M&M’s Get Personal

Pssst — hey you!  Yes, you – the bridesmaid/baby shower thrower person/bride/new mommy/person throwing a birthday party/chocolate lover – I’m talking to you!  Check out this really cool idea for personalized party favors that your guests can appreciate (and devour!).  You can now create and customize your very own M&M’s from the comfort of your couch!  I created some online at the My M&Ms site for Little AG’s 2nd birthday (which is in a month — ahhh!) that have her picture on one side and cute little statements about her “Turning 2!” on the back!  The website makes it really, really simple to do, and I had the perfect M&M’s within minutes!  I even got to choose what colors I wanted!

The site also offers dozens of gift options to accompany the MY M&M’S, such as candy dispensers, decorative tins, and MLB-themed containers. And, new this year, MY M&M’S has even teamed up with Martha Stewart for ideas to make personalized gifts even more special. Each of Martha’s MY M&M’S personalized gift options provide easy step-by-step instructions.  Of course, personalization won’t come cheap – at $13 bucks for a decent-sized bag you’ll be shelling out some dough, but at least this is one keepsake that won’t collect dust on a shelf somewhere.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go dig through my pantry in search of chocolate.  This review made me hungry.

Christmas Gift Guide 2008: Entertaining and Hostess Gifts

With the Holiday Season comes the P & E — Parties and Entertaining!  From office parties to parties with family and friends, you will likely have more than one occasion to show that you are the “Hostess with the Mostess” or a gracious party guest!  Of course, we wouldn’t leave you hanging for this very important part of the Holiday Season, so Chic Shopper Chick has got you covered with everything you’ll need to survive this season of Holiday Parties!

The Perfect Holiday Dress — Each year I go in search of the perfect dress to wear to Church on Christmas Eve, as well as to all of the various parties and events that we attend throughout the season.  This year, I am so thrilled to say that I already have my dress, well before I moved into panic mode!  This year I will be wearing a flattering and gorgeous little number from ShapeFX!  When I pulled the dress out of the box I thought, wow, this isn’t going to look on me like it does on that size 2 model.  Guess what?  It looks fantastic (You know, I mean, if I do say so myself)!  I would be proud to model it anywhere — sign me up to be the new SpokesMom for ShapeFX!  Any dress that makes hubby do a double take MUST be a keeper!  Check out the full line of products from ShapeFX, including their shapewear, pants, and special occasion line!  I have no doubt that you will love this stuff as much as I do!  To prove it to you, I plan to do a post soon with some pictures of me wearing this amazing dress!

Entertaining — When I entertain, I love to have people walk in the door and say “mmmmm” because it smells so good.  Maybe it’s because of your fantastic cooking, or it could just be from a really well-scented candle.  I love to burn candles in my house, and I really like to choose ones that smell like food, like cinnamon, or buttercream.  Yankee Candles make some really great scents, and they even have a special line for the Holidays.  I especially love this Christmas Cookie Candle by Yankee Candle.  Nom Nom Nom!

Don’t forget that you also need to send out the perfect Holiday Party Invitation.  I love the great Holiday Cards from Tiny Prints! I know that you will be able to find the perfect card or invitation for your event from their hundreds of cards.

Need a great appetizer that is easy but will make your guests go “ooooh, this is fantastic!!”?  If so, check out the recipe that I posted on my blog today for an easy baked brie.

Need to jazz up your kitchen?  Check out some of the fantastic cookware, bakeware, and tableware from Emile Henry.  Their wares are simultaneously classic and modern, and I could really do some damage to my account on their website!

Hostess Gifts — You can’t be a gracious party guest without bringing the perfect hostess gift!  You don’t have to spend a fortune, but something small is always a nice token of your appreciation.  I really like this Half Apron by Jessie Steele in a Paris Print – I think it is a really sweet and adorably retro gift that any hostess would LOVE!  If you are close friends with the hostess and you know she has a sense of humor, I think she would enjoy this reprint of the classic book Entertaining is Fun!: How to Be A Popular Hostess.  Orignially published in 1941, some of the advice is outdated, but it is still a really fun read.  Not all of the advice is outdated however, because class never goes out of style!  Want to go with something smaller?  Try giving her a set of these awesome Effervescent Holiday Bath Balls – she can soak in the tub and relax after the stress of planning and hosting a Holiday Party!  Lastly, you might opt to give your hostess something that tastes as yummy as it smells!  If so, then you definitely want to order a keepsake tin of these amazing handmade bon-bons from South n France — but good luck getting them to the party without eating them! (If you missed it, you can check out my review of South n France, but I’ll warn you, it might make you drool!)

Win it! South n France has graciously offered to give away a 20 piece tin of handmade bon bons to one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader!  To enter, follow the easy-peasy rules below.  (And trust me, you WANT to win this delectible treat!)

• Visit South n France and tell me which Holiday Gift or flavor of bon bon is your favorite!  Leave a comment here telling me about it!
  
• Earn extra credit! You may do these for extra entries.
  • Blog about this giveaway and link back here and to South n France. Tell me about it in a separate comment.
  • Subscribe to my RSS feed via email or in a reader and tell me about it in a separate comment.
    
  • Stumble my main webpage (www.chicshopperchick.com) and leave me your Stumble Upon name in a separate comment.
  • Get a Gravatar!  I’m sick of seeing those little blue and white icons.  Gravatars are universal avatars used for lots of sites, including this one – just register it with your email address.  Let me know about it.
  • Add me to your blog roll. Not just my button in your sidebar, I’d love to be on your blog roll! Let me know about it in a separate comment!

That’s it! Good luck! Oh, and the official rules and legal jargon are below.

US entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contests ends at 11:59 pm CST on November 20th, 2008.

Don’t forget to check out the great hostess gifts and entertaining ideas that Christine at From Dates to Diapers and Kristin at An Ordinary Life have to offer you today!