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Hawaii? Or Heaven?

By beckyb | Published: January 25, 2012

2011 was such an AMAZING year for Sock It to Me that we decided a little celebration was in order.  And what better way to celebrate all of our hard work than a team trip to Hawaii?!?!  So we packed our bags and took off for a long weekend in Maui, which turned out to be just the R&R we needed after a super hectic holiday season.

Of course, we have many awesome memories (some not appropriate for a blog post!), but the highlight of everyone’s trip definitely has to be the Skyline Zipline.  We were all a little nervous about it at first, but after that first trek thousands of feet above the valley floor, we shook off the jitters (and the cocktails probably helped a bit too!).

 

Check out that view!

Getting ready for take-off!

Kisa ziplining in our Giraffe socks!

As if that experience wasn’t exhilarating enough, Kisa, Amber, and Jacob decided to tack on a little extra excitement during their road trip to go hiking in the National Park.  The GPS showed an alternate route to the park that took them through a part of the island we hadn’t explored before – which seemed like the perfect opportunity for a little sight seeing.  Instead, they found themselves on a one-lane highway climbing the side of a mountain with rocky cliffs on one side and a steep plunge into the jungle on the other.  Needless to say, the gas pedal was not used once on their impromptu trip.  Luckily, they managed to make it to the top, although a couple hours late and a bit nauseous from the journey.  For anyone thinking about visiting Maui soon, heed Amber’s advice: “Rethink the scenic route.”

Other than those two adventures (one planned and one not so planned), the trip was full of rest, relaxation, and cocktails. :)   Whenever the Sock It to Me team gets together, there’s plenty of food and drinks to go around.  If anyone’s hitting up the islands soon, make sure to try the Kalua pork salad with mango chutney and the beef teriyaki and wash it down with some of our favorite drink choices: a Lava Flow (pina colada with grenadine!), a Mai Tai (got to have a classic on the list), or Nummers (a brilliant concoction made from pineapple juice, vodka, and Malibu rum). Hmmmm, we are thirsty just thinking about these yummy cocktails!

Check out some more of the great photos from our Hawaiian getaway!

 

Kisa posing for a picture

Amber in her festive Hawaiian shirt

Carrie preparing the feast

Breakthtaking, isn't it?

Did we miss anything on our trip to Maui?  Let us know about your adventures to Hawaii, and what we should check out next time!

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From Humble Beginnings to Sock Dream Success

By beckyb | Published: January 19, 2012

Every now and then, it’s good to step back from your daily routine, take a look at how far you’ve come, and appreciate the journey along the way.  Way back when, Sock It to Me was just a small booth at the local weekend market in Portland.  Today, Sock It to Me socks can be found in retailers across the globe, as well as on the feet of many celebrities, including Avril Lavigne, Janeane Garafalo, Kimya Dawson, Chicago Bulls’ star Derrick Rose, and SF Giants pitcher Brian Wilson.

Who better to remind you of your humble beginnings than those who were actually there?!  The Lincoln Journal Star (the main newspaper in Carrie’s hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska) recently posted an amazing story detailing the entire history of Carrie’s early entrepreneurial endeavors (Can you picture a cute, little Carrie manning her lemonade stand on the side of the road?!) and the early stages of Sock It to Me.

You don’t want to miss this!  Check out the article here: http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/trends/fashion-and-style/lincoln-native-s-sock-business-is-taking-giant-steps/article_2fce466c-d425-5732-a14d-8cc56581a786.html.

Interestingly, just after the awesome feature in the Lincoln Journal Star reminded us of our humble beginnings, one of our Twitter friends showed us just how far we’ve come.  Who’s a Project Runway fan?!?!  Denver fashion designer, Mondo Guerra, sported our knee-high “Glasses” socks on an All-Star episode!

Send some Sock It to Me love to @LoveMondoTrasho for getting our styles on the runway!

Although there’s certainly always room for growth, we’re extremely proud of Sock It to Me’s success so far and can’t wait to see where we go in the future!  Have you seen our Sock It to Me’s out and about?  Let us know by emailing us at press@sockittome.com!

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By beckyb | Published: January 12, 2012

Hello 2012!   We managed to successfully survive the end-of-year chaos and squeeze in a little rest & relaxation over the holidays.  But now that the ball has dropped, the confetti’s been swept up, and the champagne bottles have been emptied it’s time to recharge our batteries and jump right in to another crazy, exciting year at Sock It to Me!

We LOVE New Year’s (and not just for the party hats and bazookas), but because it lets us take a step back and think about all the things we want to do differently moving forward.  Like almost everyone else out there that resigns themselves to New Year’s resolutions, we plan on improving ourselves in 2012 – and not just by dropping weights (although a few pounds would be awfully nice).  Instead, we’ve come up with a couple of other ways for a “better you” to kick off the new year.

Amber wants to snazz up her wardrobe a little and start dressing more professional so that people will take her more seriously and she’ll feel better about herself.  She even went out and bought her first expensive blazer (and we’re sure it looks amazing on her!).  “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”  We’re not sure who originally said it, but it’s a good motto to live by.  Who doesn’t love bumming around all day in sweats and a t-shirt?!  But there’s definitely a time and a place for that (preferably in your own house or the gym), and it always feels good to dress your best.  Try it and let us know how it goes – bet it’s an instant pick-me-up!

Unfortunately, Santa didn’t deliver this year for Jacob, and he didn’t find a jet pack or a teleportation device under the Christmas tree.  As an alternative, he plans on tuning up his bike and join the club of bike riders each morning by riding into work everyday.  Saves the environment and helps get in a little exercise each day – two birds with one stone, right?

Carrie’s resolution is just to become healthier in general – which may not sound like a lot, but she’s trying for a complete lifestyle change.  She’s upping her weekly gym visits from 2 to 3 or 4 (building the muscle for the next truck unloading!).  Additionally, she’s making a few changes in the kitchen – healthier foods, more veggies, less processed foods – the whole she-bang.

You’ll see quite a few changes at Sock It to Me this year also.  We’ve got several amazing, new styles launching soon, but we’re also looking to add a little diversity to the line as well.  Stay tuned for the crazy designs we’ll come out with this year!

We’d love to hear your New Year’s resolutions!  Feel free to send them in, or give us a little inspiration on ours (it’s always good to hear from people running the same race as you!).  We’ll keep you updated on our progress!  Wishing you all a Happy New Year, and good luck on your resolutions!

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Contest WINNER: Favorite Holiday Traditions

By beckyb | Published: December 20, 2011

Amid the hustle & bustle of the busy holiday season, we absolutely loved taking a break to read about YOUR favorite holiday traditions!  From Christmas cookies to the Nutcracker ballet to good times with great friends, hearing about all the awesome ways you spread your holiday cheer with family & friends allowed us to take a step back, and remember what this time of year is all about.

With so many great traditions (and we’re suckers for traditions around here), it was very hard to pick just one winner, but….

Congratulations to our “Favorite Holiday Traditions” contest winner, Rachael Telford, for her inspired – and inspiring – Christmas tree decorations!  Rachael kept the holiday spirit alive during the financially strained times at the beginning of her marriage by adorning her tree with random items around the house, includingHalloween buckets and skulls!  (How Tim Burton of her, right!?!)

Even though times are easier now for Rachael, she still decorates the tree with those very same ornaments to remind her that even when it feels like there’s not enough, she’s able to pull in the unexpected to make something spectacular.

Check out pictures of the amazing tree on her blog:  http://onmyowntwohands.blogspot.com/2010/12/tree-part-three.html.

Because there were so many great entries, we had to share just a couple more of our favorites with you! It’s a pretty common tradition to build gingerbread houses, but Ashley Bell and her crew add a little competition into the mix.  Everyone starts with a teammate and one cup of candy and – voila! – creativity ensues!  Last year, Ashley’s team constructed a castle, and the year before that they took on the task of completing a Japanese pagoda!  We’re all pretty bummed that we didn’t get to see photographic evidence of Ashley and her team’s works of art, so instead we cured our curiosity with a little Google search.

Take a peak at some of the outrageous gingerbread house designs we found!

Photo Credit: OR4N6E

Photo Credit: http://blog.asd103.org/kboardman/

Photo Credit: www.toptenz.net

We had NO idea that gingerbread houses could be so complex! (Kind of makes those “masterpieces” we made when we were kids seem less remarkable now.)  Not to worry – blue prints have already been drawn up for next year’s gingerbread mansion!

Jessica Alexander also shared her newly-discovered holiday tradition – touring all of the Christmas lights around town.  However, she doesn’t do it in the traditional “pack-the-family-in-the-car” kind of way.  As the 2011 New Belgium Brewing Tour de Fat “Car for Bike Trader” for Los Angeles, Jessica recently traded in her car for a new set of wheels (well, really just 2 wheels).  Now that her new mode of transportation has her slowing down a bit, she gives her own self-guided “Holiday Lights Tour” every night on her way home from work.  To learn more about her year pedaling around town, read her blog at http://ofbikesandbeers.tumblr.com/.

As if she doesn’t get enough exercise biking everywhere, she also joined a few running groups and recently ran in the Holiday Half Marathon in Pomona, CA.  We LOVE her festive costume complete with Sock It to Me’s green bike socks!

Many thanks to everyone who shared their favorite holiday traditions!  We hope you all have a fun, fabulous & festive holiday break, and we can’t wait to catch up with you in the NEW year!

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Holiday Festivities = Holiday Feast!

By beckyb | Published: December 16, 2011

In just a short week and a half, the holiday season will be in full swing, and we can barely contain our excitement – or our stomachs!  Of course, the holidays just wouldn’t be the same without the whole she-bang, but when we really get down to it, our appetites trump all (because we obviously didn’t get enough at Thanksgiving!).  The festive decorations, friends and family gatherings, gift exchanges, and annual traditions are just icing on the cake, but a holiday just isn’t really a holiday without the delicious treats!

Now that we’ve got your stomachs rumbling along with ours, we wanted to share some of our favorite holiday dishes.  Maybe you can even add a couple to your meal plan!  Make sure you send us an email at press@sockittome.com to let us know how it turns out!  Or send in your own favorite holiday recipe for us to try out!

Matt‘s mom (or, I mean, Santa) kept it simple and sweet with his Christmas goodies.  For more than 25 years (and, yes – he does still get a stocking every year from his mom), Matt receives a pound of Peanut M&M’s.  Talk about a chocolate overload! We could be eating M&M’s for weeks! (Although, now that we think about it, that doesn’t sound too bad…)

Jacob‘s favorite holiday food is also pretty simple – although neither Santa nor his mom necessarily approve of his choice of snack.  He has fond memories of the black olives his Grandma served as an appetizer (although we’re pretty sure his mom doesn’t remember these times quite as fondly).  He would prance around the house with an olive on each finger until the entire bowl was gone- much to his mom’s dismay.  What’s wrong with a little bad manners as long as you’re creating memories?! (But we sure do hope the tradition stopped in his childhood; it might not go over so well for a grown man to be sucking olives off of his fingers!)

While Matt’s devouring pounds of chocolate, Kisa is getting her lion’s share of sugar!  For Kisa, Christmas and cookies have become synonymous, and her mom still mails her batches of her delicious, home-baked cookies every year.  With dozens and dozens of holiday cookies – including chocolate crinkles, thumbprint cookies with homemade raspberry jam, seven layer bars, sugar cookies in holiday shapes, chocolate peanut butter cookies, and Russian teacakes (her favorite!) – it sounds like Cookie Heaven!

In true Sock It to Me form, Carrie‘s favorite holiday goodies comes more in the form of an adult beverage.  As an added bonus, she’s not too picky either – pretty much any type of holiday-flavored drink will do, from Hot Toddy’s to eggnog.  One of her all-time favorite though is hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps.  Food isn’t the only way to a girl’s heart! ;)

Amber‘s favorite holiday grub comes straight from the Aloha State!  As a native Hawaiian, she loves to chow down on purple sweet potato casserole during the holidays!  (Sounds so Hawaiian!)  Check out the recipe for this scrumptious dish here: http://www.food.com/recipe/okinawan-purple-sweet-potato-pie-with-haupia-topping-359757.  Feel free to mix it up a bit too!  Amber suggests trading out the haupia with grated coconut and making it as a casserole instead of a pie.  Let us know how it turns out!

Wishing you all a very merry holiday season, and a stomach full of an amazing holiday feast!  Send us an email with your favorite holiday recipes that we can try out this year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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