The foam puzzle is a great way to cover the floor when you have little ones. Not only does it protect your hardwood or carpet…but also protects your kids from hard surfaces. $17.47 through July 29th! The cash register is a favourite toy around our house and is also on sale for 9.97 (reg. 19.99).
Posted in Deals, Decor, Gifts, sale.
– July 25, 2010
One of the best gifts I ever received with my first baby (The Boy), is still in use today and is so great for summer excursions. It is the Tuffo Water Resistant Outdoor Blanket with case. It is gorgeous, functional and comfortable. Perfect size. It even comes with us on the plane…to pad the airplane floor the kids sleep on. For trips to the park and to the lake, we love our picnic blanket. The only drawback is that you have to fold it a certain way for it to fit back in the case. Different patterns available at the Safety Superstore ($44.95). Makes for the PERFECT shower/new baby gift.
Posted in Cool Products, Gifts.
– July 19, 2010
Kids will love stacking and displaying their trains on this fantastic display shelf from Gifts By David. It can also be used for displaying rock collections, favorite toys and keepsakes. Fits Thomas the Tank Engine (wooden and diecast), Geotrax and other similar size trains. Square compartments are each 3″ wide x 3″ high x 3″ deep. Handcrafted and available in a few different colours. Display shelves for cars were also available but sold out and inventory is currently being replenished.
Posted in Cool Products, Decor, Gifts.
– June 21, 2010
Yikes! Father’s Day is on Sunday. If you are still looking for something special and inexpensive to make with your kids, here are some ideas:
Posted in Gifts, Ideas, Useful Info.
– June 14, 2010
In December, I surveyed teachers about their favourite gifts. The winners were gift certificates to malls and spas as well as personalized stationary. Losers were soaps, candles and chocolates…
Two personalized notepads from Honey Bunch are currently $23 for the pair and ship in 2 days. Each pad contains 40 sheets. Order this week and receive a furochic wrapping cloth for free. Simply enter the code furochic at checkout. What’s that? It’s a cloth you use for wrapping gifts instead of paper. Don’t worry, I didn’t know either!
Posted in Gifts, Ideas, Personalized.
– June 10, 2010
Always looking for gift ideas for boys over the age of 5… This is on sale at Masterminds for the next two weeks.
– June 9, 2010
The Boy is obsessed with Dora. My husband just constructed a tacky yellow plastic Dora house in the back yard. The boy climbs the roof of his Dora house and tells us that he is G-d. I am so pleased that he is having fun with Dora and that his ego is bursting…but would much rather see a classic teepee out there. They can’t climb on top of teepees. This one is from Etsy and costs $130.
Posted in Cool Products, Decor, Gifts.
– May 31, 2010
This is a personalized hand-stamped golf marker set which could be perfect for the dad in your family. It’s my daily Etsy find. However, I have to admit that I don’t know what the hell a golf marker is.
Posted in Cool Products, Gifts, Personalized.
– May 27, 2010
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 20th. Take advantage of Huddy Buddy’s huge spring sale while honouring dad with our “I’m just like my dad.” or “I’m daddy’s princess.” Little Chatterbox tees. Other designs available too, and all are just $12!
– May 17, 2010
Get 20% off beautiful silhouette prints from Honeybunch when you enter code may20 at checkout. This is a great local online boutique & store with lots of unique items. Promotion valid until May 29th.
Posted in Coupons, Deals, Decor, Gifts, Personalized, sale.
– May 11, 2010
Mother’s Day is coming up…if you want something a little more original than a flower bouquet, fruit arrangements always have the WOW factor! Save $5 with the above code.
– April 29, 2010
Don’t you think this is a good gift for your mom if she has lots of grandchildren?
Posted in Cool Products, Gifts, Personalized.
– April 23, 2010
Mother’s Day is coming up next month and if you are looking for something creative and personal, you might like this idea. Send the artist clear photos of the profiles of people (or pets??) and she will create this beautiful keepsake. See Stella & Hodge’s Etsy shop for more details.
Posted in Cool Products, Gifts, Ideas, Personalized.
– April 5, 2010
By far, Mabel’s Labels rank high on the Mamapicks chart of useful kids’ products. You can label everything from shoes to clothes with your child’s name. The weather is looking so good…and it makes me want to label sand toys (!). Enjoy 15% off your order with coupon code KIDS and you might get a little surprise with your order as Mabel’s Labels is celebrating their 7th birthday and adding goodies to random orders until March 17th!
Posted in Coupons, Gifts, Personalized.
– March 9, 2010
The Boy is now writing. He mostly writes lists of the names of the kids in his class. He often makes a dotted outline of a letter for himself (just like on the worksheets at school) and then goes over the dots. It’s quite charming. I recently thought about capturing his handwriting style as it develops over the next few years and decided to look for a way to create a font for my computer called The Boy. I found a website which generates personal fonts. All you have to do is give your child (or anybody else you want to create a font for) the printable sheet to fill out the letters of the alphabet. Then, you scan the sheet and the program generates the font for you. This costs $9.95. Click here to try it, it’s quite simple…and it’s a really nice way of saving your child’s handwriting, using it for various projects, and sharing it with them when they are older.
– March 8, 2010
Sometimes finding the right gift for the 7+ age group isn’t easy. This coupon may help!
– March 5, 2010
Once in a while, you buy a toy and it actually peaks your children’s interest for more than 1 day. This one (Pipe Builders) has been occupying both The Boy & The Girl for over two months! Who would have thought? They are always busy building letters, numbers, shapes and structures. I purchased the large tub of plastic pipe builders at an amazing American store called Lakeshore Learning (they supply educational toys, learning materials and craft supplies to schools, museums, playgrounds and regular families). If by chance you are in the US, you must visit! Some of Lakeshore’s products (Pipe Builders included), are available here in Canada through Wintergreen Learning Materials. The set includes 240 plastic pieces and is well worth the purchase!
Posted in Gifts, Ideas, Useful Info.
– March 2, 2010
Love this fine art print, personalized for a newborn. Created by an Australian designer (Freya Art & Design)…found on Etsy, of course.
Posted in Cool Products, Gifts, Personalized.
– February 24, 2010
From an adorable Etsy shop called Craft Pudding (gotta love the name!), come these amazing custom stamps for girls and boys. What kid wouldn’t love their own stamp? You know those hard-to-shop-for 9-11 year olds? This might be a great birthday gift for one of those… Mention that you heard about it through Mamapicks in the ‘notes to seller’, and receive a free surprise little stamp along with your order.
Posted in Cool Products, Gifts, Personalized.
– February 11, 2010
I didn’t know anything about the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga until Chantal Kreviazuk performed there a few years back and we went to see her intimate show (it was amazing). The Living Arts Centre is a place where community members of all ages come to delve in arts related courses, programs and entertainment. It’s like a super-high-class community centre.
The Living Arts Centre’s Wiggle Club, showcases great performances for kids. There are two coming up in March that you may want to buy tickets for:
Click here to find out more information about these and upcoming shows at this venue. To buy tickets offline, call the box office @ 1-888-805-8888
I think show tickets are an amazing birthday gift for a child and accompanying adult if you are looking for an original gift . If your own child is celebrating a birthday in March and you want to do something unique, you can have the birthday as part of the above performances… Call 905-306-6158 for more info on birthdays.
Posted in Activities & Events, Gifts, Useful Info.
– February 4, 2010
There is No Such Place as Far Away is one of my all-time favourite books. It is a beautiful and timeless keepsake for both adults and kids alike. The author is Richard Bach, who wrote Love Story. With beautiful water-colour illustrations throughout, this powerful story chronicles a spiritual journey through storms and mountains, to attend the birthday party of Rae Hansen, a five-year-old girl. The message is that if you want to be with someone who is important to you, you are already there. This book is a great gift for a child or adult who is moving away. It really shows how there is no such place as far away when you are friends.
Posted in Book of the Week (ish), Gifts.
– January 29, 2010
These gorgeous alphabet prints by Penny People Designs are the type of find that I want to share and keep to myself all at the same time. My son has one in his room and I can’t help but admire it every time I see it. I love the concept, the colours and of course…I am 100% into anything personalized (in case you haven’t noticed). The prints come in two sizes and fit into an IKEA Ribba frame which makes framing so simple.
Lindsay, the talented Toronto-based designer of the prints, just sent me information about an amazing promotion. For every 13×19 print that you buy, you will get one free. That’s a $25 saving! Shipping is $13, but will include as many prints as you like. To take advantage of this promotion, go to the online store and only place in your cart, the amount of prints you would like to buy. Upon checkout, enter the promotion “Buy1 Get 1 free” in the notes to seller, as well as information about how you would like to personalize your free print(s). This promotion runs until Feb. 3rd, 2010. Please note that everything on Etsy is in US funds.
Posted in Cool Products, Deals, Decor, Exclusive Discounts, Gifts, Personalized, sale.
– January 28, 2010
Those of you who know me, know that one of my favourite finds (ever!) are mini-cards by a printing company called Moo. They are very sturdy little rectangular cards that you can print anything on. I print photos of my kids…and Mamapicks business cards. You can use 100 full colour photos, designs or text to make business cards, mom-calling-cards, or gift tags for only $19.99. Mini cards can be kept in a sleek plastic mini-card holder which makes for a great gift. Definitely more original than wallet photos! Moo makes it easy to create with their friendly interface and great prices. Get 10% off on your first order with this code until Jan. 31st: RKZCMU
Posted in Cool Products, Coupons, Deals, Exclusive Discounts, Gifts.
– January 25, 2010
Only $10 for a set of 30 stickers. Cute, no? What a great addition to a birthday gift. There are lots of other silhouettes (for boys & girls) to choose from. Check out Nella Designs.
Posted in Cool Products, Gifts, Personalized.
– January 19, 2010
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FantaColor Junior has become a favourite around here. When kids turn 2, they seem to develop a real passion for sticking pegs into holes. The FantaColor Junior Basic comes with 48 plastic pegs, a transparent board and 16 different pictures which encourage and help kids apply colour recognition. I love this toy because it develops so many skills and offers an opportunity for focused, quiet play. Currently, you will find it on sale for $20.99 (down from $29.99!) at Grand River Toys. Which brings me to the next point – Grand River Toys is having a huge sale (30-50% off a great selection). The sale has been extended until Ja. 24th so make your order ASAP.
– January 17, 2010