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
Heart to Heart Giveaway
March 13, 2009 by Emily · 442 Comments
Contest Update:
*We have a winner!! The randomly chosen winner for this contest is: #312 Genevieve - Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated - please stop by again as we have a new contest each week.*
I love writing reviews about products that make a difference, which is why I’m happy to share information about this beautiful Heart to Heart Necklace with you. It may look sweet and simple, but behind it is a meaningful purpose worth supporting.
Presented by the United Soybean Board, all proceeds from the sale of the Heart to Heart Necklace will support WomenHeart, an organization dedicated to promoting women’s heart health through advocacy, community education, and patient support.
This limited-edition Heart to Heart Necklace was created by top Hollywood designer, gorjana and is available at shopbop. If you’re interested in supporting this cause, please feel free to visit this link.
Win It:
One lucky Window Shoppe Reader will win a Heart to Heart Necklace ($45 value).
To Enter:
Simply leave a quick comment letting me know that you want to win. This giveaway ends on Sunday, March 22nd at midnight PST. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced at this post Monday, March 23rd. Good luck, everyone!! (Please feel free to read our contest rules for additional details)
(Optional) For an extra entry:
- Are you a Subscriber? Just let us know you’re subscribed to Little Window Shoppe in an additional comment.
A Chance to Give
December 8, 2008 by Emily · Leave a Comment
It’s always a treat to find meaningful opportunities to give to others - especially during the holidays. This holiday season, Macy’s wants everyone - to believe in and embrace the holiday spirit of love and charity. Writing letters to Santa Claus is an age-old tradition for children all over the world and Macy’s is collecting these letters in a special Santa letterbox at all Macy’s stores.
For each letter received, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Believe Meter will measure America’s belief, based on our collective spirit – including the amount of letters received and other current events that reflect the season’s generosity.
Baby Mia
November 6, 2008 by Cassie · 1 Comment
I have come across many touching stories since I have started blogging, all of which have made me so excited and proud to be apart of the blogging community. Today, I saw a story that I had to share.
“Mia was born with a dysfunctional heart and is on a waiting list in Seattle for a heart transplant. Mia has been patiently holding on for the past 3 months. But, she’s one of 8 babies in the Seattle Children’s Hospital on the Washington waiting list. In order to put Mia on other waiting lists, the McDonalds need $450,000.00 up front for the heart transplant. Sadly their insurance is falling short of paying for the surgeries and health care Mia has already received.”
Stephanie, a friend of the McDonald’s, is having a giveaway for a beautiful quilt on her blog in hopes of generating donations for Baby Mia.
It is things like this that remind me how precious life is and how we truly have so much to be thankful for. You can read more about Baby Mia on her blog.
Cassie’s shoppe: Madison Envy
Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse Donation Experience
November 3, 2008 by Emily · 7 Comments
About the Contest:
A few weeks ago, Little Window Shoppe held a giveaway called “Win It and Give It” where we teamed up with Rookie Moms and Learning Curve to bring the Caring Corners Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse to one lucky LWS reader. In addition, we also invited you to join us as we donated one to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah and today we wanted to recap our experience.
Thank You:
First of all, we just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thank you to everyone who blogged about this giveaway and/or submitted your signature for the card that we gave to Primary Children’s Medical Center. There were 125 signatures sent in by you that were included in the card! It sincerely means a lot and you are very appreciated.
This was definitely 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)!
The Response:
I was personally touched by the many thoughtful responses from you and happy to receive so many names and well wishes for the donation card. During this process, some of you mentioned hospital experiences of your own and as I read through your emails and websites, I was truly amazed at your strength and dedication through your difficult times.
I was also in awe of a large portion of you who mentioned who you would give the dollhouse to if you won! I must say, I wasn’t expecting that kind of response and realized through it all that the spirit of giving is very special and really does make a difference!
The Donation:
This was the perfect place to donate Mrs. Goodbee. When I delivered it to Primary Children’s Medical Center, they said that they were going to have a hard time trying to decide which department needed it most as there had been a couple requests for a dollhouse.
{The Polaroid Pic taken at the Children’s Hospital}
Most of all, this experience had a profound impact on me as a blogger and I can’t wait to do something like this again at LWS. I was so grateful to be a part of this giveaway and am very glad that you were able to join me in this donation.
Bloggers Give Back:
I’m happy to say that there are even more bloggers who are giving items to charity! To read donation experiences from other bloggers and get in on the action too, keep tabs on this new site started by Rookie Moms called Bloggers Give Back. This blog is a place where you can document your experience with donating an item that you received as a “free product review” on your blog.
It was started simply because they wanted to encourage bloggers to donate some of the excess items that are received to people who really do need them.
Hope you have a great week!
Need a Little Cash for the Weekend?
August 22, 2008 by Emily · 4 Comments
Avoid the garage sale route and make a little money when you sell your children’s gently used items to Children’s Orchard (it’s much easier and faster - although on a side note - I personally am a fan of garage sales and can understand if you enjoy the experience).
This franchise is located in various places throughout the United States and they want to buy from you! They like to buy and sell quality used and new children’s brand-name clothing, furniture, toys, and accessories. Children’s Orchard will pay you CASH and guarantee that it will be more than any other resale store in town can pay. And it’s convenient too, so you can either make an appointment or use their drop-off service and they will give you cash on the spot.
One cool feature I like too: if they can’t buy a particular item from you, they will happily donate it to charity for you (and give you the tax receipt).
Uptown Liz
August 20, 2008 by Emily · 2 Comments
As you know, I feel strongly about giving back in some small way and I love writing about places where your shopping can really make a difference. So today, I wanted to spotlight a website that also lives by retail philanthropy (the opportunity to purchase quality products that benefit worthwhile causes). Uptown Liz is a wonderful resource that was founded to promote products from companies whose proceeds directly give back to charitable organizations.
Ramona, the founder of Uptown Liz, created this company in memory of her 28 year old sister who died from a long and painful battle with breast cancer. To help fulfill her sister’s dreams, their mission is to “build a bridge between compassionate consumers and concerned companies in order to improve the world.”
A feature that I love about this site is that you can finds shop or stores by “cause” or by “product” - that way if you feel strongly about a particular cause, you have a list of all the places that support your similar goals.
Tees that Stand for Something
August 18, 2008 by Emily · 4 Comments
There are a lot of seriously cool onesies and tees in the world - and today I wanted to highlight two clothing companies for you that really make their tees stand for something.
Emily Allyn (aside from having the best first name ever!) is a toddler clothing company featuring original art that helps to express your baby and toddler’s every mood. You just choose your onesie or shirt style and then pick the artwork that fits your baby best. Is your little one a sweet pea? A pumpkin or a peanut?
How about a little Democrat or Republican? Yes it’s true, for babies and toddlers in the USA, you can now choose your favorite party symbol as one of the shirt designs from Emily Allyn…just in case you wanted to give your little future voter a head start for the upcoming elections. Prices start at about $20-$22.
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Tees for Change, a line of eco-friendly tees for men and women that inspire positivity, and are adorned with messages such as CHOOSE HAPPINESS, TODAY MATTERS, PRACTICE KINDNESS and EMBRACE CHANGE. They hope to inspire you to live your life with passion, purpose and positivity.
One of my favorite aspects of Tees for Change is their dedication to improving the environment. They have partnered with Trees for the Future so that each time you buy an eco-friendly tee, they will plant a tree. How’s that for spending your money wisely?! Your shopping really will make a difference here and it’s definitely something to feel good about.
Sweet Discount:
Take 15% off your order from Tees for Change! Just enter code: “LWS”. Offer expires August 31, 2008.
Giving Back - Every Little Bit Counts!
July 14, 2008 by Emily · 1 Comment
I have been inspired by so many great people lately that I wanted to move onto my next Window Shoppe project - to give back.
Little Window Shoppe Cause:
Naturally, parents want the best for their family, which is why billions are spent each year to provide them with the best products and opportunities. Sadly, there are many children and families who are living in poverty in the U.S. and abroad and they do not have these same advantages.
Join the Little Window Shoppe and be a part of giving back to children and families who need it most!
Your shopping can really make a difference. When you shop through the ShareASale Links located at the Little Window Shoppe, all of the money earned will be donated to Save the Children. This charitable organization aims to help children who are most in need throughout the U.S. and the world, and has a proven track record of making a positive impact through responsible giving.
We are passionate about education and believe that education is a vital component in helping children to achieve a lasting positive change in their lives. To help this cause, the Little Window Shoppe will contribute the donations specifically to Save the Children’s Education and Literacy Program.
About Save the Children:
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children’s U.S. Programs focus on under-served rural areas, where one in five children lives in poverty.
Save the Children is focused on providing high quality early childhood education services for children from birth to age five and literacy programs for children older than five. Yet for millions of children and youth in developing countries, education is beyond reach. Save the Children reaches the world’s most marginalized children, those who urgently need education to survive and thrive in more than 30 countries around the world.
Sweet Shoppe: Christa-Taylor
March 8, 2008 by Emily · 3 Comments
Gallery skirt: $43 ~ Cream Pleated skirt: $12 ~ Embroidery skirt: $14.99
Christa-Taylor’s bright colors and patterns caught my attention (just look at these adorable coats and skirts)! While I was trying to decide which skirt I liked best, I discovered that Christa-Taylor is not your typical clothing company.
donate:
In addition to their beautiful collection, they also want you to know about their “mission beyond business.” Christa-Taylor believes that businesses shouldn’t exist just to make money, so for each purchase they will donate 5% to help rescue orphans and widows in Ta Lam, Cambodia. The money that they donate will help provide them with shelter and warm blankets.
It’s nice knowing that you are helping others in need just by getting a few adorable clothes.
Featured Shoppes
