Good Food, Good Friends and......DOTS....

I get together with a few of my closest friends once a month. We all work together raising money for charity (Relay For Life) and these "get-togethers" are basically our monthly committee meetings. So, when I was sent an epic box full of loot from Crowdtap and Marc Jacobs DOT perfume, I knew exactly which ladies I would need to share it with! 

For starters, the DOT party kit wasn't the typical "Here's a sample, pass it out" kind of party. Not only did they provide samples of the DOT perfume, but the kit also included 1 full size bottle of perfume, a mini-sized bottle, nail shields, a DOT headband, DOT scarf and party supplies such as a table-cloth, dotted balloons, and other dotted decorations! From a local party store I bought dotted cups, gift bags, and straws and put everything together. As this was a "cocktail" party, but our meetings are held in a public (non-alcoholic) restaurant, I bought Budweiser Strawberry Margaritas and put them in the gift bags as well!

Contents of my gift-bags!

I did have one special friend who isn't local, so I mailed her a box of goodies. She sent me photos of her enjoying the party goods!

Carol's "Goody" table!

 

Miss Carol enjoying the DOT party from a remote location!!

As for the rest of us, we met at a local restaurant, Palucci's Pizza Express. I made a plate of "Lady Bug" cookies, gathered up my party supplies and went to our committee meeting. I was pleasantly surprised by all the polka dots in the restaurant! My friends were as polka dotted as they could possible be! Even our two mini-members wore dotted dresses & had dotted toe nails just for the occassion. FYI, they received DOT goody bags too, but instead of alcohol they received Hershey Bars, Ring Pops and Skittles!

Two of our Mini-Members

Awesome Pedi by Desi!

Lovely Miss Brandi, stunning as always!

My mini-helpers getting ready for the party!

Mama Dot & Baby Dot

All of that beautiful hair in a cute dotted headband!

Lady Bug Cookies: Oreo Fudge Cookies with piped red icing.

On a serious note: After enjoying our DOT themed party/meeting, we did get a lot accomplished and we have several fundraising activities in the works for the next couple of months. What we do is raise money year-round for Relay For Life. RFL donations stay local to help local cancer patients. This money does so much and I know so many people who have been helped by these funds.

Relay For Life Donations:

• Transport local cancer patients to and from treatments.
• Help cover costs for in-home care.
• Pay for lodging so sick children can have their parents close by.
• Pay for gas.
• Classes to help patients undergoing treatment, to look and feel better about themselves.
• Counseling services for both patients and caregivers. This disease affects everyone mentally as well as physically.

So, if you're interested in helping a good charity that helps local people click here. Even a small donation can make a huge impact. My seven year old son has personally raised over $180, for our team! All of his donations were from friends & family giving him a few dollars here and there...so little bits do add up to large quantities! If you want to make a tax-deductible donation to the American Cancer Society (RFL) click this link! It's quick and easy and you'll be making a huge impact on someones life. DONATE HERE!!

A wardrobe refresh, thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap!

It's that time of year again...laundering and storing the sweaters, cords, hoodies and other winter apparel. I absolutely adore the feeling of dragging out "The Tote" (you know, that one designated plastic box that holds ALL off-season stuff as well as the possibility of a new wardrobe twice a year?!?) Unfortunately, my clothes never look quite as nice when I drag them out as I remember them looking when I put them away. As it turns out, last summer's tees and tanks are faded, stretched and have simply out-lived their general usefulness. HOWEVER, this Spring Old Navy and Crowdtap gave me the opportunity to help refresh my wardrobe with two new tees. AND I got to choose one lucky friend to share the experience!

As always when these epic opportunities pop up, I took my little sister. (It's the only way I can get a free breakfast out of her!) I picked her up & we went to IHOP, there's nothing quite like filling up on sweet, starchy food just before trying on new clothes! ;) Then, we bounced over to Old Navy and started shopping. We each had a coupon for TWO tee-shirts. However, due to someone's obsession, we wound up spending a great deal of time in the flip-flop section. She only walked away with 3 pair, I was very proud! THEN we started checking out their tees.

The Vintage collection at Old Navy is particularly awesome this spring. With an array of vibrant colors and fun, quirky graphics, these ultra-soft tees are a must-have for this Spring. Worn alone or layered with a simple "Best Tee", they were by far my favorite style. So much so, that I wound up with two tees from the "Vintage" collection, the mint-green "Free Spirit" shirt and the tangerine and fuchsia "Live, Laugh, Learn, Love". 

As you can see, my dress addiction kicked in and I did have to try on the sweet poplin dress!

 

The "Best Tee" collection was also a good way to go. There was a variety of styles to choose from. There were both solid & striped henley's as well as solid & striped basic tees. (Both in V-neck & regular) The color selection in the "Best Tee" category was a little more diverse. They still carried the really fun, vibrant colors but they also had a few earth-tone options for the less-bold as well.This cute & comfy V-Neck in lime was my particular favorite. (I know the coupon was only good for TWO tees, but there's no rule against buying extra!)

Notice there are now two of those poplin dresses on the hanger...the first one didn't fit. : ) 

By the end of the trip, neither of us walked away with "just two tees". The color, fit & styles were too fun not to indulge. The styles were (as always) right on-trend, however the prices were (as always) very affordable. This is the majority of what we went home with, however a few extra items were picked up on the way out of the store. (dang those cute ballet flats!!)

If you want to check out all the fun and adorable styles Old Navy is sporting this Spring, check out the store or visit them online here: Old Navy Tees!

Fight Cancer With New Clothes!!

Recently I was invited by Crowdtap and Woolite to participate in a "Clothing Swap". This is where you & your friends gather up a few gently used items, meet up at someone's house & trade clothes. It all seems very simple, but I've never been very simple... SO with the help of a few awesome friends we're kicking this idea into high-gear. Rather than just swap out some clothes with each other we're doing a major over-haul of our closets to raise money for our Relay For Life team, "The Swatters".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My fellow Swatters and  I...we even have a Mini-Swatter!

We are gathering up our gently used clothing & accessories and hosting a "Sale"...Think "Consignment Shop" but in my garage! ;) Every last penny will be donated to Relay For Life. We will also have a donation jar set up. So, when we donate to RFL, WHERE does that money actually go? You may be surprised to hear that it doesn't just fund some lab where cancer research is being conducted. It helps real people in OUR community!

Relay For Life Donations:

• Transport local cancer patients to and from treatments.
• Help cover costs for in-home care.
• Pay for lodging so sick children can have their parents close by.
• Pay for gas.
• Classes to help patients undergoing treatment, to look and feel better about themselves.
• Counseling services for both patients and caregivers. This disease affects everyone mentally as well as physically.
• Check out this link for more info: Where Our Funds Go!

 With the party pack, Woolite not only sent samples of detergent, but they also sent a $10 gift card to help cover party costs. I used the $10 to donate to my RFL team in honor of Crowdtap & Woolite. If you want to donate and help us in our fight for the patients battling cancer, you can follow this link: RFL Donations. If you want to update your wardrobe...stay tuned and once we get all the clothes, shoes & accessories sorted we'll post the date that our "Shop" will be open!! HINT: We're leaning towards mid-May!!