I’m here to tell you that your time is limited, too.  It’s time for us to order our cards!  Let’s get a move on!

For four years now, Tiny Prints has been my one and my ONLY destination for ordering the most amazing Holiday cards.  If you don’t believe me – check out the great Christmas Cards that I sent out last year.

This year has seen a lot of changes for Audrey Grace and me.  I got engaged, and we moved across the country to create a family with my amazing fiance’ and his adorable son.  The kiddos are only a year apart in age, attend the same school, and just generally adore each other.  This year we had professional photos taken of the two of them, and fully intend to not only hang those in our home, but also to use them on our Christmas Cards.  I couldn’t wait to design my cards!  I literally stalked our photographer for our proofs and our CD (sorry, Cindy!).

Last night I sat down to order our cards, and all I can say is wow.  Tiny Prints has always had amazing holiday card designs, but this year I was positively overwhelmed.  There are so many options (over 1,000!) of cards to choose from, and that’s not even including the envelopes, color options, and so forth.  This morning I was tinkering around with the cards – here is one of the possible designs that I came up with  –

The front!

The back!

I loved this card (called Merry Medley) because it had several places for us to put photos of the kids on the front, and we were able to add up to 3 photos with captions on the back, though I chose to add one with a quick update of our lives this year.  SO cute, right?

Or how about this card?  This one is called Merry Grid!

Tiny Prints also has a cool feature where if you have additional photos to share that didn’t quite make it on your cards – they will create a custom website called Tiny Prints Snapshot for you to share more of them!  They print the URL right on your card, which I thought was super awesome!  Then your family can type in the custom URL and get their holiday fill of your adorable selves!

Where do you get your holiday cards?  Oh and help us decide, please – leave a comment with which card is your favorite?

Happy Holidays!

Maybe it was a crazy month at work, or maybe you have a new baby at home and you have exactly zero time to go out and shop.  Maybe you are on bed-rest, or just hate to shop.  Maybe you just wish life had an easy button.

Well, there is no easy button – but there is an easy, quick way to buy gifts for friends and family this holiday season – one that you can even buy ON CHRISTMAS MORNING.

You totally read that right.  But wait – you’re thinking that no stores are open on Christmas morning – so how can this be?

Check out clickit!togiftit! – a place to buy digital gift cards for family and friends!  clickit!togiftit! procrastinators like myself the chance to send digital gift cards (which can be redeemed at almost 50 vendors, including restaurants, retail stores, entertainment, and even online stores!)  The best part are the fees:  there are none!  No cost to ship your cards, and no fee to purchase.  Sweet!

I know what you’re thinking – you’re thinking that sending a gift card somehow seems impersonal.  Well, with clickit!togiftit! you can personalize your gift by selecting the egift card design of your choice or, my favorite, by uploading your own photos or images, which is then delivered directly to your gift recipient’s inbox!  I did this last year with a gift card for my dad, and I used a photo of us all at the beach the previous summer and he loved it!

Even better, right now Clickit!togiftit! offers a special gift with purchase.  So, spend $25 on a voucher to Uno’s and receive $5 to use yourself.  You can also receive $10 to spend at The Children’s Place for every $40 you send.  My personal favorite is when you buy $100 to Magianno’s you’ll get a $20 gift card and a free subscription to Food and Wine magazine.

The deals change every week, so be sure to check it out!

Disclosure:  I was provided with a gift card as compensation for this post.  Opinions are my own.  

Thanks for checking out my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide!  Be sure to check out Our Ordinary Life and Mommy Mandy for more great gift ideas!

* * *

When I was a little girl I was obsessed with American Girl.  A voracious reader, I read all of the books before carefully requesting that Santa Claus bring me a Samantha doll for Christmas.  It was the number one thing that I wanted more than anything – and when I found Samantha smiling back at me on Christmas morning with her glossy brown hair with the perfect bouncy curl – I squealed in delight.  I brushed her hair, I changed her clothes – Samantha came everywhere with me that year.  She was perfect, coveted, and mine.

Samantha still sits in my childhood room, prominently displayed on a shelf.  I never outgrew my love for her.

American Girl Bitty Twins

Twenty years later, I’m delighted to begin introducing my daughter to the world of American Girl.  She is a bit young for the full-sized American Girl dolls so when I discovered the American Girl Bitty Twins, I knew we had to have them.  You can customize your Bitty Twins with all different skin tones and hair colors – so that your child will have a set of dolls that looks like her.

Generally speaking I have a bit of a bias against all of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed dolls in the world – so  I was torn when ordering our Bitty Twins because part of me wanted to order a dark-haired duo.  However, I have a sweet little blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl and I wanted the twins to look like her – so I gritted my teeth and ordered blonde twins – a girl and a boy.

They twins come in the cutest argyle outfits and have 15″ soft bodies, and they also come with a book – The Bitty Twins Learn To Share.  The two twins, in outfits, plus the book is $100.  You can also order the 18 piece Bitty Twins Starter Kit, which runs $180 but in addition to above includes toys for each doll, a doll carrier, training diapers, and an additional outfit for the twins (and saves you $20).

Order by December 21st for Christmas delivery (rush charges may apply).

*Disclosure:  American Girl sent Audrey Grace a set of Bitty Twins to facilitate this review, however all opinions are 100% my own.

** This post is a part of my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide, created in partnership with Amanda of Mommy Mandy and Kristin of Our Ordinary Life.  Please check out their Holiday Guides for more great gift ideas! **

I’m not big into wearing t-shirts but every now and then a few really cute, great shirts do actually make it into the rotation.  Since early October, the “Anchored” t-shirt from Scared Panda has been one of them.  Featuring the Manhattan skyline (one of my favorite places!) and designed by Brooklyn resident Brad Jonas, the shirt reminds me to refuse to be overwhelmed – there is always something so much bigger than what I might be dealing with.

Plus, it’s just stinkin’ adorable!  I have gotten at least one compliment from strangers on it each time I’ve worn it – about 3 times now.

If you’re looking for a gift that also allows you to give back this holiday season – this is it.  10% of every sale of this t-shirt goes to Scared Panda’s non-profit partner Growing Home, a Chicago-based non-profit that provides job training through an organic agriculture business.  Talk about giving to give back!  I love it!  Plus, each shirt runs around $18 and during the Holidays includes free shipping and gift wrapping – so you have a great gift wrapped and shipped for under $20 smackeroos!

Better yet?  All of their tees are printed using only eco-friendly inks and is produced locally in the US!

Best yet?  I have an early Holiday Gift for you!  Use the coupon code “PANDAS” to receive 10% off your next order.

Go, shop, and be well!  Happy Holidays!

Disclosure:  Scared Panda sent me a t-shirt to wear.  All opinions on its awesomeness are my own.

Thanks for checking out my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide!  Be sure to check out Our Ordinary Life and Mommy Mandy for more great gift ideas!

*  *  *  

I am engaged to the world’s hottest man.  He also happens to be a bit of a tech-geek, which to me, makes him even better looking.

So, when RCA approached Kristin, Amanda, and I with this cool little slice of awesomeness for consideration in our Holiday Gift Guide, I knew we just had to include it.  In our house we have 2 iPhones, 2 MacBook Pros, 2 Kindles, a Nintendo DS, a MiFi port, a PS3, and XBox 360 with Kinect, a Motorola Xoom, and an iPad 2.  Can you tell we have a few things that need charging?

The first of these two awesome products is the RCA USB Wall Plate Charger which effectively converts any standard outlet into a USB outlet. It allows you to have 2 USB ports as well as still have one of your regular outlets.

RCA USB Wall Plate Charger:

• Turns any standard outlet into a USB outlet
• Allows access to the other standard power outlet via pass through
• Charges quickly
• Charges 2 smartphones or 1 tablet at the same time
• Optimized 2.1 amp outlet for iPad

The second of the two products is the RCA USB Wall Charger.  This genius product charges super fast, with full-speed charging for 2 smartphones at the same time or 1 tablet. My favorite part about this one is that it is portable, but also provides a spot for you to rest your gadget on.  The clip rotates so that it will fit almost any outlet (how frustrating are the ones that are installed sideways, or upside down?!) and still hold said gadget while it charges.

RCA USB Wall Charger:

• Converts any 110V AC outlet into 2 USB charging outlets
• 2 Amp USB power for full-speed charging of 2 smartphones or 1 tablet
• Holds your gadget with ease
• Charger rotates 90 or 180 degrees to accommodate any plug orientation
• USB charger includes cover so it is perfect for home or travel

Thanks for checking out my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide!  Be sure to check out Our Ordinary Life and Mommy Mandy for more great gift ideas!

*  *  *  

I have very strong emotional associations with my sense of smell.  As a child, I could tell you what pillow belonged to what family member just by taking my nose to it – everyone had a different distinct scent, and they were familiar and comforting.  When I was sick, I loved sleeping on one of my parent’s pillows – it was comforting to me, like being able to snuggle with them in my sleep.  As I’ve gotten older, this association has only grown.  I associate the scent of baby powder with the city of Paris – I was wearing a body lotion that was faintly scented with it when I was first visiting there, and now every time I smell powder, I think of Paris.

Sometimes it works the opposite way – I can’t even walk near anyone wearing Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Lovely” because I wore it during the first 3 months of my pregnancy with Audrey Grace – and I was so sick during those months that just smelling it in the slightest turns my stomach.

Yankee Candle Mini Holiday Trio - photo is my own

One of my all time favorite scents has got to be that of anything to do with winter.  I love the feel of the cold air, the smell of the fireplace, the scent of the freshly-cut Christmas tree.  When I was in college I discovered Yankee Candles and I fell in love.  Burning a highly-scented Yankee Candle was like walking right back into a winter memory.  My favorites revolved around Pine, or Cedar – anything that reminded me of the smell of our Christmas tree.  I started buying these candles once every 2 months – I would save up while I was in college and “treat” myself to one.  They have always been my ultimate favorite candle.

When I started blogging, there were a few products that I was already a die-hard ambassador for, without ever needing to have a relationship with that company.  Yankee Candle has always been one of those.  You can see I even included them back in my 2008 Holiday Gift Guide – I have had a long-standing obsession with the candles and it continues to this day.

This year Yankee Candle sent me a few of their holiday scents to try out for myself – and the day that box came I was flat out giddy.   I even tweeted this:

Inside of this gorgeous box I discovered a trio of Yankee Candle’s Newest Holiday Fragrances - Cherries on Snow, Mountain Berry and Christmas Rose.  I love all three of them, but Mountain Berry has to be my ultimate favorite.  Our kiddos loved playing “guess the scent” and wanted to smell them over and over again.  We also received a small tumbler of Warm Woolen Mittens, which has been burning all weekend and smells heavenly.  Lastly, we received a large jar of the Balsam & Cedar wrapped in an adorable gift package, which would be just perfect for gift-giving (ahem, if anyone needs to get me anything else…)!

Photo by Kristin of Our Ordinary Life

Have you tried out Yankee Candle yet?  I am not a betting woman, but in this case I would bet money on the fact that you will love them.  I am so excited to announce that I have a set of 3 mini candles in the newest Holiday scents (as seen above) to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!

To enter:

• Visit Yankee Candle and come back here to tell me what your favorite candle scent is!

Extra Entry Methods (leave a separate comment for each):

• Visit Mommy Mandy and enter one of her Holiday Giveaways. Come back here and let me know you did it. (1 entry)
• Visit Our Ordinary Life and enter one of her Holiday Giveaways.  Come back here and let me know you did it. (1 entry)
• Like Yankee Candle on Facebook!  (1 extra entry)
• Follow Yankee Candle on Twitter! (1 extra entry)
• BLOG ABOUT IT!!! 5 entries.
• Tweet this contest.  (1 entry)
• Like Chic Shopper Chick on Facebook. (1 entry)
• List this giveaway on any contest site for 3 entries.
• You can always leave a comment on any non-giveaway post. (1 extra entry per post commented on. just go to “home” posts are up front, please comment on all new posts and leave your extra entry comment)

No purchase necessary to win.  Contest only valid for residents of the US.  Winner to be chosen by random.org on or after November 30th. Winner has 48 hours to respond to notification email or another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure:  Yankee Candle sent me these candles for review.  I already loved them, I knew I would, so I jumped at the opportunity.  These opinions are 100% mine and I’m thrilled to share them with you.  

Except, I’m not baking.  I have this bad boy plugged in by my kitchen sink and when you walk in the entryway to my home, you can smell the blueberry – I’m not kidding.  Actually, the first night that I plugged it in, I left to pick up dinner, and when I walked back up to the house I could SMELL THE BLUEBERRY OUTSIDE.  Yes, you read that right.  I ran inside and pulled Morgan back out with me to prove it, but of course his nose was adjusted to the smell so he just thought I was crazy.  Which I am.  But not for that reason – it really did smell like blueberry muffins out there!

Anyway, in the past I have found Wax Warmers like these to be a bit out of my budget – 30 bucks a pop?  No thanks, I will light a candle.  But hey – I LOVE these, and they are only $15 bucks each at Walmart.  Half the price and I can smell the blueberry OUTSIDE?  Where do I sign?

In addition to the cute warmers like the one you see above, they have a bunch of awesome seasonal warmers – like an apple and a gourd.  I actually have the gourd sitting in my living room, warming my some “Soft Cashmere Sweater” as we speak.  Can’t you just FEEL the cold weather?  I love it!

Not to mention – check out these great winter scents – Warm Vanilla Creme, Wild Berry Cheesecake, Baked Apple Streusel, and Vanilla Caramel Spice.  Love them all.

So what do you think?  Will you try these out?  Have you tried a wax warmer before – if so what are your thoughts?  Please share them in the comments!

Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom and was compensated for my time with regards to creating this post.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  I really do like this awesome Wax Warmer – and even my fiance has taken to turning it on himself when he want to give the house a nice boost. 

I’ve been working in partnership with Walmart for almost 3 years now, and I have to say that their commitment to their customers is truly amazing.  They are always looking for ways to assure that Walmart shoppers will get the best products for the best value.

According to Laura Phillips, senior vice president of toys and seasonal merchandising “Value is a huge priority for our customers and they rely on Walmart for the right toys at great prices everyday and especially during the holiday season. We know this economic climate is difficult for our customers and we are committed to helping them have the Christmas they want and deserve.”

Beginning today, October 17th through December 16th, customers can place the eligible items mentioned above on Layaway.  Your minimum layaway order must reach or exceed $50, and individual items in your order may not be priced below $15.  A 10% overall payment is due at the time of placing the items on layaway, plus a one-time non-refundable $5 service fee.  A $10 fee will apply to any cancelled orders.

Find out more about Walmart’s Holiday Layaway program and get a sneak peek at the 20 hottest toys of the holiday season!

Have you used layaway before?  I’m going to be heading into my store here to show you how easy it is, but until then, let me know – what would you layaway?

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Walmart Moms and this is a sponsored post on behalf of that program. Still, my words and opinions are 100% mine – I’ve got ya back. 

You’ve all heard me sing the praises of Walmart’s Site to Store and Pick Up Today shipping options, but Walmart has really upped the ante with their new HomeFree shipping – where a $45 minimum qualifying order (over 100,000 items qualify!) ships TO YOUR HOME for FREE in 3-5 days*.

Um, yes please!

Walmart offered me the chance to put the new HomeFree shipping option to the test – so we chose to do some winter clothes shopping for the kiddos.  I love the great clothes that Faded Glory has at Walmart, so I went looking for some jackets that we could buy for them when we take them sledding in December.  You can see in the screenshot below that the HomeFree logo is clearly displayed in the ordering section – which is good because they were out of stock in my local store! (You might have to click to enlarge and read!)

Ok, so jacket for the princess – check.  Now on to the boys department where I found a similar style jacket from Faded Glory for our young superhero.  Same deal – you can see the HomeFree Free shipping option displayed prominently above where you add this item to your cart.  Easy peasy.

Of COURSE, because I wasn’t quite at $45 yet, I happened to wander over to the ladies section, where (oops) I fell in love with this red coat and naturally I had. to. have. it.  So, HomeFree it is, again!

So I ordered my items on a Monday and they arrived, much to my surprise, only 2 days later on Wednesday. I was blown away at how quickly they shipped it!  I know that I will definitely be using this option through the Holiday season – as a matter of fact it will be a lifesaver!

So what do you think – will you try out HomeFree at Walmart?  Let me know in the comments!

*Business days, plus processing. Limitations apply. Please see terms and conditions for full details.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program and have been compensated for my time and creativity in regards to this post.  However, all opinions are, and always will be, my own.  Thanks for reading!

The answer is yes. But after awhile, my eyes began to wander. And my heart began to lust. First it was a purple pair, a Spring style that I hunted down relentlessly all over the Upper East Side-to no avail….huge bummer.  I did, however, find them in Emerald Green and now we are insperable! These jeans have become my new uniform.

There are a multitude of ways to wear colored denim, but this is my go-to look:

Of course, the bright denim takes center stage in this ensemble. I tone down the bright factor with some of my wardrobe staples-an easy tee and classic blazer. My favorite tees are the v-necks from Old Navy and my all-time favorite blazer is the Gabe from Theory. Jazz it up with a great necklace-currently, I’m into big gold collars-and you are all set!

Have you jumped on the colored denim trend? What’s your favorite way to wear it?

Morgan is obsessed with apples and almost always has one in his hand or in his bag.  He usually eats one if not two apples a day – he must have heard the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.  Of course, in this house we are always looking for healthy alternatives, what with Morgan being diabetic and me being hypoglycemic - our issues with sugar are ones we battle daily.  So, having this box of some of the most perfect apples that I’ve ever seen overnighted to my house was like having the Holidays come a bit early!

Of course, we do LOVE apples, but we had to figure out what to do with all of these apples, and fast.  I decided to modify an old family recipe that we often use around the holidays for Apple Oatmeal – and to try it out in the slow cooker!  We love oatmeal for breakfast (as my 4 year old says – it makes her tummy warm) so I thought this would be a great way to put all of those apples to use!  I was right!

Slower Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients:

DIY-ing with the girls from Honestly…WTF
click here for more info

Exploring all the neighborhoods of NYC inside Lord and Taylor
click here for more info

Loading up on Missoni for Target at the Pop-Up Shop
click here for more info

And I’ll probably wrap it all up with a free Foster the People show at Lacoste…all in a day’s work, my friends!

Cocktail parties, fashion presentations, meet and greets, and perhaps a free drink (or three)-there’s bound to be something happening in your neck of the woods!

Check out the offiicial guide for all the fashionable functions and hot happenings!

If it were up to me, I would live off of macaroni and cheese, Cheese-Its, bread, fettucini alfredo, waffles, and coffee.

I’m very unadventurous when it comes to food, and I always have been.

Then I met my fiance’, Morgan, who witnessed my first foray into the world of sushi, taught me how to use chopsticks, showed me that eating veggies wasn’t all that bad of an idea, and most of all, is diabetic.

Did you notice that there is absolutely ZERO meat up there in the list of things I would live off of?  SUPER healthy, right?  Go ahead, roll your eyes.  I deserve it.

So, for me, preparing to marry the man of my dreams also means learning to eat in a way that is healthy and supportive of the way he currently eats – low carb.  Meat.  Veggies.  You get the picture.

So, when the Walmart Moms were offered the chance to try out the new Johnsonville Brat Patties, my initial instinct was to turn it down.

And then I remembered my sweet fiance’.  And I sent him the email with one word in it.

“Interested?”

2 minutes later came the response, “YES!  These are awesome. Johnsonville Brats are seriously my FAVORITE brat.  These look awesome!  Let’s do it.”

See?  I told you he was excited.  I mean, really. How cute is he?

So we headed to Walmart to pick some up.  We were having a cookout with family, so we actually got a bunch so we could share.

We whipped up a few on the grill, and made brat and sauerkraut burgers.  They were SO yummy.  Seriously everyone devoured them.

He may not marry me after he sees that I’ve posted this photo. But hey, he posed.

We liked the Johnsonville Brat Burgers so much that we actually made them AGAIN two days later.  This time, we made a little video to share with you so that you could check out our experience with them.  Also, of note, super cute cameo by my kiddo.  Of course, I’m totally partial, but I doubt you’ll disagree!

So what do you think?  Will you try the new Johnsonville Bratwurst Patties?  Do you have any great recipes to share?  Let us know!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post on behalf of Johnsonville Brat Patties and the Walmart Moms.  All posts always have been and always have been filled 100% with my thoughts – that’s how I roll.  If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email.

all necklaces from forever 21

Do ya need a quick wardrobe pick-me-up during this time in between seasons? I know I sure do! If you have been following along, you know that I have already started gathering ideas for my Fall Wardrobe. I also have begun saving for those “musts” and investment pieces for the season.

The problem?

I want to shop now.

The cure for my fashion itch is accessories — specifically those from Forever 21. I can load up on a variety of styles, look good on the cheap, and as it turns out-these items are usually the ones I get the most compliments on!

I’m obviously a necklace person; I love just tossing ‘em on over a simple tank, a fun romper or easy strapless dress to instantly elevate my look. Pieces with movement, layers, and tassels add a bit of texture and interest to outfits comprised of softer fabrics-a must for all the lightweight jersey we are currently wearing to keep cool! Bird accents are also something I just can’t seem to pass up-whether a feather for a Boho feel or a tiny bird charm for a sweet vibe, I’m all about the “fowl play”.  The statement collar is another silhouette I love, as it can be paired back to the simplest of outfits and take them from tame to eye-catching.

Do you have a go-to store for accessorizing frugally?