{Feature Friday} Last Minute Valentine's Ideas

February 11, 2011

We thought we would share some last minute Valentine's Day ideas for those who may be stumped this year on extra Savvy ideas made with Love!!! All of these ideas were found from around the Internet as well as ideas that we found to be easy, cost effective and fun! We hope you find something to your hearts desire!

Why not start Valentine's breakfast with a message of love? This simple recipe of eggs, toast and ketchup can be found over at isharefunfood.com via cutefoodforkids.com

For the kids, TwistyNoodle.com is a great resource for coloring pages and worksheets that lets you customize your page by changing the font and the text!!! This site is also a great educational resource that has practice writing worksheets to keep you little ones busy.

We loved this idea from This Blessed Nest because the ingredients (popcorn, m&m's, candy melts, zipploc bags, and ribbon) are ones that we almost always have in our kitchens! This would be a great idea for your kids to give out at school!

Since we love a CUTE printable, Daphne from Moo Moo's TuTu has created the perfect and FREE 'Valentine Confetti' printable to finish off this tasty snack!
Download here

Another great and FREE Valentine printable comes from the always resourceful Skip To My Lou via Anything But Perfect. This FREE and simply adorable candy bar wrapper fits the standard Hershey's bar and can be dazzled up a bit with embellishments!
Download here

How pretty is this chocolate dipped brownie? Well, for us there is no brownie that is too pretty to eat! The Recipe Girl shows you this great tutorial that will make your mouth water just looking at the pics!

Display the Recipe Girl's heart shaped brownies on a pretty platter or get yourself some craft bags (usually Michale's or JoAnns carries these) and download this FREE Valentine's Brownie Bag from Twig and Thistle If you love this idea as much as we do, every Valentine's day there is a new version created!
Download here

And finally yet another FREE download (Gotta LOVE the internet!). We printed this version of the 'Keep Calm' series from The Hands On Housewife . Print this on a piece of heavy cardstock (here) and place in a pretty frame and display around your home or give as a gift as a friendly reminder! Since we all should take each day to Keep Calm and LOVE ON!!!!

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

Savvy Smiles and Thanks to our Community Helpers {Free Printables}

February 9, 2011

The 3 Amigos have been learning about Community Helpers in school.

They met a Doctor, Dentist, Police Officer and his Police Dog "Nero", Firefighter, and a Soldier.

This got us thinking.

Do we encourage and recognize those who serve us?

Do we teach our children of the importance of thankful hearts to those who give and serve our communities needs and wants?

The answer is....we think we do.

We hope we do.

But truthfully we probably don't.

We are diligent and mindful of "Thank You's".

But do we foster the discussion of why we need to be so thankful for ALL Community Helpers?

No.....

We are committed to showing those who do so much for our Community how 'Thankful' we are.

You can too.

Join our Savvy Smiles and Thanks Project.
Bake Some Goodies, Pick up some Snacks or Refreshments, Or Get Creative.

Spread some Community "LOVE"

Download this "Thanks" for a Teacher.

Download these PERFECT Community Helper Tags from The Two Savvy Sisters as Thank You's for your local firefighters, Police Officers, Soldiers, Doctors, Dentists and Postal Workers.

Download and Print this Military Coloring Page from Illustrator Tricia- Rennea and Mail it to a Soldier Overseas. Visit A Million Thanks.org and see how you can bring a smile to a soldiers face.

We can all make a difference in our Community by Showing our Community Helpers Just how 'Thankful' we are for them.

Adorable Tags & Photo from The TomKat Studios. Email toni@thetomkatstudio.com to get this Printable Tag

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

2,000 Friends 'Thank You' Giveaway.....

WOW......Is all we can say.

2,000 Facebook Friends in 5 months.

We are Thrilled and THANKFUL.

So Humbled.

To say 'Thanks' we asked some of our Favorite Ladies if they would help us show our Gratitude.

And they said YES!

So without further Ado we present our 2,000 'Thank You's' Giveaway!!!!!

Dolce Vita Mia is your one stop shop for all things pretty! Featuring custom made hair blooms for little girls and big girls too! You will find one of a kind CHIC headbands, tutu and pettiskirt sets! Perfect for birthdays, weddings or photography props! Supporting the handmade movement one beautiful baby at a time!

Dolce Vita Mia is giving a $25 store credit.

AND a 20% off discount code to your fans: SAVVY20.

Anders Ruff Custom Designs are 2 graphic designers and stylists who hope to change the face of celebration style one printable graphic at a time....

Anders Ruff is giving away their I Heart Valentine's Day Collection.

Finley & Oliver Modern apparel for children. All of the appliques are hand or machine stitched on to high quality, made in the USA (sweatshop free) American Apparel garments. And Eco-fi felt which is a wonderful felt made out of 100% post consumer recycled plastic bottles. How cool is that?

Finley & Oliver is offering a $25 store credit.

AND a 20% discount with the code SAVVYMOMS.

Frog Prince Paperie where it all starts with a kiss of magic...weaving imagination, whimsy and flair together to create unique printables that sets the perfect tone for your event. Frog Prince Paperie creates high quality customized printable invitations and party accessories sure to get the party started!

Get a $30 Frog Prince Paperie Store Credit.

3 Little Birds Boutique creates Quality custom Hand Stamped Silver Jewelry.

Get a $25 store credit to 3 little birds.

AND save 20% in the store using discount code: Savvy20.

Pink Bow Bath Boutique specializes in handmade luxury bath and body products all wrapped up with a pink bow and a fun girly-girl twist! We offer delicious, top-quality, made to order, custom fragranced everyday pampering products

Giveaway includes a 4 oz Beautiful Body Butter, you choose the scent.

AND Get 15% off your purchase at Pink Bow Bath Boutique with the discount code savvymoms (valid through Valentine's Day).

Sew Chatty is a place for all things pretty. For Home. For Baby. For Fun.

Get a $25 shop credit to Sew Chatty.

And 20% savings using discount code SAVVYMOM.

Aren't you DYING to ENTER this FABULOUS Giveaway......

Here's what you need to do.

1) Follow your favorite Shops on Facebook and leave a comment with our Savvy Smiles. Then tell us your favorite shops and items in the giveaway here (each shop is an entry)!

2) Become a fan of The Savvy Moms Guide on Facebook, and come back to let us know you are a fan here!

3) Follow The Savvy Moms Guide on Twitter, come back and let us know your following our tweets here!

******CONGRATULATIONS......Rachel Irish you are our lucky winner!!! Please contact us at www.thesavvymomsguide@yahoo.com with your information!

Winner will be chosen on Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 8:00pm (PST). Any entries received after this time will not be considered. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org. This is a sponsored post for The Savvy Moms Guide.

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

{Friday Feature} I Heart Valentine's Day...and you will too!

January 14, 2011

Have we got a Sweet Treat for you! This Friday Feature comes from the amazingly talented team of Anders Ruff Custom Designs and their 'I Heart Valentine's Day' printable collection and photo shoot. This collection was beautifully styled by the Anders Ruff ladies and gave us plenty of eye candy to drool over as well. We love that this collection has all the traditional touches and colors of Valentine's Day. What we really love though is that there are so many DIY inspirations and kid friendly ideas for you to try for your next Valentine's Party.

We have worked with the sweet ladies of Anders Ruff in the past, if you remember they created our 'Whoot of Thanks' Play Date Printables back in November of 2010. So, it is always a treat looking forward to their next collection or their next photo shoot as they NEVER disappoint!

Our jaws basically dropped when we saw this dessert table. Where do you even start to look? Well, first we have to mention the phenomenal Pink Paper Plate Polyhedrons (DIY Here) that were hung above the table. This is such a clever idea that can be done with your kids. Add a little paint and possibly some glitter and you can create a fun lesson with shapes!

Another DIY, was the patterned heart banner strung across the front of the table that came from the printable papers from the collection. The wrapped boxes trimmed with ribbon are also a great way to add height to a dessert table as well as color and interest.

A great kid friendly idea are these DIY stacked Fabric Flowers in vases. Take left over scraps of fabric, or even scrapbook paper, a few buttons and create a beautiful bouquet that will last for years to come!

A sweet way to embellish any dessert table is to place lollipop sticks in your desserts with coordinating colors of paper cut in fun shapes, such as these hearts. The heart shaped fondant toppers are also another special touch that completes the sweetness of these desserts.

The same fabric that served as the back drop of the table, purchased at IKEA, also covered the kids chairs and were simply tied with red grosgrain ribbon.

Of course we saved the best for last! Printable "cootie catchers/fortune tellers" (do you remember these as a kid?) that were assembled for each of the kids to play with.


All Photo collages from Hostess with the Mostess
Thank You so much AndersRuff Custom Designs for sharing the adorable day with us! We are as always truly inspired by you both! Make sure you check out their Esty shop where the 'I Heart Valentine's Day' collection is 50% off!!!

Smiles~
Amy & Bri

Savvy Gifts of Homemade Goodness

December 22, 2010

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift. ~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

So this Holiday Season give your neighbors, friends and family, a Sweet and Savvy gift of homemade goodness.

Warm up a Cold Winters Day with the Gift of Hot Cocoa.

Fill a festive mug with Marshmallows dipped in Chocolate rolled in Crushed Candy Canes, given along side a dressed up Mason Jar of Hot Cocoa.

Finish with Free Festive Hot Cocoa Printables from Party Starters.

For a quick and easy treat, dip Marshmallows in Wiltons Candy Melts and roll in sprinkles. Cover with a cello bag and add a creative tag.

Or buy that special gift that will be loved and cherished.

But personalize it with your kiddos hand prints, footprints or art work.
Add the Date, Seal it (with Varnish or Mod Podge) and Share.

And remember that some of the greatest gifts are free.

A hug is a great gift, one size fits all, and is easy to exchange.

It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it.

~Eileen Elias Freeman

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

A Savvy Snow Day

December 19, 2010

Pack your skis and Snowboards and get ready to play,
Come and enjoy our Savvy "Snow Day".

Be sure you dress warm in all your snow gear.

As we celebrate the ending of another year.

In Southern Ca it does not snow.

We wish it did (but just for a day or two).

So for our Annual Christmas Party we decided to throw a CA Snow Day.

In Savvy Style we used things we had around the house.

TomKat's Tweet Holiday Collection was the perfect Printable Collection for the Snow Day. Kim is so Fabulous she even customized the labels for us.

Our buddy Jason recently started a Photography business and captured the Savvy Snow Stylings for us. Thanks J~

The treats were all Snow themed. Kolby Kakes baked a ridiculously delicious and ADORABLE Snow Man cake. Scrapbook paper cones filled with popcorn served as Snow Cones, and Chocolate Mini donuts as tubes.

Pretzels Dipped in White Chocolate with snowflake Sprinkles were our Ski Poles, and Nutter Butters with chocolate tips were our Snow Shoes. No Snow Day is complete without snowflakes, our were individually designed cookies by Kolby Kakes.

Do you know how much Snow Costs?

In CA a lot.......

So we created our own Savvy Style Snow.

50+ balloons and Some Shredded Paper made for a fun time.

All of the kiddos had a blast playing in our Savvy Snow (and they were toastie warm). All you could hear was laughter as they would throw the balloons in air pretending it was snowing. Who knew $4 worth of Balloons could be so much fun.

They were all so cute in their Snow Wear.
What a Memory!

Savvy Snow Smiles......

From the Savvy Moms!!!!

Smiles~
Amy & Bri

{Savvy Savings} Merry & Bright Feature and Savings from InkSpot Workshop

December 18, 2010

We were all smiles when we read this fun little Blog Post from Stacy of InkSpot Workshop.

Loved it so much we wanted to share it with you.

And we wanted to share the Savvy Savings Stacy is offering on the Collection.

Enjoy the read and the "Special" Savings!

You can just imagine how excited I was when the dynamic duo behind The Savvy Mom's Guide (Amy & Bri) asked me to send them some goodies from InkSpot Workshop's Christmas Lights collection. They were gearing up for a very Merry & Bright play date. As a designer, you always want to see your creations brought to life, or to "light" in this case:) Not to mention after reading both of their bios on their blog, I instantly felt connected with them. We all come from a corporate past and now get to do what we L♥VE for a living.

Amy and Bri put together these most uniquely adorable "Play Dates" and really set the bar high for us "other" moms (who are slackers and barely get the kids popcorn while having a play date) Actually these little parties are super inspiring and they bring us so many creative ideas and resources. I don't know about you, but I am super excited to see what The Savvy Mom's Guide has on deck for 2011!

Here are some high lights from Amy and Bri's
Merry and Bright Party
Click here to read the FULL and SAVVY post!

all party photographs from Ella B

What a handsome little guy!
The party activity was making these cute
Christmas Lights Candy Necklaces
all party resources are listed here

Dough A Deer mini dough nuts and mini toes
so sweet together!

Aww! just had to throw these in too!

You asked for it!
You GOT IT!

The entire InkSpot Workshop
Christmas Lights Collection
is NOW available as printable files!

All Items Completely Personalized
at no additional cost!
Click here to get yours

SPECIAL
enter promotional code "LIGHTS"
and you will receive
FREE PERSONALIZED TABLE TENT FILES
personalized with as many titles as you need!

Items Shown: Invitation, Toppers, Hang Tags

ENJOY