Holidays — Page 12

Busy Mom Solution: Moonpig.com Saves the {Special} Day!

Introducing another great Busy Mom Solution: Moonpig.com!!

This is the problem –

You’re on your way to work, and suddenly remember that this weekend is {insert important person here – grandmas, husbands, best friends, etc} birthday!!! Ohmyheck – when are you going to have time to go pick up a card? Ugh. This happens to me all the time. Plus, I hate making a last-minute dash to a card store and having to rush and pick out some random over-priced card because I’m in too much of a hurry to pick a good one, and the baby is tearing up the tissue paper display while the boys play sword fighting with wrapping paper rolls. Anyone else have this problem??

The solution –

Set up an account at Moonpig.com!! Moonpig lets you choose your favorite cards, personalize them with names, photos, and messages – then mails REAL paper cards directly to the recipient!! How cool is that??

Watch this super fun video to see it all in action –

So cool, right??

I made a few of these cards last night – and am a big fan now! Here are a few things that I totally love:

Personalizing with photos is super easy – even when you need to make “faces” – you know, where you cut out the shape of your head to add to a character in a funny pic?? Simple and the results come out great.
I love that you can personalize the inside of the card too! You can add messages to both sides of the inner part of the card – with your choice of fonts, colors, and signature. Super fun.
There is a HUGE selection! You can find something for every single person – super funny cards, classic designs, really fun stuff for kids, professional cards for work, and some incredibly cool invitations!
The price is totally reasonable! Each card will run you about $3 – $4 bucks – which is even cheaper than many of the cards you’ll find at Hallmark or the Grocery store, right? And these are way cooler – since you get to totally personalize them.

What are you waiting for??

Head over to Moonpig.com today, set up an account, upload your address book and calendar – and have one less thing to worry about!!! This is a great option to start setting up all of your holiday cards too – you could make a few personalized cards per day, set dates for them to be sent – and know that this year, all of your cards will get to people in time!

Did I just remind you that the holidays are on the way??

Yep, it’s true – the Christmas season is right around the corner. Here are a few posts to help you get ready – Santa’s Coming! 10 tips to help you prepare for the Holidays, an amazing Christmas Giveaway you can enter, and some great ways to stock up on FREE Christmas gifts – Kids Books, Pluto Ornament and Free Disney Movies, and some Cool Personalized Gifts too! Make it a holly jolly time of year by prepping now, so you can just sit back and relax this December!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 26, 2011 Filed Under: Holidays, Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Santas Coming! 10 Tips to Get Ready for the Holidays…

Let me just throw this out here…. I. Love. Christmas. Like, reeeaaallly love Christmas. As soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over, the Christmas Tree goes up. We have a 25 foot wall in the garage, lined with shelves filled floor to ceiling with boxes of Christmas decorations. Yep, we’re that kind of family.

My Favorite Part of My Favorite Movie:

When this movie came out, everyone told me that Buddy the elf must be my twin brother, lol. And it’s true, I’m so much like this. And like Buddy says later – “Santa is coming!! There’s so much to do!!”

Top 10 Holiday Planning Tips:

1. Make lists! Get a notebook, and make a few master lists. Your first is Christmas Cards – make a list of everyone you want to send them to, and start getting addresses. So many of us wait until the last minute, and this becomes a stress-inducing chore instead of a fun way to keep in touch.

2. Now make a Christmas Shopping List too. Write down all of the people you’ll want to buy gifts for – from friends and family, to teachers and coworkers. Do they need holiday cards with their gifts too? Then add ’em to your first list!

3. Take Pictures! Getting professional pictures done is great, but if you can’t afford it – Don’t worry. Trust me, you can still get amazing photos on your own. Check out How to photograph holidays and special occasions and Tips for Capturing Great Family Photos for some great tips and advice on getting great pic’s for this years holiday cards. It’s all about capturing that special moment to share with friends and family!

4. Choose your cards! There are some amazing options for Festive Christmas Cards to be found online – and yes, you can wait until the last minute, and order them with express shipping to get them in time. But you can save a ton by preparing early, and ordering them sooner. Plus, getting them by early November gives you enough time to add a personal message to each one too – which is the best part!

5. Make a Holiday Baking List! There will be TONS of great sales coming up over the next couple of months, and you can match them up with coupons from sites like Coupons.com or RedPlum to save a TON of money. You’ll almost always find coupons for cake mixes, frosting, and cookie mixes. So make a list of everything you’ll need, and start stocking up when your local store has some great deals. Hate clipping coupons? Use my new favorite, SavingsStar, to load digital coupons right onto your store loyalty cards! {Check out my favorite cookie recipe – Peek-a-Boo Cookies!}

6. Start Shopping! Yes – I know it’s not even Halloween yet, lol. But starting early gives you a chance to find the best deals, and get gifts you know they’ll love – instead of overspending at the last minute just to get it finished up! Some tips – Sign up for email updates from sites like Totsy, Zulily or HomeSav to find some totally unique items at HUGE discounts! I watch these all year, and buy great stuff to hide away for birthdays and holidays – you can find kids toys at up to 70-90% off. Wow, right?

7. Yep – another list! List all of the events you want to attend, and set dates for all of your own holiday entertaining and parties. But – make sure not to overextend yourself! Leave some “family” time, at home too, for things like baking cookies and watching movies!

8. Give back to your community. There are so many people in need, and while they of course need your assistance all year long, it takes on extra importance during the holiday season. Imagine being a parent who doesn’t have the resources to get your child a holiday gift, a winter coat, or prepare a Christmas dinner. Heartbreaking. Find out how you can help by visiting sites like Toys for Tots and Coats for Kids. Or check out VolunteerMatch.org to get connected with other local groups who need your help!

9. Another list! Are you a crafty type? If you plan on making gifts for the holidays, you definitely need to get started now – so figure out what you’d like to make, and make a supply list. Make sure to pick up some fun stuff that the kids can make too – they LOVE giving handmade gifts! For some fun ideas check out Handmade Christmas Gifts and 100 Christmas Gifts to Make. And get some great coupons to save at Michaels Crafts.

10. Finally – relax! The holidays are a time for family, celebration, and appreciating what you have. Don’t get too caught up in the frenzy of more, more, more – {unless you’re talking about glitter or tinsel!} – start planning now, use these tips to save bunches of cash, and enjoy the season!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the Storkie holiday blogging program. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 17, 2011 Filed Under: Holidays, Busy Mom Solution | 4 Comments

This Halloween, be a Hot Momma!

Eden Fantasys Halloween Costumes

Yesterday I shared pic’s of Abby’s new super-adorable Halloween costume – I am so excited for our big Halloween party to show it off. She is so stinkin’ cute running around in it, chasing the dogs. Now it’s time for me to find MY costume! I wanted something kind of sassy – I want to look like a hot momma, but not too HOT since I’m having a party with a bunch of kids, you know? I think I’ve found a winner in this fun Flapper Girl Costume from Eden Fantasys!

Finally – a Flattering Flapper Girl!

I’ve actually reaaaaaly wanted a Flapper Girl costume for a few years now, but the ones with all of those cute layers of fringe make my hips look humongous! But I LOVE the sequins on this dress – and with just one layer of fringe, it’ll be a heck of a lot more flattering on me! It’ll be perfect – fun to wear out to “grown-up” parties, but family-friendly enough to go trick-or-treating too.

Amazing Prices!

I’m pretty impressed with the price too – for under $40 bucks you get the dress AND all of the accessories too – the sequined headband, the long satin gloves, the cigarette holder {but you know I’m not using a real cigarette – ick} and the super cute beaded necklace too. At our local Halloween store, most of the prices were around $40 for the outfit only, no accessories at all. So this is awesome!

Loads of great choices

Yes, Eden Fantasys has some pretty risque items – {I wouldn’t open up the site in front of the kids, you know what I mean?} – but they have a really wide selection of stuff. Tons of great gifts for bachelorette parties or for newlyweds. Really classy gift sets for anniversaries or Valentines Day. And seriously – they have some amazingly cute costumes for the winter holidays – I just might get the little Eskimo Costume, just for fun.

Do you have a costume yet?

I’d love to hear about it! Are you going “hot momma” style, a funny costume, a mom and me type of get-up? Do you have a theme for the whole family? {I have friends who are dressing the entire family, baby and the dog too, as super heros. LOVE this.} What do you think of my pick here?? Leave me some comments! Or, if you don’t have a costume yet – check out the great selection at Eden Fantasys today!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 15, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Holidays | No Comments

Ready for the Best Halloween Ever? Check out CostumeDiscounters.com!

The most important part of celebrating Halloween is the costume – don’t settle for cheap-o, boring, over-priced costumes this year. Get something amazing to impress your friends today at CostumeDiscounters.com!

Are you ready for Halloween yet?

I was SOOO excited to get Abby’s new Halloween costume from CostumeDiscounters.com!! They let us pick our favorite to review, and I tell ya, it was tough to choose – they have super adorable costumes!! You can find something for everyone in your family, from infant Halloween costumes to fun get-up’s for mom and dad – and you can even find some of the cutest costumes I’ve ever seen for your dog. The doggy dinosaur is so great, totally want to get that.

Abby’s first time Trick-or-Treating this year!

Last year she was just a few months old, so we stayed at home – I live in Washington state, and it’s coooold on Halloween here! But this year she’s big enough to go our trick-or-treating with her cousins, and she’s going to LOVE it!

Little Pinkie Poodle!

This little stinker would NOT hold still for pictures at all — she was running around the kitchen, chasing the dog, barking like a puppy! So funny. This is the Pinkie Poodle Costume, and it is just perfect on her. We got our puppy when she was just a baby, and they are the best of friends – she even shares her snacks with him. Her third word was dog. She loves her doggy – and she LOVES dressing up like one too! She seriously had so much fun- love it.

Great Quality

Most Halloween costumes are made so cheap – really flimsy material, and terrible construction. I get it, they’re only made to wear one night, so they don’t need to be really sturdy. BUT – if I paid $30 bucks for a regular outfit for Abby, I’d expect her to wear it for a few months, right? So when I buy a costume, I always look for better quality. And I was super impressed with the quality here – it’s a really thick material, well made, and the details are all amazingly cute! Plus – there are loads of great sale-prices costumes too, as low as $10 bucks!

Halloween is only a few weeks away!

Does your family already have costumes – if so, what are you going to be? If you DON’T have anything yet, make sure to check out CostumeDiscounters.com! Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite! {Oh yeah, and get some AWESOME Halloween coupons for Michaels too – check it out below!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 14, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Holidays | 2 Comments

Share your BEST Halloween Pictures on my Facebook to get Featured!

Who else Loooooves Michaels Craft Store??

I used to work for Michaels back in my early 20’s, supervising the front end of the store, and teaching classes on beading and scrapbooking. I loved it! So, while there are a lot of other craft stores that have popped up in my area over the past 10 years, Michaels will always be my favorite.

HUGE Halloween Deals!

We were there this past weekend, and my mom went overboard with the Halloween shopping. Again. AFTER having just shopped at the Dollar Store and the Halloween store that afternoon. {Clearly you can tell where I got my love of holidays from, right?} The house is getting totally spookified, and I’m excited to share some pic’s later this week!

Right now most of the Halloween goodies are 50% off, and there’s also some great clearance to be found {at least at my store}. Check out the ad for some cool ideas, great sales, and awesome coupons.

And…. I’d LOVE to see some of YOUR Halloween decorating!!! If you’ve got some cool stuff set up, snap some pictures and come share them on my Facebook page! No, there’s no prizes, but I will be picking some of my favorites to feature in some posts the week of Halloween!!! So share your decor, costumes, how-to’s, whatever– as long it’s Halloween related!

A couple of you have asked how to add a picture to my wall – Just click like you were leaving a comment, and there’s an option to “add a picture/video”. Click that, then go into your pictures in your computer, pick the one you want to add, and add a comment with it too to tell us all who is in the picture!

What’s your FAVORITE Michaels department?

Are you a scrapbooker, beader, knitter, painter? Or….?? Share with me in the comments! I’m kind of a random-do-a-little-of-everything crafter. I’d love to hear more about you guys too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 11, 2011 Filed Under: Fun Stuff, Holidays | 1 Comment

Free Party Planning Checklist and more!

Free Party Planning Checklist and SO much more!

Putting together a big party or event is a lot of work! I know this, since I love to entertain, and just recently hosted a few HUGE birthday parties over the summer. There is so much to plan, and it can be tough to keep it all organized. That’s where the FREE Party Planning Checklist saves the day!

Theme Party Queen

This helpful checklist is from a super fun party idea site that I refer to often, Theme Party Queen. She has tons of cool ideas, and loads of great printables! I’m loving her Super Bowl Party ideas – and am totally going to buy a couple of the NFL themed Lighted Mason Jars she mentions – these would be so fun at our party!

Get your copy today!

Head over to the site, and learn how to get the checklist ebook totally free – and make sure to check out some of her other fun ideas too!

{Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 6, 2011 Filed Under: Fun Stuff, Reviews, Holidays | No Comments

Mixbook Up to 60% Off- Photo Books Starting at only $6.29!

Big Savings from Mixbook!

Do you remember the review I did awhile back for Mixbook? I LOVED that with Mixbook’s Online Tools you can make some super cool personalized photo books- they give you so many options to customize your products, to get really unique stuff. Seriously, so cool.

And right now you can use coupon code MYSAVE60 at checkout for some BIG savings!

Let them tell ya-

“Mixbook is here to give you a up to 60% discount on their high quality photo books, cards, and calendars. No matter your skill level, Mixbook is there to meet your custom photo book, cards, and calendar needs. Take advantage of this exclusive offer, as it will not last for very long! Click Here to get started!”

Amazing Deals

You can get photo books as low as $6.29- But my favorite book deal is that you can get a HUGE 11×14, Hardcover Coffee Table Photo Book for only $20- it’s normally $49.99!!
Or, customize your own holiday cards, with photos and text, in one of their amazing designs, for as low as .35 cents each! You won’t find THAT at your local card store!

The best holiday gifts!

This is a perfect time to start stocking up on gifts for the holidays- Every year I make a photo book of all the best moments from the past year, and order copies for everyone in the family. These are especially great for that person you never know what to get- who wouldn’t love a personalized photo book, right? Check out their selection, and start your shopping now too, and save big bucks!