Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Best Baby Gift for Any Price Range : Angel Dear

I love buying baby gifts.   One item I buy every baby that is born is an Angel Dear blanket.   I got a pink bunny blanket when my daughter was born and after many laundry cycles, near misses/lost and founds, we still have it.    When I found out my next child was going to be a boy, the first item I bought was the Angel Dear monkey blanket.  

Since then, the company has expanded their product line and started to offer different variations of Angel Dear blankets.   I am going to share 3 of them.   

The first is the regular blanket, that can be bought for $11-$14.  I usually buy 3-4 at a time on diapers.com and have them as small gifts for people or as an add on gift for someone.     Then there is the "pair and a spare" package that contains 3 of the same item.  Of course, with kids and blankies, you need to have multiples in case they lose them (even though kids KNOW the difference, somehow!)   The package of 3 costs $35 on diapers.com. ($49 or more and you get free shipping, FYI)

Then there is my new favorite, which I just bought.   The 4 piece set.  The pillow, blanket, little blanket and rattle.    What I neglected to mention was how soft these blankets are.  They are similar to a cashmere material.   Very soothing for a baby.  Both of my kids, great sleepers, used them at 3-4 months of age, to cover their eyes when they went to sleep.  Maybe older than that....I forget.  But my point is, I always put them down awake and they self soothed, and used these blankies to cuddle up with and help them fall asleep.   My little guy, who is now 2, was thrilled to see the large monkey blanket the other day.  He is used to the small one.   He screamed, "monkey!" and hugged that blankie so tight.   I thought, I must blog about these Angel Dear blankies!  
(They also make clothes and blankets and many other gift items-- check out the website for more information.) 



A perfect gift because it comes in different packaging and pricing-- so if there's a girl at your doctors office that you want a little something for.....or a friend who you have to go to a shower for and you want to do a theme basket, you can get these items, plus clothing or toys and wrap it in a cellophane basket and it makes an adorable gift.   

The website:

Fashion Find: At 7/11 (Yes...you read that right!)

So, my daughter and I drive by 7/11 often and she asks me if she can buy a slurpee.  (She reads the sign in the window, has never been inside a 7/11 somehow and sees that the picture is of a pink beverage.)    I can usually tell her that the parking is a problem but she is persistent and I promised her "when school gets out."

Well, school is out and she took me up on my promise.  Today was Slurpee Day.  We parked and walked to 7/11 and I filled a small cup with a cherry slurpee.  She did not like it.    Filled a small cup up with Blue Raspberry and she said she liked it but only drank half of it before saying she was done.    Hopefully there will not be any return visits to 7/11 any time soon.

As I was paying for the 2 slurpees (the wasted cherry one and her blue raspberry one) I noticed on the counter these watches!!   I asked how much they were and the cashier pointed to the sign/label that said, $7.99.

Only Emma could find a fashion item at a 7/11.     A variety of colors available.
I bought pink, of course.  :-)

Gelee Big Face Fashion Watch HOT COLORS 12 per display By AP - Fashion Accessories


Here is a link to the watches.....to buy them wholesale, in bulk, they are cheaper but I guess 7/11 has to make a dime on them somewhere!    

Gelee Watches


Retail Therapy: Emma's Trip to Charming Charlie


Will be a very brief blog....Just a photo album of the cutest little goodies I bought last week at Charming Charlie in Ridge Hill.  It is a little accessory shop sectioned off by color.  So if you are all about coral this season, you can find everything coral.    

THE color this year seems to be coral; That's why I use it as an example...and thats why I bought what I bought.  See below:  

Pashmina:  $15 

$10.99 flip flops.

Pocket mirrors  $4.50-$5.00

Cute "dress" maybe for a tween...I might use as a swimsuit coverup.
$14.99 on sale

Forget the price....sorry!  

Oops-- This little H&M hairbrush snuck into this album.   $5 

Tunic blouse on sale for $14.99

Another pair of jeweled flip flops  $15 or so

In my old age, I am becoming sun-phobic!   Hats were $19.99 each, I think.  

Ask Emma Business Cards

I treated myself recently to some business cards.  :-)
(I think they are also now called "contact cards" or my least favorite term, "mommy cards.")

My favorite paper/stationery/card site, Tiny Prints was running a special for Facebook members.  $20 for 50 cards.   How could I pass them up?   I have spent $20 more foolishly than this!  

I was giving one to the owner of a restaurant that I plan to blog about in the next week or so  (Park 143 in Bronxville.....amazing, btw) and my husband asked me what I was giving him.   I said, "My business card."

His reply:  "You have business cards??"

Yes I do.   Here it is:


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Teacher Gift Idea


Loved this so much that I borrowed it (cut and pasted it) and want to give credit to the link that I borrowed it from


M & M’S TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFT

This week is teacher appreciation week.   Tomorrow my kiddos will take these easy to make gifts to their teachers.
I used mason jars, the same as I used for my Pottery Barn Candleholders.
Filled them with M&M’s… plain & peanut
Printed out this cute M&M poem…
Glued it to some cardstock to frame it out…
Hole punched around the edges & then weaved the twine through the holes & attached the poem with some twine to the jar.
I traced the lid on some leftover vellum paper to make a cute top.
Easy-peasy ~ CUTE and Yummy gift!
Here’s the poem (in case you want to copy, paste & use)
Green is for the inspiration you give me each day.
Blue is for your patience in showing me the way.
Orange is for your warmth and caring style.
Yellow is for the way you always make me smile.
Red is for my life that you have touched this year.
You’re a very special teacher just like this jar, that’s clear.
You place knowledge in our children’s hands
and melt into their hearts and lives forever.
You’re a "Magnificent" & "Marvelous" teacher
Thank you for being my M&M.

Monday, June 11, 2012

GREAT Deals on Cars GUARANTEED!

I have wanted to share this business for a while but I wanted to wait til I had a larger following and since I now have a lot of blog "hits" or "views" I think it is time to share this one.

The business is called Inside Car Buying and the founder of this company has completed 4-5 sales for my family alone, in addition to a number of friends.    Car needs are changing.   Your family grows, you need a larger car......your family of 4 becomes 6 because you have twins, you need a 3rd row......Your kids grow up and your husband decides you need a sports car, that's fine too.  No matter what your "car needs" are, Tommy is the man to get you the best deal.   $499 fee, paid up front and you will save THOUSANDS.  

My first car interaction with him was when I bought my minivan.   Had to hang up the keys to my Range Rover for a while and sport my fancy black mommy wagon for a couple of years.   Two kids in car seats, on opposite sides of the back seat!  I needed the van.  As soon as they get old enough, I can go back to the Range Rover....or maybe the Mercedes GLK350.  We will see.  I have another couple of years before I have to decide what the next family car will be.  But when I do, Tommy will be the guy.  

Oh so back to my story.....I wanted remote start.  The cost (from the dealer) was $750 and I think he got it for me for $400.   WHO KNEW that remote start was negotiable??   No one.  So right there, $350 savings-- I am almost at the $499 I paid from the start.    In the end, my savings came to between $3500-$5000 off the sticker prices.  

I forget the actual numbers, so I asked him if I could mention him on my blog and if he could give me some current actual real numbers, of deals he has made recently.   He wrote back today with some real examples and some testimonials from his website.   Here they are:


2012 Honda Accord LX Sedan (train car)
Lease for 36 months and 12,000 miles per year for $184 per month and $1,318 total out of pocket plus plates.
OR
2012 VW Jetta SE with Auto Transmission (train car)
Lease for 39 months and 10,000 miles per year for $188 per month and $1,410 total out of pocket plus plates.

2012 Honda Pilot LX All Wheel Drive (SUV)
Lease for 36 months with 12,000 miles per year for $283 and $1,676 total out of pocket plus plates.
OR 
Mercedes Benz GL450 (SUV)
Lease for 24 months with 12,000 miles per year for $572 per month and total out of pocket of $2,440 plus plates. 
OR 
2012 Acura MDX (SUV)
Lease for 36 months with 10,000 miles per year for $438 per month and total out of pocket of $2,241.78 plus plates.
OR 
2012 Honda Odyssey LX (Mini-Van)
Lease for 36 months with 12,000 miles per year for $266 per month and total out of pocket of $1,609 plus plates. 
3 Testimonials…
Thank you for making our lease purchase quick and stress free. In the past it has taken me weeks to months to negotiate with dealers to get what I thought was the best price. Now I find out, I was still over paying!

We did not even have to go to the dealer to pick up the car; it was delivered to our front door! We were able to complete the paperwork with the representative at our kitchen table. The representative then spent over an hour going over the car's features from top to bottom. The representative even took our old lease back with him, no having to turn the car in, hurray!

This was truly exceptional service and I would absolutely recommend and use again!!!
  • Anthony Marinello & Debra DiFrancesco of Scarsdale, NY
"So why would I want to pay $500 for someone to negotiate my car? Why wouldn’t I just put that $500 towards the down payment?"  Those are the questions I asked my friends who had referred me to Inside Car Buying. They responded "Come on, we use your referrals all of the time, try one of ours." 
Well, I am glad I did. I financed my 2012 Porsche Panamera 4S and Tommy negotiated a price $6,500 better than the price I was able to find at various dealerships. Plus, the car arrived two months sooner than any other dealer could get the 2012 model. Need more? Tommy negotiated the over mileage bill from my previous lease from $7000 down to $4800. A great experience overall. 
George Tapinekis of Mount Vernon, NY
Inside Car Buying is the ultimate car buying company. Tommy took all the hard work out of car buying. His ability to find the best deals is amazing. Not only did he lower the quote that I provided him on the 2011 Infiniti G37X I wanted, he also managed to get me an upgraded car. I cannot thank you enough for the professional way that you handled my purchase. Tommy managed to work out all the kinks in my deal and stayed with me until the very end of the process. Tommy has a way of making you believe as if it was his money he was spending and not yours. You would be foolish not to have Inside Car Buying help you with your next car purchase. This service is worth every cent.
  • Joshua Brand of Tuckahoe, NY