We have our winners! Congrats to Lacey who won our Grand Prize and Naomi who won our 2nd Prize. Thank you to everyone who participated!

At Mable’s, summer is our favorite season and we’re so glad it’s finally here! We believe that you don’t have to be school-aged to have an absolutely fantastic “summer vacation”. So how are you spending your time so far? How do you wish you could spend your summer vacation? Tell us about your summer (real or imagined) and you can win a prize pack of goodies from Mables.com. Maybe you already visited a certain person or place, or maybe you dream of fantastical summer adventures; whatever it is, tell us those ideas and wishes.

One Grand Prize Winner will get a little more summer fun with:
Transversion by Loop NYC Cocktail Wristlet Purse
Set of 4 “winky vision” Pink Elephant Coasters
12 oz. Retro-Themed Cocktail Shaker
Set of 100 Cocktail Mermaid drink markers
Set of 75 Cocktail Squid drink markers

A 2nd Prize Winner will receive the following goodies:
Set of 4 Tiki Coasters
12 oz. Retro-Themed Cocktail Shaker
Set of 100 Cocktail Mermaid drink markers
Set of 75 Cocktail Squid drink markers

How to Enter
In the comments, write about either a) how you’ve actually been spending your summer vacation or b) how you wish you could spend it. You don’t have to identify if your flash fiction story is truth or fiction. Make it at least a short paragraph, and as long as you want.
Use the e-mail address where you would like to be contacted if you win. Your email address will only been seen by the Mable’s Crew and will never be shared or sold.

The Fine Print
Contest runs from July 5, 2007 – July 31, 2007
Open to U.S. residents only, ages 18 and older

Make your entry as true or imaginative as you’d like. Just keep it fun! Here are some examples:

This summer I’ve spent the 9-5 hours at work, but everyday when I clock out I head to the beach. I watch people lounging, playing and surfing, look for seashells, and just breathe in the fresh, salty air. It helps me unwind, and it’s really fun for me as well. I only get about a half hour before I have to head home to make dinner and just go about the rest of my day, but that half hour at the coastline is what has made this summer beautiful.

On the first day of summer this year I packed up a little suitcase, hopped in my propeller plane, and have been traveling the globe every since. I’ve soared over the pyramids in Egypt, nearly skimmed the rainforests of Belize, soared above the mountains of India, and grazed the black sand beaches of New Zealand. By the end of summer I will have visited just about every place that I’ve ever dreamed of! I guess I’ll have to visit the rest of them next summer…

Good luck and have a great summer everyone!

Posted by Lauren in Fun on July 5, 2007
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Shopping for toys can be so hit and miss. Sometimes you’ll be sure you bought the perfect gift only to watch the recipient wrinkle his nose. Short of bringing your child to the store and saying “just pick something off the shelf”, your best bet in finding a kid-pleasing toy is picking an award winner. These have passed critiques by kids, parents, and industry experts. Gaining praise from iParenting, Oppenheimer, Dr. Toy, and Parent’s Choice, the imaginative Award Winning Toys section on eBay contains some genuinely rad toys. Standouts for me are the Alex Puppet Theatre, and the funky little Whoozit Activity Spiral. Every product encourages imaginative play or is an educational toy, so they’re gifts you can feel good about giving, too.

Another fantastic educational toy store to check out it eBeanstalk. Many of their toys are “award winners”, but more interestingly is that EVERY toy has been hand picked by their team of experts, parents, and kids. How cool is that?

Posted by Lauren in Fun,Kids on July 2, 2007
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You know you’re an Internet nerd when you actually LOL at shirts like this… which I did. Several times. Internet memes spread like wildfire, taking a decently funny or interesting idea and morphing them into something even better. A joke is always more enjoyable when you can look around the room (metaphorically, when it comes to Internet stuff) and see that other people get it, too. Internet memes are like that. Now that Think Geek has made a writable/washable shirt about it, it probably qualifies for the Internet Meme Hall Of fame. The possibilities are endless with this phrase (as seem in the galleries linked below), so get creative and be sure to keep the included marker handy. As TG says “Bored with what you wrote this morning? Throw the shirt in the wash and think up a new saying. It’s like Mad Libs meets Photoshop in a head-to-head deathmatch on your chest.” Yep, it’s exactly like that. You can also just use water and wipe the marker off, for rapid-fire slogan changing.

$16.99

• History and some example images
• Animal-based IM IN UR (blank) images
• in ur base, killing ur doodz

Posted by Lauren in Clothing and Accessories,Nerd on July 1, 2007
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