Splish Splash!

I haven't shared this before, but I'm part fish. Yes, you read that correctly. I have always loved the water - as a child, even filling up the bathtub in my dollhouse at home was exciting to me. I used to stand for hours at the sink in my bathroom playing with bathtub toys (that was last week, until my husband made me promise to stop getting water everywhere). My daughter it seems, has also inherited my fish-like qualities and love of the water. She has never hated baths, and actually some of her first smiles came during bath time. She is drawn to puddles, lakes, pools, ponds, and even the dog's water bowl.


Thanks to Team Mom, we recently had the chance to try out some new water lovin' toys - the Aquadoodle Draw 'N Doodle and Bath Blizzard from Spin Master. Let's start with the Aquadoodle Draw 'N Doodle - hailed as the no-mess art solution for toddlers. I've got to say, it's great. I have given these as birthday gifts a couple of times now and everyone raves over them. I had never actually tried one out myself until this week, and I love it as well. You can just fill the pen with water and anywhere you write turns blue. When it dries, it turns back to white and you can start all over again. It also has these really awesome tutorials all along the outline of the map to teach kids how to draw different shapes. I also found some sponges that we had in different shapes, like a teddy bear, and when we wet those and pressed them to the mat, they showed up too. Pretty cool, right?


The Bath Blizzard is a product that I was tempted to try out myself. When you hang it on the bathtub it creates mountains of bubbles that fill the tub and provide endless giggles! It took about a week before I remembered to stop to get 4 "C" batteries to make it work. Once I did, we tested it out during bathtime one night. It really does work, and it's pretty neat. I noticed that the bubbles are bigger than the typical soap sud bubbles, but they were bubbles nevertheless, and that made Little AG happy. My only complaint is that the Bath Blizzard only comes with a strap to hang on the faucet and no suction cups. Since we have a cover over our faucet, it would be more convenient for us if it had a way to suction to it the wall instead. However, it's not a toy we are going to use during every bath time, just on occasion, so it's definitely something I can work around. Overall, it's also a pretty cool toy and it definitely made bathtime more exciting!

I really liked both of these toys from Spin Master. I will continue to give the Aquadoodle as a birthday present when I can because I like it even more now that I've had the chance to see it in action. The Bath Blizzard is really cool too, and is perfect for all water babies (or mamas!). The AquaDoodle retails for $24.99 and the Bath Blizzard retails for $19.99.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

I couldn't resist posting about this quirky little item, called the "Bubble Calendar". Hailed on their website as the "perfect gift for the obsessive/compulsive in your life", the Bubble Calendar is a poster-sized glossy calendar COVERED in bubble wrap. You pop each day as it passes, and for your convenience, weekends and holidays are printed in bold.



I would just like to say that the moment this calendar arrived, I think I would have to pop each and every bubble. I'm not sure I could resist. It's like when I first started wearing contact lenses, I had to rip one of them in half just to know what it was like. Hrm, is that weird?

Anyway, if this novelty strikes your fancy, you can order them online, with various options to choose from. Prices range from $29.95 to $49.95.

The Greatest Show on Earth

I have fantastic memories of going to the circus as a child. I can remember crunching over peanut shells as we walked to our seats, and the wonderful smells of cotton candy and popcorn filling the air. I remember being so excited when the lights finally came up and the show started -- it felt like it took forever in my little world! You know, it always seemed my parents were just as excited about the circus as I was. I'm sure it was more excitement about my excitement, but just feeling the happiness from them and the energy in the air made my circus experience feel so special. I treasure those memories more than I can say.

Apparently I'm not the only one with great childhood memories like those. The circus has had such an influence on us as Moms, in fact, that in a recent Mom Central survey, 88% of Moms regard it as a "not to be missed" childhood experience. To help start the family traditions early, the Baby’s First Circus program allows babies can receive a free ticket voucher that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date!

As Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey embark on their fall touring schedule, they want to offer you a 20% discount code for Ringling Bros. Circus. Please spread the code around to any of your family and friends who may live in the cities below: (Code: MCC)

Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008
Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008
Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008
Boston, MA – Oct. 8-13, 2008
Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2
Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008
St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008
Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008
Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009
Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Tell me about your childhood memories of the circus. Is it something you are looking forward to sharing with your children?

The One Hundred: Nina Garcia

I am a self-proclaimed fashionista. I enjoy trends, and I love to watch the runways at fashion week, but overall my style tends to be more classic than trendy. I am fairly skilled at knowing which trends just won't work for me, and good at knowing which ones will. I recently had the opportunity to review a book that I almost instantly fell in love with, a book that seemed to be written just for me. Obviously I know it wasn't, so in that respect, I felt I should share it with you, because it is a book I feel that anyone at any age could greatly benefit from!

If you're a fan of Project Runway, then the author of this book, Nina Garcia, needs no introduction. This is her second book, the first one being The Little Black Book of Style. This book, called The One Hundred, contains the 100 pieces that Garcia feels will remain classic pieces, the timeless items that every woman should own.

The One Hundred not only lists Garcia's top 100 items, but it gives women a starting point when looking to create a closet full of timeless pieces. Of course, she also stresses in the book the importance of self-editing -- knowing what looks good on you and what things will just never work. (For instance, her suggestion that I keep a pair of white jeans in my closet is just not one that I'm likely to take to heart.) I adore the suggestions of the perfect ballet flat, the monogrammed stationery, pearl necklace, and the pea coat, to name a few.

You can purchase The One Hundred on Amazon on sale for $13.97. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best style books ever written. It's going on my shelf right next to my Sephora Beauty Book!

Just the smallest sliver...

Tomorrow is my birthday (whhheeeee!) and we will, of course, be having a small birthday gathering for our family. Whenever my family and I get together in the same room and there is a cake present, everyone always wants a different sized piece, so my poor cake ends up looking like a jigsaw puzzle. I'm always repositioning the knife saying "like this?" to get that perfectly sized piece.

So, in honor of Rock Your Kitchen Week here on Chic Shopper Chick, today's nifty and cool kitchen gadget is the S-XL Cake Mould from Charles and Marie.
This solves the problem of the different sizes for different family members. And now, I'll know that when my grandmother says she "just wants a sliver" that I can just dive right in and cut her the biggest piece. Because she never means it.

Oh, and for kicks, I had to include the graphic from their website that showed the different sized stick figures that correspond to the different sized pieces. It's a good thing they included those to clear up what sized person should get what piece. I am not sure whether it is a bit offensive or not, but it is certainly still hilarious.

The S-XL Cake Mould is available at Charles and Marie for $33.

So what do you think of this Cake Mould? Would you use it or is it too frivolous for you?

Go Bananas!

Lately I have been finding all of these really neat products for the kitchen online. I'm not much of a cook, but these products are just too great to pass up, so I decided that this week will be "Rock Your Kitchen" week here at Chic Shopper Chick.

All because I can! (And because Wednesday is my birthday!)

So, for the first neat if not a bit odd product, I present to you --

The Banana Slicer!!

I know what you're thinking -- "Has she lost her marbles? It's not hard to slice a banana!" You're right, it's not, but how COOL is this slicer. Perfect for making your morning cereal all bananafied! (Or for calming down a starving child in a hurry.)

You can buy the Banana Slicer online on Current Catalog's Website for $2.99.

So tell me, what do you think? Would you use this slicer in your house?

Derrière la porte

I came home from France this time around with a renewed obsession for my favorite company, Plyones, and a new obsession for a company called "Derrière la porte" -- which makes stuff that looks pretty much like the stuff from Pylones, so maybe that has something to do with my love for it.

Anyway, I was surfing the french web (www.google.fr) for some more stuff by Derrière la porte and found this hilarious scale that says "Je suis une plume" (I'm a feather). HA! If you like the style of this, you will like all of the items on this website -- brightly colored and usually with French sayings. You can purchase this scale for 33 Euros (so roughly 50 bucks) but then you've gotta pay shipping to the US, which is gonna cost you another 24 Euros or so, but if you REALLLLY like it then perhaps it's worth it. (Or, ahem, if your birthday is coming up -- *cough, cough*) And don't worry, it gives your weight in pounds as well as kilograms, so no worries about the conversion rate.

Check out all of the great products at this website "Meomaly" -- I really love them! Click around and let me know what you love!

Chic Shopper Chick Giveaway: Ugly Dolls

This contest has now ended. Please check out our contest page for our current contests and giveaways.

Is it bad to start a review by saying that the product is just down right UGLY? Because really, they are. But they are so ugly they're actually cute! Of course, I'm talking about none other than the Ugly Dolls, those amazingly soft and plush figures that are eternally popular with celebrities and us common folk alike. Christina Aguilera has them in her son's room, and they are certainly beginning to replace the firetrucks and airplane motif for little boys rooms the world over.

I have to admit, when I pulled my first Ugly Doll out of the box, I was skeptical. It was odd looking, and perhaps a bit frightening. That is until Little AG in all of her 17 month old glory, cruised on by and snatched little Poe out of my hands, immediately collapsing onto the ground in a giant hug with him. After a bit of patting him on the back and petting him, she hopped back up, stuck his wing in her mouth, and continued to bop around the house, all with Poe by her side.

So now I'm hooked. If you had seen that same adorable display, you would be too.

Ugly Dolls are the brain child of the creative husband and wife team of artists David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. Ugly Dolls began as a drawing of a playful orange character known as Wage. Eventually Sun-Min sewed Wage into a plush figure as a surprise for David, and the rest is history. Since then, there have been many new characters and Ugly Dolls and have since turned the Uglyverse upside down!

So what do you think? Ugly or cute? I can't decide, but I do know that either way, I like em'!!

Win it! I am giving away one Ugly Doll in Original Size to THREE different Chic Shopper Chick readers. I have one Poe, one Gato Deluxe, and one Peaco to giveaway. To enter, follow the directions below.

• Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite stuffed animal or plush companion as a child. Then let me know which Ugly Doll you would choose if you won.
  
• Please leave a valid email address if you would like to be contacted if you win. Otherwise, winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch.
• If the winner does not respond within 72 hours I will choose a different winner.
• US entries only please!!!
• Earn extra credit! Choose one of the following for ONE extra credit entry. Any further attempts to woo me will be disqualified!
• Write about this giveaway and send me the link in a separate post.
• Subscribe to my feed and let me know about it in a separate post.

That's it! Simple, eh? This giveaway will end on July 27th, 2008 at 11:59 pm CST. So what are you waiting for? Start commenting!

Chic Shopper Chick Giveaway -- Growth Sprouts Tees

Back in April I wrote a post about how much I loved these snap tees for each month in baby's first year of life. I certainly wish that I had found them before Little AG passed the one year mark, because they are SOOO smart! Every month, when she hit the mark of being another month older, we would put her in a little outfit and take pictures of her so that we could remember what she looked like at one month, two months, three months, etc. If I would have had a set of these snap tees from Growth Sprouts/Culpeper General, I wouldn't have had to set the date on my camera -- I would have known how old she was just by looking at the pictures!



They offer several different patterns to choose from, so you can pick what suits you and your baby the most. They are all so adorable that I am having trouble choosing a favorite! Each tee is handmade on 100% cotton Gerber onesies by heat transfer. And, being the gift snob that I am, can I just mention that I think that this would be the most AMAZING shower gift??? Can you imagine the oohs and aaahs that this sweet gift will elicit when the parents-to-be unwrap it at the shower? A set of 6 tees sells for $40 and a set of 12 sells for $75. Check out their Etsy storefront of Culpeper General for more information!



To top it all off -- this is a small, family owned business -- they sell most of their products on Etsy -- and you know how I love to support both family businesses and Etsy stores!

Want it? Culpeper General is offering one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader the chance to win a set of 6 growth tees in their choice of pattern! Winner will be able to choose from either a 1-6 months set of tees or a 7-12 months set of tees! To enter, just follow the easy-peasy rules below!

• Go to the Etsy storefront of Culpeper General and look around. Then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which set you would choose and in what pattern!
  
• Please leave a valid email address if you would like to be contacted if you win. Otherwise, winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch.
  
• If the winner does not respond within 72 hours I will choose a different winner.
  
• US entries only!
  
• Earn extra credit! Choose one of the following for ONE extra credit entry. Any further attempts to woo me will be disqualified!
  
• Write about this giveaway and send me the link in a separate post.
• Subscribe to my feed and let me know about it in a separate post.

Good luck! This contest will end on June 30th, 2008 at 11:59 pm CST. The winner will be chosen via www.random.org and announced on here and on PRIZEY Fetch.

Happy Hostess

When hubby came home yesterday I had a surprise for him -- I was prancing around with one of these adorable Dorothy Aprons from Carolyn's Kitchen over my jeans and t shirt. When I saw these awesome aprons on Carolyn's Website, I fell in love with the Pink and Black one shown here. Don't worry, it's not all about fashion with me. This apron is fully functional -- it covers the necessary parts of clothing, and isn't lined, so it allows me to stay a heck of a lot cooler than those heavy, traditional aprons that make me sweat. The little pocket on the skirt of the apron is a really nice touch as well.

I also received the set of matching gloves, which are so nice! They are smooth white dishwashing gloves on the outside, but are lined with cloth on the inside, and trimmed in fabric to match my apron. I actually despise touching dirty dishes, even if it's my own, so these will get a LOT of use.

I do enjoy playing hostess to friends for dinner parties, so this will be perfect for those occasions, as opposed to my old beat up, burned in several places apron. What a nice change!

Hubby did ask the million dollar question when I was cleaning up last night in my new apron -- "Will this apron make you want to clean more?" NOPE. That would require some sort of re-wiring in my brain. But at least I will look cute while I'm not cleaning!

Grab one of these aprons in the color of your choice, or check out some of the other awesome apron designs over at Carolyn's Kitchen. This apron retails for $48 and the glove set retails for $22. Happy Hostessing!

Be Daring!

On Friday I received my copy of The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Things to Do, which is essentially a pocket companion (though, as my husband pointed out, probably won't fit in ANYONES pocket) to The Daring Book for Girls. When I opened it, I couldn't help but pour through it and oooh and aaaah about how great some of the ideas were. I absolutely love it. Each activity is detailed in simple, clear, yet concise steps, and is fairly simple to follow.

Some of the activities, like, "How to make a sit-upon" brought me back to my girl scout days. I also liked the section on "How to be a Spy" (complete with secret code maker), and the section on "How to have a lemonade stand" (plus a plethora of other "lemon" inspired snacks to sell with it.) However, my favorite activity, that made me a giddy little girl again, was "How to make a zip line". I all but made hubby turn the car around to head to Home Depot.

This book is so much fun, and is great for the set who enjoys reading, but is just as useful for the set who doesn't, because it provides so many great active things to do. I'm thinking this is the perfect gift for the 8ish girl set, as well as a great gift to any mom of an 8ish girl. Or, if you're like me and want to create your own zipline at 25, go ahead and buy it for yourself. You won't be sorry that you did.

Purchase The Pocket Daring Book For Girls: Things to Do by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz at (on sale) Amazon for $10.17

Super Soft Seating

I have been cyber-stalking these adorable "Nod Chairs" from (where else?) the Land of Nod since before Little AG was born. She was born in February of 2007, and in December of 2006 I started making a Christmas list for her for the NEXT YEAR. (Hey, I was 8 months pregnant and couldn't move much -- it seemed like a good idea at the time). Anyway, I have yet to purchase one, but I think that it's about time for me to do so. Today I found her kid-sized rocking chair, and she was so proud of herself, sitting in it like a big girl. It made me think that she would really like to have this.

My favorite one is this Pink Ticking Stripe Nod Chair, with Little AG's name embroidered on the back. If you don't like this pattern, no worries, choose from one of the other 13 available! It has a little pocket on the back to hold books, and a handle to carry it around with. It is a little pricey, at 105 dollars (includes embroidery, only $99 without), but kids can use it from ages 1-7, so it's a worthwhile investment (it breaks down to about $1.50 per month!). Let's see if I can use that to convince hubby!

Sex and The City: The Movie, The Book

***Warning*** The nice girl in me feels the need to tell you that the review below could contain spoilers of the movie. While I am not attempting out give out major plot points, some of it is necessary to get my point across. So if you don't want to know, please, click away now. Ok, enough nice girl, on to the goods...

I admit it. Last night I was one of the crazy girls with tickets to see the first showing of Sex and the City at exactly 12:01 AM. I had to get up early with Little AG this morning, and I got home at 3:30 am, but I didn't care. It was worth it. I LOVED IT. I am a fanatical SATC fan (but really, is anyone not?) and have seen every episode in order, from start to finish, starting at season one, ending at season six. I can't get enough. So, even though the reviewer from the New York Times doesn't agree, I was extremely happy with the movie.

I do feel the need to share with you that I arrived with 3 of my friends in the theater at 11:15ish for a 12:01 movie. We walked right up to the ticket counter and she printed out our pre-paid tickets in 2 seconds flat, and I'm all "maybe it was silly that we got prepaid tickets -- there's no one here". And then we walked upstairs. HELLO! There were women EVERYWHERE. It was sheer madness. We were ushered to the theater where our movie would be shown, and when we walked in I realized that 11:15 was not quite early enough -- there were no seats left except for the really bad ones. NONE. Not even 4 seats between 2 groups of slightly sketchy people. Who waits an HOUR in a stuffy theater for a movie to start? Apparently everyone but us. I swear we were the last group of people to walk through the door.

There were women in large brimmed hats, girls in stiletto heels and fab dresses, and a grand total of 5 men who must have been being blackmailed by the women they were with -- because there is NO WAY that hubby would have gone to a midnight showing of SATC with me. Anyway, my favorite part of the night, besides the movie itself, was when the woman next to us pulled a martini shaker and full-sized martini glass from her purse. She sipped cosmos through most of the movie. Seriously.

Well, today I received my copy of Sex and the City: The Movie and I have to tell you how much I love it. It goes scene by scene through the movie, and almost like a companion storybook, it tells the story of the movie, along with some commentary from the cast and crew. This book is awesome and is a must-have for all of my fellow SATC fans! Its a hardcover edition with 176 pages of pure bliss! Each page is filled with gorgeous color still shots from the movie and little snippets of trivia. I felt like I was watching the movie all over again!

To top it off, there is a section about scenes that didn't make the movie, and a COMPLETE listing of every outfit worn by the fab four in the movie (so that you don't have to scour the internet to find out about that awesome dress that Charlotte was wearing, or the bag that Carrie was carrying). Oh, and for you stalker-like folk, there is a listing of every on-location place used to shoot the film.

Really, this book rocked my world. Hubby will be saddened to know that I spent an hour pouring over it instead of washing clothes or cleaning the kitchen. Your copy of Sex and the City: The Movie is patiently waiting for you at Amazon -- and right now it's on sale for 10 dollars off, making the total price $19.77. So go, now, and grab one!

My Lucky Post

Did you know that it's unlucky to cut your hair on a Friday or Saturday? Or that you shouldn't change the sheets in your guest room until your house guest has been gone from your house for at least an hour? By the same token, you shouldn't turn down the sheets on a bed too early, for fear that bad luck might make itself comfortable there. And do you have mistletoe hanging in your house all year long? If not, then you should -- but make sure you only cut it during the Christmas season, and hang a new sprig each Christmas Eve.

I have learned all of these things plus so many more fun facts from reading "Luck: The Essential Guide". Ever pick up a book that is just fun to read, from beginning to end? Well this book is fun, no matter where you start reading it -- even if you start in the middle! Written by Deborah Aaronson and Kevin Kwan, "Luck" is a great conversation topic! We took a little two-hour road trip with some friends today, and we chatted a bit about the different topics in this book. I'm really not overly superstitious, but this book has been so enjoyable -- and since it is written in small snippets about specific topics, it's easy to pick up in the middle or just thumb through until you find a topic that really interests you.

I definitely plan to pack it in my carry on bag for my upcoming summer travels -- it would be great on the plane -- fun to read, but nothing too heavy or involved. It would also be a fun beach or poolside read! If this sounds like a book you would also enjoy then you can purchase Luck: The Essential Guide on Amazon.com for $13.57 and it will also qualify for free shipping on orders over $25.

You're gonna dig this!

How cool are these brightly colored garden tools from the Sarut group? They are made by one of my favorite (French!) designers, Créa Créa, and I think you would be the hit of the neigborhood if you were seen pruning with these babies. The garden shovel is $20 and comes in 3 different designs (my favorite is this red one), and these cool pruning shears sell for $30. Perhaps a bit pricey for "just" a garden tool, but hey, no one ever said it was cheap to be fashionable. I mean, is a Chanel bag "just" a bag? I rest my case. Check out these and lots of other cool stuff at one of my favorite online shops - The Sarut Group.

Chic Shopper Chick's Makeover!

Surprise! Chic Shopper Chick went out and got herself a much-deserved makeover! I am so excited about it that it makes me want to use phrases like "I'm over the moon about this design" and "I'm so jazzed that the new design is here" -- but I won't.

Seriously though, I contacted Judi at Doodlebug Designs and she was ever so patient with me. At first, I thought I knew what I wanted, but then I changed my mind a million times, and I was ever so nitpicky (hmm, is that a word?). She was fabulous and gracious through it all and had amazing ideas and suggestions! I had in my head what I wanted it to look like until I saw what she was able to do -- and I fell in love with her design. It is girly and chic, and even more than I ever imagined it could be!

With this new re-design I have new options as well! There is a section for featured reviews, a section that will be current with all of Chic Shopper Chick's amazing contests, and a section to post some info about my fellow blogging friends who deserve more than a link in my sidebar!

If you are considering a blog re-design, please check out Judi's website, Doodlebug Designs, for info -- she is way beyond reasonable, anyone can afford it -- even if it's just for a personal blog!

Ok, you know I'm just dying to know -- what do you think of it? Leave a comment and let me know!

Car Valet

I have been scouring the web as of late for travel stuff to help with our trip across the pond this summer, and I came across this awesome Car Valet by Alex! It adjusts to fit over the back of a car seat and has the little fold down desk so your kids can draw, do homework, whatever! It has little detachable pouches to hold crayons and other safe art supplies, and you can store paper in it when it's not in use. Personally, I think this is very smart idea, and I can totally see it's value! Little AG is still to young to use this, but I still love it! You can purchase one at Madallie for $29.95.

Playhut Megaland

Happy May! I'd like to apologize for not posting as much as I usually do these past few days. Hubby and Little AG are both under the weather, so I have been rather exhausted.

Ok, on to why you come here -- cool stuff!

I decided back in November that Little AG needed a ball pit to play in. I had read that they are good for development (plus I just really think they are cool, and would play in it myself if I could) so I set out on my quest for the PERFECT ball pit for Christmas. After weeks of looking and deciding, I settled on the Megaland set by Playhut. Yes, you read correctly -- I set out looking for just a ball pit, and ended up buying something called "Megaland" which is obviously a bit more than just a ball pit. But, considering how much I got for the deal, I thought it was worth it, and after reading all the reviews about inflatable ball pits I decided this was the best idea. So, for $59.99 she got a ball pit, two tunnels, and two additional cubes to play in. What a steal!

I had read reviews that the 50 balls that it comes with barely covers the bottom of the ball pit, so I bought an additional 200 balls to, ahem, supplement. Well, MegaLand arrived in a rather small, unsuspecting box. I could barely contain my excitement until Christmas Eve when we set it up. So, here is my only caveat: it really is mega. Should I have realized this? Yes. Were there measurements on the listing? Yes. But I was too excited to care.

After much wrangling with the gigantic hampster, er, human, playground (you think I'm joking but I can crawl through the entire thing and sit with her in the ball pit), hubby and I finally managed to find a spot between the sofa, dining room, and back door that the entire thing would fit. It stayed there for about 2 weeks until I broke down and cleaned out our guest room. Now, it no longer takes over our house and Little AG loves it. The balls are more or less all over the playroom and not in the pit, but who cares, I just close the door. It was a great investment and she can use it forever. So, if you are looking for a fun birthday present for your child of any age, check out Megaland at Amazon.com.

Creature Cover

I'm always looking for adorable little things to brighten my day, and I think this little Creature Cover may have done just that! This little fleece cover is meant to protect your cell phone, camera, iPod, or any other piece of small electronics that you have. It's adorable and inexpensive -- I think it would make a great add-on to any gift that you are giving. You can find them in a bunch of different colors at the Etsy storefront of Amy Jo's Handmade, for $5 each.

My other favorite item from Amy Jo is this way cool, way creative "Tooth Fairy". It comes with it's own special pouch to protect those little teeth under a pillow so that the Tooth Fairy can come to get them in the night. It is machine washable, and would make a great baby shower gift, don't you think? Plus, it's really so creative and original, you know everyone will just have to know where you got it. You can find a Tooth Fairy Pillow here for $12 or you can just have a look around Amy Jo's store.

A Better Mouse, A Cooler Click

Another adorable product from my new favorite website! You already know I flip for anything french, so when I saw this you know that I all but did a happy dance (and even if I did do a happy dance, well, I'd never admit it). Anyway, I think that these mouse and pad sets are adorable, and of course I flipped for the one with the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower on the mouse pad, plus "Paris" in lights on the mouse itself! Too bad I have a laptop, or I would have already ordered it! These aren't the only two patterns, so click on over and check these out. $35 for mouse and mouse pad at Pylones.