And today it’s a Treat, Treat, Treat!

You know when you wander through a really great gift store, and everything is so pretty, and feminine and light?  That’s exactly how I feel about Take Flight Boutique.  So let’s wander together, shall we?

This is the Aqua Tote ($20) that I bought immediately.  I just love this old WWII graphic from England.  It’s just as cute in person!

The Triple Crown Necklace ($20) is cut crystal glass on an 18-inch silver chain.

The Once Upon a Fairytale Tote ($20) is whimsical and vintage.

I just LOVE these gorgeous Egg Birdnest magnets ($7)!  I wouldn’t be able to leave the store without these folks!

Here’s Melissa’s son modeling this cutey-pie Retro Black Cassette Tee ($15).

Okay folks, listen up for this one, because you’re going to LOVE this…

YOUR ADORABLE’S ART!  Made into a necklace.  Need I say more?

I will – it’s $30 and I think that is very fair!  Now which art to choose….

So visit Take Flight Boutique, an Etsy store, and I know you’ll find many more items to tempt you.

And the best part, Melissa donates 5% of all proceeds to Homes for Our Troops. This foundation builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans. HFOT is a national non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization.

Giveaway

You can win a $40 Take Flight Boutique shopping spree just by leaving a comment by Friday, August 27th and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Saturday, the 28th.

Here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways. (I LIKE you too!)

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 4 entries!)

Good luck!

Meet the new Ellen Allen Annapolis clutch in Calvert Green.

Did you just swoon?

I did when I saw it for the first time.  I ordered 2 – one for me and one for my sister.

I owed her a birthday gift from April.  Or, perhaps I was just waiting for the perfect gift to appear.

Honey, this is IT!

We even did a little giggle dance when we opened it.

This, friends, is the inside.  Holy moly – look at the organization!

And here’s the whole line:

This green line is not yet for sale on Ellen Allen.com, but you can email info@EllenAllen.com or call 410-987-8880 to order.

]]> http://www.thegoodstuffguide.com/ellen-allen-does-it-again/feed/ 5 http://www.thegoodstuffguide.com/ikea-rocks-2/ http://www.thegoodstuffguide.com/ikea-rocks-2/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:34:02 +0000 Heidi Farmer http://www.thegoodstuffguide.com/?p=5945 Or, the best $14.95 I’ve ever spent…

Friends, if your adorable is over 37″ and potty-trained, and you have an IKEA nearby, take advantage!

(And by 37″, I do NOT mean 36 and 15/16″ as they made my younger adorable remove his shoes and while he clearly made the 37″ marker, they hemmed and hawed until another mother said, “He’s made it!”  I was seriously quaking in my boots the whole time.  He would NOT have been a happy camper to leave.)

There is a children’s play room complete with a ball pit, drawing tables, jungle gym, etc, where the adorables can have a ball while you shop.

Not a great photo at all, but the last thing they wanted to do was pose, they wanted IN THERE, MOM, so hurry it up!!

And I put on a HUGE smile and dashed around in my 45 minutes of Adorable-Free IKEA glory.

I was pretty restrained – some organizing tubs and buckets for the mayhem of sports equipment in the garage, random kitchen items and strict orders from the elder adorable to purchase one of these:

The Mala Easel – last year when I deliberated it was $24.95, but this summer it was $14.95.  I almost bought 2.

It has proved to be a great purchase for my budding artists.  The roll of paper mounts on a spindle that is right there behind the tray. The paper goes up one side and down the other and that means -

One adorable on one side (hot air balloon)…

…and the adorable (a cake, he says) on the other side – not drawing on each other’s work, not hitting/kicking/licking or the myriad of other things they do to each other.

And they’ve been quite prolific -

I LOVES it.

Do you have an IKEA nearby?  What other treasures have you found?

I’m nearing the end of my 2009-2010 momAgenda calendar and there’s almost nothing I love more than moving into next year’s calendar.

It must have something to do with fresh beginnings.  Using my best penmanship again (this lasts one week, tops).  The happy thought of finally getting my To Do lists completed.

With August fast approaching – sigh… – it’s time to look forward to a new momAgenda calendar for 2010-2011.  Thanks to momAgenda, you have the opportunity to win one.

Look at all these gorgeous colors to choose from!

This year, I went with the Zebra print – my logic being that I could find it easily amid the clutter on my countertop.  (Already a concession to my goal of keeping the kitchen clean).  WAIT!  Just heard from momAgenda that the Zebra print is sold out for about a month, but there are tons of other colors to choose.

I just love my momAgenda (I think this will be my fifth year)!  I can see my whole week at once, and I put my to-do list directly in there, so I can check things off and keep track of how I’m doing.  There’s lots of room for all of your adorable’s activities too.

Here’s mine – I’m moving from the spiral bound photoed here to the library binding.  I’ll let you know…

Giveaway

You can win one momAgenda Daily Planner of your choice just by leaving a comment by Friday, July 16th and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Saturday, the 17th.

Here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways.

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 4 entries!)

Good luck!

What’s your color are you choosing this year?

If you’re not the lucky winner, be sure to order yours at…

While you’re there, look at the Kitchen Folio and the School Years Organizer. You will be wow’ed!

Meet CitySlips:

CitySlips were created by 2 NYU students who were all too familiar with the pain that was caused by *strappy stilettos* and *pointy pumps* as they heeled it all over the city.  I think they have a winning idea!

Here’s the brilliant part:

These cute little ballet flats fold in half and fit into this little carrying case that can be tossed into you handbag(!)  Are you salivating yet??

But wait!  There’s more!

(I may sound corny, but this part just seals the deal on brilliant)

That same carrying case unzips to create this cute carrying tote for your other death-by-stiletto-heels.

I mean, seriously!

CitySlips come in black, gold or silver and cost only $24.95.  You can order them at CitySlips.com.

Or, you can win a pair!

Giveaway

You can win one pair of CitySlips (you choose black, gold or silver and your size) just by leaving a comment byTuesday , July 13th and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Wednesday, the 14th.

Here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways (I like you too).
4. “Like” CitySlips on Facebook.
5. Follow CitySlips on Twitter.

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 6 entries!)

Good luck!

Many thanks to CitySlips for this awesome giveaway!

(Daddios, we celebrate you every day, just not always with a giveaway.)

Say hello to the Notebook Portable Grill:

This mack-daddy charcoal grilling machine is perfect for your on-the-go cooking needs.

There’s plenty of space to accomodate plenty of food for a crowd.

When you’re finished you just dump out the charcoal and fold it up to easily take it with you.

Wouldn’t this be perfect for the park?

Giveaway

You can win one Notebook Portable Grill just by leaving a comment by Tuesday, June 22nd and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Wednesday, the 23rd.

Here’s how to gain extra entries:

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. Tweet about this Father’s Day Week of Giveaways (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of #Giveaway for Father’s Day at The Good Stuff Guide @GoodStuffGuide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
4. Share the news of this giveaway on your Facebook status (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Giveaways for Father’s Day @The Good Stuff Guide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
5. Become a Facebook fan of The Good Stuff Guide and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways.

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 6 entries!)

Good luck!

And many thanks for ChefsResource.com for this awesome giveaway where you can find the Notebook Portable Grill for $35.

While you’re there, be sure to look at their collections of

all clad cookware

le creuset cookware

And don’t miss: Shun Knives, Wusthof Knives, and Kuhn Rikon Kitchen Tools

Hooray for ChefsResource.com!

And if you’re worried about going through giveaway withdrawal next week, I have 2 giveaways scheduled – both for the adorables – so make sure to check back for the fun.

A very Happy Father’s Day on Sunday to all the daddios out there!

I’m having the time of my life here….

On our outings, we often refer to the Running Man as “pack mule” as we often load him down with all the heavy stuff.  He gets the laptop, the camera, the Leapsters, and all the other litany of things that weigh over 16 ounces.

Too bad (mostly for him) we didn’t have this before…

Meet the Ivar Urban G2, friends.

Check out all this support.  A cushioned airflow keeps you fresh and these ergonomic shoulder straps displace the weight.

I can attest to this as I lugged books, magazines and my laptop through 3 airports and never felt the brunt of all that weight.

Okay here’s the meat of the pack: there’s a sleeve that fully protects laptops, while leaving plenty of room for other books, magazines, cameras, toys, and whatever else you decide to throw inside.

There is another front pocket for little things, a headphone port at the top,  and 2 drink holders – the Ivar has room for everything, even diapers and wipes if those items are involved in your life (I’m soooo close to being free of them).

So my question is: are you going to let the Daddio in your life have at this, or will you keep it all for yourself??  (I’ll never tell.)

Giveaway

You can win one Ivar Urban G2 Backpack  just by leaving a comment by Tuesday, June 22nd and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Wednesday, the 23rd.

Here’s how to gain extra entries:

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. Tweet about this Father’s Day Week of Giveaways (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of #Giveaway for Father’s Day at The Good Stuff Guide @GoodStuffGuide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
4. Share the news of this giveaway on your Facebook status (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Giveaways for Father’s Day @The Good Stuff Guide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
5. Become a Facebook fan of The Good Stuff Guide and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways.

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 6 entries!)

Good luck!

And many thanks to Ivar for this awesome giveaway!

You can find the Ivar Urban G2 Backpack on Amazon for $90 with free Super Saver shipping!

Today’s giveaway is both awesome and kind of sneaky at the same time.

Meet the Instant Tent from Coleman:

Doesn’t this look great??!?  Obviously awesome.

Okay, here’s the sneaky part: you surprise the daddio in your life with this and you’ll be a hero.  Then you pack up some snacks and send him out with your adorables to test it out, and you, my friend, have just created a night all to yourself.

Control of the remote.

All the girly chick flicks you can watch.

Perhaps a bath.  Bubbles.

A book and a bath.

This 8 person/ 2 room tent measures 14 feet by 10 feet with a 6′5″ center height.  You’ll be protected from the weather by Coleman’s Exclusive WeatherTec™ System, which guarantees to keep you dry.

So here’s how you set up the Instant Tent:

Unfold the tent and  spread it out…

Here’s the brilliance: the poles are pre-attached to the tent…

Extend the poles, and click and lock them into place. Easy-breezy.

And voila!  You’re done.

This whole process should take about a minute or less.

And look at all this space inside.

Here’s more technical info:

• Cabin structure; heavier, stronger, better for extended stay camping
• Heavy duty tent fabric is twice the thickness of our standard tent fabric, 150D material
• 2 doors, one in front and one in back
• Vertical walls makes it easier to stand and move about in tent
• Seven windows provide great ventilation, 360° views
• Tent is fully taped, eliminating the need for a separate rain fly
• Interior gear pocket
• Reverse angle windows
• Easy instructions sewn into durable carry bag

Giveaway

You can win one Coleman Instant Tent  just by leaving a comment by Tuesday, June 22nd and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Wednesday, the 23rd.

Here’s how to gain extra entries:

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. Tweet about this Father’s Day Week of Giveaways (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of #Giveaway for Father’s Day at The Good Stuff Guide @GoodStuffGuide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
4. Share the news of this giveaway on your Facebook status (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Giveaways for Father’s Day @The Good Stuff Guide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
5. Become a Facebook fan of The Good Stuff Guide and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways.

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 6 entries!)

Good luck!

And many thanks for Coleman for this awesome giveaway!

You can find the Coleman Instant 14- by 10- Foot 8- Person Two Room Tent on Amazon for $199 with free Super Saver shipping!

This wedding I attended this past weekend has me thinking about weddings.  I’ve often said that I’d love to do mine all over again.  I wouldn’t change any part of it, just to do the whole thing over from start to finish – same Running Man, same place, same family and friends – the whole kit and kaboodle.

This was 8 years ago friends (and yes, I was blonder then.  And thinner(!))

Over at Pizzazzerie.com, I get my wedding fix every Wednesday.  Here’s a glimpse:

This first wedding takes place at on St. Simon’s Island at the Sea Island Beach Club.  Have you ever seen a more gorgeous church?

Ranunculus with hydrangeas and peonies. Simply breathtaking!

Relaxed and casual but details everywhere.

The reception site – gorgeous!

You can see more of this wedding over at Pizzazzerie.

This second wedding took place in Nashville and was designed by wedding planner, Kristin Kaplan of Simply Stunning Events.

Isn’t this gorgeous??  I will also admit I’m seriously jealous of that tiny waist.

Okay, I’m not sure if I’ve EVER seen a more stunning cake.  I LOVE the broaches.

Okay, this is a serious reception.  There are more photos of this amazing wedding over at Pizzazzerie.com.

Since today is Wednesday, head over to Pizzazzerie and check out the latest wedding tour.  Courtney also has tons of other party and entertaining ideas.

So here’s my question for you:  If you could do your wedding over, what would you change?  What would you keep the same?  Do you have a full line-up of weddings to attend this summer?

I need to introduce you to Briggs & Riley’s new line of luggage, the BRX, perfect for families that need exceptionally functional pieces that are lightweight, rugged and durable(!).

With the airlines imposing fees for checked baggage, I make it my special project to pack our family of 4 into 2 carry-ons, and for this reason, I’ll be talking about the Briggs & Riley BRX Explore 22 Upright here…

This weekend I flew solo to Michigan for Girl’s Weekend (more on that tomorrow) and I was pleased as punch with my new carry-on.

Here I am entertaining myself during a layover (I’m sure my fellow gate mates were slightly curious why I was photographing my luggage):

This is a very well thought-out and designed carry-on.  There is literally a place for everything.  I love the exterior open pocket for my tickets (I’m always losing them in my purse), magazines, etc.

Inside, a roomy compartment for clothes, dob kits, and shoes.  (Those are my dirty clothes making the lid pocket bulge.)

But my all-time favorite feature of this bag is the padded laptop spot in the front pocket.  Obviously, I’ll only use this when I’m carrying my bag on board, but I’m thrilled I don’t have to carry it in a separate bag.

But never mind my babbling, here are the real features:

• Weighs only 7.0 lbs
• The Outsider® handle system allows for more interior space.  Bars are on the outside for a spacious flat packing surface inside.
• Easy pack main compartment with wide nylon compression panels keep your gear flat and neat
• Inside top lid features wet/dry pocket and essentials compartment for additional organization
• Quick access front pockets and two exterior, zippered front pockets offer space for accessory items
• Expandable slash pocket perfect for light jacket, guide books or maps
• Tapered zip expansion keeps bag lightweight while maximizing carry-on capacity
• Front zip compartment stores up to a 16″ laptop(!)
• Simple as that® lifetime warranty even covers airline damage

Here’s the happy news:

Giveaway

You can win a Briggs & Riley Explore 22 Upright ($290) just by leaving a comment by Friday, June 11th and I’ll choose the winner using Random.org on Saturday, the 12th.  You can even pick your color: slate, blue or amber.

Here’s how to gain extra entries:

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. Become a Facebook fan of The Good Stuff Guide and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways.

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 4 entries!)

Good luck!

Many thanks to Briggs & Riley for this incredible giveaway!  I’m also most grateful for the sample I received.
If you are not the lucky winner, you can always find your Briggs & Riley BRX Explore 22 luggage at Amazon (free shipping too!).