Monday, August 25, 2008

Style Report: Flat Wallets

On Our Radars: Flat Wallets.

And if you haven't made the switch because you think there's no way you can carry all the essentials without your 30-pound "handbag"... then think again!The Swagger girls have stuffed them full, toted them around, danced to their little hearts content on the dance floor, tossed them between ladies night teammates (between holding the bathroom doors closed for each other), and they've all survived to tell the stories of how the awesome flat wallets still retained all of their credit cards, IDs, and business cards clear through the next morning.

Obviously, anything with fun colors and zebra prints caught the eyes of everyone at Swagger... but wallets that can truly go anywhere and hold everything, well now that's just a must-have accessory in my book.

Since it's Manic Monday, be sure to snag your favorite for 15% off today at Swagger Gifts by mentioning this blog in the store before 6pm and you'll be on your way to better posture (since you won't have to carry around that 30-pound purse anymore) and a fun update for your fall wardrobe!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Monogramming Etiquette Tips

So, you have decided to take the leap and start personalizing gifts for your friends, family, and yes, even for yourself. Making sure you get the monograms right can be a little confusing, so lucky for you, we here at Swagger have put together a little “cheat sheet” for making sure you never commit a monogramming faux pas.

Women’s Monograms: For most, the conventional monogram for women consist of three letters with a larger letter in the middle flanked by two smaller letters on each side. Traditionally, the larger middle letter is for the last name, the smaller letter on the left is for the first name and the smaller letter on the right is for either the middle name or maiden name. Check out our handy little example below:

Name: Jill Ann Smith

Monogram: JSA

Now, if Jill got married to James Martin Barker and she kept her maiden name as her middle name here’s what happens.

Name: Jill Smith Barker

Monogram: JBS

Men’s Monograms: The traditional monogram for a man is a horizontal monogram. Each letter is the same height and appear in the same order as the actual name – first name, middle name, last name.

Name: James Martin Barker

Monogram: JMB (all letters being the same usually in a block font)

Couple’s Monogram: This is where it starts getting a little tricky for a lot of people. Traditionally when the bride takes the groom’s last name, the monogram is Bride’s First Name, Last Name, Groom’s First Name. However, it is totally up to the bride and groom how they’d like their married initials to appear, so it is always good to check with the couple beforehand. If you are in a pinch, just monogram the last initial – it still looks great and they will have no clue how befuddled you were. Here’s an example or a traditional couple’s monogram:

Couple’s Name: Elizabeth A. Jones marries Davis C. Kelly

Blended Monogram: EKD

The Single Letter Initial: Since we have monogrammed thousands of items over the years, we feel really comfortable suggesting when to use the first initial and when to use the last. Remember, these are just our suggestions – you’re the one giving the gift…

Jewelry, Handbags, Bath wraps and other accessories for Women: Use the first name of a woman if you are going to monogram any of these items.

Glassware, Soap, or Candles: Use the last name or a woman, man or couple if you are planning to monogram with a single initial.

Stamps and Embossers: This one is tricky! For a woman, if you are putting a single initial, you can use either the first or last initial but we tend to lean more towards the first name initial. If the stamp is for a man or a couple, we suggest using the last name.

Towels: I bet you never new these can get you into hot water! We suggest following the same rule that we mentioned for stamps. You can use either initial for a woman’s towel (using a single initial) with the first name being our preference. For a man, or couple, we think using the last name is more appropriate.

Now that we’ve helped navigate you through the murky waters of monogramming, personalize away!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

I Am SOOOOO Excited...

...that I can't even stand it!

Do you know that there is only one week standing in between me and the return of my beloved COLLEGE FOOTBALL?

The first thing to do on my "pre-football" to-do list was to make sure I had all of the appropriate gear in stock:1. Season tickets (check)
2. Full conference and outside favorites' schedules organized (double check)
3. Tailgating paraphernalia...
WAIT!

Even though I've got enough tailgate gear for... well... a football team, I'm a firm believer that too much of a good thing is a GOOD THING! (Besides, I just know that some of my collegiate favorites from Swagger will disappear over the season, so having a little extra never hurts.)

Lucky us, Mandy has picked one of her personal tailgating favorites for this month's Thirsty Thursday blog special: magnetic koozies!



What's so fabulous about these koozies and what the heck is the Thirsty Thursday blog special?

Here's the skinny: these koozies make full hands a problem of the past and the Thirsty Thursday blog special is a fun drinking game that we like to play... where Swagger shares special party and tailgate deals with our blog readers. What's not to love?

The magnetic koozies are on sale for 15% off today online (until midnight only!) and in the store (until 6pm!). Just use the coupon code koozie15 at checkout online and mention this blog post in the store to save on your purchase.

And as far as Thirsty Thursday goes... be sure to add our RSS feed to your favorite feed reader so you don't miss out next month!

See you at the tailgate!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Out of Wine?

Life is crap!

Can anyone else SO see their friends (or themselves) saying "Life is crap" in response to "Oh man, we're out of wine!". Definitely a 99.9% chance of that happening in my social circle... which is why I LOVE the new shirts in the store at Swagger!



The Life is Crap line includes hilarious predicaments like:-Out of Beer
-The toilet paper rolling away from your stall
-Out of Wine
-Out of Coffee
-A set of golf clubs being tossed into a water hazard
-and so many more!
Of course, the girls at Swagger are sharing the good dose of laughter shirts for 15% off today to beat any Manic Monday blues. Just drop by the store between 10am and 6pm today and mention this blog!



See you in the store!

Monday, August 11, 2008

A BIG Thank You to the readers of The Cary News!!


I wanted to express my gratitude to all the people who voted for Swagger in the annual Best of the West awards! We were so excited to find out that we were voted "Best Of" in three pretty major categories and received honorable mention in three more! There isn't a Best Gift Shop category so we were truly honored when we won Best Place to Buy a Gift for A Woman as this is a write in vote and there are so many different places to buy gifts for women! Also, I guess it goes to show that women love their "costume jewelry" as much as the real stuff when we were voted Best Place to buy Jewelry! And finally -Best Women's Boutique! We really appreciated this last one as their are tons of great women's boutiques in Western Wake! At your request we will be adding more "fashion pieces" in the form of tights, jackets, scarves, and pashminas in the next few weeks so make sure to check in often! Swagger received honorable mention for Best Customer Service, Best Place to buy a gift for a man, and Best Kept Secret! Thank you for all your support!





























































Manic Monday: 15% Off Magnolia Mini-Frames

Now, don't read too far into that subject line. When I say "mini", I don't exactly mean bite size!


You may remember these awesome Magnolia Lane frames that I blogged about a while back - the "mini"-frames that I speak of now, are the complementary little sibling to the grand macdaddy Magnolia Lane frames.

Clearly, they are equally as charming, but the smaller size makes them a great fit for any smaller space or just to add a little variety to your wall art.


The store just received a huge shipment with lots of selection to choose from (with so many perfect quotes and sayings), so natch, they were Mandy's choice for this week's Manic Monday blog special!

Just stop in the store from 10am until 6pm today and save 15% on these awesome frames just by mentioning this blog post. Seriously - can't. get. any. easier. Period.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Monogram Me!

The results are in: everyone is voting "yes" to preppy monograms that can be added anywhere!
My BFF Adrianne says it's because she has one of those names that she couldn't find anything personalized with the correct spelling when she was a kid, so now that monograms and names are available in all sorts of personalized fashions... she adds them to anything and everything!
With the addition of the 3'', 4'', and 6'' decal monograms to the website last week, there's no better way to start the week than with a Manic Monday & Monogram Monday blog special of 15% off these awesome decals.


The coolest thing about these monogrammed decals is that not only can you personalize the vehicle of your choice (we suggest adding the little bit of preppiness to the minivan!), you can also add a little bit of flair to your laptop, a galvanized drink bucket or cooler, mirrors, and more! The possibilities are endless.
Check out Swagger's selection of monogrammed decals - and be on the lookout for more vinyl decal options coming this week (like full-length and not just monogrammed - so now you can personalize just about anything with your last name, your sorority's name, or even favorite phrases like "Go Wolfpack")!
The sale ends tonight at midnight - just enter mm15 as your discount code at checkout and you'll be monogramming in no time!