Tag Archives: Gifts

Personalized Holiday Gifts For Everyone On Your List

Personal Creations

We put our Christmas tree up over the weekend and despite the rocky start because we couldn’t get the lights to work and a couple of ornaments had broken during transit from the attic, the experience ended up being the best Christmas tree decorating time I’ve ever had.  There were a few things at play that made that the case.  The first was the Christmas music in the background.  When Jingle Bells started playing on Pandora, we all sang along.  Then there were the sausage balls I made.  We finally had to bring them into the living room to munch on or I wasn’t going to see my husband or kids while I decorated the tree alone.  Then the kids started going through the ornaments and found their favorites and ones that are special to them.  My daughter lined her ornaments up on the couch and asked my husband and I where each ornament came from, how old she was when we got it, and why we got it for her.  It was really nice to see her face light up as we talked about each ornament and the story behind it and remember those special times surrounding each ornament.

Once the tree was decorated, I headed to the den to finalize Christmas gift shopping.   I love getting my kids and husband personalized items.

One thing I’ve learned since having kids is that kids LOVE to see their name on things.   They like feeling like something was made for them.. it exists because of them.  I remember the first time my son saw his name on a billboard for a store. It was a coincidence, yes, but he acted like that was his store which brought a huge smile to his face! He was 6 years old at the time. Now he’s 14. He still loves to see his name on things which is why I love getting him personalized gifts.

This year, I chose a few items that are very fitting to his personality, to personalize. He’s getting older and keeps change and trinkets in his pockets. What happens to those things when he gets home from school? They end up strewn all over his desk. Personal Creations has a really nice large wooden catchall that will be monogrammed with his initials which I hope he will keep his loose change and trinkets.

Large Wood Catchall-Monogram

My daughter recently started playing soccer and gymnastics and will be thrilled to see a new ornament on the Christmas tree that looks just like her, playing soccer and my son will have a Lacrosse playing ornament.  Maybe there is hope that they will play together after-all, even if it is just the ornament versions of themselves.  🙂

I am excited about the Sock Monkey ornaments the kids will be getting for the tree soon.  Both of my kids love monkeys.  I’m not sure why but when I saw these adorable sock monkey ornaments at Personal Creations, I knew they’d be a perfect fit on our Christmas tree.

sock monkey personalized ornament

My daughter is really into playing with makeup now and what better way to get her to not use my makeup brushes than for her to have her own?  I am going to give her mine when I get this new set personalized with my name on it.  🙂  The makeup roll includes a 6 piece brush set with 2 large, full-coverage cheek and face brushes, 2 eye blending and smudge brushes, 1 angled liner brush, and 1 eyebrow groomer brush.

personalized makeup brush set

Ready to personalize your own Christmas creations?
Personal Creations is offering my readers 20% off of all of your purchases through the end of December.
Click here to start shopping and the 20% will be applied in your shopping cart.

If you need inspiration on coming up with great personalized gift ideas, this Pinterest board is a great place to start!


Get Bundled With Restaurant.com’s Holiday Gift Guide And Giveaway

Christmas is just a couple of weeks away.  Can you believe it? We are putting our Christmas tree up today then I will be hard at work figuring out who we need to get gifts for and what to get them. I am so glad I learned about Restaurant.com’s Gift Guide because they share some fabulous gift ideas that everyone on my list will appreciate.  Everyone loves food.  Not just the taste, but the experiences and the memories that come with it.  Why not give your friends and family the gift of those experiences and memories?

Restaurant.com, the nation’s largest dining deals site, loves surprising diners with fun ways to save.  This holiday season, they’ve handpicked delicious dining experiences and gift ideas for every budget and compiled them into an exclusive Restaurant.com Holiday Gift Guide.  Simply pair any Restaurant.com Gift Card with one of these gift bundle ideas below for the ultimate dining experience and holiday treat.

Here are some great gift ideas from Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com Gift Guide

1. The Movie Buff:
For the movie-quoting, obsessed friend, surprise them with two tickets to a movie on their must-see “Oscar” list and a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card.

2. The Workaholic:
To help someone on your list find much needed tranquility, pair a $50 Restaurant.com Gift Card with soothing bath salts, lavender mist, and a face mask to create an affordable, at-home spa treatment.

3. The Wine Fanatic:
Bring Napa Valley to every wine lover on your list! Pair their favorite wine with decadent cheeses, crackers, and of course chocolate. Then, cleanse their palate with some late night dessert and a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card.

4. The Romantic:
Add some romance into your holiday with a $50 Restaurant.com Gift Card, bouquet of roses, some irresistible chocolate covered strawberries, and a candlelit dinner for two.

5. The Theatre Lover:
Add some dramatic flair to the holidays with two tickets to their must-see show and end the evening with our $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card – perfect for dinner and dessert.

Be sure to check out Specials by Restaurant.com for more shopping ideas!

Restaurant.com helps you discover the perfect dining experience and boasts nearly 50,000 dining deals available every day to use anytime hunger strikes, even on the weekends! And, the deals are easy to use – present your certificate to the server on your mobile phone, or bring a printed copy, and voilà – the savings will appear on your final bill.

Restaurant.com is having a giveaway on their Facebook page!  Five (5) lucky Facebook fans will have a chance to win one of the gifts featured in their gift guide every Wednesday until December 18, 2013. Head on over for your chance to win! Good luck!

Connect with Restaurant.com

Join me Monday 12/19 (8-9:30pm EST) at the #SearsChat ‘Last Minute Shopping’ Chat and #Giveaway

Christmas is less than a week away! Are you still looking for gifts? Have no fear, we have dedicated a #SearsChat & a Sweepstakes to help you out.

I thought I was going to have all of my holiday gift shopping done by now, but I thought wrong. I think it’s nearly impossible to ever be finished with holiday shopping.  There’s always someone to buy for, something to exchange, or something that you or a loved one really wants goes on sale at the last minute, so rightly so.. you have to go by it.

Sears Twitter party

Christmas is less than a week away! Are you still looking for gifts? Have no fear, we have dedicated a #SearsChat to help you out.

Sears has all of your last minute gifting needs- great deals on great gifts. Our hosts @Sears, @StacieInAtlanta, @Crissy, @JollyMom and @MommyInsider will give you the scoop on how to make last minute shopping a little less stressful.

Follow @Sears and @SearsDeals and tweet with us from 7pm-8:30pm CT using the hashtag #SearsChat to participate. We will be giving away the following prizes:

  • 1 Forever Lazy
  • Remington Foil Shaver
  • 1 Smart Planet Mini Cupcake Makers
  • Oster Electric Wine Opener
  • Oster MyBlend Blender
  • Hamilton Beach hand stand mixer

To Enter for a Chance to Win you MUST do the following:

  • Have an active Twitter account.
  • Follow the official @Sears and @SearsDeals Twitter accounts
  • Tweet “Join me @Sears & @SearsDeals for #SearsChat – Mon 12/19 from 7-8:30pm CT talking about Last Min Gifting- Details/Prizes: http://bit.ly/tMnbmG
  • Post the link to your tweet in the comments on this Sears post.
  • During the Twitter Party, send a Tweet (containing only appropriate, family-friendly content as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) that includes the #SearsChat hashtag.


A few important rules:

You must follow @sears and @SearsDeals in order to be eligible to win

Winners must accept their prizes within 15 minutes of the announcement that they won.

You must accept your prize by tweeting something like this: “Thank you, I accept my prize @Sears @SearsDeals #SearsChat”

Read the official Sears Last Minute GiftIng Twitter Chat SWEEPSTAKES rules and RSVP here.

See you there!

Alicia Hagan, Editor

BJ’s 2011 Toy Catalog Gives Parents Great Gift Ideas and Great Prices!

Fisher-Price Doodle Bear available at BJ's Wholesale ClubI have to admit that I’m struggling a bit with buying Christmas gifts for the kids this year.  My kids are 12 and 5.  My 5 year old has all the toys she could possibly need because we kept most of our 12 year old’s cool toys and handed them down to her.  My 12 year old just doesn’t need anything.  He doesn’t really play with toys anymore.  He’s into writing, camping, outdoors, stuff like that.  Hard to buy for is what he is!

 

After browsing through BJ’s 2011 Toy Catalog though, I found a few things that I know he would love including a Star Wars LEGO set and a mini basketball hoop for his room.  It’s catalogs like this that make it so that my kids actually get gifts!

My daughter has been asking for a Doodle Bear for about two months so when I saw a Doodle Bear in the BJ’s 2011 Toy Catalog I knew that’s what I had to request for her.  BJ’s sent her a Fisher-Price Doodle Bear and she was beyond thrilled.  The Doodle Bear set includes washable scented markers, 3 stampers, a 3-shape stencil, and a DVD.

Watch as my daughter plays with her Doodle Bear for the first time:

 

 

You’ll find something for everyone on your list in the BJ’s 2011 Toy Catalog.

If you are not already a BJ’s member, you can get a FREE 60-Day Trial Membership now.  Now is the perfect time to check it out with all of the great holiday deals going on!

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received the Fisher-Price Doodle Bear free from BJ’s for the purpose of this review. Opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Join me at the @Kmart @KmartFashion Holiday Fashion Twitter Party Wednesday 11/30 8-9:30 ET #KmartChat

Kmart Fashion Twitter Party

Join us on Twitter this Wednesday for a special holiday fashion edition #KmartChat – our experts want to help you look your best at every holiday party this season! This week, we’re talking Christmas accessories, holiday party outfits, and ugly sweaters!

We want to hear your holiday fashion tips and tricks to make this season sizzle!

Here’s a deal you won’t want to miss!

When you purchase $50 or more this week, you get a $5 reward card to spend next week!

WHO

@Kmart AND @KmartFashion

and co-hosts

@StacieinAtlanta @crissy @jollymom @mommyinsider (that’s me)

WHERE

Twitter with the hashtag #KmartChat

WHEN

Wednesday, November 30th from 7-8:30 CT  /  8-9:30 EST

WIN THESE PRIZES

  • One $125 Kmart Gift Card
  • Three $25 Kmart Gift Cards

HOW TO JOIN THE FUN

Leave a comment on the Official Party post on the Kmart website (not on this blog post) with a link to your blog post or Tweet and let us know you are coming.

To enter the sweepstakes you must:

  • Have an active Twitter account
  • Follow the official @Kmart and @KmartFashion Twitter accounts
  • Send the following Tweet: “Join me and @Kmart for #KmartChat – Wed 11/30 from 7-8:30 pm CT talking about Holiday Fashion – How to Enter & Prizes: http://bit.ly/rLHGnj”
  • Post an appropriate, non-duplicative, family-friendly comment on this blog post that also includes a link to your Tweet above.

As always, please read the Official Rules on the party post where you comment.

Disclosure: Sears & Kmart have engaged me to help promote and host this party.