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Next to Christmas, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is (in my opinion), the most wonderful time of the year!  Ever since high school, I have looked forward to this sale and all of the wonderful shopping goodness it brings.  Long before the days of online shopping, I remember driving south of the border into Illinois with my mom so that we could snag all of the best fall fashions at the best prices.  My first credit card was a Nordstrom card, and I used it to buy a pair of “super cool” Dr. Martens (hey, it was the 90’s!).

If you don’t know about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, you are missing out!  Seriously!  Nordstrom puts an amazing selection of the NEWEST items for fall on sale BEFORE the season!  And the prices are ridiculous.  Add in free shipping and free returns for online purchases, and you have the best shopping experience around.  It makes my heart skip a beat.  (I wish I were joking.)  

And now, Nordstrom offers an expanded selection of items for the home – including during the Anniversary Sale!  This is great news, except for the fact that my credit card bill will be even higher now.  Anyway, home basics like sheets and towels are a great buy during the sale, but you can also find great prices on adorable home accents.

I scoured all of the Anniversary Sale items for the home and found my favorites to share with you!  I’m narrowing my choices down and filling my shopping cart before prices go up on August 7.  Click on anything you like to check out the sale prices and shop!

Don’t forget that the Anniversary Sale is also a fabulous time to stock up on sweaters and outerwear for your family.  Oh . . . and shoes.  You HAVE to check out the shoes.  Sigh.

So now that you’ve seen my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale picks for the home, tell me what you have your eye on!  You might convince me to raise that credit card bill even more!

Bre

If you’ve read my blog before, you know a few things about me – like that I love chalky finish paint and The Real Housewives of [insert any city here].  Some other fun facts about me are that I got the measles in Kindergarten (despite being vaccinated), my full name is spelled “Breighanne” (but pronounced “Breanne”), and I am a lawyer in addition to a blogger.  (Exciting stuff, huh?)

That last “fun fact” is important for today’s post because it is the reason I decided to stress myself out, take a risk, and write an eBook just for bloggers about certain legal issues that are SO IMPORTANT: copyright and trademark.  And now, today, after months of writing and editing, I am ecstatic to launch my eBook, The Blogger’s Guide to Copyright and Trademark Law: How to Protect Yourself and Enforce Your Rights.  
I am beyond excited that the day has finally come where I can share this resource with other bloggers!  There is so much misinformation in the blogosphere about what rights bloggers have in and to the work they create and share, as well as how they can legally use others’ work.  I wrote this book to help dispel the myths and misinformation that are out there, and to help bloggers empower themselves through knowledge and understanding of their rights and others’ rights.

Real life stories and examples from bloggers, information on copyright and trademark issues in specific types of blog posts (like roundups, recipe posts, and affiliate or shopping posts), and a convenient protection strategy checklist are just some of the things you’ll find inside.  For just $25 you’ll get invaluable information that will help you strengthen your blog and your rights.

Bloggers are increasingly falling victim to scraper sites stealing their content, and copyright trolls demanding exorbitant amounts of money for the unwary use of photos on blogs.  Now, more than ever, bloggers need to understand what they should do to protect themselves and their businesses, and how to enforce their rights.  With a basic understanding of copyright and trademark law, bloggers will be better informed and better able to make smart choices for their blogs.

Here’s what some bloggers are already saying about The Blogger’s Guide to Copyright and Trademark Law:

With endorsements like those, I hope this book will be a valuable resource for bloggers for years to come!

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the eBook or what’s inside, please check out the information at this link or send me an email at [email protected]  I look forward to hearing from you and helping you learn how to better protect yourself and your blog!

-Bre  

Hi, Friends-

Well, I’m back to reality after a beautiful and relaxing* vacation in Seabrook Island, SC.

My family spent last week off the coast of Charleston with my husband’s parents and his brother.  Seabrook Island is an amazingly low-key place with minimal commercial development and an abundance of nature in all of its forms.  It is truly a place to get away, and it is for that reason that we’ve made it our favorite vacation destination for the last several years.

Because my family lives in an urban area just one mile away from the City of Chicago, it is essential to be reminded of the beauty of a simple and natural life.

Among other things, Seabrook reminds us to be free – fully and completely.  

It also helps us to remember that it’s important to enjoy the journey, as well as the destination.

*As relaxing as it can be with a two and four-year old.

 Milwaukee Cupcake Company
After we wandered around the Third Ward neighborhood a bit more, we popped in to the Milwaukee Cupcake Company because my husband is addicted to cupcakes.  (Right.)  Everything looked SO good, but since I was the only one who was going to be eating them, I chose two of the mini cupcakes – “The Tuxedo” (marble cake with white chocolate cream cheese filling inside and chocolate ganache on top), and “The Third Ward” (chocolate cake with Reese’s peanut butter cup chunks baked in, topped with peanut butter buttercream, chocolate drizzle and a chunk of a Reese’s cup on top).  They were both delicious, but the peanut butter cupcake was the best of the two.

 The Harley-Davidson Museum
Even if you’re not a bad-a** motorcycle rider like myself, you will still enjoy the Harley-Davidson museum.  How could you not be inspired by the success of a legendary company that began in a tiny garage?

The history of all of the bikes was incredible – including this, the first Harley-Davidson ever produced.

Lakefront Brewery Tour
After we rested up a bit, we headed out to Lakefront Brewery for a tour.  A trip to Milwaukee wouldn’t be complete without a brewery tour, right?  We had so much fun here!  For $7 per person we got four 6 oz. pours, a souvenir pint glass and an amazingly interesting and funny tour of the actual, working brewery.  I also got to impersonate Shirley from Laverne & Shirley while we inspected the bottling portion of the brewery.  My husband was mortified I think.  (Rightfully so.)