A WINNING STORY

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Jessica

Last week we asked our blog readers (and Facebook fans) to tell us the sweet, funny, surprising stories that came about when their firstborn met their brand new baby brother or sister for the first time. And we heard some really heartwarming stories, like this one from Allyson H:

“My oldest is six, and her sister was born 12 days ago. She was so excited when she came in to meet her – she sat in the hospital rocking chair, held her sister on a pillow and made up a song she still sings to her today, and her sister is mesmerized by the song – so precious!”

For sharing this lovely story with us*, Allyson won her choice of two of our personalized shirts for kids, so her eldest daughter will get her very own Big Sister Tshirt and baby sister will also get one of our personalized onesies. We picked a couple of our favorites below, but we can’t wait to hear from Allyson which designs she’ll choose for her lil girls.

If your firstborn deserves their own Big Sister Tshirt or Big Brother Tshirt, check out our collection of personalized shirts for kids here.

* Winner was chosen at random using Random.org

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FLAG THIS DIY PENNANT TUTORIAL

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Jessica

Pennant flags are so popular right now and look absolutely adorable in a nursery or kid’s bedroom. And luckily, they’re fairly easy to make as well. Below is a step by step tutorial with pictures, as well as a great shot of the finished product we made for a nursery.

Here are the necessary supplies:     

-fabric scraps (any shape or size)
-pinking shears (the scissors with the jagged edges)
-bias tape (any color or width will work)
-sewing machine or needle and thread

How-to directions:    
1- Using pinking shears, cut out triangles. The triangles don’t need to all be the same shape or size (though they could be if you wanted a more uniform pennant). We cut out 2 of each triangle so the pennant would be double-sided.


2- Sew along the edges of your triangles. We sewed about 1/4″ in from the edge.

3- Pile up all of your cute triangles and admire them. We love the mix of fabrics and patterns.

4- Iron your bias tape

5- Open up your bias tape and nestle each pennant in between the tape. Pin your triangles inside the bias tape.

6- Sew along the edge of the bias tape making sure you are catching the edge of your pennants while sewing.

7- Hang up your pennant

How cute does this pennant look draped over the crib, alongside the colorful School Days alphabet poster? A personalized growth chart would also look sweet, like the cheery, multi-colored Balloon Party or Color Me wall growth charts.

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MEMORABLE GIFTS

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jessica

We’ve done some fun roundups of great gift ideas for babies and kids before, because honestly, who doesn’t love surfing around on the interwebs looking for cool stuff, but we’ve been thinking more about the meaning behind gift giving. What is it that makes a gift truly memorable?

Is it special because it came from someone special or because it was homemade? Is it because it was pretty or just plain useful? There can be many reasons, but thoughtfulness is at the top of the list.

Of course we think personalization makes an ideal gift as it definitely fits the recipient to a tee (no, we won’t make a Big Sister Tshirt or Big Brother Tshirt pun here, though we kind of want to!).

We wanted our personalized growth charts, alphabet posters, and personalized shirts for kids to be individualized not just by name, but also by a child’s favorite color(s), interests (cars, animals, etc), personality or sibling status.

If Emmy was an animal lover who also liked the colors blue and purple, we’d choose our Zoo Friends personalized growth chart, Animal Crackers alphabet poster in Tutti Frutti, or Playful Doodles Little or Big Sister Tshirt to proudly declare her sibling status.


For Joshua, who likes trucks and tractors, as well as the colors blue and orange, we’d pick the Let’s Get to Work personalized growth chart, A To Z alphabet poster, or Modern Fun Little or Big Brother Tshirt (depending on his place in the family line up).

These gifts would be memorable ones because it shows we know the recipient and put some thought into what it is they like most.

What was your most memorable gift?

Looking for personal gifts? Click here for all of our growth charts for kids or here for personalized shirts for kids.

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T-Up to DIY

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Jessica

As much as we love the idea of our little ones staying sweet and little, they grow up so fast and outgrow their clothes too quickly. There are certain articles of clothing though, like their personalized Big Sister Tshirt or Big Brother Tshirt, which you won’t want to toss. To avoid too much clutter in the house (no hoarders here, thank you very much!), we found these DIY tutorials for upcycling treasured personalized shirts for kids into useful items that will allow them to live on. And help teach kids a new skill, like sewing or cooking, while showing them to be resourceful and eco-friendly. Win-win!

TShirt Bag – This adorable, reusable DIY grocery shopping bag tutorial from Martha Stewart also features a how-to video.

Tshirt Pillow – A cute way to decorate big brother or sister’s bedroom is to turn their old T into a throw pillow using this DIY tutorial from the Maiden Jane blog. Doesn’t our Under Construction Big Brother Tshirt look great as a pillow too?

Tshirt Apron – Use this DIY tutorial from the Ruffles and Stuff blog to get kids into the kitchen by turning their personalized Tshirts for kids into aprons.

Which of these DIY projects would you choose when your little one outgrows (sniff sniff) their Big Sister Tshirt or Big Brother Tshirt?

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VROOM VROOM

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Jessica

We adore the exciting tale of Pixar’s Cars 2. Star racecar Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater set out on a journey overseas to compete in the first ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest racecar. Although the road to the championship is packed with bumps and potholes, the journey is filled with inspirational messages and valuable life lessons. It’s no wonder little boys and girls alike (ok, and us parents too), get caught up in the crazy detours and hilarious surprises in this film.

Based on the style of a few of our personalized growth charts, it’s safe to say our team of Mommy and Daddy designers loves things that go vroom vroom too! That’s right, the On the Go personalized growth chart (and coordinating alphabet poster) and Finish Line personalized growth chart feature cool car inspired designs, which fans of Lightning McQueen and his friends are sure to love as much as we do!

Check out our entire collection of personalize growth charts for kids by clicking here.

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MAY FLOWERS

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Jessica

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers and this spring florals are everywhere from fashion to home décor, not to mention the garden! And if any of your May weekends include a baby shower, we’ve dug up a few must-have gifts for the mom and baby-to-be that feature oversized flowers.  

We love the big bloom on this Be All messenger-style diaper bag from Ju-Ju-Be   

How adorable are these outfits (Bright Blooms romper or Blossom Baby set) from Gymboree?

This Floating Flower Mobile from SugarandSpiceStudios on Etsy creates a colorful cascade of flowers that will brighten any nursery

A gift for the big sis-to-be, like the Flower Power Big Sister Tshirt or Sunny Flower Big Sister Tshirt from our personalized shirts for kids collection, and a personalized baby onesie for the newborn, makes a sweet gift all around.

Add some flower power to any nursery’s décor with our growth charts for kids or an alphabet poster, like the Butterfly Kisses, Sprinkled Flowers or Fairytale personalized growth charts or Fancy Flowers alphabet poster.

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HEY BABY – IT’S CONTEST TIME

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Jessica

Kids say the darnedest things, and that’s part of what makes parenting such the fun ride it is. With all of the worry and stress that goes along with being a mommy and daddy, it’s the moments they say or do something funny that just melts your heart and makes it all worth it. It was just one of those moments that inspired this week’s Big Sister Tshirt/Big Brother Tshirt contest.

A friend recently had a baby and when her 2 year old went to meet the new baby for the first time, she walked up to her, grabbed her hand, shook it and said “Nice to meet you baby.” How polite and completely adorable is that?

Do you have a similar first meeting story? We’d love to hear how your lil one reacted to meeting the newest addition to the family. Tell us your story, either by commenting below or on our Facebook page and you could win a set of our personalized shirts for kids.

The contest runs today through Friday (Midnight PT) and next week we’ll choose the winner of a Big Sister Tshirt/Big Brother Tshirt, as well as a Little Sister Tshirt/Little Brother Tshirt. That way both of your wee ones will get to pick one of our personalized shirts for kids for their very own.   

Get a head start by checking out our entire collection of Big Sister Tshirts and Big Brother Tshirts (and maybe sneak a peek at our personalized growth charts while you’re at it).

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BIRTHDAY GIFTS FOR THE LITTLE MAN

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Jessica

Yesterday, we showed you a selection of great birthday gifts for girls, and as promised, today we’ve hand-picked a round-up of gifts perfect for your little man’s birthday.

This Specialized kid’s Hotwalk is the easiest way for him to learn the balance and skills required to someday ride on his own bike.  And the adjustable bar height lends versatility as he grows.

Add a kick of street style to his room with this sturdy, compact Skate Board Stool
that features a creative reuse of roughed-up skateboards.

If you have a little bowler with an upcoming birthday, this Bowling Set will be right up his alley.  The set includes 10 pins, one bowling ball and a pin setup template… all neatly packaged in an easy and convenient backpack.

Nothing screams happy birthday more than a gift that looks custom-made, like one of our personalized growth charts, an alphabet poster, or a big brother tshirt!

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GREAT GIFTS FOR GIRLS

Posted on April 24, 2012 by emmy

Spring weekends seem to be filled with birthday parties, which means finding fun gifts for that special day. For the sweet birthday girl, we’ve rounded up these presents that are sure to please:

What little girl wouldn’t be thrilled with her very own American Girl doll or a new outfit or pet for her favorite doll.

This little girl’s ruffled apron from TheFreckledPear on Etsy is oh-so-adorable.

Anything monogrammed or personalized makes for an especially thoughtful gift.

Think jewelry, like this rhinestone and flower accented, silver “A” pendant from LoveIvy.com, or a cute T, like Playful Owls or Colorful Big Sister Tshirt.

Other personalized gift ideas include décor items for her room, like an alphabet poster or personalized growth chart.

Whether she has her own room or has to share, these pastel-colored options (All Mixed Up alphabet poster or Balloon Party or Perfect Pennant personalized growth charts), are a sweet way for her to claim her space.

And if you’re looking for birthday gifts for boys, check back here tomorrow – we’ll have another great round up of gifts perfect for the little man.

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A BRIGHT IDEA (& SALE)

Posted on April 23, 2012 by emmy

This year’s Pantone color of the year is Tangerine Tango and that juicy hue is showing up everywhere from fashion to home décor, but bright pops of any color are also popular.

Take décor to the next level by combining multiple shades of fun hues. Colorful Words and Color Me personalized growth charts and A To Z Tutti Frutti and Animal Crackers alphabet posters, plus photo keepsakes like Dotted Delight are great options for adding multiple brights to a nursery or child’s room.

And to make it even easier to add a few bright spots to a room, from today, Monday 4/23, through Sunday, 4/29, we’re offering 15% off on any personalized growth chart, alphabet poster or photo poster. Simply enter code DECOR15 at checkout.

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