News from BelleRinger PR

BLOGS SPELL SUCCESS FOR SMALL BUSINESS There's a lot of talk about how blogs and social networking are changing the way PR and marketing are done today. They've turned it on its ear! Witness the phenomena of handbags. It's doubtful that many of today's smaller designers would be as successful as they are without word of mouth. Or rather, buzz among the bloggers. It's always gratifying to learn about an acquaintance or client who's gained national recognition through blogs alone. KLEAN Bath & Body recently reached out to beauty and fashion bloggers; what better way to gain exposure for bath and body products. The company hoped to see increased orders and customers - which happened. Many of the major bloggers posted product reviews (including product pictures and the company logo); smaller bloggers followed, having seen the first round of reviews. Social networking in action. But it gets better. KLEAN was recently contacted by a major national retailer (...

AT LONG LAST, HARRY POTTER HAIR ACCESSORIES They've been long in the pipeline but they're finally available. The only licensed Harry Potter hair accessories are designed and distributed by Sassy Tails and can be purchased through their web site - www.sassytails.com . This is exciting news to the scores of female Potter fans. Until the introduction of Sassy Tails' products, there haven't been any Harry Potter-themed accessories. This is a picture of a Gryffindor head scarf. They're available in all of the house colors in addition to solid black and red . The line also includes three styles of ponytail holders and reversible headbands. Any guys who are feeling left out need to take a look at Sassy Snaps . These ponytail holders are being used on backpacks, belts, shoes and as bookmarks. (They look great on Crocs!)

TICK TOCK . . . I know there are worse things than insomnia. But it sure is hard to think of any while tossing and turning, chasing that elusive state - sleep. I found this photo while sleepily looking for a picture of another suffering soul. Thank you, Sleep-Aid-Tips - it's perfect. Experts recommend things to do when searching for sleep - drink warm milk, read a book, etc. But I have my own list of activities to pursue when insomnia visits - all things that make me want to crawl back into bed to escape them. These are some of things I recommend: Wrap gifts (this can be seasonal), organize a kitchen cupboard, write a blog post, start the laundry, or - my favorite - tweeze and shave all unwanted body hair. These are enough to make me hide under my pillow and really work on sleeping.

SHAMELESS (?) PROMOTION Just wanted to tell you a little bit about BelleRinger PR's newest client, Nubius Organics . It's the site to visit to pick up a new SIGG bottle from their extensive selection, find an eco-friendly gift bag from B.HappyBags and darling stuffed toys to put in it . I fell for the onesies in the picture on the left. They're silk-screened with Sweet Pea, Perfect Peach, and Apple of My Eye. Designed by Elizabeth, the site owner, they're 100% organic cotton, printed with soy-based ink, and made in the U.S. Talk about all the right stuff! And only $34.75 for the set of three.

SUMMER LOVE I always have trouble finding the perfect summer jewelry. Anything too heavy or wide (like the oh-so-popular plastic bangles) tend to get sticky in the hot weather. And any weight on my ears just adds to my irritability. That's why I fell in love with these simple earrings from Wink . The open design would look perfect with a baby doll dress or light-weight tunic. Another great find - this adorable fedora. (It's the closest I ever want to be to any spider! (Thanks to Daily Candy for introducing me to Wink!)

FINALLY, A NEW SUMMER BAG After hitting major purse and fashion blogs all across the web for inspiration ( Bag Snob , Beauty Snob , Fashion Tribes and more) I finally found my 24/7 summer bag. Thank you, fellow bloggers, for doing so much work for us! This is Lucky Brand Jean's 'Patchwork' Tote. I'm not usually a fan of any kind of patchwork but this caught my eye. The colors give a ho-hum shape a modish kind of look, don't they? (I bought it online from Macy's, $188.00) While doing all my browsing I discovered a great Harvey's Seatbelt Bag in their Carriage Collection. This bag's now at the top of my list! By the way, Frankie had another one of his hacking attacks today. At 5am. It sounded like he was trying to toss up something the size of a baseball. Pepcid AC to the rescue! The hacking stopped within minutes. How many dogs do you know who have acid reflux?

FRANKIE GOES ORGANIC The recent discovery of toxic substances in some pet foods, followed by the recalls, sent shivers down my spine. Like most pet owners I quickly became paranoid that my little friend, Frankie, might be effected by it. My reaction was to start preparing Frankie's dinner myself, in my own kitchen. My husband fell out of his shoes when I started doing this. He had to help me find the map to the kitchen. Then he quickly became envious of Frankie's healthy home-cooked meals. I decided that if I was going to cook for Frankie I would prepare the safest and best food possible for him. After consulting with his vet I started feeding him a combination of brown rice, organic green peas, fresh baby carrots, and organic ground round. I add a sirloin-flavored multi-vitamin goop (it's impossible to get a pill down this boy's throat). Originally this was going to be a short-term project (I use the word project because that's how I describe any food prep that ha...

STEF'S SUMMER READING LIST I would love to lounge in a hammock all afternoon with a good read, an oversized floppy hat and some lemonade. Should the opportunity ever arise, amidst the baby showers and new jobs and piling bills, I'll have a book list ready. I love interesting stories, raw, blunt poetry and the occasional classic piece of literature. Here's my list: 1) Grendel , John Gardner takes the Beowulf myth and creates a fiercesome protagonist, 2) Wicked , Gregory Maguire's take on The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch, 3) The Book of Ruth , Jane Hamilton's novel of a young woman's search for integrity and discovery of hope - I can't put this one down! 4) Fast Food Nation , Eric Schlosser; "The Dark Side of the American Meal." Enough said., 5) Cosmo en Espanol . Why not? Should be great reading for the long flight to Costa Rica. I'm always looking for great reads. Send me some titles! Posted by Stef.

SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB - THERE'S CHOCOLATE IN MY TUB! While trying on last year's summer wardrobe (Do these shorts still fit? Do I really like this blouse?) I noticed that my legs are not only pasty white but they also have flaky scales. Not quite the look I want. I must be one of the only gals out here who's not clued in to the magic of sugar scrubs. Ever the brave soul, I decided to find one and give it a go. After looking at lots of pretty packaging (always an important consideration when buying unfamiliar beauty products) I decided to try KLEAN Bath & Body's German Chocolate Cake Body Polish . This certainly isn't the best time of year to eat chocolate cake (if I want to wear those shorts) so I'll take the no-calorie version for the bathtub! Now to the self-tanner. I'm not brave enough to try a new brand so I picked up a tube of L'Oreal's Sunless Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer . It gives just enough color to my skin to make it look naturally tan an...

SOFT AND (SAFELY) SUN-DRENCHED SKIN My beauty product search just began! The Costa Rican coast is rich with sand, sunshine and salty air. I'm headed down there with a very special guy and want to look especially good! We all know that what can start out as the perfect all-natural no-makeup look (an hour plus to do it) can end with mascara running down your cheeks and hair ratted from the ocean water. No need to go into the skin damage from all the sun, sand and salt. Fortunately, I've been there and am going back armed with Skingenic's Regenerating Moisturizer (recommended by Julie at Almost Girl ) . It's made with antioxidant rich ingredients and includes lychee fruit. The cream is formulated to fight overexposure to extreme elements; I imagine it'll be great for those long, sun drenched afternoons at the beach. Now it's time to find the perfect shampoo. Know of anything? Posted by Stef.

SUMMER READING LIST! ! ! This week's shopping agenda - everything on my summer reading list! I'm so excited about it that I'm having palpitations! Instead of boring you with an entry about my love of reading, favorite books and authors, and all that stuff I'll just list 10 of the books I'll be reading this summer - in no particular order. 1) A Thousand Splendid Suns , Khaled Hosseini's novel about the extraordinary friendship between two women in Afghanistan, 2) The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates (easily my favorite story-teller), 3) Bad Luck and Trouble: A Jack Reacher Novel , Lee Child's Jack Reacher is easily the sexiest tough guy out there!, 4) Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows , J. K. Rowling's last(?) volume in the series, 5) A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier , Ishmael Beah's remarkable memoir, 6) True Evil , Greg Ile's latest crime thriller, 7) Invisible Prey , John Sandford brings Lucas Davenport out t...

ANOTHER SURFING LESSON Here's a quick update on my surfing education. I recently learned that there are differences between beach breaks and reef breaks, and that the first person up gets the wave. Most recently, I learned that I'm not ready to surf alone, and that you shouldn't always take the advice of the surf shop guy wearing a Giants hat. He told me I'd be "Allllriiight." That the waves would be "Allllriiight." That the beach break was "Allllriiight." Perhaps his surfing vernacular was limited but he sent me into some fierce waters that were definitely not "Allllriiight". Though I should have questioned why NO ONE ELSE was surfing I jumped in anyway. Unfortunately, so did Yuba, my dog. He tried to keep with me until we both got worked by the foamy unstoppable madness whirling in front of us. I got toppled by fast moving baby breakers and Yuba ended up rolling onto the shore with me. Funny, yes, but my furry friend was terrif...

AUNTIE NEFIE Wonderful news everyone! I'm going to be an aunt again! I have two beautiful sisters, one of whom is the proud mom of three girls and another who is expecting her first baby in July. She’s bringing another little girl into our family. One of my favorite parts of being an aunt is being called “Nefie”. When my first three nieces were learning to talk none of them could pronounce "Stefanie" and each of them wound up with variations resembling "Nefie." I'm still not sure if they know my name but I like the moniker better. I sort of hope the newest member of our ever-growing family follows the trend. While scoping out baby gifts on classymommy.com I came across the coolest announcement idea! My sister will love sending "It's A Girl!" cards with a miniature picture of her baby on the postage stamp . It's adorable; I just have to patiently wait another two months before for her first baby picture. The site also has other amazing and ...

SHOES, SHOES, SHOES It just hit me. Well, not literally, but I just realized what the most important thing on my packing list will be. Comfortable shoes! Who wants to challenge rain forest terrain in stilettos? Who wants to hike through sandy beaches in Mary Janes? I'm tempted to try a pair of sandals from Terra Plana Shoes . I found these eco-friendly sandals at Great Green Goods and am intrigued by the design and material. I'm seriously considering the Dopie sandals and wonder if if they'll be practical. I remember the cozy Roxy shoes that got me through Europe, but for this upcoming trip, I'm all about comfortable flip-flops or sandals. These colorful sandals may be the perfect tropical footwear. Do you have ideas for 'rain forest shoes'? Posted by Stef.

A SIMPLE VISIT TO THE DENTIST Let me start by confessing that I avoided visiting a dentist for a long time. An embarrassingly long time. Yes, I knew the potential consequences of my neglect - my teeth could all turn irreversibly black and fall out one by one. But that didn't happen! What did happen - one night while watching Leno I noticed that his guest's ill-fitting dentures made a clicking sound when he spoke. I do not want my teeth to click when I talk. My great-grandmother's dentures clicked and I always found it annoying. I have a great dentist - no complaint there. Of course, I've never really spoken with him - much less heard him. My time in The Chair is spent listening to Abba as loud as my ears can take it. Fortunately, my hygienist is very tolerant of both Abba and a cheap headset. Today's little rant is about the time I spent today dreading my next dental appointment. Which was scheduled for tomorrow. WRONG. One last look at my calendar tonight confirmed...

TAKE THE PERSONALITY QUIZ Don't you love personality quizzes? I do. Over the years they've helped me establish my identity (to be truthful, create my identity). But sometimes you have to wonder. Today I took a novel quiz; it didn't give me the self-enlightenment I usually find but it ranks among the most unusual I've taken. More about it below. . . True sugar hound that I am, I have many favorite cookies. Circus Cookies, ginger snaps, peanut butter cookies - you get it, it's a long list. This month's favorite is Oreo Double Delight Mint Cream. The traditional crisp Oreo chocolate cookie, paired with a mint cream that has so much sugar in it that you can actually feel the texture of the granules, is exquisite. Today I Googled Oreo, just to see if the web site is as wonderful as the cookie. It's a Nabisco website with a section devoted to all of their cookies. The Oreo site is incredible! Did you know that there are 14 varieties of the cookies? And you'll ...

HANGIN' TEN WITH MOM Mother's Day is quickly approaching and I’ve been pondering what sort of cheesy gift I could create to impress my amazing mom. I'm a fan of homemade goods - sewn, baked, painted or whatever, but this year, with a bit of help, I discovered what could potentially be one of the coolest gifts under the sun. Wet Women® is a bright and upbeat website where you can learn about all kinds of water sports (including surfing) and find links for more information. While browsing the links at the speed of Google, I came across a handful of websites of places in Costa Rica that offer mother-daughter surf packages! Is this not the perfect gift? Some of the sites linked me to surf schools for women (way cool) and others had surf/yoga packages to check out. As a surfer babe I’m convinced this is the ultimate Mother's Day gift. I imagine this is the conversation that would precede opening the package. "Mom, I love you; you've brought me up through thick and ...

GOOD KARMA This photo made me smile. Maybe because candy makes me smile. Today I'm writing from the perspective of the owner of BelleRinger PR; I usually write as a consumer who finds lovely products or a blogger who enjoys the fun of posting. And I'm all smiles as I think about the many ways other individuals and smallish companies have helped BelleRinger PR during our first crucial months. One of the most (and least) surprising things I've learned as a business owner is the importance of working with a competitor. Sue Wetzel, owner of The Winning Pitch (a rival pr firm), is kind in sharing advice, knowledge and resources. The two of us firmly believe that there's enough business out there for both of us to be successful and happy. Another great businesswoman who's been generous with her knowledge and contacts is Crosby Noricks at PR COUTURE . As a proponent and cheerleader of Fashion PR, in addition to being a great blogger, Crosby always seems to know who to ta...

VITAL ACCESSORIES Ah, checklists. The most important part of packing is making sure you have everything you may need, right?! I'm at the brink of going berserk with all the what-if's and just-in-cases. Luckily, I found two reasons to relax. My awesome REI Luna backpack is made for the contours of a woman's body, is roomy and has lots of pockets. But it definitely needs accessories. I found these scrumptious luggage tags by Fluff at Mable's Unique Shopping Blog . These cupcakes, popsicles and ice cream cones with sprinkles made this frantic packer smile! Fluff's other tags are just as cute even though they have nothing to do with food. I found another "gotta-have-it" at Mable's. Attachable to any key ring, the BodyGard 5-in-1 Emergency Tool is a total must, especially if I end up renting a four-wheel drive Jeep to drive along the treacherous roads of Northern Costa Rica. This baby has a glass breaker, red distress light, LED flashlight, sonic alarm a...

REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR VITAMINS After numerous travel tips from worldly folks I'm more knowledgeable about practicing safety abroad and won't be drinking any water that isn't already bottled (unless I accidentally swallow some of the Pacific Ocean while surfing!). I've also found an incredible way to fight off those nasty viruses that can turn a relaxing vacation into a huge stress. I remember last September when I caught some sort of bug in Ireland - I was feverish and miserable for almost four days. Well, as far as I'm concerned, Costa Rica will be a happy, healthy adventure. I was skimming Daily Candy and came across an amazing article entitled, "Health Assurance." It was about Vuru , a company that creates customized supplement packs, making them easy to remember to take! The idea is absolutely perfect for a vacation since you can choose the duration of the supply. The packets are cute and will fit nicely in my travel bag. Plus, it beats carrying aroun...