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Stuff Parents Need

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

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Easy and Thrifty Baby Shower and Birthday Party Decorating Ideas

May 16, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 85 Comments

Hello!  My name is Allison and I’m the one woman show (though my hubz has been helping out a lot lately and deserves credit 🙂 ) behind a little Etsy shop called hoop~da~loop.  You can find it at hoopdaloop.etsy.com.  I specialize in unique shower and party decorations, especially the custom kind and today wanted to talk to you about some easy ways to decorate for a baby shower, birthday party or other such event on the cheap!  I know that many of you are mommas-to-be, current mommas, or at least know a momma and because of that, attend lots of baby showers and birthday parties for little ones.  With hoop~da~loop, I find that most of my customers are moms or friends of moms looking for party decorations that don’t cost an arm and a leg, but add a pop of whimsical fun and color and thus, I’ve done lots of research on some great ways to decorate.

A couple of tips for you on decorating for your next party:

1)    Try as much DIY as possible!  You may not think you are crafty, but find a good tutorial on the internet (and there are lots!) and you can make decorations for little of nothing really easily.  Two of my favorite resources, pinterest.com (just search ideas for party decorations and you get about a million) and Oh Happy Day!  (ohhappyday.com), a blog full of tons of ideas (some easy, some harder) that add tons of unique décor to your next event.

2)    Look for “printables.”  I am new to the “printables” world, but I am amazed at the number of free and extremely cute banners, invitations, cupcake toppers, favor boxes, etc that you can print off of the internet for free.  Just buy some cardstock and grab your scissors (decorative edged scissors will make it easier to make a festive and fun border and can be found at your local craft store for $3 or less) and start printing.  Printables are an easy internet search away or check out blogs like Oh Happy Day! (http://ohhappyday.com/category/free-printables/) for some great ones!  When searching online, try using keywords like “printable baby shower invitations” or “printable birthday party decorations.”  You will be amazed at the choices!

3)    Less is more!  I love parties that are simple and fun.  I think it’s very false that you need to spend a big hunk of money to make a party special. Decorations don’t need to be a big fuss or costly to create a great atmosphere. To save, try using or reusing what you already own and then think about how you can make a few decorations go a long way!  For example, use white tablecloths (that you probably already own), solid bold color napkins and paper plates, and grab a hole punch and some construction or scrapbook paper and punch other bold color confetti to sprinkle in the middle of the tables.  So cute and so simple!  You can even add some balloons or garland you can find in my shop if you want.  Creating a white background allows your decorations to really pop.

4)    If all of this DIY sounds a little too time consuming, check out etsy.com.  There are lots of artists that are more than willing to create custom work for you, sometimes for no extra charge (like in hoopdaloop.etsy.com).  Because almost everything is handmade, you can send us your invitations or inspiration pictures so we can create the perfect party, invitations and all!

5)  Or even better!  Win a party pack from hoopdaloop.etsy.com!  Enter below for a chance to win 3 ten foot garlands and two packs of confetti in your custom colors! It’s a great excuse to throw a party or decorate your little one’s room even if you weren’t planning on it 🙂

Don’t forget to reuse your decorations if possible!  Lots of my customers will buy garlands for a party and then hang them up in a baby’s nursery or kids room or even in the background of a photo shoot for their kiddos.  All great ways to keep saving and create whimsical one-of-a-kind decorations and photos!

Edit: this giveaway is now closed. 

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the party pack mentioned in tip #5!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Giveaways, Parenting Tips · Tagged: baby shower decorations, birthday party decorations for kids, etsy, etsy handmade, etsy.com, hoop da loop, hoopdaloop, party decoration ideas, party decorations, party supplies decorations, unique baby shower decorations, unique party decor, unique party decorations, unique party ideas, unique party invitations, unique shower decorations

Pillowcase Purse: Affordable, Green, Unique Gift Idea

October 28, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 57 Comments

Are you currently trying to come up with ideas for gifts to give to others this holiday season? Have you been asked to give ideas for yourself and are drawing a blank? Well going green is HUGE for a second year in a row, so I would love to suggest that you think closely about gift ideas that support reducing, reusing and recyling in all its various forms. One way that has really caught on big is something called “up-cycling.” This is basically when you take an item and repurpose its parts to make something way cooler than what it originally was. Today I’m bringing you a very cool up-cycled product!

pillowcase purse from uniquerabbit Check out these pillowcase totes from Unique Rabbit! Kimberly, the owner of Unique Rabbit, has taken vintage pillowcases and turned them into fabulous bags that can serve a variety of purposes. These can hold your groceries, serve as a diaper bag, a toy holder, a library book holder (that’s what I use mine for every single week!) or any other number of purposes. And since it is made from vintage fabrics that are pretty much one-of-a-kind at this point, what you have will be totally unique. And isn’t it fun to have something that NOBODY else has? You know it is! The bag is also super soft, which simply makes it nice to carry! 🙂 Every time I take my bag out (which is every week!) someone comments on how very cool it is.

I can’t say enough about what a fantastic gift idea this is, especially if you are on a tight budget. Including shipping, this bag will set you back $10.50. That’s $10.50 for a handmade, one-of-a-kind, super cute, super green, super functional gift. Kimberly only has a few of these in stock, so jump on them now before they are gone!

Unique Rabbit is one of the very first stores that I ever featured on my blog. For that reason, and because Kimberly makes wonderful products, this is a store that I have so much love for in my heart! Please take a moment to look around her shop and see if anything catches your eye. Oh, and if you aren’t using paperless towels at this point in your kitchen, please do yourself a favor and purchase some right now. Her prices can’t be beat!

Win it!: Would you like to win an up-cycled tote? Of course you would! Here’s your chance! The contest will run until November 7th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is drawn Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me about a time you re-purposed something. Sewing doesn’t have to be involved! For example: I recently re-purposed a beautiful short stem vase that hadn’t been used in years into a pencil and pen holder on my desk!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Add Unique Rabbit to your Etsy favorites!
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (totally easy and no big deal to sign up if you haven’t before! Just check out my sidebar).

Be sure to check out the other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage. My giveaways typically have good odds!

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

Filed Under: Giveaways · Tagged: etsy, etsy gift guide, etsy giveaways, etsy handmade, etsy reviews, etsy store, etsy.com, giveaway, paperless towels, pillowcase bag, pillowcase tote, pillowcase tote bag, reusable paper towels, reusable towels, review, unique rabbit

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Welcome!


Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]

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