BlogHer - The Recap (Part 2) a.k.a. THE SWAG

The biggest comment I got from the people I met at BlogHer was, “You are so tiny.” I guess they expected me to be larger than life. Ha! I’m only 5’2″ so most of the other bloggers towered over me. But, while I might have been “tiny”, the amount of SWAG (Stuff We All Get) at the conference was “HUGE”.

The only thing bloggers love more than shopping is…. FREE shopping!!!!!! That’s basically what the EXPO and Parties were like. Freebies thrown at you. Try this, try that, this is new, this is better. The amount of “stuff” was incredible. Yes, I admit I was a big Swag Whore and took it all… and then some. Hey, I’ve got three daughters… I couldn’t bring home just one or two things could I?

Swag Bags from BlogHer 11

It was a good thing my husband and kids drove down to meet me in San Diego because the amount of bags I had (7 shopping bags plus another duffle bag I had brought with me to collect even more stuff) took up the entire car. I had to put my suitcase in HIS car just to get everything home. Crazy!

So what kinds of goodies were actually in these bags? Why, I’m so glad you asked.

Just some of the Swag.

There were food items, medicinal items, books, office supplies, beauty items, baby items, apparel and even feminine hygiene products and other super secret feminine products that I can’t name here (but you can read about them on other less family-friendly blogs). Some of the Swag was good. Some of the Swag was bad. These are just some of the highlights.

Skanz Bracelet

One of the best Swag items I got was from the Blogging Angels Breakfast I attended. They asked for our information ahead of time and had Skanz create individualized QR codes for us that they put on a bracelet. These are just awesome. The code contains my name, blog, twitter, picture and email so anybody who has a QR scanning app on their smart phone can just scan my bracelet and find out my info. Love this!!!!!

Whitening Booster

I am super excited about this new product: it’s a teeth whitening booster that you just squeeze on top of your regular toothpaste when you brush your teeth. It’s also inexpensive and you don’t have to mess with whitening trays or strips that not only are incredibly inconvenient but they are expensive and DON’T WORK! I’ve already started to use it and I have very high expectations for this. Who doesn’t want whiter teeth, right?

Tempur-Pedic Pillow and Sleep Mask

The Tempur-Pedic people were giving away Neck Pillows and Sleep Masks. Awesome! These are made out of the same memory foam material that their fabulous beds are and I just love these. I also entered the contest to win a bed… ummm…. I’m still waiting for that email letting me know when it will be delivered. I might be waiting a while, huh?

Flip Flops and Flats

Seriously, who doesn’t love getting free shoes? I do!!!! At the Collective Bias/Cheap Sally Dance Party we all got Vix/Impanema Flip Flops (Holy Cow!). These are so darn comfortable, I just know I will be living in these the rest of the summer. And… I snagged a pair of Dr. Scholl’s Fast Flats. These are ballet style flats that fold up into a super adorable gold bag that you can throw in your purse for when those heels are killing your feet. I’ve wanted to try these forever and know I have a pair. Super comfy.

Paper Coterie Notebook

This was another product that I “pre-ordered”. I gave Paper Coterie my name and they created this custom journal for me. (It’s hard to see but my name is on the orange stripe.) I love this little book and plan to use it to write down all my incredibly creative blog post ideas. Paper Coterie does all kinds of customized books and calendars. I just might end up ordering one or two as gifts in the near future.

Philosophy Beauty Samples

I may be one of the last people to ever try Philosophy products. I have always wanted to but just kind of never got around to it. I love that I got a bunch of samples to try. This stuff smells amazing! I’m already in love with these products. I have a feeling I might have just found a new beauty line.

3M Products

3M… how I love you! We are an office-supply loving family. We should have stock in Post-It Notes because we go through packs and packs and packs of them in our house. I got these adorable little Post-It Note holders that look like purses. How cute are they? And the extra Post-It Notes and the Pens and the colorful wall stickers so my girls don’t have to stab my wall with push-pins to hang up their pictures. We are well stocked with 3M Products now.

So… lots of really great products. These were just some of my favorites but I got tons more stuff. As I sort through more and more of it and try out other products, I’ll let you know what else I find.

Comments

@monicabenavidez says

August 9, 2011 at 11:11 pm

The swag was fabulous for the most part, but some of it was kinda lame. I hope that if nothing else companies will learn that either small/light items or free coupon offers are the best.
@monicabenavidez recently posted..BlogHer 2011 Newbie Tips Part 2 {Conferences}

- this6651 says
  
  August 9, 2011 at 11:26 pm
  
  I forgot to put in my post that I thought the companies should also have gift certificates or free coupons for the items. Would make it much easier for bloggers to take things home. Next year I’ll have to be much more selective since I’ll be flying.

Share this:

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: