This season’s celebs and dance partners take to the ballroom floor for the 13^th Season premiere of Dancing with the Stars this Monday, September 19^th. And while we eagerly await the premiere to see who can shake their stuff all the way to the finale and attain that mirror ball trophy we all know and love, CafePress and ABC are giving YOU a chance to foxtrot your way to LA to attend the finale on November 22^nd with the Dancing with the Stars Design Contest!

You could be one of two grand-prize winners – and each prize includes roundtrip airfare to LA, hotel accommodations, and tickets to the DWTS finale for you and a guest!

First, choose from two different category themes – Dancing with the Stars Season 13 (think mirror ball, the entire cast, voting and types of dances) or Season 13 Teams (team names, celebrities, and dancers) and simply design a DWTS t-shirt based on that theme that’ll run circles around the competition. Once you’ve channeled your inner Bruno, Kym Johnson or Rob Kardashian for inspiration, add the following tags to your design to be considered for the contest:
Dancing with the Stars Season 13: DWTS13
Season 13 Teams: DWTSTEAM
Don’t forget to add DANCINGWITHTHESTARSTV to be included on the fan page!

Design away from now until October 18^th, when five finalists in each category will be selected for a fan vote on abc.com to determine the grand-prize winner!

Don’t forget to read the rules here to ensure you’re entered, with no missteps in the meantime.

So use some fancy footwork as inspiration, and design away and don’t forget to watch the Dancing with the Stars Season 13 premiere on September 19^th at 8:00pm!

There was much to discuss on Monday night, as eight Republican presidential candidates took to their microphones to speak up on controversial issues such as “Obamacare,” and social security in the first Tea Party debate in Tampa, FL. Candidates included Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and businessman Herman Cain, who offered their opinions on their platforms and jabs at other candidates. The main target of the night turned out to be Rick Perry; the Texas governor was asked about his views on social security and offering college tuition cuts to illegal immigrants but defended himself and his views to his opponents.

So here at CafePress, we took to our own Cultural Barometer poll – and we asked our Facebook fans whom they thought was the strongest contender from the Tea Party debate, and the result was obvious:

Our followers are feeling the Ron Paul revolution, as Mr. Paul received approximately 52% of the votes.

Similarly, we took a look at sales of CafePress products by candidate, and again, Ron Paul came out victorious this week with 51% of the participating Republican candidates sales to date:

What do you think of the latest debate? Are you Team Ron Paul, or see another candidate as the strongest and best leader for our country? Tell us your thoughts.

Well, you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Again. The rock being the Talking Dog pajamas you really really want to get mom for her birthday, and the hard place being that you don’t know if you can order them.

And this is where CafePress swoops in, with the help of your family and friends.

We have a new, unique feature called Split the Cost – which may sound self-explanatory – but it’s a lot more fun than you think! For any product that costs more than $35.00 on our site, you’ll see this little gift icon on the page:

Once you click on it, another page will pop up for you to fill out the details of why having these pajamas are dire to your existence:

Simply reach out to friends or family via e-mail (Gmail and Yahoo) or Facebook, asking them to help contribute. You can invite as many people as you’d like and split the cost evenly between everyone included, or suggest specific amounts. On the bottom of the window, feel free to include the name of the recipient, select an occasion and enter a personal message to everyone sharing the gift. And once everyone you invite contributes, you’ll receive a gift code to redeem for your “purchase!”

This feature is perfect for sharing costs with your siblings for mom and dad’s anniversary, getting your friend an awesome custom iPad case for their birthday, or getting the hubby a funny sweatshirt from the kids “just because.”

With your awesome new pajamas on, you can thank each of your friends who helped you get warm and comfy during the cold nights that will ensue. A sleepover party may be in order. Then everyone will have to get their own PJs.

2008 turned out to be a year of triumphs, upsets, and a major historical milestone, in the form of the presidential election.

And throughout that year, our community created amazing designs for their favorite candidates – and we started to notice a very interesting trend. We found that we could make an educated guess on who would win based on the sales percentages of CafePress products for each candidate. And from every primary, to John McCain’s Republican nomination, to the election of Barack Obama as the next president, our theory turned out to be right on target. If we could – in a way – help predict the 2008 elections through the popularity of our products, we could measure CafePress as a Cultural Barometer for pop culture and current events. We built the “CafePress Meter” and became a straw poll of sorts.

This year, we’re sensing the anticipation of the upcoming 2012 elections – and we’re already seeing who’s being talked about, and who’s going to make it or break it. Take a look at who’s got the buzz, and who’s going to give Obama a run for his money:

Although Sarah Palin has yet to announce her intentions for the Presidential race, Sarah Palin products have been consistently up for the past nine months. To be or not to be – that is the Palin question. In addition, Ron Paul’s going strong, and Rick Perry has started to take over a bigger piece of the Republican challengers pie since his declaration for the presidential seat in June.

All in all, we’re keeping a close watch on what’s happening, and we’ll be your source for all things politics through products to sport your support. Who do you think has the biggest chance to run against Obama, and who is his biggest threat?

While east coast earthquakes and high-profile reality TV weddings may be a blip on the brains of some, the 2012 election season is certainly coming to a head – well, many heads – in the form of potential candidates planning their campaigns to run against President Obama. And CafePress users are following and creating the trends.

Take Rick Perry, the Texas governor who made his intentions of presidential proportions official this month – and soon after his announcement, Rick Perry gifts were as popular and plentiful as his state’s beloved longhorn.

And also making a splash on Cultural Barometer scene: enter Ron Paul. No stranger to the Republican race to the White House, the House representative has a strong following with Ron Paul Revolution gifts after formally announcing his candidacy back in May of this year.

Politics is already heating up for 2012 – and its only August. I wonder if all those politicians wearing suits in the summer heat has anything to do with it…

Sum sum summertime. Fun-filled vacations, grilling and BBQs, and of course, that warm weather that embraces shorts, summer dresses, and the ultimate freedom for your feet…flip flops.

CafePress now offers custom flip-flops for men, women and kids! Don your favorite footwear or design your own custom flip flops. Not only can you give your feet some breathing room from the constriction of tight shoes, but you can also choose or create your favorite design that will give your feet an extra pop of color and pizzazz. Dreaming of a Hawaiian sunset? Channel your inner beach bum with some tropical flip flops. Monet on the mind? Find some cool art flip flops to slip into.

And now for the best part – for TODAY ONLY, we’re offering 20% OFF* our entire collection of our flip-flops: but hurry, because this flash sale only lasts until midnight PST tonight! Use coupon code FLIPTOIT at checkout to walk off with some sweet savings.

So get your foot fetish on…and I’ll dream along with you about that beach in Hawaii. Mmmm, mai tais…

* Save 20% off flip flips from CafePress.com, excluding shipping charges, gift wrap charges and  applicable sales tax.  Excludes bulk orders. Coupon code FLIPTOIT must be entered at check out.  Promotion starts on August 23, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on August 23, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. (PST).   All orders must be from the CafePress Marketplace. Offer valid online at CafePress.com only, cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions and may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice. This promotion cannot be applied to past orders.

Surf’s up, critters. Animals are riding high on our Cultural Barometer wave of popular products this week.

We know how much dogs love food, but they rarely talk about it. But one poor dog speaks his mind as his owner taunts him with delicious food in the ultimate talking dog video. And almost overnight, a canine star was born – and now he could even wear one of his own talking dog t-shirts…or if he feels like sharing, get one for his owner. As long as he shares the maple bacon.

Normally penguins are cute and cuddly, but don’t piss them off…like the bad penguin, which topped our seller charts this week. He’s got a gripe about something – don’t let it be you. And he’s not the only evil penguin on CafePress – he has company in the form of a penguin demotivational poster.

Assuming Darwin was correct about survival of the fittest – this trending T-Rex t-shirt may explain why the deadly dino is now extinct. After all, if you can’t pass the pushups portion of your physical fitness test, you may be out of luck.

With the maddening billionaire NFL team owners reaching an 11th-hour (4^th and long?) agreement with the infuriating Prima Dona multi-millionaire players, it looks like the professional football season is set to kick-off as scheduled. Now that the ink is dry on the lock-out (or lack thereof), designers and buyers are sprinting towards the goal of a grid-iron celebration.

It looks like the American public is in a forgive & forget mood, as we’re seeing a huge up-swing in football-themed merchandise in the CafePress marketplace. Chances are fantasy football gear will be hot on its tail.

Not to be overshadowed by such a fall-and-winter-centric activity as football, the summer season is still sizzling just like your grill. With the mercury soaring across the nation, sun worshippers are temporarily chilling in their air-conditioned homes and offices, making, sharing and buying Summer-themed products. You’ll see them on the streets again soon, sporting fun white t-shirts celebrating El Sol.

If you have children – or have children on your shopping list, hint, hint –

then make a bee-line for My KIdentity. It’s a fun CafePress shop specializing in kid-themed designs (although there are also plenty of products, according to shopkeeper Alisha Joseph, for adults who never quite grew up).

Alisha gets much of the inspiration for her designs right from the source – yes, her children. As a mother of two adorable kids, oftentimes she simply watches what they do, and how they act, to come up with fresh ideas. “Right out of my kids’ mouths,” Alisha explains. They’re often her muse for topics from camping and kid humor to siblings and school.

Truth be told, though, it’s not easy being creative around the children, she’s quick to point out. You try drawing on a tablet, working on the laptop or create “kid-looking” text on the couch, while children climb on you.

Ah, the sacrifices we make as artists… But the rewards are many. Perhaps just as important as the money Alisha earns from selling designs in her shop, she also enjoys the praise. Her proudest moment? “The very first time a stranger noticed one of my kids’ shirts and shared a compliment with me,” she explains. “They hadn’t known it was my design.”

Well, consider this another compliment. You’re doing a great job and bringing a lot of joy (and smiles) to parents, grandparents and everyone who loves the joy of childhood.

People are weird. Period.

Of all the quirks that make you who you are, you bring them with you everywhere you go, including the Apple Store. Sometimes that means a grumpy pout. Sometimes that means your pet goat.

And the Apple Store is OK with this – just ask comedian Mark Malkoff, who put this idea to the test in a recent video to assess the boundaries of absurdity our favorite fruitful store would put up with. Malkoff visited various Apple stores in the NYC area and held a few interesting “experiments” with the stores and their employees – including getting a pizza delivered, dressing up as Darth Vader in need of assistance with a broken iPhone, and bringing in a pet goat.

We LOVE this video for many reasons. And, we also figured that since goats and the Apple store are cool with each other…why not adorn your beloved iPhone with a humorous goat iPhone case or other delightful goat gifts? Just don’t let them near the hardware…you know how they love to snack.