CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

A Very Cool Way to "Crowdfund"

As a former youth group advisor, I thought this was a pretty cool tool and wanted to give it a shout out. 

Because if you've ever been in a yout group, or even affiliated with a non profit of some kind, you know as well as I do that custom t-shirts is a huge part of branding and fundraising.

Teespring is a crowdfunding platform for groups, causes and communities to design and sell custom apparel.

Anyone can sign in and design a shirt which they can then sell via Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else online. The seller keeps all of the profit the shirt earns. People use just to earn some extra money but I think it's invaluable as a fundraising tool that way.

Also great -- the shirts don't print and ship until a set end date determined by the seller. This means they pay nothing upfront, take no risk and don't have to deal with the hassle of ordering the right number of shirts. And if you don't reach your goal, you will not be charged for the shirts at all. No risk there. Basically, this site only takes a price per shirt made, without touching the profits you make for fundraising.

It's a win-win. I think it's a cool service. For all the details and a lot of useful tips, the site has an FAQ that is pretty all-encompassing: http://teespring.com/about/faq.

And they have this great little video for all of us visual learners out there (seriously, I've become addicted to any and all YouTube tutorials like this):

 

Here's a great example I loved -- this tee reaised $85,000 (!!!) for The One Fund for Boston relief efforts: http://teespring.com/staystrongboston.

What do you think? Will you check out Teespring? I'm kind of inspired to design a funny logo tee or something, just to see if I can make a buck, but I also wanna do some good here and fundraise for a cause I'm involved with. 

• Teespring website
• On Twitter
• And on Facebook

For added fun, I made my own tee, just to see how easy it was to do... It was really easy. You basically have no excuse not to try this.

Obligatory and annoying disclosure: I posted this on behalf of a Sverve campaign I am involved with. I was provided with financial compensation in exchange for my post.

Happy Monday, er, MENday, Everyone!

I have partnered with my homegirl, Chris, at What I Run Into for a new weekly series called "Menday."

If you don't get it, you will by the end of this entry.

Hooray! It's Menday! Take your pants off. 

And feast your eyes on this gentleman...

Meet Mr. Noah Mills.

Yeah.

And if you're still with me, young Mr. Mills here is a  model and actor who hails from the fine land of Canada. I found him by accident but as it turns out, he's been seen all over in Sex & the City 2, 2 Broke Girls on CBS and in a Taylor Swift music video. 

I'd like to thank him for helping me kick off Menday.

No, really. I'd like to thank him. Could someone give him my number, please? Thanks bunches. ;)

Another Brilliant Word: The New Vocabulary

Warning: I suppose this entry could be kind of offensive. If you don't like dirty words, may I kindly suggest you go read this delightful blog about cute animals instead.

* * *

My friend Danielle had another bright idea. I think.

Clitty: adjective \ Acting like a crazy female. 

Usage: "Stop calling him every ten minutes! You're being clitty." 

Please feel free to embrace this new word and use it at will. 

You're welcome. 

What's Up, Friday? You Snarky Bastard.

Not a bad week. Nothing an 18-hour nap couldn't cure. 

Anyone know when I might take an 18-hour nap? You know what I REALLY want, actually... I want an abudantly opulent hotel room that overlooks some kind of sprawling cityscape and room service. Doesn't that sound like the best thing EVER? 

Someone rich - quick! Marry me and take me to this magical place. And then leave me alone for 18 hours. ;)

1. Buzzfeed's "19 Dogs That Really Need a Hug Right Now." And you know what? I WANT TO HUG ALL OF THEM. OH. EM. GEE. 

2.The mother-effing Shewee. Yes, you read that right. My friend Marie from The Curvy Fashionista posted this on Facebook and I just about DIED. What is it, pray tell? Well, it's a FEMALE URINE DEVICE. It lets you pee standing up, ladies. It's a funnel. And there are even special shorts you can wear for ease of use. I find I am simultaneously apalled, intrigued, amazed and grossed out by this product.

3. This kid. He is ridiculous. He won 2nd place so I need to know who the hell beat him.

 

4. Also, this video in which my latest obsession and new favorite band, Bastille, covers Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" is OUTSTANDING. It is WAY better than the horrible cover I heard last night at the House of Blues -- a woman with a scratchy voice covered Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and it was.... weird.

 

Incidentally, if you have not listened to Bastille's first single, "Pompeii," do it now. It's tremendous. Turn the volume way up.

5. Let's give THREE CHEERS for COMEDY! The internet was ON FIRE this week with hilarity, you guys. Just sheer brilliance as always from Jimmy Fallon with his latest installment of lip syncing (this time with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Stephen Merchant) and a too-true, clever hastag skit with his bestie, Justin Timberlake. And also worth a look -- Zach Galifianakis' new episode of "Between Two Ferns" in which he gives Justin Bieber a wonderfully hard time.

BTW, a lot of people consider Stephen Merchant the winner of the lip sync competition but I agree with Jimmy Fallon. I love Joseph Gordon Levitt a LOT. I saw Don Jon last week, in fact, and was pleasantly surprised by it. Go check it out this weekend!

My New Friends at Taffy Activewear

I wanted to stop in on this fine and happy "Hump Day" to introduce you lovely people to my new friends at Taffy Activewear. You'll notice their patronage of my blog over yonder on the right - go ahead and give them a click and a look.

But don't think this is just about the ad. Because I love what they're doing. Taffy is a new line of activewear that starts at size 14. Yes, that's right. STARTS at a 14. And goes up to a 24 from there. The concept is simple and wonderful and harder to come by than you'd like to believe. When you feel good about how you look, you work out harder. Positive reinforcement, right? So Taffy's mission is to help plus size women feel confident about the way they look in activewear. All tops and bottoms are tailored to fit and flatter a woman's curves. Taffy Activewear combines fashion and function effortlessly in order for you to get as much enjoyment from your outfit – and workout – as possible.

You're either one of two kinds of exercisers. You either go to the gym in a full face of makeup, in sexy, cleavage-revealing ensembles or your're the kind of girl who's annoyed or intimidated by the first girl. It's something we all experience - it's hard to feel good about how you look when you're sweating, breathing heavy, and sub-consciously competing with the other people in the room. 

So I think it's really refreshing this company exists with such a generous purpose. 

Their full launch is slated for October and I hope you'll keep an eye out. 

And by the way, I want these capris. I hope there will be a matching jacket. 

Quote of the Day

A Tribute to Tribut Apparel (I Like Obvious Titles)

Puns are awesome. Also play-on-words. :)

Tribut is a Florida-based classic-rock apparel and accessories brand. As a leader in a new category where fashion is inspired by music, art and social media, Tribut offers an innovative, hands-on design approach for real music fans. Through various social media platforms, the brand launches revolutionary design campaigns for the classic rock consumer around artists they connect with from their generation like John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, The Who, Led Zeppelin and other music greats, giving consumers a powerful voice in the final collection. I think they're desings are FAB.U.LOUS! 

Here's a peak at their Fall look book. It’s about connecting with people in that special place where music keeps us young in mind and heart. Fashion and music are always a perfect cocktail.

The creative mind behind the brand is visual artist, Manuel Oliver (a.k.a. Urbano). A lover of all forms of communication, kittens and punk rock, Manuel has brought his experience with mixed-media art, graphic design and screen-printing to the expansive world of casual wear.

I tried to pick my single, favorite look but I couldn't. So I picked three. I'm super excited because they run true to size AND go up to an XXL. Applause all around to them, I say.

Come on, who doesn't remember winding up their messed up casette tapes with nostalgic affection?! 

Prices in the collection on items from necklaces to shirts to jackets and more range from $8 to $65. 

This whole post has inspired me to dig out all of my old band tees and get creative. Even if they don't fit, there's so many fun crafty things I can do with them. (And then I have a ton of drawer space for any new Tribut items, of course.) 

More: 

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook

Disclaimer - I was not paid to share this information with you but I was more than happy to do so because I liked the line. But in the interest of full disclosure, the brand is gifting me a scarf because I like scarves a lot and they're nice people.

A Little Bit of Vodka (Okay, a Lot of Vodka)

Ok, so I'm all about product reviews, right? 

But if you wanna send me VODKA? I'm ALL OVER that. What can I say -- I'm a vodka girl. You know this by now. 

So thank you, nice people, who are contributing to my boozy, boozy lust. (Don't judge me, I work for a living.)* 

Ivanabitch, from the Netherlands (some people think the best vodka comes from Russia - not true at all if you ask me), won me over with their name, frankly, but their website bowled me over. They write like I do. See for yourself:

Our family is fun, irreverent and yes, a little insane. OK, more than a little insane. Was it the liquor? Perhaps. Was it a marriage of first cousins? More than likely. 

But we digress. This... is all about the legendary Ivanabitch family and their incredible elixirs (that’s liquor to you Americans). We’re talking super-premium stuff here. We’re talking imported liquor at domestic prices. We’re talking good enough to drink neat. But don’t take our word for it....

And they're right. You can totally drink this neat without that nasty throaty burn you get from cheap vodka. Especially the sweeter flavors like the ones I tried - cherry, vanilla and whipped cream, for example. Check out all the flavors here. 

If you're feeling really ballsy, try the TOBACCO flavor. I was not feeling ballsy. And I cannot imagine many things better than the whipped cream flavored Ivanabitch with Sunkist Orange Soda (or use Diet to make it lower calories). Think creamsicles, people. I also recommend the Cherry Ivanabitch with a Coke. Boozy Cheery Coke! You're welcome. 

Some other general tips from yours truly:

• Vodka should be served ice cold. You can put it in the freezer - it does NOT harden. But it does bring the vodka to its natural flavor and consistency and allows you to serve it straight. Why is that fabulous? More room in the glass for more vodka without ice. 
• If you have the forethought, put a couple glasses on the freezer for an hour. Also handy if you don't have time to freeze the vodka. Then you could add a couple ice cubes and it's pretty much the cold you need to enjoy it. 
• A lot of people will tell you vodka does not smell. This is only kind of true. Take a deep whiff - if it smells sort of sweet and subtle, you've got it. If it smells medicinal, get rid of it. Pour it out and don't even drink it. No, really. Cheap vodka is horrible and should be banned. Let's get some top people on this.
• Does the vodka have a blue or yellow tint? That's actually okay. I've even seen pink vodka and the Ivanabitch vanilla vodka, for example, is a golden yellow. 
• Does it burn going down? Again, get rid of it. Unless you're shooting it. I guess I'll allow you to shoot cheap vodka but know that it's almost a crime against humanity to do so. 

Special thanks to my co-workers, who helped me take this stuff out for a spin. (Although, to be fair, I gave them free liquor. They should really ba thanking me, don't you think? Where are my flowers and applause, you guys?)

I'm not super top-notch at staging artistic photography but you get the idea. I mean, I've never lied to you before, I'm certainly not going to now. This is really fabulous vodka and I'm totally going to become a customer.

And, ADDED BONUS: Low-cal cocktails, courtesy of my new favorite vodka brand. Pin this if you love it, ladies. (Guys, too. And if you're a guy using Pinterest, tell me so. I'd love to know you.)

Don't worry, mom. I always drink responsibly.

More from Ivanabitch:

• Official website (must be over 21 to enter)
• Twitter (it's quite witty)
• Facebook

*In exchange for my honest opinion. Yada, yada, yada...