You can find any ready-made card you want during the holidays, but a homemade greeting is a gift that your friends and loved ones will treasure long after the store bought cards have been thrown away.  Many people think homemade cards are cheap and time consuming.  Leave it to Martha to prove them all wrong!

A homemade card can be chic and stylish.  These Rick Rack Cards from MarthaStewart.com are fun and easy too!  Rick rack is such a classic embellishment…always something special and never out of style!  Visit MarthaStewart.com for instructions on how to make these and other homemade cards!

As usual, many thanks to our favorite crafty lady, Martha Stewart and her phenominally talented team for this wonderful holiday tip!

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

This week we’re swagging one lucky reader with our Favorite Dolls and Strollers from Corolle!!!  It’s a $250 value that ANY little princess will simply adore including a Bébé Chéri Doll, a Mon Premier Calin Candy Pink Doll, a Navy & Pink Carriage AND a Floral Umbrella Stroller!!!

To enter, go to www.Corolle.com and take a look at their products. THEN simply comment on this post saying what you love most about their products, their website or their company.  Entries without suitable comments will not be counted out of respect for our fabulous readers and our wonderful sponsor. Your feedback is valuable to our sponsors and is one of the reasons we are able to provide such amazing info and prizes for you!

You may enter once per email address per day as usual and EXTRA ENTRIES are available as always for blogging about us, referring new confirmed subscribers, and/or adding our button to your blog or website. Just leave a comment telling us how you earned that extra entry (plus any relevant info like your blog address or referral’s email address).  Please do leave separate comments for each, as your comments are your actual entries.

Every little girl needs the perfect doll (or maybe just a few), right?  We definitely think so.  We are of the opinion, as with everything else, that it’s always better to buy the best first and not just accumulate more ‘stuff’ in our lives.  It’s one of the main ideas behind Bellaziza’s Favorite Things actually: one or just a few of something that is truly unique, beautiful, and really well-made is ALWAYS better than a collection of whatevers that barely get played with or used individually. It is not only usually more economical in the end, but more environmentally friendly and promotes a healthy respect for all things and a pride of ownership in the hearts of our little ones.

Corolle is certainly no exception to this frame of thought.  Their lovely line of dolls and accessories is unsurpassed in both quality and beauty.  The detail and quality of each doll is magnificent from their signature vanilla scent to their clothes and accessories, they really are toys to be treasured.  We’re not the only ones to feel this way either.  Little mommies Suri Cruise, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Violet Affleck are all big fans of Corolle and have been seen with their babies everywhere from the French Riviera to the exclusive boutiques of Madison Avenue!

Our Favorite Corolle Dolls are the Bébé Chéri Doll (20″) and the Mon Premier Calin series of dolls (12″).  We also are completely in love with the Navy and Pink Carriage and the darling little Floral Umbrella Stroller. 

We found incredible deals on all of these products for you at 30% off retail or better on Amazon.com that even qualify for FREE SHIPPING!  Don’t you just love Amazon?!?!  Just click any of the links to take you right there.

The Bébé Chéri Doll, Suri and Shiloh’s Favorite, measures 20″ in length and actually fits into real baby clothes in size 3 months!  It is definitely life-like with it’s blinking eyes and real baby clothes.  It comes in a lovely little smocked jumper and is one of those toys that is sure to be loved and cherished for years to come by your little mommy.  It is recommended for children ages 3 and up.

The Mon Premier Calin line of dolls, Violet’s Favorite, are dressed in a variety of beautiful outfits and measure 12″ in length making them perfect as a first doll for your little baby doll!  Corolle offers a complete line of clothing, accessories and even nursery furniture and baby gear for this line of dolls that can be purchased separately and is sure to delight. They are recommended for ages 18 months and up.

We just love strollers here…big surprise, right?  When we saw Corolle’s  Navy and Pink Carriage it was absolute love at first sight…just like the first time we saw our family’s much loved Bertini 905 Bidwell Carriage!!!  The classic styling and real life-like features of this doll stroller are the absolute best and it is sure to please even the most discerning little mommies in their quests for the hottest and absolute best strollers…just like their mommies.  It includes a lift-out carry bed and converts to become a stroller (again, just like it’s older sister the Bertini:)!!!)  SO cute, trust us!!!

Now it’s not the Navy and Pink Carriage, but sometimes you need something a little more sporty and lightweight for those quick in-and-out trips around town!  Corolle’s Floral Umbrella Stroller is absolutely perfect for those days when your mini mama just can’t be bothered to drag the carriage out.  Sometimes less is more, right?  It’s perfect for the Mon Premier Calin dolls and even doubles as a great dog-chaser (so do warn Fido!).

Click on the links provided for more info on discounted pricing as well as the free shipping offer that applies.  For more info on the dolls themselves and all fo the other great accessories that Corolle offers, check out Corolle’s website, www.Corolle.com.

Also, check out their beautiful and innovative new Marie Doll in our 2008 Holiday Gift Guide (TOYS page 6)!

Marie is a 17-inch soft-bodied baby doll with hair to brush and with a special feature that enables her mommy to record and share messages of up to 1.5 minutes in duration!  How cool, right?

She says 2 sentences in 6 languages (French, English, Italian, German, Spanish and Dutch) to invite her mommy to record a message and to brush her hair.  She is dressed in the sweetest little pink and white dress with little pink bloomers underneath.  She’s the perfect gift for those jet-set tots with all of her international flair!

Jessica Alba visited Petit Tresor this weekend with her almost six month old daughter, Honor Marie.  There is no doubt that this celebrity mommy has fantastic taste!  She purchased an adorable yet modern crib and matching dresser from Muu.

We’re positive that daddy, Warren Cash, will approve of her lovely choice in furniture for Honor’s haute boudoir.  Ooh la la!

Congratulations to commenter #108, Rebecca, who is the winner of HOLIDAY SWAG from our fabulous 2008 Holiday Gift Guide sponsor EverythingButThePrincess.com, and to Subscriber Carey C. who is the winner of our incredible collection of THANKSGIVING SWAG!  Somebunny’s going to be very happy!!!

Please stay tuned for more of the best just for you including another great SWAG ALERT from another one of our fabulous Holiday Gift Guide sponsors along with our weekly SWAG ALERT!  The Holidays are here and we have a lot to SWAG you with!!!

Also, check out our Definitive 2008 Holiday Gift Guide to get lots of EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS, and a fabulous start on all of your holiday shopping this season!

This has to be one of the most wonderful gifts ever given and we wanted to share it with you!  It is from Oprah’s Favorite Things Holiday 2008 Show which aired last week.  There were so many fantastic ideas and it’s definitely something every one of you should check out when you get a few minutes.  CLICK HERE to see all of the highlights from the show, or read below for info on the Treasure Boxes!  We are so inspired!!!

“With three of her four kids in college, Connie has had to tighten her belt last holiday season. Instead of purchasing new gifts for her children, she found what money can’t buy—years and years of childhood keepsakes. Connie saved everything from a scrap of carpet from her daughter’s first bedroom to the letters she wrote home from summer camp. “I just kept throwing it in boxes and filing cabinets,” she says. “It was all over the house.”

To turn her scattered collection into beautiful mementos for her children, Connie purchased treasure boxes to hold each child’s memories. “I wanted it to be a piece of furniture that they’ll put on a shelf and keep forever,” she says. It took months to put together, but Connie’s children were touched when they received their mother’s gift. “I’ll always remember where I came from and what I am and who I am because of you,” her son Jay says.

To make your own treasure box, start by searching for all your children’s keepsakes. Be creative—from baby’s first footprints to your little Picasso’s artwork; science fair ribbons to grade school report cards, your children will love to relive it all.

Once you have your keepsakes, Connie suggests organizing everything by year using folders and plastic sleeves from an office supply store. Put it all together in a beautiful box—and if you look for coupons in the newspaper or online, you may be able to find boxes on sale at a craft store like Connie did!”

- Courtesy of Oprah.com