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Lisa M. Frame

Blog with Integrity

She’s Crafty!! {Not the Beastie Boys version!!}

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Tis the season to be…WAIT!! Where is my to-do list? Why haven’t I started my Christmas shopping? Where is the hot cocoa and candy canes? But most of all, WHERE IS MY SCOTCH TAPE?!?!

I can guarantee that I will run out of tape while wrapping gifts. It doesn’t matter how much I have purchased, I am going to either misplace it, my son is going to tape stuff all over the house or my husband is going to try and defuzz his sweaters with a fist full of tape (at least I didn’t say his chest!). Take your pick, all three will happen. It also happens when I am crafting. But it’s usually glue for my hot glue gun. It’s like the project pictured here. Simple enough. 9×4 and 12×4 cones, covered in scrap booking paper and topped with a Christmas ornament on top for festivity. Since the craft only took an hour and I was going to have it ready and on my sideboard before I had friends over for dinner, I thought “piece of cake”.

It never happens that way. If it did, my mouth would be riddled with cavities.

No glue for my hot glue gun. No foam spray glue. So, I did what any self-respecting woman, with a naked side board would do, broke out the scotch tape. What you have before you my friends thought I spent hours on. Instead? I slapped it together with tape in under five minutes. It’s adorable and my dining companions looked at me as if I were the holy grail of domestic doyennes, Martha Stewart. Secretly, Martha would have been slapping me around my house for my lack of preparation.

I don’t want you to be caught unawares this holiday season. Does that mean I am giving you a great to-do list to keep you organized? Nope. I am giving you tape. Lots and lots of Scotch Tape!

Now, I am giving one (1) lucky winner five (5) rolls of Scotch Tape! That’s a lot of sweater fuzz! I am also giving five (5) lucky winners one (1) roll of Scotch Tape.  Mosey on down to the comment section below and let me know you need some Scotch Tape. If you have a funny wrapping experience, even better! After all, I need to know that I am not alone in my domestic disasters.

Thanks to Scotch(R) Double Sided Tape for sponsoring my writing about crafts. Add your comment below to be entered for a chance to win free sample rolls to help with your upcoming holiday needs, and join the conversation on the Scotch(R) Brand Facebook Page. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective , which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Gratuitous Beastie Boys Jam:

Tis the season…for Christmas Cards!!

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I can’t believe it! Christmas is less than two months away and I am already making my list and checking it twice. Santa Claus likes it when we are peaceful and do unto others, so I am doing my part by ordering my holiday cards early from Shutterfly!

Every year, I ponder a multitude of card choices and this year, it’s not been any different. We have never done a Christmas photo card, as most of the ones that we receive are well, kinda hokey. I have also sworn solemnly to my husband that I wouldn’t do a Christmas letter. He tried to get it put into our nuptials! Cheese, or being anti-cheese is also on the list. So, I have promised no matching turtlenecks, no Jingle-Bell sock and certainly no sequined sweaters. (I hear you, breathing a sigh of relief out there with this proclamation.)

So, I took to the interwebs on my hunt for majesty, glory and taste, with a huge heaping dose of cute and fun thrown in for good measure.

We are the most content as a family when we are at the beach. So, these beachy themed cards from Shutterfly might be the perfect ones for us to pick as our choice.  Being able to customize the card with our family name, as well as it being sustainably harvested is a win in my book.

The next card on my list would be the Paper Ornaments Christmas Card. I love it. When I think of Christmas it’s very red, green, bold and retro. It’s a Leave it to Beaver meets Little House in the Big Woods, with a healthy dose of Clark W. Griswold thrown in for good measure. Love it!! This card? Definitely shows what Clark wanted his Christmas to be. We all know what he got. Thankfully, I am not trying to wear down the town power supply with my house decorated with more lights than an airport runway.

Finally, I had to consider business Christmas Cards. Since Heidi Klum won’t return my phone calls, I have to make do. That would be the decision not to frighten people during the holiday season and pick a card that is simple, let’s you know “tis the season” and has a modern, hip feel. So, for my business Christmas cards, it would be the Modern Merry Wreath Business Holiday Card.

Wow. My cards are all blue! That’s ok. I am a traditional green, gold and red gal, much to the dismay of my family. So, I am guessing my selections might be my subconscious being infiltrated by boys, asking me to change it up during the holidays. Umm, that’s not happening. 🙂

Now, for a surprise. If you want 50 free!!! Shutterfly cards of your own, blog about it! Just follow this link and give them a write up. Tell them Clever Girls Collective sent you and they will get back to you faster than Santa whips up and down the chimneys delivering gifts on Christmas Eve!

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

On a Stream of Air: The Ultimate Family Vacation

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Sponsored By

Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine and Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.

Since this isn’t National Lampoons Family Vacation, I think it’s safe to say that we’re really not interested in going to Wally World with the Griswold’s. But the idea of doing a cross country trip here in the US is actually not a bad idea, because while putting together a vacation where money is no object is one way to think about an ultimate family vacation. The real ultimate family vacation has one other constraint removed, and that’s time.

Time seems like it is in short supply for everyone. The more progress we make technologically, the more complicated things become. For me, I would just want the luxury of time to visit all 50 states with my husband and son. I want to spend time in them, cover them from end to end, see all the quirky finds. I also want to travel in an Airstream. Yes, look at me like I am crazy. But, I have the picture of 50’s travel chic, capri pants, kitten heels and twin sets. While I dreaming, my husband would be Cary Grant and I would look like Doris Day.

With my luck, the Grand Canyon would be closed when we got there and my husband would do his best Clark W. Griswold imitation by taking a donkey hostage and forcing it to take us on a scenic route, straight down hill. Seriously though, I would love the thrill of stopping where I wanted to and exploring the less taken path visiting quirky attractions like the worlds largest ball of string, America’s Stonehenge, and Lenny the Chocolate Moose.

But the best part of the trip for me would be pure, unadulterated time with my family. Driving around the country, visiting towns we’ve never heard of and laughing together. To me, that is the ultimate family vacation. Just us, without worrying about the time constraints of vacations end and our biggest challenge being where to stop next.

Don’t forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Thirsty Girl in Charlotte * {Getting My Sommelier On}

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Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) said it best:

Wine is bottled poetry.

For Thirsty Girl Leslie Sbrocco, it’s true as well. She’s going to be at the Southern Women’s Show in Charlotte September 16th-19th. She has invited me and Designer Wife to join her for a wine tasting. I am thrilled, as I am always on the lookout for not only new wines, but new pairings that I never would have thought of. For me, this is the perfect learning opportunity.
More about the Thirsty Girl herself:

The new social network Thirsty Girl was formed in 2010 by long time business partners, Leslie Sbrocco, a nationally-recognized wine and lifestyle expert from Sonoma, CA, and Gail Spangler, a marketing, media and television consultant who now lives in Shawnee, Kansas. Sbrocco is an Emmy-award winning television host on the west coast PBS Show “Check Please Bay Area,” and regular guest on NBC’s Today Show. Her book, Wine for Women, won the Georges DuBoeuf Best Wine Book of the Year award. Thirsty Girls was started to bring women together who have a love for good food, good drink and good adventures. The official Thirsty Girl motto is “Life. Drink it up.”

Thirsty Girl LIVE! will be coming to Charlotte as part of a 20 city event tour with Leslie. Leslie will also be leading a lively a wine and food pairing on Cooking stage at the Southern Women’s Conference. Women with an interest in food and wine can expect toconnect with each other and- be inspired to live life to the fullest,  as Sbrocco shares her wit, enthusiasm and passion for “being a Thirsty Girl.”

MINGLE, MIX & MUNCH!

There’s something for everyone at this fantastic weekend event!

-Meet Head Thirsty Girl, Leslie Sbrocco for a fun wine & food tasting presentation at the Cooking Stage each day!

-Come to the Thirsty Girl Pavilion, during the Charlotte Women’s Show Wine Seminars & Show Hours:

Thursday, September 16th – Show hours – 10:00am – 6:00 pm
See Leslie on the Cooking Stage leading her wine tasting @ 12:30 PM

Friday, September 17th – Show hours – 10:00am – 8:00 pm
See Leslie on the Cooking Stage leading her wine tasting @ 12:30 PM

Saturday, September 18th – Show hours – 10:00am – 7:00 pm
See Leslie on the Cooking Stage leading her wine tasting @ 12:30 PM

Sunday, September 19th – Show hours – 11:00am – 5:00 pm
See Leslie on the Cooking Stage leading her wine tasting @ 3:30 PM

WINE SAMPLING: @ The Thirsty Girl Pavilion

  • Thursday, September 16th following Leslie’s tasting seminar, 1:30-6pm
  • Friday, September 17th following Leslie’s tasting seminar, 1:30–8pm
  • Saturday, September 18th following Leslie’s tasting seminar 1:30–7pm
  • Sunday, September 19th, noon–5pm Leslie’s tasting seminar is at 3:30pm
Sample seven sensational wines brought to you by Thirsty Girl’s Sponsors including:

  • Glorier Ferrer our Official TG Bubbly Cambria-Official TG Chardonnay
  • Matua our Official TG Sauvignon Blanc
  • Chateau Ste. Michelle our Offical TG Riesling
  • LaCrema our Offcial TG Pinot Noir
  • Ravenswood our Official TG Zinfandel
  • Clos du Bois our Official TG Cabernet Sauvignon
ALSO:
Get your photo taken @ the TG Photo Booth
Buy Official TG Merchandise
Meet New Friends, and learn more about being a Thirsty Girl. So far, Thristy Girl Live has traveled to Denver, CO and Kansas City, MO.  For each Thirsty Girl Live event, a portion of the tickets sales are given to the local Dress for Success chapter, an organization Thirsty Girl is thrilled to help support.

Thirsty Girl is also very active on Facebook (http://facebook.com/thirstygirl ) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/beathirstygirl ). You can find Thirsty Girl online at http://beathirstygirl.com.

I was invited by the Thirsty Girls to attend the Southern Womens Show and am compensated for my participation in this program, but my reviews are solely my own and represent my honest opinions. A Daily Pinch and Thirsty Girls promote Blog With Integrity.

Let’s Dance: Gold’s Gym Dance Workout for Wii Review & Giveaway!

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I was recently contacted by Ubisoft and the Clever Girls Collective to be one of their “Ubisoft Champions” and participate in their social media program. We are huge fans of Ubisoft games in our house and I felt it was a good fit. I game to not only blow off steam, but to spend extra time with my ten-year old son. His friends think I am the “cool” mom! Which is especially helpful when dealing with a bunch of pre-pubescent tweens.

When I received my package in the mail, I was thrilled to find Gold’s Gym Dance Workout for Wii. I am working on getting into better shape and after having danced various mediums for 13 years, this was a win in my book. Starting off was pretty easy as the game collects basic information from you (height, weight, age) and then takes you through some basic steps in a tutorial. While coordination is needed, it’s pretty easy the second time you practice. You just have to remember to look for the hints to change you moves, which are displayed clearly.

After that, I was able to select a personal trainer and then set up an ongoing program for myself. Fun. I picked the “Exercise is Fun” option, which included Merengue and a matador type game where I used my hips to avoid the bull! Let’s just say, I am going to need some work on that part, as I was knocked senseless by the bull on multiple occasions! My son has been playing the boxing fitness portion and loved it. When done, he decided that he need to lay down on the den floor and take a break. Part of his problem during the boxing inspired dance routines was not being able to stay in time with the rhythm. If you can, imagine Speedy Gonzalez playing Frank Sinatra and trying to dance.

Music is always key to my happiness when I am exercising; and Gold’s Gym Dance Workout includes some of my favorites by Madonna, Gloria Gaynor, the Beach Boys, Blondie and Santana. Plus, the mini-games that target specific muscle groups? Fantastic. They also do a quick warm up and cool down during each set of workouts to help prevent injuries?

Are their any cons? Not really. It takes a little coordination and repeating some of the moves a few times, but that is normal with any dance or exercise class. The only other thing? I would love it if the trainers actually spoke to you like they do on the Wii Fit games, however that is of very little concern to me. The fact that it gets me exercising and moving is the biggest boon of of Gold’s Gym Dance Workout.

Now the fun part. Ubisoft is providing a copy of Gold’s Gym Dance Workout for Wii to giveaway! I can feel the salsa dancing in spirit already. However, to be entered, I need you to do a few things.

Here’s how to enter:

I like to make it easy.

  1. Follow me on Twitter.
  2. Like A Daily Pinch on Facebook.
  3. Follow Ubisoft on Twitter.
  4. Leave us a comment when you’ve done that and tell me you’ve done any of the above!

That’s it!

WINNER will be randomly drawn from all entries and ANNOUNCED on MONDAY, AUGUST 30TH. Good luck!

I was selected by Ubisoft and Clever Girls Collective to be part of the Ubisoft Champions social media program. I am compensated for my participation in this program, but my reviews are solely my own and represent my honest opinions. Ubisoft and the Clever Girls Collective promote Blog With Integrity.