Category : Featured Reviews, Website, gifts & greeting cards
There are a lot of websites out these days offering photobook printing, calendars and more. What s b50 eparates one from the other and how do you know who to go to for your printing? I think one thing that separates these companies is what else the offer you. For some it’s a large variety of photo products, or maybe it’s a company like Walmart, where you are already buying many other things there. A website where you are already uploading your pictures to share online with friends and family offers you convenience.
Or how about a website that not only allows you to create the book whether it be a photobook, cookbook or a collection of poems, but they also offer you a platform to sell said book to the world? I recently had an opportunity to publish a photobook of Miss Baby Blueberry’s first year using Lulu.com, a company that offers not only premium photobooks, calendars and more, but also a place to self-publish your very own masterpieces.
On their website, they write that ”Lulu is creating a new model in publishing — open publishing — that empowers more creators to sell more content to more readers more profitably than ever before. Through our open publishing platform, we are helping creators make works available in multiple formats and markets and improving discovery so buyers can more easily find the content they need.”
Pretty cool, huh? Creating the book is pretty easy, but not without a bevy of spiffy options. A separate window is launched to create your masterpiece in their online publishing software. Pick the theme you like, upload pictures from your computer or the internet and get started! You’ll be able to control the layout, text (including things like font and color) and overall feel of each page, to make the book just the way you want it.
I was able to put BB’s photobook together within a single afternoon and the Lulu representative I was working with for the review shipped my product out to me quickly, along with some fun swag like a cute baseball hat which MM has claimed as his own and a cloth grocery bag – which I can never have enough of!
I was personally very impressed with the quality of the book. It had the professional feel of something you might buy in a store but also felt very personal and fun. My husband was slightly more skeptical, saying he felt the image quality wasn’t as good as it could be – but is that the fault of my camera and photos or Lulu? I don’t know – es 10f8 pecially since I honestly can’t see what he’s talking about. Regardless, it’s an adorable book and I thought designing it was easy and the shipping and receiving was flawless. Any part of the process that may have proven difficult was quickly resolved by my wonderful contact at Lulu.com, Taylor Coil, who walked me through the whole process.
If it isn't obvious, I edited this picture to replace her real name with her online moniker
Thank you to both the Family Review Network & Lulu who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review!
Today my little girl is celebrating her first birthday! We’ve celebrated a lot of milestones together in the past year – from rolling over to crawling to eating solid foods – it’s been a mile a minute with no signs of slowing down! One of the things we’ve been working on lately is self feeding with sippy cups and finger foods.
Finding the right sippy cup (or any of the other milestone variations from bottles to straw cups) can be tough – between a baby’s potential finickiness with different spouts, speeds and textures, parents also have to worry about things like BPA, Phthalates and PVC. You won’t have to worry about any of those chemicals with BornFree’s new line of sippy cups, straw cups or pacifiers. We were excited to try out their Twist’n Pop Easy Drink Straw Cup – when my son was BB’s age, he had a hard time with sippy cups, having never really gotten comfortable with bottles. Straw cups were an instant life saver and we hoped to have the same luck with Miss Baby Blueberry.
Of course, having just started using them, I can’t honestly 5a8 say she’s quite gotten the hang of a straw cup. She can definitely get water to come out of the straw, but keeping it in her mouth seems to be another story altogether! I’d warn parents that unless the cover is closed (you can just twist the top and it covers the soft silicone straw and locks the cup shot) it is not even a little bit waterproof. We’re sticking to water with this cup until she’s really, truly figured it out.
One thing I like about this cup, which isn’t true with all straw cups, is that the straw is one piece. A lot of similar cups have a soft top with a hard bottom that come apart – which for us just means more parts to lose. BornFree’s straw is all one piece, easy to clean and dishwasher safe in the top rack. -edit- My apologies for being a moron – the straw is two pieces, it’s just better built and disguised that fact until closer examination. I still prefer it over other straws, as I said, I think it’s much better designed, but it is two pieces.
WIN IT!
Thanks to BornFree, we’re giving away (1) one Twist’n Pop Easy Drink Straw Cup in blue and (2) two packs of pacifiers, One package of (2) two Clear Button pacifiers for babies up to 6 months and one package of (2) two CoolFlow pacifiers for babes 6 months + to (1) one lucky winner! Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Tell us: What is your baby’s favorite food? This step is mandatory and if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
- Become a fan of BornFree on Facebook and leave a comment here telling us you’ve done so.
- Follow BornFree on twitter and leave us a comment with your user name telling us you’ve done so.
For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!
This giveaway will close at 12pm EST on Wednesday August 4, 2010.
Tomorrow my little girl is celebrating her first birthday! To celebrate, we’re featuring reviews of some terrific baby / toddler products and the companies behind them – and we’ll be throwing some giveaways, too! This is a great opportunity to win a present for any birthday boys or girls in your life so keep checking back this week – it’s going to be a lot of fun!
Today I want to tell you about Rockabye Baby! a collection of CDs featuring lullaby renditions of all your favorite rock bands. From The Beatles to AC/DC to No Doubt – they are sure to have a band that will appeal to you. Baby Blueberry and I received a copy of their Black Sabbath CD to review.
My husband got really excited when this CD showed up in the mail – he is a fan of all the great classic rock bands, Black Sabbath included. We popped the disc into my computer and within seconds the tune of Iron Man began to fill the air – but not quite the Black Sabbath you might expect. Being a lullaby CD for baby, there were no loud guitar riffs or drums – but rather a soft, instrumental rendition instead with mellotrons, vibraphones, bells – and even a few farm animal sounds! Still – it was distinctly Iron Man and we found ourselves nodding our heads along to the music instantly. Want to hear for yourself? You can get a sneak peek of Iron Man from the cd here.
I actually found the music really pleasant to listen to. Being classic Black Sabbath tunes, the songs are catchy and I found I knew a lot of them – but being quiet and soothing lullaby music, I also found it to be really good background music while I worked on my computer. I think if it had been a real Black Sabbath cd I’d have gotten distracted – scratch that, I know I would have! And even better, the baby seems to like the music a lot, too! It actually managed to stop a minor temper tantrum in it’s tracks as she was curious to listen to the music instead. I’d defi 10f8 nitely recommend Rockabye Baby to anyone looking for some great kids music that’s also great music - i.e. it won’t make your ears bleed like some of the kids’ music out there! Teach baby to love the same classic rock songs that you do but at a volume that will promote peaceful slumber – another plus for all of us weary parents!
You can buy Rockabye Baby cds and apparel (check out their adorable onesies!) at their website www.rockabyebabymusic.com. Also be sure to check out this Rockabye Baby! Black Sabbath coloring page!
It seems like just yesterday I was expecting the birth of my second child, the darling little miss Baby Blueberry. A year has flown by at the speed of light and now in just two days my little girl will be celebrating her very first birthday! We’ve already started celebrating via skype chats with family and we’ve got more celebrating to look forward to. And for everyone here in Bloggy World, the party is just getting started!
This week I’ll be featuring reviews of some terrific baby / toddler products and the companies behind them – and we’ll be throwing some giveaways, too! This is a great opportunity to win a present for any birthday boys or girls in your life so keep checking back this week – it’s going to be a lot of fun!
Today I want to tell you about BB’s new favorite doll – the incredibly soft, adorable Yupik made by BlaBla Kids. Designed by Florence Wetterwald, all of the BlaBla Kids dolls are hand knit by Peruvian artists and made from natural fibers. They also sell knit hats, sweaters, rattles, backpacks 10f8 as well as clothing and they have a paper goods collection coming soon that will include invitations, notebooks, stickers, cards and more.
My little girl and her BlaBla have been inseparable since she received the doll this weekend. She loves to snuggle her Yupik tightly and is fascinated by the tiny knit polka dot spots. It is, without a doubt, one of the softest dolls I’ve ever held and the classic, simple design is so charming. With all of the plastic clutter and materialism of children’s toys today, this sweet little doll is like a breath of fresh air in our home.
I would recommend BlaBla Kids to anyone looking for the perfect, classically simple and timeless gift for their children or a child they know. So I am thrilled to be able to offer a giveaway of a Yupik doll like BB’s to one lucky reader!
WIN IT!
Thanks to BlaBla Kids, we’re giving away (1) one Yupik doll to (1) one lucky winner! Here’s how you can enter to win a copy:
- Tell us: Did you have a favorite doll growing up? Tell us about a special toy from your childhood. This step is mandatory and if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
- Become a fan of BlaBla Kids on Facebook and leave a comment here telling us you’ve done so.
- Follow BlaBla Kids on twitter and leave us a comment with your user name telling us you’ve done so.
For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!
This giveaway will close at 12pm EST on Monday August 2, 2010.
Category : Featured Reviews, Giveaways, Website, gifts & greeting cards, pregnancy & babies
Today, July 13th 2010 the Shine On Now program is now open to allow girls nationwide to help American Girl give $1 to four major organizations. They will help out great organizations such as: Kids in Distressed Situations, Saved the Children, National Association of the Children’s Hospitals, and the National Wildlife Federation. By visiting Shine On Now you can contribute a ’star’ for absolutely free. Each star collected (up to 1 million) will be used to help provide clothes, books, dolls and money to the above mentioned organizations. Up to 100 stars can be donated per girl per day! In addition to contributing this free star not only are you helping out your community but you are also being entered to win a new My American Girl doll.
These new My American Girl dolls are something special. I loved Molly and Samantha from the old days, but these dolls? They are spectacular. Each doll is part of an enhanced contemporary product line that allows the girl (or mom) to create a special and unique doll. More about the new My American Girl dolls:
Girls can now create their own doll from 40 different combinations of eye color, hair color and style, and skin tone through a brand-new, innovative online tool. The personalization continues with a variety of special extras such as braces, glasses, and earrings, as well as outfits and accessories that reflect girls’ favorite interests and activities.
To learn more about how to participate in Shine On Now and explore Innerstar University, go to www.shineonnow.com. My American Girl dolls are available starting on July 13, 2010, through American Girl’s consumer catalogue, at www.americangirl.com, and at American Girl retail locations. To request a free catalogue, call 1-800-845-0005.
The Prize
1 (One) 16a0 My American Girl Doll a $95 Value to give to the special girl in your life or to donate to a worth cause
How to Enter
- Tell us what your family does or hopes to do in the future to help the community.
- Visit Shine on Now and contribute a star for free. Each star you donate is one entry into this giveaway. Once the star is donated please come back here and leave a comment for each star. Each star that is donated gives you an entry to win a My American Girl doll from the
- Like Shine On Now on Facebook.
- Tweet this giveaway “Share with @MommasReview what you do to help your community for your chance to with an American Girl Doll #shineonnow http://bit.ly/dy22F7″ (once daily)
- I have entered for the opportunity to win a sponsorship to BlogHer from Energizer, tweet about this opportunity as many times per day as you would like. Come back and comment with a link to the tweet for extra entries (unlimited). Need tweetsperation? “Andrea @MommasReview would be a great #energizer Smart ChargHer #BlogHer10 @kailani @BarefootMomma Her entry: http://tinyurl.com/28dk6vz” Extra entry option ends July 20th, 2010.
- Last entry option – Go to Energizers Facebook page and let them know that Andrea from @MommasReview would be a great Energizer Smart ChargHer! (one extra entry) Extra entry option ends July 20th, 2010.
For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!
This giveaway will close at 12pm EST on July 30th, 2010.
If you are still looking for the perfect gift for mom this Sunday, we’ve got a fantastic giveaway opportunity to share with you! We’re giving away a $50 gift certificate to NOVICA, one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. They work with National Geographic to offer talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents online and provide access to the world market.
Whether you are looking for a beautiful necklace, a cool African Mask or unique sculpture, you are sure to find something great at NOVICA’s website. They also sell furniture, beautiful dishes and tableware, chess sets, musical instruments and more. Besides their fantastic and unique selection, another great thing about shopping from NOVICA is knowing you are helping artisans around the world who will truly benefit from your purchase.
Aside from connecting artists to a market around th 10f8 e world through their website, they’ve also just launched a microfinance website which allows NOVICA to cut out the middle men and lets customers buy products and lend money directly to artisans (click here for a list of current Artisan Loans).
The Prize!
I’ll be reviewing NOVICA in greater detail soon but don’t miss this great opportunity to win a $50 gift card for the special mom in your life! Here’s how you can enter to win…
How to Enter:
- Take a look at NOVICA’s collection of recommended gifts for moms and tell us: What product would you most like to get for yourself or the mom in your life? This is mandatory and if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
- Become a fan of NOVICA on Facebook and leave a comment here telling us you’ve done so.
- Follow NOVICA on twitter and leave us a comment with your user name telling us you’ve done so.
For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!
This giveaway will close at 12pm EST on Sunday May 9, 2010.
Category : Featured Reviews, Momma's Say, gifts & greeting cards
Mothers Day is less than one week away! Have you gotten your mother something special yet? Budgets are tight everywhere right now and definitely in our household but that can’t stop this momma from dreaming! Here are some gifts that I’d love to open Sunday morning (in order of estimated price)…
A great book like Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert or Little Bee by Chris Cleave
There’s nothing like a cute bowl or coffee cup
16a0
with “mom” inscribed on it – the classic mothers day present, right? I think this cute one from patspottery on Etsy is adorable – and it’s super affordable at just $38 for the set, but I’d be just as thrilled with something homemade by my kiddos. Really dads, you can’t go wrong with homemade – especially in this economy.
You might see similar family inspired sculptures at your local Halmark store and I know any mother would love those, too, but this wooden sculpture is sold at NOVICA – a company who has made it their mission to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. This sculpture was made by a Balinese man named Made Wirata. I love the idea of getting something really unique and beautiful from a real person who needs that money. We’ll be reviewing NOVICA in greater detail – check back for our review soon!
Like any avid reader of The Pioneer Woman, I am infatuated with Le Creuset cookware. I just saw on their website that they are selling these limited edition Mini Cocettes with a bonus cookbook. I would looooooove to own these so I could make some of the delicious recipes in the book like their Chocolate Cocettes with Molten Hearts or Lemon Meringue Custards. You can buy this set at Amazon.com right now for $79.95!
And for the truly lavish (read: unlikely but still awesome to dream about) present – I think what any mother would really want is a vacation! Lately my imaginary vacations have been involving tropical getaways and family friendly cruises like this 3 Night Cruise in the Bahamas on the Disney Cruise Lines (found at cruises.com). Disney Cruises get rave reviews for their kid friendly atmosphere that is still a ton of fun for the grown ups, too! I love that all their meals are included in the price tag (except for specialty drinks and alcoholic beverages).
In all seriousness, I think the best gifts are the ones you aren’t expecting – the ones you know came from the heart, regardless of price tags or size – but for anyone out there looking for just the right present, these are a few of my humble suggestions (and big dreaming ideas!).
So tell me mommas, what would you love to get for Mother’s Day? What would be your ultimate dream gift?
Category : Featured Reviews, gifts & greeting cards
You know when you are at the playground or the library and you hit it off with a new mom – like she might just be your long lost best friend and kindred spirit that you’ve been looking for since forever and her kids and your kids seem to get along, too? And as you watch your respective darlings run about together while talking about the latest romantic comedy you both loved or your favorite places to get coffee you groan with the realization that despite having eleven spare diapers, enough wet wipes to supply your local CVS and snacks doled out in appropriate portions for all your kids – you don’t 10f8 have a pen and paper anywhere?
So when that awkward moment comes where you might be brave enough to say, “Hey let’s get together sometime – here’s my number!” you don’t exchange numbers and you leave the playground or library feeling disappointed and hoping that your could be new best friend manages to come to the playground or library again at the same time you do – and that you have a pen on you.
Now, I know you could have cell phones and just swap numbers that way – and you very well might see them at the playground again – but the thing is, for me, finding the courage to even suggest that they might actually have liked you enough to want your phone number is tough – and any tool you can have to make that topic as easy as possible – well, I want it.
Lately Mommy Cards are all the rage – at least I think they are. I know I’ve been wanting them for a couple years now. Think Business Cards but hopefully with cute pictures of your kids on them and of course your contact information – perfect for giving out your phone number or for all my fellow blogging mommas out there – your website address, too!
I’ve been hunting and searching for awhile now for just the right company – just the right price – just the right amount of options and I finally found that in Cardstore.com – an online retailer with personalized photo cards, holiday cards, thank you cards, birth announcements, birthday cards, wedding announcements, as well as about a gagillion different business cards or Mommy Cards to suit any style. Add your own photos and text – and they’ll print and mail your custom photo cards anywhere, with no minimum orders.
Apologies for the poor attempt at removing private information from these pictures – I know it looks ugly.
I was really impressed with the cards I ordered at Cardstore.com. At their website I was able to choose a style and then further customize it with my own pictures and choice of text, fonts, colors, sizes, etc. so I could custom tailer the cards to my own preferences. The website was very easy to work with and I think the cards are just adorable.
You can actually put photos and text on both sides of the card – so no matter what side of the card you pick up, there is something there to look at. I put my phone number on both sides of this card along with pictures of my kids of course. Cardstore.com generously offered me a $25 credit to use at their website for review purposes and I decided to order two different styles of cards because I had such a hard time choosing from all their options. So I also ordered a card with all text on one side and pictures on the other – and a purple background just for fun!
So you can see that the front has more of a classic business card format – but with a fun colorful twist. But when you flip it over…
I thought this was adorable – more pictures of my cute kids and their names, too. I can’t really state enough how adorable these cards were. Each set came with 25 cards for $15 each. This quantity was perfect for my purposes – I can’t imagine I’ll go through the 50 total cards I ordered any time soon but if you are ordering these for a business and want more cards, they do offer discounted bulk rates. Each set of cards also came with a cute smaller carrying case that’s perfect to slip into your purse or pocket but still keep them separate and handy for quick access.
The best part is – this weekend when b50 I ran into a fellow mommy at the train tables of our local Barnes and Noble who I’d met once before at a playgroup and had been hoping to run into again – I put these babies to good use, mustered up some bravery and gave her my card so hopefully we can get together again sooner rather than later.
This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Cardstore.com, who provided a gift card for shopping for the product for this review.
– DISCOUNT ALERTS –
Thanks to the Family Review Network and Cardstore.com you can get a discount of 10 percent off your entire order using the code FAMILYREVIEW10 (valid until 6/30/2010)!
Also…
Save 15% on all Mother’s Day Cards and Photo Mother’s Day Cards when you enter code LOVEMOM at check out. Shop now for Mother’s Day Cards – offer ends 5/15/2010!*
*LOVEMOM coupon code expires at midnight on 5/15/2010 (PT) and applies to total card cost before taxes, stamps, and shipping. Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts; no more than one coupon can apply per order.
Save 20% on all Graduation Announcements, Invitations, Thank You Cards and Congratulations Cards when you enter code GRADSALE at check out. Shop now for Graduation Cards – offer ends 7/15/2010!**
**GRADSALE coupon code expires at midnight on 7/15/2010 (PT) and applies to total card cost before taxes, stamps, and shipping. Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts; no more than one coupon can apply per order.
Category : Featured Reviews, Giveaways, around the home, gifts & greeting cards
Alphabet Photography® is a company that’s been in the press a lot – you might have noticed it mentioned in “O” Magazine or On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Inspired by a children’s book called “Alphabet City” by Stephen T. Johnson, Alphabet Photography® was created by Jennifer Blakeley. She and her husband Sam run the business together in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
So what exactly is Alphabet Photography? It’s the process of photographing images that look like letters of the alphabet and taking those letters to create really amazing art.
I recently had the opportunity to receive the FAMILY Inspirational Series photographed above to review here and I immediately fell in love with it. Beautifully framed in a high quality black wood and printed on Professional Grade Crystal Archive Photographic Paper, it looks and feels sturdy and well built. I loved the whimsical quote on the bottom of the picture:
“A family is like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts” – Unknown
It looks great amongst our family photographs in our dining room and I think it adds a touch of class to the room.
Their inspirational series is huge with lots of different words to choose from. And you can buy these pre-framed prints at stores like Sears Canada Online, Green Earth, Meijer Department Stores, Home Sense, Crackerbarrel, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and more.
You can also create your own unique wall art using the word of your choice. Or buy the letter prints individually to create your own masterpiece. They also sell calendars, posters and frames. I’d definitely recommend them for anyone looking for a unique gift idea or cool piece of art for their home.
The Prize
One (1) Lucky winner will win the same FAMILY Inspirational Series framed art reviewed here.
How to Enter
Giveaway will close on April 16th at 12:00PM EST.
1. Tell us: If you could buy anything from Alphabet Photography, what would you most like to buy? This is mandatory – if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
2. For a second entry become a fan of Alphabet Photography on Facebook and write on their wall that Mommas Review sent you.
3. For a third entry, tweet about this giveaway. Need some tweet-spiration? “Win a gorgeous piece of inspirational art from @AlphabetPhoto at @mommasreview http://www.mommasreview.com!”
4. For a fourth entry follow AlphabetPhoto on Twitter for the latest updates on their amazing products!
For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!
Disclaimer: I received the Family – Inspirational Series Framed Art above for review purpose but was not monetarily compensated in any way. Thanks to the Alphabet Photography for this review and giveaway opportunity.
today’s gift guide is all about ultra-affordable gifts- everything in this roundup will be $25 and under! so, i hope you’ll find something that might be good for someone in your life.
[image above, clockwise from bottom left: Moroccan Tea Glasses $20 set, mermaid bottle opener $15, 3 wishbones $12, eyelet bowl $24, Pair of Vintage Soy Candles $20, mirrored monogram coasters $18, Beeswax rock candles (set of 3) $19, Hidden Bibile Flask $24, culinary herb garden kit $25, The Game of Life - Family Guy Collector's Edition $21, Mustache Pencils $14, preening pen $20, grobal self-watering plant $25, Lace Pedestal Jewelry Stand $18 ]
