The Gift of Time Together: One More Reason to Love Kiwi Crate

December 2, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Sample provided for this post. However, we are monthly subscribers to Kiwi Crate on our own, and we adore it! Referral links may be included at no cost to you.

Earlier this week my girls and I spent an hour putting together a gingerbread house. This particular house wasn’t sticky, messy or tempting to eat. And this particular house came with all the supplies we needed to create it, while still leaving plenty of room for creative license.

We got a gingerbread house kit from Kiwi Crate and we absolutely LOVED it. We had such a blast coming up with different ideas (with a little help from the included inspiration cards) and cutting and gluing and just being merry together. It will be one of my favorite holiday memories this year, for sure.

Kiwi Crate is such a reliable company. I am consistently pleased with the products I receive from them each month as a subscriber. I’m so impressed, in fact, that I’ve also done some of my holiday shopping with Kiwi Crate, as you can purchase individual crates or special craft kits like this gingerbread house. They even offer some awesome book titles!

If you haven’t yet tried Kiwi Crate (or their sister brands designed for younger or older children) I want to strongly encourage you to go for it. It’s our favorite subscription service and it’s worth every single penny we spend on it each month. We get good quality time together, fun crafts (that don’t stress this non-crafty mama out) and we learn fun new things, too!

Finding the Best Toys to Encourage Creating and Building (at Target!)

October 8, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 16 Comments

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser, #TargetToys. All opinions are mine alone.

Friends have you started your holiday shopping lists? I am knee-deep in shopping for the 10 children on my list because, quite frankly, they are the REALLY fun ones to shop for. And this year, I’m looking for the best toys I can find that will encourage creating and building. I want toys that children simply can’t resist, and not because they are electronic!

Do you wish you could more easily identify toys like this, too? I find them to be among the very best resources for setting up invitations to play. When I take a few minutes to set up these kinds of activities, my kids make their way over to them with little to no prompting, and they figure out exactly what they want to create or build without my help.

For the nieces, nephews, cousins and school friends you might be buying for this year, consider a LEGO set. They come in a wide variety of price points (the one featured above was just $9.99) and they have really great, really clear instructions for kids to follow, or they are free to build whatever the heck they want!

Darah got right to work doing a little building. She followed the directions for a spell (she’s a HARDCORE direction-follower…gets it from her mama) but even she couldn’t resist that dolphin in the corner, and found herself making up a story about an adventure with it after just a few minutes left to figure out how she most wanted to play. It was a delight to witness!

Kiwi Crates are also available at Target (look for them near the games!). My oldest absolutely adores Kiwi Crates. When I set out a set for her consideration, she was thrilled.

Every child is going to have a different reaction to an invitation to build. Darah is highly verbal, so her first reaction was the pick up the book that comes with the Kiwi Crate and to start checking out the comic strip that was inside. The book was a great way to get her warmed up to the idea of building wind cars. After flipping through it, she was ready to go!

Target is also a great destination for items that help encourage a child to create. I was particularly impressed with the Kid Made Modern line that I found in my local store. It’s actually in the stationery section, so don’t forget to look beyond the toy section for great, creative finds!

Here are just a few items I picked up from Kid Made Modern. Everything was very reasonably priced: perfect for stocking stuffers, filling up the gift closet with inexpensive-yet-awesome finds, and great gifts to put under the tree this year. I’ll definitely be getting more from this line for my girls this Christmas.

My 2-year-old absolutely LOVES coloring and painting, so I set up invitations to create for her quite often. Just by providing fun and engaging materials, I am continually surprised by how long she can stay engaged and focused on a creative play activity.

The next time you head to Target, be sure to take a good look around for items that encourage creating and building, and help kids put their imaginations and their talents to work. Don’t forget to look near the games and to head over to the stationery section, too!

Additionally, Target has an amazing Toy Emporium (found only online) and there are some truly fantastic brands that you may not have even heard of, but that will blow you away. You MUST check it out as you put together your ideas for people on your gift list. These toys will be particularly good for kids who like to get their hands on creative toys that everyone in their class doesn’t already have! You’ll find great options to help kids explore, discover, imagine, create, build and to promote being active. Something for everyone, for sure.

Want more inspiration to help you provide invitations to create and build? Check out this Pinterest board for some more great ideas!

What I’m Buying Today (Hint: It’s All On Sale, Big Time!!!)

February 6, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love!

My gift closet is looking a little puny after the holidays, and I also haven’t purchased anything for Valentine’s Day yet. Time to pick up a few fun finds, and of course, all on sale! Here’s what’s especially hot today, friends!

Gymboree just put the ENTIRE STORE on sale (30% off!). Get a jump start on swimwear or other cute spring finds. You also get free shipping if you spend $75 or more. No coupon needed for either deal! 30% off Entire Purchase at Gymboree

Here’s what I’m scooping up before we hit the beach! Chevron adorableness!

Julep, makers of beautiful, eco-friendly nail polish, have one of their best deals EVER happening right now! You can get your first monthly box from Julep 100% FREE! And if you don’t love it (and you will love it…) then you can just cancel. If you haven’t tried Julep yet, THIS is the time to do it…when it’s FREE!!!! I personally have about 9 Julep polishes in my collection, and I love them all!

Until 2/8, One King’s Lane is having a Melissa & Doug Sale. It’s a great time to get one or two items for birthday parties you’ll be headed to sometime this year! But the thing that really caught my eye was that the tiger is on sale! We own this, and it is one of the very most played with items in our entire house! I HIGHLY recommend it! 🙂

One of my very favorite shopping sites, Jane, has a SWEET deal on a statement necklace today, and I’m thinking of treating myself!

How’s $3.99 sound for the price?! Which do you think I should get, the round or the teardrop? I can’t decide. So I guess that means both? 🙂 Poke around on the site while you are there…I dare you not to find 12 things you want to snap up!

DaySpring currently has a super cute item that would be perfect for a hostess gift! These hurricane candle sleeves are marked all the way down to $9.99 (originally $28!). I simply love them. 🙂

Kiwi Crate, which is one of my favorite gift ideas for kids EVER has two super cool things happening right now.

1. You get free shipping on any $25+ order (use code SHIP25). Yay!

2. A referral program! Once you have a Kiwi Crate, refer your friends. If your friend signs up, they get a $10 credit, and YOU also get a $10 credit. Talk about a win/win! Definitely check that out so that you can earn some credit to the store and hopefully get your next box totally free! I love free, don’t you? 🙂

Sittercity: Need a babysitter so you can actually go on a date once in a while? My family has personal experience using Sittercity (it was a very positive experience, of course!). I highly recommend it to others as a great way of finding vetted sitters. And this month, a 3 month membership is 30% off! Woo hoo!

What are you currently shopping for? Found any great deals online today you’d like to share? Let’s hear it!

My Curated “Before Christmas” Gift Suggestions

November 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 6 Comments

If you hunt around on Stuff Parents Need, you will find several hundred (likely approaching 1,000!) finds I have discovered over the past 4 years that could be great holiday gift suggestions for folks on your list.

But today I want to talk about the things I think you should consider getting BEFORE the holidays are here (and they are almost here, so hurry up!). Think of them as gifts to yourself! These are items that can help make the holidays more festive and fun, and prepare you for send out yearly family letters or make some fun crafts without costing you an arm and a leg. Here’s a list of the products and services that I’m loving RIGHT NOW:

1. The Elf on the Shelf. This has seriously got to be the best $30 I have ever spent. Darah is completely nuts about her elf, whom she named Owen. He moves around the house daily, and he is NOT a naughty elf (mama ain’t got time for that!). Darah talks to Owen, dances for Owen, brings Owen marshmallows, and sings for Owen. I almost die pretty much every single day from the cuteness of it. He has brought some serious Christmas joy to our house, and a feeling of magic. He has only been with us for a month (yes, he cam early) and he is already a family treasure that I know we will have for decades to come.

2. Tiny Prints cards. For today only you can get 25% off your entire order (no minimum!) AND free shipping, which is a smokin’ hot deal because these are some of the prettiest cards around, and they are already reasonably priced. The code to use at checkout is exclusive to affiliates of the store (that’s me!) and I’ve been told this is the very best deal they offer on holiday cards. The code to use at checkout is ~~HOLIDAY25FS~~. (Edit: new code is SW1119 for 25% off). I got mine ordered already and they will be here soon so that I can get all the holiday cards ready for the mail for the day after Thanksgiving.

3. Groovebook. I’ll be adding an additional printed photo to each of my holiday cards, and I can do that for SUPER DUPER CHEAP thanks to Groovebook! You can read all about Groovebook here, (and learn how you can get 100 prints 100% FREE!). Basically, for this month, I picked a photo on the phone that I really liked, and printed 30 copies of it into my Groovebook. The other 70 prints for the month are just other things I like. Now I’ve got an extra photo for my friends and family to enjoy, and got it printed and delievered to my doorstep, along with 70 other pictures I like, for $3! Groovebook is my favorite app of all time, hands down.

4. Stitch Fix. If you have some festive parties to attend and you need an updated outfit or two, leave the work to the stylists at Stitch Fix. They will hook you up with something gorgeous that suits your taste and your budget. You’ll save time and you’ll look great! Here’s a link to all my past fixes to give you a sense for what it is like!

5. Kiwi Crate. This is one of my very favorite subscriptions, as it helps busy and/or non-crafty parents like me put together truly awesome crafts and activities for the kiddos. We adore our Kiwi Crates, and plan to order more in the near future. Right now they have special holiday-themed crates that you definitely need to check out. How much fun would it be for your kids to get to make some of the decorations for Thanksgiving, Hannukah or Christmas?

6. Amazon Prime. I’ve been a member of Amazon Prime since January of this year, and I’m planning on renewing when my membership expires. The ability to ship SO many things from the site without meeting the minimum shipping amount (which I heard has gone up to $35…can anyone confirm that?), and the 2 day shipping is SOOOOO nice! You get to try it out free of charge for 30 days, and if ever there was a time to give it a whirl, it is during the holiday shopping season!

7. Ebates. This is the time of year when I make sure I’m checking in regularly with Ebates, as well. You can read all about how Ebates works to get the full scoop. It is a totally free service that will give you cash back on the online purchases you are already making. So far they have sent me over $215. For real. Yes, the checks cleared. This is legit! 🙂

Your turn: what are some of the things you are buying to get ready for the holidays?

Craft Subscription Box I Love the Most: Kiwi Crate

July 3, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Best Craft Subscription Box

I have reviewed quite a few craft subscription boxes over the last year. Every box I have posted, I have loved, and the ones I haven’t loved, I didn’t even highlight here (yes, there have been craft subscription boxes that I thought were just ok…”ok” is not worth sharing, in my opinion). But of all the boxes I have tried out, the one I was sent from Kiwi Crate has been my very favorite.

We made a pom pom creature with our latest box. It came with VERY detailed instructions. This has been the biggest issue for me with some of the subscription boxes I have seen: they assume you have a basic level of craftiness and don’t need to be told every little step. This is simply not true for me, and that’s why I order craft subscription boxes: I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS STUFF ON MY OWN!!!! I rely on the instructions to hold my hand and guide me through the process. Kiwi Crate knocked this element out of the park!

Kiwi Crate also had the most creative craft projects I have yet to see. Not only did we make a little creature (which was adorable) but we also got to make a play area for our little creature. This extra activity helped bring the little pom pom to life even more.

As I said before, if you have seen a craft subscription box on my site, I have loved it. You cannot go wrong with any one I have featured. But if I was forced to pick just one to recommend, based on my experience, it would have to be Kiwi Crate. We’ll be ordering another box, for sure. Right now Kiwi Crate is offering a Summer Discovery Series that focuses on nature and getting outdoors. July’s box has all sorts of water based activities. It looks SO fun!!! Subscriptions start as low as $16.95/month. If you’ve been on the fence about trying out a craft subscription box, let me offer a little nudge. This is the one to get! 🙂

What craft subscription boxes have you tried at this point? Any hits or misses for you? Have you tried Kiwi Crate? Don’t miss that 10% off coupon they are offering (use code fireworks).

I received a complimentary box for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.