Guest Post for Fashion Friday – Finding the right swimsuit fit for your body type

 

May has arrived and Memorial Day will be here before you know it!  For those living in the northeastern U.S., Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start to both summer and swimsuit season.  For women in particular, swim season can be pretty nerve-racking, especially if you don’t know which styles to choose for your specific body type.  I’m here to lend a helping hand by providing you with some swimsuit style tips for 3 of the most common female body types.

The Busty Lady

If you’re bigger up top, specifically in your bust and shoulders areas, finding a swimsuit that fits, flatters and supports can be a daunting task.  As a rule of thumb, any top that has underwire cups will offer the best overall bust support.  But if you’re not a fan of underwire, look for a swimsuit with a halter-style design.  Unlike string triangle tops, halters have thicker, more supportive straps and they also offer better overall bust coverage.  If you’re top heavy and apple-shaped, choose one of the swimsuit top styles mentioned above in a dark solid-color paired with a printed or embellished bottom.  This will help balance you out.

The Bottom-Heavy Beauty

On the other hand, many women are more pear-shaped or bottom-heavy.  In this case, you want to choose a swimsuit style that emphasizes your top half and minimizes your bottom half.  Look for swimsuits that have a darker bottom (scoop bottoms are ideal) and a busier top (think prints, ruffles, fringe and beading). Furthermore, if the top has molded cups or specially designed push-up padding, it will give you more shape and really enhance your bustline.

The Timid Beach-Goer

Finally, the number one thing I hear from women is that they need a swimsuit that helps hide their tummy.  Whether you’re a busy mom or a career-driven woman who’s constantly on the go, it can be hard to find time to work out.  Similarly, many women are just timid and more conservative when it comes to their beach style!  There are a number of different one-piece and two-piece swimsuit options that will make you feel covered up and completely confident.  Try one-piece swimsuit styles that have slimming tummy control.  Similarly, any one-piece or tankini with ruched fabric detail will instantly slim your torso.  Finally, if you want to conceal your bum or upper inner thighs, choose a swimsuit with skirted detail or cover up with a sarong!

Are you ready to take on swimsuit season?

 

Our guest poster todays is Susan Bodack is the Director of Social Media Marketing at InStyleSwimwear.com, a popular e-tailer specializing in fashionable swimsuit styles, beachwear and accessories.  For local customers, stop by their Huntingdon Valley showroom today!

Categories: Fashion, Fashion Friday, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Heading Shopping this Weekend – Retail Printable Mall Coupons for you to take with you!

You can find the full list and also places that you can get coupons for email signups at + where I found this list. Make sure to show her some love by signing up for her updates and following on Facebook and Twitter.

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

I am mom enough..

A couple of the women I know from the Philly Social Media Moms started this “I am Mom Enough” link party. I wanted to add my two cents, but the last 24 hours in this house have been complete chaos, so better late than never! You can check out the other people who contributed and you can even contribute yourself to the link party why you are Mom Enough…

You can see the post HERE at confessions of a Modern Day Donna Reed. I love her blog:) Also check out Kelly at The Turnip Farmer who also has shared on this subject.

 

 

In the past I have trusted what doctors, friends, random people have said, until my son had a health scare and I had the courage to ask questions and trust my gut. It turned out my gut was right and the doctor was wrong. I blamed myself for not standing up as his mother. Now I make decisions on what I feel is best and not necessarily what works for others. Being a mom is the greatest responsibility and sometimes you need to stand up for yourself and your child. You need to question why.

Today I salute the stay at home moms, the work at home moms, the working moms and all moms around the world. We are all in this together. Let’s stop judging and be supportive:) Happy Mothers Day!

Categories: Mothers Day, Parenting, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Mothers Day Freebies 2012

Here is a list of some Mothers Day Freebies for this weekend! Remember to check with your participating location to make sure that they are taking part in the promotion.

Free Admission

Allentown Art Museum – Sundays are always free admission, so take your mom or yourself to see one of the exhibits

The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel (Philadelphia) - Free admission for moms on Sunday, May 13

Hershey Gardens - Free general Admission for Moms Sunday, May 13th

National Public Gardens Day (Philly, NJ, and NY locations available) - Friday, May 11th Must register for coupons

Other Freebies for Mom

Redbox – Send a ecard with a free redbox code valid on Mothers Day

TCBYParticipating stores will give mom a Free 5 oz. yogurt cup. Contact your local store for details

Ruby Tuesdays – Mom gets a free cookbook with a dinner purchase. While Supplies Last and only participating stores. Reservations HERE

 

Still not too late to order flowers:)

(4/24 - 5/13) Save up to 25% on Mother's Day flowers, plants and gifts at FTD!

Categories: Free Events, Freebies | Leave a Comment »

Moms Night Out 2012 – Visit the Lehigh Valley Mall for a Free Event for Moms!

I soooo wish I didn’t have plans tomorrow night because after the two weeks I have had, I could use a night out (and some pampering)! All you mommas in the Lehigh Valley head on over to Lehigh Valley Mall from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Moms Night Out.

At Lehigh Valley Mall, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an evening filled with pampering refreshments, entertainment, fashion and beauty services, all focused on rewarding Moms. A recent survey of 1,312 respondents conducted by BSM Media indicated the majority of mothers (58 percent) would like to spend a night out with a group of friends.

Simon has teamed up with several prestigious brands and organizations including Diet Coke, Dove Body Wash, Little Black Dress Vodka, StriVectin, VISIT FLORIDA, The State Theatre, and WLEV to celebrate Moms and their many contributions to the world. The fun starts at 5:00 pm and goes until 8:00 pmAll event activities are free and open to moms of all ages. Plus, moms have the chance to receive VIP treatment with an invitation-only Mom’s Nite Out dinner at Bravo! Cucina Italiana and special VIP goodie bags. Moms should listen to WLEV at 7:40am with Scott & Cindy in the Morning for the chance to win.

These events, thanks to an alliance with Little Black Dress Vodka, are helping raise awareness for Dress for Success, an international not-for-profit organization offering services designed to help underprivileged women find jobs and remain employed.

I hope you all have a great time:) Enjoy!

Categories: Best of Valley, Free Events, Freebies, Life in the Valley | 1 Comment »

Amazon Kindle Giveaway!

Everyone likes to be liked….and we LIKE you! 

To prove it we are going to give away a Kindle Fire to one lucky person…it could be you!
Kindle Fire: upright, angled view
Credit given to Amazon for photo
Give Oh Giveaway, Oh My Gosh Beck, Military Wives SavingsSimplified Saving have teamed up with my blog and some other great bloggers to present this giveaway to you! We like to keep things simple. So all you have to do to enter to win this AWESOME prize is answer one easy question on the rafflecopter form below: What is your name and the best email address to reach you at if you win the Kindle Fire? Easy, right?

It only takes one entry to enter to win but completing the extra entries will increase your odds! You literally have hundreds of chances to get your name in the drawing! The winning entry will be confirmed, so please make sure you do the task before hitting enter! 

We recently read comments on what the least favorite task to do in order to enter a giveaway was….the number 1 answer was “Liking 50 Facebook pages that I am not interested in for only 25 bonus entries!” You spoke and we listened! So for this giveaway each participating blogger is listed individually. Choose to like the ones that might interest you and submit those entries. Or better yet, like them all, get every possible entry in for the great prize; then if in a weeks time you feel your news feed is too clogged, just adjust the notifications. You can hide the posts from your news feed by clicking on the little gadget (star like button) and then adjust accordingly. It is easy to do and better than un-liking a page. Remember you can fill out as many or as few extra entries as you want on the Rafflecopter form!

This giveaway will run from 12:01 am on May 10th to 11:59 pm (eastern time) on May 24th. You can tweet and share this giveaway daily for extra entries…so come back daily to increase your chances! The winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn! This giveaway is open to the continental US only. Sorry-international people….shipping is a bugger!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for sharing this giveaway. I just like to share! 

If you don’t see the rafflecopter form below please click the “Read more” link
Categories: Giveaway | Leave a Comment »

Mothers Day Brunch Recipes … Pinterest Roundup

I love love love Pinterest. It lets me pin crafts and ideas for later and lets me plan for holiday’s like Mothers Day brunch. Since grams birthday was this past weekend and she turned 87 years young, we decided to celebrate Mothers Day and her birthday together with hubs Aunt, whose children live far away… I have been pinning some brunch ideas and thought I would share these with you!

WARNING: This will make you really hungry so don’t view on an empty stomach:)

Cheesy Egg in a Bowl Recipe from Kraft

 

Source: kraftrecipes.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

 

 Eggs Benedict with Easy Orange Hollandaise

 

Source: recipe.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Gluten Free Baked French Toast with Berries from Whole Foods

Source: wholefoodsmarket.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Baked Apples with Oatmeal Brown Sugar from Oprah

Source: oprah.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

 Bacon Egg and Toast Cups from Martha Stewart

Source: marthastewart.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Biscuit and Blue Cheese Bread Pudding from Paula Deen

Source: pauladeen.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Chocolate Hazelnut and Banana Crepe by Martha Stewart

Source: marthastewart.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

And who can forget a nice tasty beverage to go with your Mothers Day Brunch recipes?

Tyler Florences Cranberry Apple Shandy (recipe from Oprah HERE) Recreated by Kahakai Kitchen HERE

Source: kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Pineapple Mimosas from Recipe.com

Source: recipe.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Follow my boards at http://pinterest.com/LValleyMomma as I pin lots of crafts, recipes, DIY ideas, and so much more:) Need an invite to Pinterest? Please put a comment below and I will send you one!

Check out my other Pinterest Tutorials and Posts 

LearnVest

Categories: Mothers Day, Mothers Day Gift Guide, Pinterest, Pinterest Love, Recipe, Recipes | Leave a Comment »

Farmers Market Season is Upon Us… Check Out the Bethlehem Farmers Market at Lehigh University!

This Thursday, May 10, the Bethlehem Farmers’ Market will be back at Campus Square at Lehigh University!  This is the 10th anniversary of the Bethlehem Farmers’ Market and the 2012 market will run Thursdays, May 10 to October 25, from 11am to 3pm, at Campus Square at New and Morton Streets in South Bethlehem.
         New vendors include: 
  • Apple Ridge Farm (sourdough bakery, pizza shells)
  • Hereford Country Store (lunch tarts)
  • M&B Fairview Farm (meat)
  • Cuddles’ Cupcake Bar
  • Joe Paws Bakery (dog treats)
  • Wrap’d Tight (wraps & salads)
  • Earth’s Phocas (flowers)
Returning Vendors Include:
  • Easton Salsa Co.
  • The Popcorn Pit
  • A Natural Alternative (soaps and toiletries)
  • Back Door Bakeshop
  • Humdinger Alpacas (wool products)
  • Tasty Pastry
  • Lettuce Alone Farm (produce)
  • Bechdolt Orchards (produce)
  • Quetzal Bakery
  • Island Taste (Caribbean lunch food)
  • York Moor Farm (eggs)
There is also MUSIC to shop by each Thursday!
More Info:
The market provides a unique shopping opportunity unlike to what customers typically find at a grocery storewhere customers can sample the goods, develop relationships with the vendors, learn about unique food varieties and cooking tips and also greet their neighbors. The market supports farming and business in the Lehigh Valley and serves both the local and Lehigh University communities.  Some vendors accept FMNP vouchers and EBT coupons.  Metered parking is available the Campus Square parking garage and along Morton and 4th streets.   For more information, please visit www.campussquare.net or
 Stay tuned as I am putting together a resource of the Lehigh Valley Farmers Market… If you have pictures from your visits to any of the Lehigh Valley Farmers Markets please forward them to me at lehighvalleymomma (at) yahoo (dot) com and I would love to feature them with the resource!
Categories: Best of Valley, Bethlehem, Life in the Valley, LV Farmers Markets | Leave a Comment »

BAM! Win a $100 Gift Certificate to Emeril’s Italian Table

This is an amazing prize courtesy of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem! I am really excited to be able to give this to one of my readers! Thanks Sands!

Hubs and I treated ourselves to a dinner out at Emeril’s Italian Table a few months ago and we had a great time:) With little man and budget constraints we rarely get a night out on the town, however, we jumped at the chance to try something new and have a much needed date night. The restaurant is a little more casual than the Chop House and serves traditional Italian meals with a twist.

I had the Gulf White Shrimp and it was delicious and hubs had the Osso Bucco. It’s one of his favorite dishes that his aunt makes. He loved it (but shhhhh don’t tell his aunt). We took a Tiramisu to go for Grammie who was watching little man for us (she looooved it). I felt the Prices were reasonable. I have spent more at Italian chain restaurants that are lacking the authenticity of real Italian food (who shall remain nameless:). This gift certificate will definitely get you a great dinner and desert (and probably more:).

To Win follow the steps on the form below..

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

A little bit about Emeril’s Italian Table (from the site):

Emeril Lagasse serves up his signature take on the familiar Italian staples that he knows and loves. The menu features antipasti, cured meats & artisanal cheeses, soups & salads, fresh made pastas (available in half- and full-sized portions). Be sure to try pizzas made in the wood-burning oven. Savor fish, meat and vegetarian plates utilizing the freshest seasonal ingredients. Not to be missed: gelato, ice creams, cakes and other house made confections created from scratch by Emeril’s dedicated pastry chef.

 

While you are stopping by my blog, be sure to enter the other Mother’s Day Giveaway HERE 

 

*** I am not employed by or compensated by Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem for this giveaway. I paid for my own meal and my opinions are 100% mine. They gave me a gift certificate to share with one of my readers which is really awesome!

Categories: Best of Valley, Giveaway, Life in the Valley, Restaurants | 23 Comments »

Mothers Day Craft Ideas: Free Mothers Day Printables Bunting / Banner

 


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I went a little crazy with the beFunky filters on my phone:) The above pic doesn’t do it justice… check out the picture below for the exact colors:)
Last week the free Mothers Day printable cupcake toppers, cake toppers, and gift tags were a big hit, so I made a Mothers Day Banner that you can download print and assemble that matches. The below are the spacers included with the letters. All you need to do is take a small hand held hole punch and put a punch in each of the top corners and then run yarn, string, raffia, whatever you would like through them:)

 

 

You can download all of the letters and spacers HERE through Media Fire. Please let me know if you have trouble accessing the files:) Make sure you check out my post with the matching Cupcake toppers and gift tags to make your Mothers Day party a success:)

My digital paper source is from www.sassy-designs.net. They have an awesome selection of digital papers and often run sales where you can get them for $1 or less.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my Mothers Day giveaway for a T-Fal ActiFry kitchen appliance!

Sharing this at:

The Graphics FairyTip Junkie handmade projects http://www.thethriftyhome.com


Daily Crafting Deals

Categories: Crafts, Digital Design Goodies, Freebies, Mothers Day | 1 Comment »

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