Goodbye to Little Window Shoppe
May 18, 2009 by Emily · 62 Comments
My Dearest Window Shoppe Readers and Friends,
This post has taken me over a month to write - partly because this is my last post on this blog. I am so sad to announce that as of today, Little Window Shoppe is closing for good.
The decision was not taken lightly and was really hard to make, but a combination of factors came together that brought me to this post…very much wanting to spend more time with my family (I have a very busy two year old who needs more mommy-time), 
getting ready for baby #2 in November (I’ve been out sick for two months! But it’s totally worth it as we’re so excited to have a new baby come to our family), and finally getting ready for a move to a new state with my family this Summer (my hubby is starting a new job).
{Photo source: Wilson Library Reserve}
I have learned so much from blogging at Little Window Shoppe and will be forever grateful for the kind friends I have made and the amazing experiences that I have had here!! Thank you so much for taking time to make Little Window shoppe a part of your lives and for being such a fantastic community. And also, thank you for all of the nice emails and inquiries about how we are doing.
Before I say goodbye for good, I want to thank a few people who helped me along the way:
First and foremost, my husband Scott. He is an incredibly supportive husband and friend and was the first person to listen to my every idea and concern throughout my blogging adventures. He has also been Superman at my house and has cooked, cleaned, taken care of our two year old and helped me out while I was sick over the last seven weeks! I couldn’t ask for a better man in my life and I love him so much!!
I also wanted to thank Holly of Tutus and Turtles. She is so cool and listened and talked to me for hours on the phone as I worked out how I would end my Window Shoppe blogging days. Her blog has been an inspiration to me from the beginning and I think that her blog ideas rock!!
Finally, I wanted to thank each of the writers and contributors for Little Window Shoppe. Each of them had creative and beautiful ideas to share and I’m so grateful and honored that they wanted to be part of this blog with me. They have become some of my dearest friends and were the best group of writers a blog ever had! They even sent me tulips when I was sick (just about made me cry, I felt so loved).
Please visit each of their blogs to keep up with their cool ideas!
- Vanessa - her blog: I Never Grew Up
- Lauren - her blog: Supermom Central
- Michelle - her shoppe: Sweet Mady’s Paper
- Michaelle - her blog: Monkeys Momma
- Cassie - her shoppe: Madison Envy
- Kelly - her blog: Albany Mommy
Also, I wanted to leave you with a few additional recommendations of blogs I love - in case you are looking for new places to subscribe:
- www.simplemom.net - this is my absolute favorite blog to follow…it has the best family tips and ideas that make sense, the ideas are easy to follow and I just can’t get enough of its coolness.
- www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com - artsy, tons of crafts, diy ideas, printouts, and the best time-wasters ever.
- www.thepioneerwoman.com - recipes, photoshop tutorials, photography 101, down-to-earth life.
- www.makeandtakes.com - the coolest (and most creative) kids crafts ever!
- www.metropolitanmama.net - and for all you contest lovers, this Metro Mama has excellent giveaways all of the time - and she writes helpful articles with tips for parents. Love it.
There are so many more…but I think this is a great start.
If you want to stay in touch with me, you can follow me at a few sites:
- www.emilyjune.com (I’ll still be designing blogs and websites - starting again this fall).
- I’m also going to be checking in and updating my facebook page and my family blog regularly. They will have weekly updates of my family life and the cool fun things we are doing.
**If you want to stay in touch with me at my family blog or on facebook, just email me or leave a comment letting me know and I’ll send you the links.**
Thank you again for making this the best blogging experience I have ever had!!
Always,
Emily
My Inspiration Lounge
February 26, 2009 by Emily · 4 Comments
Have you heard of this site/resource? It’s called “My Inspiration Lounge” and is a resource for women packed with daily inspiration and information. It’s fun to visit and there are a lot of great site recommendations and tips to discover.
Misty is the girl behind it all and she says that she created it to be an online portal to useful, inspiring websites and articles so women can get on their way to taking action. “Small steps lead to big change when we reignite old passions, discover new ones, be the change, expand our minds and feel engaged.”
The Little Travelers Giveaway
February 6, 2009 by Emily · 374 Comments
Contest Update:
*We have a winner!! The randomly chosen winner for this contest is: #13 Kasey. - Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated - please stop by again as we have a new contest each week.*
Why I Love this site:
The Little Travelers website is one of my favorites. I love seeing pictures of their adventures, learning from their experiences and am always impressed with their upcoming destination. I believe they recently returned from Iran….
A few months ago I posted about their adventures and now they’re back for a giveaway! As a re-introduction to their excellent message, I want to share with you the original post:
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About Them:
The world is a book with immense opportunity to learn, where memories are created through hands-on experience and friendship is the common language. Truly priceless.
You can join The Little Travelers from your own home as they travel the world, meet new friends and explore new cultures and customs from Japan to the British Isles. You can experience their adventures to find Nessie the Loch Ness monster, learn about going to school in Japan or visit the home of Harry Potter! Each adventure is captured on DVD and will be fun for your children to watch to see what life is like in a new place.
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Dress Up Sets:
In addition to their DVD’s, they have super cute Dress-Up Sets made with Duppioni Silk - a luxurious fabric that has been the choice of princesses and emperors for thousands of years.
Win It:
The Little Travelers would like to giveaway a DVD and Dress-Up Set of your choice to a Window Shoppe reader ($60 value)!
To Enter:
Simply leave a quick comment letting us know which DVD and Dress-Up Set you would choose if you win. This giveaway ends on Sunday, February 15th at midnight PST. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced at this post Monday, February 16th. Good luck, everyone!! (Please feel free to read our contest rules for additional details)
(Optional) For extra entries:
- Are you a Subscriber? Just let us know you’re subscribed to Little Window Shoppe in an additional comment.
- And (Or) Blog about this giveaway and include your blog link in an additional comment (comments with links are temporarily held for moderation)
- And (Or) Stumble us: (www.littlewindowshoppe.com) and tell us your Stumble Upon name in an additional comment.
Eco-Friendly Art Supplies for Creative Kids
January 6, 2009 by Vanessa · 9 Comments
Stubby Pencil Studio is the perfect place to find eco-friendly art supplies that are healthy for your children and the environment. I placed an order for Christmas last year and we were so impressed with the wonderful customer service and high quality of the products.
Recycled Sketchbooks - Super earth friendly sketchbooks from 100% FSC certified post-consumer waste recycled, acid free and processed chlorine free paper and fully biodegradable glue and vegetable based inks. Various Prices.
Crayon Rocks - Made from non-toxic soy wax and tinted with natural mineral powders, Crayon Rocks make vibrant colors and beautiful textures. The pebble shape crayons are easy to hold and encourage the use of tripod grip to develop fine motor skills. 16 Crayon Rocks for $6.95
Smencils - Made from recycled newspaper wrapped around #2 graphite and soaked in environmentally-friendly fragrance liquids. Cotton Candy, Tropical Blast, Cinnamon, Watermelon, & Root Beer Set of 5 for $5.95.
Stubby Pencil Studio is my new place to buy all of my art supplies. They also have non-toxic toys & gifts, recycled cards and personalized stationery. It truly makes me feel good to provide my children with art supplies that I know are healthy for them as well as the environment.
Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up
A New Year - Tips and Ideas For Setting Goals
December 31, 2008 by Cassie · 8 Comments
The start of a new year is very empowering to me. I feel as though each January 1st is a fresh start and a time to start over and be better. I am sure many of you, as I do, use the beginning of a new year to set new goals and make a list of things you would like to accomplish in the coming year.
Here are some neat tips and ideas about setting goals for your New Year:
Goals:
Set a reasonable amount of goals. Having an endless list will usually leave you feeling like you have too much to do. Try focusing on 2-4 main areas and include subgoals within those areas. This year I have chosen 3 main areas of my life to better myself: Family, Spiritual, and Self.
One Word:
I love the idea of having one word to focus your goals and year on. A wonderful blogger, Tanja, wrote a neat post about her Word of the Year and why she chooses this method of goal setting. If you decide this route, why not have your word put on a charm to be a constant reminder? You can buy a Word of the Year Charm like this at Lisa Leonard Designs (pictured above).
Quote or Saying:
If you have a favorite quote or saying, you can center your goals around your quote. You can use the quote to guide you in making decisions, setting other goals or when transitioning through life changes (i.e. taking a new job, etc).
Hopes:
Use the things you are looking forward to this year as a way of goal setting. If one of your goals this year is to lose weight write on your list “weighing X lbs” rather than “lose X lbs”. Seeing that goal accomplished on paper sends positive messages to your brain.
What do you do when it comes to New Year’s Goals and Resolutions? Share your ideas with us!
Written by Cassie of Madison Envy
The ABC’s Go to the Zoo
November 3, 2008 by Lauren · 6 Comments
(If you’re looking to read about the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse Donation Experience - it’s just two posts back)!
Grab your kiddos, snuggle up in front of the computer and get ready for a fabulous trip to the zoo! There’s no end to the fun you and your children can have learning the alphabet with the amazing animals at Bembo’s Zoo (flash player required). I guarantee you will be mezmerized by this creative menagerie (with a great educational bonus!) My family has chosen the D-Dragon as our household fave - what’s yours?
You can bring the whole zoo home with you too! Bembo’s artist, Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich, has compiled his animals into a charming book as well.
Lauren’s blog: Supermom Central - tips, tricks and tidbits for the aspiring Supermom.
The Box Girls
October 17, 2008 by Emily · 5 Comments
Happy Friday! I LOVE Fridays and always seem to get so giddy and excited about the weekend. It’s a great time for relaxing, catching up, sleeping in, throwing parties and hanging out with friends! Do you remember looking forward to slumber parties? They were the best and I personally always looked forward to them, especially for the fun games and activities.
This little Slumber Party box of questions by The Box Girls, would be absolutely PERFECT for a sleepover. It is made just for this event and creates fun chit-chat and conversation as each girl participates and asks and answers the slumber party questions. So fun!
The Box Girls also have more little boxes like these for all kinds of parties and events including: family dinner parties, baby showers, birthdays, bridal showers, girls night out, office parties, Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays…and much more.
If you are lovin’ this idea, you can get your own here. Regular size boxes are priced at $20 and mini-size boxes are $7.
Sweet Shoppe: Exclusive Baby
October 15, 2008 by Emily · 3 Comments
Exclusive Baby is a boutique especially focused for your little ones. From green to luxury, many of the items you will find here are eco-friendly and hand selected so you can be sure to receive a great product.
My affordable favorites include the farm animal humidifiers (perfect for the dry cold season coming up), glittery wall art for the nursery (so pretty and colorful) and of course their hands-on books that teach.
Discount: Take 10% off with discount code: exclusive08
Journal Jars & “Between Me and You” Journal Giveaway!
October 13, 2008 by Emily · 126 Comments
I love starting out the week with a great Giveaway. A few years ago for my mom’s 50th birthday, we gave her a journal and a “journal jar” with all kinds of questions that she could answer in her journal along the way. It was a fun gift to give and we really look forward to reading her entries someday to get to know her even better.
While we’re on the topic of journal jars, I found a splendid little post with pretty journal jar pictures and great question ideas for making your own at The Jelly Journals Blog. Isn’t this a creative gift idea?
Journal Giveaway:
Sand Dune Books has a Family Journal Series that is really similar to the “journal jar” called “Between Me And You™ a few things I’ve been meaning to ask”. It is sure to become a family keepsake that you will cherish.
Inside each are fun, non-sappy, sometimes humorous questions and journal space for a handwritten response. They make PERFECT gifts that you can share with people you love and there are different books designed for each unique relationship, such as “mom”, “dad”, ”daughter” and more.
Discount: Save 10% on each journal until October 18th with code: LWS
Win It:
One lucky Window Shoppe reader will win their choice of any 2 journals! To win, all you have to do is check out Sand Dune Books and leave a quick comment or send an email to contest@littlewindowshoppe.com (with “journal” as the subject of your email) letting us know which 2 you would like to win. The winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday October 22nd and will be announced here, so be sure to check back to see if you’re the winner.
P.S. If you haven’t seen all of our other giveaways we have going on at LWS, check out our Current Giveaways link…we have quite a few you can still enter and we are adding even more to it throughout this week!!
Contest Closed *CONGRATULATIONS TO ”TobyeDavid” ~ HE IS THE RANDOMLY CHOSEN WINNER FOR THIS CONTEST! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED - PLEASE STOP BY AGAIN AS THERE ARE NEW CONTESTS EACH WEEK!*
Win It and Give It: Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse
October 10, 2008 by Emily · 324 Comments
Contest Update:
We have a winner!! Before we announce the name, we just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! This was the best contest Little Window Shoppe has ever had, we had well over 500 different entries between comments and emails and over 1200 names entered into the drawing with all of the extra entries!! We wish that we had enough dollhouses to give one to each of you.
Also we wanted to thank everyone who blogged about this giveaway and/or submitted your signature for the card we are giving to Primary Children’s Medical Center. It sincerely means a lot and you are very appreciated. There were 124 card signatures sent in by you that we will include. We are going to deliver the dollhouse to the medical center this week and we’ll blog about our experience on Nov. 3rd too…please feel free to stop by, we’ll include a lot of pictures. Happy Friday!!
*And the randomly chosen winner is: Kristen Smith of Snips Snails and Pigtails
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Want to enter to win a Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse and join us as we give one away too?
We are delighted to announce today that we have teamed up with Rookie Moms and Learning Curve to bring to you the Caring Corners Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse. In addition to entering to win your very own dollhouse, we are so excited to help you join us as we donate a 2nd dollhouse to a Children’s Hospital!
About the Mrs. Goodbee Talking Dollhouse:
The Caring Corners Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse is the only dollhouse that comes to life and encourages caring, sharing and preparing as your child plays! It has 12 big rooms; 400+ activities, songs, words and sounds; it helps children learn social and emotional skills through imaginary play and real-life experiences; and it is a 2008 Outstanding Product Winner! To see this dollhouse in action, please visit this Caring Corners link.
It is a seriously cool toy and it will undoubtedly bring hours of fun to your child’s life too. This is the kind of dollhouse that I dreamed about having when I was little.
Join us as we donate an additional Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse to a Children’s Hospital:
In addtion to choosing one lucky Window Shoppe Winner, we are also happy to announce that we have a 2nd Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse that we are going to giveaway to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. They actually just informed us that they are in need of one and so this works out perfectly for all of us involved.
We are planning to write another post about our donation experience on Monday, November 3rd and you are more than welcome to stop by again to see pictures and read about our donation experience too.
Lauren from Supermom Central and I are going to be delivering this donation and we want you to share this experience with us. When we deliver the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse, we are going to include a card and we would LOVE to add as many of your “thoughts and online signatures” as possible!
Win It & Give It:
For a chance to win your very own dollhouse ($80 value), please leave a quick comment or send an email to contest@littlewindowshoppe.com (with “dollhouse” as the subject of your email). The winner will be chosen at random on Friday October 24th and will be announced here, so be sure to check back to see if you’re the winner.
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(Optional):
If you would also like to participate and “add your name to the card” as we donate the 2nd Dollhouse to Primary Children’s Medical Center, please follow these easy instructions:
For FIVE extra entries:
- Please send us an email: (contest@littlewindowshoppe.com) with “signature” as the subject and let us know that you would like your name included in the card, you are welcome to include a little note or thought too (the note is optional) and we’ll type your name and/or note onto the card for you.
- Feel free to let us know exactly how you want your name to be written (first name only, first and last name, first name and last initial, family name) and we will make sure that it is included in the way you specify.
- Five extra entries only count when your ”online signature” is sent by email. Thanks!
For TWO additional entries:
- Blog about and link back to this giveaway
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