Holiday Gift Guide 2010!

It's Sara's FAVORITE things!!!

(ya know, like Oprah!)

I have always loved handmade...LOVED! Over the past year, since I've been selling on Etsy, I have met so many wonderful people, it's almost hard to believe. I want to share with you all of my favorite creations made with love by my favorite crafters.

Tempted Pastries and Pies

Jill is a best friend of one of my best friends...and WE'VE become friends over the years. (are you following?!) She is an amazing baker and has just recently started up her own Etsy Shop! Her baked yummies would be absolutely perfect for your holiday parties or even to bring into your office or school! The Gingerbread Men & Red Velvet Whoopie Pies look DELISH! Jill just started a Facebook Fan Page too- take a peek!

Here's what Jill has to say about them:

Gingerbread men: Let these delicious little guys join your holiday table. They are all baked and iced by me when ordered and no 2 will be exactly the same. Enjoy the sweet bite of ginger and sweetness. Sure to be a favorite amongst your family or holiday guests. Purchased by the dozen. $15.00

Red velvet whoopie pies: This cross between cake and cookie is the perfect holiday goodie. Two red velvet cookies are sandwiched together with a creamy, delicious filling. Sold by the half dozen. $10.00

Tubby Tabby

I won a little giveaway from Jodi a while back and wrote a review on her awesome necklaces HERE. Her stuff is so incredibly unique & fun. I absolutely LOVE this Swarovski Crystal Cube Necklace in Pink Sapphire and Sterling and she has earrings to match too! I'm thinking perfect give for a mother, mother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, co-worker, etc.

Chickabug

Y'all know Heather is one of my favorite people...ever! She has THEE most precious holiday cards in her shop this year. I love how they come as DIY printables AND printed cards...whichever you prefer! This one is my FAVE!

I just purchased the Santa Letter kit from Chickabug and my kids had a BLAST filling them out. They are such a clever idea! We filled them out and headed to Macy's to drop them in the Santa Mailbox...what special memory!

If you look up "CUTENESS" in the dictionary you would find Heather's BLOG...seriously! You have to check out her fan page too!

Bluepie Designs

I met Deb last weekend at the craft show. She wasn't a vendor at that particular show but she stopped by my table and we had the nicest time chatting and talking about our "stuff". I checked out her Etsy shop when I got home and loved what I found! You have to check out her ORIGINAL Secret Stash Money Cuff (for adults AND kids). Super cute AND functional!

Two Savvy Sisters

Nicole and I met through blogging and now are total blog buddies & internet friends :) She is so sweet, I just love her! She has this super cute Winter Owl Party Collection in her shop (for boys & girls), and I think the banners are the perfect touch to any party. I especially love all the detail, you can see how much hard work she puts into these. You can learn more about Nicole on her blog (which is fab) & her Facebook Fan Page!

Unique Cork

I met the owner of Unique Cork at the Craft Show last weekend as well. Now this is a clever idea! He can make anything you want into a bulletin board...how cool is that? I bought the "Peace, Love, Happiness" bulletin board for my nieces for Christmas. I know they are going to LOVE it! You have got to check out his website, he has TONS to choose from! These are also made so incredibly well, I will definitely be purchasing more for my own kids! He just started a Facebook Fan Page, go check it out to see some more great pics!

Crazy Steve's Pickles and Salsa

ANOTHER Craft Show find!! This girl was buying bows from me and kept talking about how delicious & SPICY these pickles were that she had just tried. I love, love, love anything spicy so I had to check them out for myself. Steve had the best display set up and plenty of samples to taste. Each one was absolutely delicious. I bought a jar of the Let the *INSANE* Sunshine Pickles and have been enjoying them pretty much every day at lunch. The pickles and salsas make a great gift for the holidays, even as a stocking stuffer! Everything about this product is so clever, which I love. The labels on the jars are so unique, my jar had a 9/11 hero story and a "moment" story about Woodstock. Really interesting stuff! Right now he has 3 different "hero" stories and several different "moment" stories on all of the labels. Not to mention, Steve is also a really cool guy -- go check him out on his Facebook Fan Page!

Kid-N-Around Creations

I've ordered from Lori before and have always been soo pleased! Her play food is adorable and so well made. She is always offering great promotions and has the best ideas for the kids! I have to get my hands on this super cute Felt Play Checkbook, I know my son would love this! I also love the Mini Chalkboard Roll as a fun alternative to the crayon roll. I SO need to have these in my diaper bag for "those" moments...you moms know what I'm talking about!

Designs by Jackaroo

Erin and I met a while back and I just love her creations. I gotta tell ya, she makes THEE best AND cutest burp cloths. The 3 I have are adorable and have held up fabulously! I love her choices of fabrics, they are always so bright & fun. She just recently posted these pics on her facebook page and I fell in love. I might need to have another baby. (kidding...but will be great as gifts!) I am loving these extra little touches to the burp cloths and they are so original. I'm hoping to do an interview of Erin after the New Year...stay tuned!!

Welp, there ya have it!! Hope you all love my favorite things as much as I do!! Happy Shopping everyone!!

Cyber Monday!!!

It's CYBER MONDAY!! WOOHOO!!

Save 20% on ALL ORDERS today only in my Etsy Shop!! Enter coupon code "CYBER20" at checkout. Etsy now takes coupon codes...how cool is that?!

Happy Shopping Everyone!!

Get in on the GIVEAWAYS!!!

This will be the last time that I mention how much I love, love, LOVE giveaways...I promise!! I think you all know that by now ;)

My goal was to win all my Christmas presents for my kids this year- HA! Seriously, though...there are some AMAZING prizes out there. If you have some extra time, enter a few. Ya never know!!

Wanted to fill ya in on some current FAB giveaways that I am crossing my fingers to win!

Girl Gone Mom has an adorable giveaway up right now to win a Twilight Turtle from Cloud B. My daughter has the ladybug and it soo cute! My son actually uses it in his room because he loves it so much, and my 18 month old doesn't really know the difference! I would LOVE to win the turtle for him though, he would FLIP!

Another one I am DYING to win is for these adorable PetCakes! Have you seen them? I know my daughter would love to play with these! Then maybe she actually might leave OUR dog alone :)

There is a giveaway right now on The Queen of Swag...go check it out! It ends Dec 5th.

Another PetCake giveaway is on The Life of Rylie & Bryce, too, this one ends tomorrow so you better hurry!

Ok and one more of my FAVORITE items...baby leggings from Agoo. AH! I just can't have enough ;) This giveaway is a quick one...ends tonight! Go check it out at Fabulous Family Reviews & Giveaways!

Good luck everyone!!

And just to give you some motivation...so far I've won a kids music cd for my son's stocking, 2 Jumbies for both of their stockings and I just won a Ladybug Pillow Pet for my daughter last night!!! I'll admit that I WOOHOOED very loudly when I read the email...my husband thinks I'm nuts!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wishing you all a FABULOUS Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for all of you...

I couldn't do any of this without ya!

Love,

Sara & Emmy :)

Wordless Wednesday -- Toy Story Smile!

Toy Story on Ice!!

Winner of Agoo Leggings Giveaway!!

The winner has been chosen via random.org for the Agoo Leggings Giveaway....

And the winner is.... #76 Bethany!!

Congratulations! An email has been sent and the winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to all of you who entered!!

Our first Craft Show!

This past weekend we attended our first craft show at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, NJ. We had months to prepare but really didn't know what to expect since we have never participated in one before. (of course I still waited till the very last minute to get everything ready, some things never change!)

My mom and I left my house at 5:45 am (obviously Mom's decision) on Saturday morning just to make sure we would have every single thing set. Those that know me well, know that I do NOT do 5:45 am :) So needless to say I was BEAT by the end of the weekend, but it was so worth it!

We had an absolute blast and loved chatting with all the other crafters. I think I could do that all day, well actually...we did!

Here are some pics from the weekend, let me know what you think. Anything you like...or anything you think we should change for next time??

me & my emmy girl! :)

Check out more pics on my Fan Page!

Buzz on by Thursday!

Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug!

Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!
If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:
Follow ALL of the Hostesses
If you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!

1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)


2. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug via Google Connect. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.

Would you like to sponsor or do a giveaway on Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.

Agoo Leggings Review & Giveaway!!

Did you know it was Argyle week?? Me neither...until the wonderful people at Agoo let me know!

November 19th is official "Argyle Day" and to help celebrate Agoo has generously offered one of my readers a 3 pack of Argyle Bamboo Leggings!!

I just received a pair of the Candy Argyle leggings and couldn't be happier with them. They are super soft and are a great size for my daughter's adorable (chubby) legs, I know they will fit her for a long time. She wore them all day today and they stayed up perfectly--love that!

I am a HUGE fan of leggings on little girls. They are a perfect alternative to tights and make diaper changes so much easier. They also look ridiculously cute under skirts and dresses. My daughter wore her's with a jean skirt today and they looked adorable. I have to say that Agoo honestly has the cutest selection of designs & patterns that I've come across.

Here's what Agoo has to say about their leggings:

Our Agoo Leggings are designed for little girls on the move. Be it crawling, climbing, running or dancing, Agoo Leggings offer protection with fabulous function and flare.

They're great for keeping legs cozy in cold weather. They're terrific for EC babies ad toilet training. They're perfect for crawling on hard surfaces. They're ideal for those with sensitive skin.

Our innovative, eco-friendly Agoo Leggings are made from 100% sustainable Bamboo fibres. One size fits all.

Wanna win this awesome 3 pack of Argyle Leggings?? Here's what you have to do:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and don't forget to include your email!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Head on over to Agoo's Facebook page and let them know that you just entered to win their leggings over at Emmy's Closet Blog!

Extra Entries: (1 entry each)

1. Follow my blog

2. Fan me on Facebook

3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet (1 entry per tweet -- 1 tweet per day)

" I just entered to #win a 3 pack of Argyle Bamboo leggings from Agoo! @emmyscloset http://ow.ly/39G6p"

4. Fan Agoo on Facebook

5. Follow Agoo on Twitter

6. Grab my Button

Can't wait??!!

Agoo is also offering a Promo Code so you can show the world your appreciate for Argyle ;) You can save 40% on this adorable 3 pack of leggings by using code "argyle40off". Code is good until the end of November. That's a HUGE savings! Wouldn't these make a great Christmas gift?

Giveaway is open to US & Canada and ends on Monday, November 22nd at 9pm EST . Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond.

GOOD LUCK!! :)

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for this review & giveaway. This is my honest opinion, however it may differ from yours. Leggings will be shipped directly from Agoo so I can not be held responsible for lost or non received items.

Shutterfly 2010 Holiday Card Review!

I am addicted to Shutterfly...plain and simple! So I am thrilled to be doing this review.

I have been using Shutterfly for years and I couldn't be happier with all of the products I've received, their prices, shipping times and dealing with their customer service.

We have always picked out and designed our Christmas Cards, and we actually have fun doing it too. It's the most user friendly "photo" site that I have come across. This will be our 4th year and I can't wait to start browsing all of the adorable designs. I absolutely love how you can completely customize, from the card size, to how many pictures you want to use, the font, etc. Not to mention the TONS of design options, definitely something for everyone's taste. Picking the exact amount of pictures we wanted to use really came in handy last year...because *shockingly* I couldn't get my then 2 1/2 year old & 6 month old to get a decent shot together. This way I could have one picture of my son and one picture of my daughter. This year I'm hoping to use a bunch of pictures. I was thinking maybe...one of my son, one of my daughter, one of them together and maybe even one of the dog??!!! ;)

My favorite part is definitely picking out which design we like best. In the past we've used these three: (and I still LOVE them!)

The 2010 Holiday Cards are FABULOUS! I don't know how I am going to choose! I'm thinking of doing something a little different...maybe this one:

I love all the different pictures and that they are different sizes,

my kids better cooperate this year!!!

There are several other products that I adore from Shutterfly.

Every year I make my Mom a calendar with all of her grandkid's photos, it always comes out super cute and we all know to grab her some tissues every time she opens one up ;)

I also started making photo books for all of our big occasions, and they have turned out beautifully. I have one for my baby shower, both of my kid's first Christmases, baptisms and first birthdays....with PLENTY more to come! My kids LOVE looking through these to remember all of our special times.

And of course...I order all of my regular prints from Shutterfly as well. (thousands...not joking!) Their prices are extremely reasonable and they always offer fantastic promotions. I spoke with customer service through email once and they were super nice and helpful, a pleasure to deal with.

Oh yeah, got both my kids birth announcements too...I TOLD YA I was addicted! ;)

So head on over and pick out YOUR favorite Holiday Card... I know I can't wait to get mine!

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… learn more: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Buzz on by Thursday Blog Hop & Giveaway!!

Welcome to “Buzz on by Thursday" blog hop, hosted by Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug!

Buzz on By Thursday is a great way to meet new bloggers and increase your Google followers! So join us, we promise you will have a blast!
If you want to be a part of Buzz on by Thursday, just follow these few rules:
Follow ALL of the Hostesses
If you're a new follower make sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back! WE DO FOLLOW BACK!

1. Add your blog name and URL to the linky below (only have to add once)


2. Follow Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug via Google Connect. Leave comments on each site letting us know you are following us so we can follow you back.

GIVEAWAY: This week Sara of Emmy's Closet has offered us a wonderful giveaway of your choice between a Turkey Clip OR Fall Pacifier Clip. How do you win this great prize? Well, simply leave one (or all of us) a comment. The more comments you leave the greater your chances are of winning.

This giveaway is for US residents only. All comments must be placed by Monday, November 15th 6 PM EST. The winner will be picked by adding all of the comments from your hostesses and using random.org to generate the winner.

Would you like even more chances to win this giveaway? Do one or all of the following below and leave comments on every hostesses post that you do the below.

- Follow Fashionably Organized (@FashOrganized), The Two Savvy Sisters (@Twosavvysisters), Emmy's Closet(@emmyscloset) and Sunny Bug (@Sunny_Bug) on Twitter.

- Like Fashionably Organized, The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on Facebook.

-Post about Buzz on By Thursday on your blog. When you leave a comment that you have posted the button make sure to leave us a link. (Yes you can tell each of the hostesses you have done this to give you 4 more chances.)

-Post the Buzz on By Thursday button from Fashionably Organized,The Two Savvy Sisters, Emmy's Closet and Sunny Bug on your blog. When you leave a comment that you have posted the button make sure to leave us a link. (Yes you can tell each of the hostesses you have done this to give you 4 more chances.)

Would you like to sponsor or do a giveaway on Buzz on By Thursday? Please feel free to contact Nicole from The Two Savvy Sisters or Candice from Fashionably Organized for more information.