When we found Snowflake Gift Company it was love at first sight!  One of those “OOH!  What a GREAT IDEA!!!” kind of moments.  We were actually looking for baby announcements but found SO much more!

Do you have a special birthday party coming up?  A big event?  A wedding perhaps?  Will only something completely unique and custom-made do?  Snowflake Gift Company is the perfect fit for you then!  They custom design your card to perfectly fit your vision of your event whether it be welcoming your new baby into the world or inviting friends and loved ones to an important event.

Best thing beyond the excellent service and talented design?  These cards POP!  They all pop up just like a children’s pop-up book!  You choose how many layers, what images, colors, the text, and everything else.  It’s completely custom so it’s all up to you.  Don’t forget Snowflake for this year’s Holiday cards too!  They’re sure to catch everyone’s eye for sure!!  OH, AND THEY WON’T COST A FORTUNE EITHER!  Prices start from only a few dollars per card, and minimums are surprising low.  Call or email them for a free quote today and tell them we sent ya:)!

SWAG ALERT: One lucky reader will win their own set of custom designed cards from Snowflake Gift Company valued at up to $300!  Just tell us what you love about Snowflake Gift Company and we’ll enter you in for a chance to win!!!

You know how it works and what to do.  This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so.  Good luck to all and have fun with our newest ways to gain EXTRA ENTRIES!!!

EXTRA ENTRIES for this SWAG ALERT:

• Become our NEW Fan on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter as a NEW follower
• Retweet this SWAG ALERT on Twitter (don’t forget the ‘#’ Hashtag!!!) Only once a week though, and you must have at least 100 Twitter followers for it to count.
• Favorite us on Technorati
• Get creative and help us promote your Favorite site BellazizasFavorites.com!!!  You tell US how you do it (blog, social media, MckLinky’s at relevant sites, etc!!)

Make sure to enter all EXTRAS as a comment on this post or include the #SWAGALERT hashtag so we can track on Twitter!!  We always want to make sure that we get all of your entries!

Disclosure: We received a gorgeous set of cards as a sampling of
Snowflake's unique process and product.

It’s 10:30 Friday night at Chez Bellaziza.   The girls are in bed… and I am still thrilled over the Alice delivery that I received from UPS Santa earlier today.  Yes, I need a life.  I just love great service, saving time and saving money!  (That’s all!  No ‘lack of life’ here!)  I’m all about the premium product side of life, in case you hadn’t figured that one out.  I’m also absolutely the most value-obsessed consumer I know.  Although I can find value in luxury, my happy place is where quality and value intersect (*shout-out to Costco!*)  Without impressive amounts of both, I’m the queen of buyer’s remorse.

So Alice, dear Alice… I just love ya so far.  Here’s what UPS Santa brought me!  (Coincidentally he actually came to the back door, just off of the kitchen, and carried my daliceous goodies right in for me!)  Maybe he saw the “alice” on the box and thought he needed to take his service to the next level.  I toootally get it.

This is my Alice…

Not only did my new friend Alice send what I ordered, but what I forgot to order… in another box… for free.  “Always free shipping”, after all.  I’m in love.

All of my things were lovingly packed in a sea of fun and eco-friendly air filled pouches.  Inspiring.  Sounds like the mother of bubble wrap to me!

Carefully packed.  Full of care.  Care.  Full.  Yayee.

Alice, I love you for taping my fabric softener cap closed.  I love you more for using tape that didn’t leave it sticky.  I will love you most though… every time I hold said cap and think of how it could have been… sticky.

Personalized tape too?  What a diva!  But considerate, none the less.  I love the little tab you left me!

And here’s what Alice brought me… for $56.76.  But there’s more.  Remember?  I forgot…

… this, and it shipped.  Alone.  And that shipping was free…

as were these two handy oversize heavy duty ziplock bags that we will be reusing…

and a whole lotta these.  Should keep Isabella busy for at least a few noisy minutes!

See you soon Alice!  Thanks for saving me two trips to the store and a bunch of dough.  Love it!  BFF’s maybe?

Crista

Want to meet Alice?  CLICK BELOW and get $10 off your first order of $50 or more…

Handmedowns.com is a new online classifieds site for families!  You can buy, sell, give away or donate your new and “gently used” baby gear, toys, clothes, childcare services and more in a family friendly atmosphere!  They pull together and organize the best baby/child/mom listings from around the web AND combine them with handmedowns.com listings posted on one site to create a one-stop destination for busy parents.

BONUS: Check out www.handmedowns.com to buy celebrity hand-me-downs too!  Right now, they are featuring gently used items from Gwen Stefani!  All of her auction proceeds will be donated to Orangewood Children’s Foundation and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.  So you can do something good for a good cause AND score some really cool baby stuff from a genuine rock star’s home to yours!

This week’s second SWAG ALERT is going to make you say Yummm AGAIN!!! We are giving TWO lucky readers a full 1-year subscriptions to Relish! sweetly packaged with a Crate and Barrel spatula!

To enter, visit www.relishrelish.com and comment on this post with what you think about their company/website/product for your chance to win!

This SWAG ALERT will be open for daily entry until Monday, January 19th at midnight PST.  Our same fabulous SWAG ALERT rules apply, including EXTRAS, but if you need a refresher on the details just CLICK HERE or visit our “SWAG INFO” page by clicking the tab at the top right of this page.

Thanks to Relish! for sharing their fabulous dinner saving ideas with us and, of course, to you for reading BellazizasFavorites.com!

Also, be sure to check out the Praline Pork Tenderoin recipe that they are sharing exclusively with you, our fabulous readers, that is posted below…

Now wouldn’t it be just fabulous if in the middle of your day as supermom, that FAQ ‘What’s for dinner?’ no longer left you stumped???  Relish! is an online weekly meal planner with a dash of style and a whole lot of flavor and is a very welcome addition to our Favorite Things!!  We just love it, and we know you will too!

What we love most about this hip new way to plan meals is how incredibly easy it is to use!  It’s as simple as picking your faves from the weekly selections and Relish! does the rest!  Instantly you have a meal list, recipe list and grocery list ready to print!  Relish! offers the solution and the tools to help families get back to the dinner table, establish healthy eating habits and save money at the same time.  With Relish! by your side you will avoid that last minute rushing to the grocery store to find dinner… and of course the fast-food drive thru!  Doesn’t Sauteed Pork Chops with Pomegranate and Fennel Relish or Pasta with Carmelized Onions and Arugula and Lemon Garlic Bread sound better than heart-stopper hamburgers!?!

For only $7 a month, Relish! will provide you with the following amazing services!!

• Five dinners and sides costing about$85-$95 a week!
• All Relish! recipes require only 30 minutes or less prep time!
• Monthly freezer menus are included for those nights when you need something fast!
• An easy to use Recipe Legend helps you easily choose meals in each category like Kid Friendly, Quick, Vegetarian and many more.
• Extra menus for seasonal dinner parties and other specialties like desserts and horsdoeuvres provide recipe ideas for every occasion!

We all know that there is nothing like a family dinner to bring us closer together.  Another one of the ways Relish! will help you make your Family Night the coolest on the block is with their Dinner and Movie menus.  A meal and dessert plan is made to go along with your family’s favorite movies!  We loved King Fu Panda night with Jack Black Punch, Kung Pao Chicken, Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon, Chinese Noodles and Panda Cake.  What a creative idea and so much fun!

Check out Relish! on your own at www.relishrelish.com and you will see why it’s one of our Favorite Things!  The Relish! slogan sure has it right…Time. Food. Life.  Need we say more?

With this week’s SWAG ALERT, we are ready to help you accomplish your New Year’s resolution of setting your priorities straight and securing your family’s future!  To one of our readers, we are giving away Alexis Martin Neely’s book, Wear Clean Underwear AND the Kids Protection Planning Kit, a $500 value!!  We are ALSO giving away 5 copies of Wear Clean Underwear AND offering the Kid’s Protection Planning Kit for half off to those 5 lucky readers as well!!

To enter, visit www.wearcleanunderwearbook.com and tell us what you think!   Are you highly prepared (phew), moderately prepared (hmmm), or not prepared at all (yikes!)?  Tell us how this product would help you in whichever category you fit into.  Comment on these questions and what you think about the company/website/product and you’ll be given your chance to win!

This SWAG ALERT will be open for daily entry until Monday, January 12th at midnight PST.  Our same fabulous SWAG ALERT rules apply, including EXTRAS, but if you need a refresher on the details just CLICK HERE or visit our “SWAG INFO” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page.

Thanks on behalf of Alexis and her great team for your feedback, and of course for reading Bellaziza’s Favorite Things!

Every Mom has said it at one time or another, but this mom/lawyer/author took the phrase to a whole new level when she wrote the book appropriately titled Wear Clean Underwear! A Fast, Fun, Friendly – and Essential – Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents.  Alexis Martin Neely is the ultimate multi-tasking mom that has saved the day and eased our minds when it comes to making sure our kids are taken care of in the event of a tragic death in the family.  With the new year beginning, what better time to set things straight in this area of your life… the most important, by the way!

Have you ever wondered what would happen to your kids if something tragic happened to you or your spouse…or both of you?  We like to focus on pretty things here at Bellaziza, but our kids’ safety is always our number one priority, and we know you feel the same way too!  That’s why we wanted to take a moment on the serious side to tell you about this informative book.  But don’t get bummed out!  Once you read this book and make some easy adjustments to your legal documents you will feel great and your family will be protected!

In an easy to read format, Wear Clean Underwear helps you discover in simple to understand terms exactly what would happen to your kids in your current emergency plan, what would happen if you had no plan at all, and what would  happen if you took the time to be prepared.  It’s an absolute must-read in our opinion.

There is much more than just a paper back book though.  You can also purchase a Kids Protection Planning Kit.  This binder is full of informational instruction on setting up your will and other legal documents (which it actually includes!!) and also comes with a Free Family Planning Session with a Family Wealth Planning Institute Personal Family Lawyer ($750 VALUE) among other things!!  You can purchase the kit at www.kidsprotectionplan.com/kit and while you can not put a price tag on keeping your kids safe, at $497 we think it’s a small price to pay for a complete kit that brings this level of peace of mind for yourself and your family!

Many thanks to Tasha L., one of our fabulous readers, for this great find!  It really is such a great idea and the perfect gift for any little artist!

Art2Believe takes your child’s original artwork and recreates it into a doll, pillow, or even does custom work to whatever you would like!  Take a look at www.art2believe.com and you will see lots of beautiful examples of their work.  What better way to preserve those precious little drawings or to show your little Picasso just how great you think their masterpiece is?

Have you ever been in a bind for a great gift but weren’t exactly sure what to get?  With kids you can just do an age-appropriate toy and call it a day if you need to, but we think that a Custom Made For Kids Book is your best bet.  It’s very unique and appropriate for kids from birth to age 8.  You can purchase a gift certificate for one and then they (or mom and dad) get to have the super fun experience of creating their own!  It will then be printed and sent in the mail which is even more fun – doesn’t everyone just love getting a special package?  It’s also a great answer to a gift for those kids who seem to have everything, without breaking your bank at only $32.95 at www.custommadeforkids.com.  

Books are always a perfect gift.  This book beats all though, truly capturing your child’s memories and personality all in one beautifully illustrated package.  We were also impressed by the creativity of the illustrations, the quality of the paper and it’s durability.  Being that they are made to preserve these memories of childhood, we loved the fact that they were so well-constructed and thoughtfully meant to last throughout the years.

Sarah and Sarah, owners of Custom Made For Kids have created a very unique product, and one that will help capture the memories of childhood for your family.  Until August 31, they are offering 20% off of your own order with code adventures20 too!  Take this opportunity to check out their website and order one for your family.  We really do love ours!

We just wanted to pass this GREAT resource on to all of you online shoppers!  Did you have any idea that you can actually get PAID to shop online?  YES, and we are talking real hard cash!!  Okay, they send you a check in the mail, but that’s pretty incredible if you ask us!  Hooray Ebates.com!!!

It’s so easy too!  You can shop at any of the normal places that you would shop online, just get there through clicking their link to whatever site you are going to shop on at Ebates.com before you go!  You will then receive a percentage of what you spend into your Ebates.com account – that’s your Ebate Rebait!  You just sign into Ebates, connect to the website of your choice via their link, and you paid!  

There are also some super deals that you will have access to exclusively through Ebates.com like the $25 off code that they gave me at Bloomingdales.com.  It had no minimum purchase, so I bought my $45 sandals for only $20!  I also received 7% of the total of my purchase back into my Ebates account!  Now that’s an incredible deal.

Trust us when we say that it is definitely a must have for anyone that shops online!  Not only for the cash back, but for the access to the best online discount codes.  Could you ask for more?  YES!  For a limited time get $5 in your Ebates account just for signing up!  Just click on any of the links posted here to get going!

I just wanted to forward around a really fantastic site to help all expectant and new mothers who are breastfeeding.

This site, www.awomanswork.com is an absolutely wonderful resource for breastfeeding mothers and even has a center located in Houston, TX that offers different classes and support groups for all sorts of mom-ish things. I remember when our little Isabella was born and I would have found this to be extremely useful, so enjoy:)!

Not only are they one of Houston’s premiere children’s and maternity boutiques, but they also offer lots of very unique and useful services that I never would have known where to find like…

• Telephone and in-person lactation consultations with a board certified lactation consultant.

• Personal assistance with the purchase of nursing supplies and clothing.

• Custom fitting of Houston’s largest selection of nursing bras.

• Personal assistance with the rental or purchase of breastpumps.

• Scheduled appointments available for personal breastpump set-up and use.

• In-store baby weighing 7 days a week and weight tracking software for the first 2 years of life.

How helpful! Great job Woman’s Work team! If I had only known about you 20 months ago, and lived in Houston;)!

Visit them at www.awomanswork.com for more info.

Baby Grace Baby Planner in Rockwall, TX is definitely a location that every mom and mom-to-be in the Dallas area should know. They are really taking the ‘experience’ of preparing for baby to a whole new level! First of all, their selection of products is unparalleled in this area from the classic Italian Inglesina prams to the simply gorgeous selection of everything else that you could possibly ever need or want. Think ‘nursery of my dreams’ and that is what you will get at Baby Grace.The other thing that makes Baby Grace so unique is the way that they incorporate their services into your experience. Their “Gathering Room” is the most lovely place I can imagine to have a baby shower, including an RSVP service as well as sparkling juices and their signature Baby Grace Cake! The best part is that everything is taken care of for you by Baby Grace’s owner Rhesha Landers. Her class, taste and sense of style are exquisite and Baby Grace is definitely something to be experienced! See www.bellaziza.com for location and contact information and make sure to tell them who sent you!