The Shopping Mama

Great for Girls Easter {Basket Gift Guide}

by Kate on March 13th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping

Our final Easter Basket Gift Guide is for the girls. (And, frankly, we think they’re all perfect for boys, too. It’s rather silly to separate into a Boy’s Easter Gift Guide and a Girl’s Easter Gift Guide, but it was an easy way to group our favorite picks for baskets.) From handmade to artistic to stylish accessories, we have a sweet collection of gift ideas that will create lots of squeals and no cavities.

1. Hand Knit Doll (Sophie & Lili, $45)

2. Slide Whistle (The Land of Nod, $4)

3. Necklace (Juniorbeads, $22.50)

4. Sunglasses (Old Navy, $6)

5. Bookplates (The Fox and the Teacup, 18 or $12)

6. Watercolor Palette (Kiwi Crate, $8)

7. Personalized Magic Easter Box Book (Frecklebox, $20 save 20% with code EASTER)

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Filling more than one Easter basket? Check out all of our Easter basket gift shopping guides:

Baby’s First Easter
Easter Basket Ideas for Boys

I See Me! Personalized Easter Storybooks & Gifts

by Maureen on March 13th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Reviews

Just in time for Easter, the folks at I See Me! have created another darling personalized storybook for children. I See Me!’s “mission is to increase self esteem in children through personalized books that celebrate the uniqueness of each child. The goal of our books is to show each child how absolutely unique and special he or she is”. The books also introduce the alphabet, spelling, and other early learning skills.

My Snuggle Bunny is a story about a little white bunny who teaches your child about numbers and counting by listing the fun things they will do together. Your child’s name appears in the title and throughout the book, and parents may have a dedication included on the flyleaf. My Snuggle Bunny may also be purchased as part of a gift set that includes an adorable stuffed white bunny – perfect for an Easter gift or basket stuffer.

I See Me! also offers cute personalized Easter coloring books — My Egg-cellent Easter — and placemats.

In addition to the sweet Easter gifts, I See Me! has a line of personalized storybooks, including the popular My Very Own Name. My son was given My Very Own Name as a gift when he was born, and it has long been one of his favorite, oft-repeated bedtime stories. The My Very Own Name books tell a charmingly illustrated story of a group of animals putting your child’s full name together for the first time, letter by letter. My son adores seeing his name on the cover and throughout the book, and it helped him learn to spell his name.

Shop! The My Snuggle Bunny book ($24.95), My Snuggle Bunny gift set ($44.95), personalized Easter coloring book ($9.95), My Very Own Name ($34.95), and other adorable personalized gifts are available on the I See Me! website. Order by March 15th to ship to continental U.S. addresses in time for Easter and receive free shipping with the coupon code HIPPITY!

Personalized Desk Planner Calendar

by Kate on February 11th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Mama Monday, Shopping

Still trying to live up to that “be more organized” new year’s resolution? Yes, me, too. We may be six weeks into the new year, but it’s not too late to take control of the chaos. We love these functional and personalized desk calendars from The Preppy Pickle.

The desk planner is an 11 x 17 pad of 52 weekly pages with room to mark appointments, daily tasks, meal plan and important reminders. (Think of the 52 pages like a bonus – you’ll already have a jumpstart on 2014! Or, most likely, if you’re me, you’ll have some spare sheets when you mess up and mark teacher’s conferences on the wrong day.)
The desk calendar is completely customizable: you pick the colors, background, monogram and even the outline frame color.

Shop! The Desk Planner is available for $38 from The Preppy Pickle on Etsy.

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Want something for on the go? Check out 6 Stylish Planners for Moms.

Safari Animals Nursery Art Prints

by Kate on February 4th, 2013 | 5 Comments | 28 Days of Design, Childrens Decor

Design: Jungle Safari Nursery Art Animals Set from Alley Kids

Why We Like It: These colorful animal graphics add a modern punch of color – any colors you like, in fact – to your child’s space. With nearly 60 colors to choose from you will easily find the best fit for your room. We love the simplicity of the animal silhouettes and think a set of these graphics. Each is professionally printed on heavy lustre archival-safe paper. The 8 x 10 prints are ready to frame!

Shop! Alley Kids on Etsy offers the Safari Animal Prints in a set of 3, 4, or 5 – ranging in price from $42 to $70. We also love the single personalized prints!

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Check out all our Children’s Décor & Design picks in the 28 Days of Decor.

Send the Sweetest Valentine with Treat {Giveaway}

by Kate on January 29th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Giveaways

I am the first to admit that I need to improve when it comes to sending snail mail cards. My big accomplishment is sending yearly Christmas cards, but beyond that? Let me just say that I have a card in my car that I’ve been meaning to send since December. But, there is no excuse when it comes to sending cards to my sweet grandmother. Even at 88, she sends notes for every single holiday, birthday, occasion, life event you can possible imagine is note-worthy. I feel awful that I don’t return the thoughtfulness more often because I know it means a lot to her. So. This year I’m going to do better! I’m going to throw some of those kid art scribbles in an envelope for her to enjoy, send her handwritten notes just because and prepare cards for holidays. There’s no easier way to design and send a personalized card than with Treat. We think you’ll agree that Treat Valentine’s Cards are super sweet!

Treat Valentine’s Cards

I’m partial to the photo cards, especially for family who live far away, because the cards then take a prominent place on the fridge or fireplace mantle. (Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.) Here are some of my favorite photo Valentine cards for loved ones.

(This one is perfect for my husband!)

And, please don’t tell her, but this is the card my grandmother will receive! Personalizing was easy: I just uploaded pictures (directly from Facebook), added our names and wrote a personal note. I had the option of having the card sent directly to my grandmother or sent to me first. I think we all know what I picked. I could even indicate the day I want it delivered. Hope she likes it!

Shop! Treat Cards are $3.49 a piece, but we recommend you join the Treat Card Club which brings individual cards down to $1.99. Addicted to your smart phone? Check out the Treat app.

Win! Five (5) Treat Card Credits!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sophie & Lili Dolls

by Kate on January 11th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping

We are absolutely swooning over Sophie & Lili dolls. Created by Jennifer Vellez, the dolls are “Made with love. Made for hugs.”

The adorable Custom (Design Your Own) Dolls ($37) measure 12 inches tall and are digitally printed on 100% quilters quality cotton. What makes the dolls so unique is the degree to which you can customize your doll, right down to the shoes. You indicate skin color, hair color and style, accessories and outfit. For girls, pick among tunics and dresses or jeans and for boys pick the color of striped tee, sneakers and superhero cape. It is hard to find dolls appropriate for baby boys, and these are perfect: soft, custom and easy to cuddle.

The doll is backed with a coordinating fabric and your child’s name. For $2 you can add a Personalized Message Label to your name tag, such as “Max Happy First Birthday” or “Ellie Valentine’s Day 2013″.

Hand Knit Dolls ($45) are available in three girl styles. They’re knit by hand in Bolivia and made of 100% baby alpaca with pima cotton details.

Shop! Visit Sophie & Lili to see all the darling doll options. There’s also a cool DIY kit and a range of sketches and prints.

Ten Dollar Tuesday: Tooth Fairy Pillows

by Kate on January 8th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping, Ten Dollar Tuesday

Two weeks ago when we were in Sicily my son lost his first tooth. He’s getting so big!

I was totally caught off-guard and unprepared. I had nothing. Aside from the lack of cuteness, the biggest issue was a practical one: How did we put the tooth under his pillow without losing it in the sheets? We improvised with a plastic baggie and the Tooth Fairy’s first visit was a success. But, when we got home I was on a mission to get a cute Tooth Fairy Pillow to make sure we’re ready when #2 falls out. (And it could be soon as he has another loose tooth!)

Great Tooth Fairy Pillows Under $10

Personalized Owl Tooth Fairy Pillow in Pink/Green or Blue/Green from My Creative Frenzy, $10.

Personalized Owl Tooth Fairy Pillow for Boy

Felterrific has a few options for their simple square pillow: Plain ($5), with Monogrammed Initial ($6) or an Embroidered Name ($7).

felteriffic monogrammed tooth fairy

You pick the button color for the sweet cheeks on Baby Toothy from The Tooth Fairy Helper ($7.99).

The Paisley Moon offers a more mature look with chenille and fabric pillows ($8).

We have to share the Ninja Tooth Fairy Pillow ($6.50) because it may be felt, but it’s made of win.

Does your child have a tooth fairy pillow?

Affordable Christmas Outfits for Baby Girls

by Kate on December 11th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Shopping

Last year we rounded up some great Affordable Christmas Outfits for Baby Boys. It’s only fair that, even if one year later, we feature some Affordable Christmas Outfits for Baby Girls. Each of the outfits is low in price (less than $35) and high in the cute factor.

Of course, our first stop on the hunt is always Etsy. We love this Sunshine Frogs Aline Christmas Dress ($35) because you can add your little girl’s name and the tree fabric is lots of fun.

Doesn’t get any more perfect that the simple red and white stripes with green accents on the Avanell & Carrie Bell Peasant Dress ($23).

For the girly girl and ultimate photo op, we love the adorable Amy Leigh Designs Faux Necklace Onesie with Tutu ($29). We are big fans of the faux necklace onesie trend on Etsy. So cute!

Mud Pie is a great place to look for holiday wear, and we included a few finds in last year’s Boys Post. For girls, we love the Mud Pie Red Chiffon Dress ($30) and Mud Pie Ornament Tutu Dress ($30).

There are lots of last minute sales and deals at some big brands, too. We like the Crazy 8 Rosette Dupioni Dress ($22) and the accessories are super affordable, too. For a more comfortable and casual outfit, the Ribbon outift from Gymbo is adorable (Gymboree Ribbon Tree Bodysuit & Ribbon Cuff Pants) - and only $16 total!