iPhone Photo Case Shutterfly Giveaway and a Review of Blue Ribbon Pizza (Encinitas, CA)

iPhone shots from Blue Ribbon Pizzeria - Encinitas, CA

It's not often that I'm the really cool girl in the room, however, last weekend I was all that and more.  Decked out in my dance mom best, my iPhone was thrust into my front hip pocket with just a portion of the back visible.  Less than five minutes after entering the dressing room, one of the girls pointed and said, "Wow!  What's on your phone?".

I had forgotten about my new Shutterfly iPhone Case featuring none other than myself... well, myself and my family.  Pulling my phone out of my pocket it was immediately grabbed and I didn't see it back for nearly half an hour as it was passed around the room filled with nearly 40 dance girls all donning makeup and costumes for their weekend competition.  Smiling, I have to admit I did enjoy the "Wow!  That is totally cool!",  "Whose phone is that?", and  "I've never seen anything like that!"  comments that were exclaimed over and over from the girls and moms alike.  I heard at least a dozen, "Mom... you HAVE to get me one of these!", and also had numerous queries from the moms as to where I had purchased my ultra cool cover.

Once again, Shutterfly (my favorite online photo spot - love the photo books and gifts) is on the cutting edge of coolness (just like me...) with this new iPhone Photo Case.  Customizable to feature up to three photos, background designs, words or a mixture of all of the above, you can have a case that is all you.  Literally... it can be all you on the back of your iPhone.

While I designed numerous cases before choosing my favorite family version, I'd really love to have different cases for different occasions.  Dance Mom mode?  I would need a cover filled with Liv's leaps and kicks.  Liv Life blog event?  I'd definitely need a case featuring photos from some of my best posts.  Vacation?  That one would be ideal to feature shots from my last trip.  And last but not least, I'd need a Maltese case to feature my spoiled little white fluffs when walking them along the beach.

Edited 12/10/12 - while we love the look of our iPhone case, I don't think I can vouch for iPhone protection.  The case is a hard shell and does indeed protect from scratches, however the first time our phone was dropped the glass shattered.  Great looking, but perhaps not the most protective in the case of durability...

As we are all positively attached to our phones and toting said phones to our each and every event, the improved quality of the iPhone photos has grown to be acceptable enough to catch what we would have missed without planning ahead to bring a camera.

The Blue Ribbon... Mozzarella, tomato sauce & Basil

For example... stopping in at Blue Ribbon Pizzaeria, in Encinitas, CA, just a few weeks ago I knew at first taste that this was a restaurant I needed share.  Unfortunately my camera was home, but my husband suggested using my phone.  Whipping it out I began shooting our food and low and behold the shots turned out darn well, especially considering my light was fairly low.

Located in coastal Encinitas, California, this small establishment makes pizza the way it should be made.  Featuring organic ingredients and supporting local farms, breweries and businesses, the restaurant not only serves fabulous fresh food, but does it in a way that they can be proud of.

With dough that undergoes a 3 day fermentation process, the pizza crust is thin and crisp, especially after baking in a true wood burning oven.  The mozzarella is hand stretched daily in house, and the sausage is house-made from sustainable Berkshire Pork.

Bruschetta... just like Italy!

A special treat, the Heirloom Seeded Black Seed Popcorn with Truffle Salt and Parmigiano Romano is absolutely irresistible.  My other favorite, the Rustic Bread Bruschetta with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Saba, reminds me of my days in Rome while dining below the Colosseum, and the BLT - Butter Lettuce Salad with Artisan Bacon, Bread Crumbs and Cherry Tomatoes has me craving my greens.

And then there is the pizza.  Whether your taste is plain cheese, all meat, or purely vegetarian, Blue Ribbon will make you happy.  While my favorite is simple cheese with cherry tomatoes, basil and a few sprigs of arugula, my father in law is partial to the "My Father" (Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Fennel Sausage, Pepperoni and Red Onion).  Looking for something a little different from the norm?  How about the Signature - EVOO, Fresh Mozzarella, Ricotta, Lemon Zest, Red Onion and Basil?

Eel River Porter

Which brings us to the beverage portion of the menu.  My dad always says, "You can't have good pizza without good beer", and at Blue Ribbon your choices are excellent.  Featuring local Southern California brewers such as Ballast Point, Stone Brewing and Eel River, your tastes are covered.   In addition, a wine list covering California as well as Italy, France and Argentinia is sure to pleasure your palate.

Last but not least, Blue Ribbon offers only one dessert, a decadent Butterscotch Pudding with a Caramel Sauce that is worth each and every calorie.  The Blue Ribbon staff has kindly posted the recipe on their web site and thankfully I've so far resisted making this heavenly concoction at home as I'm fairly certain I'd eat nearly the whole thing.

If you happen to find yourself in our coastal San Diego, make time for a stop at Blue Ribbon.  The ideal finale after a long day at Legoland or Sea World, Blue Ribbon will be the perfect finish to your day.

Butterscotch Pudding.  Yes, I ate the whole thing...

Shutterfly iPhone Case Giveaway
(Giveaway is closed....)

Liv Life is thrilled to be sponsored by Shutterfly to give two lucky winners customizable iPhone Photo Cases of their own (we have one more case to giveaway and will run another giveaway in a few weeks!).

Chosen at random from the responses below, you just might be the lucky winner who gets to choose what photos you will put on your case.  Will it be food?  Family?  Pets? or all of the above?

To Enter:

Up to 5 entries possible (Please leave an email address if you do not link to a blog) AND please leave a separate comment for EACH entry.

1.  Leave a comment telling us what photos you would feature on your Shutterfly iPhone Case.
2. Like Liv Life on Facebook and make a post about this giveaway.
3. Life Shutterfly on Facebook
4. Like Liv Life on Twitter (@livlifetoo) and tweet about this giveaway.
5. Pin any photo from this post to Pinterest (You can like us there too if you like!).

This Giveaway closes at 2 PM (PST) on Sunday, May 13, 2012.  The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond.  If we do not receive a response to our email within 48 hours another winner will be chosen.

After confirmation, Shutterly will credit your Shutterfly account with one iPhone Photo Case, the creation is up to you!  We will have two winners.

Thanks to Shutterfly for sponsoring our giveaway, and "May the odds ever be in your favor!"

Note... our winners are numbers 19 and 36!!