'Tis The Season To Sparkle - DIY Ugly Sweater

Each year my employer holds an Ugly Sweater Christmas party. In order to prep for this year’s festivities, I was browsing the internet for some options. There are some awesome things out there, but I just have this major problem in that I hate paying for shipping (especially when it’s like $12) and I always think to myself, “I can make that.”

I stumbled upon an image of a tinsel cardigan and I did NOT turn back. I thought about holding in this project for an unveiling after the party, but what the heck! If one of my co-workers reads this, they can see where I’ve set the bar.

I made this little number just under $20 with a used Old Navy cardigan, six packs of 98 cent tinsel and a poinsettia flower. I hot glued the tinsel to the cardigan starting in the back, working my way to the front. Then, I wrapped the arms.

SUPER easy (minus the hot glue gun blister) and SUPER cost effective.

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Adult Coloring Books - Totally G-Rated Post

I mentioned that I purchased a fresh pack of Crayolas recently. No, they weren’t for my almost 4-month old. They were for me!

Adult coloring (which sounds awful) is totally a new-ish trend. Well in the last year+ but mainstream retailers like Target and Michaels have caught on and are selling the coloring books with prime retail placement. I picked up both of books at both stores (I mean did you really think I could pass up that Potter book?)!

Adult coloring books could be a perfect under $20 gift for a friend or stocking stuffer!

There is something so stress relieving about picking up a color and trying to stay between the lines. The USA Today also just covered the benefits of coloring in a story two days ago.

Here are some options for those of you that like to shop online!

• Blossom Magic
• Harry Potter Coloring Book
• The Fashion Coloring Book
• Magic Garden
• Options from Barnes & Nobel

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A Colorful Gift Idea

Crayola is probably the first craft companies kids are introduced to through crayons. To this day, one of my favorite smells is a fresh box of new crayons. In fact, I just bought a new pack this week for an upcoming post : )

I was served a Crayon ad on Facebook this week for a super cool offering from the company that I just had to share here - personalized Crayon packages!

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This would be PERFECT for Christmas, back-to-school or birthday presents paired with some coloring books!

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Don't Get Caught In Social NETworking Scams

You guys. Us adults warn kids to be careful on the internet, but sometimes us adults need reminded as well.

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By day, I work in the social media field. Unfortunately that means I’m on Facebook a lot for client work during the day. And sometimes I see adults being unknowingly gullible, so I wanted to share two cases of that this week.

I saw a number of PA and New Jersey friends think they were entering to win a Disney vacation because they shared a post from a “Walt Disney World” account. Because of my job I know that it’s Facebook illegal to ask consumers to share a post to win something. Sometimes some small companies dodge the rule and get away with it. However, if you are “Walt Disney World,” you know the rules. Here are said rules.

If that wasn’t a red flag that this promotion was fake, I clicked on the “Walt Disney World” page. The page had 2,000 likes and was created five days prior. Second red flag. If this was a Disney official page, it would have been created well in advance and had A LOT more likes. To put things into perspective, the real Walt Disney World page has almost 15 MILLION likes.

So next time you see a contest on Facebook, remember - a brand can’t ask you to share something to win. Also, before entering anything, check the page to make sure it’s legit.

I know what you are going to ask - why would someone create this page? Well working in social media for several years now let me just tell you...PEOPLE ARE WEIRD.

The second scam is a pyramid scheme (and I’m not even going to talk about the Nerium or BeachBody people). I saw one person post about receiving children’s books while the other was about buying one $10 gift and I didn’t even finish the reading rest (apparently it’s some “Secret Sister” game).  

This is another example of something that isn’t allowed on Facebook. Like this blog says, both the book exchange and Secret Sister game can mean someone is collecting your address and that addresses of other women which could put you all at risk for identity theft. Read more here.

I’ll be sure to share more things that I spot, but in the meantime BE CAREFUL! Always check things out before hitting share or participating. And DO NOT share your personal information with strangers (or even those people you knew from high school)!

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