Sponsors Archives - Page 26 of 27

Email Templates Make My Inbox Happy

July 4, 2012 By Shannah 1 Comment

Email.

It’s a friend and foe.

I literally get hundreds of emails a day between my day job, this blog and all the other randomness that comes to my inbox. I have a pretty decent management system, including separate emails for different topics {personal, coupons/newsletters/etc, and the blog} for it all which helps keep me from going insane.

Know what has the potential to drive me over the edge though?

[source]

Poorly formatted emails! I’m not talking about grammar issues or things like that. Sure, those types of things aren’t my favorite thing in the world but we all make mistakes. I even know proofreaders who just miss little things from time to time.
It is the supposedly professional newsletters and emails that I get that are just a complete mess. The text doesn’t align properly, images are all jumbled on top of text…I could go on and on.

Email templates, like Mad Mimi newsletter templates, would totally help to eliminate those problems. If email drafters would use templates, gone would be the days of getting {or sending out in some cases} emails where you are worried about how the columns will line up, the text will read and overall how the email will look. I wouldn’t have to play the scrolling the game just to understand the gist of the email.

Do you have any email pet peeves? Get a bunch of newsletter where the drafter clearly needs a little help with the formatting? How is your email management system working for you?

This is a sponsored post for Mad Mimi, however, all the points and views are my own.

Let’s Show Some Love: Sponsor Spotlights!

July 3, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

The calendar just flipped over to a new month which means it is time to say thank you to some of our sponsors!
{Yes, I know it is shocking that I am actually getting this done before the month is 1/2 over!}

I know I say it all the time but Just Us Four would not exist as it does without our sponsors!

If you are interested in joining this fabulous list of sponsors below, please email me at justusfourpartners {at} gmail {dot} com for more information!

Now, let’s check out who was with us for the month of June!

Expressions Vinyl

I showed you my Lost Socks Canvas that I made using some vinyl from Expressions Vinyl this month. AND, Expressions Vinyl was awesome and gave away $25 to spend at their shop to one of our lucky readers!

Stella & Dot

I’m still obsessed with their stuff and am so excited for the new line to debut on July 6th. But, before then, you can score an extra 20% all of their sale items through the 4th of July! Get shopping!

Layla Grayce

Layla Grace is the ultimate place to find cute summer entertaining essentials! Right now, you can even score 10% off of all red, white and blue entertaining items through July 31st!
Just click the picture above and use promo code: rwb10.

One Kings Lane

My daily routine includes a click over to One King’s Lane at 10:59am each morning to check out their newest sales when they go live at 11:00am. They have so many awesome finds!

Pick Your Plum

I have gotten so many unique and/or useful things from Pick Your Plum! I love seeing their email come through every day to see what is new. Coming soon…Pick Your Plum will also be sponsoring an awesome giveaway for you guys so stay tuned!

Social Spark

Social Spark offers bloggers the ability to connect with advertisers, negotiate a price for content and get paid for their work! It is a win-win for everyone!

Tiny Prints

Need invitations for just about anything? Or maybe you want to design a custom greeting card? Check out Tiny Prints because they have some great invitation options AND, while you are there, you can design your own greeting card too!

eFaucets.com

eFaucets offers a HUGE selection of faucets and other fixtures for the bathroom and kitchen. Right now, select Grohe Kitchen Faucets come with a free soap dispenser through the end of July!

Again, thanks to all of Just Us Four’s amazing sponsors and affiliates!
If you’d like to be one of them and see your name here next month, please email me at justusfourpartners {at} gmail {dot} com. Rates are super reasonable and blog readership is growing every day!

Winner Winner!

July 3, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

I’m super excited to announce the winner of the $25 Vinyl Expressions Giveaway!

And the winner is…

Ellen Levickis – Please contact me at justusfourpartners {at} gmail {dot} com by 10pm (ET) on Friday, 6 July to claim your prize!

Can I Try that Again?

June 24, 2012 By Shannah 2 Comments

Have you ever had one of those moments that you just wish you could take back?

Truth:
I have had a TON of them. I always seem to put my foot in my mouth, make hasty decisions only to seriously regret the choices later or do the most embarassing thing at the wrong time. It’s a nifty little gift I have.

Right now, I am currently living in one of my biggest “oh I wish I could do that over moments”.
It is called our house paint. Yep…our house paint.

When we moved in to this house, I was pregnant (5 months) and facing a month without Mathlete as he jetted off to sunny California for a work trip. Needless to say, I was in some serious hormonal overload. Wanting to get the house “perfect” before he left, I quickly selected paint color for every room but one in the entire house. {The one unpainted room is the laundry room no one ever sees.}

Now, two years later as I am truly working to finish each room in the house, I find that my hasty paint selections are something that I wish I could do over. I wish we had lived in the house for awhile and decided based on the feel and flow of the house before choosing the colors on the wall. It isn’t that the colors are bad. They just don’t really fit into the feel I want for this house.

Take our master bedroom for instance {long time readers know this is a real do-over project in the works}…when we moved in, I was so weary from choosing paint colors that, instead of just leaving them white and painting them later, I just said “paint them what they were in the old place”.

So, I ended up with an olive green bedroom

and a dark red bathroom

Yes, this is a picture of our dining room but the colors were the same.

Not the best when my vision looks a lot more like

I know what you are thinking right now, “It’s only paint”.

True…it is only paint! BUT, especially with two kids and a full time job, finding the time to re-paint can be a real challenge.
Not to mention all the “discussion” {i.e. complaining} that takes place with Mathlete because he is the main painter in our house.

The change in the bathroom took 3 full days to complete {another tip: NEVER paint a room red unless you don’t really want to change it} because we can only work in small snippets. In our bathroom, looking like this for 2-3 days isn’t a big problem but is less than ideal when you are talking about major house areas like the living room or dining room.

So, now you know the dark secret of our house! The paint colors {well, most of them anyways} account for my biggest “do over” moment to date. Give me time, though. I am sure I can top this one 😉

Do you have a moment {or maybe a bunch?} that you wish you could just do over?

From Frigidaire: The Frigidaire Gallery™Dishwasher gets dishes fully cleaned the first time, so there are no dish do-overs. Nearly half of adults admit to re-washing and/or re-drying dishes after the dishwasher cycle has been completed. To prevent dishwasher do-overs, Frigidaire® is stepping in with its new Gallery® Dishwasher featuring the OrbitCleanTM Wash Arm, ensuring dishes are cleaned right the first time.

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

Sponsor Love: Check out our Fabulous Sponsors!

June 7, 2012 By Shannah Leave a Comment

I don’t know why but the end of each month just completely gets away from me and I find it is 5 or 6 days after the new month begins before I can get my “thank you” post completed.

If you are interested in joining the fabulous list of sponsors below and partnering with Just Us Four, please email me at justusfourpartners {at} gmail {dot} com for more information!

Now, let me tell you a little more about my current sponsors/affiliates!

Layla Grayce

Wedding season is in full swing and Layla Grayce is offering 15% off wedding gifts with promo code 15wed valid through 6/30/12! During the month of June Layla Grayce is also featuring the popular baby brand aden + anais by offering 10% off with promo code ADEN10!

Canvas Pop

Canvas Pop is an awesome gift idea for dads {or grads}! Through the end of today, June 6th, you can even get 25% off your purchase by using the code: FATHERSDAY25.
Need a little longer? Then, check out DNA 11 Art Prints which is offering 20% off through June 10th with the promo code: GREATDAD20.

Expressions Vinyl

I’ve been playing around with my Cameo more and more recently and have fallen in love with using Vinyl. My top source for vinyl has been Expressions Vinyl. In fact, in the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a few projects I’ve done using their projects AND have a giveaway sponsored by them. Exciting, right?!

One Kings Lane

This site needs no introduction! One Kings Lane has become an obsession of mine! Right now, they have the Napa Home & Garden Sale going one with some truly drool worthy items in it.

Tiny Prints

Over the next few months, I will be a part of a baby shower and several birthday parties! Tiny Prints is an awesome option for super cute invitations and accessories. If you need greeting cards, check out their sister site, TREAT, where your first card is free with Promo code: FREETREAT.

The Land of Nod.

As little E approaches age 2, I’ve started having visions of his big boy room dancing around in my head. The Land of Nod is a great source for super cute kids bedding, furniture and even toys!

Pick Your Plum

Remember those parties I mentioned? Well, Pick Your Plum has been an awesome source for supplies to prep for those parties. The prices can be beat and the quality of the stuff is awesome. Plus, I love the taffy that comes in each package.

Stella & Dot

The newest collection at Stella Dot is beautiful! I love all of the statement pieces they have out with bold, bright colors. I have two of their necklaces that I wear almost every single day because they are so classic and versatile.

Social Spark

Social Spark offers bloggers a way to monetize their blog by providing a link between the merchant and the blogger. You’ve probably seen a few posts of mine on behalf of companies that were through Social Spark. It is great because you pick and choose from the offers you receive AND they even offer you the ability to negotiate with the merchant. If you are interested in a way to monetize your blog, I recommend you consider Social Spark.

Be sure to go and visit all of the Just Us Four Sponsors when you are shopping online! Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do as many fun projects as we take on.

Basement Reno: Countertop Solutions

June 1, 2012 By Shannah 2 Comments

[photo source]

Ok, as you know, we are full force into the basement renovation with a lot of the focus being on the bar planning at the moment. I’ve been doing a lot of research to determine the best options for the countertops in that sections.

In our kitchen, we have granite. I love the easy care of granite. I never have to worry about putting hot items on it and it doesn’t stain at all. Every few years, the manufacturer does recommend that it be sealed but they sell a countertop sealer at places like Home Depot so I can easily to it on my own. It is a pretty easy process and I did it for our kitchen countertops earlier this year.

For the basement, I’m really loving another solid surface: Silestone.

Silestone is made from natural quartz and, like granite, is resistant to stains and scratches. It is non-porous so it doesn’t require the use of a countertop sealer but, with the higher cost per square foot than granite, we may end up going with granite and just planning to seal it every few years.

Do you have granite in your kitchen, bathroom or bar? Have you ever used a countertop sealer to seal it after a year or two of use?
If you have Silestone, I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on that too!

This is a sponsored post for VSeal, however, all the points and views are my own.

Vacation Travel: A Portable Charger is a Necessity

May 31, 2012 By Shannah 2 Comments

Looks inviting right?

We’re headed to the beach for our vacation {even though it isn’t this exotic one} and I am super excited. Well, I will be after I get all the planning done. With the planning comes A LOT of packing! I mean…afterall, I have to pack for 2 kids, a Mathlete and myself for a week! That is a lot of stuff to get together and take on the road.

Some of our biggest assets while away from home are our cell phones and laptops. They keep us connected to family, help us find our way around, get reservations and, of course, allow me to keep up with the blog. Another major thing we need is our camera so we can capture all the fun moments that happen while are away!

With all those electronic items and the usage they get each and every day we are away, I would say that the most important accessory we need is our a portable charger to keep the batteries fully charged while we are away. I would hate to miss a fun moment because our camera battery had died! Mathlete usually brings his portable charger to his phone which works for both of us. We also keep one in the car as a back-up. Then, I am “in charge” of the portable charger for the camera.

I have been researching other options for when we are out at the race track or places that might not give us easy access to an electrical outlet. I found these great portable solar panels for camping which would help us power our chargers and other items. I think they would be useful while at the beach too so I am adding them to our packing list 🙂

So, what is your most important accessory when on travel?

This is a sponsored post for Goal Zero, however, all the points and views are my own.

Rugging Me the Right Way

May 14, 2012 By Shannah 1 Comment

One of the things I have the hardest time finding that are cute and reasonably priced are rugs…especially outdoor rugs!

I was doing a little web surfing the other day and saw a great solution for finding pretty much any kinds of rug for you home.

Vecco offers a ton of options for creating a completely customized rug that is all your own. In the kit, you get the rug, stencil, paint and sealer. From there, the options are only limited by what you come up with.
I’m a big fan of the “Honey, I’m home”…take a look at some of the options with that one.

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Pinworthy Projects Party #10 AND Blogiversary Winners!

May 11, 2012 By Shannah 7 Comments

Ok, we will get to the party in just a few but I am sure at least a few of you are dying to see if you were one of the winners of our blogiversary giveaways!
Here are our winners:
Thirty One Thermal Picnic Tote – Farrah Shumway who liked Just Us Four on Facebook.
Thirty One Cosmetic Bag – Elizabeth Mindemann who follows Just Us Four on twitter
Studio J 5 pack – Jessica Barnett who follows Just Us Four
Fashion to Figure Giveaway – Rachel B who followed via GFC
Tastefully Simple Prize Pack – Jen Marrs who likes the Lovin Lemon Slush.
MoMo Panache Bowls – Maggie Anne True Armstrong who tweeted about the giveaway
$30 Michael’s Gift Card – Colleen Boudreau who tweeted about the giveaway
Craft Supply Basket – Alisa Niki who likes Just Us Four on Facebook
Rodan + Fields Eye Cream – Barbara Blanton who liked the McBailey’s on Facebook
Stella & Dot Necklaces – Jim M who became a fan of Just Us Four (no judgement Jim M but I hope these are gifts!)

Ok, so bidness for winners:
1) If you were listed as a winner above, please contact me within 5 days (by midnight on May 16th) at justusfourpartners {at} gmail {dot} com to claim your prize.
2) If I have not heard from the original winner of a prize by midnight on May 16th, I will draw another winner and that person will have 5 days to claim the prize.

Questions? Feel free to email me 🙂
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Now, let’s get on with this party!!!!

Did you create something Pinworthy this week?

Link it up below!A few {minor} rules:
1. Please only link up projects you have made…no etsy shops or giveaways! (Looking for a giveaway linky? Check out Homemaker on a Dime, Someday Crafts and Bacon Time) 2. Be sure to put a permalink back to my blog in any post you link up…giveaway OR project. You can grab a button from above, the sidebar OR just include a link back here. {Of course, I would LOVE it if you would follow me via GFC, Linky Followers and/or email!} 3. Please go visit at least 2 other projects you see in the linky. We all like for visitors to stop by so share the love. shannah

Finding Dresses for Summer

May 3, 2012 By Shannah 3 Comments

I can’t believe that it is May and we are going to have temperatures up near 90 degrees today! It is completely crazy! Of course, the warmer weather has been searching for cooler things to wear to stay comfortable and still look nice.
For summer, I’m a big fan of dresses: modest dresses for work and sun dresses for weekends. Dresses just keep me more comfortable in hot weather than shorts or pants.
Since we’ve been focusing a lot on beauty today, I thought I would share some of the dresses that have caught my eye recently.

[DownEast Basics]

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