Oh boy! It is really heating up around here. The sun is out in full force and the weather has changed from drab to fab. All of this summery weather can make it a little difficult to stay inside the office all week long. Sometimes you just want to escape the indoors and take pleasure in the gorgeous weather. This inspired me to look for fun summer items that can be enjoyed outdoors. So check these out:

Getting down and dirty can be really fun with Absorbent, Ink’s excellent selection of garden tools sets. They are excellent gifts for gardening enthusiasts and make doing yard work convenient and even fun! It is so relaxing to dig around in the dirt, grow your own plants and just enjoy nature. It is important to step away from the office, turn off the computer and put your green thumb to use every now and then.

I have to admit that two of my favorite things are food and the great outdoors. What better way to spend a weekend afternoon than enjoying both at once! Pack up one of these picnic sets and head to the park or beach for a wonderful day of fun in the sun. I love picking a scenic location, getting out the blanket and just relaxing with a picnic basket full of goodies. Personalized picnic sets would make a really memorable gift that packs a big promotional punch.

If grilling for the gang is more up your alley, check out Absorbent’s selection of personalized barbecue sets. Throwing meat and veggies on the grill, hanging around the pool and drinking cold beverages with friends is the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon. The grill masters in your life would love receiving custom barbecue sets any time of the year. So, throw another shrimp on the barbie and get to grilling away!

Just can’t pull yourself away from the office? Absorbent, Ink also carries a great selection of unique corporate gifts to keep morale high in the office. Co-workers will love receiving personalized desk items, business card holders and other great gifts to decorate the office.

Go have fun in the sun!

Best wishes,
Abby Ink

Can I just say that I love love love football season?! I’m a bit of a fanatic. Honestly, it’s kind of sad. But I just love the atmosphere. The slightly chilly weather, the cheer of the crowd – and of course, the tailgating festivities. How could you not love all that?

We all get a little college football crazy around the Absorbent, Ink. offices. We’re mostly Kansas Jayhawks fans, but there is at least one K-State Wildcat and one Nebraska Husker on staff who are fanatics for their own teams. The rivalries can be pretty intense – but we still love them, anyway!

I started this post because I just watched the promo video for my team’s 2009 season and I must say, it got me pumped. Not only because I think it’s gonna be a great year (Champs ’09! Woot!) but also because it’s another season to show off my great Absorbent, Ink. items for tailgating and spirit wear.

Before any game, we will probably be eating, drinking and lounging at the tailgate with friends. If you’ve got a great group of friends or clients, you can personalize products to commemorate the season. It’s essential to have a lounge chair, a cooler, and depending on who’s grilling, an apron complete with grill utensils. A larger group of family, friends and clients could show their spirit in loud style with inflatable noise makers. Also, lanyards will show our spirit while making sure no one loses their keys in the stands. How sweet!

Now that I have all my Absorbent, Ink. spirit gear and tailgating props, I’m fully ready to cheer the ‘Hawks on! All these items can be printed to have any logo on them, so the options are limitless. With all this spirit, I hope your team will win a few games too!

Rock chalk!

Abby Ink

Here’s a little puzzle for you.

How do the following go together: origami cranes, etched wedding glasses and a Snoopy mug.

Give up?

It’s a small sampling of the things I found when cleaning out some old boxes yesterday. I have to admit, I’m a little bit of a “collector.” (In other words, I’m a packrat!)

After going through the sentimentality that the origami cranes brought back, I started to reminisce about my best friend’s wedding (no, not the movie). It was such a lovely wedding. We spent the night eating, dancing in a conga line and yes, even dancing the cha-cha slide.

At the end of the night she handed each guest the coolest goody bags – all personalized by Absorbent, Ink.! The bag was full of items decorated with the happy couple’s names and wedding date. I left with a customized match box, champagne flutes and a candle, all in a customized tote bag. I also happened to take my customized napkin. Don’t make fun – yes, I saved my napkin – unused of course! I thought the gifts were a really lovely way to not only thank the guests for coming, but to celebrate the couple’s new life together.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must try to find someone who is dying for a Snoopy mug.

Ever the collector,

Abby Ink

April showers … carry on over through May, through June and sometimes even July, make it frustrating to enjoy what are supposed to be hot, lazy summer afternoons. Depending on your locale, a “hot, lazy summer afternoon” may actually end up being unusually cool or involve an unexpected torrential downpour. And we’re all in the same boat when it comes to being under-prepared for the rain – the same wet, annoying and slippery boat.

It’s happened countless times to all of us – we run out of the house failing to check the forecast and get caught in the rain without a jacket, umbrella or even a plastic covering for our heads (channeling older ladies!). There’s really not a lot worse than getting caught in a rainstorm when you are entirely unprepared – frizzy hair, wet suits and overall exasperation will ensue. BTW, you think yours is bad; you should see MY hair when it rains!

That said, Absorbent, Ink. has a number of rain protectors to consider. What better way to promote your company than by dropping your logo onto an umbrella? When you keep people dry, you’ve got a friend for life! Not only will you indirectly be protecting your current and potential clients, you will be saying to the world, “Hey, we know how awful it is to be unexpectedly rained on during your lunch hour. Let us help keep you dry!” The message can be big and bold on a Tsunami Vented Umbrella. Or, Absorbent, Ink. offers Budget Mini Windy Umbrellas, mini-er than usual umbrellas that fold down to a size small enough to fit in a roomy purse or briefcase or under a car seat, ready for action.

Suppose your recipients may not want to carry around an umbrella? There are plenty more ways to keep them dry – and spread your message or brand around. Check out Absorbent Ink.’s PVC Rain Coats. Affordable and incredibly useful, these lightweight rain coats are available in either a clear or a black surface color. Easy to tote around and scrunch up into a bag, PVC Rain Coats will come in handy in protecting your clients against Mother Nature and all she has to offer.

Here’s to hoping none of our Fourth of July weekend plans are ruined by unexpected and untimely rainfall, unlike the U.S. Open in Bethpage, N.Y., last week. Just in case, let your clients know that they can stand under your umbrella-ella-ella.

Stay dry,

Abby Ink.

I just read an article that talked about promotional products that businesses can hand out. It was an interesting read, but the items discussed were quite generic and lacked the oomph a product needs to really get your message “carried away.” It’s summertime! Give them something they can use right now!

You’ll want your recipients to appreciate your promotional products and remember your business (that’s what it’s all about, right?). To achieve this, there are two things you absolutely have to remember: be timely and topical. Recipients should be able to use the products as soon as they receive them. For that to happen, it is essential to tie your products in with current events or seasonal trends.

For starters, since summer has finally arrived, your customers are going to start dusting off their barbecue grills and picnic paraphernalia. Why not dish out some folding chairs or insulated coolers (imprinted with your logo, of course) that they can use right now! And don’t be afraid to bend the rules a little; maybe your message would be better imprinted on an ice scraper if you are trying to keep it cool.

If you would like to give something that is more affordable, but useful all the same, then products that might suit you include water jugs, sunglasses, sunscreen lotions…. Whatever your budget, Absorbent, Ink. has something to suit you and your recipients during any season.

Calendars are creeping toward April 15, which means federal and state tax returns are due very soon. We know filing a tax return can sometimes be a daunting task. That’s why tax preparers are always encouraging workers to file early before the deadline catches anyone by surprise. Whether you are a tax preparer or employer, it is important to remind workers to file their taxes before April 15. Promotional products and corporate gifts can serve as great reminder tools.

Tax preparers looking to attract customers can hand out Patriotic Stress Balls with an imprinted brand logo and message. Stress balls shaped as the Statue of Liberty or painted like the American flag are fun, reusable items. They remind workers that tax preparation can be a lot less stressful with a little help.

Employers can hand out Calculators to remind employees about the April 15 deadline. It’s a practical item that everyone will need to prepare taxes.

A Coffee Mug is also an effective year-round reminder. Full color mugs are highly noticeable and are versatile items than can be used in the office and at home.

Spring is right around the corner, which means students are just waiting to close their textbooks and hit the warm beaches or cool slopes. Spring Break is the time for students and their families to escape bleak winter weather or to relax at new and exciting locales. Businesses that can’t reach their consumers at these Spring Break hot spots can use promotional products to keep their brand image on consumers’ minds even while they travel! Imprinting your brand’s logo on these products can remind consumers of your brand during their Spring Break escape.

- A Travel Vanity Bag is a great item for women or men who need a handy and space-saving bag to hold all their toiletry items.

-Duffel Bags are useful promotional products that generate extra brand exposure. Not only will your clients be reminded of your brand, other people at airports and hotels who see the imprinted logo will be exposed to the brand, as well.

-An imprinted Travel Toothbrush is an item consumers use day and night and is a sure way to keep your brand on consumers’ minds.