If your children (or grandchildren, or nieces, or nephews….) are into art like mine are, you’ll find Stubby Pencil Studio to be a tangible, visual (and olfactory) treat! It was begun in 2006 by Kate Rosenthal, and is pointed at stationery and art supply products that are both eco-friendly and child-friendly.

Stubby Pencil Studio’s product assortment is astounding and awe-inspiring. There’s something for everyone here! Take a look at a few of their spectacularly fun items:

There are tons of great gift ideas for adults, such as the ever-popular Envirosax in assorted colors & styles:

Recycled children’s stationery, such as Color ‘n Kids cards and card sets:

Eco-friendly art supplies, like E-color-gy washable art markers:

Terrific educational games such as the SpinnySpeller:

Kate sent over a fun assortment of goodies from her shop for my two little ones to create with and enjoy! They have been sniffing the Holiday Smencils and doodling with their coveted soy-based Crayon Rocks….and are so proud of the Made By Me vehicles that they assembled all on their own!

You need to bookmark Stubby Pencil Studio….it’s an all-around fantastic shop for art supplies of all kinds to use all year long….and right now, it’s a one-stop-shop for one-of-a-kind stocking stuffers! (They’ll even make it ultra-easy by gift-wrapping items for you!)

Win it! Kate at Stubby Pencil Studio has oh-so-generously offered one of my readers a $50 gift certificate to her shop! Imagine all of the neat items you could get! To enter to win, just tell me, in a comment below, one or two things from Stubby Pencil Studio that you’d most definitely purchase if you won. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Have fun shopping….and good luck!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congratulations to commenter #26, Lisa!

I am super excited to tell you today about my third arm: My BusyBodyBook. I’ve had a planner on my person since I was in 10th grade. I’ve had them all — the inexpensive drug store planners all the way up to the fancy order-by-mail planners. As my life moved in new directions (homeschooling, blogging, etc.), I realized I needed an organizer that was more categorical….a planner that could meet the demands I placed on it.

I received and began using my first BusyBodyBook last fall. LIFE CHANGE! This planner stood up where others fell short. As a preschooling-at-home mom and person who’s maintaining two blogs weekly, I was pleasantly surprised at how the BusyBodyBook kept me organized and on top of things — all the while keeping me in style!

The pages of the BusyBodyBook are broken up into weeks. The left side gives a space to “doodle” and write a master task list for the week. The right side is a blocked calendar, giving you five categories per day to personalize.

As you can see, the BusyBodyBook is customizable for whatever “theme” you would like to use: Health & fitness, teaching, general clerical tasks, blogging, whatever! The five categories I use are:

1) Shopping to be done, orders to be placed
2) Muses of Megret blog
3) Technical (computer problems to fix/updates to make)
4) Muse Reviews blog
5) Research items, homeschooling prep

The BusyBodyBook is available in two types: The academic year BBB (Aug-Aug) and the calendar year BBB (Jan-Dec). Each one comes in two different cover styles/designs, all four of which change each year. I chose the Grape design for this year. It came in the mail this week, and I’m breaking it in today!

BusyBodyBook also carries an undated grid calendar pad, which has a magnetic back for easy application to the fridge or a file cabinet! Also available is the BusyBodyBook wall calendar, which also has an expanded 7-column grid for the same easy, quick-glance planning! (And for more BBB news and info, check out the BusyBodyBook blog.)

You can purchase BusyBodyBook products from their secure online store, or via Amazon.com.

Win it! Courtesy of BusyBodyBooks, one of you can win your very own BusyBodyBook Personal & Family Organizer, a $17.95 value! Awesome! All you need to do is go over to BusyBodyBook’s website and tell me which one of the four calendar year options/cover designs you’d choose if you won. I’ll close the contest next Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck, everyone!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Congratulations to commenter #28, Paige, the winner of the BBB planner of her choice!

Want an extra-special something to tuck into your child’s Easter basket this year? Let me introduce you to The World’s Smallest Postal Service, thought up by Lea of Leafcutter Designs.

A teeny, tiny card arrived here last week for review. The Easter Bunny carefully packaged his card to the kids in an Easter egg full of green paper shreds. I marveled at the intricacy of the little envelope, all the way to the unforgotten detail of a minuscule hot wax stamp of EB’s initials.

The front of the envelope was addressed to the kids, and even had a tiny adhered “stamp” and postmark.

I was able to customize beforehand the Easter Bunny’s return address as well as what was written inside the card. You can truly make it as personalized as you wish!

Of course, also included within the package is a small magnifying glass so the letter can be read!

The tiny card from the Easter Bunny isn’t the only thing The World’s Smallest Postal Service can send for you. Any letter you wish to send can be transformed into “the world’s smallest letter” by Lea.

You can purchase “the world’s smallest letter” for $8 or an Easter Bunny-sent card for $10 from Leafcutter Designs. What’s more, she also does wedding, shower, and birthday invitations, as well as cards from the Tooth Fairy or anniversary cards!

Win it! Just in time for Easter, one of you will win a personalized card from the Easter Bunny to be sent to whomever you wish (within the US)! To qualify for an entry, you must go visit Leafcutter Designs and look at her other eclectic & out-of-the-ordinary offerings. Come back here and tell me another item that caught your eye and what you like about it! I’ll close the contest a little quicker than usual to ensure you have time to order for Easter; the giveaway will end next Monday, April 6th, 2009 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!

For the first day of the Valentine’s Day Gift Guide, I am showcasing some fun books, stationery items, and other paper treasures. Stay tuned for a special book giveaway later this morning!

These neat Valentags from Secret Agent Josephine’s Etsy shop can be cute little additions to lunchboxes, briefcases, or tote bags! Why not hide them all over the house? Or tuck one into a card for a friend?

Adorable personalized Valentine’s Day stickers from Autumn Leah Designs.

Free printable love notes from Tricia-Rennea Art!

Make an unforgettable Valentine’s Day photo book with Inkubook.

Love Letters of Great Men — a book full of letters written by countless notable historical figures.

Everyday Grace can make a custom coupon book for your sweetie.

One of my children’s favorite “I Love You” books: I Love You Because You’re You.

**And! Have your cards and such postmarked in Loveland, CO if you get them in the box before February 9th. **

Tiny*Prints can help you do just that.

Whether you are hosting an upcoming baby shower, announcing a new baby’s arrival, throwing that infamous 1st birthday party for your little one, or wanting to dress up your Christmas cards a little more this winter, Tiny*Prints is your one-stop shop for anything and everything lovely.

Words can’t convey the beauty of their designs. For instance, this is just one of their many birthday invitation styles. The colors, the spacing, the font — everything — positively irresistible.

Their baby announcements are equally as stunning. How would you like to announce the arrival of your newest family addition this way?

Holiday parties are going to be here presently. Tiny*Prints’ holiday invites are positively must-haves. Elegant dinner parties and festive Christmas gatherings would be so much more special if they had a lead-in like this one.

And don’t forget the Christmas cards themselves. Tiny*Prints’ holiday photo card selection is breathtaking — over 250 styles to choose from (but I betcha can’t pick just one). So, instead of tucking a photo into a store-bought card this year, why not let Tiny*Prints create a timeless keepsake card like this?

Tiny*Prints doesn’t stop here. Oh, no. They have hundreds more options for several other occasions and everyday uses. This thank-you card caught my eye immediately!

Want to win?

Tiny*Prints has generously offered one of you a $50 gift certificate to their shop.

All you have to do is go browse a while at Tiny*Prints and check out all they have to offer. Come back and leave me a (one) comment, telling me which card design you’d pick and for what occasion. If it’s too difficult to pick out one, tell me your top two favs.

U.S. entries only. I’ll leave this contest open until 11pm EST on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008. The winner will be announced the following morning.

Good luck!

I don’t know how or when I first stumbled across The Baby Gardner’s online shop, but I knew right then and there it must be added to my list of favorite places to shop for baby gifts online. There is not one thing within this shop that I wouldn’t love to have — even though my “baby” is now two years old. (*sigh*)

Vintage and vintage-inspired candy for the eyes, dreamed up and created by various artists countrywide….adorable cuteness around every corner….that’s what you’ll find at The Baby Gardner. Let me take you by the hand and show you a few of my favorite things:

The “Dream” Garland:

Mabel & Abel 3-Piece Layette Set:

Stork Delivery Baby Announcements:

Saddle Oxford Crib Shoes:

Deanna, owner and artist of some of what you see at The Baby Gardner, has graciously offered one of you a $15 gift certificate to her delightful shop. All you have to do is go on over, browse around, and come back here telling me one thing (not mentioned in my review) that you simply can’t live without. (It may be extremely difficult to pick just one.)

One comment per person, please, and U.S. entries only. Contest will run until 11pm on Friday, October 3rd, 2008. The winner will be announced the next day! Good luck!

(P.S. Check out The Baby Gardner’s Baby Bloggie for more cute items on parade, artist spotlights, and fun contests!)