Old Navy Sweaters

I am excited to once again be posting about an awesome experience at Old Navy! I got another opportunity to go to Old Navy via the Old Navy Style Council and Crowdtap. This time, my best friend Brooke and I were checking out the amazing selection of sweaters they have! I am SUCH an ON sweater fan. I have about a dozen of them that I wear nearly every day of the week through the fall and winter! I was so stoked when I heard that I would be able to pick out a new one totally free!!

Brooke and I hopped in the car the Saturday after Thanksgiving, also known as the biggest shopping weekend of the year! We headed to the Sandy, UT Old Navy which is my absolute favorite. The store was crazy busy as expected, but what I didn't expect was for the store to look spotless and well stocked and to have so many friendly and helpful staff members there through all the crazy shoppers! I was thoroughly impressed! We didn't even have to wait in line before more than one person to check out! Totally blew me away.

Anywho, we started out on a bit of a blitz through the store, looking at any and every type of sweater we could find. There were button up sweaters and zip up sweaters and pullovers and sweater dresses. It was a serious sweater-explosion up in there! We each picked up at least six or ten sweaters a piece that we just loved and headed to the dressing rooms to narrow down the choices.

This is the first sweater I tried on. It fit just fine, but it just wasn't the right shape for my body type I think. In any event, I was told that this was just not flattering on me so I moved on.

Brooke on the other hand, totally pulled this one off!

Next Brooke tried on a couple of bright colors that were wonderully festive looking! I think that the darker blue really brought out the color in her eyes and made her hair color totally stand out! I love that ON has these awesome color choices!!

I tried on a cardigan which I already knew I would love. I could seriously wear their cardi's every day of the week!

Finally, we got to our absolute favorites. Brooke just looked amazing in this flowy number and she just had to have it the second she put it on. The zip up sweater that I am wearing is just so so so so so soft that I couldn't handle it. I knew instantly that I was not leaving the store without it!

We had so much fun shopping together as we always do at ON and are definitely planning a repeat trip! On our way out (perusing the aisles as we always have to do) I noticed this adorable selection of baby sweaters. This one was just so cute that I had to buy it for my daughter. I mean, if mommy gets a new sweater, she should get one too, right?!

Here's my final review and overview of our trip. I hope you've enjoyed the blog and I've inspired you to go grab yourself a new sweater for the holidays! I know that you won't be disappointed by Old Navy because I never am!

Old Navy Cardi Party!

This weekend I got to head out to my local Old Navy store for an awesome girl's day. I was selected for the Old Navy Cardi Party from Crowdtap. I posted about Crowdtap earlier, but in summation, it's an online program where you tell your opinion about brands for awesome rewards. You should definitely check it out!

So on Saturday, my friends Brooke, Lindsey and Freda and I headed over to the Sandy, UT Old Navy store for some fun and shopping with a little gossip mixed in. We started out in the skirt section. There were an abundance of different patterns, but it seemed that there were only two different styles of skirts, jeans and a stretchy cotton pencil skirt. We each picked out a couple of different ones which was slightly hindered by the fact that not every size was available in every pattern. Apparently they have been popular!

Next we headed over to the scarves. There were some that were awesome and some that we all just looked at inquisitively as if to say to each other, "Who would really wear that?" lol. We actually found the cutest scarves on the mannequins throughout the store. It was a little odd that there was only one of each of the ones we liked, but we each found one that we really liked in the end.

Finally, we stopped at the cardigans. There was a display at the front of the store with the basic scoop-neck cardigans and we all found at least one that we really liked there. We did run into the size problem again - Mediums were in short supply that afternoon. We saw another dispaly further back in the store with a v-neck style cardigan and each grabbed one or two of those aw well.

After a quick stop at the camisole table for something to complete the outfit, we were off to the fitting rooms. We all had such a blast trying on different outfits! We would each put something on, then open our dressing room doors together and display our ensembles. Here are some of our favorite looks:

Freda and her colorful scarf.

Lindsey and Brooke in outfits that totally do not match! lol

Me in one of the skirts I ended up getting and my scarf!

Me in the other skirt that I bought.

Brooke trying to show off as much cleavage as she possible can.

Lindsey in a very cute fall outfit.

Freda and I in come comfy clothes. I bought the whole outfit with the exception of the scarf and Freda ended up with the grey cardi but the rest of that outfit.

Brooke and Lindsey - always the posers!

Loved these sweaters on Brooke and Lindsey. I think that they each bought one too!

Freda having fun with the scarves.

This outfit was seriously amazing on Brooke! She of course had to buy this one!

This is my completed outfit. It was seriously so soft and cozy feeling.

So you can tell from all the pictures that we all had a blast trying everything on! I think that we were in the dressing rooms for over an hour. We had so much fun laughing at each other's scarf trying skills too. We all decided that we're better off with the infinity scarves or not trying them at all. Here's my review of one of my completed outfits that I purchased (please excuse Brooke's shaky camera skills with my camera phone!):

Once I got home, my daughter totally agreed that I had picked out a cute outfit. She's only one and a half, but she's already a little fashionista! She decided that my scarf was too cute for me and that she needed to wear it instead.

Zoey loves "her" scarf!

In all, I ended up coming home with a jeans skirt and a cotton skirt, a striped cardigan and a matching camisole and a striped scarf. Ooh... and the best part, I used the Old Navy Snap Appy while in the store and scored a $5 off a $25 purchase coupon so I got a discount on the extras too! Gotta love the snap appy!!

Thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap for this wonderful opportunity! We all needed a coffee break at the Starbucks next door to wind down after that! :)

Old Navy Swimsuits



My bestie Brooke and I getting our shop on.



I went to Old Navy recently with my bestie. Brooke and we had an ABSOLUTE blast! I got a free swimsuit and a sweet discount on a new outfit for a wedding. Let me start at the beginning....

It all started about six months ago when I joined a website called Crowdtap. It's this awesome place where you tell companies what you think about them and their marketing strategies and in return, they give you awesome stuff! Flash forward to now. I got picked by Old Navy to sample their new line of amazingly awesome swimsuits and I get to share it with a friend!

So Brooke and I decided to make a fun girl's day out if this sweet opportunity. I left the baby with my hubby ans we set out to Old Navy. The store near my house is always great to shop at. The people are friendly, the store is clean and the shelves are well stocked. 

We got there around noon and decided to go immediately to the swimsuits. I had scoped out the selection online ahead of time so I knew exactly what I wanted to try on. I am usually a tankini kind of girl but I saw the new ControlMax line and knew that it was perfect for me. I have a little bit of a tummy still from having a baby and was so excited for the tummy slimming panel in these suits. I picked out one of those and a couple of other one-piece suits to try on for comparison. Brooke has a spectacular body (I guess one of the benefits to not having kids haha) so she picked out three bikinis to try on. 

We had a good time trying on the suits and showing them to each other. we snapped a few pics of each other and asked the dressing room attendant to take a pic of the two of us together. I think that he was a bit embarrassed to be taking pictures of girls in swimsuits but he was a good sport. We were both thrilled with our selections and couldn't wait for the opportunity to show them off!

While we were there, I wanted to find a new outfit to wear to my cousin's wedding. I probably tried on half the dresses in the store but just kept coming back to the outfit that was on the mannequin at the front of the store. It was a fun and flirty yellow dress with a white cardigan and a bright yellow scarf. It just looked great on me and it was even on sale! Plus, I used my Old Navy Snap Appy on my Android phone and snapped pictures of logos around the store. I scored a coupon for $5 off my purchase! Brooke grabbed a pair of workout pants and a new pair of flip flops while we were there too. 

Overall it was a spectacular trip and we both had so much fun! I am so thankful to Crowdtap and Old Navy for this awesome opportunity!

New Swimsuits at Old Navy

I am usually a tankini fan, but I have to say ON is making a one-piece fan out of me this season! I LOVE this rushed one-piece with the plunging neckline! I have a baby so I'm really liking that it will hide some of the baby rolls that all you mommas know we get. I also love that it is black which looks really flattering on me at the moment. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to having this one in a cute pattern, but I'm not as big of a fan of the bright purple version which makes me think of Barney...

Crocheted Hats!

I have been having a lot of fun making crochet hats lately. I was originally just doing it because I wanted to make one for my daughter, but then I started making them for shower gifts and then other people started asking me for them to give their children or as gifts. Then their friends started asking me for them and now, it looks like I may just have to start selling them online!

I have made all different types from simple one-two color with flowers and bows to animals. I can make just about anything that you'd want. If you have a picture of something you like, I can likely match it. I use the softest baby yarn that my daughter will sometimes even carry around like a stuffed animal - it's that soft!



Here are my prices:


one color hat - $10


Multi-color hat - $15


Animal hat like panda, owl or dog - $20


I will include ears, a flower or a bow, even in different colors, with the $10 and $15 hats.


Hats can be made in either earflap or beanie style. I can make them in sizes newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months and 1-4 years. Sizes 5-10 years and Teen-Adult are available as well for an additional $5.
 
To purchase one of these hats, just leave me a comment here with your contact information or send me an email at katieswenson55@gmail.com and I will coordinate the details with you. I can even accept payment via paypal now!
 
Shipping costs will be included in your invoice and will be the cheapest option available via USPS. Usually the flat rate envelopes work out to be the best cost at $5.15. Alternatively, if you live in the Salt Lake area and would like to pick up at my house to save the shipping costs, you're more than welcome!

Kiss Nail Dress Product Review

I received a free sample of Kiss Nail Dress in my Influenster "Love" VoxBox. These are basically just nail stickers that you peel off, apply and shape for an instant manicure without the nail polish. I tried these out for a costume party and they were so much fun! They were so simple to put on that I was able to do it in the car on the way to my party. It took me just a few minutes and I didn't have to deal with fumes from nail polish or needing to let my nails dry. I am never able to paint my nails with a one year old in the house, so this is certainly the way to go for me. I will definitely be using these again in the future!

Venus & Olay Razor Product Review

I received a free Gillette Venus & Olay razor in my Influenster "Love" VoxBox.  I have usually just used whatever razor is cheapest without much thought about what it does, but this razor actually seemed like a cut above the rest. Haha...

Anyways, it has 5 blades which glided smoothly and effortlessly over my knees and ankles. The best part about it was that it was surrounded by an Olay moisture bar. Being un Utah, I have severely dry skin. This razor left me smooth and hydrated and I loved the way I felt afterwards! I may just have to pay attention to the razors I buy from now on... Check it out here: http://www.gillettevenus.com/.

Truvía® natural sweetener Product Review

I received a free sample of Truvía® natural sweetener in my Influenster "Love" VoxBox. I am a big fan of plain ol' regular sugar so I wasn't too sure about this relative newcomer to the sweetener game. I decided to give it a shot and added it to my coffee. It was actually not too bad. It didn't have any aftertaste which is my complaint with a lot of sweeneters. I also didn't need to use a lot of it to sweeten my coffee to my liking. All in all, I think that this is one sweetener that I wouldn't mind using. I'm not ready to make the leap to using it n my baking, but for now, it's A-Okay in my coffee. Check it out here: http://www.truvia.com/.

How to Make Money on the Internet... For Real, No Schemes!

There are all sorts of making money schemes on the internet. Most of them are actually too good to be true (read: fake!) or pyramid schemes where you have to get so many people to sign up to actually earn anything. Well, after a few years of combing through all the sites and trying out a lot for myself, there actually are a handful of sites that give you real money, albeit mostly in the form of gift cards, but still, Amazon sells EVERYTHING! Here are my favorites:




•Swagbucks- Swagucks is first and foremost, a search engine, but there’s much more to it. I’ve been on the site for almost 2 years and it’s great. The search engine part is simple. You go to Google when you want to look something up right? Not anymore. Now you go to Swagbucks because when you search, you will sometimes get a swagbuck, or two, or twenty, or any other amount. It’s random though so you can’t just search a thousand times in a row and cash out. I will admit I sometimes still do a Google search even after searching Swagbucks because I like the layout more and I feel like I get better results on Google but the extra 4 seconds I took to click around on Swagbucks is worth it because of the pay. There are lots of ways to earn too, you can participate in a daily poll, complete offers (I only do this if I’m planning to get something anyways, like a Groupon deal), complete surveys (if I’m bored I’ll do this), and a variety of other things that I normally don’t bother with. You earn swagbucks which you turn into the swagstore for prizes. I always get $5 amazon gift cards because they only cost 450 points and I can get one about every few weeks or so.



To join Swagbucks click: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/chicagirl55




•Crowdtap- This is my favorite! You get your opinion heard by brands, you earn money, and you donate to charity. I LOVE Crowdtap. There are 4 ways to earn on Crowdtap. Quick hits (polls that are very quick to answer), web shares (one of the money makers, you share a link with friends and get money when people click it), discussions (pretty self-explanatory and also a money maker if you are honest and have complete answers), and sample shares/parties (get something free and review/discuss it). There are contests too. It is important to know that this is the one site on the list that IS based on demographics. Some people will get more things to do because a brand could be looking for answers from people in a certain age range, area of the country, they might want people who have kids, people who don’t have kids, people who have a certain cell phone, people who drink a certain coffee, people who like a certain sport, people who don’t like sports, etc. Everyone does get things to do though because every brand is looking for something different. Also as you level up you will qualify for more. The first 2 weeks or so are when you’ll probably want to give up but just like Swagbucks, all you need is 10 minutes a day or less, some days you only need 30 seconds because you’ll check the site and only have one or two quick hits. This is a site you really should keep at though even if it seems like you aren’t making money because you will eventually. I think my $24 in earnings in just about a month is proof. The easiest way to make money on this one? When they ask you to look at a website or video and rate it, rate it as thumbs up and accept the web share challenge. Then rate it from your computer, your phone, your work computer, etc. 5 ratings is all you need to earn $1!



To join Crowdtap click: http://bit.ly/t3ISKT




•Jingit- This one I just joined, but so far, so good. I was a bit skeptical at first but they have no negative reviews. Not many people pay attention to ad so advertisers pay people to watch their ads and say what they think about them. (There’s another site like this called Varlo, DO NOT sign up. Varlo is a pyramid scheme. Always research a website before signing up. Varlo has negative reviews everywhere.) You can earn between $5 and $10 a week with Jingit. You start off earning $5 a week for about 30 minutes of your time per week watching ads. This next part is completely optional, not a pyramid scheme like Varlo! For every person that joins with your referral link, you can earn 25 cents more. So once 20 people join under you, you can now earn $10 a week. And the BEST part? You are paid on a Visa debit card and can get your money from an ATM or spend it like a bank card. No fees, no minimum earnings. This site is fairly new though so they are still in Beta. This means the site could possibly change a lot in the future when there are more users but that shouldn’t really have an effect on how much you make because as long as they have advertisers, there’s money.




•Pinecone Research – This is the absolute BEST survey site! They send you an email whenever there is a paid survey opportunity for you to complete. You get these opportunities based on your answers to other surveys that just gather information about your background, family size and ages, purchasing habits, etc. that get sent out periodically. For each paid survey opportunity, you get $3. Plain and simple, $3 per survey. They will either send you a check after each survey or you can have it deposited into your PayPal account. I have been a member of this site for about a year or so now and I think that I’ve earned roughly $70! The other really cool thing about this site is that they also have companies that want you try products and give your feedback. I’ve been sent two different products to try so far. You get the free stuff and $3 for each survey about it. There are lots of survey sites out there that promise rewards and points, but this one is definitely the best!




•Smiley360 – While we’re talking about getting free stuff, I need to mention Smiley360. This site doesn’t pay cash money, but it’s worth mentioning because they do give away a LOT of free stuff. They regularly have what are called missions where you are sent something for free and tasked with telling people about the product or service. You can tell people in person, on Facebook or Twitter and then report back to the website what the reaction was. It usually takes me all of 10 minutes to get max “smiles” or points. So far I’ve gotten three free products and a free Redbox rental out of it! Definitely worth checking out.



To join Smiley360 click: http://smiley360.com/?refid=80798





•Endorse – This one seriously rocks my world at the moment, but I just got news that they have decided to go to a closed beta mode, meaning that you are not able to sign up for this program at the moment. The promised that they are working hard to finish their revamping and reopen the site to new users in “early 2012” so I’m hoping soon. Until then, I’ll leave you with the teaser that I made $39.70 in under a month with this one just for sending in the receipts for my regular purchases.





Alright, so these are my secret moneymakers. Try one or all of them out if you are interested. The links that I provided are my referral links so I can increase my rewards on these sites so I’d love it if you would use them but you definitely don’t have to. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you want about any of the sites or any others that you’ve come across. If you need clicks on Crowdtap, I’m also happy to help there too!



Enjoy and happy money-making!

Awesome Ecomom Deal - $60 for only $16!!

My little Zoey has just recently started experimenting with fruits and veggies. We’ve been pureeing things for her fresh, but sometimes we just don’t have the time and then she doesn’t get to have fun trying new foods. Well I decided I’d solve that by buying some ready-made baby food but I wanted to get something good for her.

Well, I just scored a FABULOUS deal on organic baby food. I got 42 pouches of Plum Organic baby food for $16.31. Here’s how to do it:

First, go to Plum District. By signing up here you will get a $5 credit to your account! Then click on today’s deal here. You will see that the deal is for a $60 voucher for Ecomom.com for only $30. Add the voucher to your cart and then apply the coupon code “plumlove” to score 30% off the deal. Then use your $5 credit and you’ll get the $60 voucher for only $16!

Now head on over to ecomom.com and add in whatever merchandise you’d like. I chose to get all baby food as that’s what I was really in need of, but they have tons of great products. The website is a little slow today, but I think that it’s just because this is such a good deal, other mom’s aren’t passing it up either. Enter your code from Plum District into the coupon code field when you checkout and you’ll get your $60 voucher applied plus free shipping! Easy as pie!