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.