USimprints: The Blog

Pretty in Pink | Here’s to Mom!

by Adelaide Collins on September 29, 2011 in Cause to Promote

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. This October we celebrate 25 years of awareness, education, and empowerment. The American Cancer Society has made great improvements in treatment and early detection saving millions of woman from breast cancer today.

This blog hits close to home for me. My life and my families lives changed dramatically and unexpectedly in July when we found out my mom, Barbara Collins, was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. She was in Nashville and told me that she had to go to the doctor due to an unusual lump. That lump lead to multiple other appointments which eventually lead to the conclusion that she had cancer. Next step, she was scheduled for a double mastectomy removing both of her breasts in my hometown, Kerrville, TX.

Honestly, everything happened so quickly, my parents were in-and-out of doctors offices, and we never really had time as a family to sit down and talk about it. Confused and worried I went home to be with her during the week of her surgery, it was important for me to know that she knew I was there for her, even if I was sitting in the waiting room. I’ve watched her make tremendous strides to recovery. She recovered from her surgery well and was able to enjoy being at my sisters wedding before starting chemo.

Because this type of cancer is so aggressive it is imperative to start treatment immediately, it can spread like wild fire, she had her first round the Monday after our family trip to New Orleans for Hattie (my sister’s) wedding. She chopped her hair, dyed it platinum blonde, and was ready to begin this new stage of her life.

She writes a blog sharing her story with others, she wrote, “I am blessed to be living in an age where technology is what it is, medicine is what it can be and reconstruction of the anatomy is bionic.” (http://madreminutes.blogspot.com/) As she fights I fight with her through prayer and support.

Mom and her new "do"

To raise awareness I encourage you to wear a pink ribbon or use other products that support the cause during Breast Cancer Awareness Month or throughout the year. This is a great way to honor survivors and those who are still fighting. Participate in activities that bring awareness about the disease, honor cancer survivors, and help save lives.

As a reminder for woman do monthly breast checks, don’t overlook something that seems unusual. I will proudly wear a ribbon for my mom and those who continue to fight and have survived!

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SEC Block Party Fundraising Event!

by Adelaide Collins on September 28, 2011 in Events at the Prints

We recently had the opportunity to be a co-sponsor for a local Nashville event benefitting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The event was organized by Southeastern Young Alumni Charitable Foundation (SEYA). Sunglasses and Koozies were well received by excited guest at the entrance of the event. Our booth was hoppin’ as we chatted it up and passed out swag such as bottle openers, cowbells, acrylic tumblers, and football schedule magnets. As I always say, PEOPLE LOVE FREEBIES!

Part of the fun was that guests were given the option of trying some of the tastiest BBQ from the best smokehouses in town! Guest were also given drink coupons to enjoy 1 of 3 flavors of Sweetwater Beer and a ticket to cast a vote for the best BBQ. The People’s Choice BBQ winner this year was Puckett’s Grocery, great job, way to make our mouths water with that great pulled pork and cole slaw!

Local vendors such as Val’s boutique had a wide selection of tailgating dresses catering to the needs of the ladies to impress those southern gentleman. We also held a drawing at our booth for a chance to win 500 FREE imprinted bottle openers! A congratulations to The Nielsen Company, particularly Erica Gillespie, Associate Client Manager for winning the bottle openers!

The event was a great success raising over $20,000! We also had a blast and met some some really cool folks from the area! I wish all the SEC teams good luck as we kicked off the season in style and walked away with some great swag!

A Few Gals from the Prints!

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A Night On the Town – USimprints Style!

by Adelaide Collins on September 22, 2011 in Events at the Prints

Last night the USimprints crew participated in a LivingSocial scavenger hunt in downtown Nashville which took us all over the place from the State Capital to the infamous L&C building. At the start of the contest, we were all given blue bandanas to wear which were courtesy of the nice folks at LivingSocial. While walking down the street, one of the locals asked “are you all in a gang’? His friend then commented “a gang of pretty ladies”. Did I mention we have a lot of ladies here at the Prints?!

Not being a native Nashvillian, I was personally of no help to the team! The scavenger hunt theme was to unscramble 13 letters based on clues about landmark buildings found downtown that would spell out the name of a Mexican restaurant. The end of the hunt would land us enjoying a mexican buffet and free beer, cha ching! Although, I was of no help, our fearless leader Wade Benz (a native Nashvillian) was able to figure out each clue making it very easy for everyone else.

As we walked the streets of downtown, we shared random stories of late nights at Lonnie’s Karaoke and wondered what we would get into after the buffet! Part of the fun was the various pictures we had to take of our group doing silly things like howling at the moon, pretending to be a villain with a drawn finger mustache, and a damsel in distress! Wade, Beth, Shari, and I all laid on the cement posing for a Siesta. It was a great photo, but left us feeling really gross!

I’m not going to lie, we cheated about half way through. While outside the State Capital we swapped a few letters with another team. We all were feeling low blood sugar levels and all I could think about was was the free food and drinks! Lynn Headley (one of our sales reps) kept the momentum up when most of us were ready to throw in the towel…so it’s obvious that I’m not a shoe-in for the Amazing Race! Lynn was great and pressed on and we eventually found the restaurant, Fiesta Mexicana!!!

It was a quite entertaining stroll and a fun filled evening with my team members! I not only learned new things about where I live, but the evening also forged memorable bonds with my co-workers!

We are not in a gang…but instead a “gang of pretty ladies!”

Just us, howling at the moon!

"damsel in distress"

Mustache Villain

Taking a Siesta on the dirty ol' sidewalk!

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It’s time for some tailgating!

by Shari on September 20, 2011 in Fun & Outdoor

Let me just tell you that I absolutely love football season!! The action of the game, the sound of the excited crowd, I just love the atmosphere! My favorite part of it all is the tailgating festivities. How could you not love food and football?

We all get pretty excited about football at the Prints. Most of us are from different parts of the country, so we each have our favorite teams (mine being the Dallas Cowboys). Sometimes a little team trash talk can add a bit of excitement to a morning coffee break!

Thinking about football reminds me about how people love to get together before the game to do a little eating, drinking and just hanging with friends. This is a great opportunity to personalize products to commemorate the event. Some pre-game party or tailgating necessities might include coolers, lounge chairs, can coolies, and BBQ grilling utensils.

Don’t forget to show some team spirit at the game with a rally towel or foam hands!

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Cool Neoprene Cases by Built

by Shari on September 10, 2011 in Promotional Products

It’s always worth the money to invest in a good case for your electronics, especially those of us who are slightly ‘accident prone’. If you’re anything like me you are extra cautious and carry your laptop in a neoprene sleeve which is inserted into a padded laptop bag. I kind of view my neoprene case as a protective sleeping bag for my computer.

Neoprene is growing in popularity and so you’re seeing more and more products made from it such as lunch totes and water bottle sleeves. You may be asking what is so great about neoprene, well here are some of it’s cool features:

It’s made from the same material as wetsuits

It’s been tested for lead safety – no vinyl or PVC used (in case you were concerned about that)

The soft-grip handles makes it easy on your hands to carry

It’s not bulky and stores flat

It is stain resistant…seriously, I wiped ketchup right off of mine

You can machine wash it cold and then hang it to drip dry

Since we are big fans of neoprene, we are really excited about the new line of Built Neoprene products! One of the best features of the stylish Built line is the bright colors and patterns available.

Gourmet Get Away Lunch Tote

Two Bottle Neoprene Tote Bag

Neoprene Compact Camera Case

Messenger Bag for iPad 2

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Great Picks for the Wine Enthusiast

by Shari on September 7, 2011 in Promotional Products

It was so nice to finally have some cooler weather this past weekend, especially since this has been one of the hottest summers in years! I decided to make the most of it by getting outdoors and attending a local wine tasting.

It reminded me how much we enjoy fall and all of the fun outdoor activities this time of year such as visiting wineries, tailgating at football games and attending concerts in the park – all which can be enjoyed with a good bottle of wine!

Below are a few of our favorite picks to make your outdoor wine experience more enjoyable!

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A Soldier’s Child | September Recipient for Cause to Promote!

by Shari on September 1, 2011 in Cause to Promote

A little about the mission of A Soldier’s Child:

Their mission is to serve the children of fallen military personnel who have given their lives on active duty while defending the United States of America. With humbleness of heart they aim to honor the memory of the parent by giving a meaningful gift to his/her children on their birthday every year up to age 19. They have also started a summer camp experience and have partnered with other groups to provide college scholarships.

How A Soldier’s Child Plans on using the products to promote their cause:

They would like to promote and bring awareness to their cause. They attend events throughout the year and spend about $150 on gifts for each child for their birthday. Various promotional items could be part of what is used with the child’s gift when age appropriate.

You can read more about A Soldier’s Child by clicking here.

If you are a 501C3 Non-Profit (or have applied to be one) and would like to be considered for our Cause to Promote Program, click here.

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Rule #1 | Give Them Something They’ll Remember

by Shari on August 31, 2011 in Tradeshow Giveaways

Lately I’ve been watching old episodes of Mad Men on Netflix. In case you didn’t know Mad Men is a drama about one of New York’s most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s. In my opinion this was the birth of advertising. It’s very interesting to watch how advertising and brand recognition have evolved and become such a common part of Western culture. Could you imagine life without ads or billboards, I know couldn’t. We have become very accustomed to the constant bombardment of advertising.

These days it can be overwhelming to own a business and also try to promote it. Some businesses don’t see the point of even bothering with it at all. Unfortunately those folks fail to realize that the reason so many other companies engage in this type of self-promotion is because it works! Because we are bombarded with brand averting we start to depend upon brands to remind us of the items we prefer. My five year old son is a perfect example of this when he insisted on getting Nike shoes this past week. He was buying into the brand he recognized.

You may not realize just how many items can be imprinted with a company logo. It is always good to consider who you will be the recipient of your branded items and will your items be something they remember? Please know that we hare here to help with your branding needs, we can help you choose products that are a good fit for your brand or event and help you stay within your budget.

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It’s Lunch Time | The Brown Bag Gets Swanky

by Shari on August 23, 2011 in Promotional Products

Perhaps you are you packing your lunch for work to count calories, save pennies or simply to eat a healthier meal. There is no need to lug your lunch to work in a boring brown bag, it’s time to make it fun! If you haven’t checked out lunch gear lately, you’ll be happily surprised by the advances (in both functionality and style).

Insulated Lunch Bags are practical for keeping your lunch cool for hours without refrigeration. If you’re anything like me, you’ve walked into the office, sat your lunch down and then realized three hours later that you never made it to the fridge. Thank goodness for the insulated lunch tote which kept my egg salad sandwich from going bad.

I’ve been amazed at how fashion forward lunch totes have become. I can remember complimenting a co-worker on her adorable purse only to find out that it was her lunch bag. While out shopping the other day, I picked up a colorful bag with round wooden handles only to realize that it was a lunch tote that came with food containers on the inside.

So I say go for it, snazz up the PB&J in a nice lunch tote! Here are my top picks for budget friendly “swanky” lunch bags, I hope you like them too!

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Gearing Up for the Great Outdoors!

by Shari on August 19, 2011 in Fun & Outdoor

Some of my happiest memories as a child were the weekends we spent enjoying the great outdoors. We would head to the lake early in the morning so that we could get in a full day of fishing. I always got excited about sunset because I knew we would make a campfire and cook hotdogs and make s’mores.

These happy memories inspired me to put together a list of my favorite camping products that will make any Great Outdoors adventure a great success!