Get the “Official Pen of the North Pole” for the 2010 holiday season – Zebra Pen’s new Sarasa Metallic gel pens

SANTA CLAUS WRITES HIS NAUGHTY AND NICE LISTS WITH
THE OFFICIAL PEN OF THE NORTH POLE

North Pole Declares Zebra Pen’s New Sarasa Metallic the Official Pen of the 2010 Holiday Season; Santa Claus Offers Tips to Go from Naughty to Nice List

EDISON, NJ (December 6, 2010) – Zebra Pen Corp., leaders in the writing instrument industry for more than 110 years, today announced that its new Sarasa Metallic gel pens have been declared the “Official Pen of the North Pole” for the 2010 holiday season by Mayor Doug Isaacson, the North Pole City Council and – of course – Santa Claus himself.

According to research, the average person will wrap 18 presents and send more than 20 greeting cards this holiday season. With so much to prepare – including the “naughty or nice” list – it is necessary to have a high performance pen that adds a festive feel making the many tasks of the season more enjoyable. Zebra Pen’s new Sarasa Metallic gel pens (MSRP $1.59/each pen) are the best way to add some sparkle to all of your holiday writing.

“We are honored that Zebra Pen’s Sarasa Metallic gel pens have been declared the official pen of the North Pole,” said Chris Farley, director of marketing for Zebra Pen. “We’re also excited to be working with Santa Claus who has provided us with simple tips on how to get back on the nice list this year – and hopefully remain there.”

Zebra Pen’s new Sarasa Metallic gel pens glide easily on light and dark paper and are perfect for decorative holiday crafts, greeting cards and present tags. Available in gold, silver and copper, the Sarasa Metallic pen’s smooth flowing ink gel is acid-free and guarantees a scratch-free, no-smudge writing experience.

As part of the partnership, North Pole city officials issued a proclamation stating “Zebra Pen’s Sarasa Metallic gel pens are the Official Pen of the North Pole for the 2010 Holiday Season.” All North Pole residents will receive new Sarasa Metallic gel pens, to be distributed at city hall, compliments of Zebra Pen. In addition, Zebra Pen will be giving away a 3 pack of the Sarasa Metallics each day from December 6 through December 23, just like the residents of the North Pole received. Visit www.zebrapen.com to enter and view the official contest rules.

“The North Pole City Council and I are glad to designate the Sarasa Metallic gel pens by Zebra Pens the "Official Pen of the North Pole for the 2010 Holiday Season,” said North Pole Mayor, Doug Isaacson. “These gel pens are superb and I know that everyone will enjoy writing with them, from Santa and the elves, to the mom checking her list, to the student taking notes at school.”

To help Zebra Pen celebrate the honor, Santa Claus himself has provided simple tips on how to jump from the naughty to nice list.

Five Tips to Get Back On the “Nice List”

1. Do NOT send fruit cake – it doesn’t taste good and no one eats it. Try sending a fruit or wine basket instead.

2. Don’t turn your residence into a community eye-sore – stop with the inflatable Christmas villages. There’s only one North Pole – and I live there, not you.

3. Do NOT re-gift! If you don’t want it, chances are they don’t either.
(I don't agree with this one- what are you supposed to do with unwanted stuff- I guess you can always donate it)

4. Throw out your holiday sweaters and ornament jewelry – ornaments are for trees, not for people.

5. Refrain from sending a five page holiday newsletter summarizing your family’s achievements. If they didn’t hear about it six months ago, you’re probably not as close as you think.

Top Five Tips to Remain On the “Nice List”

1. Send a holiday greeting to all family, friends and coworkers.

2. Reconnect with old friends – and I don’t mean through Facebook. Take a proactive approach and call or get together with someone you have lost touch with.

3. Volunteer your time – even if it means missing the first half of a football game or your favorite reality TV show.

4. Support charitable toy, clothes and food drives this holiday season – and recruit your friends to help as well!

5. Have patience when shopping and be kind to store associates and fellow shoppers.

A top manufacturer of writing instruments in the world, Zebra Pen is dedicated to ensuring that each of its products provides the ultimate writing experience for everyone, whether at school, home or in the workplace. Zebra Pen prides itself on developing innovative, user-friendly and quality writing products at a great value.

Zebra Pen products can be found in major retail locations including Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, Walmart, K-Mart, independent office supply and stationery stores, discount chains, food and drug retailers and wholesale clubs.

For more information on Zebra Pen products, programs and promotions, visit www.zebrapen.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zebrapenus.

2011 Will Be the Year I Get Over My Tool Phobia

I am a crafty DIY girl so you think I'd have the use of tools down to a science.

Hmm....not so much.

Sure I know the basics- hammer, screwdriver, pliers...but I hate power tools and I don't know what's what when it comes to fancier tools.

With a lot of crafts and projects I am the idea person, I am the designer but when it comes down to cutting, sawing, screwing, etc I leave that up to the hubby. Then I finish up with sanding, painting, clear coating and any other finishing touches the project needs.

I know, sad right?

My husband- he's a tool guy and then some. This man can work on just about anything. He can do word working, he can do metal working, he loves tools, gadgets and anything that can be used to build, fix or even demolish something.

You know what his Thanksgiving tradition is? Watching the all day Cool Tools marathon on the DIY network. The man records all the episodes on the DVR then sits down with pen and paper and creates his want list. This year his Christmas list is 2 pages long.

Watching this with him gets me excited about tools because I see all the crafty, DIY possibilites.

I don't want to hampered though by his time frame and what he can do.

So my New Year's resolution for 2011 is to get over my fear of tools, especially power tools.

And I'm going to start with the 13-Piece Powertek™ Precision Cordless Screwdriver Set - (retail price at Home Depot $9.88)

This handy little power screwdriver is small enough that I can easily hold it in my freakishly small, child size hands (another reason why I'm not so handy with tools- my hands are little and most tools are made for big man hands).

It gives me the feel of a regular screwdriver but with the added bonus of power.

It's a baby step to using major power tools.

I figure I can't dive right into using huge, noisy, loud, scary power tools can I?

No. Baby steps. Little tiny baby steps.

So the 13-Piece Powertek™ Precision Cordless Screwdriver Set is the perfert tool to start with- check out these features:

* Easy to Grip, Soft Touch, Forward and Reverse Precision Cordless Screwdriver Set

* Ideal for Toys, Electronics, Eyeglasses, Hobbies, Crafts and More

* Contains 12 Multiple Use Mini Bits with a Single Tool Design

* Includes Easy Use Bit Storage Case

* Ready to Use with 2 - AAA Batteries

* Guaranteed Forever

It's awesome.

I figure I start with this wonderful tool then continually graduate up to larger more powerful power tools. Before the end of 2011 I'll be a certified tool chick that can handle every step of my craft projects and DIY ideas.

I can't wait to give this guy a try. I bet I'll be using it real soon to put Christmas presents together.

Disclosure: I received the Husky 13pc PowerTek Precision Screwdriver Set free of charge for review

SWAGG- The Shopping App For Busy Moms

Yesterday I mentioned how wonderful SWAGG is.

Now after really exploring the site and the usefulness of the app...my opinion hasn't changed.

SWAGG makes shopping easy.

I don't know about you but I have a collection of rewards cards from several stores: Kmart, Kroger, American Eagle, Toys R Us...

That's a lot of plastic to junk up my wallet and my keychain.

Now I can add all those accounts to SWAGG and then use my app on the go whenever I need it.

I can also add all of my gift cards to the account then check my balance while I'm at the store or before I head out to shop- or I can shop online and use my balances.

I love SWAGG. It has made shopping easier and much more organized which is something every mom can appreciate.

I've already made my first purchase through SWAGG- at American Eagle which is one of SWAGG's featured stores. My older kids LOVE American Eagle and I have a loyalty account with AE that I added to my SWAGG account. So that makes shopping through SWAGG twice as easy and so convenient.

If you have loyalty cards, rewards cards and gift cards taking up space in your wallet or handbag and you have an iPhone or Android then SWAGG is a must have app.

Here's the official details about SWAGG:

SWAGG recently launched a new app for iPhones, iTouch devices and Android phones that deals with the usually troublesome problem of organizing an overabundance of gift cards, shopper loyalty cards & membership cards that clutter up your wallet or handbag.

Now you can load all those gift cards, loyalty points, etc into your iPhone, iTouch or Android mobile device.

SWAGG allows consumers to import more than 250 brands of gift cards and rewards cards.

unlike plastic cards, SWAGG permits consumers to check and view available balances and reward information on most of these cards.

Another fabulous feature of SWAGG is consumers can use their mobile device to give, get and even exchange SWAGG GIFTS from participating merchant partners such as American Apparel Inc., The Wet Seal Inc., Crocs Inc., 1-800-Flowers.com and Arden B.

Through SWAGG, consumers can access the offers that matter most to them, connecting users with more than 3,000 retailers. Retailers benefit by acquiring new customers, increasing in-store business and retaining existing customers.

Currently the app is only available for use by US customers.

Right now you can download the SWAGG app and contribute to a good cause- for every app download through the month of December SWAGG will donate $1 Stand Up 2 Cancer.

Want to give SWAGG a try?

Go to http://bit.ly/SWAGGislive and sign up

Or go to the app store from your mobile device-

the SWAGG app is free to download

Disclosure: I received a small deposit in my SWAGG account to try the app and honestly review how SWAGG works

Organize Gift Cards & Store Rewards cards with SWAGG

I just discovered SWAGG.

It's a great site that has an app you can add to your iPhone, iTouch or android phone.

The app allows you to have all of your giftcards and store rewards cards in one place without carrying around a bunch of cards.

I am still learning the site and app but I signed up and am exploring all the stuff you can do with this app. You can add $ to your cards, send gift cards and store the cards you already have. You can also easily check card balances.

Visit www.swagg.com to learn more or go to the apps store and search for Swagg so you can add it to your phone for free.

Eco-Friendly Nail Colour from Soulstice Spa

If you are looking for eco-friendly nail polish, either to make your beauty routine a little more green or to give for a gift, then be sure to check out Soulstice Nail Colour.

Soulstice nail colours are gorgeous, modern shades that offer long-lasting colour and shine.

They are 100% vegan and free of DBP, toluene & formaldehyde.

And they are made in the USA.

Here's a list of their shades

Hana - A sheer fairy dust.
Monaco - Delicate, sheer baby pink.
Odessa - Seashell pearl.
Kyoto - Cherry blossom pink with a sheer, silvery shimmer.
Vienna - A sheer lavender with a hint of golden shimmer.
Prague - A rich, honeyed peach.
Paris - A true pink rose.
Geneva - A glossy plum. Urban pop.
London - A vibrant, modern rose.
Rio - Sun-kissed coral shine.
Milan - A sophisticated red-bronze.
Madrid - A passionate red shine.
Buenos Aires - A sultry tango red-orange.
Hong Kong - A polished deep red with a touch of shimmer.
Rome - A classic brick red.
Cassis - Blackberry shine.
Tokyo - Deep plum-bronze.
Kiev - A rich, dark garnet.
Crete - A mythic metallic silver.
Gotham - Black noir.
Glass - A clear shine/topcoat treatment.

Here'a full list of ingredients:

Nail Colour Ingredients:Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer, Citric Acid

May Contain:

Titanium dioxide, D&C Red #6 Barium Lake, D&C Red #7 Calcium Lake, D&C Red #34 Calcium Lake, FD&C Yellow #5 Aluminum Lake, D&C Yellow #10 Aluminum Lake, FD&C Blue #1 Aluminum Lake, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, Red Iron Oxide, Black Iron Oxide, Guanine, Bismuth Oxychloride, Mica, D&C Violet #2, D&C Red #17, D&C Red #33, D&C Yellow #11, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Green #3, D&C Green #6, D&C Yellow #10, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate (and) Titanium Dioxide (and) Tin Oxides, Silica (and) Aluminum Powder (and) Iron Oxides, Aluminum Powder, Fragrance

I love that they offer full disclosure of ingredients while making sure that the worst chemicals like formaldehyde and toluene are out of their products.

I had the chance to try their product and I love it. The polish goes on smooth, doesn't stink and lasts a long time without chipping, peeling or fading.

I plan to invest in several more colours from their line.

If you're ready to green your beauty products then I highly recommend Soulstice Nail Colour.