Your Holiday To-do List: Photo Cards!

Once November hits it seems that everything is busier - our schedules, the stores, and the list goes on, along with our to-do list, which seems never ending!

One of the items that is on many families' to-do lists are the holiday cards! In the past few years, I have noticed more and more families featuring their beautiful family pictures on their Christmas cards - these are my favourite!

If you are planning on ordering cards for Christmas, now is a perfect time to do it! Now through November 12 @ 11:59pm PST, Zazzle is offering a great discount on many of their items...including 50% off photo cards! Just visit Zazzle and enter the coupon code 50VETDAYSALE during checkout. And make sure to check out my shop, EUC Designs, while you are there for great cards for the holidays, births, birthdays, and beyond!

GAP Canada - get it before Christmas!

Do you still have some last minute Christmas shopping to cross off your list? GAP Canada is offering free shipping by December 23rd, 2011 for orders over $50 when you place your order on or before December 20, 2011 at 11:59pm EST! This is great for last minute online shoppers (like me).

Plus, use the coupon code GAPCCHEER during checkout to save an additional 30% off your order!

How do you prepare for the holidays?

When it comes to planning the gifts I'm going to purchase my loved ones for Christmas, I like to do a lot of research.  I research online, often reading other blogs to find out what other Moms thought of particular items.  Then, once I've decided what to buy, I do a bit more research to find out where to get the best buy!

I used to do all my shopping in local malls but now, I like to do a lot of my shopping online.  I find it so much easier, especially this year with a little one.  I like not having to brave the crowds or rush around to grab sale items (although, I have done this many many times before).  Because I do a lot of my shopping online, I do have to plan my time accordingly to account for shipping times, making sure that the items on my loved one's wish lists arrive in time to place under the tree. 

After a little bit of research for Lyla's first Christmas wishlist, here are a few Fisher-Price items that made it on to her list:

Fisher-Price - Miracles and Milestones Musical Activity Dashboard

 

 

Laugh & Learn™ Dance & Play Puppy

Luv U Zoo™ Jumperoo™

Newborn-to-Toddler Portable Rocker

Being a first time Mom, I wasn't 100% sure what the best toys would be for her at this stage and upcoming stages.  I made good use of the FisherPricePlay.ca's Toy Finder when creating her 1st Christmas list.  Did you know that Mattel has something similar?  The Mattel Gift Finder is great if you are wondering what to get for your own kids, or for nieces, nephews, etc.  The Mattel Gift Finder makes buying gifts that kids will LOVE a little bit easier!  All you have to do is visit http://mattel.ca/giftfinder/, enter the child's age and indicate 'boy' or 'girl', to get a list of suitable toys.

Another exciting announcement for this holiday season - If you are a hands on kind of shopper, you'll love this!  This year, Mattel has partnered with professional organizational guru Tarra Stubbins. She has been named Canada's Holiday Helper and will be providing gift giving advice to you, online this holiday season! She's going to be sharing ideas on how to stay on track this holiday season, including tips on how to save and manage your time!

Finally, Mattel will be placing holiday helpers at various stores across Canada this season. The Mattel holiday helpers will be there to help you find appropriate toys for all ages.

Mattel Holiday Helpers will be at the following Winnipeg locations to serve you:

November 24-25 at Sears Polo Park

November 26-27 at Zellers (35 Lakewood Blvd.)

December 1-2 at Real Canadian Superstore (215 St. Anne's Rd.)
December 3-4 at Real Canadian Superstore (1385 Sargent Ave.)
December 8-9 at Sears Garden City
December 10-11 at Sears Kildonan Place
December 15-16 at Zellers Kildonan Place
December 17-18 at Zellers Grant Park

To avoid disappointment, you may want to call the location of your choice to confirm the date and times that Mattel Holiday Helpers will be available to help you.

So, there are a few ideas to help get you started with your holiday gift giving this year.  Hopefully, these ideas will help make the season a little more merry and a lot less stressful!  Happy Gift Giving! :)

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

  

Holiday Photo Cards & a Zazzle Coupon Code!

Are you looking for holiday photocards for your family? If so, check out my Canadian EUC Designs Zazzle store or my US EUC Designs Zazzle store. I just added a few new holiday photo card designs.

Plus, if you are shopping on the Canadian site, now through November 6th, use the coupon code ORNAMENTCARD and save 50% off your purchase of any card order!

Zadyball - Review & Giveaway

"A Zady®ball is designed first of all with babies in mind. [These balls] are soft to hold and cuddle, and have lots of strings to grab and rub."  The ZadyBall is an item that Zady®ball believes infants will enjoy through toddler-hood and parents will love too!  "Zadyball is recommended for ages 3 months – 3 years with adult supervision."

The ZadyBall was created in 2004 by an Arizona mom and currently holds a US patent (Patent No. D583421).  The ZadyBall still holds it's popularity and it is available in a number of different designs: The original ZadyBall, the ZadyMini (perfect for small hands or pets), the ZadyCreature (complete with faces), ZadyBug (with bug-like shapes), and ZadyOrganics (great if you are eco-conscious)!  Each Zadyball is individually handcrafted and is available in many different colors, styles and personalities. You are sure to find one that is perfect for the baby in your life!  I have looked through each category and have chosen so many favorites, which I'm including pictures of throughout this review/giveaway.

According to ZadyBall's website, babies love ZadyBalls because, they are "easy to grab and hold on to from a very young age, good for teething, soft to cuddle, [the] knotted ends are very soothing to rub, [and they make] a great lovey."  Toddlers will continue to enjoy the ZadyBall because first of all..."once a lovey, always a lovey".  Also, the ZadyBall is "easy to throw and catch, especially when you are just learning how." And finally, as with infants, these ZadyBalls are "soft to cuddle ([and] everyone loves soft things!)." 

ZadyBall believes that parents will love the ZadyBall too.  Why? Because, "babies love them [and parents love what their babies love], and [they are] easy to clean (just throw in the wash), safe, and soft enough that you don't have to worry about things breaking or anyone getting hurt when it is thrown around."

ZadyBall truly hopes that you'll chose a ZadyBall to be your baby's first and favorite toy!

ZadyBalls can be ordered online at http://www.zadyball.com or through the ZadyBall Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Zadyball .  The ZadyBall Etsy Shop is perfect if you'd like your ZadyBall customized with your child's name or made with different colours.

Review
ZadyBall offered to send me one of their Original ZadyBalls to review: the Black, White and Red all over ZadyBall.  This ZadyBall regularly sells for $15, which I think is a great deal!  This ZadyBall is based on the original ZadyBall design but pays special attention to the development of babies.  Did you know that research shows that the first colors/shades newborns are able to recognize are Black, White, and Red?  This ZadyBall is made in those specific colours to help capture your baby's attention! 

The ZadyBall I received is made from 100% (super soft) cotton flannel, which is perfect for babies delicate skin, and is stuffed full with high loft poly-fil.  It measures 7" in diameter and contains 16 knotted strings that are approximately 5 inches long and 1/2 an inch wide.  One thing that I love about the ZadyBall that isn't mentioned on their website is the jingle bell that is tucked away in the middle of it.  Another great thing about the ZadyBall is that it is 100% machine-washable.  This is great news because it can easily be sanitized after use, especially important if the ZadyBall is being used while teething. 

Things I've noticed and really love about the Original ZadyBall include,
-the soft fabric that it's made with
-it's unique developmentally-conscious design.  I personally love the knots - they remind me of tags, which I'm a fan of.  I also like that the ZadyBall uses a design that allows infants to use their sense of sight, sound, and touch!
-it is a relaxing toy for babies (and a relaxing toy for me) :)
-it can be used through infant and toddler-hood
-the attention to detail used when sewing it together is impressive (I don't see it coming apart anytime soon)
-the notes on the tag regarding washing instructions and the fact that it is machine-washable
-the variety of designs that it comes in and the customizable features
-and finally, the fact that it's made in a smoke-free home

All in all, after my experience with the ZadyBall, I'd definitely recommend it to other parents and will likely purchase ZadyBalls in the future for gifts (I think the ZadyMinis would make perfect stocking stuffers). 

 *GIVEAWAY*

How many winners are there? Two.

What can you win?  Each winner will receive their choice of item from ZadyBall (up to a $25 value).  The winner's will not receive their ZadyBall before Christmas.  Sorry.

To enter, Go look through the ZadyBall website.  Then, come back here and tell me which item is your favorite. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

- 'Liking' ZadyBall on Facebook
- Visiting ZadyBall's blog and telling me the name of your favorite post
- Telling me the name of your favorite product on EUC Designs ZAZZLE or telling me a design/product you'd like to see offered in the future.
- Purchasing something from EUC Designs ZAZZLE.   7 ENTRIES!
- Entering one other giveaway on Everything Up Close, then leaving me a comment hear indicating the name of the other giveaway you entered (Maximum of 1 entry).
- Subscribing to my blog via email.  

- Adding my main button to your blog sidebar.
- Adding my Everything Up Close Holiday Wishlist event button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name in your comment.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- 'Liking' Everything Up Close on Facebook and leaving a comment on my Facebook Fan page saying 'Thanks for the Nescafé Giveaway!'  Please leave your name (First name and last initial) that is shown on Facebook for verification. 2 ENTRIES!

- Tweeting about this giveaway with a link to this page. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 2 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 3 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, December 18th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blogger profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to everyone WORLDWIDE!

Good Luck!

**Disclaimer** To complete this review and post this giveaway, ZadyBall sent me a ZadyBall free of charge.  Receiving this item did not in anyway alter the information which I discussed in this article; this review is 100% my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review/giveaway.

Are you interested in purchasing a ZadyBall for someone for Christmas?  To ensure delivery within the United States prior to Christmas, orders must be received by December 15th at 8 p.m. (MST).  ZadyBall online will be closed from December 17th - December 26th.  Orders received during this time will be shipped on December 27th.

Coupon code: Save 15% when you quote the coupon code UPCLOSE during checkout on ZadyBall!

Do you still need to order your Family Photo Cards for Christmas?

Just in time for the holidays! EUC Designs has just opened a brand new shop on Zazzle. EUC Designs is available on both the Canadian and the American Zazzle websites: http://www.zazzle.ca/eucdesigns* or http://www.zazzle.com/eucdesigns* .

EUC Designs offers customizable photo cards, post cards, invitations, announcements, and more. Prices are very reasonable and the more you buy, the more you'll save with Zazzle's bulk discount options.

Plus, Zazzle offers coupon codes on an on-going basis to help you save even more.
Here are a few coupon codes that are currently available:

Zazzle.ca

• Free shipping on orders over $35 - HOLIDAYZAZZ3 - Expires midnight December 4, 2010

Zazzle.com

• Free shipping on orders over $35 - JINGLESALE43 - Expires midnight December 4, 2010
• 50% off all CARD orders + FREE shipping - CARDFREESHIP - Expires midnight December 8, 2010

Happy Shopping!

Custom Christmas Stockings Review & Giveaway!

Are you looking for a special Christmas stocking for yourself or a loved one that will be remembered for years to come? Custom Christmas Stockings Handmade by Aimee offers a number of different custom stocking options, as well as a newly released item called a 'Make-Your-Own' stocking kit.  Custom Christmas stockings are great because you can customize them with your interests and hobbies, memorable events, etc., in mind - the options are endless.  Aimee's goal is to make each custom stocking reflect who you are and ensure that it is unlike any other.  No matter which custom stocking you choose, it is sure to make each Christmas as memorable as the last! 

With the growing popularity of Custom Christmas Stockings, it is back for it's fourth consecutive year!  Here is what Custom Christmas Stockings has to say about their custom designs: "Each member of your family will feel so special by having their own custom stocking that is made to show their unique personalities knowing that it was made just for them. The perfect mix of the traditional and modern, your mantle will be a fabulous conversation piece of all your guests over the holidays."

Aimee tells a bit about how she got started with Custom Christmas Stockings on her 'About Me' page: "Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year. Christmas traditions and decorations, to me, are visual reminders of what the season is all about.....being grateful for all that we have, goodwill towards all, and wishing for peace on earth... and just looking at my Christmas tree with all the decorations I have collected over the years and my mantle hung with personalized stockings for each member of my family fills my heart with joy."

"Guests who have visited our home have always commented on our beautiful stockings. When they found out that I made them myself, I started to get many requests to make them for their families. From there, referrals contacted me and I became a business!"

"I am a wife and mother of two young boys. I love sharing the magic of Christmas with them by having a special stocking for each of them that they can hang on the mantle and dream of Santa filling them. It makes my heart glow to be able to help families with their own Christmas traditions."

Because of the timing of year, Aimee is very busy completing orders for Christmas 2009, therefore, a waiting list is currently in order.  Once you order your custom Christmas stocking and Aimee's consultation has been completed, she will provide you with an expected completion date for your order.

Aimee also has an Etsy Shop for her Custom Stockings, which you can visit here.  Here you will find new pre-made designs (right now she has a number of Halloween designs), as well as custom order options and her 'Make-Your-Own' stocking kits.

Review
Aimee, owner of Custom Christmas Stockings, kindly offered to send me a customized 19" stocking to review.  From start to finish, the process was simple, fast, and flawless.  Aimee was very easy to work with and her directions on how to request a stocking were easy to follow.  I decided to have a custom stocking made for myself that incorporated both my hobbies and some past memories.  First of all, I requested that my stocking be burgundy with a cream cuff, and include cursive embroidery that reads 'Ilissa'.  As for images, I asked Aimee to include the following on my stocking: a Japanese flag, a girl in a kimono, a piano, music notes, and a tent.  These images were meant to reflect my love of music, playing piano, camping, and my trip to Japan as an exchange student when I was a teenager.  To give Aimee an better idea of the type of images I wanted, I sent her a number of graphics that I found online.  With this article, I am including both the images I sent Aimee (shown above) and a photograph of my completed stocking to show you how well Aimee did with recreating the images I asked for.

Overall, I could not be more pleased with the stocking and the service I received from Aimee.  The stocking turned out even better than I imagined.  I am amazed with how close the images on the stocking look to the ones I originally sent her.  Besides the images on the stocking, Aimee also added a number of sequins (almost 100) and a number of little gems.  Both of these aspects add to the originality and appeal of the stocking.  All of the pieces seem to be attached well and the stocking appears to be sewn with care.  So, I am sure that this stocking will remain intact and become a tradition for years to come. 

I am planning on telling some of my friends and family members about Aimee's business because I'm sure this is something they'd also love to have created for them and their family members.  Plus, I am hoping to have a custom stocking created for my boyfriend in the near future so we can both have custom stockings, that truly reflect us, hanging on the mantle at Christmas time!

If you are looking for a custom Christmas stocking, I'd highly suggest Custom Christmas Stockings Handmade by Aimee because of the professionalism, quality, speed, and price of her service! 

How many winners will there be? Two (2).

What can you win? Each winner will receive a 'Make-Your-Own' stocking kit from Custom Christmas Stockings Handmade by Aimee. ARV $18.00 (USD).

NOTE: Don't know how to sew?  No problem!  This prize does NOT require any sewing, which makes it perfect for anyone!

The 'Make-Your-Own' stocking kit contains one of Aimee's pre-made stockings, plus several embellishments (felt, buttons, sequins, glitter glue, etc.) that will allow you to create the stocking of your dreams.  This package is great for anyone wanting to create a special custom stocking or for a child's Christmas activity.

How to enter: On Custom Christmas Stockings' website there is a picture of a stocking that says 'BRIAN' on it.  After looking at the stocking, what do you think he (Brian) does for a living? This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless otherwise noted). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. If a certain entry method is worth more than one entry, which will be indicated for methods worth more than one entry, please leave a comment to reflect each entry:
-Tell me which stocking is your favorite on this page (please state the name that is on the stocking).
-Tell me what you would put on your stocking AND who you would make it for.
- Subscribing to my blog via email or RSS feed (Maximum of 1 entry - please tell me how you subscribe in your comment).

- Adding my button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).

- Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page) on Twitter. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post.

-Donate a minimum of $1 to my BlogHer 2010 Fund using the ChipIn widget on the right hand side of my blog. Earn 2 entries for each dollar you donate! Please leave me your PayPal email address so I can verify your entry.

Important Entry Details:

The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

NEW END DATE!!  This giveaway will end on Tuesday, November 24th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of the Canada and the continental USA only!

Good luck!