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Archive for February 2011

ZeroChroma: For The iPhone Lover In You

By Nicole · Comments (1)

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

I, along with thousands of other Verizon customers, got my Fancy Nancy iPhone 4G a few weeks ago. I think I can name a dozen friends and family members on Verizon that got one the millisecond they could.

Being the loyal Mac girl that I am, I was waiting for that day with baited breath. I didn’t particularly want to leave Verizon, so you could imagine my excitement.

You no doubt have at least seen the wonders of the iPhone, if not experienced them yourself. The graphics, amazing. The interface, totally intuitive. The apps, awesome. Matter of fact I wrote the majority of this post with the WordPress app. Love.

But what I didn’t know about was some of the cool accessories out there for my sweet little device. One in particular is the Teatro case by ZeroChroma.

When ZeroChroma contacted me about reviewing the Teatro, it took one look at the demo to see how cool it was (take a look…). And when I received it and put it to the test, it didn’t disappoint.

The ZeroChroma has a unique 14-Angle rotating “Theater Stand” that lets you set it at almost any angle in both landscape and portrait position. Super nice for propping it up and watching a YouTube video or reading a recipe from allrecipes.com (my new favorite recipe site) on your counter top. When not in use, the stand folds flat and “hides away” so you don’t even know its there. This is my fave…I didn’t want some bulky thing that was going to get in the way all the time.

Along with the ingenious design of the theater stand, the Teatro features finger dimples to help get a good grip on the case and shock absorbing cushions on the interior to protect against drops. They also make cases for the iPad, iPod Touch 3rd Gen, iPod Nano 5th Gen, Kindle II and iPhone 3/3GS (iPod Touch 4th Gen, Galaxy Tab and Kindle III coming soon).

So if you’re looking for a great case for your iPhone, iPad or iTouch, you might want to give the ZeroChroma a good look see.

The Teatro comes in black/gray, white/gray and pink (super cute…) and retails for $44.95. But if you act now, you can take advantage of a great deal for the first 1000 online orders. Receive 15% off plus free shipping by using code #90999. That’s a savings of about $15!

You can friend Zerochroma on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Your turn: What kind of case do you have on your favorite device?

PS. If you ask real nice, I’ll show you my sick iPhone crochet cozy that I’ve been working on. Because every iPhone, even one with a Teatro case, needs a soft place to land, right?

As with all my reviews, the opinions expressed above are my own and not imposed upon me by any entity. I was compensated for this review.

Comments (1)

TGIF: Movies On Demand Giveaway

By Nicole

Monday, February 21st, 2011

I love Fridays. Who doesn’t, right? End of the week…beginning of the weekend…the exciting night life…

Around these parts, the “exciting night life” consists of a few bowls of popcorn and a movie the whole family can watch. My kiddos are a little older now (9, 11 & 14) and we feel comfortable with most PG and PG-13 flicks. Sometimes if we come across one that’s questionable, we’ll preview it first. Its become quite a tradition and something we all look forward to.

We rarely will go to the theater to see a movie. There are special times we will, but there are so many benefits to movie night at home:

Its CHEAPER! (I would double bold that if I could…right?)
You can pause and take little potty breaks
You can rewind and answer all the “Wait, I’m confused” questions
My popcorn is better (usually Orville Redenbacher Fat Free Butter Microwave Popcorn with pretzels and peanut butter M & Ms)
It’s way more comfy on the couch with pillows and blankets all spread around

One of the ways we get the latest movies out there is with Movies on Demand through our cable company. With a few clicks of the remote and $4.99, we have the movie of our choice for the next 24 hours. And there’s so much more than new release movies too. I love the My Primetime and Freezone sections. Watching television on my schedule…I’m all about that.

With the Academy Awards approaching, Movies On Demand has made it simple to keep up with the nominated movies this year. (And I dont know about you, but this isnt something I typically follow or keep track of.) But on their Facebook page, you can use the How Many Have You Seen poll and keep track of what all the buzz is about. Not only that, you can enter two win a 3D HDTV for your own movie night! Check out the link above for all the deets (as well as more info on how to order movies, etc.)

WIN IT! Want in on some Movies on Demand fun? Enter to win a $25 gift card!

Here’s what you can do to get an entry. Receive one entry for the $25 gift card giveaway for each option below. Whatever options you choose, just leave a separate comment telling me what you did…

“Like” the Movies On Demand Facebook Page here
Take the How Many Have You Seen poll
“Like” the Pixel Boutique Facebook Page here
Post this on the Movies On Demand wall… “Enter to win a $25 Movies On Demand Gift Card at The Pixel Boutique!” (one daily)
Answer the question “Do you have a “movie night” tradition in your family?” in a comment
Tweet about this giveaway with this hashtag: #moviesondemand (one daily)
Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page (one daily)

Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. MST on Monday, March 7.

That’s some good options, don’t you think? Good luck!

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my participation and time investment involved with this campaign. Thoughts are my own.

Custom Printing Now Available At TPB!

By Nicole · Comments (1)

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

It’s never a dull moment at The Pixel Boutique. Amidst the tutorials and blog design, another aspect of custom design is emerging today. Introducing Custom Printed Stationery.

You may be aware of my partnership with Snapfish and the amazing resource they offer with a full line of photo greeting cards. That outlet remains alive and well. But to round out my design services, the following products designed specifically to your needs and tastes are now available…

Invitations
Birth Announcements
Thank You Cards
Save the Date
Stationery Sets
Stickers
Business Cards
Letterhead
Envelopes

Included in the cost of the service is the custom design, ordering via cafepress.com or overnightprints.com, printing, and delivery right to your door.

So for all the deets on the process and ordering, check out the Custom Printed Stationery page!

Comments (1)

Adding Images to Your Blog…The Easy Way

By Nicole · Comments (3)

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

You’ve started a blog. You’ve written the best blog post eva, and now you’re trying to insert that perfect image to finish it off. Only problem, its coming out ginormous or, at best, falling out of the posting area. What to do, what to do…?

Here’s my opinion on the easiest and best way to deal with images in your blog posts. Take a look…

The two sites I mentioned in the video are picnik.com and photobucket.com

Your turn: Have questions, feedback? How do you handle your post images?

Comments (3)

The Working Mother’s Best Friend: Intro

By Nicole · Comments (2)

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

So its been an entire week since I last posted. Funny how freezing temps, burst water mains, no heat, and canceled schools for the same reasons will get in the way of a girl’s posting plans.

But all is mostly back to normal and last week’s events just reminded me how much flexibility us moms must posses in order to stay sane. (…and it also made me realize how dependent we are on water). The line between work and family often blurs while one inevitably effects the other.

I’ve been wanting to start this series, that I will call “The Working Mother’s Best Friend”, where I share personal recommendations of products and services, tips and resources (and oft times giveaways!) that make my life a little bit easier (or more relaxed, or efficient…you get the idea). If you’re a WAHM, WM, PTWM or even a SAHM, you might find something helpful or interesting. I’ve got some fun things lined up for you.

So stay tuned, moms…and stay flexible!

Comments (2)

Self Employment and Office Hours

By Nicole · Comments (4)

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Self employment is a unique animal. I’ve said many many times that I love my job and all the benies…like working in my jammies and taking a day off for a school field trip and the flexibility.

That last one there? Yeah, that’s a double edged sword. Working for yourself also means meeting a deadline even when its dinner time or 2 a.m. There have been many football practices and wrestling matches with the laptop in tow.

But as hard as I try to do what I say Im going to do and meet every deadline, I’ve made it a rule of late to take weekends off. As much as I want to peek at my email or create just one teeny tiny Twitter button, I refrain because before I know it, 2 hours will go by as one little fire needing to be put out leads to another.

Instead, I’ve been spending my weekends enjoying my domestic bliss…

Making something other than cold cereal and Eggos for breakfast, such as Stuffed French Toast (ohmygoodnesssogood!)
Cleaning, straightening, putting away piles of piley things that collect over the busy week
Picking up my Bountiful Basket (much more on this later)
Plucking the eyebrows, coloring the hair, and the sort
Watching a movie or too much tv…or both…with my kids
Sleeping in
Snagging some great deals at Saturday garage sales
Working on my mad crochet skills (not really…)