Review: Sweet Paper Lane

It's officially summertime, which means most of you are probably knuckle-deep in barbecue sauce and watermelon juice (unlike myself, who wades in spit-up and dirty diapers these days). It's prime time for outdoor parties - from polar pool plunges and backyard birthday bashes to luscious luaus. If you're planning on hosting a smashing summer shindig, I can point you in the right direction: head straight down Sweet Paper Lane.




Sweet Paper Lane offers invitations for just about any milestone or occasion. With over 6,000 stationery products from the industry's top designers, you'll find something to match any style. Wedding invitations. Birth announcements. Holiday cards. They've got it all - and more.

Review and Giveaway: InvitationBox.com CLOSED

My husband and I love to host get-togethers. Whether it be a huge birthday bash, a bridal shower or an intimate dinner, I love planning every last detail from the menu to the decor. Color me crazy but one of my favorite party tasks is the invitations. A good invitation builds excitement, elicits a smile from the recipient and sets the stage for your special occasion. And thanks to InvitationBox.com, I don't even have to leave my sofa to find the perfect match.

InvitationBox.com has one of the widest selections of high-quality invitations, announcements and stationery on the Web. They offer over 9,000 products from vendors such as Inviting Company, Stacy Claire Boyd and Paper So Pretty. With a variety of designs ranging from classic and traditional to modern and unique, you'll find an eye-popping invitation for any taste.

InvitationBox.com is also environmentally-friendly, providing eco-chic products under their InvitationBoxGreen label. InvitationBoxGreen cards are made using recycled, FSC or SFI-certified paper. A portion of the revenues generated from InvitationBoxGreen cards are donated to the Alliance for Climate Protection by way of its We Campaign. I don't know about you but I love a company that gives back!

With Nate's birthday just four days away (his party was postponed until mid-August), I couldn't resist browsing their birthday invitations. Not just for the kiddos, InvitationBox.com also has milestone birthday invitations for us grown folk:

They have the sweetest photo birth announcements, which I'll be keeping in mind whenever we conceive our second bundle of joy:

And of course, they also have a huge selection of party invitations and holiday cards for any themed shindig or holiday:

InvitationBox.com also has an extensive gift shop, with stuffed animals and blankets. They even offer personalized items like address labels and stampers.

We were fortunate enough to review a personalized placemat from InvitationBox.com . These laminated 12" x 18" placemats are made of durable 100# card stock and can stand up to just about any toddler mess. I chose the preppy Bubblegum Dots design, which would coordinate perfectly with Nate's new Mutsy booster seat. I also liked that it was eco-friendly, made with recycled paper.

It was incredibly easy to customize our placemat. You could choose from a number of custom fonts and colors to get just the look you want. For example, I opted for the mod Pupcat font in Orange. As you can see, it turned out great!

I love the look and its generous size catches every splosh and splash. Just wipe down with a damp cloth and it's clean again! I think this would make a great gift for any young child. Who doesn't want to sit down at their very own spot at the table, marked with their very own name?!

Bottom line: If you've got a party to plan, open InvitationBox.com.

BUY IT: You can purchase a personalized placemat (ARV $13.95) or any of the invitations above online at www.invitationbox.com.

WIN IT: One lucky reader is going to win a $25 gift certificate to InvitationBox.com!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Take a look around InvitationBox.com and tell me how you'd spend your gift certificate if you won. Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile to prevent disqualification!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count! Remember to leave one comment per entry.

1.) Follow my blog and/or subscribe via reader or email. If you already follow and/or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry each)

2.) Follow me and InvitationBox.com on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You can do this daily! You may use the following tweet of come up with one of your own:

Make party planning a piece of cake with a $25 gift certificate to @InvitationBox from @kris10chumley Ends 8/6 http://bit.ly/d0PhfQ

Just leave a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry per day max)

3.) Become a fan of InvitationBox.com on Facebook. (1 entry)

4.) "Like" Goodie Goodie Gumdrops on Facebook. (1 entry)

5.) Sign up for the InvitationBox.com mailing list. (1 entry)

6.) Add my Bloggy Birthday Blowout event button to your site and leave a comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

7.) Add my blog button to your site and comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on August 6, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received a free personalized placemat from Tana at Orca Communications on behalf of InvitationBox.com to facilitate my candid review. I was in no other way compensated for this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are purely mine. Your experience may differ.

Giveaway: 500 Business Cards From Digital Room CLOSED

If you're a fellow mom blogger, you're probably aware of the HUGE blogging conferences coming up in the next few months. There's BlogHer '10 in the Big Apple in early August and Type-A Mom in Asheville in late September. Both are perfect opportunities to network with potential sponsors and connect with your peers. I am dying to attend one myself but it just wasn't in the cards this year. Maybe 2011 will be my year! But if you are lucky enough to have tickets to one - or both! - of these special events, you're going to want to make sure you have everything you need to promote your brand. With all of the expenses of travel and accommodations, you won't want to spend a fortune on supplies. If you are looking for professional yet cheap business cards to distribute, look no further than Digital Room.

Digital Room is a market leader in online printing, catering to small and medium businesses nationwide. In addition to business cards, you can design brochures, folded cards, posters, banners and more. Or, if you prefer, you can customize a template from their extensive online gallery. They offer 24-hour live phone and chat support so there is always someone available to answer your questions or walk you through the process. How's that for customer service?

One of the many things I love about Digital Room is that they offer eco-friendly printing alternatives. They have a SFI-certified 13 pt. uncoated cardstock containing 30% recycled materials. They also use vegetable or soy-based inks and water-based AQ coating to improve biodegradability. Digital Room is committed to green practices. They recycle all unused paper scraps, printing plates and ink waste. And because they use vegetable-based inks, they provide a safer work environment for production staff, reducing harmful fumes and VOC emissions.

Not sure what type of paper to choose? Would you rather feel the quality and texture before you buy? No problem! Just request a free sample kit to enhance your online buying experience.

I don't think Digital Room could make it any easier or affordable to print products online. They really live up to their motto - "online printing with a human touch".

BUY IT: Visit www.digitalroom.com to browse their selection, get a pricing quote and/or make a purchase.

WIN IT: Digital Room is generously offering 500 premium business cards to one lucky winner! Choose from a 2 x 3.5" or 2 x 2" square card, or the traditional 1.75" x 3.5" slim card. You can also choose from 14 pt gloss, 14 pt matte, or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock. Plus, you get full color on both sides! What a deal!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Tell me how you would use these business cards if you won. Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile to prevent disqualification!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count!

1.) Follow my blog and/or subscribe via reader or email. Comment telling me which method you chose. If you already follow or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry each)

2.) Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You can do this daily! You may use the following tweet or come up with one of your own:

Networking at #BlogHer or #TypeAMom? #Win 500 custom business cards from Digital Room and @kris10chumley! Ends 7/3 http://bit.ly/cnzVNJ

Just leave me a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry per day max)

3.) Add my button to your site and comment with a link where I can find it. (1 entry)

4.) Sign up for the Digital Room email list (scroll down to the bottom of the homepage). (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on July 3, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. residents 18+ only. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Giveaway Blogs for this giveaway opportunity. In exchange for this post, I will be offered my own set of custom business cards as a blogger appreciation prize. I was in no other way compensated for this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed are purely mine. Your experience may differ.

Review and Giveaway: Tiny Prints CLOSED

Nothing brightens my day quite like opening my mailbox, expecting bills and junk mail but finding a handwritten envelope with an announcement or card. The combination of sheer surprise and delight just puts a smile on my face. While receiving cards is fun-tastic, I also love to give cards with brief little notes written inside. The best ones are the ones sent just because. There doesn't have to be an impending holiday to let someone know you love them or you're thinking of them.

Being the girlie girl that I am, I love finding chic cards, invitations, notepads and the like. I came across Tiny Prints while searching for birth announcements after Nate was born and I've been a fan ever since.

Tiny Prints was founded in 2004 with the goal to "enhance intimate human connections through the tradition of sending paper greetings". In six years, this web-based company has become the gold standard for premium, personalized stationery. Their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. Tiny Prints recently expanded their successful product line with the launch of Tiny Prints Greetings, a line of simple, stylish printed greeting cards users can personalize, schedule and send online. This new service unites proprietary web technology with the brand's trendsetting design sensibility to modernize the age-old practice of sending and receiving greeting cards by mail.

Benefits of Tiny Prints Greetings include:

• Personalization - Never worry about giving duplicates again! You can match your favorite design with one of thousands of verses from a library of options. Each aspect of your card can be customized, with the option to include a recipient's name, edit the verse, and upload photos to express your exact sentiments.
• Convenience - Not only can you personalize your card online, you can address the envelope, add a stamp and pay for the card with just a few clicks! You can send the card to yourself to sign or if you're jammed for time, Tiny Prints can mail your card for you! All cards ship within 24 hours so you can be sure your card will arrive in perfect timing.
• Organization - Are you the forgetful type when it comes to those important dates? Avoid a mad dash to the store by setting up an automatic event reminder for birthdays, Mother's Day, anniversaries, and other occasions. You can even schedule a queue of personalized greeting cards to be sent automatically up to a year in advance, making the send/receive process more thoughtful and less time-consuming.

I visited Tiny Prints to check out their new line and WOW! I am very impressed with the selection of designs. Check out some of these Mother's Day cards:




Or these birthday cards:




I really like this one for Nate's 2nd birthday in July:



I love that you can switch up the layouts of the cards, add photos and/or personalize the verse inside. If you're like me, you spend WAY too much time in the card store/aisle trying to find the perfect card. I must read through twenty cards before I find one that I like. And even then, I'm usually just settling because my husband is rushing me or my toddler is getting antsy. With Tiny Prints, I can put my own personal touch on the card and craft a creative message that comes from my heart. All from the comfort of home.

I am pretty good at remembering special dates but I do have a habit of procrastinating and waiting until the last possible moment to get a card. With Tiny Prints' scheduling option, I can remind myself to get those cards out on time. Or I can just have Tiny Prints do all the hard work for me! No more scrounging for stamps or, in my house, a pen. Any busy mom can appreciate that.

Bottom line: If you're looking for a convenient way to give or send a beautiful, unique, high-quality card for any upcoming special occasion, look no further than Tiny Prints Greetings.

Want to learn more about Tiny Prints? They are hosting their very first Twitter Party on Friday, April 23rd at 9pm ET! The RSVP form is not live yet but be sure to keep an eye out at www.ResourcefulMommy.com for more details on how to participate.

BUY IT: You can pay per greeting card ($3.99/each plus free shipping) or sign up for a membership plan to enjoy special pricing on each card you send, starting at just $1.99/each (plus free shipping!). As an added bonus for the launch, Tiny Prints is waiving the first year's membership fee and offering your first three greeting cards absolutely FREE when you sign up! Can't beat that!



WIN IT: One lucky reader is going to win 25 personalized greeting cards from Tiny Prints - just in time for Mother's Day! That's a $100 value!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Pay a visit to Tiny Prints Greetings and tell me which card is your favorite. Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile to prevent disqualification!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count! Remember to leave one comment per entry.

1.) Follow my blog and/or subscribe via reader or email. If you already follow and/or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry each)

2.) Follow me and Tiny Prints on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You can do this daily! You may use the following tweet of come up with one of your own:

Win 25 free personalized greeting cards from @kris10chumley and @TinyPrints just in time for Mother's Day! Ends 5/1 http://bit.ly/bGCxHM

Just leave a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry per day max)

3.) Become a fan of Tiny Prints on Facebook. (1 entry)

4.) Add my blog button and leave a comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on May 1, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: This opportunity was made possible by the Global Influence network. In exchange for this post, I will receive 15 free greeting cards courtesy of Tiny Prints. I was not compensated monetarily for this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed in my post are solely mine. Your experience may differ.