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Crafts, Gift Giving, Kid Activities

Keeping Your Kids Entertained In the Summer

Free trial 7-2014

If you’re like me you might be counting down the days until school starts. I never understood my Mom’s love of August until I had kids. Ha! Tomorrow I’m sharing some educational things that we’ve been doing recently but this afternoon I wanted to share a more creative way to keep your kids entertained.

I’ve shared about Kiwi Crate experience before.  I love that Kiwi Crate comes right to your door and has activities that keep the kids entertained while also letting them explore their creativity a little bit.

Kiwi Crate comes in subscriptions, single crates, and party favors and from now until July 31st they’re offering you the chance to try the Starlight Lantern Project for Free (you only pay $3.95 for shipping)!  If you’ve been thinking about trying Kiwi Crate this is a great chance to sample a project and see if it’s something that you want to introduce in your home more regularly.

Kiwi Crate is available in 3 Month, 6 Month, and 12 Month d subscriptions as well as single crates and party favors.  They’ve also partnered With Target and I’ve found that these projects are great for last minute birthday gifts!

Have you tried Kiwi Crate? I’d love to hear if your kids enjoyed it as much as mine!

*This post contains affiliate links but all opinions and reviews are my own.  Please see my link/review disclosures for more information.

Gift Giving, Shopping

Baby’s for my Babies

Before Charlotte was born I heard about a company that made custom soft dolls for little girls.  The company was called Baby Be Blessed and not only could you customize the doll’s skin tone and hair color but you could get a patch sewn onto the doll’s stomach with your child’s name and a Bible verse that you chose just for them.  We ordered one for Charlotte and I loved the thought that we gave her her first baby doll.

So when we found out that we had another little girl on the way I wanted to get her her very own baby doll.  The only problem was that, at the time, the shopping area of Baby Be Blessed was closed because they were behind on orders!  Each doll is handmade by stay at home Mom’s so, understandably, they can get overcome with orders.  But I really wanted a doll for Hadley so I started following Baby Be Blessed on their Facebook, Twitter, and on their blog.  I was so excited when they put out the information that they had openings for 15 dolls for delivery by Easter!  I quickly rushed to the website and designed a doll for Hadley!  I was also blown away to see that not only were they making dolls but they were also making animals!  Even now, I don’t want James to feel left out being the only boy and I knew that his very own stuffed animal might very well be the perfect thing for him.

When the doll’s arrived you would have thought it was Christmas at our house.  So as not to leave anyone out, I ordered matching dresses for Charlotte’s doll and Hadley’s doll.  They were so happy and now can’t wait to introduce Hadley to her very first baby doll!

Baby Be Blessed Lion

James’ smile rarely goes away when he talks about his lion, JR.  For a few days he carried him with him wherever he went but now JR’s relegated to the bed but he sleeps right next to James every night.  I love that James has a special animal with his name on his tummy and a Bible verse picked out just for him!

Baby Be Blessed Dress

Charlotte has never been really into baby dolls but she has grown more interested in them over the last year, I’m guessing in preparation for her little sister.  She had to search in her room for her doll to be able to dress her but now her doll, Lee, is sleeping next to her in her bed!

Baby Be Blessed HGEBaby Be Blessed Scripture Patch

Hadley’s doll, which we’re calling Grace due to the naming convention of the other two dolls, is very similar to Charlotte’s just with different pigtails.  I can’t wait to get a picture of Charlotte, Hadley, Lee, and Grace all together.

I pray that all three of our children will treasure their dolls and know that we designed them just for them and chose a special verse just for them as well!

*Note: Baby Be Blessed has no idea who I am and I was not given anything to write this post.  I truly love this company and their dolls and mostly want to share the story behind them with my kids but also share them with others because I think they are such a special keepsake for kids.  You can view my link/review disclosures for more of my review policies.

 

 

 

Books, Christmas, Gift Giving, Hadley, Personal, Shopping

Put Me In the Story

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Back in November, Courtney DeFeo hosted a series on her blog called #SHOPWISER giving everyone options of how they could shop for Christmas in a wiser way.  And some of the items that she was featuring included giveaways.  I loved the concept and found a lot of Christmas gifts this way.  I also, of course, entered for all of the giveaways.

(FYI, I typically enter for giveaways even if I don’t need something because number of entries on giveaways are a big indicator for others who might do giveaways in the future and I want to support the bloggers and those giving away items.  Just my two cents, but if possible, enter for giveaways even if you personally couldn’t use something.  You can always donate it to someone who can if you win or let the blogger know to draw another winner.)

I was SO EXCITED when Courtney let me know that I had won a personalized book by Marianne Richmond!  I had purchased “If I Could Keep You Little” when Charlotte was younger and she loves it still so I thought it would be neat to start our new baby’s book collection with a personalized book that was all theirs.  At the time we didn’t know what we were having yet, but they let me wait to order the book until we found out that Hadley was coming and picked out her name.

Hadley’s book came ages ago and I’ve been meaning to share with you about it but am just doing so now because we’ve been putting the final touches on her room and I remembered to photograph it.  I love reading it with Hadley’s name in it.  Her name isn’t on every page but it’s on a lot of them, including my favorite page that makes me smile since both of my kids have picked out their own clothes since they were about 18 months old.

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You can even write a little dedication and insert a picture at the front of the book.  We didn’t do the picture since we don’t have one of Hadley yet but I loved getting to write a dedication to her before she was even born!

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Put Me in the Story has lots of books available for personalization by lots of authors, but I love Marianne’s especially because they are filled with beautiful hand drawn art and say the things that I want my kids to remember me saying to them.

Thanks Courtney for helping me start Hadley’s library collection off with a book that’s just for her and not one handed down by her siblings!

**I was given this book for free as part of a giveaway but a review and links were not required or requested as part of this giveaway.  None of these links are affiliate links and I don’t get anything for sharing this with you or if you purchase a book.  Please see my link/review disclosures for more information.

 

Charity, Gift Giving, Personal, Shopping, TalesOfAPeanut

Giveaway, Gifts, and more!

I wanted to share a few things from around the web today.

Placemat-Caterpillar

There’s a giveaway for a free, personalized, double sided placemat on Mommy’s Block Party that ends in about 6 hours (11 PM CST).  Head over to her blog to enter the  giveaway!

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Second, TOMS is coming to Zulily Wednesday morning with an awesome sale.  I’m not sure if your kids love TOMS as much as mine do, but if they do you’ll want to be up early to take advantage of the best selection.  The sale starts at 6am PT Wednesday (2/19) so be ready! Not only are TOMS comfortable for me and my kids but I love buying them since I know that with their One for One program they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need for each purchase of shoes! (*affiliate links, see Links and Disclosures page)

Plus….

Beth is hosting a writing contest over at Five Kids is a Lot of Kids with the winner being featured on Mamapedia!

One of my oldest childhood friends opened a new Etsy shop with beautiful original art yesterday.  Check out Red Clay and Cotton for beautiful art!

I’ve got friends hosting a Kelly’s Kids party right now and you can order online throughout the week.  Use code 19871 when you checkout.  They’ve got great looking, classic kids pieces right now including James’ current favorite…button up shirts with a monogram!

Lisa-Jo Baker has a huge project going on right now to raise $150000 between Valentine’s and Mother’s Day for the Maubane Community Center.  Are you able to help?

And, on a personal note, Hadley’s doctor’s appointment last Friday went well and her blood count is still looking good.  Thanks for the prayers and outreach.  I’m headed back in two weeks for another check but as of right now there are no signs that the Fifth’s has passed through to her.

Gift Giving, Shopping, Show Us Your Life, TalesOfAPeanut

Show Us Your Life – What you make/sell

24x36 TOAP Banner Print

I shared a few weeks ago about my shop, Tales of a Peanut, and today am linking up with Kelly’s Korner to talk about it again.

I design many paper and personalized items in my shop.  I design all final items but sometimes use commercially created graphics, especially in children’s products that require more of a specific character (think princesses or super hero’s).  I love a handwritten note and I especially love one on beautiful paper and so my inspiration to start this business was born out of that.  I create personal stationery, invitations, name cards as well as designing items for kids like placemats, melamine plates and platters, and stickers.  Below are some of my products and some special notes about them.

Folded Quaterfoil Note Cards

These were ordered by a friend.  She combined two designs that I already had into one to create a folded notecard that was just what she wanted.

Watercolor Border Flat Notecards

These flat notecards leave plenty of room to write, but the watercolor border give them a little extra pop.

Ornaments Together Web

We get Christmas ornaments with our Christmas card picture on it every year and I’ve also started getting them with our pictures with Santa.  We’ll have a tree full of family memories soon!

Art Party Invite

A friend was planning an art party for her daughter and asked me to create an invitation for her.  She loved the way this turned out and I was able to rush order them for her so that she could order them on Thursday and have them in her child’s friends backpacks on Tuesday!

Bea Bee

This customer wanted a bee graphic on these name cards for her granddaughter and I didn’t have one…so I created one! I think she’s pretty cute!

Christmas Gift Tags Chevron Web

Perfect for sticking on gifts of all kind, these gift stickers can be personalized or I have a few sets available that are blank.

Yvette Fill in the Blank

We can add fill in the blank wording on any flat notecards to help children get in the routine of writing thank you notes without making it very trying for the parents who have to do the writing.  I usually leave the backs of these kinds of cards white so that children who can’t write can draw a picture for the recipient on the back!

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I love creating Christmas cards and have a variety of designs in the shop available for customization (you can change color, text, picture arrangement, etc).  But my absolute favorite is when you send me a picture (or pictures) and let me play with designs to get you an entirely personalized card.  New designs such as these will be added to the shop the next Christmas, but you will be the only one with a card of that design this year!

ShopSmall2013

Today is Black Friday and you might not be aware that tomorrow, Saturday, is Small Business Saturday.  It’s a day to “Shop Small” and support those businesses by those you know and those who are working on a small scale to create products that are unique and special.  All week this week and through Cyber Monday on Monday, I’m offering a 13% discount on all items in my shop with code ‘SHOPSMALL13’.  You can keep up with deals like these, new products, and more by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Bloglovin.

Thanks for coming! Make sure to check out the other wonderful businesses shown on Kelly’s blog today!

Gift Giving, Shopping, TalesOfAPeanut, Uncategorized

#SHOPWISER: Shop to Support Women

Today, I’m linking up with one of my favorite author’s and blogs: Courtney DeFeo of Lil Light ‘O Mine.  If you’ve never heard of Courtney, you should definitely check out her story.  She is a Mom who is sold out for Christ and is working hard to encourage and help other Mom’s.  She’s got two little girls and a heart for Christ and she is such an example for me.  Her initial product, ABC Scripture Cards, were such a hit that she partnered with some other awesome ladies and great businesswomen to make them more widely available.  I’ve got a set and LOVE them!

This week Courtney has been doing a series called #SHOPWISER where she challenges her readers to shop with a purpose this Christmas season.  The days included shopping to give, to empower, to train hearts, and to connect.  Today is the last day of her series and it is “Shop to Support Women”.  On that note, I’d like to share a little about my business, Tales of a Peanut.

shopwiser-day-5

Tales of a Peanut was born out of my interest in creating unique, personalized birthday invitations and announcements for my kids and Christmas cards for our family.  It has since turned into creating a wide range of products that range from stationery, invitations, cards, placemats, plates, luggage tags, Bible verse art….and more.  I love working with someone to create something that represents them, their family, their interests, and their personality.  I have lots of “stock” designs and options in my shop, but my big passion is creating something personal for someone, even if it’s just altering colors or fonts of something that I have existing to make it more like their personality.  Here are some of my favorite products that would all make great Christmas (or anytime!) gifts.

Inspire Cards Set 1

 

The Inspire cards came as an idea of how to help support my cousin who is going on staff with Cru in Orlando.  Half of the proceeds go to support her mission with the writer’s team.  The set has five of my favorite Bible verses on them with blank insides so that you can write your own note.  Verses include Philippians 1:3, Joshua 1:9, Lamentations 3:23, 1 Corinthians 16:14, and Revelation 19:7a.

Hello Kitty

 

I started creating these 11″x17″ double sided, laminated placemats for my kids because I was getting tired of having to switch out their cloth placemats every day (sometimes with every meal!) because they were getting so dirty.  These are perfect to rinse off in the sink and my kids love to have some with their chosen designs and names on them.  I’ve also found that they make great gifts and have sold and given many of them for birthday and Christmas gifts.

Christmas Gift Tags Chevron Web

I like personalized things and not having to write our names on every gift tag that I put on a gift this year at Christmas is such a time saver that it almost makes me giddy.  So I created a few designs for 3″ circle stickers to use as gift tags.  I either center the names, leave them blank, or leave a space for the sticker to be personalized (like shown above).  I also have a friend who purchased these to stick on the required brown paper bag for her child’s snack at school each day.  Instead of writing her daughter’s name she just puts on a sticker and her daughter loves having ones in her favorite colors and designs.

Ruby

 

When my daughter turned one I created an invitation for her party, favor stickers, food labels, you name it.  And then I realized that I wanted something that she could keep out to remember the theme for her party.  So I ordered a 10″ melamine plate and have continued to do so on every birthday for my kids.  I now design and sell these 10″ melamine plates and have to say that my kids love remembering what their party was about when they eat off of a particular plate.  And now that I’ve added a few non-birthday ones to our collection there might be some fights over who gets which plate each night.  Virtually indestructible as long as you don’t put them in the microwave or use a sharp knife on them, I feel confident serving my kids on these plates because they’re BPA free and non-toxic.  They also make great gifts and any design in our shop can be made into a plate design.  The only catch about these is that they take 2-3 weeks to arrive so make sure and order by November 25th to avoid having to pay rush fees to get them in time for Christmas!

Gift Certificate FrontAnd if you’re overwhelmed by the choices in the shop or just can’t decide what your friend might like most, you can’t go wrong with a gift certificate.  Good on any item in our shop and available in $5 increments, we can send them to you to wrap and give or can wrap them and send them to your friend for you!

Thanks for your interest in my shop!  If you’re looking for other women-owned businesses check out this post for some of my favorites!

And make sure that you head back to Courtney’s site to check out the other women with businesses that are linking up in her #SHOPWISER series!