Intensely Delicious Wine Pairing

I don’t consider my self a wine connoisseur, I don’t even consider my self a wine drinker. When I heard about this awesome event wine and chocolate pairings in Long Beach, I had to be there. It’s not to often we get blogger events in my city of Long Beach. My blogger friends often hear me complain about driving to LA for events.  I don’t mind the drive as much as the traffic. So this day was perfect, wine, chocolate, Long Beach and bloggers. Oakley (LBC twitter friend) held a wine and chocolate pairing party for the new Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolates.  4 types of wine were served with 4 types of Intense Dark chocolates, along with some dried fruits, cheese, nuts and crackers.  I can’t even remember what types of wine we had and what it was paired with all I remember is it was DELICIOUS!  For someone who doesn’t know squat about wines, this was a great experience to taste different wines and explore what I like.  I have come to realize my preference for white wines, as well as sweet wines.  The red wines can be more dry and bitter, which doesn’t appeal to me as much.  The experience was wonderful, learned about some great wines and a wine bar in my neighborhood (District Wine), ate some delicious chocolates and spent a nice afternoon with blogger friends.  If you want to learn more about the wines and chocolate pairings, head over to Oakmonster.com she has a great post about the even here.

Here are some photos I took, they are not great since my hands were usually full of chocolate or a wine glass. 😉

Bloggers listening attentive to the speaker.

the goodies (cheese, fruit, almonds, crackers and marshmallows)

One of the red wines, thinks its Malbec. After 2nd pairing I was lost! lol

I arrived a bit late to so had to catch up on wines.

the artmuse and presleypantry tweeting about event.

Mark is the owner of District Wine, he was a very nice and cool host.

Toffee Interlude from Ghirardelli Intense Dark collection. DELISH!

looks funny, taste great!

Oakley hostess and foodie

I sat at the cool bloggers table...LOL. We totally enjoyed the wine and chocolate.

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Speak Now

This summer has turned out to be pretty awesome.  Just as I was coming down from my BlogHer 11 high, I got invited to the Taylor Swift concert.  My buddy Monique from Blogs By Latinas, was invited by Covergirl to attend the concert.  She invited me to be her plus 1, we not only had great seats with a wonderful view of stage, but we also got to meet Taylor Swift!  The meet and greet back stage was a special treat, and so glad I was able to experience it.  Can’t say I was a huge of Taylor Swift fan, but after meeting her and seeing her sing live,  I am now.  First of all Taylor is a sweet heart, she greeted every fan with big hugs and smiles.  She was genuinely happy to meet us all and take pictures with everyone.  She is very beautiful young-woman, inside and out.  Taylor is an awesome performer and very talented.  Glad young girls have her as a role model, unlike some other celebrities today.  She is very positive and loved that her songs and outfits were age appropriate.  I would definitely want my daughter to be Taylor Swift fan.  Another surprise treat was Justin Bieber came on stage to sing his song “Baby” with Taylor.  The crowd was already going crazy over Taylor Swift, but when Justin came out, OMG the screaming levels went through the roof.  Holy Moly don’t think I ever want to be present for one his concerts, can’t handle it!  It was a great night, and secretly loved it, made feel like teen girl for night again….LOL

  

Me, Taylor and Monique back stage

Thanks Monique and Covergirl for a memorable night.  Now I am ready and pumped up for my next concert…Sade!!

I Survived BlogHer11

I’m back from a crazy whirlwind weekend in San Diego, where I survived BlogHer11 conference.  It was my first time attending, beside hearing and reading a few stories about what BlogHer is about, I really didn’t know what to expect.  I arrived in San Diego Thursday afternoon and had a quick nap before heading out to my first event.  I was invited to attend a glamour suite hosted by iFabbo (International Organization for Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Bloggers) held at the trendy and hip Robert Cromeans Salon.  The guest bloggers were treated to an evening of beauty, I received a mini facial treatment with Dermolagica products, an awesome shellac manicure from CND and lovely make-up by Stila cosmetics.  I really enjoyed all the treatments by California-based brands and was able to chat with the brand reps on a one to one.  This was the only event I attended on Thursday pre-BlogHer, apparently there were many more. 

Day one of conference was an early start and I headed over to the convention center where all the magic happens.  I arrived early for a yummy breakfast to be followed by informative sessions.  Most of the day was spent getting to know the layout of the conference, I wandered around trying to see and experience as much as I physically could.  I didn’t attend as many session as planned, and used my time to meet new bloggers and interact with the brands.  My favorites were the cool lounges where you could rest, relax and have a treat provided by brands like Hershey’s, Hallmark, HTC, LG and Johnson & Johnson.  My fave was definitely the s’mores lounge by Hershey’s , where you could relax and make your own s’mores. Very yummy and fun, being able to relax and chat with fellow bloggers over some s’mores.  Day one turned into night one with several parties.  I only attended 2 un-official parties hosted offsite by brands.  Lulus.com hosted a fashion mixer at the Hard Rock Hotel Float bar, we enjoyed drinks and appetizers along with some cool prizes given away.  I was the lucky winner of 2 prizes, a cool chunky bangle bracelet and cute necklace courtesy of  Lulus.com.  After Lulu’s party my blogging buddy Monique and I walked over to the Omni hotel right across the street for the “Kick Off You Heels” launch party for Stiletto Media.  The place was a roof top lounge with great views of San Diego bay.  The party was a hit with good food, music, fun atmosphere, photo booth and the best signature Stiletto Martinis I ever had.  Let just say I am not a drinker and believe I may have had about 4 of those delish martinis! oops

Day two of  BlogHer was much of the same, exploring and getting to those things I missed on day one.  The expo was a fun place to hang out, with several brands having cool giveaway (swag) and interactive booths.  My favorite was the Skinny Cow, not only because of the yummy low-calorie treats they were giving out, but also for the crazy glam lashes application.  I went there twice and got my fake lashes on both days for the parties.  I had the longest lashes ever and loved it.  Along with the Stila make-up I wore and my long lashes I was feeling very glamorous and received many compliment on my make-up.  Now if I could only have those lashes applied everyday I would be a happy blogger looking glam, even in my pj’s.   Day two and BlogHer ended with 2 more parties for me on Saturday night.  The Social Fiesta hosted by Kmart where the Latina Blogger got to show off some of their sexy salsa moves.  The highlight of the night was most definitely the CheeseburgerHer party, sounds funny but it was the best.  Its just what it sounds like, a party where you eat cheeseburgers and fries (courtesy of McDonalds), hang out on beds and making silly paper bag hats.  Along with great music from the DJ, I danced and partied my last night at BlogHer with all my favorite bloggers and had the best time.   BlogHer 11 was definitely a memorable experience and so glad I was able to attend.  Besides the achy feet and lack of sleep, I really enjoyed my time at the conference and can proudly say I am no longer a BlogHer newbie.  See you all next year at BlogHer12 in NYC!

**Special Thanks to my sponsors for helping me get to BlogHer and making me look good.  Jenny Dayco supplied and sponsored all the jewelry I wore during BlogHer.  Covivitas.com sponsored my hotel stay and transportation to BlogHer.  Please visit www.jennydayco.com for more info on her fabulous desings and www.covivitas.com for more info on the services they offer.

BlogHer or Bust!

It’s official, I’m going to BlogHer conference in San Diego. My first time attending, and hear lots of great things about this conference. I am very excited to experience it all and happy its just a 2 hr drive away from me. So who else is going to BlogHer? What should I expect to see and hear? Anyone got any tips for me? I have been to one other blogger conference before but on a smaller scale, which was lots of fun. Now I am pumped and excited to make the best of this conference and learn new tricks and tips about blogging. Also looking to make new connections with brands and PR agencies. Of course also looking forward to meeting a bunch of new bloggers from all over the country. So if your there don’t be shy and say hello!

BlogHer Sponsors?

Now on to the sponsors, attending conferences are fun, informative and great for networking, but also expensive. I am seeking some sponsorships to help with cost and offer brand exposure in return. The following are types of sponsorships I am seeking and the services in return you will get. If you are interested please email info@veronicacid.com

Hotel Sponsor:

Hotel stay for 2 nights in San Diego Gaslamp Quarter – $400-500 (depending on hotel)

In return for sponsoring my hotel stay, a brand or company will get sponsored link on both blogs Cid Style File and VeronicaCid.com (with your logo/badge if you desire) for the entire month of August. Daily tweets (up to 5) during the conference with brand/company twitter name and facebook updates on my personal and fan page. A post on either blog (depending on the brand/company) about the brand and/or product sponsoring me. Post will be either before conference or after. Also have the option of video post on blog and youtube channel. Other options may be available and can be discussed to accommodate brand (you) and blogger (me). Please email me with your questions.

Transportation Sponsor:

Car (rental or borrow), Gas and Parking fees

I am seeking to be sponsored by a car company or rental company with a car to drive to San Diego, with gas and parking fees covered. In return BlogHer 2011 is being held in San Diego, CA which is about a 2 hour drive from my home. No need to fly when I can drive and enjoy a road trip. In return for sponsoring my transportation, a brand or company will get sponsored link on both blogs Cid Style File and VeronicaCid.com (with your logo/badge if you desire) for the entire month of August. Daily tweets (up to 5) during the conference with brand/company twitter name and facebook updates on my personal and fan page. A post on either blog (depending on the brand/company) about the brand and/or product sponsoring me. Post will be either before conference or after. Also have the option of video post on blog and youtube channel. Other options may be available and can be discussed to accommodate brand (you) and blogger (me). Please email me with your questions.

Wardrobe Sponsor:

Clothing for 2 days of conference and 2 nights of parties (4 outfits)

I am seeking sponsorship of 2 day outfits to wear for the conference and workshops and 2 evening outfits to wear to the parties. Open to either having 1 brand/retailer sponsor all 4 outfits or 4 individual sponsors for each outfit. In return for sponsoring my wardrobe, a brand or company will get sponsored link on both blogs Cid Style File and VeronicaCid.com (with your logo/badge if you desire) for the entire month of August. Daily tweets (up to 5) during the conference with brand/company twitter name and facebook updates on my personal and fan page. Post with photos and/or video of entire outfit with details of what I wore on each day (I am a fashion blogger after all!) after conference. Other options may be available and can be discussed to accommodate brand (you) and blogger (me). Please email me with your questions.

I am open to other forms of sponsorship and ideas such as giveaway of products on blogs or during conference to other attendees. Please email me with your ideas or offers for sponsorships. You will get double exposure as I am offering to use both blogs as avenues for 1 rate of sponsorship.

Thank you!

Veronica Cid