One of the greatest accomplishments anyone can achieve in life is earning a college degree. Not only is it a big deal for the grad, but it can be so emotional for friends and family, too!

This is something I got to experience yesterday. Back in March, I mentioned that I planned to give my grad a Church Hill Classics frame and the day finally arrived when we were able to attend his Dartmouth commencement and present the gift.

It’s hard to describe all the emotions I felt: pride, love, awe, and yes, even a little bit of sadness that he’s all grown up and now going off on his own—either to graduate school or possibly the Peace Corps! I am so amazed at how he has matured into a wonderful young man with such a giving spirit.

You can see from his big grin how excited he was to receive it and surprised, too.

I want him to remember this special day always and what better way than with a custom frame for his diploma. There are many frame companies out there, but Church Hill Classics is extraordinary. They help graduates preserve and showcase those hard-earned diplomas with officially licensed frames. With all of their diploma frames handcrafted in the USA, Church Hill Classics offers an extensive selection of custom frame styles for more than 1,500 colleges and universities. Shoppers can choose from frames featuring unique, color-enameled medallions of the school seal or athletic logo, beautiful campus images, foil embossing of the school name and/or seal and even an opening for a tassel. Customize your frame with different frame moulding and matting options to get exactly what you like. There’s something to meet everyone’s personal style! (Did I mention that the company’s founder is also a Dartmouth grad? Love that!)

After all of the time and money spent earning that degree, no diploma should end up in a drawer, forgotten about, or even destroyed (this can too easily happen, as a recent survey conducted by The Motherhood uncovered that 56 percent of respondents never framed their own diploma). In ten years, a grad may forget receiving cash or other gifts, but he or she will always enjoy their own custom frame.

Interested in ordering your own frame? Through July 13, Church Hill Classics is offering free shipping on any product. Use promo code HK55F at checkout.

And don’t forget to enter their Proudest Moments Contest for the chance to win a cash prize. Simply submit your photo along with your accompanying description that explains why this moment is special to you. The contest will be open until August 5.

This post is part of the blogger program by Church Hill Classics and The Motherhood, who compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are my own.

This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Family reunions are more popular than you might think! According to a survey that CustomInk sent to customers who purchased custom apparel for their family reunions, 43% of respondents said their family reunions have 56+ attendees varying in ages from 1 month old to 75+ years of age. And 41% said that they have reunions once a year, with 45% having one once every 2-4 years.

Activities engaged in at family reunions ranges, but most popular are: taking family portraits (70%), playing family games (56%) and sporting games (43%).

Many families up their activity game by purchasing custom gear for the reunion, with 96% creating custom t-shirts and 15% creating custom drinkware (water bottles, koozies, etc.).

Time away with family is valuable. More than half (52%) of survey respondents said that their families travel between 50-250 miles, with 67% traveling over 250 miles. Additionally, a majority (57%) of reunions last for an entire weekend or for an entire week (23%).

If you are planning a family reunion or special gathering between July 22, 2015 and October 31, 2015, you should definitely enter CustomInk’s Family Reunion contest. You’ll get a chance to win $1,500 to celebrate family togetherness, custom products from CustomInk, and access to a professional photographer that will capture moments at your family event (grand prize valued at $4,000).

Here are some details:

• Upload a photo of yourself and at least three family members (submission period begins 6/4/2015 at 9:00am EST and ends 6/25/2015 at 11:59pm EST).
• Then, in 150 words or less, tell CustomInk how you would use $1,500 from CustomInk to help unite your family this year.
• Each submission will be judged based upon the following criteria: Photo and photo description, family togetherness, group spirit, creativity/originality, and fan votes (fans can vote once every 24 hours).

 
For more details, check out their Facebook Page.

This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Attention business owners! Did you know you can reach new shoppers by selling on Pinterest with “Buy It” buttons? Optimized for the mobile experience, Pinners can now choose to purchase an item they love without leaving the site. Learn more about how Shopify has partnered with Pinterest so that you can truly sell anywhere.

This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Be honest. Have you ever used a phone with a cracked screen? If so, you’ve engaged in unprotected text, a very risky activity. But all is not lost. As a part of their Stop the Spread of #unprotectedtext campaign, Gazelle is giving you the opportunity to bare your soul on their Facebook page! 

In 50 words or less, share your story about how you broke your phone and why you continued to use it. Be sure to use hashtag #unprotectedtext and @Gazelle in your social post. 

When you post, you’ll be automatically entered to win a Gazelle Certified pre-owned iPhone or iPad.

Now is your opportunity to help stop this epidemic from spreading!