This is a sponsored post

My wedding story was quite an amazing one and my invitations weren’t exactly what I’d dreamed of all my life. That doesn’t have to be your story though. If you’re a soon-to-be modern bride that’s chic, independent, and knows what she wants, then Basic Invite is going to be your new bestie!

Let’s be honest, even the savviest prepared brides can get overwhelmed with the tasks, the choices, and the budget. Luckily, being a modern bride also means having resources at your fingertips which can help put some stress at bay. From wedding blogs to online vendors and even social media for opinions and support, the endless resources today’s world provides help brides stay on track and make well-informed decisions easily.

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Basic Invite

As a truly modern girl, I’ve teamed up with an online stationery design company, Basic Invite, to give you a peek inside the world of online wedding invitation design just perfect for the modern bride.

Shopping online, designing online, and ordering online is time-saving and simple, but in order to be the most effective in your online invitation journey – you also want to be prepared.

So, for any brides searching for wedding invitations – look no further! Basic Invite has you covered and they’re bringing you three of their favorite modern methods for the ultimate wedding invitation suite – modern bride style.

Seal and Send Invites for the Modern Bride

The newest and most impressive wedding invitations are hands down, the Seal and Send. These are an all-in-one, foldable wedding invitation with a tear-off rsvp postcard included. Guest addresses are pre-printed onto the front of these invites so that no envelope is needed! All you have to do is fold, seal, add a stamp, and send! No envelope licking, no envelope stuffing, and no handwritten addressing!

All Matching Everything

Even some of the most modern couples opt for a more traditional wedding invitation, but to take this old-school style and spin it into the most beautiful invitation – choose a single design and match, match, match!

Basic Invite has over 900 wedding invitation designs from clear to foil and everything in between. Rather than sending out a save the date, followed by an invitation, and some enclosure cards that sort of go together, order a full matching wedding suite with a matching rsvp, save the date, and enclosures for a clean, cohesive look.

Wedding Websites

Wedding websites are a great way to keep things modern and organized when it comes to wedding plans and your invitations specifically. There is no substitute for a hand-delivered invitation straight off the press, but for real-time updates and extra special details, wedding rsvp websites are a great tool. Not to mention, 100% FREE! We call that an added bonus.

Choose a design that matches your wedding invitation or compliments your style. Upload a gallery of images, write a little love story, and invite your guests to upload their contact information instantly through your wedding website. You can even provide day-of details like maps, directions, and accommodation info to keep your guests in the loop right up to the moment you say “I do.”

Sweet friends, whether you had a vision already in mind or the search for invites is finally on, head over to Basic Invite for modern affordable wedding invitations you and your guests will love! Best of all, they’re offering 15% off everything sitewide which means even if you’re not a bride-to-be, you can shop thank you notes, business cards, personal stationery, and so much more at a discounted rate! I know all you stationery enthusiasts will appreciate that!

I can’t wait to hear what you think about Basic Invite and whether or not you take advantage of their 15% discount. Be sure to let me know in the comments below. Happy shopping and if you’re planning on heading down the aisle in the near future, congrats to you!

Brands love it when consumers try their products and share their opinions. Social media is a great way for brands to get direct feedback from consumers, and folks like us, who might like their products. One way that they do this is by teaming up with public relations firms or with companies who specialize in blogger outreach.

Influenster is one such company. Recently they sent me their TLC VoxBox for the Moms of the Influenster Nation to try our a few great products. I love surprises and there’s nothing better than getting a surprise box, filled with items to sample in the mail.

Here’s what was in my TLC VoxBox:

• A Shell rewards card good for gas discounts. Can’t wait to try this!
• A coupon for a free Breyers Gelato Indulgences so we can give it a try. Yum!
• Puffs to Go, Which I always carry with me in my purse. My kids and I have seasonal allergies.
• Neosporin’s Neo to Go, another staple. I have one in the car and now, one in my purse. I’m a mom and my kids are typical kids.
• A beautiful bar of Ivory Soap. Years ago my doctor recommended I use Ivory, and I do! So it’s nice to have this bar on hand.
• Avon’s Anew Reversalist Express Wrinkle Smoother. This is something I’ve never tried, so I’m looking forward to it – even though I don’t have any wrinkles yet.

Here’s how you can reach these brands:

• Shell Fuel Rewards Network  [affiliate link] Tweet them at @Shell_US using #FuelRewards
• Breyers Gelato Indulgences Tweet them at @Breyers using #GelatoLove
• Puffs to Go Tweet them at @Puffs using #PassthePuffs
• Neosporin Neo to Go Tweet about their products using #NeoReady
• Ivory Bar Soap Tweet them at @Ivory using #SudLife
• Avon Anew Reversalist Express Wrinkle Smoother  Tweet them at @AvonInsider using #AvonANEW

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you thought about them. Are you part of any blogger outreach programs? Which would you recommend? Let me know in the comments below! Also, If you’d like to become an Influenster too, let me know and I will send you an invite code from my account. Win/Win! 

{Sponsored Post}

I consider myself pretty lucky to get to sample and learn about new products. So, I was pretty excited to learn about Früsh! What’s Früsh you ask? Früsh is yogurt on the go, so you don’t need a spoon. It’s made with real fruit, creamy yogurt and all-natural health boosters like HOWARU® Bifido probiotics and TruCal® calcium. Ok, so how do you pronounce it? It’s Fruit and Fresh together, so it sounds like fr-ooo-sh (ü = ooo, like moon). It doesn’t rhyme with rush.

Party Time

At the end of May, I had the privilege of hosting a Früsh sampling party with a few of my very busy friends who are always on the go! Früsh gave me a variety of flavors for us to try, a helpful information kit, coupons and lots of practical goodies to share with my party attendees. Since we’re all always on the go, it was only natural that I’d invite them to take the spoonless challenge and try Früsh with me.

Blueberry was a hit with Jennifer.

She even gave it a thumbs up. That’s impressive.

Blueberry was also a hit with Shannon, and Kelly liked Strawberry.  They liked how smooth and creamy Früsh was and that it didn’t have chunks of fruit in it. They also thought the bottle had a unique shape. It’s sculpted to fit in your hand, which might sound silly until you’re trying to drive kids to school and have breakfast on the go. In situations like that, going Spoonless makes pretty good sense.

Less Sugar and Gluten Free

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Früsh had less sugar that many of the well-known brands of yogurt we buy at our house, which makes it a better choice for me and for the kids. I was also happy to learn that it’s Gluten-Free and has more calcium than a glass of milk.

Buying Local and Helping the North Carolina Economy

Buying local is important to me for several reasons. It’s a greener option and it helps the local economy. Therefore, I was pleased to learn that Origin Food Group, the company that makes Früsh is investing $7 million to build a brand new, state-of-the-art processing facility, retrofit an existing site, and develop a brand and a product that will meet the expectations of the demanding current-day consumer. This processing plant is off of Interstate 40 in Iredell County. The company created 28 jobs for the launch of its Früsh line. Origin Food Group projects that it will employ 40 to 50 people by 2014 as the company expands its product lines. The company also is investing locally by purchasing milk from neighboring partner Stamey Farms, located about one mile from the production facility.

Try Früsh for Yourself

Interested in trying Früsh for yourself? No worries, you can find Früsh in your local grocery stores like Harris Teeter, Lowes Food, Winn Dixie and more.

Learn More About Früsh

• Follow Früsh on Twitter
• Connect with Früsh on Facebook
• Visit the Früsh Website
• Grab the Daily Shake Up App

We enjoyed Früsh and I think you will too! Have you tried it? Let me know what you thought in the comments below.

It’s Party time and I’m so excited! The folks over at OWG {Old World Gourmet} sent me this delicious looking frozen drink mixes to try and I can’t wait. I’m going to invite the lovely ladies in my neighborhood over and we’re going to put these drink mixes to the test. Girls,  good chats, snacks, and frozen drinks! What could be better?

Do you have any great grown-up party snack recommendations or recipes? This will be my first get-together with the neighborhood gals so your tips and food suggestions would be so helpful. The easier the better since I’m no gourmet cook – yet. Ha! Seriously, if you’ve got some suggestions, just let me know in the comments and feel free to link me to your recipes.

Want to learn more about Old World Gourmet?

Visit Old World Gourmet at:

Web: http://www.owgshoponline.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OWGshop
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oldworldgourmet

Have you tried OWG’s products? Stay tuned for the follow-up post once we taste test these mixes.

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Minted

As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes I get to blog about some really neat finds, when super sweet folks reach out to me. I was lucky enough to get an email from the good folks over at Minted.com with an offer to check out their site and their products. For example, take a peek at their unique Wedding Invitations.

But they’re not all about weddings, there are tons of other items like holiday cards, journals, birthday cards, and so much more! I Especially like their mommy play-date cards and ultra-classy business cards

If you’re interested in checking them out, consider registering through my referral link so you can get $25 off your order and in turn, I can get $25 off mine!  Win/Win!

{What you may not know about me: My mom worked for a printing company for 35+ years. Because of that, I have an incredible love for design, beautiful stationery and paper/card stock. In turn, I followed in my mom’s footsteps and entered into the wonderful world of printing, where I worked for 20 years!}

* Disclosure * I’m receiving $100 credit from Minted for sharing my opinion of their site and products.

I’d love to hear your thought on these pretty paper products! Be sure to add your thoughts in the comments below.

What fun is a giveaway if you don’t have a winner? That wouldn’t be much fun, would it? I’m so thrilled to be able to share the Playing for Keeps – Me Moment Giveaway prize package with long-time blogger buddy, Freckle Face Girl! She’s not just the winner folks, she’s a pretty cool blogger, too. Swing by her blog and congratulate her and check out what she’s blogging out. Congrats, FFG!