The Fearless Blogger » free stuff

Oceanic 815 Costume: Free to Lost-Loving Couple!

faryl — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:36:51 +0000

If you believe in Flashbacks, or don’t mind being quasi-retro this Halloween, this is the costume for you!

Of course, you’ll either need a sweetheart to join you or a good friend – this Oceanic Flight 815 costume is designed for two.

(Please note: The Fearless Blogger is currently patting herself on the back for resisting urges to make any “cockpit”, “rear”, ”tail end”, or “Sawyer coming onboard” innuendos)

I just saw this ad on Craigslist and thought it was too good not to share (although not quite good enough for me to get off my lazy butt and make my way to National City!):

This costume is made out of paper mache, chicken wire, and paint. I spent a reasonable amount of time on it for a series finale party and don’t want to just throw it away. I will if no one takes it, though. It comes in two pieces, the front and tail section. The wings detach for travel. There is a hole for your face in the front section. Take a look.

Look at me! I'm flying!

Oh noes! We're gonna crash!

If you end up grabbing it, PLEASE send me a picture of you (and yours) in costume for me to share here!

(If the original ad is no longer available, you can view a copy here)

Ben Harper at Halloweenabaloo 2009: Great Music for a Great Cause

faryl — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:30:25 +0000

If you live in SoCal and are without Halloween plans (and with a disposable income) look no further – I have the scoop for you (thanks to YouTheDesigner.com)!

The Skinny

Silverlake Conservatory of Music announces its fifth annual “Hullabaloo” fundraiser will be held on Halloween, Saturday, October 31. Ben Harper will perform. The event, dubbed the “Halloweenabaloo,” will take place at LA’s historic Union Station. Doors open at 6 PM for a special “Kids Hour” of music, trick-or-treating and Halloween celebration. At 7 PM, the first of the evening’s musical performances will begin, continuing throughout the evening.

Music, Halloween excitement and performances from SCM co-founders Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and “Tree,” a/k/a SCM Dean Keith Barry along with special musical guests Ben Harper, Linda Perry and others will highlight the Hullabaloo festivities including costumes, masks, observation of “El día de los muertos” traditions plus food and family fun.

The Cause (Silverlake Conservatory of Music)

Reacting to the disappearance of music education in the curriculum of many public schools, Flea and Tree (Keith Barry) founded the non-profit conservatory to provide a place where young people in their community could learn and enjoy music. The school’s website states, “The mission of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit organization, is to facilitate basic music education. Our primary focus is on the youth of the community but all are welcome and encouraged to participate. The Conservatory offers private music lessons at a reasonable cost and grants scholarships to children in need, providing free lessons and instruments. The study of music enriches the life of the student as well as the community and society.” Nine years after opening, the school serves about 600 students (about a quarter who are on scholarship). Students enjoy access to private lessons, instruments, summer camps and group ensembles.

More details, including how to get your hand on some tickets, are posted here (by YouTheDesigner.com)
And if you act quickly, you may still have time to enter to WIN a pair of tickets to the event!*

*Disclosure: I’ve entered the contest and plan on winning it. :-) So enter at your own risk- set your expectations accordingly!

FREEBIE ALERT! Send Swine Flu Wishes to That Special Someone with CDC E-Cards!

faryl — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:43:46 +0000

Today I discovered what just may be my favorite e-cards ever!

As I was nosing around the CDC website, perusing the latest H1N1 information (isn’t that how everyone spends their evening downtime?) I noticed they’ve included an H1N1 social media page.

Awesome sauce! Not sure if you know this about me but:

PANDEMIC + CDC INFO + SOCIAL MEDIA(!) =
IRRESISTIBLE TO FARYL

I happily clicked away.

That’s when I noticed this section:

Send Friends & Loved Ones Swine Flu Wishes!

No Way! Excellent!

I’m not sure what I was expecting to see, but the CDC didn’t let me down. Caring friends and family can select from a variety of “occasions” ranging from Autumn to College Health to Disabilities to Halloween to Salmonella to STDs and more. They even have “Congratulations on Your New Pet” and Valentine’s Day cards!

This is a small sample of the selection the Flu category has to offer:

Just a Sampling of Occasions You Can Choose From

My particular favorite is the Father’s Day card:

You can't make this stuff up.

Not impressed? Just wait – there are animated cards as well.

How many times has this happened to you? Your best friend is getting married tomorrow. Here you are, a bridesmaid, and what with sharing all the joy and festivities and excitement – you forgot to buy a card.

I’ve totally been there.

Well, fear not, my friend – the CDC to the rescue!!

This Wedding Card even features a soundtrack (one that bears a bit of a resemblance to the Tonight Show theme)!

What Bride Wouldn't be Overjoyed to Receive This?

There are too many options to post screen shots of them all here.

Some of my other favorites:

Wishing You a Seizure-Free Day
I Got Tested – Did You?
Here’s to an Alcohol-Free Pregnancy!

The list goes on and on . . . You’ll just have to visit the site yourself so you can choose the one that’s the perfect fit for your special day.

Feeling down because no one’s ever sent a CDC card to you?

Well turn that frown upside down! Because I care!

That’s right! I created a card just for you!
View it here!

FREEBIE! Kodak Gallery’s Million Thanks Giveaway

faryl — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:12:09 +0000

The Kodak Gallery Thanks Man

Kodak is celebrating the launch of their new Kodak Gallery with a “Million Thanks Giveaway”!

Click the link below to receive either a:

$15 gift code to use on the site or
40% gift code

This is a limited time/while supplies last offer – so don’t wait!

Kodak Gallerys Million Thanks Giveaway.

(I found this link via the Ellen show website – so not only will you receive a freebie, you’ll be registered to win a trip for two to watch a taping of the Ellen show. If you need someone to bring with you, I live in the area!!)

Free Images for Your Blog: Freebie Images WordPress Plugin

faryl — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:31:23 +0000

from Crestock.com

As a blogger, I’m always happy to find new resources for free/royalty free images. I thought I’d pass this info along to those of you who feel the same:

Crestock.com has released a new WordPress plugin called Freebie Images:

Spice up your blog with professional, high quality, free stock photos & images! With an amazingly simple Drag and Drop interface, blogging has never been this easy!

(The following information is from the Crestock.com blog)

What is it and what does it do?
The Freebie Images Plugin gives you a micro format search interface inside your WordPress Admin where you can search for and add images to your blog post – free of charge. The images are perfectly sized for blogs – between 300px and 400px width.

How does it work?
The plugin uses Crestocks existing search algorithm, so the search results – and images – are the same as on Crestock.com.After doing an image search, youre presented with the search results.

Adding the images to your post couldnt become much easier – when youve found the image you want, simply drag & drop it into your blog post, in the position where you want the image, and thats it.

You also get access to most of the advanced filtering options on Crestock.com with a single click, for example:

Number of images per page
Image Orientation
File type
Pagination

Where can I get it?
The plugin can be downloaded from Freebie Images.com – the Plugin home page.

Please Note
I should caution you that Crestock.com is describing this as a “public beta”. In other words, don’t expect perfection (or in other other words – use at your own risk!). From a quick glance at Crestock.com’s blog post, it looks like people have reported some bugs (it wasn’t clear if they were issues with the plugin or from lack of documentation for proper installation).

I’ve not yet had a chance to give the plugin a try, but will report back once I do. In the meantime, feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.

For More Details
Launching Freebie Images WordPress Plugin | Crestock.com Blog.

Free Chocolate Friday (Again)!

faryl — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:50:55 +0000

Times are tough and the folks at Mars want to help. How, you ask? Every Friday through October, Mars will give away free real chocolate to 250,000 people. That means you can enjoy your favorite Mars’ candy brands—M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, 3 MUSKETEERS®, MILKY WAY® and DOVE®— for free!

I wrote about this when the program first started – and have enjoyed my free M&M’s thoroughly! Figured it warrants another mention for those who may have forgotten, or those who haven’t had a chance to check it out. Free chocolate is not something I take lightly!

(For some reason you’ll need to provide your birthdate before getting to the page requesting the contact information. The first 250,000 responses will get an email confirmation acknowledging that your free chocolate is on its way – expect to find a coupon in your mail a few weeks later.)

Get Yours!
Visit Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act .

FREEBIE: Get a Free Movie Ticket from Fandango

faryl — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:47:34 +0000

Be one of the first 10,000 Cost Plus World Market shoppers to register and qualify for a FREE MOVIE ticket courtesy of Cost Plus World Market and Fandango. You will receive your email on August 6th.

Two “catches” to getting the free ticket (which doesn’t cover Fandango fees – but hey, who’s complaining?)

You need to enter by July 29th (today)
Since the contest is intended for CPWM shoppers, the entry requires you enter the passkey which you received on your purchase receipt. You can either purchases something of nominal value (Cost Plus sells gum) or you could try the passkey “movies” which allegedly will do the trick.

Be one of those first 10,000! Get your free movie ticket now!
Cost Plus World Market Ticket Giveaway

hat tip: sampleaday.com

Three Freebies for a Happy Hump Day! [Coffee, Airborne & MOO]

faryl — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:57:14 +0000

Sebastian wants to bring you free Airborne

Missed out on your free Starbucks pastry yesterday?
Don’t fret! Here are some links to some quick & easy freebies to get you over the work-week hump!

Coffee
Nescafe says: Try It On Us. (Coffee snobs – it’s actually quite good iced, with condensed milk added – I think I saw a tweet from Chris Brogan with the “recipe” which prompted me to try it!)

Moo Card Sample Pack
Try a sample pack of 10 Moo Cards for free. If you want to order a complete set, get free shipping by using promo code M7Y7XV between now and August 31st (first time orders only).

Airborne
Some shirtless, loin-cloth-wearing dude named Sebastian wants to give you a free sample of Airborne. After you place your request, you can track Sebastian’s progress. When I last checked, he’d stopped in the woods to perform an impromptu flute concert.

Freebie! Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day

faryl — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:12:30 +0000

From the Chick-fil-A website:
5th Annual Cow Appreciation Day Friday, July 10, 2009
Come into any Chick-fil-A restaurant dressed as a cow and receive a free combo meal.
Show your appreciation for the cows while eating more chicken. Put on your best cow costume and join us for free fun on Friday, July 10.

Don’t have a costume? Make your own using their handy starter kit.

Visit the site for more details

Will Tweet for Food

faryl — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:50:12 +0000

As an under-employed, aspiring blogger, it’s occurred to me more than once that I’d gladly help spread the word about local eateries in exchange for an occasional free meal.

It’s also occurred to me that businesses might do well to attract people to their establishments by connecting with active tweeters, bloggers, social-media addicts, etc. to help fill their tables on slow nights – and get some publicity in the process.

Seems that the good folks at TasteCasting agree:

TasteCasting combines socially networked people and the social media platforms and applications they use to help establishments build awareness, announce grand openings, introduce new menu items, distribute special offers and encourage people to visit the establishment.

How it works
As described on the site:

Establishments provide the date, time, location and maximum number of tasters.
The establishment’s TasteCasting request is scheduled.
TasteCasting team members RSVP.
A TasteCasting Team Captain is appointed.
The Team Captain confirms the date, time, location and other details with the establishment
The TasteCasting team attends, tastes, tweets, and posts the stories, videos, pictures to TasteCasting.com
All team members add comments and include links to their blogs, photos, and videos

Where
So far TasteCasting is available in the following cities and seems to be looking to expand: Columbus, Denver, Cincinnati, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tucson, Aspen, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis.

To Help, Not to Hurt
I just found out about the site today, via a tweeted invite from Alice Louise Karow (thanks, Alice, by the way!) so have yet to attend a tasting. You’ll be sure to see some tweets, blog posts, status updates and/or photos once I do!

That is, assuming I like what I taste! One item of interest is TasteCasting’s stance on feedback. In response to their FAQ on What If You Don’t Like The Taste? the site states:

My goal for this idea is to HELP small business owners not to HURT them. “Social Media and the participants have the power to do both.”

Please remember – Everyone’s tastes, likes, and dislikes are different. If you taste something and you don’t like it, tell the establishment representative. HELP them with your honest opinion. Then try something else.

Because we’re invited guests to the establishment and we are being served the selections – in some cases we may be a focus group for new menu items. It would be unkind to Twitter a “negative” and “harmful” post to our social networks.

Enforcing what TasteCastings twitter about is not something that can be controlled. I strongly encourage anyone who joins the team to be kind and constructive in your communications. As a member of a Twitter Taster Team you will be strongly encouraged to Tweet using the Golden Rule…” If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.”

image is from TasteCasting.com

Personally, as someone who values her network, I try not to exploit my social media connections for the sake of a free meal. My readers’ trust is paramount to me, and I’m sensitive to the potential perception that reviews could be influenced by compensation from the reviewee (not sure if that’s a word – but if not, it should be). That said, as someone who’d prefer to keep things positive (time of month, notwithstanding) unless I feel that the public is being blatently “wronged”, I’d just as soon not write a review, rather than use my blog for trash-talking. Accordingly, I can appreciate TasteCasting’s approach.

The reality is, a business that’s going to give stuff to bloggers is going to get blogged about. And rarely do you see a negative tweet about free food. Does making things a bit more structured make a difference?

One thing you can rest assured of – if I share details related to a TasteCasting tasting, it will be with the same spirit, frequency and openess I apply to anything else I share with my network. Translation: I won’t be fake, I won’t spam and I’ll disclose I got something for free.

To Be Clear
From what I’ve seen so far, I’m a fan. I only mention TasteCasting’s “Golden Rule” approach in the spirit of laying everything out on the table in advance; to provide the full picture.

In “light of the current economic climate” (cliche alert!!), anything that promotes local businesses, socializings, and putting food in bloggers’ tummies, is all good in my book!

What’s Your Opinion?
Is it selling out for bloggers to accept a free meal, or to share where you’re eating in exchange for free food – only if their thoughts are positive?

Have you seen similar sites or clubs? What have your experiences been?

Restaurant owners can request a tasting.

The Fearless Blogger » free stuff

Oceanic 815 Costume: Free to Lost-Loving Couple!

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Ben Harper at Halloweenabaloo 2009: Great Music for a Great Cause

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