Accessorize with Pi Phi on Tuesday!

In Raleigh? Ready to do a little shopping for a great cause?

PERFECT! Come join us :-) Renee and I will be there all day with I Heart Retail and mark. and would love to see any of you local readers!

LOTS of great vendors including Swagger Gifts, Beleza, Undertoad, Sassy Sorority, Cute Buttons Gift & Paper Boutique, Clothes Hound, Carolina Silver Co., and more!

Some of my local favorites including Sono, The Oxford, and Sauced Pizza have also provided some very DELICIOUS door prizes and I have a few extra tickets if anyone would like one! (You can also buy them online for only $5.00 on Eventbrite!)

The event is from 2pm until 8pm at The State Club on Centennial Campus. All ticket sales and 10% of vendor sales will be donated to First Book, an organization that provides books to children.

Any Local Twilight Fans Here?

I typically - as a rule - only watch one genre of movies: funny movies. (This hasn't always been the case, but several years ago movies seemed to have just gotten a lot more graphic and I just can't deal with that.)

I've rarely hopped on the bandwagon for "must see movies", but I have a confession to make. I just added all of the past Twilight films to my Netflix queue. Happy Jess and Grube? I'm sure I will now jump at the chance to see a movie at midnight when it comes out.

This can totally be attributed to the fun the girls at Swagger are having right now in anticipation for the release of Eclipse (the third in the Twilight film series) this summer. There is just no way I could join in the fun without knowing which team to join, right?

Here's the skinny from Swagger:

With the release of Eclipse, the third movie in the series, we decided to have a little fun with it and raise money for a great cause at the same time!

Who is the event benefiting?
The RED CROSS (get it - vampires,blood - yeah we know we are cheesy but this is going to be fun!:-) )

What is the goal?
To raise $1000 for the Red Cross by the premiere of the Eclipse Movie on June 30th, 2010. We have installed a "countdown" so we know how much longer we have!

When is the event?
The event is ongoing and is happening EVERY DAY at Swagger between NOW and JUNE 30th.

Where is the event?
At Swagger Gifts in Cary, NC

How can YOU get involved?
Do you love Edward or Jacob? Would you like a picture with "them"? Come by Swagger and take one! We are just asking for a donation - anything you want to give! Make your friends jealous and post it as your FB profile or frame it and keep it by your bed - we won't tell!
So, are you Team Edward, Team Jacob, or Team Undecided? Check out all of the pictures on Swagger's blog and stop in and join the fun for a great cause if you're local!

Taking Local Love to a New Level

So this whole "concept" is something that Mandy and I have been talking up for a looooong time. And I am really pumped to finally be getting it out there. It's not anywhere close to being as content-rich as it will be soon, but it's at least a start.



Right now, the biggest features are the email newsletter (bringing local style and retail directly to your inbox - but no, not like Express/Banana Republic/etc. style... I refuse to harass you all daily), Top Picks, and the feature appearances from local readers, too!

If you have a few minutes, please stop by and check it out. Today our Black Friday content is still up, so you can check out what we liked for November... but tomorrow and over the next few days, December will be making its way in.

And if you're a local shopper, or just appreciate good style, please consider joining the email list, too :-)

And YES, I really DO want YOU to send me your tips, pictures, etc. I think this is going to be a lot of fun. A lot of work, of course - but most importantly... a lot of fun.

www.iheartretail.com

Calling All Local Readers with a Cause or Two

Here's a quick PSA, because I like to pay it forward and I know that lots of my local readers have some great causes to share! :-)

Last year, the Swagger Gifts Holiday Open House Preview Party raised over $1,500 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society, and now your very own favorite cause could be featured this year!

If you are involved in a worthy organization, cause, or non-profit, please tell my friends at Swagger about it!

Email Mandy (at) SwaggerGifts (dot) com with the story behind your cause and why you think it would benefit from being featured as this year's Holiday Open House Preview Party charity!

Nominations will be accepted until August 1, 2009.
Swagger will choose and let everyone know in August who has been selected.

The 2009 Holiday Open House Preview Party (possibly benefiting YOUR favorite charity) will be held on November 5th, 2009.
The 2009 Holiday Open House will be held on Sunday, November 8th, 2009.

PS - If you do email a suggestion to Mandy, please drop me a comment or an email to let me know! I'd love to hear that one of my reader's suggestions was selected and have the chance to support you and your favorite cause at the annual party.


{Image: SwaggerGifts.com}

{Double Post} Tervis Giveaway on Swagger's Facebook "Public Profile"

Swagger Gifts is giving away one of the most coveted accessories in blogland... and no, it has nothing to do with Lilly Pulitzer.

It's the Big-T (24 oz.) Tervis Tumbler (MadMariner.com calls them "Terrific")!!!

These bad boys keep your cold drinks cold, hot drinks hot, don't sweat, you can't break 'em, AND they are dishwasher safe. I'm drinking lemonade out of my "Pi Beta Phi" Big-T as I write this... and getting pumped about investing a whole set of these for the days on the beach, lake, tailgates, and boooooat.

Click on the picture above and go directly to Swagger's post on facebook to comment to win - it ends this Friday (so do it by Thursday night, just to be safe).

When you "Become a Fan" of Swagger on facebook, you'll receive weekly updates on each new giveaway. You should also subscribe to the blog, too - that's where the winner is announced!

"Helloooooo Hangover"

I usually put Swagger's giveaways on the girly blog (all things retail, style, and trends), but this one can apply to many of you - girly or not, and it prefaces a later post on this past weekend's really awesome Riley-Dorn wedding extravaganza.

This week's Facebook Friday of the Week from Swagger's facebook page is a product that has gotten rave reviews and flies out of stock: Sprayology.

Sprayology Party Relief is one of our all time most popular items - and we FINALLY have it back in! Some of our customers (you know who you are) have been begging for it!

This Party Relief is a HANGOVER REMEDY and it works like a charm - I had to test it out for you guys! :) You will be seriously happy you found this product!

You can check it out here: https://www.swaggergifts.com/party-relief $24Would have been AWESOME to have some handy yesterday and this morning. My hangover (possibly second hangover of the day) hit around 2pm while we were having breakfast at iHop. Yep, breakfast at 2pm. (I had to go retrieve my car from the Sheraton parking deck while I still had a driver and a vehicle at the townhouse before he had to go to work before I could meet the gang for breakfast.)

PS - So how did I get home? White Horse! These are my boys (because they deliver me home safely on a regular basis) and I love them. Cabs suck - get in the truck! (That should be their new tagline.)Put the following numbers in your cell phone address book: 919-782-5893 or 888-62-HORSE (888-624-6773). You WILL thank me the next time you'd like a reliable ride home at 2am.

Great Giveaway for You Southern Chefs

I received some delicious responses to yesterday's post about Natty Light Chicken and cooking with beer.

In honor of that, I'm posting a fantastic giveaway that everyone would be crazy not to enter themselves into!

My favorite local gift and decorative accessories boutique, Swagger Gifts, has been hosting a Facebook Friday of the Week (see former giveaway items here) for a few months now where each Friday something special in the store will be given away to one (sometimes even two) lucky commenters who are fans of Swagger Gifts' page on facebook. The winner is randomly selected and then posted to Swagger's blog (which also, is SO worth following).

This week's giveaway is a monogrammed "Big Wood Board" cutting board. They are PHENOMENAL.

All you have to do to be entered to win is leave a comment directly on the photo on facebook. It's THAT simple.

While you're on Swagger's page, you should obviously click on "Become a Fan" so that you get an update every week when Swagger offers up a new great giveaway.

Biased much? Sure. But when you win a kick butt gift, I bet you'll be thankful for my bias. :-)

PS - Regina and Randall, I'm formerly calling you girls out to enter to win because the sample photo has a "R" on it... how much more appropriate could it get?