50% off Holiday Cards with Vista Print

The front of our holiday card this year from Vista Print.  Photo by Kristin Callahan of Adelaide Photography.

If you have kids and send out holiday cards, it's likely you may want to feature their photo on or inside yours.  It's a great way to keep loved ones and old friends up to date on your kids' beauty and growth.  I'm not knocking cards with baby Jesus, Mary, dreidels, menorahs, Kwanzaa flags, peaceful doves, Santa or snowflakes, and we appreciate those that we receive very much.  But my family and I love receiving photo cards of growing families and smiling kids during the holidays, and those are the kind we send out too.  

Last year I reviewed several different holiday photo card companies, based soley upon my experience ordering and purchasing photo cards out of pocket from from Pictage, Snapfish, Shutterfly and Vista Print over the years since having kids.  (Here's that exhaustive review of the pros, cons and price differences.  Prices have undoubtedly changed since last year.)  I also priced out options at from Tiny Prints.  At the end of my review I concluded that Vista Print had the lowest price for great design options and that's who showed up on my American Express bill.

This year, Vista Print contacted me with a special discount for readers of APISS:  50% off the published prices of holiday cards!

The Vista Print peeps found me when I linked to them last year.  Guess corporations like it when you, unbidden, help their marketing plans.  But even though this post sounds like they've paid me to gush about them, I received simply the same discount as you guys above, plus an additional 20 free cards to review/as a thank you (a $15.98 value. Which is fabulous and I am grateful to receive.  But this year we ordered 350 more cards, paid for totally out of pocket.  So there's still a nice Vista Print charge on ye olde AmEx, don't worry.)

But even if they hadn't contacted me, gifted me some cards and given all of us that read APISS 50% off the published price, I would have used Vista Print again.  Their prices are still way cheaper than most holiday cards out there, and there's the cool option of being able to place a second photo and greeting on the backside of your card for a low price (free if you order a small number of cards.)  You can also upload multiple photos to the front or back of your card and you can customize your greeting to wish your recipients whatever type of holiday, wish for peace or corny saying you please...in the font and color you like best. 

The paper quality is great and you can choose glossy or matte finishes.  I also think the photo resolution is outstanding for a company that does not specialize in photography.  If you upload a photo with resolution that will not translate well to the card, their software will tell you. You can order various sizes of cards, flat or folded, and upload multiple photos to the front or back.  You can also turn a design so that it's vertically oriented with your greeting below the photo, or horizontally oriented with your greeting next to your photo.  Vista Print has really expanded and updated the available options for customers to customize their holiday cards.  

This year there are also TONS more patterns and designs new to Vista Print for 2009, and I really think they have improved the chic-ness of their designs to compete with the upscale look of card designs on sites like Tiny Prints. But  instead of $1.25 a card, usually the cheapest option at the haute-y looking sites, Vista Print's cost is a mere .37 per card for a look I think is just as fancy. 

The back of our holiday card from Vista Print.  Photo by Kristin Callahan of Adelaide Photography.  Cute saying was one of the suggestions of the Vista Print software.

Additionally, Vista Print is offering all APISS readers lots of free holiday gift stuff HERE. No joke, totally free stuff! I just ordered myself free sticky notes, a personalized note pad, return address stamp, a photo wall calendar for the grandparents...free family holiday gifts and stocking stuffers!


So, even though they didn't pay me to do it, I've totally been drinking the Vista Print Kool-Aid.  But it's just so tasty...and cheap.  I heartily recommend Vista Print for adorable and reasonable and high quality holiday photo cards, and again, click this link to get 50% off!  

New Stuff I Love

Not only am I vehicle for companies to give free products away to you guys, I'm also sometimes a giveaway winner on other websites myself.  (Wait, that sounded suspiciously like those old Hair Club for Men commercials.) Here are some reviews for stuff I've won or received for free.


Hana Mini Flat Iron
Sometime after my 30th birthday I started getting hangovers after more than two adult bevvies, realized that having a professional waxer on speed dial was essential and learned that it was no longer possible to simply roll out of bed and have my hair look acceptable.  (Aging...I so love it!)

But who has time to painstakingly blowout or flat iron their hair every freaking day?  I received the answer to the look-cute-in-no-time quandry when I received the fabulous Hana Mini Flat Iron for review.  This professional ceramic straightening iron is only 5 inches long when collapsed for storage or travel - but it extends to 8 inches - the length of a standard hair straightener. Its 5/8 barrel  is perfect for smoothing out sections of hair for a fast, polished look.  No time for a shower?  Already blowdried your 'do yesterday but slept weird on one side? Here's your quick fix.  And if you travel a lot, you'll love the heat proof travel case and compact, collapsable size.



Hana Shine Shield Serum
The generous Hana peeps also sent me the Hana Shine Shield serum to protect my hair when heat styling.  But I'm using a drop of this lightweight smoother even on days I air dry.  It's the perfect consistency for making flyaways and split ends obey, or tucking stray pieces into a bun or pony.  And though I have fine, light hair that can easily look greasy, this stuff is super lightweight.  And it really makes my straightened hair look Pantene commercial shiny.  I've used other clear serums from Redken, Rusk, etc. over the years, but sincerely, this Hana Shine Serum is my fave so far.  Although the $18.99 price tag looks high, the bottle's a whopping 2 oz. so it will last for-eva. My bottle's still full to the top and I started using daily in July. 


 

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse
This summer on a fabulous Tech Savvy Mama giveaway, I was the proud winner of this fabulous mouse...in the color of my choice.  I chose green, and my husband was so green with envy of this wireless mouse's super sensitivity to the slightest movements that he bought one for himself too.   As a longtime desktop PC user with large hands for a girl, I really need a full size mouse, even when using a laptop.  All I have to do is plug in the USB port to whatever computer I'm using and the mouse immediately works - there's no software to install.  At only $20-22 on Amazon (dependent on what color you choose), I'll be picking up lots of these for siblings and teenage nieces and nephews this Christmas.




Mabel's Labels
Thanks again to Tech Savvy Mama's naming me as the buddy she wishes had attended BlogHer with her (awww, sniff sniff) in the Mabel's Labels Wish You Were Here contest (check out her adorable video entry), Mabel's Labels sent my kids a fabulous School Pack of personalized labels.  And seriously, they are GENIUS.  These special labels stick to fabric inside clothing, on the outside of Sippies and water bottles, and after dozens of washings since September, the labels have not disintegrated one iota.  The text is so much clearer than even the neatest printing with a permanent marker.

I especially love the Tag-Mates that have guaranteed that Charlie and Eve don't come home with other kids' sweatshirts from school or lose their jackets to the anonymous lost and found pile. Although I was so fortunate to receive these for free courtesy of Tech Savvy Mama and Mabel's Labels, as soon as they're gone I will be purchasing another order for a School Pack and am now a total groupie.  (I'm also going to suggest our school implement a Mabel's Labels Fundraiser, so that we earn cash for every order the parents place.)

As stated above, I either won these items in an online giveaway or received free review product. I did not receive any additional compensation.

New Website With Listing of Kid-Friendly New York Hotels

Dreaming of taking your kids north to see the Rockettes, hit the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, ice skate at Rockefeller Center or other Big Apple winter activities that are so much fun, who cares if they're huge clichés?

A new hotel review site, Oyster Hotel Reviews, has a great listing of the Best Kid-Friendly Hotels in New York City.

Oyster states that if you're looking for a hotel near Central Park, the Natural History Museum and other historic jaunts on the Upper West Side, The Buckingham is a safe bet.  The rooms are touted as actually bigger than broom closets (in a town where even a fancy business trip can garner you a hotel single so small you can touch both walls,) so you'll be able to accommodate kid gear.  If you snag a suite with fold-out couches and a full kitchen, invite Grandma and Grandpa along for the ride and you'll have on-site babysitting when you and your guy want to hit the town at night.  Cost:  about $283 per night.

In Midtown and near the Theatre District, Oyster has the 411 on the Affinia Fifty's Jet Set Kids package.  With this promotion, each child in your party receives a backpack stocked with a Frommer’s NYC guide book for kids, a deck of 52 city adventure cards, their very own child's digital camera and a New York scrapbook to store their memories of the trip.  (Jet Set Kids package available through 2009.) The hotel lobby also has a “Fun-For-Family” chest packed with board games, family DVD’s, arts and craft kits and bedtime stories that you can borrow during your stay. Cost: about $305 per night.

I'll see you on the Chinatown bus!

This review of the new website Oyster Hotel Reviews is a TravelingMom dedicated post.  I have been compensated for writing this piece. 

GIVEAWAY: Where the Wild Things Are & More Stories By Sendak DVDs

UPDATE:  The randomly drawn winners are Kate R., KMM & Leida.  Thanks everyone!

No offense to the genius of Spike Jonze, but my kids more heartily enjoyed watching Maurice Sendak’s beloved classic story "Where the Wild Things Are" and five more stories animated in Sendak's own hand than the much-hyped feature film this weekend.

The DVD they adore and want to watch over and over is Where the Wild Things Are...and 5 More Stories by Maurice Sendak from Scholastic Storybook Treasures. And I have 3 more copies for give away to you guys!

Each story on the disc has an enhanced read-along function which highlights the words as they are read. My early reader Charlie loved reading along with his favorite tales.

Do you remember watching film strips or television specials as a kid in the '70s and '80s of Sendak's stories, with the books sung by Carole King? Her musical compositions to Sendak's words are included in the DVD along with the Sendak tales“Pierre,” “One Was Johnny,” “Alligators All Around,” “Chicken Soup with Rice,” and “In the Night Kitchen.” Also included are special Where the Wild Things stickers (2 pages, so my kids didn't even have to share) and a behind-the-scenes interview with Sendak himself on the special features.

This DVD is part of the Scholastic Storybook Treasures line of DVDs that animate and bring to life kids' favorite classic tales.

Want to win one of three copies of the Sendak DVD for your kid (and admit it - yourself)? Just leave a comment below and you'll be entered for the random drawing in one week. Tweet about this contest for an extra entry with something like "@jessicaAPISS is holding wild rumpus of a giveaway Sendak DVDs: http://bit.ly/apisswildrumpus."

Note: My kids and I received a free review copy.

GIVEAWAYS: Great Games for Young and Old

UPDATE:  Carrie won Silly Socks, Allison won Rummikub Kids and Kim won Rummikub Large Size - all via Random.org's Integer Generator.

Silly Socks Game $19.95
One of the favorite games of my three year old is the Silly Socks Game. Kids try and find socks with patterns and colors that match exactly, and I'm thinking these skills of of recognizing the differences between pink and purple polka dots will help her in determining the differences in letters that look similar too, such as "b" and "d." But mainly, this game turns laundry into laughs, because if you pull a pair of underpants out of the "washing machine" draw pile, players lose a turn! Since there's no reading required, we've even played this game with toddlers that have come over and they too have a blast sorting and matching.





Rummikub Large Numbers Edition $24.45
My grandpa's turning 93 this week, and his sight isn't what it used to be. (In fact, he's only got one working eye.) But that doesn't stop him from loving a good game! Although I grew up playing gin rummy with him, his hand coordination also makes holding and picking up playing cards difficult. That's why I'm giving him this Rummikub Large Number Edition game for his birthday this year. He'll have a blast playing with his grandkids this Thanksgiving and beating their pants off, but he'll still be able to easily see and move the extra large tiles. And at less than $25, it's a reasonable gift that still feels special.



Rummikub for Kids - Rummikub Start Right $10.99
After watching their great-grandpa and all the adult relatives play Rummikub, my kids want to get in on the act! They have no idea they're learning important sorting and categorization skills by playing the kids' version of the game. Kids group their tiles by colors, numbers and shapes and develop logical reasoning...and have hours of fun. Game experts, this one is currently reigning supreme in our house, with both my three year old and almost six year old begging to play with us every night!



Thanks to Pressman Toys, I have one of each of these games to give away to you guys! Leave a comment with the game you'd most like to receive and the three winners will be randomly drawn next week. Mention on Twitter "@jessicaAPISS is giving away cool board games: http://bit.ly/apissgreatgames" and you'll get a second entry in the drawing!

Note: My kids and I received free review copies of these 3 games.

GIVEAWAY: Holiday Season DVD Gift Sets With Thomas, Barney and Bob!

UPDATE:  Ashley won the Thomas Three Pack via Random.org drawing! 


Are Ralphie and Rudolph already wearing thin, and there's still Halloween decorations up?

Need some new holiday special movies in your house?

Check out these three DVD combo packs - each pack has THREE DVDs with your kid's favorite Lionsgate/HIT Entertainment characters:

Thomas & Friends: Sodor Friends Holiday Collection
"There’s fun around every turn in these joyful wintertime adventures! Catch the holiday spirit as Thomas & Friends prepare for the grand opening of the Toy Workshop. Laugh and play along as Percy tries to fool his friends into believing he’s Jack Frost. And hold on tight for some of Thomas’ most thrilling races, rescues and runaways in this heartwarming holiday collection." - Amazon Product Description



Barney Tee-riffic Holiday Collection
"Bundle up with your best friend Barney™ for this special collection of wintertime favorites! Take a musical journey to the North Pole with Barney, BJ™, and Baby Bop™ in "Night Before Christmas." Sing along to your favorite Barney tunes in the fun-filled game show, "Can You Sing that Song?” And join Barney, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™ and more for the magic of "Winter Wonderland” in this tee- riffic holiday gift set!" - Amazon Product Description




Bob the Builder Building Crew Holiday Collection
"Just in time for the holidays, discover why "the fun is in getting it done” in these action-packed, fun-filled adventures! Join Bob and the Can- Do Crew as they rescue their friend from a winter storm in "Bob’s White Christmas.” Then it’s time to build a log cabin and smooth the ice rink for the Winter Games. And finally, come along as Bob and Scoop hunt for buried treasure – and make some amazing discoveries – in this one-of-a-kind collection that's the perfect holiday treat for Bob the Builder fans."- Amazon Product Description

Leave a comment and one winner will be randomly drawn to win one of these 3 DVD packs of her choice! Winner drawn in one week.

Note: My daughter received the Barney 3 pack.

GIVEAWAY: Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure DVD & BluRay Combo Pack

UPDATE: Heather, Le, Rachel, Jessica and Laurie Y. are the randomly-drawn winners!

I have 5 DVD & BluRay combo packs of the new Tinker Bell movie, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure!

The latest installment in the new, much-loved by little girls Tinkerbell and her faerie friends franchise was just released to DVD & Blu-Ray in time for it to reach Santa's workshop. But thanks to the Walt Disney Home Entertainment folks, your child may have it under the tree from you for free!

Leave a comment below to be entered for your faerie fix. I'll randomly draw the five winners in one week!

PS I did not receive a free copy in exchange for this giveaway. This one? Pure love for you guys!

GIVEAWAY: ArtHouse DVD - Kids Draw Along With the Show for Interactive Fun

I love it when my kids can have an interactive, educational experience with the television...that does not involve video games! And the new DVD Art House Volume I: Basic Shapes and Animals sure fits the bill.

Kids grab their own paper and pencils/crayons and with a teacher leading them, reinforce their knowledge of shapes and fine motor skills in drawing. Then they use those shapes to draw fun animals! Amidst the tutorials are cute music videos with snazzy melodies and facts about the animals they've just drawn.

My three year old really loved it. She improved her drawing of shapes and learned new ways to produce the images that she envisions in her head on paper. My almost-six year old who loves to draw was game and had fun on a rainy afternoon drawing along...and then he took what he learned back to his boy-lair of a room to make the animals look tougher and more threatening. The producers of the show recommend it for kids 2 and up.

Leave a comment to win a free copy! I'll randomly draw the winner in one week.

Note: My kids received a free review copy to check out.

GIVEAWAY: The Strawberry Shortcake Movie - Sky's the Limit

UPDATE: The winner of the DVD is Rosa!

The Strawberry Shortcake Movie - Sky's the Limit is sure different than the show I remember watching as a kid in the '80s...and I think it's an improvement.

The big hype on this DVD is that it unveils Strawberry Shortcake and her friends' makeovers. Some websites were aghast at this Bratz-ization of the little girl icon of sweetness. I thought the updated look of the computer animation and drawing of the fruity girls was duly sweet, kid-friendly and contemporary. Much like the new Tinker Bell fairy gang, the Berry Gang girls are a diverse rainbow of skin and outfit colors. They're simply more watchable than the outdated Holly Hobbie-looking bonneted kids circa 1982.

Also, instead of short Smurfs-like episodes, this is a 69 minute feature. And instead of saying "berry" inanely and incessantly (again, much like the Smurfs' use of "smurfy'), the Berry Gang has real conversations and friendships and there's an actual plot about saving the water supply of Berry City. Now, I have to admit I didn't pay that much attention. But the target audience - my very discriminating 3 year old daughter - really enjoyed this show.

The Fox Home entertainment promoters kindly gave us our copy to review and keep, and they're also giving away a free one for one of you guys. Leave a comment below if you'd like to be entered and I'll randomly draw the winner in 1 week.

The Strawberry Shortcake Movie - Sky's the Limit DVD
$13.99 and eligible on Amazon for free super saver shipping

Giveaway: Romance Novel Hardcover - Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge

UPDATE: The winners are Delora and Andie!

I read a romance novel about once in a blue moon. So when the offer to review Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge was sent around by the One2One network to review and I thought, sure, I'll check it out.

I couldn't get into it. I read the first chapter, saw the potential for love and heartache and family drama and a movie deal...and then I moved on. It's very Danielle Steele-y, which I understand in the publishing world is very high praise.

I think you have to love the genre, and since my soul is basically covered in pink polka dots, you'd think I'd be all about the bodice-rippers. But by some genetic fluke, when I sit on an airplane or beach I tend to grab something with star fleets or guns on the cover.

So dear Eileen Goudge, it's not you, it's me. You're a bestselling author of Woman in Red and have been praised by Luanne Rice and other masters in the romance world. I am no good judge of good lovin'.

Readers who like a good romance, or have a family member who does, leave a comment below. I have two brand-spanking new hardcover copies of Once in a Blue Moon for you, one will be mailed by the publisher and one of you guys will get my barely-cracked copy. I'll randomly draw the winners in one week.