I am a crafter. I like to doodle and draw and create.
Sometimes the crafts turn out well and other times they don’t.
But for this Mother’s Day, I found a fail-proof craft gift. Hallmark’s Recordable Artwork.
For Mother’s Day, the children and I made a framed canvas for my mom and Marshall’s mom.
Since I didn’t want to do four paintings per grandmother, we did some fingerprint art.
I used some black contact paper I had left over from another project and cut out simple shapes.
(You most certainly don’t have to use black. The color doesn’t matter.)
Then I covered the entire canvas with the contact paper, essentially creating a stencil.
Each child picked a paint color and dotted all over.
(For the heart, we used the provided colors. For the birdie, we used some paint I already had.)
At the very bottom, I cut off some of the contact paper and let each child put one print at the bottom.
Later, I labelled each print so the grandmothers would know which color belonged to which child.
After we’d finished ‘polka-dotting’ (as Lydia called it), I let it dry completely.
Then I slipped it back into the frame and let them record a message.
Done! Super easy! And adorable! And the sweetest sounding little voices ever.
For less than $15 you can give a really great keepsake that will bring back memories for years to come.
(There’s a lock button behind a screwed on panel so that you can’t accidentally erase the message.)
For those of you who live close to me and don’t have time to make it to the Hallmark Gold Crown store,
I did see several of these still at Walgreen’s. :-)
Want to hear more on how it works?
I had the pleasure of working with Hallmark again to bring you this review. But I know that you know that the opinions stated above are 100% Bridget. I absolutely love the fun products that Hallmark has and hope that you do, too.
We really love books at our house.
The big kids read alone and aloud.
The little kids ‘read’ out LOUD.
Actually as I type, Lydia is reading “Miss Nelson is Missing” to Alden.
(I could listen to her sweet voice reading forever, I think.)
Typically my girls are story buddies and my boys are story buddies.
But we recently had a chance to invite Cooper, one of Hallmark’s Story Buddies, to our house.
We all absolutely love Cooper.
We’ve been reading with him for a few weeks and the kids all still giggle when he responds.
The only downside is that sometimes Cooper has a hard time understanding Lydia.
Her reading voice is so small that I think he just can’t hear her all the time.
(The packaging does tell you that
Listen to this adorableness.
(Theirs, not mine.)
(And ignore the snapping.)
(And the disinterested toddler.)
(And the less-than-stellar videography.)
And as I was writing this, I discovered that there was a Cooper iPhone app!
We just uploaded it and WOW!
You can have the book read aloud by the pre-recorded voice and Cooper talks back to it
OR you can record your own voice (or maybe even a grand parent’s voice) and have it read the story!
Check it out:
Lydia’s already asked if we could get more books in the series!
Off to Hallmark!
I was once again able to work with Hallmark and they did send Cooper and his first book to our house for us to enjoy and review. However, the opinions above are 100% mine (well…ours). We super-duper love him and I know you’ll have fun with the whole line of their Interactive Story Buddies.
Until I had children, I was never really a vitamin taker. But when we decided to start trying to have kids, I started taking prenatal vitamins. During each of my pregnancies, I took my vitamins daily and rarely forgot. But when that newborn got home and I was so tired that sometimes I forgot to even brush my teeth? Well, vitamins didn’t even cross my mind. Occasionally I’d remember and take them a day or two but when the bottle ran out, I never got more. That happened with every pregnancy.
At my last checkup, my lovely nurse practitioner (Hi, KW!) reminded me that I needed to be taking a daily vitamin and I had really great intentions of doing so! But each time I’d go to the store, I’d forget to buy any. So, here I am one year postpartum and still no vitamins. Oops.
So when I got an email about partnering with Centrum’s Nutrition Possible website, I figured it was just the kick in the pants I needed.
But I’ll be honest, one of the things I hate most about getting anything over-the-counter is the 50 million choices. Do I need calcium or Vitamin D or both? What about iron? What are probiotics, anyway? I don’t eat fish, so do I need fish oil? Or omega-3 fatty acids? Aaaahhhh! My brain just short circuits. So when I heard that Nutrition Possible had an assessment quiz that could help you figure out which supplements best fits your needs, I clicked on over. In less than 5 minutes, I not only knew what kind of vitamins I needed but I also had a chance to create a personalized health and nutrition plan that includes setting up personal goals and tips on how to achieve them. AND when I completed the assessment, I was able to get a $10 off coupon! I’m not a couponer, but even I know that’s a spectacular deal! I really am excited about this and you should be, too! Click on over to get your own assessment and big ol’ coupon!
So every one can get the $10 coupon, but I also have a nice little giveaway! One lucky person will get a $25 AMEX gift card! Who wouldn’t love an extra $25? All you’ll need to do is go take the assessment on NutritionPossible.com and come back over here and leave me a comment about what you learned, what you didn’t know you were missing. All comments posted before 11:59pm(EST) on Sunday, February 12 will be eligible and a winner will be chosen using random.org.
I am participating in a sponsored campaign hosted by One2One Network. I received incentives and am eligible for prizing. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about NutritionPossible.com as a product or its effectiveness.
See giveaway rules here. (Sorry, Canadians. US only.)
Pssst…There are several bloggers working with One2One and NutritionPossible.com for this project. The blogger with the most comments will win up to $500 in cash and prizes. And *ahem* that would be super-duper nice to have.
Forty entries came in before the deadline. I used random.org to determine the winner. Congrats to number 28, Amedeo Tritto!
One of my favorite features of Spotify(a music streaming service for your computer and some mobile devices) is being able to hear what other people are listening to. You can use your iTunes account and share your playlists with your Spotify friends. (You can also search specific artists or songs and listen to just that.) So here I am listening to everybody’s music and I run across the lovely Alli Worthington’s 2010-2011 playlist. It included songs from someof my favoriteartists. And nestled in between those songs was “Hey Mama“, which I loved from the moment it first started playing. Go ahead and click that link. And then try not to dance. No matter what we’re doing when it comes on, our house becomes a dance floor for 3 minutes.
So when One2One Network had the opportunity to review the whole album, Young Love, I snapped that up immediately! I.love.this.album. Several of my friends were familiar with Mat and his music because he was at Blissdom this past year, but I was a little busy that weekend and missed out. But I’m making up for lost time! We have had this music on non-stop since I got it in the mail last week. The music is fun and catchy and the lyrics aren’t just fluff. ”Count on Me” is full of brilliant play on words and it took listening to it several times and reading the lyrics before I finally caught it all.
It is not often that I can say this: I like every single song on this album.
And for those of you near me? Guess what? He’s going to be one of the first acts back in the Georgia Theatre! I was SO excited when I found out about that, but I can’t go because we already have something big planned that night.
Tickets are only $17! And I promise that you’ll see a fabulous show! (Doors open at 8. Mat starts at 10.)
Wanna know more about Mat and Young Love?
Run your mouse over the super cool widget below.
Or pop on over to iTunes and download the whole albumfor only $9.99.
I’ve written before about Carter’s “special feet“. For some unknown reason, he was born with only 8 toes – the typical 5 toes on his left foot, but only 3 on the right. It’s not something that bothers us, and honestly there are times that I completely forget about it. Until…I have to go buy shoes.
His feet are obviously different sizes, the right being almost 2 and a half sizes smaller than the left. And typically we have to purchase two pairs of shoes to make one “Carter pair”. In the beginning, there were some companies who were gracious enough to work with us by giving us a discount on the second pair, but we once got a pair of hand-me-down Crocs and slipped them on as we ran out the door one day. (We were running late. I know you’re shocked.) And lo-and-behold…they stayed on both feet! One pair of shoes fit both feet! The right shoe was still slightly loose, but I’d learned from experience (a sad, sad experience which left me shoe-less on vacation) that Crocs shrink in the heat. So I popped that shoe in the dryer for a few minutes and ta-da! A pair of shoes that fit perfectly!
Another little issue he has is that the ankle bones did not form properly and his ankle doesn’t bend left and right like a normal ankle. So if we suspect that he will be doing a lot of running, we try to use shoes that will stabilize the ankle. We have been using regular old hightops, but I was delighted to see that Crocs how has a new school-approved line of shoes with 13 options, including a Hi Top sneaker! (Although I doubt I’ll be able to shrink one of those…)
Today is PE day for Lydia. Last week I forgot and she scolded me for not sending her in tennis shoes for PE day. I have to admit that in all the school shopping, I’d completely forgotten about tennis shoes (because we live in flip flops and sandals until November). So I had to rush off and get some for her this weekend. (Carter’s still fit from last year.) Did you include new clothes and/or shoes in your school shopping?
If you haven’t gotten new shoes, yet, check out this interactive Crocs video…
[youtube]http://youtu.be/s1SIn-zwFMg[/youtube]
…and search for a little something near the end that may look a little like this:
Click on the hidden item and find a surprise for you from Crocs!
Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs’ new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
So…I started a little etsy store. And I’m pretty darn excited about it.
And yet I realized I hadn’t pimped it on my blog.
Silly me.
Anyway…
You know those little stick people you see on the back of cars?
Well check out my alternative:
I have several different family options available for only $12.
Or I can custom design one of your family for $15.
(More than 6 people? Just add $2 per person.)
I can do black, white, red, hot pink or lime green.
(Note: Black isn’t very visible on most car windows.)
Cut from premium vinyl which is made to last 3-5 years in outdoor environments.
Depending on family size, finished product is roughly 5×7.
I’m hoping to soon add some fun ones(family, singles and pets…I hope) so if you have any great ideas, let me know!
P.S. Heather, I’m still working on yours. A little harder than I first anticipated. But I will get it!
-Winner chosen with help by random.org.-
-Congrats to Punkinmama! Birthday luck FTW!-
The very first Groupon I bought was for Mixbook.com.
It was a great deal and the reviews for the product looked great.
Aaaand…even though Asa was already 2 and baby #4 was about to make her debut, I still hadn’t made him a baby book.
(Oops!)
Carter’s baby book is about 4 inches thick and was scrapbooked as we went along.
Lydia’s baby book is maybe 2 inches thick, with a lot less details because I didn’t do it as I went along.
(You think you’ll remember all that stuff, but when you sit down to write it down…you don’t.)
And poor Asa had nothing.
The week after Alden was born, my mother-in-law was here and I decided that it was a perfect time to get this book done!
(Besides…I couldn’t let the Groupon go to waste!)
I spent a lot of time gathering my photos and putting them in one easily accessible file.
I went to Mixbook.com and couldn’t believe how much fun it was.
I’ve always loved scrapbooking-the cutting, the pasting, the tactile part of it.
And I always thought that I wouldn’t like digital scrapbooking because it wouldn’t be hands-on.
But this site-unlike several other sites I’ve used before-gave me complete creative control.
(Don’t worry! If you aren’t computer-savvy or creative, they have templates where you can just plug in pictures!)
I started Asa’s book by picking the “Scrapbook Baby” theme
(They have over 60 themes available!)
And started clicking away.
I downloaded my pictures directly from my computer,
but you can also upload pictures from places like Flickr, Facebook and Picasa.
You can either drag and drop your pictures into the pre-made template pages
OR you can move things around or design it yourself…even down to the tiniest details.
(They have “stickers” that you can use, but you can even upload your own if they don’t have what you want!)
Here’s the page I did for his 9 month pictures.
The top is the template,
the middle is the online preview of my page and
the bottom is a picture of the printed version.
You can see that I changed a few things:
I took out the bees, the bug sticker and I changed the words.
I also changed some of the frames and added a few pictures.
You think I was excited much when it came in the mail?
Another great feature?
You can add multiple contributors!
Think about all the possibilities there!
Siblings could work together on a Mother’s Day gift, even if they live miles apart.
Co-workers could all add their own touch to a retirement gift book.
You could even do a wedding gift that allowed people to add their own pictures of the couple and a note to them.
Something else I’m excited about is the save function.
In order to not do what I did with Lydia and Asa, I’m doing Alden’s book as we go along.
There is no time limit on how long you can save your projects!
So I’ve done her birth day and these first 2 months and at the end of the year, I’ll print it!
The best part is that it won’t break the bank!
They have a variety of sizes(hardback or soft cover) starting at only $6.99!
I’ll admit that for this price, I wasn’t expecting the print quality to be very high.
I was very impressed with how clear everything was and how true-to-color all the pictures were.
Have 30 more seconds?
Watch this and see how easy it is!
So are you excited yet?
Do you want to start your own Mixbook right now?
Well…I have a complimentary 20-page, 11×8.5 landscape, hardcover photo book for one of you!
There are 3 ways to enter, but you must leave a separate comment for each way:
2. Post about this giveaway on Facebook and then let me know that you did in the comments section.
3. Tweet this giveaway and leave the link to your tweet in the comments section.
Giveaway closes at midnight(EST) on this Friday(March 25th).
Winner will be selected at random and contacted by email.
(That means I have to have a valid email address for you!)
Just can’t wait to see if you won? You can use this 20% off coupon code: IVEYMIX20 (No expiration date, but it can only be used once per customer.)
I purchased my first Mixbook and fell in love with this product.
I was so excited when I had the opportunity to write a review for them!
As compensation for my review, I did receive a second Mixbook for free.
I can assure you, however, that I will be a long-time Mixbook customer.
Who am I?
I'm Bridget Ivey, mom to 4 kids, 2 dogs and a husband (also known as The Ivey League).
Carter is 7.
Lydia is 5.
Asa is 3.
Anna Alden is 1!
