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Tiny Prints: EVERYTHING is 20% off!

April 15, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Affiliate links included. I only promote what rocks!

Heads up, everyone! Tiny Prints, makers of SOOOOO many cute things (invitations, announcements, thank you cards, address labels, just to name a few) is having a very unusual sale right now: EVERYTHING* is 20% off. I can’t think of the last time that they put EVERYTHING on sale! Use code APR20SW at checkout. There is no minimum purchase, and you can put together as random of an assortment of goodies as you want…it’s all on sale! But hurry, it ends at 11:59 pm (PT) tonight!

*Just 4 exceptions to the “everything” being on sale rule: gift certificates, calendars, photo books and Erin Condren weekly planners are excluded. But that’s 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?

My Top 5 Holiday Card Options From Tiny Prints (Giveaway!)

October 7, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 138 Comments

Thanks to Tiny Prints for providing gift codes for review and for giveaway. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

I need your help, readers! I need to decide which I will be ordering this year. I have it narrowed down to 5. Which one is your favorite? I’ll make it worth your while to tell me: I’ve got a $50 Tiny Prints gift code up for grabs! (Details below).

It is so hard to narrow it down, you guys! Tiny Prints has SO many cool options, including all these great new designs for 2013 (Contemporary, Classic, Vintage, Full bleed photos, All That Glitters, Bold Expressions, Simply Chic, Woodland Wonder & The New Tradition). And once you find the right style for you, then you’ve got to check out all the new trim options: square, round, bracket, ticket and scallop! And of course, Tiny Prints offers matching address labels and envelope liners to ensure that your holiday card is every bit as much fun for the recipient to open as it was for you to send!

Ok, so here are the cards I’m considering, in no particular order. I customized the colors and the trim in each case to my own preferences. So much fun!

Holiday Card Options:

1. Swell Swirls Black Flat Holiday Card

2. Sequined Season White Flat Holiday Card

3. Wishful Wonderment

4. Golden Greetings: Gunmetal Flat Holiday Card

5. Wonderfully Cozy White Flat Holiday Card

While you are trying to decide which of the 5 you like the best, here are a few tips for you:

Don’t miss out on the Pinning Party ™ hosted by Tiny Prints tomorrow, October 8, at 2pm EST. RSVP here! Lots of fun prizes up for grabs! And also be sure to check out the great . I don’t know about you, but my parents have asked for pictures of their grandbabies for Christmas. Tiny Prints can help me put together something extra special for them!

Ok, ready to vote? And maybe to win???

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a gift code that is good for $50 off your total order, as well as free shipping! That ought to put you in the holiday spirit!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Fashion Finds: Don’t Miss Those Earrings, Ladies!!!

September 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

We’ll have to make this one quick, as little Layah doesn’t seem to be too terribly interested in her afternoon nap today (anybody else feel TOTALLY ROBBED when their infant or toddler skips a nap? It’s like I lost a $20 bill or something, I swear). Affiliate links sprinkled throughout. Thanks for your support, and for shopping LIKE A BOSS!

Alright, so there are some SCRUMPTIOUS sales happening on this, my favorite day to shop!

Living Social has a coupon for 13% off today only using code FRIDAY13 (and by all means, go through Ebates to snag an additional 2% off…it’s free and it just makes sense!).
Crazy 8 has got it going on today in the Halloween department! Take 40% off their Kids & Halloween items. They also have an extra 20% off Markdowns. Holla!!!

If you are aren’t a MyPoints member, don’t forget to check out their September Lucky Leaf promotion. Lots of points to be earned at signup! I’ve been a member of MyPoints for MANY years, and have always loved them!

I got the inside scoop on a sale that is only available through affiliates right now at TinyPrints. You can take 20% off any holiday cards order (no minimum!!!). If you already have some cute pictures of your family, knock out those Christmas cards now before life starts getting too crazy!
Cents of Style has 11 different GORGEOUS statement earrings on sale for 50% off today (free shipping, too!) by using code 1920 at checkout. For $7.95, you can get these pieces and several more. Hop to it…these go fast!
If you missed the super cute (and super affordable!) scarf deal on Cents of Style, there’s still time to snag it. The price comes down to $9.95 with coupon code FALLSCARF). Here I am wearing mine. Doesn’t it look every bit as fabulous as the one beside it that is currently for sale for $65?
And finally, I have something so sweet to share from one of my all-time favorite shopping destinations, Gymboree: Do you ever find yourself looking at your child and wishing you could just stop time? You are not alone! The folks at Gymboree want you to join them in celebrating and sharing cherished moments in childhood. Gymboree has created an amazing new video to help kick off this campaign and I am thrilled to share it with you. This video is truly touching and must be watched by all parents. So watch and enjoy, then share your favorite cherished childhood moments in the comments!

My First School Supply List as a Parent

August 16, 2011 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Well, it came a little bit sooner than I expected, but I received my first school supply list last week. Fortunately, it was not overwhelming. Here’s what I have to bring with Darah on her first day of “school” (a parent’s day out program):

Cotton balls (200 count)
paper bags (50 count)
glue sticks (6 count)
crayola crayons (chubby 8 count)
pipe cleaners

That’s really not so bad! I actually picked it all up at Walgreens and made good use of some register rewards I had there to cover most of the cost. The only thing I’m missing is pipe cleaners. I’m guessing a trip to Wal-Mart is in my future to get those (unless they are sold at The Dollar Tree? Does anyone know?).

I don’t feel sad or scared about Darah going “back to school” this year, but that’s because she’ll be going to the same place she went to last year, with many of the same children. The teachers will be new, which does make me a little bit nervous, but I am confident that wonderful people will be hired. Darah will also only be away from home for 10 hours each week, which is an amount that I find very helpful as a work-at-home mom. Ask me about next year, though, and I’ll probably start crying…

I always think of late August as the new year. Perhaps it is because that’s when my birthday falls, so it literally is a new year for me, but mostly its because of heading back to school. For 20 years of my life I did start a new year at this time. And then I worked in higher education, so I continued to be immersed in a work environment that had a August-May heartbeat (not that we weren’t busy during the summer, but the vibe was decidedly different).

Even though it isn’t back to school time for me, personally, I actually do have a supply list that I need for the upcoming fall. It is time for me to have some new business cards for the blog! Since I had a blog makeover, my cards need a similar facelift. And with school headed back into session, this is the perfect opportunity for me to connect with other moms who might be interested in Stuff Parents Need. I need to be able to hand them something to take back to their computers or else they will likely forget the name of my site (I know I’ve done that before after hearing about something cool I wanted to check out online). As a bonus, they will also have a way to contact me if they ever want to schedule a play date!

Even if you don’t have your own blog or business, having a personal calling card on hand is a great idea, as it makes exchanging personal information with another parent quick and easy. Tiny Prints has some great templates that you should check out, and they also have an entire section of goodies that are perfect for back-t0-school. One of my personal favorites are their genius allergy cards that you can send along with your child so that teachers can have the information they need on hand about what your child can and cannot eat, and what to do if a reaction occurs. Definitely check out their selection for everything from labels to classroom wall art!

Disclosure: TinyPrints is providing a gift card as a thank you for my post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.