Mommies With Style

Before my family left for Disney World earlier this month, I had a small pile of products to sample on my office desk.  It was my “test in Disney” pile.  A journal from Rag & Bone Bindery sat at the top of the pile.  I didn’t bring it.

Why?  I couldn’t bring myself to use it in Disney.  And I didn’t reject this product from my trip because it wasn’t useful – I didn’t pack it because it was just too beautiful.  There was no way I was putting this gorgeous handmade bound book anywhere near my two dirty kids.

This book is all mine.  In fact, last night my husband asked, “is that your new day planner?”  He thought I had started using it as a new day planner (not knowing it was a blank journal) because I had been carrying it around so much.  It’s that nice.

Looking for something unique, handmade and gorgeous for your child’s baby book, a journal or wedding album?  Look no further than Rag & Bone Bindery.  My review can’t do the quality of this book justice – visit the site and check it out for yourself.

Use coupon code MWS for 15% off all regularly priced items at Rag & Bone Bindery.

Having a baby and kids means a lot of scheduling and record keeping. Losing sight of those schedules can be cause for a rausous of a child, and, often, a stressed and frustrated spouse. Over a baby’s uncalmable screams, there’s nothing more frustraing than screaming “when was she last fed?” and receive the response: “I don’t know… maybe about an hour ago? or three?”

So its really helpful to find a recording system that will work for you, your spouse and your babysitter. One system that’s working well is Lullaboards, a dry erase board that can be posted on your refrigerator. It offers space for tracking feedings, diapers, naps and milestones. We’ve found that listing these accomplishments each day, and keeping it on the refrigerator in the same spot all the time, helps to keep everyone sane, and in the know at the loudest and most stressful times. Its also been so helpful to have when calling the pediatrician with questions and preparing for a babysitter.

Lullaboards are available for tracking newborns, babies, pumping and toddlers withcolorful border options. (I’d love to see a “sickie” Lullaboard for tracking fevers and medications in the future.) They can be personalized, which I imagine is perfect for daycares and twins.

Edited to add:  Julie received a sample of Lullaboards to assist in this review.

Your reusable bag can help the planet and also be seriously cute– we like June 15, Inc’s line of attractive reusable bags, made from cotton or jute, which is a natural sustainable fiber spun into coarse, strong threads.

We were sent a sample of their Cotton Black Bag ($14.49). It was sturdier than most of the other reusable bags I’ve seen. I liked the design and the long canvas straps. It held a lot of heavy groceries, plus I also was able to use it as a toy/snack tote/diaper bag for my children. It folds flat when not in use and the dimensions are 11H x 14W x 9D”.

Your children help you shop by sporting the adorable Eggplant Bag ($7.99), which converts into a backpack. All bags are washable and recyclable.

June 15, Inc. donates 1% of their profits to one percent for the planet.org.

Prepping for a party can be stressful. You want everything to be perfect for your little darling but you may not be sure where to start or who to turn to for an adorable personalized photo invite.

I’ve found many of the card companies out there to be overwhelming. Many is the time when I’ve sat in front of a screen, dazzled by the choices and paralyzed with indecision. I didn’t know what to do.  There was no one to hold my hand. With the exception of entrusting my child’s photo to a friend who is a designer, I’ve never had any luck ordering photo cards online.

And then I met the owner of Kreative Lil Invites. Her enthusiasm and attention to detail won me over immediately! I loved all the options she showed me for our holiday cards. We went with a classic Hanukkah design but were really tempted to put ourselves in this snowglobe! Kreative Lil Invites did such a beautiful job with my holiday cards that I know I will be calling them again.

What I like about their site is that they offer a great range of choices, but not so many choices that I start to feel like I am writing a dissertation, instead of creating an invite! Browse through their themes – if you don’t see exactly what you want, they have the flexibility to work with you for a completely custom card. They won’t leave hanging. That personal touch is so wonderful.

If you are planning a party, announcing a move, welcoming a new baby, or looking for a better source for next year’s holiday cards or wanting personalized notecards made, check out Kreative Lil Invites.

Jolee Klugherz and I have been friends since I was younger than Little. I am, and have always been, in awe of her talent.

1o years ago I received the most beautiful engagement gift: artwork by Jolee. Since they day we received it, my husband and I have hung the art in a prominent place in our home. Our Let’s Toast picture  includes terms of love, endearment, trust and excitment. 

This fall, in honor of Little’s birth, we were gifted a baby design in the flower style, also by Jolee Klugherz. What makes this so special is that its completely personalized. More than just Little’s name and birthdate, the picture includes her brothers’ names, the huz’ and my names, height, weight and more.

What I love about the artwork at JRK Designs is the way personalized words so easily mesh into the art. Every time we look at the pictures we notice new words and terms. From afar, it looks to be a funky design around a focus point, but as one walks closer to inspect, she realizes the detail in the art.

JRK Designs can be gifted for weddings, babies, children, house warmings and other celebrations. In addition to the word designs series, you’ll find paintings in a similar style as well as one-of-a-kind beaded pens (great teacher and family gifts.)

Both pictures were gifted to me during milestones in my life.

One of my major New Year’s resolutions is to really get organized with my photos and scrapbooking. And one of the major tools to help me do this is Rag & Bone Bindery and their amazing, gorgeous, handmade albums.

Rag & Bone offers a full range of sophisticated products, from baby books, photo albums, address books, and day planners, to wedding and shower albums, guestbooks, binders, growth charts, and more. There are countless stylish cover options from whimsical designs to classic to sweet and simple looks.

One of their newest products is the 4×6 slip-in photo frame album. The cream colored paper pages are 100% acid-free and lay flat when opened. Photos may be removed & rearranged by simply sliding them out of the frame pages. These albums hold twenty 4 x 6 standard sized photos and make great brag-books or coffee-table books featuring your favorite holiday pictures or pictures from 2009.

Rag & Bone albums, made in Rhode Island, are made extremely well by skilled artisans. They are archival quality and are not only well constructed throughout, but are simply beautiful. You will definitely enjoy preserving your family’s memories in one of these classic albums!

Want a chance to win a 12×12 Paper page Album in Dogwood design (value: $98.00) and a Photo Frame album (value: $29.00)? Please comment and tell us your scrapbooking/photo goal for 2010 and you will be entered to win! Winner will be drawn on January 14th and will have 24 hours to respond to claim this special Rag & Bone prize.

Thanks to Rag & Bone Bindery for a sample of their new 4×6 frame album for this review.

Have a couple of Thank You Cards you need to write post Christmas?  Check out PicPads for something different and fun.  You can customize a thank you card, note card and more with a picture of your choice. 

PicPads was recently featured in both InStyle Magazine and O Magazine.  They were selected as one of O’s favorite shopping ideas.

Use coupon code LETSGOSTROLLING for 10% off your order through January 31, 2010.

Blue Aster Designs creates amazing multi media collage art that is simply beautiful! They specialize in magnetic memo boards, magnetic photo frames, memory books, framed invitations and customized photography art.

Last year when I was searching for the perfect memo board for my kids’ rooms, I was amazed at how expensive the boards can be. So when I happened to attend a show and spotted a gorgeous Magnetic Memo Board from Blue Aster Designs that was more in my price range, I was so excited! These unique boards are completely magnetic and can incorporate your choice of specialty papers, wall papers, scanned fabric images, chalkboard or photography. The board can be specified to whatever color, theme, or photo you would like. I did a sports theme for my son’s and a pink with purple theme for my daughter’s. The memo boards are finished with color coordinated ribbons or brads. Included with the boards are fabulous magnets that are handmade out of polymer clay. They are really neat and I haven’t seen anything like them! The inside dimensions are 16”x 20” with a 2″ wide frame, which is available in many colors. In addition, they can also be made with a clipless frame, to appear frameless. A smaller version of the magnetic memo board is available in an 11”x 14” size, which is great for smaller spaces. These smaller boards are frameless, can stand-up with an easel back, or hang from a ribbon. Similar to the larger boards, these can be customized to your color or theme and all come with 5 clay magnets. Both boards would look great in your kitchen, office, bedroom, play room or just about anywhere in your house. They are truly distinctive works of art!

I also adore their unique Photo Frames. These frames are created from your favorite photos and make up a collage matte that surround a magnetic board or framed mementos. The sample I was sent has pictures of my kids from the past few years surrounding a magnetic piece. It is so precious and stands proudly in my kitchen to keep notes and such out in plain view for me to see. The notes are held up by these adorable clay letter magnets that spell family. I always receive complements on how neat it is when someone comes over. The Photo Frames are offered in sizes 11”x 14” and 16”x 20”. Personalized letter magnets are available as well.

Fabulous for gift-giving, Blue Aster Designs creates works of art for all occasions! Their art is perfect for the person that has everything, the person you really want to get something unique for or if you just like to do something a little different with your photos! Prices range from $22.50 to $150.00 plus tax & shipping depending on size and product.  Give them a call (609-320-8039) or e-mail to discuss your order. They have a website and are on Facebook which is their online catalogue. They are currently offering a 10% discount on purchases of $50.00 or more to anyone who become a Facebook fan.

So right now you can get free shipping with orders over $49, plus 20% off the entire CVS.com website when you use coupon code 2DAY20.   The coupon expires November 10th so shop today fast – otherwise if you are reading this after the 10th, check out their Sales & Specials website for their current sale or special.  They seem to always have some sort of good deal or special going on so it’s worth always checking out.

I actually started visiting the CVS website recently when I received some Caliber office samples.  I wouldn’t normally think to shop at CVS for office supplies but I actually loved all of the items they sent – even more so loving the price point of many of the items.

I quickly lost the Recycled School Box to crayons and markers for my kids but I’m happy to report that I kept the Expanding File Case for myself for grocery coupons.

CVS provided product samples of several Caliber office supplies.

The following is a paid advertorial from Couture Invito:

Looking for the perfect gift for $15 or less? The best-selling Holiday gift item is the Custom Photo Notepad… Use your favorite picture to create the perfect 100-page notepad, where your photo is featured on every page for as low as $14.25. A wonderful Holiday gift for yourself and others! Free personalization and quick turnaround time.

Couture Invito also designs Holiday photo cards. Express your style — Choose your design color, font and greeting. Plus, FREE digital proof and ships within 3-5 business days after your approval. With over 35 designs, the design possibilities are endless… every card is professionally designed, so if the card needs to be modified to fit your picture, or if you would like to add a verse… they can do that!

Shop Couture Invito and receive 15% off your total purchase through 12.15.09 with coupon: mwsadv119