Friday Favorites – And a Giveaway!

Most of the list for today’s Friday Favorites came straight out of the swag from The Declare Conference. I love swag almost as much as I love being invited to speak about the heart behind what I do online. It was such an honor and has me SO excited about speaking at Influence, Raising Generations and Illuminate. If you’re not familiar with those three, check them out and consider attending – I would LOVE to see you there!

Since we were chatting swag, I need to pick your brains for a bit. I have the opportunity to provide a fun freebie at one of the conferences I’m going to be attending, but I know most postcards/inserts/flyers are thrown away. What’s your best idea for swag that wouldn’t cost me an arm & a leg to give to 300-400 women? I need your help!

{affiliate links included}

Read

31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer & the Doer – I’d only chatted with Jenn Sprinkle via email before Declare and was so delighted to meet her in person. She absolutely shines, and her heart is so genuinely FOR others. I only regret not grabbing time with her to dream together. Her book is beautiful and as a creative who is constantly dreaming and producing and doing, it is meeting me right where I am.

Inseparable by Ashley Linne (an Inscribed study) – I’ve written before about how much I love the Inscribed studies. They’re just gorgeous, and it’s totally on my dream list to one day write one. Ashley shared a bit of her story at Declare and was so vulnerable & authentic. I can’t wait to dig into this one!

Berenstain Bears Harvest Festival – Not from the swag, in case you couldn’t figure that out already 😉 This is one I was sent to review with Madi, and she loves it. We’re gathering quite the collection of Berenstain Bear books in our library and this one ranks pretty high on my list of options to read at bedtime. Maybe it’s because summer is winding down & I’m excited for all things fall. Maybe it’s because fall is 100% my favorite season. Maybe it’s because this one is such fun to read without being cheesy with over the top rhyming – whatever it is, it’s a winner for us! And it’s fun to see Matt’s love of these books passed down to Madi! It just came out and you can get it for just $2 on Amazon – it doesn’t get much better than that.

Wear

Revelation Wellness Apparel – I can’t see Alisa at an event and not buy something from her. It’s some kind of strange pull she has on me, what with all the cute workout gear, and her amazing encouragement. I grabbed two shirts at Declare, this muscle tank which I adore, and another tank I don’t see on their website, but is the same awesome softness as this one. My only regret is not grabbing the trucker hat, but I was afraid my faux-hawk would poke up through the holes like a chia pet. What do you think? Could I rock it? I think more stock/sizes will be added to the site once they get their inventory back from the conference 🙂

Farmgirlpaints Cuff – When you room with a sweet friend you’ve known since nearly the beginning of your blogging, and her word of the year is “spend”? Well. Prepare to be spoiled totally rotten and loved like crazy. I have had my eye on the beautiful Farmgirlpaints cuffs for over a year and could never commit. I couldn’t choose a style and I definitely couldn’t choose a saying. Then Kris gifted me with one that is simply beyond perfect and I cried. I get teary nearly every time I look at it. Dear all other bracelets, I’m sorry, but you’re no longer my favorite. Mark your calendars for September 14th when her shop reopens and plan to buy ALL THE THINGS.

Target Sandals – I fell in love with this style of sandal when I roomed with Katherine in Charlotte a few weekends ago. She has the most fun style, and she was rocking her Birkenstocks. Since I’m on a budget, I couldn’t grab a pair just like hers, but totally went for the Target version (in white lace – click on the white square to view – and mine were cheaper in store) that were marked down to 50% off and used my 20% off clearance sandals Cartwheel coupon. $10 for the most comfortable sandals I own? Yes, please.

Tech

iPhone charger – The last two trips I’ve been on, friends have graciously shared their portable chargers with me. My phone tends to die by noon and again by bedtime (a conspiracy by Apple to get me to upgrade? Maybe. We’ll never know.) and I knew I wanted to find something I could keep with me in case of phone-charging-emergency. I looked at the airport & knew I didn’t want to spend $40, so Amazon to the rescue! This guy was only $10 (normally $40) and works like a charm! Plus it’s gotten a ton of great reviews (over 15,000), if you care about that sort of thing.

Art

Joyful Papery – I love when swag surprises me and introduces me to a new shop I’ve never heard of before. Joyful Papery is absolutely darling and I’m pretty much obsessed now with everything on their store. And I’m annoyingly picky about handlettering.

Hey Emily Thomas – Emily is one of those amazing women you meet online who is just as amazing – if not more – in person. One of my favorite parts of Declare is seeing her, and I was so happy to find one of her prints making it’s way home with me. The only hard part was keeping it hidden from Madi so she wouldn’t steal it for her room. I’m pretty sure her “No Talkie Before Coffee” print needs to come home with me soon!

Watch

Project Runway – It’s back! Yay! Insert dancing emoji’s from Facebook!

BuzzFeed “Try Guys” – Saturday night at Declare I was an emotional mess. Kris had already gone home, I was done speaking, and I was fresh out of extrovert (and 100% full of insecurity). So I took a bath, climbed into the most comfortable hotel bed on the planet, unwrapped too many chocolate bars, and watched BuzzFeed videos. Because I’m cool like that. But really, the Cosplay series is hysterical.

Influence Network Race Simulcast – There’s not a great way to segue between guys dressed up like Sailor Moon and the Influence Race Simulcast. I’m sorry. That was awkward, huh? But in all seriousness, the small conversation these ladies had during the Creative Women’s Summit on this topic was so full of grace and honest listening that I know this is going to be phenomenal. You need to be an Influence Network Member to access it though, so make sure you sign up here so you don’t miss out!

Workout

Cize – Listen, this is seriously one of those “if I can do it, anyone can do it” workouts. 30 minutes of hip hop to learn a one minute routine? It’s a better workout than I expected (I was all I do Zumba, this will be boring...uh…no). Don’t want to take my word for it? Well…you can watch me here. This was after doing the first Cize workout twice this week, and at the end of 30 minutes, no makeup, nothing fancy, just me (and a cameo by one of our cats) in my living room. I wanted to high five someone when I was done, it’s really that much fun. If you aren’t sure you’d like it, you can sign up here for a free 30 day trial of BeachBody On Demand and get a sneak peek at one of the workouts. Love a “try before you buy” option!

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Join me on Periscope (@crystalstine) today at noon EST to chat about these live AND to find out how to enter a fun giveaway! See you soon! (in case you missed it, you can watch the video here!)