{#Giveaway} Need to update your brand? Start by winning 100 Business Cards from our friends @tinyprints!

This Giveaway is CLOSED, winner is Rachel T.

It is exactly one year now that I have been putting my 'best face' forward on my business cards and using a card that is not only creative, but the most reflective of me and my personal brand.

For me, being an 'Ascending Butterfly' is a soul that is always in transition, always growing, changing and evolving. Even in the most simple ways I like to see signs of change, my desktop wallpaper rotates every 15 minutes with a new picture or motivational quote, the same with my screensaver. I even change the desktop background to my phone daily! So for me to say I haven't re-designed my business cards in over a year is truly saying a lot. Usually every time I needed a new box, I would re-design the entire card. But not anymore!

About Tiny Prints:

tinyprints is a company that was founded by three friends with big dreams and a passion for beautiful paper that has grown into a booming online destination for stylish stationery (and more!) for every occasion.

My business card is a folded card so it can be stored as a standard size card. But as you can see below, it is anything but 'standard'.

It opens up and this is the 'inside' of the actual card (I blanked out my phone number, sorry guys!)

The back of the card has room for notes, and even though the surface of the card is 'pearlized' you can write on it easily!

My Take:

Since I started blogging I have designed a new card each year, which makes perfect sense, the cards evolved as much as me and my blog have. But now I'm in more of a 'groove' and my tinyprints Business Cards have been the most accurate reflection of me to date!

The tinyprints Custom Design Service allows you to work directly with a Designer, so your card truly reflects your vision instead of just a standard template. They also offer a free physical AND digital proof. There is a low One-Time Fee of $25 for the service. My designer took a very scattered vision and helped me organize it all in a way that made sense from a design standpoint, and still retain the creativity I wanted the card to have. The quality of the cardstock and the brilliant design make these my favorite cards to date! I couldn't recommend tinyprints more (as you can see from past reviews, here and here), but I will warn you, order at least 100 more than you think you'll need, you'd be surprised just how many you will go through PER conference or networking event with these! For me the past few months have been filled with non-stop tradeshows, conferences, expos and events, and I have almost run through a print run of 500 cards already!

Get Social With It:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tinyprints

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinyprints

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tiny_prints/

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Google+: https://plus.google.com/+tinyprints/

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Instagram: http://instagram.com/tinyprints

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog: http://blog.tinyprints.com/

Discount:

You can find current Tiny Prints Coupons Codes and Promotions HERE - Get free shipping on orders $49 or more! Use Code: FREESHIP49 | Limited time only see website for details

Win It:

One lucky butterfly will win 100 business cards! Use the rafflecopter widget below for your entries, remember as always, the first entry is easy-peasy! (and of course keep a look out for fun and fast extra credit entries too!) Hurry this giveaway ends on St. Patrick's Day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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FTC Disclosure: Tiny Prints provided us with Custom-Designed Business Cards for editorial consideration, and will be providing 100 cards for one winner. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. Neither Ascending Butterfly nor contest sponsor will be held responsible for lost or mis-directed mail. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure. All opinions are 100% my own! RRRUK88F2KC4

Ty Burrell Talks About @DWAnimation Film #MrPeabody & Sherman! #Movies

Last year, (yes I said LAST year), I got the chance to attend a very special sneak preview of DreamWorks Mr. Peabody & Sherman that was followed by a Questions and Answers Sessions with Ty Burrell, voice of Mr. Peabody!

Ty Burrell answered all of our questions and also took time to take pictures with us all!

Here is the video of the Questions and Answers Session:

Here is my photo with Ty Burrell!

My Take:

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is super fun for kids (and kids at heart) of all ages, and really made history come to life in a fun way that will grab the attention of the kiddos without boring the 'parental units' (or in my case the Auntie)!

I love how generous Ty Burrell was with his time also!

Once you have had an opportunity to see the movie, feel free to come back and sound off here and let us know what you think butterflies!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post. Ascending Butterfly was invited to an Advanced Sneak Preview and Talent Roundtable, no monetary compensation has been received to share our recap coverage of this event. All opinions are 100% my own.

The 10 things your Life/Career Coach is too afraid to tell you! #MotivationMonday

A Bra Specialist can look at you and tell your bra size quite accurately BEFORE she even measures you. A shoe store associate can usually look at a foot and also pretty much accurately guess your size and foot width. And while we hate to hear this, an HR professional makes their final assessment within the first 10 minutes of the job interview.

A Life or Career Coach come into play when you want to manifest change in your life or career. It's hard for the Coach to do their job when they quickly realize that it's only YOU and your attitude standing in your way. The quote "Attitude Determines Altitude" has lasted this long for good reason!

The Top 10 Things Your Life/Career Coach is too Afraid to tell you:

(1) It's not your boss, it's YOU - How you react to your boss and his/her demands are going to determine how far you will go. I am not telling you to brown nose your way to the top, however I am telling you as a Career Coach, that this is the most vital relationship you have in your career arsenal. Remember, even leaving a job of your own accord will require a job reference. And in Life Coaching this applies to the relationship you feel most stuck in, the one you feel that is not moving forward but backwards. Be it your in-laws or that BFF you think you may be 'outgrowing'...

(2) You Must Pay Your Dues - You are not going to become CEO in a year. Don't be afraid to pay your dues.

(3) Procure a Mentor - You want to touch base with someone doing the job you want to have eventually. It's OK to go outside your organization to find that person. In fact, that is the better way to go, you want someone who you can be frank with and who can also feel free to be frank with you about their path to success.

(4) Relationships are a two way street - If your theme is constantly about how every relationship has wronged you, your coach may be too afraid to tell you that you are sabotaging your relationships by the way you react to things that are not to your liking.

(5) Presentation is half the battle won - It's not just the job interview where you should whip out your best suit, dress for the job you want, not the job you have. If the top salesperson calls in sick and a major account needs attention, who do you think the boss will ask to pinch hit? The person in jeans or the suit?

(6) Yes, Peer Socialization is necessary - Those myriad of after-work team-building events, do you really have to go? YES, you have to go. Your peers are in the trenches with you, and if you can all support each other, you all win.

(7) You get what you give - Selfishness will hold you back from the life you really want. Be it the green-eyed monster, or pushing your agenda to hold someone else back, you get in life exactly what you give. If you spend countless hours telling your life/career coach how selfish everyone is around you, they are going to easily spot that the selfish Sally in those relationships is really YOU.

(8) Stop making cross-lateral job transfers - Your job trajectory needs to go up, if you spend years just moving sideways it's going to be harder to go up the next time you make a job move. Aim to build a career with an upward trajectory. (Because dearies, only crabs walk sideways!)

(9) Don't let moss grow under your feet - If you can't find the job you want, keep searching and portion out a part of your week to volunteer. Volunteer work is just that WORK. It allows you to give back to your community in a relevant way and still build necessary job skills. The busier you are, the more attractive you are to a potential employer.

(10) Define Success Clearly - How do YOU Define Success? Don't tell your coach how your mother and father define success. Or how your spouse defines it. Or your siblings for that matter. Yes you need to make enough to cover your bills, but at the end of the day, amassing money and then having no time to enjoy it, is something I am sure we can both agree is fruitless.  No Life/Career Coach can take your career or life to the next level until you know exactly what success looks like for you. Visualize it. Do you picture yourself in a garden with blooming flowers? With a smiling family? In an office at the top floor? Bring your Life or Career Coach a picture of how you define success, then and only then can they help you get there!

My Take:

The only thing that tends to stand in the way of our own success, is US! We tend to be our own harshest crtics, we tend to think status quo is better than change and we get stuck in ruts that for the most part we create for ourselves.

Before reaching out to a Life or Career Coach, start by tapping into what success looks like for you, what position you want to be in and be sure you are ready to knock your life and career status quo on it's head. Change sometimes comes with sacrifice. A life/career coach is not your fairy godmother, they can't wave a wand over your head and put you straight into your dream life. Define Success for yourself and then once you have that vision, there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking the help of an expert to guide you on how to achieve it.

And lastly as someone who has been coaching for awhile now, my biggest tip is that a life/career coach is NOT your therapist, while it's super easy to get that confused, your therapist digs into your past, your life coach looks forward (not backward) into how the immediate can be re-shaped to look more like YOUR vision of true success.

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post.

Did you miss #NYNow 2014? @nynowmarket completely re-branded this year! Part 1 of my show highlights!

When a well known trade-show completely re-brands and re-formats itself you know things are going to be different! This year, the tradeshow formerly known as 'the New York International Gift Fair' completely re-organized the show, and named it 'NY Now' - the Market for Home & Lifestyle. In fact it took place in not just one but two different venues, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center as well as the Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94 in New York City. (During Super Bowl Weekend by the way, to add the fun of commuting there  with what almost required sleds and snow dogs!)

The previous 10 divisions have been streamlined into four broad market collections for NY Now: Home, Lifestyle, Handmade and New. They felt the re-branding was more reflective of the Show's 400-plus gift, home and lifestyle product categories. They also extended NY Now's hours of operation during the show to allow buyers extra time to shop.

And for my fellow members of Digital Press and my fellow Lifestyle Bloggers, you are going to LOVE another new feature of the newly designed show, nynow365.com, an image-based online product directory which boasts more than 27,000 products from more than 700 exhibitors at the recent show. Nearly 1.500 retailers are currently registered to use the site.

Warning to the wise, my fellow blogging lovelies, this is a trade-show and many brands couldn't care one lick that you are press, and some will chase you and your DSLR camera out of their booth as if you have leprosy. Getting angry won't change things. This is how I handle any conference, trade-show or exhibitor who yells 'HEY GET OUT OF HERE! NO PICTURES! NO PRESS!' - I learned to follow instructions in school, and I give them exactly what they asked for, ZERO COVERAGE. Any brand that is rude to me wasn't there as far as I'm concerned. The folks that walked me through their booth, and took a moment to ask about me after the walk through and what I do are the ones I am going to focus on. I think most trade-shows should get better at listing which brands are B2B only and are NOT interested in Press so we don't waste our valuable time on them. As a writer I'm seeking the B2C Brands, the ones that are already consumer facing if only the Show's apps or printed guides could devise a system (color coded maybe?) that lets press know who is press-friendly and who isn't. How about a green color to highlight the press friendly brands and red for the not so press friendly ones?

There was so much to see and do I literally have to break this up into multiple posts.

Here are the first batch of photos I took at NY NOW:

Overview of the show from my vantage point upstairs in the Press Area! (It was still early and the heavy snow did keep some people away)

Bottega del Vino Crystal

I have to admit I absolutely agree with and love Bottega del Vino Crystal's Tagline: "Why Simply Drink Your Wine, When You Can Experience it..." Wine enthusiasts will definitely agree that a quality glass does affect the tasting greatly! With Bottega del Vino Crystal, each piece is painstakingly mouth blown and hand finished to exceed standards in balance, weight, shape and the tactile experience of holding the stem while drinking your wine.

54 Wine Aroma - Master Kit

This kit has become the reference in the industry! Our sense of smell is very delicate and sensitive, practice allows us recognize and identify the 54 aromas most commonly present in wine. This helps to improve our appreciation and enjoyment of wine.  These help you to identify the typical aromas found in red and white wine (and yes including champagne), providing us with an indication of the wine's origin, the grape variety, as well as the vineyard, the wine making techniques that were used and the aging conditions. Memorizing these very aromas will give you an accurate and coherent vocabulary to help further stimulate your appreciation of fine wines. Do this before you next wine tasting and it will make everyone think you are the Master at the table! or impress your friends and family and host a home tasting after studying the 54. This Master Kit would make a great gift FOR ME!!!! :-)

OK I am sensing a Wine Theme Here!

I loved all the pretty Wine Stoppers and cheerful colors!

Couldn't resist this table setting with a live Goldfish Centerpiece! That little guy is sure to keep the conversation going at the table that's for sure!

BAOLGI

Rattan Specialists for the home BAOLGI had a beautiful display of rattan items for home both indoor/outdoor!

Bellevie Company, Inc.

I spent quite a bit of time talking to Ingrid Martin from Bellevie Company who walked me through their Souleo Provence Pottery, Heidi Callaird Guinea Hens from France, Zeller Keramik from Germany, and La Maison De L'Etain Pewter from France. Her team was super passionate about the tender love and care that goes into each piece and I will admit the cheerful display was a site for sore eyes that day considering the gloomy, cold, grey day outside. This exhibitor brought a touch of spring and whimsy which was very much appreciated. I could see a variety of their pieces in my new Dream Kitchen!

Miya Company Booth #3063

Mr. Miya (pronounced MEE-ya) incorporated his flower shop on 28th street in New York City in 1947. The mom and pop company evolved into Miya Company, Inc. a premier importer and wholesaler of Japanese Tableware and gifts on the East Coast. They are very much inspired by the Japanese aesthetic. as am I, so I did some spend some time enjoying all the unique offerings at this booth!

Picnic Plus Booth at NY NOW

With this New Yorker counting down the seconds, hours, minutes, and days until Spring, I loved that Picnic Plus was a great reminder of the happy days to come! Whether it's a casual picnic in the park, or a romantic picnic on the Beach, Picnic Plus definitely has you covered!

Huang Acrylic

Huang Acrylic's definitely caught my eye, as I need to some MAJOR re-organizational work in my space and these items help to keep everything super organized with a fun and very modern design!

Robert M. Weiss Presents

While his website caters specifically to retailers, you will notice a Store Locator on the top of  robert m. weiss P R E S E N T S, so you can plug in your zip code and find the nearest retailer near you that carries his work! Very interesting designs for home!

Forked Up Art

Had to nab a shot of one of the founders of Forked Up Art in front of his super creative and colorful display! This is the most amazing way to see forks and spoons recycled and re-purposed, so they can still have home in your kitchen or dining room! Cooking from a Recipe Book or Tablet, no worries, there are fork buddies that will hold them up for you! (keeping them safe and clean!) This one definitely stood for me as being one of the most unique brands I met at NY NOW! By the way, they also use it to make jewelry, making these ideal gifts for any chefs in your life. If you have any chefs graduating from culinary school this year, add Forked Up Art to your radar as an option for unique and meaningful gifts for your budding chef!

Turkish-T 

These original hand loomed towels are an environmentally friendly way to add some affordable luxury to your shower/bath! Their line runs from Basic, Beach Candy, Luxe Spa, Natural, Resort Cashmere, Sorbet, Super Soft and Woven. In a great range of styles and colors, there is something for everything at Turkish-T.

These Super Soft, Cozy robes by Turkish-T with the pretty stripes totally make me long for summer!

Wait, What, stop! Did someone say Christmas? Christmas trees will always stop me in my track!

Couldn't resist sockerbit's super cute exhibitor booth, first the tree then these cute little guys!

Check out sockerbit - sweet and swedish ideas to help make an upcoming party that much more fun for everyone!

My Take:

NY Now is a lot to take in, and spending some time in the press area with the show app and programs, help you map out your day so you can hit the booths/vendors that you really don't want to miss. However don't overpack yourself or day's itin. Leave some room that the booth you are visiting may be a bit back-logged, even if you do have an appointment. Always factor more time than you need to get from one of your appointments to the next.

I had to break up all these pictures and brands met in stages, this is actually going to be a multi-part post. I think it's easier for me to work on and for you as a reader to consume in steps! I may even skip days in between not to overwhelm with just how much took in at this one event!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. I attended the Trade-Show as Digital Press, however this did not influence my opinion in any way all opinions are 100% my own. No compensation has been exchanged for this recap post.

Looking for a #vacuum that cleans across both carpet & hard floors? @Dyson DC65 available @BestBuy! #DysonatBestBuy

#ad: Ascending Butterfly is a member of Best Buy's WOLF Blogger Program and this is a Sponsored Post. Compensation in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or product/services at no or reduced cost has been exchanged, as always, all opinions are my own!

The writing is on the wall! Had to snap a picture of this infographic on the event space wall - With the DC59 cordless being able to pick up as much dust a corded vac and the DC65 cleaning better than any other vacuum across carpets and hardwood floors both with the Dyson Digital V6 Motor, what's NOT to love?

I am an Apartment Dweller based in New York City, which means hardwood floors (YAY for old pre-war apartments), but cramped for space. Keeping up with hardwood floors isn't very easy, and I have found that many vacuums weren't an option for me as they were great with carpets, but not so great on the hardwood.

Back in December I got to test out the Dyson DC44 Animal Stick Vac and I have to admit I was pretty impressed with the versatility, if you missed my review on that unit, press HERE.

Dyson Rep giving us a product demonstration of the Dyson Digital Slim DC59

Recently I got to attend a Dyson Event in New York City where they walked us through their available units, and gave us a live demo to show us how Dyson Products directly compare to other leading brands on the market. We were amazed just how much 'stuff' other products left behind! I loved that the demo area offered us the opportunity to see the products perform on variety of surfaces.

Dyson Reps giving us a product demonstration and showing us how Dyson compares to the competition!

My friends at Best Buy pimped my floors by sending me the Dyson - DC65 Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum in the Gray/Purple Color Combo, unlike the DC44 which I tried and the DC59 that are cordless, this one is corded, and right away I appreciated not having to worry about the 20 minute time frame that you are restricted to with the DC44. This unit being corded meant I didn't have to worry about whether or not it was on a full charge, and there was no time limit, so I could do the entire house in one shot instead of just a couple of rooms at a time until the unit re-charged. SCORE!

I thought you would appreciate seeing how Dyson compares to the competition in Video!

 About the DC65:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Brush Bar Power increased by 25% for superior carpet cleaning

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - New Configuration of bristles dig deeper into carpets to remove more dirt

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Remodeled air flow helps to remove more dirt, dust and allergens from the home

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 180AW of suction (vs. 160AW in the DC41)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Self Adjusting Baseplate

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Long-reach telescopic wand

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Closer edge pick up

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Hygeniec Bin Emptying

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Available at Best Buy!

How to Assemble the Dyson - DC65 Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum Video Below:



 

My Take:

Bye! Bye! Traditional Broom and dust pail, hello Dyson DC65, finally an upright that can tackle hardwood as well as carpet! I was impressed to see the side by side product comparison at the recent NYC Dyson Event, the proof was definitely in the pudding seeing what the other vacuums actually left behind, but getting to try it out at home on my own hardwood floors is what truly cinched the deal for me.

I am actually glad to have both the DC44 and the DC65 as they both have different strong points for me. To organize and get closets ready for spring I will be using the DC44 to stuff a ton of clothes into my Space Bags and save space! But it's the DC65 that will get the most day to day use on my hardwood floors! And like most people I look for ways to save, so while I like the DC44, having to leave it plugged into the wall, and having it always pull energy is not ideal for me, not to mention as an apartment dweller it's hard to find a dedicated plug for one item for me that stays there at all times, making the DC65 the one I would lean to a bit more often.

I don't have a coupon to share this time around, but I will definitely keep an eye out for them and update this post as soon as I find one.

While cleaning isn't quite 'sexy', the right tool for the right job is certainly helpful!

Do you already own the Dyson - DC65 Animal Bagless Upright Vacuum, if so, what do YOU think of it Butterfly?

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FTC Disclosure: I am a Best Buy Brand Ambassador. This allows me to share information, sales, product reviews and deals on a regular basis! This is a compensated campaign brought to you by Best Buy and Dyson who provided the DC44 Animal Vacuum for editorial consideration. All opinions are 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may visit our full giveaway and disclosure page for complete policy information.

Weekly Moment of #Gratitude! = #MondayMotivation

Happy Presidents Day!

What I am Grateful For:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Skinny Scoop! (I need your ONE CLICK daily vote!) - The Skinny Scoop has nominated Ascending Butterfly as one of the Top 25 Product Review Blogs! You can vote for Ascending Butterfly daily until 02/28 here: http://www.skinnyscoop.com/social-list/create?list=top-25-product-review-blogs

Ascending Butterfly is already a Top 50 Product Review Blog on Cision, I was totally floored when I found out we made their list! (Article here: http://blog.us.cision.com/2012/06/top-50-product-review-blogs/) so I was honored to see us nominated again independently in the Product Review category. I try to bring you unique products from a very wide variety of brands both established and emerging, and it's gratifying to see my efforts recognized! For those of you who saw my social media blasts about the nomination and have already voted for us, THANK YOU. Your support means more to me than you know! It is a simple one click vote, that doesn't require you to like anything, sign up anywhere or even provide your email, just click vote and you are done!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Losing Followers! - I put up one cheeky title last week and it appears a few 'butterf'lies' disappeared. Had they read the entire article they would have realized the play on words was entirely innocuous. I don't do it very often, but when I do, it's just being cheeky, I've kept this blog drama free, politics free, sex free and pretty much snark free since 2009. I'm sure they will come running back during the next great giveaway, but frankly I wish they would stay away. This space is a place where I am going to be myself. I am going to be true to myself. I am going to be authentic to myself. and I am going to express myself. Will it work for everyone? Probably Not. We can only please 50% of the people 50% of the time. I'm OK with that. So yes, I am actually quite grateful for those that bailed because of my cheeky laundry detergent title, they reminded me that it is OK to be true myself. And I'm sure double will come in for all those who left. (some people actually like cheeky!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Wins! - I've been carving out some time for sweeping every now and again, and had a few wins come in during February that I almost forgot all about.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Volunteer Time This Week! - As many of you already know I spent some time last year in Chicago at the Headquarters of Ronald McDonald House and got to visit several houses out there, and spend some time volunteering, one day it was making welcome bags for the families, on another simply baking cookies to share with the families with some of the children who were up for it. Part of my pro-bono ambassadorship is to meet with my local house here in New York City and find ways to help them. I have my first meeting with the local house this week, and I'm just truly grateful for the chance to help. After spending a year in the hospital myself, I have a great deal of empathy for families who find themselves in the hospital helping their child to battle a serious illness. Once I get a more defined sense of what the local house in New York City needs, I will share more about it here, but I just wanted to give a deep thanks to the brands I work with who have already expressed interest in finding ways to get involved. In my opinion this is what I wanted to see my little space online and my social used for, for Good, for Giving Initiatives, for ways to motivate, challenge and inspire myself as well as others. A recap of my Chicago experience can be found here: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/2013/09/i-am-ronald-mcdonald-house-charities.html

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Please VOTE daily via Facebook for our Butterfly-in-Chief, Tracy of Ascending Butterfly to win a spot on 'Run to Napa' a 10K run, powered by @ZOOMArun  - http://woobox.com/h3xho2/vote/for/1921984

To Vote:

(1) Follow the link above

(2) It will be defaulted to 'enter' so press the 'vote' button instead

(3) Scroll down until you see the picture above, you may have to scroll all the way and press 'view more' or show more entries twice before my picture comes up

(4) Once you find my picture which will be the same as the one above, hit VOTE

That's it! (You won't get any spam for voting!)

THANK YOU!!!!

oh did I mention I have the chance to bring one blog reader with me on this amazing trip? It's a daily vote, so if you are voting, please leave a comment below and let me know!

                             ˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

What are you GRATEFUL for today Butterfly?

  ˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post.

Is sharing about my newest 'Fling' Oversharing? #MusictoYourNose #MúsicaParaTuNariz

Photo Courtesy of Gain

My love of music, a popular New York City Hotel, a lingering fresh scent in the room.... All elements of my latest 'fling' and of course, I just had to share it all with YOU! 

Photo Courtesy of Gain

OK so it's not quite as titillating as it sounds, but all of the elements are accurate! 

Photo Credit: J.D. Anderson

The Braxton Sisters took over the rooftop of the Empire Hotel in New York City to help launch Gain Flings, and it was like an episode of Braxton Family Values come to life (ironically the event was being held on the same night their reality show 'Braxton Family Values' was debuting on WE TV)! Their personalities and playful sibling rivalry definitely took center stage.

Photo Credit: J.D. Anderson

But the 'man of the hour' was the new Gain Flings, the new single use detergent product by Procter and Gamble. If better cleaning power than Gain Liquid Detergent, an added Oxi Boost and the odor killing power of Febreze sound good to you, than you need to join me in having a 'laundry room Fling' with Gain Flings!

Photo Courtesy of Gain (With my online persona being #TheOfficialTwitterPartyDJ you know I love capturing shots of DJ's!)

Where Scent and Music Collide

Gain partnered with Dr. Alan Hirsch and Innerscope Research along with Gain Loyalists who they call 'Gainiacs', to see how their feelings for Gain Flings! scent measured up to their favorite pastime of listening to music. The study compared a person's emotional response to music with specific scent profiles like Gain Original and my personal favorite Moonlight Breeze - the reactions to the Gain Flings! scents proved that the scent of Gain is 'Music to your nose'.

YouTube Sensation, Andrew Garcia - Photo Courtesy of Gain

With scent and music being the major themes of the evening, there was also a live performance from YouTube Sensation, Andrew Garcia who sang covers of several popular songs!

Toni Braxton ended the evening by performing some of her hits including 'Another Sad Love Song', 'Breathe Again' and 'Unbreak My Heart' as well as a bit from her latest track 'Hurt You' her latest single with Babyface from their duet album 'Love, Marriage & Divorce' which hit the stores on February 4th (just in time for Valentine's Day!).

My Take:

In our gift bags was a Gain Fling pod to try and a copy of Tamar Braxton's release 'Love & War', music for my ears and my laundry! I am not totally sure my love of scent will ever outshine my love of music, but if anything can call itself 'Music to my nose' Gain Flings is it! I recently received a full size container and I'm having a Fling with my laundry! (I'm not going to say I love doing it, but this is giving me a very rewarding scent explosion!). Suggested retail is $4.49 for the 14 count and up to $21.99 for a 90 count tub.

Photo Courtesy of Gain

One of the biggest surprises was Toni Braxton jumping offstage and singing directly to members of the audience, I thought that was totally cool of her, and it actually took the crowd off guard!

Happy Valentine's Day Butterflies - Hope your day is more romantic than mine!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: I have NOT been compensated to share my opinions on the film. I was however provided with Product Samples in the form of a gift bag for Editorial Consideration and passes to the advanced screening. However, all opinions are 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may visit our full giveaway and disclosure page for complete policy information.