Photo albums make great gifts from the heart

I am all about gifts from the heart... In fact, that is going to be one of our future assignments. So I was really excited this morning when I saw this EXCELLENT deal from Mamapedia and Shutterfly: Only $10 for a custom photo book! That's a 50% savings on something that is already a steal. (And I am a very frugal shopper!) This sale is only going on for 3 days, so I had to interrupt our "beauty" theme to let you know about it. It's also great in that you get a $10 kickback for everyone that buys on your link! Wow!

I really like SmileBox, as well as a way to create custom photo greetings, and that's completely free. Check out this Happy New Year greeting I created using SmileBox.

So, if you're not already doing so, get out that camera and start snapping some photos of all the wonderful things you're up to this year. Photo books and Smilebox greetings make wonderful gifts of love!

Two sites for people who LOVE free stuff!

This blog is about love of ALL types and one thing I love is getting a good deal.... either by special offers or sales or prizes!

So for those of you who also are into good deals, let me tell you about two sites that often have some great stuff offered:

Living Social
You can sign up for major cities to get a Daily Deal. I, of course, sign up for the Denver area, and every day I find out about half-price deals. Some of these are really great deals. I've gotten white-water rafting and a mobile massage, both for half-price and I just purchased a deal for 3 hours of maid service for only $50! Better yet, if you pass on the deal to friends and get 3 to sign up for the deal in 72 hours, you get the service for free! Social networker that I am, I often can think of many people who might be interested.

In fact, if you live in the Denver area and want to get your house cleaned for $50 (or possibly for free) click here to find out more! (Offer expires tomorrow, though..)

Free Things to Do in Denver

This site is great for people in the Denver area. If you don't live in the area, just google "Free Things in [city of your choice]" and you may find a similar site. I think it's awesome!

From their Website:

FREE DENVER — Free Things to Do in Denver is dedicated to providing all the latest free and low-cost things to do in Denver. Free Things to do in Denver provides information on free family events, free museums, free events, free attractions, free concerts, free kid’s events, free comedy, free festivals, free music, free stuff, free drinks, free food, and more. We want people (and families especially) to be able to have fun without money in Denver.

You can sign up for a daily newsletter with upcoming free events. Check out what was in the newsletter yesterday:

• Reminder: Free Denver American Girl Events in Nov/Dec
• Great Model Train Expo – Nov 6-7 and Kids are Free!
• Free Days at the Denver Zoo – November 7 and 13
• Free Days at Denver Museum of Science and Nature – Nov 14 and Dec 6
• Free Day at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield – Nov 5
• Free Tie Day – Nov 6 in Denver
• Reminder: Free Art Walks in Golden Triangle Art District – Nov 5
• Free Kid’s Workshop: Spice Rack Project at Home Depot – November 6
• Free Concert: Opera Rocks the Rockies – Nov 5

Contests

Of course the most exciting kind of freebie is a prize. My friend Lis won an iPad for a student with Cerebral Palsy by spreading the word about her gym.

And I even won an iPad for myself! Yes, by pestering all my friends to sign on to Jazzed, a new eHarmony spin-off, I got entries in their sweepstakes, and won that iPad! Believe me, a geek like me LOVES an iPad! (I almost added "love of technology" to my "Eight Kinds of Love" post, but I knew only geeks would truly get it...)

I also won entry into the Muddy Buddy at the Boulder Res last summer when I was laid off by entering a FaceBook contest! This was such an excellent prize since I got to do it with my son at a time when I was so worried about money. (Entry fee to the Muddy Buddy is really expensive.)

You definitely don't want to get the reputation of being a spammer, but if you truly believe in a cause or a "deal" then social media is the perfect outlet for spreading the word. I have to say, I am so grateful to my friends that put up with my emails, tweets, blog posts, and facebook status updates and support me in these various contests!