Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Foodie Pen Pals!

Ok so good ol' Instagram is my favorite social media EVER!

I've "met" more bloggers, companies, and people that are actually real on the other side of technology hahaha.

I no longer have a personal Facebook because it's just ridiculous...yes i realize they bought Instagram but it hasn't gone to the dark side...yet :-|

SO! FOODIE PEN PALS! This is by far one of the best things I've been exposed to through Instagram thanks to a fellow follower :-).

You get your match on the 5th of every month
You mail your goods on the 15th of every month which ensures your recipient receives their awesome goodies before the end of the month
You spend limit is $15
You include a little handwritten note and/or recipe
This is literally open, almost, worldwide. Canadians are paired with fellow Canadians and UK residents are paired with UK residents..makes things runs smoother, obviously.
You sign up every month so don't forget!!
This is open to blog readers and bloggers...so you don't have to have a blog to join...JOIN AWAY!!!
Store bought and/or homemade goodies!

This is one of the best exchanges i think. you send to a different than you receive from so networking/creating new friends is endless!!!

ok so...i was paired to send to Lexi in New York! We emailed each other to make sure we were real people hahaha and she sent me her likes, dislikes and if she had any dietary needs. So I tried to think of something local to send to New York...yeah i thought of NADA...ZILCH...BLANK...and then i re-read her likes...peanut butter and chocolate and dessert...DING DING DING DING!!!!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE FUDGE! in heart shapes for Valentine's Day!
oh by the way...i'm the moron who didn't take a photo of what i sent :(...blogger fail....I'm a doofus i know


SO ON TO THE NEXT BEST THING!...What i recieved! so here we go...


I LOVE SNAIL MAIL!! I think it's so much more special than an email or text...so when the box came I was SUUUUPER excited!!!

Drum rooooooollllllllllll

HEALTHY PUMPKIN BARS!! SERIOUSLY! I opened the box and it was like smelling childhood christmas! (my mom never made "pumpkin" stuff but the smell was just AMAZING!!)


My partner, Annie from Maryland, sent a little note and included her recipe with the modifications she made to make the healthier version...um I scarfed down about 4 of them while I read it hahaha


 This swap is so fun! I love food and I love snail mail...perfect for me hahaha

seriously get in on this if you think you have the time. you sign up every month so you can do it one month, take a month off, do it again the month after

Check it out here:

The Lean Green Bean

Lindsay does such a great job and seriously check out her blog...makes my tummy grumble every time because her food always looks AMAZING!

Alright back to Vodka...er...I mean homework ;-)

LISA


Friday, January 18, 2013

some things i've realized

going creative is fun...keeps you on your toes...it's fun...thoughts are things...i can be as opinionated and obnoxious as i want without offending anyone...creative blocks SUCK but you get over them, even if the idea comes to you at 2 am when you're asleep.

work hard at playing hard
but to play hard 
you need to work hard
so make work fun

i'm super excited to delve into this awesome world of creative advertising. i've always been a corporate job junkie who hated waking up in the morning to go to work. this industry, though i'm just starting, is amazing. you can break the rules. you need to know the rules first. but once you understand the rules...there are no rules...the creative freedom is never ending. 

the outlets and industries and products you can work on are never ending. things we use on an everyday basis will always need advertising. paper advertising will never go away. i don't care what anyone says. how did you find out about that new website? from a flyer? from a magazine? how did hear about that new line of whatever? oh from the ad IN the magazine? yes technology is taking over but print ads will always be there.

advertising will never go away. it will just become more intricate which means we will need to come up with more clever ways to reach the consumer. case in point...the dvr...you can fast forward through pretty much everything. product placement has become so important because no one wants to watch the ads anymore.

the best part about the advertising industry...the more an ad will make you think, the better it is. keep it simple. the most intriguing, interesting, weird, disturbing ads are usually the good one's because those are the ads that will keep the brand in your head, make you talk about the ad to your friends, and make visit their website or store to find out what they're really about. you may not like what the ad said but you talked about it didn't you? you may think it was genius and then you talked about it. the good, the bad, and the ugly...they all exist. and advertising is the perfect home for all 3 of them.

the other, totally interesting part about advertising...making people think what we want. think about it. why did you buy something? because the advertisement was meant to target your way of thinking, your lifestyle, your part of the brain that went "i could use that" or "i totally need that" or "the kids will think that is so cool". manipulating is fun. being sarcastic is fun. so why not be a manipulative, sarcastic, witty, mind reader? there's a job for that ;-).

we are all creative. anyone can create a recipe. it may fail but you created it. we can all finger paint something. that's creative. we can all write something. it may not be a novel but you wrote it and created it. and the more you practice the more you excel. does your mind wander like mine? keeping a handy notepad in your purse, car, and really anywhere helps a million times over.

multi tasking is my thing. i need a clone. that way i can work on one thing while my clones (yes more than one clone) work on everything running through my brain haha. 

like right now...these are my thoughts:
i need to do laundry
i should organize the toys
i really need to finish laundry
619 vodka
i need some taglines for them
i really need to try it
hotel del field trip
need to bust out some roughs for the hotel
crap i need a picture of screaming kids
i really need a bigger computer
maybe i'll play the lottery
the beatles are awesome (what i'm listening to)
i need to update my linkedin account
i'm hungry
i'll make a cup of coffee

i mean seriously...mom going to school full time = household, school, life thoughts all the time. and yes we are taking a "field trip" to the hotel del coronado :-). 

i have an issue with prioritizing time...the school library has become my home away from home. if i try to do homework or concept at home, i start thinking/worrying about all of the things that need to be done at home and then get nothing done. there is also this big thing hanging on the wall that slowly stalks my every move called the "television"...i wonder if i recorded anything? maybe there's a new movie on netflix?...hence...off to the library i go.  i work best with music. it's not distracting. it's stimulating.

the crock pot has become my best friend. major leftovers and dinner is done when we get home.
i might get a part time job...might...remember my time management problem? i get more things done when the kids are home than when they aren't...i think it's the "mom panic mode"/zero patience for snail movement.

i do miss making things...there is time but not really...i've neglected steered my attention from Pinterest for a while except when i need some typography inspiration.  really some good ideas on there. i no longer, well haven't for quite some time, have a personal facebook page anymore because honestly it's a time sucker. i talked and communicate with everyone i need to. and honestly, between text, calling, emailing, stalking my house, there are many other more convenient ways to get ahold of me...texting is best fyi.

i am, however, an Instagram junkie. i love photos. i love seeing what other people are doing, accomplishing, conquering, creating. it's fun. it only takes about 5-10 minutes to look through versus what could have turned into 3 hours of facebook stalking. facebook has become a more business oriented, promotion website for the social aka exactly how i use it. you won't get a job with your facebook profile...you may, however, get fired...think about it.

so back to creating. over loading and releasing everything that is in the right side of my brain. breaking grammar rules to get my point across. making up new words.

like the great David Ogilvy said:

“I don’t know the rules of grammar. . . . If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think. We try to write in the vernacular.”

and end thoughts...