We have a winner!!

Congratulations to Jessica H. - you won the Mall of America Shopping Experience from Operation Relax!! :) Thank you to all of my wonderful followers who entered. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Small Business Saturday 2012!

Support your favorite small businesses and skip the big box stores!

This November 24th is Small Business Saturday®, a day to celebrate and support the local small businesses that boost the economy and invigorate neighborhoods across the country. In the United States, small businesses provide over half of the nation's employment - and that's no small feat!

Operation Relax is proud to take part in Small Business Saturday, and we’re encouraging everyone to Shop Small® here on November 24th. Plus, we’re having a special Small Business Saturday offer! Come meet owner Jess at local family-owned restaurant Crystal Jade for a Sandal's Resort seminar, where you can learn about how Sandals and Beaches resorts make the best vacations, sip $1 Mai Thai Martinis courtesy of Crystal Jade, and enter to win a beach prize pack. Gift certificates will also be available for purchase to help keep Operation Relax and Crystal Jade up and running throughout the holiday season. If you have a Facebook account, please also support our businesses by "liking" our Facebook pages and RSVP-ing to our event:
Operation Relax Facebook Page
Crystal Jade Facebook Page
Small Business Saturday Event RSVP

Even if you can't make it to our event, get out there, Shop Small, and let’s make this November 24th the biggest day of the year for small business.

To learn more, visit ShopSmall.com.

Just in time for the Holidays - Mall of America Shopping Experience!!

It's hard to believe it's already November - which means in two weeks, I'll be graduating with my Master's of Science in Management from Bellevue University! Sorry about neglecting my blog lately but life has been a bit hectic to say the least. ;)

So let me kick off my return to the blog with a HUGE GIVEAWAY! How does a shopping experience at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN sound? Get your shopping done before the holidays and avoid the lines with this great prize pack!

One winner will receive : a $50 gift card toward a hotel stay in Bloomington when booked through Operation Relax; a 20 Years of Fun 2012 Mall of America Coupon book with hundreds of dollars worth of coupons and freebies; a 2012 Mall of America Map and Directory booklet; a coupon sheet and Mystery Ticket (good for one ride, a day's worth of rides, or a year's worth of rides - scanned at the counter to determine what you've won) for Nickelodeon Universe; a Minneapolis-St Paul Official Visitor's Guide; a Minneapolis Visitor Map; a Metro Transit Hiawatha Line rail schedule; and a Minneapolis luggage tag!!

What it does not include: transportation to/from Bloomington; transportation while in Bloomington; or the full hotel reservation, which you will still have to make depending on your preferences.

But it's still a huge gift! I'm only going to run this contest until my graduation on November 17th - then draw the winner as my graduation gift! So spread the word and let everyone know that this is a limited time offer.


Good luck and happy holidays!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Business Goods Giveaway!

I figured it's about time for another great giveaway - and boy do I have a doozy for you all! :) I was recently approached by a wonderful guy named Nathan that noticed I like to purchase business promotional products, and he asked if I would give his companies a try. Since I'm always on the lookout for a good deal, I didn't hesitate to say yes! His companies include Magnets on the Cheap, Signs on the Cheap, and Easy Canvas Prints. I ordered two car magnets, two yard signs, and a canvas from him, and here's what I thought of the products:
Magnets on the Cheap Car Magnets

I loved how the site was easy to use, though I felt a bit limited by their templates. I didn't have time to play around with the features much, but I think that if you are a creative type you could probably just create your own design and it would be great. The prices seemed very reasonable and comparable to who I usually purchase through. When they arrived, I was impressed by how sturdy they were - usually the magnets I order tend to be a bit on the flimsy side.
Signs on the Cheap Cheap Signs

Once again, the site was straightforward and easy to use. I had a little more time when I ordered these, so I played around and actually used their clipart and some designing to create my own sign templates that were fun and colorful. The pricing once again seemed to be at the industry average - but when I received them, I realized one important thing: through this site, you have to order the sign stands separately! I had assumed the signs would just automatically come with stands (as they do with my current sign supplier) so now I have two gorgeous signs and no way to display them until I get in there to order the stands for them. :( You live, you learn! So if you want to order signs, make sure to order the stands as well.
Easy Canvas Prints Photos On Canvas

I loved the various options and sizes to choose from - even within sizes there are options for wrapping the image on the sides of the canvas or having it painted or blank... just lots of options! The site was easy to use, and it was hard to narrow it down to just one picture. That being said, I had a whole TON of problems finding an image that worked for them! I put my order in, and got a message letting me know the image wasn't the right quality. So I sent another; that also got rejected. This happened two more times - even with pictures that were the best quality I had available! I'm someone who mostly uses the camera on my phone (which, by the way, is better quality than the older digital camera we own) so I ran into a lot of problems. I finally just ended up going to Flickr and finding an incredible image by a great artist and using it (and yes, it's legal because I'm not selling it and I'm giving the artist full credit for it). So I will say that it's a little bit of a pain if you don't own what they would consider to be "high quality" images! However, the site was the best out of the three - it was even integrated with Facebook and Twitter, and had options for winning a giveaway with them. I plan on doing a giveaway in the future to allow one of my lucky readers the chance to win this fun canvas print!

Now that you've read about my experiences, it's time for YOU to get the chance to try out these great businesses! :) There will be a whopping FOUR winners for this giveaway: one will win a $50 gift card to Magnets on the Cheap; one will win a $30 gift card to Signs on the Cheap; one will win a FREE 8x10 Canvas with an image of their choice on it; and one will win a $40 gift card to Banners on the Cheap (who I didn't review, but I'm sure they have great items!) Banners.

Enter away! You have until August 31 to enter, and several of these entries can be done daily. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's a Christmas in July Sale!!

That's right - you no longer have to wait until the last minute to get the perfect gift for a loved one in your life - send them on vacation! :) Book travel anytime between now and midnight on August 1st, 2012 and receive the following gifts:

- Book and fully pay for any type of travel for 2012 or 2013, receive a free mystery gift!
- Book and make the first deposit for any type of travel in 2013, receive a free mystery gift!
- Book and deposit any Celebrity Cruise sailing in 2012, receive a free mystery gift PLUS an onboard savings coupon book worth over $200!
- Book and put down a deposit of at least $100 for the Bookish Babes in the Bahamas cruise in May of 2013 to receive one eBook or hard copy book from each of the following authors: Coral Russell, Teri Guiliano Long, Heather Huffman, and Monica Leonelle - great for reading before you go on the cruise to meet the authors themselves! Plus you will receive a FREE listing at http://www.operationrelax.com/2013-bookish-babes-in-the-bahamas.html if you are the owner of a book review blog or author blog, AND you will get a free eBook copy of Jessica Buike's short story Twin Rivers AND you will receive a free mystery gift!

Plus, EVERY BOOKING ENTERS YOU TO WIN A $50 GAS GIFT CARD!! No limitations - each individual booking will enter your name into a random drawing to win a $50 gas gift card. There will be ONE winner for this special gift.

Hurry and get in on this great offer while you can - visit www.operationrelax.com to get started building your dream vacation today!