Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from The Lifestylist® Brands. Here's hoping that your holidays is shiny and bright!

Win an OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner!



There's nothing better than a fresh salad using produce from my garden and my local farmers market.  I love just setting out all of the prepped ingredients and letting people make their own salads to suit their tastes.
Texas isn't known for their lettuce though, so being the Lazy Cook that I am, I've been buying bagged greens so there's no work involved. I've been finding lately though that many of these have a chemical taste to them, and they are expensive! The salad spinner I've had is a pain in the neck - it's messy, hard to clean and doesn't seem to really spin much of the water off.
Leave it to OXO to have the perfect solution - their Good Grips Salad Spinner. It is so well designed it's actually fun to use! OXO must have a lot of engineers on their team because not only do they include great features in their products, they are features that perform perfectly. It seems to be a very thoughtful company that truly cares about giving us thoughtful products that can make our time in the kitchen more productive and enjoyable.
The basket and pumping device  of the salad spinner are so well balanced you actually use a brake button to slow down and stop the spinning. It has a non-slip base that keeps it in place on the counter, and since you pump with a downward motion you can use it one-handed or have the kids help you out in the kitchen. My grand kids love using it to wash and spin the spinach for their favorite "Say Cheese Spinach Bake" that we make together. Not only has it helped them enjoy working with me in the kitchen, it has also gotten them to like spinach!
Now for more great news. OXO has not only sent one of these super salad spinners to me to try out, they have also sent us another one that I can give away to one of my lucky readers. All you have to do is leave a comment below as to what unique way you will use your new salad spinner. There will also be some ways that you can earn extra chances to win including "liking" the OXO and LifeStyleList Facebook pages. The contest will run through May 11th 2012, and if the winner doesn't respond to us within 24 hours of being notified we will choose another winner.
You need to be a resident of the US and over 18 yrs. old to enter. This contest has no affiliation with Facebook. OXO provided the two salad spinners to us at no charge, and the opinions are our own.

Savor Dallas 2012

It's time for Savor Dallas again! This annual celebration of food and wine takes place March 30-31,2012. Take a look at some of the wonderful photos taken by Lisa Stewart of Lisa Stewart Photography and see why you need to join the Lifestylist® team at this wonderful event.

Mardi Gras Greetings

Daisy loves the Lifestylist® philosophy of Life Celebrating Style.  She is also open to any excuse to wear her favorite hats and attract attention.  Mardi Gras Greetings from Daisy the diva dog and the Lifestylist® family!

What's Mine is Not Yours - Intellectual Property

Seth Godin is my guru. He is so no nonsense but funny at times, intellectual but down to earth, and what I really love about him is that he can get a point across faster than anyone else I know. His Purple Cow book started me on a new road to being more involved in marketing and social media so I'm forever grateful. When I worked on the Purple Cow House Campaign with Patriot Homes I made sure to get permission from Mr. Godin, and we credited him for the phrase (and gave out his Purple Cow Book).

Today I got a great post from him titled "Simple Thoughts About Fair Use". So timely, and as always so well written. In this new blogging, social world I'm always stunned to see how many people are using other people's photography, ads, brands, and stories without permission. This article is a must read for anyone who is even thinking about posting on Facebook, Twitter, or a blog and using someones text or images.

I'm fortunate enough to have access to a very talented photographer - Lisa Stewart of Lisa Stewart Photography. The images you see in my blogs, on my Lifestylist Design Facebook page and on my website have been shot specifically for my use. I do that so I'm not using other people's work and having copyright infringements.

Lifestylist® is a term that I successfully trademarked in 2002 - my registration number is 2583235. I'm very proud of this because I thought I had a good idea and made the extra effort do "do the right thing" and spend the time, effort, and money to trademark it. You would be amazed at how much time I've had to spend since them protecting my mark because people haven't bothered to do their homework and see that it's trademarked before they use it in their own businesses.

Before you decide that you have discovered the next great phrase, or "borrow" a photo from someone else be sure to read Seth's post. Wondering where to learn more about these topics? The US Patent and Trademark Office has a great site, and it is also where you can search trademark registrations and applications.

Social Media Lifestylist® Guidelines for 2012

Happy New Year from the Lifestylist® family! I'm really excited about 2012, and the opportunities that come with it.
A lot of being a Lifestylist® is about being a trend tracker and doing research. Today I read something that was written by someone else titled "Social Media Lifestylist Guidelines for 2012" - boy does that sound dull! The first thing that comes to mind is a big dusty manual full of rules and regulations, and that is exactly what social media (and being a Lifestylist®) is not about.
The tag line I have always used for my Lifestylist® brand is "It's All About You". I didn't want the brand to be about me telling people what to do - I wanted to listen to people's wants, needs, and dreams, and help them achieve those even when they didn't know that's what they were really searching for. I don't want to dictate, I want to educate. I've learned that listening is so much more important than anything I will ever have to say, because sometimes if you let people express their thoughts they will find their answers.
Social media is such an exciting new frontier because it gives everyone the chance to tell their story to the universe. It's become a great equalizer because almost anyone  on any budget can get access to a computer and a free site and share their thoughts.
There's a down side to this though as well -there's not as much editing as we've seen in the past. We have to learn that even though someone may have written it, there is the possibility it might not be true. Before we share or depend on information we find we have to be sure and check the facts. As the guardian of the Lifestylist® trademark for almost 10 years now I've seen how many people want to tie into my brand but aren't willing to go through the legal process to acquire a brand of their own.
So what are the real Lifestylist's guidelines for 2012? Never call them guidelines, live your life to the fullest, listen to those around you and you can never laugh too much or have too much great food and wine!
Here's to a boisterous 2012!