6 months or a year on balance transfers. Most companies will charge you a fee for transferring the balance, but you won't accrue any interest on it for so many months. If you do plan on purchasing anything extra with your card, look for one that also offers 0% on purchases for a set amount of months. Also check out the benefits offered to you such as discounts on products and services, cash back on purchases, and fees waved for booking vacations through your card. If you want to see an example of some of these offers, check out Mint credit cards.

Blogkits Review

It has definitely been awhile since I posted a review of any of the paid to blog companies. That's probably because I've already told you about the ones I deal with on a regular basis until now. Recently Blogkits released a new portion of their site called BlogKits Review
, and although the program is relatively new, I like it. There aren't a whole lot of ops to choose from right now, but that also comes from the fact the program is relatively new. The program is different from the other paid to blog type companies because of the way bloggers earn cash and advertisers pay. I think this setup will be more appealing to advertisers in the long run.

With the other companies, you earn a set amount for posts paid anywhere from a few days to 30 days after the post is completed. Blogkits is different in the fact that their posts are pay-per-click type advertising. This means you won't receive a set amount for that post, but unlike the other companies, if you write a good post and promote your product to your readers in a good manor, you can earn even more for each click.

On top of that, Blogkits offers special weekly promotional drawings for some of their campaigns. I recently participated in a campaign they ran for Peapod. As a special promotion, they are giving $100 away for the best post each week, and I was the lucky winner of last week's giveaway. I wrote the post not knowing if I would actually make any money off the pay per click or not, but I took a chance, made some cash from the post itself, and ended up winning $100. I really think it was worth taking that risk!

The other reason why I like Blogkits is because they don't require positive posts. They want HONEST reviews of the products or websites their campaigns are promoting. They apparently realize that honesty can do a lot of good for companies, whether it's positive or negative feedback. Positive feedback is great of course, but negative feedback from everyday consumers gives the advertiser some insight into things they might need to change about their site or product to make it more appealing to the general public.

Head on over to Blogkits, sign up for a free account, and check out the new BlogKits Review
if you're interested in blogging for cash. I'd love to hear what others think about it. Is their anything you see that they can improve upon?

A Few Games To Try

If you love playing video games, check out StarCraft: Bloodwar and StarCraft 2. I've never played either of these games, but as soon as I visited CreepColony, the StarCraft fan site, I decided these would probably be a couple of games I would like to try. I'm a big fan of the very first Warcraft game that was ever released. I can beat the entire game in about an hour, and after seeing the videos posted on CreepyColony, these games remind me of Warcraft. Actually Warcraft and StarCraft were both created by Blizzard games, so they're definitely similar. I believe StarCraft 2 has better graphics, and I'm definitely going to give it a try.

Hockey's Future

If you're a hockey fan, I've got a site for you to check out. It's called Hockey's Future, and it's chocked full of tons of stuff for the hockey fan. Check out the top 50 prospects, the top NHL Org. Rankings, and the ISS Top Ten. You can also participate in the HF Hockey boards with other hockey fans, get up to date news on your favorite team, and find out about the hockey draft. There's also a chat room so where you can interact with other fans. Both hubby and my father in law are big Flyers fans, so I'll definitely be passing this link on to them. They'll both be interested in checking out the 2007 Flyers draft review.

If you're interested in the sport of hockey, but you just don't know much about it, you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about about drafting on the Draft FAQs. While you're enveloping yourself in all the information you could ever want to read, don't forget to check out the Hockeys Future radio station! There's definitely something for everyone on this site from the new fan who doesn't know much about the sport to the avid fan who already knows everything! Go ahead and check it out today and tell me what you think!

Free Motorcycle Bulding Course

Anyone who reads any of my blogs should know by now that I'm a big motorcycle enthusiast. I mostly deal with the sports bike side of the road, but I also like cruisers and choppers. I've been wanting to purchase a mini bike, but I've had a hard time deciding on whether I want to buy a mini sports bike or chopper. My cousin has an awesome mini chopper that it's a ton of fun to ride.

I immediately thought of this same cousin when I saw a mini course in how to properly build a chopper frame. He's wanted to build his own custom chopper for awhile now, so I thought this would be perfect for him or anyone else who's interested in motorcycles such as I am. This is also something I know hubby would be extremely interested in. The free course discusses 9 common problems when Building A Custom Chopper Frame along with how to avoid them, and I think it's a cool read for like I said anyone interested in motorcycles. I signed up for the mini course, and I'm going to print out the mini guide for both hubby and my cousin. I know they're going to love it.