It's official!  Andrea Strem is a licensed driver!  My 17 year old passed her test today to her great releif.  She was so nervous that she could not sleep.  Her Dad gave her "advice" all the way to the test, I'm sure that did not help.  She got 20 points off, and they still passed her!  You have to get 30 off to fail.  So she got to take the van back to school to show off her accomplishment.  While I am very happy for her and proud of her I'm a nervous wreck!  With so many distractions like cell phones, loud music and loud friends, it is scary to let them out on the road.  The insurance is in it's promotional insurance wallet, the promotional auto safety kit is under the seat, and the blue tooth is on the visor. So out she goes onto the road and soon out into the world.  OK now I'm getting tears!  My babies are all grown up.  So when you are out driving try to have patience with other drivers, they might still be kind of new at it!!

Lately I have been so tired of listening to the radio stations and the same music replaying over and over again. It drives me insane! how many times can you really listen to Adelle on everything radio station. That is why I love my ipod, I just plug it in to my car and listen to my favorites. Custom MP3 players are great for this exact reason, and I get to choose what I listen to and it isnt repetitive.

This past Thursday January 26th, Ken, Laura, Samantha and myself attended the SAAGNY winter showcase 2012.  The plethora of trade show items were amazing.  Any promotional product you could think of was there.  Any item you may want imprinted they had on display.  It really makes you think about how many of these items you come in contact with every single day.  We all had a great time walking the show and are looking forward to selling many of these item to our customers!

With a steady rise in e-commerce, there's almost always a sale. Whether it's during the holiday season or shortly after, June or September, there's always an opportunity for savings if you search for it.

Motivators is introducing free shipping for hundreds of Leed's items on the website. Motivators already has low prices and has the occasional promotional code for extra savings but this sale is a great way to pick up any last-minute gifts and is our way of thanking you for a successful year. So whether you want a custom imprinted watch or a promotional mouse pad, Leed's has the finest around.

My wifes family has an ongoing joke that unfortunately is based on true life events.  ".. Hold the Dang Flashlight.. ", this is the PG version of a statement that her Dad has been using for years.  Ever kid growing up had the pleasure of working with Dad on a project.  One brother was always working on the car or getting the boat ready to go bird hunting at 5 am or Suzy had the pleasure of trying to retrieve a favorite pair of earings from the drain.  These projects always required the helper to hold the flashlight.  If you have ever have been in this situation you would know that the beam of light is never in the right spot or if you are too young to help you may find yourself making shadow puppets or using it as a light saber when it was the exact time that the light was needed.  So it was really frustrated for Pop to get anything done.  For his 70th surprise birthday party we had some imprinted promotional tools made up as favors.  One of the favorites was a custom Garrity 3 L.E.D. Lithium Headlamp that was custom imprinted on the band to say " HOLD YOUR OWN DANG LIGHT " 

I will start by saying no one got hurt!  That's the good news.  The bad news is that my teenage daughter came home from college and within 12 hours of her arrival, got into an accident in the family minivan.  Thank goodness for the promotional insurance wallet that we keep in the glove compartment.  Although she was shaken, she easily found what she needed and used our promotional blanket to keep warm while standing waiting for the police to arrive. Stay alert out there!  Any one want a minivan?

The marketing team at Sesame Workshop - the brains and brawn behind Sesame Street - is probably one of the best marketing teams on the planet. (besides us, of course)
Why? Because the folks at Sesame Workshop have successfully marketed the show, its characters and other affiliations to every gender, race and age group successfully. With close to 4,300 episodes and airing in several dozen countries, the show continues to entertain youngsters, provide educational results that parents approve of and provide pop-culture phenomenon to teens and adults who reminisce about their youth.
So when the TomTom announced that Ernie and Bert would be a downloadable voice for their line of GPS devices, I started to frantically search for mine. I continue the search when I get home but I know that Motivators will have a few promotional GPS cases I'll have my eye on. 

If you are like me, somewhere in your house you have a box of goodies from your past.  Maybe it is box photos, a box of collectible toys or just special items you have aquired over the years.  This week I have been slowly doing my fall cleaning and I came across that box.  Oh the memories.  There was a plastic baseball glove from one of my frist baseball games at fenway, a couple of toy figurines from happy meals when I was little and one inparticular was a employee holiday gift I had received from a job during winter break at college.  I was working as a delivery driver for a warehouse.  That christmas they gave all the drivers promotional plastic travel mugs.  I lived off of coffee that winter so much that the older guys use to joke around with me every chance they got.. they use to call me Jaun Valdez.  ahhh the memories.

Saturday night I was driving with a friend when I got stuck behind a bus. Now typically this would be an annoying experience but this particular bus had the most original marketing poster I have seen all year. If you own a computer, radio or have been walking around town lately, you are sure to have seen the advertisments for Energy Sheets, the newest line of energy products. With a clever catch phrase, "I take a sheet..." featuring a pilot "taking a sheet in the cockpit" and a police officer "taking a sheet at a crime scene" it is hard to forget these promotional posters.

Celebs have also been seen sporting Energy Sheet promotional products such as custom t-shirts and promotional hats. Singer Pitbull is such a fan of Energy Sheets, that he is featured in several advertisments. There is no denying that whoever was behind this idea, is a marketing genius!

Packing a promotional bag is an art - an art that I have come to accept that I won't ever master.

Despire the fact that I will only be gone for a weekend and I don't leave until tomorrow afternoon, I've been packing my bag since Wednesday morning. I have a tendency to either bring too much, not bring enough or forget some essentials such as custom food products for in-between meals and a custom imprinted poncho for those days that it may rain. 

Being surrounded with promotional products has helped me become a better traveler and better planner when it comes to packing a bag. How? Look below.

• Having a hard time remembering what you put into your bag? Instead of constantly opening/closing your bag, use a promotional pen and custom imprinted notepad. Some pens and notepads are small enough to fit easily in your pocket, perfect for vacation and business. 
• Worried about losing your bag? While we can't threaten any airlines, we do have many promotional luggage tags. These are perfect for leaving your contact information with your bag - even if you're not with your bag. Luggage tags are great to have, even if you're just driving!
• Promotional travel chargers are superb for keeping connected while on the go. Whether it's local or international travel, there is an item that will be perfect for you. 
• Do you have a custom imprinted umbrella? Even if the weather calls for sunny and warm, it's better to have than to have not. This is always the item I forget or remember at the last possible minute.
• Do you have a neighbor feeding your pet, taking care of your plants or housesitting while you're gone? Adding a custom imprinted keychain to your spare key is a great way to make sure he/she doesn't lose the key.

There are infinite ways that promotional products help make tasks easier. Start browsing and shopping today.