Lipstick to Crayons » Personalized

Memorial Quilt to Honor my Father’s Memory

lipsticktocrayons — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:22:11 +0000

My father, Roger L. Melton, Jr., died on April 30, 2011. It was somewhat unexpected and it’s still hard. As I said in my eulogy to him, he was my hero. He retired after 30 years as police officer and had a decorated (and sometimes colorful) career in law enforcement. I learned just days before his death, but unfortunately after he had slipped into unconsciousness, that he single-handedly prevented a Polaris missile from hitting a Navy aircraft. You can read about it here.

Now I have memories, photographs, a few videos and some other items that remind me of my Dad. I have some old police uniform shirts, a few medals he received while in the Army, some of his favorite T-shirts and the Sergeant’s badge from his police hat. I thought about putting these things in a shadow box, but then I remembered what I did with the baby clothes from my three kids. Campus Quilts turned those items into an absolutely amazing quilt that I will cherish forever. Here is a picture:

Campus Quilts makes t-shirt quilts, but they also make beautiful quilts from baby outfits, sweatshirts, socks, hats, and any other memorable fabric. So I figured why couldn’t they make a Memorial Quilt using my Dad’s things. So I contacted them and they said they could do it — Army medals, badges, T-shirts and all. Their sewing expertise is unmatched.

Once again, they’ve sent me the kit that describes exactly how to organize and number your items (you get to choose the order of your squares) and provides colors from which to choose for the sashing (an optional border around all of your quilt squares) and backing (the fabric on the back of your quilt). Or, you can provide your own fabric, which I might do this time. I haven’t decided yet.

I’m getting my items organized and ready to ship back to Campus Quilt. I might even email them a photo or two which they can transfer onto a white T-shirt and turn into a quilt squre. I have images of his letter commendation regarding the missile incident and my favorite photgraph of him in uniform.

I know this quilt will be among my most cherished possessions when it’s finished and is the best way I can imagine to display the things about my Dad that make me proud. As we move through this first year of milestones without him, I know it will provide me with comfort. For that reason, I wanted to share this with my readers. I think a Memorial Quilt would make a great gift for anyone who has lost a loved one. What better way to tell a grieving friend or family member that you acknowledge their loss and want to help them celebrate the memories.

Now stay tuned because you KNOW I’ll be posting pictures of my Dad’s Memorial Quilt as soon as it arrives. (And I’m hoping to have a new quilt ladder upon which to display it and my baby clothes quilt, too).

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$50 Snapfish Giveaway for Mother’s Day – Check out the Photobooks! – CLOSED

lipsticktocrayons — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 02:21:48 +0000

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I LOVE SNAPFISH PHOTOBOOKS! And what would make a better Mother’s Day present than a Snapfish photobook?

You can honor mom by capturing her favorite moments in a personalized photo book. You can even archive her favorite family recipes! Snapfish offers photo books with many creative layouts and a range of sizes including 8×11, 8×8, 5×7 and even 4×6 flip books, great for all occasions. And one of the really cool features of the photo books is the custom cover which lets you stretch a picture across the entire front cover (see the image with this post).

And guess what? I reccently discovered that Snapfish has integrated with Flickr!! This makes the photo book making process even easier. I am an amateur photographer of sorts — I’ve taken a few classes and I have 17,000 (no, that’s not a typo) pictures in my Flickr photo stream. I used to have time to have those photos printed and then spent hours creating beautiful scrapbooks, but with Baby No. 3, scrapbooking went out the window. Now whenever I want to turn my pictures into a scrapbook, I can create a Snapfish photobook and load the pictures right from my Flickr photostream. I no longer have to upload my pictures to two different places (Flickr, where I store ALL my digital photos and Snapfish for my photo books and photo gifts). Of course, you can still upload your pictures to Snapfish the “old fashioned” way!

Here are some other great Mother’s Day Gift ideas on Snapfish:

Leather bracelet with photo charm – Put mom’s favorite picture on a bracelet so she can wear it every day.

Sterling silver swinging locket – Looking for a gift she’ll cherish forever? Snapfish’s new sterling silver necklace with swinging locketallows you to display mom’s favorite photo in a locket that is sealed in a waterproof, UV-resistant coating to protect the image. Sent in a gift box, Snapfish does the wrapping for you.

Keepsake Box – Perfect for keeping all her prized possessions in one place, this beautiful keepsake box is made of dark-stained wood and features one glossy photo tile, measuring 5″ X 2¼” deep.

Hardcover Journal – Inspire mom by helping her record her special day and year with a personalized journal by Paper Coterie. The journal features a photo and several custom designs she’ll flip for.

Photo greeting card – Who doesn’t love a thoughtful greeting card? But why settle for one you can buy anywhere? Instead, show your appreciation for mom by sending her a personalized photo greeting card on her special day. Snapfish offers a myriad of selections with more than 3,000 designs. You can even create a recordable greeting card to show mom how much you care, whether she’s close or far.

Now here’s the best part about Snapfish and Mother’s Day — Snapfish wants to give one of my lucky readers a $50 gift credit to use on a product of her choice.

Giveaway Guidelines:

To enter the contest, you MUST subscribe to Lipstick to Crayons (subscribe button in upper right corner) and then comment below that you did so (or leave a comment telling me you’re already a subscriber). After completing this mandatory first entry method, you can gain additional entries by doing any or all of the following (but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do):

Blog about this contest.
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (You can tweet daily, but leave a comment for each time you do so).
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.
Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time May 2, 2011. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. The winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If the winner does not claim the prize by May 5, 2011, she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

USA residents only.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO NICOLE, COMMENT #7.

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Spread some “Snappiness” and Get $5 Credits to Spend on Snapfish

lipsticktocrayons — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 04:32:39 +0000

This week, Snapfish launched a new Facebook campaign called Spread the Snappiness, which will help you celebrate with photos and words the people who inspire you and when you do so, you each get a $5 Snapfish credit. That can buy:

A sheet of 20 photo stickers
Approximately 50 6×4 photo prints
Animated and 3D bookmarks
A Flipbook
Photocards
Collage prints

Now that you’re salivating, here’s how you can Spread Some Snappiness in Three Easy Steps:

1) Celebrate: Choose any person who has made a difference in your life this year to spread thanks, joy, or good wishes this holiday season.
2) Honor: Upload a photo of your most 2010 cherished memory with a short message to express how much that person means to them (including the e-mail and name of recipient). (Upload to www.facebook.com/snapfish — be sure to click the “Snappiness” tab.)
3) Share: Share the photo of your most cherished memory with the person whom inspires you the most and with the Snapfish family via Facebook. The photo and special message will be shared on that friend’s Facebook Wall and in the “Spread Some Snappiness” photo album.

For every photo and message shared by registered Facebook users, they will receive a $5 credit towards any gift on Snapfish.com (limit one per person). The recipient will also receive a $5 credit. Users will also have the opportunity to pick their favorite picture from the “Spread Some Snappiness” photo album. Additionally, for each photo and message uploaded in the “Spread Some Snappiness” photo album, Snapfish will make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation on that user’s behalf.

Want to spread even more Snappiness?

Vote: Pick your favorite picture from the Snappiness Photo Album, and click “Like.” The image with the most votes (“Likes”) will be entered into a drawing for 1000 free prints announced on January 7, 2011.

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Customized Puzzles for $12.95 at Snapfish

lipsticktocrayons — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 03:26:44 +0000

Snapfish has added some great new products recently to their wide array merchandise that would make awesome gifts for loved ones this Christmas. One of those products is the Children’s Puzzle by Frecklebox for $12.95.

I just made one of these puzzles for my preschooler for Christmas and I know she’s going to love it. Frecklebox personalized puzzles are unique and each one features the child’s name in different settings. I chose the Spring Smiles design for my daughter, but there are more than 30 other designs from which to choose.

The puzzles are printed in color on matte label with gloss film lamination, then transferred to 100pt chipboard. There are 20 pieces per puzzle. They are packaged in a reusable cardboard box with gloss label and the assembled puzzle size is 8″x10”.

I also recently made a collage fleece blanket on Snapfish with several poses from the family photos we recently had taken. Here are the pictures I chose to put on my blanket, which costs $49.99.

If you the like the idea of a collage blanket or other fun photo gift (photo canvas, calendars, poster, etc.) hurry on over to Snapfish. Each day until Jan. 1, they are offering a Deal of the Day coupon code and some of them have been up to 35 percent off!

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Christian Jewelry Made Incredibly Stylish – and Custom Pieces, too!

lipsticktocrayons — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:57:32 +0000

I have a new piece of jewelry that gets more attention and compliments when I wear it than my favorite piece of David Yurman. It’s a beautiful cross on a simple leather cord by kpWired Designs.

kpWired Designs is co-owned by Kim Plank and Maggie Robinson. Kim started the company about five years ago and began by beading different pieces for friends and family. Then she began using wire to create unique designs. As the demand grew, Kim knew she needed help if she wanted the business grow so Maggie joined in the most awesome madness. Together, they create designs that are made from lead-free solder wire, all hand-crafted, with each piece being unique. Many of the designs have a Christian or faith theme, such as this one:

Other designs simply are simply infused with a simplicity that is beautiful, such as this one:

And the prices are extremely reasonable, ranging from about $20 on the low end to the most expensive piece that includes swarovski crystals priced at $50. Kim and Maggie also design rings, bracelets and earrings, and they will do a custom piece for anyone who asks — also within those price ranges. I’ve asked Kim to work on a custom necklace for a group of my friends and she thinks it will cost about $25 for the solder wire design on a leather cord.

Obviously, the pieces are affordable (half the price of sterling, in fact, and they won’t tarnish), and 10 percent of the profits go to single Moms in the St. Louis area. (Kim and Maggie’s company mission is to create beautiful, unique and fun priced designs in the hopes that along their journey they can help struggling, single moms in St. Louis). That’s as beautiful as their creations, in my opinion.

So, if you’d like to order a piece from kpWired Designs, you can shop by viewing the photos on their Facebook page and then email them to place your order at kpwireddesigns@gmail.com. Or, if you live in the St. Louis area, you can email them to book a show or a personal appointment to view the items in person or discuss a custom piece.

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GIFT IDEA: Adorable Personalized Family Tree Christmas Ornaments

lipsticktocrayons — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:15:24 +0000

I’m one of those Moms who buys one new Christmas ornament every year for our tree. Often, I try to pick an ornament that represents the year, and sometimes I pick more than one. This year, I found the MOST ADORABLE Christmas tree ornament that I know I will cherish forever. It’s a personalized family tree by Robinjoysnest Personalized Christmas Ornaments.

These ornaments are painted wood Christmas trees personalized with the names and faces of your family members. Each face is personalized with hair color, style (long, short, etc.) name and additional personalization such as glasses or facial hair. You can have up to 40 faces on a tree (or a house) and even include the family pet. Mine has my grandmother, my parents, myself and my husband and our three kids, my brother, sister-in-law and their three kids, and my sister and brother-in-law and their three kids. Each family is grouped together with everyone’s names below their faces. The bottom of the tree has a family name plate. It’s perfect!

These ornaments range in price from $10 for up to eight faces to $30.00 for 40 faces. Each ornament is hand painted by Robin — owner of the company and a mother of four. So, if you purchase something from Robin’s shop, you can feel good knowing that you’re helping a Mom-owned business!

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Snapfish Coupon Code for Cards; Help Veterans

lipsticktocrayons — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:15:10 +0000

This Veteran’s Day, Snapfish is excited to partner with the Paralyzed Veterans of America MISSION:ABLE to celebrate the men and women who have served our country. Now through November 30, you can get 10% off your holiday cards when you use the code 4VETERANS—and 20% of all proceeds will go to Paralyzed Veterans of America.

You know how much I LOVE Snapfish, and as I promised, as a Snapfish Select, I will be offering you lots of Snapfish coupon codes and information on products in the coming weeks and months. Check out my post on the amazing Holiday Card Studio at Snapfish here and get started making your cards. Then use the 4VETERANS coupon code and help those who have given so much for our freedom!

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Made My Holiday Cards on Snapfish; 20 Percent Coupon Code! $50 Snapfish Giftcard Giveaway

lipsticktocrayons — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 02:28:59 +0000

I made my Christmas cards this week on Snapfish. I know. It’s not even Halloween yet. But I was so excited about all the new designs and card-making features on Snapfish, and I wanted to get them done before a really fun Twitter party on Tuesday (details to follow — you gotta come) and I had some great pictures from our recent trip to Disney, and . . and . . . and . . . .

I must say that this is my best Christmas card EVER! The new Holiday Card Studio on Snapfish has more than 130 designers and more than 3,600 new designs to choose from, so it took me awhile to decide what design I wanted. First, you can begin the process by choosing your holiday (Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah), and then you can narrow your search by religion, number of photos you want on your card, landscape or portrait orientation, color, design preferences, etc.

I decided that I wanted to send a flat card with multiple photos, so that helped me narrow my search a little. Still, I scanned through pages of beautiful, unique designs that met my criterion (did I mention they have more than 3,600 new designs from which to choose)?

But the choices that I had didn’t stop with my card design. Once I picked the design, I was able to decide if I wanted glossy, matte or writable stationary paper. Choosing writable stationary paper meant that I could pick a different layout for the back of the card — including the layout that I chose for the back which let me put EIGHT additional photos on my card!! And here’s another really cool feature about the Holiday Card Studio: You can change your mind as you work and make adjustments to everything from the design to the layout on the back to the text size on the front, etc. The cards are completely customizable. You can even make cards with recorded messages! Here’s a picture of the front of my card as I was making it:

Another thing I loved about the card-making process was the ease with which I could add additional photos to my library for making the card. As I was working, I discovered that I didn’t have a good picture of my son in his Boy Scout uniform, and it was so easy for me to add that picture to my library with a couple of clicks.

Photo cards start as low as 29 cents on Snapfish and greeting cards start at $1.45. But if you want to make your cards soon, you can use the code GNOHOLIDAY for 20 percent off your cards through Nov. 2. And you can leave a comment below about your holiday card traditions and be entered to win a $50 gift card to Snapfish to make your own holiday cards.

Now for the Twitter party details: Join me at Snapfish’s #gno Twitter party this Tuesday, Oct. 26 (9 – 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 – 10 p.m. Central) for more chat about photography and holiday card making tips and tricks. Click here for more details and to RSVP. (You WILL WANT TO COME before you make your own holiday cards).

Also, if you want to help spread the word about this fun Twitter party, use this tweet:

RT@momitforward Join @SnapfishbyHP #gno Twitter party Tues 10/26 (9-11 ET) 2 chat photog/holiday cards RSVP:http://bit.ly/aOMT1Y PLS RT

Giveaway Guidelines:

To enter the contest, leave a comment below about your holiday card traditions. After completing this mandatory first entry method, you can gain additional entries by doing any or all of the following (but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do):

Subscribe to Lipstick to Crayons
Blog about this contest
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (you can do daily tweets, but leave a comment each time you do)
Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
Stumble this post
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.
Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time Nov. 1, 2010. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. The winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If any winner does not claim the prize by Nov. 3, 2010, she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

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$50 Snapfish Gift Certificate Giveaway/Help Fight Breast Cancer – CLOSED

lipsticktocrayons — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:50:37 +0000

Snapfish (my favorite photo site) is contributing to the fight against breast cancer by launching its new Pink Gives Store, which will give customers the opportunity to purchase customized products including custom card designs from new Snapfish Publisher designers, as well as calendars, notebooks, notepads, cards, and stickers. For any purchase made, Snapfish will donate 30 percent of the proceeds to BreastCancer.org.

This is a very special promotion for Snapfish as in 2004, Natalie Long, director of product management, was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer; and in 2006, Lauren Patterson, merchandising manager, was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Knowing that self-exams lead to early detection, Lauren has encouraged friends and family to do monthly self-exams.

In support of the month, Snapfish is offering:

· Customized products including cards, calendars, notebooks, notepads and stickers available for purchase at the Pink Gives Store, where 30 percent of all proceeds from the sales will go directly to BreastCancer.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the most up-to-date, reliable, medically reviewed information on breast health and breast cancer to help those affected by breast cancer make the best decisions for their lives

To learn more about Snapfish and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, go here.

And if you’d like to win a $50 gift certificate to purchase pink products on Snapfish, enter the contest below:

Giveaway Guidelines:

To enter the contest, you MUST become an email subscriber to Lipstick to Crayons. The subscribe button is in the upper right corner of the site. Once you subscribe (or if you are already a subscriber), leave a comment below telling me you did so, and make sure the email address you provide is the one you used to subscribe. After completing this mandatory first entry method, you can gain additional entries by doing any or all of the following (but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do):

Blog about this contest
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (you can do daily tweets, but leave a comment each time you do)
Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
Stumble this post
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.
Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time October 26, 2010. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Winners will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If any winner does not claim the prize by October 27, 2010, she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

USA residents only please!

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO CONNIE, COMMENT #28.

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I’m a Snapfish Select!

lipsticktocrayons — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:17:17 +0000

I’m a Snapfish Select!! What does that mean? It means I am going to get to share with my readers all the amazing “goings on” over at Snapfish — my all time favorite photo-book-making, photo-printing, photo-sharing, photo-gift-creating, card-inventing Web site. And now their newly re-designed Snapfish site is uber user-friendly, and it includes video storage and sharing, too. Here’s my first video and an attempt at v-logging, which I hope to do more. (Yowza — that HD video camera shows a little too much, eh?)