My family will be visiting Europe not once but twice this year. Separated by only a few months, they will embark for Rome, IT in about a week and to Athens, GR sometime in August. Because of a prior arrangement (see this post) and to not take too much time off of work, I will be missing out on the first leg of their European adventure. It will be a very lonely few days without seeing or talking to them so while they spend the next few days packing and repacking, I am creating a small care package of some of the necessities of travel - a map of Rome and a promotional world Travel Adaptor for the length of the trip and a small bag for the flight itself. (sudoku books, magazines, tissues, ear plugs, luggage tags, etc.) I know the'll love this stuff and find it very useful. Then I get to do it all again in August. (but get to tag along this time)

It's a girl! Sunday, I attended my friend Gulizar's baby shower in New Jersey. She did not want a suprise or anything big. She just wanted just some close friends and family over her house. I decided to go over on Saturday to help her out with last minute things that needed to be done. Little did I know, her house was already full. Her mom and her mother-in-law came over with a bunch of other women cooking. We decided to get out while we can and went to another friends house to frost the cupcakes that I had made for the shower. We also did some final touches on the promotional gifts we put together as favors. Gulizar ordered customized tote bags, pens, notepads from Motivators for the games we would be playing at the shower. Gulizars small, intimate, shower turned out to be so much fun. I cannot wait to meet the little princess in two month. Her due date is February 14th!

Over the weekend I went grocery shopping, and like any earth loving individual I brought with me my own bags for check out.  I always keep a bundle of Promotional Customized Totes in my trunk to use for all occasions, and they really come in handy.  Whether it is for groceries, or going to the gym or park, or for carrying books, Promotional Customized Totes are great for all occasions.  They are a great promotional item with their large imprint area and their reusableness, they get your logo seen in all the right places.  It's not too late to order Promotional Customized Totes for your company for the holidays!

Halloween and undead fans, rejoice!

The Walking Dead, the iconic AMC drama inspired by the comic book series of the same title, has been picked up for a third season. 

The show follows a band of survivors after a zombie apocalypse and how each person (young and old) copes and survives with what they are dealt with.

The Walking Dead was a major sponsor of this year's New York Comic Con, where many of the promotional bags and custom imprinted posters had the logo, adorned with images from the TV series. Even the badges and promotional lanyards beared the name of the show as well as the date and time of the Season 2 premier. With over 100,000 people that attended this year's NYCC, it's no wonder that the show has set network records, especially between viewers 18-49. 

People who know me, knows I am a car enthusiast. My friends and I typically do everthing we can in my friends garage. From oil changes to minor fixes, we enjoy working on our own cars. I would say half the time, something so simple can cause problems along the way. This past weekend, I was changing some lights on my car and helping my friend with his car. We started at 8 p.m. and didnt end up finishing up until 1 a.m. Of course almost two hours of that time was spent on troubleshooting. Things were not fitting properly, and one of the screws had broken off. Lukily, I had my Promotional Stress Reliver on hand which did help a lot. My trusty Promotional Bag also did prevent me from losing all the screws, which was a relief. Motivators also carries a wide range of promotional auto accessories for all of your auto needs.

On Sunday, my husband and I had to run a few errands, so we were out most of the day. We ended up at Roosevelt Field Mall, to return and pick up a few things. While there, of course, I wandered off, and ended up in Urban Outfitters. When I went into the store, I told my husband that I was just going to come "right out". It has been a while since I have been in that store, so I ended up going through every rack and every display. Well, about 45 minutes later, I left the store with two bags of clothes. I kept telling myself (and my husband) that I only bought the essentials for my fall wardrobe. However, I must admit, part of my shopping had to do with the cute and reusable shopping bags they use. Unlike most retail stores that uses paper or plastic shopping bags, Urban Outfitters uses reusable non-woven custom tote bags. I figured, I would not only be getting new sweaters and shirts, but also promotional bags that I can use on a daily basis (as a cute little lunch bag). Koodos to Urban Outfitters - not only for being eco-friendly and using reusable shopping bags instead of disposable ones, but also for making purchashing from the store so fun and exciting!!

Smartphones have already eliminated the need to pack mp3 players, phone books, and game systems into our promotional bags each day.  Now Google has created an application that works with thousands of PayPass merchants and makes the wallet unnecessary.  The campaign for the new mobile payment system, dubbed 'Google Wallet,' features the slogan, "Make your phone your wallet."

According to Mashable, "Right now, Google Wallet only works with Citi-Mastercards and the Google Prepaid Card."  However, Visa and Google recently announced a partnership that will support Visa's payWave app, which "sets the stage for financial institutions to allow account holders to add their Visa credit, debit or prepaid accounts to Google Wallet."  Google Wallet will allow consumers to make their payments at retail shops with just a wave of their smartphones at the payment terminal.

Google Wallet's supposed best feature is its SingleTap system, which combines coupons, loyalty cards, and payment in one.  "Using the Google Offers app that can save coupons directly to Google Wallet for Android, you can make a payment with your default payment type, apply the coupon you have saved and also apply the purchase to your loyalty card for that store," reports Mashable.  Through integrating all of these features, Google has created a seamless process that eradicates the need for several redeemable promotion cards.

What's next? Getting merchants and financial institutions on board with the new system.  While Google designed Google Wallet as a platform for "everyone else to build on," competitors are also taking that route.  I'm excited to see how it all unravels; as Mashable stated, "This is just the beginning of what is sure to be a major technology story within the next 18 months."

While those of us in the rain-soaked Northeast have been packing our promotional bags daily with umbrellas and ponchos, the Southwest United States, and more specifically Texas, has been dealing with an entirely different form of threatening weather conditions.  According to MSNBC, "Texas just finished the hottest June through August on record for any state in the U.S."  But Texas' record-breaking three-month daily average temperature of 86.8 degrees has not come without severe consequences. 

Reuters reports that nearly 1,500 homes were destroyed by a wildfire located near Austin, Texas, making it one of the most devastating fires in Texas history.  Even worse is the fact that this number is "likely to increase."  Reuters paints a disturbing portrait of the fire's impact:  "...the flames have turned entire neighborhoods into blackened moonscapes of burned out vehicles and crusts that used to be homes."

As residents anxiously wait in shelters for a chance to return to their homes, many have taken the opportunity to help spread awareness about fire safety.  Through distributing items such as fire prevention promotional products, we can all help prevent destructive wildfires from starting and spreading.

Unfortunately, the Texas fires have taken several lives already.  According to Reuters, "...four people have died in fires [that] broke out across the state over the Labor Day weekend, including a mother and infant daughter who died in northeast Texas on Sunday."  We can only hope that Texas' inhabitants remain educated on how to prevent and escape these disastrous fires.  Our thoughts are with you; stay safe!

Promotional bags get a bad rap.  Sure, there are some less-than-creatively designed bags that don't necessarily grab the attention of passers-by, but there are also many that are stylish, sleek and downright sexy.  According to Mashable, there at least 10 laptop bags that are fitting for even the most fashionable techie.  Let's take a look at a few of Mashable's suggestions:

1.  OMG PWNIES! 

This custom tote bag features an adorable yet chic design. It incorporates ThinkGeek's popular "pwnies" design, and is large enough to fit a 17-inch laptop.  It's even got a little bit of wiggle room, ideal for storing accessories like promotional mouse pads.

2.  Vintage

America's addiction to vintage is stronger than ever, perhaps best evidenced by Banana Republic's new 1960s-inspired Mad Men Collection.  This custom tote bag certainly falls nicely into that category, as well.  Dubbed "the ultimate in preppy chic" by Mashable, the bag delivers class and sophistication.

3.  Gamer's Delight

This customized tote will have every avid gamer smiling ear-to-ear.  Fashioned after the original Nintendo remote control, this bag features a stand-out look that video game-lovers will cherish.  And, according to Mashable, its front panel is reversible, making it "practically two bags for the price of one."

These laptop bags make it easy for even the most tech-obsessed individual to look cool!  To view the rest of Mashable's "hand-picked selection of brilliant bags," click here.  You're sure to find a bag that's interesting, attractive and even a bit unusual!

I am new to the parenting game but i know better than to go anywhere without a couple promotional bags filled with items for my little girl.  You would think a 1 1/2 year old wouldn't need much but, she usually has more than me.  We a custom imprinted tote bag with her name on it, we usually use this as a diaper bag, and we have another shopping tote that we usually have filled with different trickets to keep her happy in times of need.  Of course no matter what toy, book, or stuffed animal we bring the hit of the day is usually the keychain flashlight with the car keys on it.