Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps.

Summer has arrived and I am beyond excited because we finally made plans for our family trip to a really nice place next month. The two things that immediately came to my mind were: 1) I need to lose weight – just enough for my bloat to go away (and my tummy to become smaller) and 2) I need to look for cute summer dresses for our trip! The kids have summer outfits all ready though I might need to get them rash guards as well. The husband has clothes (I shop for my family all the time) so there is only me left to shop for.

I have shopped for shorts and a cute cover-up last night and now I just need to look for a cute dress for the photoshoot we are sure to have. The place is really nice so I want to maximize our stay there (and the price we paid) by getting a lot of pictures!

I really like dainty, feminine but sassy dresses so these fit the bill perfectly!

These are Miso summer dresses available at the Republic. These are perfect for Sunday lunches or a trip to the park! They are also dressy enough for night parties at the beach (coupled with accessories):

Enjoy summer pool parties and beach parties with these amazingly sexy and pretty summer dresses and remember these tips:

1. Always pick colors that complement your skin tone, eyes and hair color when choosing a new summer dress.  You might want to take note of the area where you will be holding your party too. If there are a lot of greeneries in the area, you might want to stay away from green hues so that you won’t blend with the background.

2.Accessories make a huge fashion statement which will garner great attention but keep style top of mind to fit with your dress. Big hoop earrings are best worn with an up-do hair while dangling earrings are suited for women who have long necks.

3. Layers! The climate is so unpredictable these days so don’t forget to bring a shawl, wrap or cardigan that you can put on as the night becomes cooler.

I have always believed on the power of advertising. A product, no matter how good, powerful or effective, won’t sell if there is poor advertising. Word of mouth or recommendations from actual users is an effective way of advertisement – but bottomline is, if people don’t know about it, they won’t buy it. That is why companies spend millions on advertising alone. It helps that advertising has now gone multimedia – in print, radio, TV and now the internet.

Pharmaceutical companies still rely heavily on imprinted promotional product though. Most of their sales representatives use these as give-aways to doctors. It is effective in a way. As the old saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” If a brand is always displayed on their prescription pads, ballpens, calendars and even imprinted mugs, they tend to use it to prescribe to their patients as well.

I always notice an abundance of imprinted products (I would like to call them personalized)  during Christmas season. Seasoned and incumbent politicians use them as gifts and as a subtle request for support for the incoming year. The promotional key chain actually is a best seller.

Here are the most popular products that have been used for imprinting. Most of you I am willing to be have had it one time or another:

1. Pens

2. Letter Openers

3. Bag Clips

4.Tote Bags

5. Calculators

6. Coffee Mugs

7. Caps

8. Bags – shopping bags, traveling bags, toiletry bags

Among those I’ve mentioned, I have used the ballpens, calculators and coffee mugs the most. I wish they give out paper pads or notebooks too since I hoard those – I write down things all the time. I also wish they give out swiss knives or the the multifunctional tool because it really comes handy (and can be quote expensive if you buy them in stores). Flashlights or penlights would also be nice!

Every family should go and save for an Orlando vacation to spend a week in Disney World. I see events in scrapping galleries about Disney vacations and requests for the perfect Disney kit. Now, look no further because MandaBean has released the perfect kit for scrapping your Disney memories!

The kit is Dream, Wish & Believe and you can have the value bundle pack with great savings!

I know what I am scrapping with when we finally set put in Disney!

I have had this long (down to my back), straight (read: lifeless), uncolored (clarification: left uncolored for months so my roots are showing) hair for months. I haven’t cut my hair in over a year and it is just screaming for a change.  I have planned to have it curled (I have been dreaming of curls since two years ago) but now that I have achieved the length I want for it to have curls, fickle-minded me wants to have it cut! Hairstyles for summer are short layers because one would spend less amount of time having it dried and if you have treated hair, being out in the sun will be damaging to it. It is also perfect to have it grow long in time for the cooler months.

I checked out the Latest Hairstyles and it seems sexy layers, long lengths and sideswept bangs never go out of style. I might as well have it curled to be able to experience it. As one friend advised, if it doesn’t suit me, I can always have it cut. If I cut it now, I will wait another year to find out if it suits me.

Hair Styles involving curls require one thing: volume and control. I think I am in need of hair products soon! I will post about it soon (or scrap about it why not!) once I have my long-delayed curls!

Last year was such a huge shopping year for me, even if technically, we were not doing well, economy-wise. Work has been very very good for me and I didn’t have the foresight to “save for the rainy days”. This year we started off right – I made a commitment to save, and to save like there is going to be no more work for me tomorrow . Two months into the year I have been able to save well, well enough for me to spend something for my birthday (two weeks ago). Of course, I still shopped wisely.

Discount Codes are a huge help for people who want to still save while purchasing. The Unbeatable site offers the latest, biggest and most importantly, "working" codes when it comes to discount coupons on shopping online. From kitchen appliances, gadgets, TVs, camera, furniture and shoes, they offer a complete selection! They have featured coupons to certain shops at a certain time, but the site is so easy to navigate because every category (specifically) is listed on the right side of their home page. How specific can dishwashes, ovens, freestanding cookers and vacuums can be? You certainly won’t be lost in their site!

Does this little guy look familiar…?

If it does, you know what’s coming up, if it doesn’t you’re sure to get to know this little guy really well over the next week because the famous and oh-so-fun Click-A-Sig week is here! Starting Sunday February 21st, every Sweet Shoppe Staffer will be wearing this blinkie in our forums! Find our special blinkie and click away because FREE goodies are hidden inside! Each day there will be 4-5 different treats from our designers, so be sure to come and click click click to collect them all. Thanks for making SSD such an amazing place to work for the last 4 years, we couldn’t do what we do without you, so here’s to you!

If you are looking for easy holiday cards to assemble, SSD has a lot of options for you! I have always said that every year will be the year I actually SEND cards but alas, this might NOT be THAT year I will harder next year – but then I say that all the time every year. Everything is linked!

Here are some you can find in the Penny Candy section:

That’s right! A rare and very special 30% off sale going on for a limited time. So, if you’ve been wishlisting any of the designs there (which I am sure you have been doing!), then now is a great time to knock a few off the list.

Can you believe it’s actually September already? Time seriously flies and before you know, we are about to go into another new year. September is the start of Christmas planning and shopping, as well as Christmas holiday parties. Parties mean good overflowing food which translates to fats. Parties also mean you need look your best and that presents a problem if you are eating good food every weekend! The solution? A Full Body Corset from Glamour Boutique!

Choose between black or white because the ones pictured above are on a closeout sale! The black corset is the Economy Full Corset for Longer Torsos and is marked down to $89.95 (from $149.95). While the Sexy Bustier – in White or Black is marked down to an unbelievably low $29.95 (from $43.00)

You cannot beat those prices!

Glamour Boutique has all the essentials you need to look absolutely glamorous on a special night out – from brassieres, hosiery, corsets, body stockings, garter belts, petticoats even breast forms and cleavage creators! They also have a learning center on their web site that gives you tips how to walk on high heels, do’s and don’ts of corset wearing, how to know your size and more.

I never knew that strollers are treated like cars these days. They are thought over, compared with others, window-shopped over a thousand time and obsessed with before buying “the one”.

I probably shouldn’t be surprised because they are expensive! I know it is an investment because you can use it with your other kids but at $500 a piece, it can be mind-boggling.

Take for example the Bugaboo Bee stroller. I have friends who have invested on this and though they are a bit pricier than the others, they think it is worth it and more.

Here are the reasons:

1. Reversible seats
2. Lightweight (only 17.5lbs) – Do not tell me there are strollers which are heavier?!
3. Handlebar and wheels are easy to turn, managing even 360 degree turns.
4. 4-wheel independent suspension – meaning your baby won’t even notice bumpy rides (see, I told you we are talking cars here!)
5. Extendable seat – making it suitable from birth to toddlerhood
6. Easy to fold and handle – with one hand
7. Suitable for any car seat
8. Machine washable fabric
9. Under seat basket can accommodate up 4.2 gallons
10. There is a sun canopy and rain cover
11. Four Position Tilting Seat

Looking at its features, you would think we are buying a car don’t you?