Go Graham Go! |

Mother's Day is right around the corner and I'm sure that gift ideas are springing into your heads already!  We generally like to involve photos in our Mother's and Father's Day gifts.  When you have children that are ever changing, grand-parents and parents love to have cherished memories to keep with them.


Blurb offers some absolutely gorgeous photo books that look worthy of display!  I know that I have created photo books from the drug stores before that have been cute, but nothing as fancy as this.  The wonderful news is that Blurb has books that fit every budget starting at $4.95.  All you have to do is download the Blurb BookSmart software and add in your own pictures and customize the text.  There are layouts already created so you don't have to worry about being a genius on design.  If you are a blogger, there is a Blog to Book option that you might find fascinating.  Another great idea would be to compile a cook book full of your family's favorites for a special wedding or birthday gift.  If you are a photographer, this could be an inexpensive and easy way to display your work.


I think Blurb offers a gorgeous product that is sure to be treasured for years to come.  You can never go wrong with memories!  Blurb offers flat rate shipping at $6.99 for up to 5 books and several different sizes. 

I was not compensated in any way for this post.  Blurb provided the giveaway. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.



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These days, it seems all I receive in the post is junk mail and catalogs. When I spy a real envelope in the mail, though, I get very excited!

Lately, most of my real mail celebrates new babies or announces upcoming bridal showers. Each birth announcement illustrates the joy of the welcoming family and every shower invitation sets the tone for the event itself.

Finding the perfect announcement or invitation to send to family and friends is essential but can be time consuming and frustrating. Speaking from first-hand experience, I've nearly gone bald pulling my hair out while working on the birth announcement for our new daughter!


Storkie claims on their website that, "ordering from Storkie Express just might be the easiest and most painless part of having a special occasion, party and/or new baby!"


I couldn't agree more! I had the opportunity to make a baby shower invitation for this review and it was easy, fun, and exactly what I was looking for.

As someone who has a lot of experience with ordering cards online, Storkie is far and away the most user-friendly site I've used. Here's why:

1. Storkie has hundreds of designs to choose from for your invitation or announcement. You're bound to find the perfect one and, when you do, you can order adorable complementary accessories (stickers, thank you notes, place cards, magnets, etc.). I had so much fun browsing their designs--the hardest thing about Storkie was choosing just one!
2. Storkie lets you create and design your invitation exactly how you'd like it--while they give you initial guidelines and wording, you can easily rearrange blocks of text, choose new fonts and sizes, and enter new text. You can even change the colors of certain elements on the pictures! I had so much fun playing around with their fonts, colors, and wording!
3. Storkie has incredible customer service. Unlike other websites where you just check a box to say you approve your design, Storkie can review it for you (free of charge) and make suggestions for how to make your card look absolutely perfect. I corresponded with a Storkie editor several times to ensure that the invitation I created was exactly what I wanted it to look like. I couldn't have been more pleased. 
4. Many of Storkie invitations and announcements can be printed on 100% recyclable materials! How neat is that?

In a nutshell, I loved using Storkie to create a baby shower invitation. Having the freedom to customize the design (from fonts to pictures!) and knowing that it had been reviewed by an editor for errors thrilled me. I unreservedly and highly recommend using their servics.

The finished product exceeded my invitations and has been met with rave reviews from the invitation's recipients--with Storkie you can easily create and send a real-mail card--making everyone happy!

50 invites with return address printing was provided free of charge by Storkie to facilitate this review.  Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

After stints of living in the Midwest, Northeast, and England, the Monkey's Mama (AKA Allie) currently resides in Atlanta with her wonderful husband of 6 years, "J". Together they have two daughters.


The Monkey's Mama takes great joy in being a Christian Stay-at-Home-Mama. In her spare time, she loves to run and race competitively for her local track club, read mystery novels, and walk her cats Churchill and Thatcher outside on leashes!



Connect with Allie on twitter @monkeysonthebed.


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There's just something about Hallmark that gives me the warm fuzzies! I love to saunter through the store and check out every single detail! They really do have some sweet gift ideas and carry some brands that our family has always loved. Hallmark has long been known for making special occasions personal and memorable and now they are taking it up a notch for the Holidays.



This year you can do more than pick out the perfect card, you can actually create a personalized DVD greeting card for your family. Hallmark's DVD Greetings are perfect for families that live far apart. What a wonderful way to have a little keepsake for grandma or grandpa to play on their computer or DVD player. You can actually customize the layout of the movie and insert your own photos. Personalize the text to make it yours! In three simple steps you will have a gift that any loved one will cherish. Just choose your photos, create your movie, and send your DVD Greeting in the mail! It even comes with its own special card to hold the DVD. Hallmark's DVD Greetings retail for about $9.99.

Another great gift idea are the digital scrapbooks. What a wonderful idea for the loved one who has an office job or even for the one who loves to display pictures in digital frames! Now, you can create a moving scrapbook with your families photos and set it to music (use the music provided or upload your own). You can also personalize the text to make it fit your needs. I had a ton of fun picking out pictures and using the pre-made scrapbook template that's provided. This gift would be great either already set up, or give it to them so that they can create their own Digital Scrapbook. Another idea would be to print out the scrapbook pages and give your loved one an actual scrapbook! Hallmark's Digital Scrapbooks retail for about $19.95.




Also, don't forget about Hallmark's recordable cards! We love these things! It is so much fun to go through the cards and find the perfect song that goes with your recorded message. You can also choose from recordable cards that do not feature music. You are allowed up to 10 seconds worth of a message. We have had fun recording Graham now that he is using actual words! It is fun to watch grandparent's faces as they open up a card with a sweet little voice talking to them.

These products were provided free of charge by Hallmark. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.


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I'm sure my family is much like yours when it comes to Christmas cards. Each year I want to send out something personal and special to family members who do not live near us and do not get to see Graham frequently. I will normally try to take a really good picture of him with a festive background and then go in search of the perfect card shop to publish it. In years past I have even used cheap drugstore photo cards, but I usually run into problems. If your photo doesn't look right it is your own fault! Well, I was introduced to a beautiful online shop that has the most chic looking card designs to choose from. The best part is an actual designer works individually on your card and you are even sent a proof!



Minted has so many beautiful designs depending on what you are looking for. I was able to go through the entire process of selecting and creating a Christmas Card with them and was extremely impressed! The site itself is laid out well and is easy to navigate. Once I chose my design all I had to do was upload my photo. There are several different options for editing your photo (black/white or sepia) or you can even have a professional edit it for you! You can then decide what text you would like and even pick out the perfect colors and font for the text. Once you are finished you submit your order and an actual designer works on it for you! That means a real person is putting together your perfect card! A proof will be sent for your approval before your order is shipped. It only took a day for my proof to come in and I received my cards about a week after that.



The cards from Minted are beyond excellent when it comes to quality. My husband even commented on how nice they were (he usually doesn't have a lot to say about cards)! I really love the Yearline Cards that highlight your year to share with family as well as the Minibook Cards. I was also sent a sample of the Kid's Stationary that are so cute you want to squeeze them! You can choose your design and have it personalized with your child's name. These would make excellent Christmas gifts and are wonderful to use when birthday's roll around for enclosures!



Minted also has a wide array of birth announcements, wedding invitations, thank you cards, birthday invitations, address labels and more! It truly is a one stop shop for paper needs that are beyond gorgeous!



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If you are looking for a cute place to pick up some announcements, invitations, note cards, or personalized stationary check out Note Card Girl. You can purchase items the way they are listed or she can customize them to meet your individual needs.


Carrie is the owner and operator of Note Card Girl which is a Carrie's Kiddie Closet Company. She sent me some very cute business cards for Go Graham Go that she came up with herself! All I had to do was send her the graphic of the cartoon Graham and she did the rest! She was wonderful to work with and even sent me choices of two different proofs. I like options!



Check out her adorable stick figure stationary and items. They would be great for putting in lunches, putting with gifts or just for fun! Note Card Girl also has Mommy Cards. It took me a while to figure out what these were for, but you could use them to give your info out when you meet people at story time at the library or things of that nature. Maybe you are a stay at home mom that is trying to connect with other mothers, this is much simpler than trying to locate a pen and scrap paper to write down your number for another mom. Not to mention, they are cute!



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Here is what I loved about Paperspring





To add to the fun, you can type in your name or business and instantly see how it would appear in print.

Paperspring is a great option for all your paper needs! You can guarantee we'll be using them for our Holiday cards and maybe even future party invites!

-Allie

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MJM Books should really change their name to something like: MODTOT Books or FRESHnFUNKY Books. Honestly, from their website down to their product, they've got it goin' on!

There is also a really cool story behind how MJM Books was started. MJM actually are the initials in the three brothers names who are behind this creative company. It all started when Matt's daughter Olivia needed something a little different for Christmas. His brother Jeff created "If I Were Big" just for her! The current "If I Were Big" title is a spruced up version of Jeff's!

The best part about MJM Books? The fact that you can personalize your child right into the story! I love it! We were able to actually go through the process of personalizing a book for Graham. It was extremely easy and fun. I also had the option of selecting which title I thought suited Graham best. There are currently 3 different adorable titles to choose from. You can preview all three on the website.



The quality of the book is outstanding! It is a soft cover, but a very durable soft cover. All of MJM Books are made from 100% recycled paper as well! The illustrations are very modern and gorgeous! Graham loves to see himself in the book and watch how his little character goes from very small to gigantic! The message at the end is heart warming and perfect for a baby shower, birthday, or any special occasion. You also have the option of personalizing the front page with your own very special message.

For $15.95 this is a steal!



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I have found another wonderful personalized gift store for women, babies and beyond! Cute Clips and More is an adorable online boutique that offers a ton of customized items at reasonable prices!


Cute Clips and More sent Graham an adorable "G" applique shirt! There are 20 different fabrics to choose from and you can have your choice of initial or number. These are great ideas for birthday parties! I love the quality of the sewing on the applique. You can tell that careful attention to detail was taken. The fabric is adorable and modern. The initial shirts are $20 for short sleeves and $22 for long sleeves. The shirt came wrapped in tissue paper inside of a plastic zip lock to insure its protection.Cute Clips and More also offers some adorable personalized lunch boxes from Sweet Mady's Paper, aprons and smocks, baby items, bag tags and more! It is also a great place to pick up gifts for your child's teacher and for graduation. It is refreshing to receive a gift that took thought and was made special. Another thing I love about this boutique is how well laid out the website is. It is easy to navigate and find fabrics as well as different items to personalize.

I love new and unique places where you can find gifts that will last a lifetime! Now that I have Graham I can see the importance of giving a gift that is special! Everyone gets the sleepers, the onesies, the bottles and those are definitely needed...but it was the personalized gifts that I still have and remember the most!

C.U.T.E.* Baby Gifts (Colorful Unique Thoughtful Educational) specializes in creating a child's name out of special characters that represent each letter! As kids grow older, they will be able to associate the special characters with the letters in their name! They will also make sure your piece of art-work is one of a kind! They will register the parents names to make sure there are no duplicates. C.U.T.E.* Baby Gifts also makes sure that even if the same name is created, they are different by color or character. For instance, let's say I ordered one for Graham and then someone else ordered one for their little boy named Graham. C.U.T.E* Baby Gifts may make my Graham's "G" out of a Giraffe and the other Graham's "G" out of a Gorilla (these are random examples that I came up with myself). The bottom line is, your piece of art work will truly be one-of-a-kind!

These beautiful pieces are also extremely affordable! An original retails for $35. All posters carry a $5 shipping and handling fee. You will receive an 11" x 14" drawing suitable for framing!

I found the most adorable store located in Australia through the Family Review Network! Bright Star Kids has everything from wall graphics to labels to bag tags! Bright Star Kids designs and manufactures all of the Wall Graphics on their premises in Australia. Every single product that they produce is made from the best quality removable vinyl that is available. They have a wide variety of designs and styles to choose from as well!

We had the chance to try out the Train Spotting Wall Graphics! At first I was a little nervous about what these graphics would to to my walls or that they would be permanently affixed! I was so thrilled to find out that they are simple to put up and they come off with ease! Because they are made from vinyl, they seem to be highly durable as well! It was fun to create our own little railroad scene on Graham's wall! If we found that we wanted to change the look, we simply peeled the piece off and re-applied it with no trouble! We had the entire railroad up in about 10 minutes. There is no lifting and the colors are extremely vibrant! The wall that you see in the photos is probably about 8 feet wide.


These wall graphics would be the perfect idea for sprucing up a kids room on a budget! They have graphics for girls rooms, boys rooms, and nurseries. The packages run from about $26-$52 and there is a $10 flat rate shipping charge. When you think about it, this is a lot cheaper than buying a of pictures and frames! The bargain is that most of these wall graphics could take up an entire wall if you wanted them to!

Bright Star Kids send all orders from Australia within 2 working days of receiving your order. Most US customers find that their parcels arrive in around 2 - 3 weeks, but if you live in a more remote area this could take a bit longer. The Wall Graphics come in a protective large cardboard envelope, so if you're not home when your mail person tries to deliver it, they will leave a note and you will have to collect it from your local mailing office.

I am so excited to share with you about a brand new find in custom kids items! Kat in the Hat Designs is owned and operated by an extremely talented and creative mom! Once you stop by her site you are sucked in! I am a sucker for "good looking" websites. I think as consumers, we all are! But, the product has to fit the site...and it absolutely does!

Kat designs all of her products! Unlike other companies who have pre-made templates, you will find something unique and special from Kat in the Hat Designs! All of her designs have such a fun, funky, modern feel!

There is also a wide assortment of what Kat offers! There's stationary, note cards, gift enclosures and invites, paintings, mobiles, adorable t-shirts, insulated lunch totes and so much more! Kat in the Hat Designs is the home to Spittin' Images Whimsical Children's Portraits! Just send Kat a portrait and she does the rest! What a special gift this would make!
Graham was sent this adorable Whale shirt! This is such a precious design! Another great thing about the shirts is that they are super soft! Kat uses high quality t-shirts that will stand up to wear and tare! Check him out!

Now one lucky reader will have the chance to win a personalized Tee for their little one as well as one of Kat's brand new personalized aluminum water bottles! The design is a part of the bottle, not a sticker! Simply choose any design from the website and add a name! So cute and goes well with the personalized lunch totes! Not to mention, the aluminum bottles are environmentally friendly!

This giveaway has ended! Congratulations to Mommyhood is Thankless!

When three sisters from a small town in upstate NY combined their passion, creativity, and concern for the environment, skeeda© was born.

Driven by a commitment to reduce waste, their goal is to tap into your sense of style to motivate you to make small changes in your daily lives to ensure a better life for future generations. In fact, future generations were the inspiration for the name. They took an initial from each of their children and created the acronym skeeda (exerpt taken from www.skeeda.com).

Because the environment is not going to clean itself, we all need to do our part! Skeeda bags help you do that fashionably and affordably! Selected for the 2007 MTV celebrity gift bags, skeeda is roomy and sturdy with a "flavor" that can be yours! All bags are only $15 and can be monogrammed for only $4 extra! There are currently 10 styles to choose from!

These bags are huge! They are roomy enough for a full bag of groceries plus some and they are super sturdy! The straps are nice and long and heavy duty! These truly are the best bang for your buck!

Think of all the money you will be saving by using a quality reusable bag, not to mention, all of the environment you will be saving! Save even more starting now until February 3rd with 20% off using coupon code: graham.