Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Have a Happy Birthday? YES WE CAN! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

· by · 131 Comments

Darah is part of what is now called the “Obama Baby Boom.” There is a slight jump in the number of births that happened 9 months after our fearless leader was elected. 🙂

Tim and I make no secret about our admiration of our current president, and how our world was rocked (in a positive way) when he was elected. We know that one day we will tell Darah about when we voted for him, and how crazy busy the polls were, and how there was this vibrant energy that we had not yet witnessed in our time as registered voters. It was almost magical.

We officially announced our pregnancy to people outside of the family on Inauguration Day. Again, that was such a magical day, and I’ll never forget it. Change was in the air, snow was falling lightly in Memphis (which is relatively rare), and we were telling the world that our baby was on the way.

President Obama’s birthday is today, August 4th. I have to confess that I tried to convince my OB to induce me on the 4th, and I listed Obama’s birthday as a key reason. Yes, the crazy was in FULL FORCE by the end of my pregnancy. I’ll never forget how much she laughed when I listed that as a compelling reason to induce me. It made perfect sense to me, at the time! Also, I was miserable, but I digress…

In light of Darah’s Obama connection, we wanted to celebrate her first birthday with a little tribute to our White House resident. I found a Progress shirt at Truly Sanctuary, and I totally fell in love. They have an entire section devoted to Obama onesies! Yipee!

Now, I realize that not all of my readers will share the same affinity I have for our remarkable president. And that’s ok. I celebrate the fact that in this country we have freedom of thought and expression! If an Obama onesie probably wouldn’t find its way onto your baby, Truly Sanctuary still has something you’ll like, I guarantee it! Check out their selection of canvas totes (Mr. T bag, you MUST come home with me…), their tattoo art onesies and their extensive selection of music-related clothes!

Buy it!: Basically, Truly Sanctuary is the perfect place to shop for something unique, inspiring, or just plain quirky for your little one. Onesies start at $14.99!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to snag a onesie of your choice from those currently listed on Etsy. Yipee! The contest will run until August 14th at 7:59pm CST when the winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the onesie you would pick and the size (and choose wisely, as you will get what you choose if you are the winner!)

Additional entries:
1. Follow Truly Sanctuary on Twitter
2. Add Truly Sanctuary to your Etsy favorites
3. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS/email or Google Friend Connect
4. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook
5. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

Be sure to check out all my other current giveaways (located on the sidebar of my homepage)
Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary product in order to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Celebrate Memphis BBQ with an Adorable Pig Onesie (etsy GIVEAWAY!)

· by · 102 Comments

EDIT: Giveaway CLOSED

We all know that there is no shortage of adorable children’s clothing on the market. I’d say that kids under the age of 5 safely have the most options of us all for looking too cute for words. But sometimes, our beautiful children can get lost under all of those ruffles, bows or zany patterns. I think my daughter is the star of the show in my world, and I don’t want her outfit to upstage her! That’s why I like to have a good chunk of her wardrobe be simple. But simple doesn’t mean boring, by any means!

Kim, the owner of gurleygurl design based out of Memphis, totally understands this idea. She says, “I love the simplicity and brightness of children’s design. It’s not over thought, it’s just fun and happy.” She makes so many cute onesies that are very simple, but also very fun! In honor of Memphis in May and the National BBQ competition that is taking place this month, Kim sent Darah a precious pig onesie. I absolutely love it, first because a pig is just SO MEMPHIS, and she doesn’t have any outfits yet that pay homage to her hometown (no, I haven’t bought her an Elvis jumpsuit…yet). I also love it because her appetite is growing so fast, and she is currently eating many different types of veggies and grains at dinner time, which sort of reminds me of how pigs eat (just being honest, here!). I’ve washed the onesie several times (due to all of the food that is getting on it!) and the pig print has held up beautifully. Kim also has some other cute onesies for sale, such as the airplane onesie (which reminds me of FedEx, a company you’ve probably heard of that is based in Memphis) or the giraffe onesie (which reminds me of our zoo!).

Kim works at an ad agency during the day, which is exciting work in its own right. However, after 10 years working on ads, Kim decided that she wanted to resurrect gurleygurl design, which had been her senior graphic design project at the University of Memphis. She’s had a wonderful response from local folks, and her presence on Etsy allows her to reach beyond our beautiful river city. She says, “I love to see someone open a gift I’ve made and hear the ooo’s and aah’s in the room. That instant gratification makes me so happy. No one is ooo’ing and ahh’ing when they see a print ad for a bank in a magazine.” That really made me laugh, because the truth is, she’s right!

When I asked Kim what she loved about Memphis, she couldn’t choose just one or two things. You can tell she has a lot of pride in her city by her response, which was, “Midtown. Tiger basketball. Best people, best food, best music. The arts, the festivals, the parks…I could go on for days!”

There’s a lot to be proud of here in Memphis, and Kim just adds to that with her company, gurleygurl design. Whether you want a onesie for your little monkey, a bold tote bag, or even some custom note cards, Kim can design it for you.

Win it! gurleygurl design wants to send a taste of Memphis your way in the form of your very one pig onesie! The contest will run until Wednesday, May 19th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry:
Tell me what item you like the very best at gurleygurl design.

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS, email or Google friend connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe more than one way)
2. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
3. Tell Kim one thing you’d like to see her sell in her shop
4. Add gurleygurl design to your favorites on Etsy
5. If you left a Memphis in May comment on this post before May 2nd, leave a comment for an extra entry

Don’t forget to check out these other giveaways! handmade stuffed animal (ends 05/13), silky scarf (ends 05/15), $25 jewelry gift certificate (ends 05/17), handmade detergent-free soap (ends 05/18)

Disclosure: I received a product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.