Mailpix: Turning images into memories

Have you heard of MailPix? As parents we take a million pictures of our kids, which is great. the problem ... we take them on digital cameras & phones, images saved on memory cards, our computers, facebook, instagram etc.

I know that personally very rarely do i actually make physical copies of my photos. I am always looking for the perfect site to do so. Well i found it!

MailPix has dozens of options to choose from. Photo books, print enlargements, canvas, greeting cards, iphone cases, coffee mugs, blankets, you get the idea, you can pretty much put your pictures where you please!

I was recently given the opportunity to order & review a Brag Book. The process was so easy. You just upload your photos & then drag & drop. easy peasy. you can order these brag books in two different sizes. 5x7 or 4x6 with anywhere from 5 to 40 pages. & i think the prices are great! $18 for a 40 page 5x7 brag book. Whats so cool is you can choose how you want the pages. One photo per page, or multiple photos per page, Border or no border. Text or no text. You can even change the background on the pages & it is truly so easy to navigate. Each brag book also comes with a plastic cover.

I went ahead & took this opportunity to grab all of our pictures from our disney world spring break vacation last year & made a brag book. If you follow me on facebook, twitter or instagram, you've already seen it, i was thrilled when it came, it turned out fantastic. It is so awesome to have our whole vacation all in one spot, a spot i can physically touch. memories i can pick up & look through & not have to log into facebook to see them.

 

In about a week & half we're heading across the state for vacation. If you follow me on social media, you also know i just got a new camera. I already told jeremiah, you can expect me to take a million pictures & come home & make a brag book :)

Head on over to their website & be sure to go check them out on twitter & facebook

 [disclaimer: i was provided the above mentioned products for free from the company to use & review on my blog. the opinions in this post are 100% my  personal thoughts & feelings about the product.]

#stopbulling [a story of a brave young woman, my sister]

If you follow me on any social media, you know now that my sister was brutally attacked on the school bus last friday! I thought i would share some of the news stories with you so you could all be aware of what happened.

I will come back & write a more personal post in the next couple days, i just wanted to share with the story with those of you who may not know whats going on.

What happened to my sister is terrible. there is NO reason these things should be happening to kids at school, on the school bus, places they are supposed to be safe. My sisters horrible story also conveys a much bigger picture. She doesnt want this to happen to anybody else. She wants people  to know standing up for your friends is the right thing to do. She wants things to change! Sorry for being rambly, thats how my brain feels!

WARNING: THE VIDEO IS VIOLENT

-------------------------------------

"The tale of Chase Cristia, by all accounts a modern-day good Samaritan, only gets worse, which is saying something, because it was awful in the first place.
Pummeled by a classmate in the back of a school bus last week, then internationally humiliated when video of the attack was posted on Facebook by the attacker's alleged sidekick, Chase left school in tears Thursday morning — her first day back — saying peers accused her of bringing trouble on herself.
If the back story is remotely accurate, the Pasco County school district better re-evaluate its entire anti-bullying program. A week's worth of evidence from a showcase school in one of Pasco's better-heeled neighborhoods suggests what's being preached isn't reaching the congregation.
* * * * * Reports indicate Chase was targeted because she stuck up for an overweight friend who was being taunted by schoolmates. Then, when these flowers of maidenhood escalated things by threatening her, Chase turned to Mitchell's front office for protection. In other words, she was doing exactly what school administrators and anti-bullying activists urge of kids when they witness thuggery on campus. Handle it if you can. Enlist school officials if you can't.At every turn, the adults assigned (and trained, presumably) to intervene proactively failed. Inexcusable. Chase told them Friday she feared for her safety, but they did nothing. The bus driver saw what was happening but did nothing. Given nearly a week to prepare students for Chase's return, Mitchell administrators did nothing. Failure heaped upon failure.
* * * * * Yes, the kids behaved badly. Guess what? When adults shirk their responsibilities, that's what kids do. Always have. Always will. That's not to excuse any of the bad actors in this horrifying episode. It's simply to reinforce the accountability of grownups who, after Chase — a sophomore honor student with college aspirations — bought into their program, didn't have her back.
What could Mitchell administrators have done before the attack? Alerted to the possibility of trouble, someone in authority should have stood at the front of every bus to deliver a brief but stern reminder about satisfactory passenger behavior and the withering woe that would befall any and every violator.
What was the bus driver supposed to do? Park the bus. Dial 911. Report what he saw. Wait for deputies to arrive. The good kids are inconvenienced with the bad? Awww. The video shows the attacker striding the length of the bus to reach Chase and not a single hero rising to impede her progress. They couldn't all be on Ritalin.
In fact, the attacker lands a dozen or so blows — each a sharp, ear-shattering thwack! — before the fellow sitting across the aisle, redefining "belatedly," ends it by simply raising a hand and shouting, "Hey!" Otherwise, this bunch, representatives of the cohort on whom the future relies — so we are told — limited themselves to ineffectual shrieks and profanity.
What could Mitchell administrators have done after the incident? Gee, that's a tough one. I mean, here they have the beating of one of their students by another of their students, punctuated by the posting of a video on the Internet, the purpose of which is unmistakable. It's a message. An advertisement. This is what happens if you mess with us. Nonetheless, the school was at best ill-prepared for the predictable glomming-on ripple effect.
Do they ever gather the students in the gymnasium for special programs or to deliver exceptional news? Maybe they could have tried doing that — call it an "assembly" — to describe their new no-tolerance policy for anyone tempted to tease, mock, goad, criticize, provoke or otherwise harass Chase when she returned.
You say, "But the First Amendment," we say, "Intentional infliction of emotional distress," which can get you (and, more to the point, deep-pocketed enablers) sued, big time.
Well. Kurt Browning was elected Pasco's schools superintendent last year at least in part because he vowed to get a handle on discipline. We wish him luck, because the first test of the Browning Doctrine is a whopper. And it's scarcely an overstatement, given the global reach of social media, to report that the whole world is watching.
Meanwhile, the district owes Chase transportation to the school of her choice anywhere in the Tampa Bay area and a voucher, if necessary, to cover expenses. In the interest of repairing its neglectful damage to Chase's well-being, we will call that a good start."

article by tom jackson at tbo.com

 

WFLA: News, Weather, and Sports for Tampa Bay, FL






since my sisters story has gained local media attention, the news networks, the news papers, the radio station it has also gained national attention. We've seen it being posted on news sites all over the country but this afternoon it officially went nation after abcnews.go.com post her story! She is a brave girl, so strong & I am so proud.

starlight, starbright i got my first starlooks starbox last night

by now we all know about the monthly subscription boxes that have taken the internet by storm.

here is one you may not have heard of just yet!

Starlooks is a make-up company & your Starbox subscription will bring you 3-4 FULL SIZE SAMPLES of their line! That my friends is awesome! I know i personally love full size samples. no one use & done samples here! The awesome part?! It's only $15 a month which is a great price in comparison to some of the other subscription boxes out there!

I received the January Starbox. Every month the box is different. this time, a pretty mint green with an adorable gold bow. Inside the box you will find a card & on the reverse side you will learn about the products included in your box!

Remember the box is just $15/month. The retail value of the box i received was $63! thats a great deal!

The items I received in my box:

""fancy" diamodline eye liner: This ultra smooth, creamy, waterproof eye liner has a gorgeous green sparkly tint, but is light & can be mixed or paired with other eye liner colors. Also can be used as an amazing eye shadow base by coloring the entire lid. (starlooks retail $8)"

""brown" eye liner:  This smooth, creamy, color saturated, smudge proof eye liner has a gorgeous brown tint. can also be used inside the waterline of the eye (starlooks retail $8)"

""cutey peach" blush compact: this gorgeous, pure, peach toned blush is super color saturated, so a little does go a long way. Perfect for that spring look you've been desiring. With a tiny amount of gold pearlecense, this blush can also provide a bit of highlight to the check bone (starlooks retail $12)

"858 dome brush: this brush is made from 100% pure, cruelty-free pony hair, & is super soft to the touch. Blends eye shadow & eye liner smoothly for that perfect smokey effect. Use in the corner of the eyes, eye lid, or under lash line. Also great for packing on pigments or loose shadows. (starlooks retail $15)

& as a surprise they threw in a beautiful, beaded bracelet by abby rose designs! i mean seriously, look how cute it is & that color is gorgeous! it can be found on the starlooks website for a limited time for $15.

All in all, i am in love with this box. The blush is the perfect color. Its not loud or overwhelming but gives the perfect pop of color to lighten your face & a little highlight. The eye liner is exactly what it says, long lasting & smudge proof. I couldn't even believe the wear of it! The eye brush is amazing, it really is super soft, i used it for eye shadow & it put it on perfectly & the bracelet is just so darn cute, i cant wait to pair it with the perfect outfit. 

I have nothing bad to say, honestly! & again i just cant get over the fact that for just $15 you're getting full size make-up! & its great quality make-up! Once you've had time to test out all the products, you just return to the site & place your order! There are NO hidden fees involved & should you choose to cancel your subscription you can do so at any time with no hassle!

I know i am certainly going to keep a subscription going. Keep adding to the collection & the cool thing is that you'll probably end up receiving products you may not normally buy but end up falling in love with!

You should probably go sign up for your subscription now!

[disclaimer: I received a complementary starlooks starbox in return of a review on my blog. the thoughts & opinions expressed are 100% my own]