I am always looking for new healthy snack ideas for our daughter to bring to school and for me and my husband to keep in the car for when the commute turns into a traffic nightmare and stomachs begin to grumble. I’ve recently discovered Peeled Snacks and they are quickly becoming a favorite around here. My personal favorite is the much a do about mango but there are lots of varieties, including apples and cherries. (Big benefit? No added sugar!)
$19.99 for a pack of 10 at Foodzie.com
Scatter a field of flowers or a flurry of dragonflies on any wall in your home. Designed by Marion Lanktree and sold by Umbra, the tiny sculptures have special snap-on connectors that allow you to hang them with just a thumbtack. The polypropylene blossoms come in a mix of five sizes, so you can arrange them any way you see fit. Choose from stark white, deep pink, black, kiwi green, or chrome; they’re perfect for a hallway, foyer, teen’s bedroom, or even a bathroom. The brushed-nickle dragonflies also come with several sizes in a set, and are striking by themselves or arranged around other artwork.
$21 for a set of 25 white, pink, black, kiwi colored flowers, 20 chrome flowers, or 20 brushed-nickle dragonflies at Umbra.com.
This handy little hub is a practical work of art. It’s compatible with all USB drives, has four ports, and provides up to 480 Mbps data transfer speed. Use it to connect a mouse or a portable hard drive to your laptop — or as a conversation starter on a business trip.
$8.99 (usually $19.99) plus free shipping at Buy.com.
Do you love doing craft projects with your kids but can’t always come up with new and fun ideas? I’ve recently stumbled upon this absolutely awesome website called Cut Out + Keep, where thousands of people share their craft projects and easy-to-follow directions for doing them on your own. This will definitely earn me cool mom points!
I know it’s a terrible cliche, but there’s just something about a fabulous new pair of shoes that makes me happy. Of course, I can’t just go buying myself a new pair of shoes anytime I need a pick-me-up… or can I? Thanks to 6pm.com’s daily deals, I can afford a sassy new pair of kicks a lot more often than I might otherwise.
Today they’ve got a slew of Circa Joan & David shoes at 75% off. That’s not quite your style? Okay, they’ve also got Grasshoppers, Softspots, Helle Comfort, and Dr. Scholl’s on special as well (just to name a few). There’s truly something for everyone, and you’ll need a new pair of shoes for Valentine’s Day, right?
This low-tech present is pleasingly retro: A set of paper dolls and pets you can dress and display. The set comes with 12 people and 12 animal friends, as well as stencils for clothes and accessories and a stack of pretty papers from which to make them. Paper colors and patterns vary.
$19.95 at Paper Source.
Leave the wintry weather outside and bring a burst of color to your front door with this gorgeous doormat by gardening gurus Smith & Hawken. The deep red coir rug is hand-woven and embellished with a filigree pattern reminiscent of wrought iron.
$19.99 at Target.
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We were at a gift store this weekend and my five year-old daughter spent about 20 minutes playing with this Buddha Board. You dip the brush in water, paint on the board, and in a few minutes it dries and you can start all over. Minimal mess, maximum fun.
$34.95 at PlanetHappyKids.com
Categories: Good Reads, Great Deal, Great Gift Ideas, Kid Stuff
Now through Valentine’s Day, surf on over to the Scholastic Store Online and you can save big; coupon code AFFVDAY will give you an additional 20% off and free shipping on your $25+ order.
Scholastic is best known for books, of course, but they also have educational kits, toys, DVDs, and more. And if you check out the Sale section there’s plenty of cheap ways to fill up your gift closet so you’ll never have to do a frantic shopping the night before a birthday party again.
And I don’t know about you, but I don’t need too much encouragement to buy books for my kids. Savings like this are just a little added bonus.
