Monday, May 31, 2010

Got Linky? Add yours to our Linky Directory

I love having a weekly link up devoted to giveaways here at STM. I find and enter tons of great giveaways i would not otherwise know about. But i also link up STM giveaways to linkys and have seen much more traffic when i do.
Have a giveaway linky? I am working on the STM giveaway linky directory. Feel free to comment here with the url and which day your linky is posted. You can also email me at jennette@smartandtrendymoms.com.

Oh yea and  our linky can be found on Mondays 

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Pillow Pets™ Plush Folding Stuffed Animals Seeking Summer Adventures


Show us where your Pillow Pets™ plush folding stuffed animal has been this summer and earn the chance to win one for ten friends!

All Pillow Pets™ plush folding stuffed animals love an adventure! This summer, show us the fun you and your favorite Pillow Pets™ plush folding stuffed animals are having on vacation, at camp, in your backyard – wherever!

WIN!! EcoMom Review and $20 Giveaway (Ends 6/4

One Lucky STM reader will win a $20 worth of Plum and or Revolution Foods
I love the idea of being more healthy for my family and kids.  And when it comes to food the more organic the better. I was excited to receive samples from EcoMom for my kids to try out. They liked

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Happy Wordless Wednesday


Tuesday, May 25, 2010

SodaStream

One lucky STM reader will win a Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit (approx. $100 retail value.) It includes the winner's choice of black/silver, white or red/silver Fountain Jet, CO2 to make over 100 liters of soda, 2 reusable carbonating bottles, a sample pack of flavors, and 3 full-sized flavors of the winner's choice.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Giveaway Reminder-Low Entries!!Ends 5/25

Reminder for the Fine Silver Ring Giveaway from Sea Babe.
Ends 5/25-Low Entries and 9 entries available!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Making Money with Sponsored Tweets

Just wondering if anyone else is using it? I have not been using it all that long and am already making money. It is super easy and you only tweet what you want. Check out Sponsored Tweets if you have not already


SponsoredTweets referral badge

Friday, May 21, 2010

Social Parade Important Updates (Going To Fridays)

Updates
Up till now Social Parade focused on different things every week. I received tons of feedback via email, comments etc.. I even noticed all the loyal Social Parade peeps that haven't missed a link up. You all are great. We have new linkers every week and I thinks its important to keep it consistent. With the few polls and things i have seen that, following a blog is the best way to conduct a "Social Parade". People like it, its easy and its an important resource to any blog. And that is why Social Parade is making a few changes and updates.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

D.I.Y. Gift Embellishments

Wrapped presents no longer have to be boring! I like making my presents loud and exaggerated. This time i am decorating gifts for my daughter. The color scheme of the party is black and pink. And as you can imagine there is no pink and black wrapping paper available.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Playtex Bra Makeover Contest


Do slipping straps, riding up backs, or not enough support have you ready to write a Dear John letter to your old bras? Apply for a Bra Makeover from Playtex! Seven out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra, which can result in an ill fit for the rest of their outfit, back and shoulder pain, as well as bruising and digging.

Monday, May 17, 2010

WIN!! A Fine Silver Ring From Sea Babe Jewelry(Ends 5/25)

One lucky Smart and Trendy Moms reader will receive a ring similar to the one shown.
Sea Babe Jewelry is handcrafted artisan jewelry from the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. They use 100% recycled gold and silver in their designs.
I was sent one their textured fine silver rings. It is beautiful and i love the texture and sizing was perfect. It came in a wonderful box ready for gift giving or for yourself. 
The ring is hand forged and fused from a piece of fine silver. You can choose from hammered, smooth and rough textured finish. Every ring is unique.
GIVEAWAY
One lucky STM reader will receive The Twenty Dollar Ring, Fine Silver Textured and Forged Ring !!
Mandatory Entry
(Must be done for others to count)
Extra Entries

Extra Entries
  • Tweet or blog about this giveaway-Leave the link in comment
  • Follow STM on Reader of choice
  • Follow STM on Friend Connect-Left Sidebar
  • Subscribe to STM via Email

Ends on 5/25 and is open to U.S.
I received a ring as shown for my opinion . Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclaimer

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Handmade Party Favor Bags or Lunch Bags

I have a super fun birthday party coming up for my 2 girls and by the time all has been said and done I still needed some party favor bags for our little guests. Looked everywhere with no luck in the colors and theme i wanted.

What is the theme you ask- Well the theme is there is no theme! I just know that the colors of the cake and decor is set to black and pink. I finally decided to make my own! I spent 5 bucks including all the paint needed and the bags.
I started with recycled brown bags-40/1.00:) and then used a black sharpie to create different things, Lady Bugs, Butterflies, Hearts, Swirls and a few boy designs. I love black so i start with solid black and used paint with a fine brush to add color and detail to the bold black designs. I then stuffed with goodies and rolled the top under and used hole punch about 1.5 inch apart to create the ribbon holes. I again used black ribbon scraps to close with a bow.
What i really love about this is that no 2 are the same, You can even use these to pack your kids lunch. Your only limit is your imagination! I love the way these turned out and will forever custom make my goodie bags:)
Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclaimer

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Happy Friday Follow! New Followers Welcome!

If you are new here i am Jennette! I would love for you to follow while you are here! Leave me a comment and i will also stop by and visit you:)Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades!
They invite you to join them every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs.  It is all about sharing and having fun.

Friday Follow

WIN!! $25.00 American Express Giveaway - SuperValu Box Tops for Education (Ends 5/21)‏

I am so excited to be participating in the SuperValu Box Tops for Education‏ spark. I have been collecting box tops for years. It is a great way to help support your local schools.

In fact, every year 24 million parents and children join in clipping Box Tops to support their local schools. As a result, SuperValu shoppers helped participating schools earn more than $10 million in the 2008-09 school year alone!

To make it even easier to participate in the program, the SuperValu family of stores (ACME, Albertsons, Cub, Farm Fresh and Jewel-Osco) joined Box Tops for Education in creating a website that not only tracks your Box Tops contribution and the school´s redemption, but also offers recipes, coupons, store promotions and more.

From now through May 31, SuperValu stores and Box Tops for Education are giving you a chance to win 50,000 bonus box tops for your school. That´s a $5,000 value! All you have to do is register at www.GrowingLocalLearning.com, and click the link to the 50,000 bonus box tops sweepstakes*. You will automatically receive 5 Bonus Box Tops just for signing up!

*Please note that the sweepstakes is void in some states.
Visit www.GrowingLocalLearning.com and view the sweepstakes´ official rules
for more details.

After you´ve entered the sweepstakes, be sure to stick around and browse the website where you´ll find a variety of great offers on your favorite General Mills brands including Betty Crocker®, Old El Paso®, Totino´s® Pizza Rolls® and Pillsbury®. Once you register you can also find recipes that will earn you even more Box Tops and you can access coupons for the latest deals at your local SuperValu store! 


GIVEAWAY
One lucky Box Top collector will recieve a $25.00 American Express Card!!
Mandatory Entry
(Must be done for others to count)
  • Tell me how many Box Tops you think you could collect with a $25.00 American Express Card if you are the winner.
Extra Entries

Extra Entries
  • Tweet or blog about this giveaway-Leave the link in comment
  • Follow STM on Reader of choice
  • Follow STM on Friend Connect-Left Sidebar
  • Subscribe to STM via Email

Ends on 5/21 and is open to U.S.  
SuperValu and General Mills provided me with a gift card, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclaimer

Friday, May 7, 2010

{Tassimo}

I love my lattes- vanilla lattes in particular. I love having “coffee dates” with my husband at the local coffee shop too, but that is another post altogether. Anyway, I've tried latte-mix packets in the hopes of capturing some of the “coffeehouse feel” on the days that I don't get out for a latte, but I was disappointed; those mixes don’t even come close to tasting like a good latte. So, needless to say, when we got the opportunity to try the Tassimo T20 Home Brewing System, I was excited!



Here’s why - The Tassimo System brews single cups of a number of different beverages – coffee, hot chocolate, tea, espresso, cappuccinos, and lattes - each in about a minute.
The machine uses what they call t-discs, which are single-serving containers that hold the coffee or milk or tea. You put in the t-disc for the beverage that you want to make and the machine reads the barcode and uses the correct brewing time, pressure, the amount of water needed, and even the correct temperature for the drink you are making.  High tech.  Cool.  You can also adjust the strength of the coffee by pressing the button again at the end of the brew time.

I also love the fact that there isn't any mess. Everything is contained in the t-disc. You just lift it out and throw it away. I was initially a bit concerned about having to purchase the t-discs for the machine. I normally don't like anything that needs refills like that (Believe it or not I don't even have a Swiffer), but for this I really don't mind. There are some good prices on the t-discs online and when you compare the cost of the discs to the cost of coffeehouse beverages, it’s a good deal. It would be nice if there was some sort of refillable t-disc.  Not sure if that is possible, but it would be nice.  I tend to be forgetful and can see myself running out of t-discs.
The Tassimo quickly makes great drinks. The machine would be great for entertaining too – since you can make single cup servings of exactly what everybody wants. The kids love the hot chocolate; Hubby loves the coffee; I love the lattes and cappuccinos. We haven’t tried to tea yet. (I’ll update this review if we do – not sure if we will though because I love my tea kettle.) Overall, I was really pleased with the Tassimo Home Brewing System. I am especially pleased with the fact that I can have a great tasting latte at home!

I received a complimentary Tassimo Home Brewing System, a package of decaf t-disks and a package of Starbucks latte t-discs in exchange for my honest opinion.  I purchased additional t-discs myself to use in testing the machine. 

Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclaimer


Sunday, May 2, 2010

WIN! - Eclectic and Flirtatious Apron from Scarlet Threads CLOSED

With Mothers day coming I am so glad to bring you this giveaway! Scarlet Threads is a boutique that features products designed and produced by seamstresses in rural Asia. The vision and values of Scarlet's Threads is one that makes me very proud to be hosting their giveaway. There is no better time to make a purchase than now. Any mom would be lucky to receive one of their aprons.They can easily mail the package directly to the recipient.  Also, they have a special Mother's Day offer on thier Phoebe and Xiao Phoebe aprons... get both packaged together for a $5 savings!  Just order the package in their shop. Gift wrapping also available:)


Read the wonderful story behind Scarlet Threads
Like any piece of cloth, many threads came together to form Scarlet Threads.  For two years, we've made our home in a poor Chinese village.  We've spent a lot of time trying to reconcile the world we see around us with the one we know at home in the USA.

Here, we've watched families separated for months so that they can try to earn more money to pay back a loan they borrowed to pay for stitches to sew up a bad cut.  We've heard stories of families in our village who couldn't afford the medical care their children needed, and their children died.  Families who go without meals so that they can save money for their child to attend the village school.  In a heart-breaking succession, the stories go on.

When we moved to China in 2007, we came to work with special needs' orphans.  As we grew more involved in that work, we began to understand that in many cases, children become orphans due to poverty.  As we learned more and talked to people, we began to understand that so many of the social problems we saw were fundamentally rooted in poverty.  We believe that with knowledge comes responsibility, and we began to explore ways that we could help.

Before we moved to China, we learned about Fair Trade, a growing global economic movement that uses trading partnerships to alleviate poverty.  Quite simply, in traditional trade models, the artisan responsible for crafting the vase on your desk might have worked in a sweat-shop and been paid a few pennies for their work.  In Fair Trade, artisans are paid fair wages and provided safe working environments.  It's a revolutionary model that results in transformed communities and lives, and we've been looking for ways to launch a small-scale Fair Trade project to benefit our community.

In the summer of 2009, we met our first seamstress.  After doing a few small projects for us, we grew more and more impressed with her skill and attention to detail.  We learned that she wanted to do more work to help support her family, and our idea for Scarlet Threads was born.  With the help of others on our team, we now have our first collection of products, and the Scarlet Threads Boutique is now a reality.

We know that our village is full of other talented seamstresses, and we can't wait to see how Scarlet Threads grows! Thanks for joining us on this journey! When you support our vision by purchasing a product or spreading the word, you become a critical part of our story!


Find many great products at Scarlet Threads
Connect on Twitter and Facebook
GIVEAWAY
One lucky will receive the Phoebe Apron shown above! Its so pretty
Mandatory Entry
(Must be done for others to count)
For an extra+2 entries, suggest this page to your friends!!!

Extra Entries


  • Visit and tell me something you love!
    • Tweet any 1 of Scarlet Threads Items(limit 2 separate items and tweets
      • Tweet this Giveaway-Can be done 2 times daily-1 hr apart
      • Follow STM on Reader of choice
      • Follow STM on Friend Connect-Left Sidebar
      • Subscribe to STM via Email
      • Blog about this giveaway
      Ends on 5/12 and is open to U.S
      I received nothing for hosting this giveaway. Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclaimer


      Saturday, May 1, 2010

      Fantasy Jewelry Box Review and Giveaway-WIN item of choice*Up to $35 CLOSED

      Honestly i have not purchased all that much jewelry online. It has always been like clothing for me. Have to see it, hold it and try it on. That is until Fantasy Jewelry Box. I had the awesome chance to try out one of their items. I knew right away what i wanted to choose.
      I chose an adorable ring set called Antonia's Round Cut Imitation Diamond Wedding Ring Set. My current wedding ring set is big that i haven't worn it in years. When it arrived it came packaged ready for gift giving. I love the set. It looks amazing and the fit was great. And it shipped super fast. FantasyJewelryBox.com makes it so easy to get that something special from celebrity and designer inspired jewelry to faux wedding ring sets.
      Find all they have to offer here
      Connect with them on twitter.

      GIVEAWAY
      One winner will receive item of choice- Up to $35
      Mandatory Entry
      (Must be done for others to count)
      • Visit their website and tell me something that you love

      Extra Entries
      All are good for one extra entry!
        • Tweet this Giveaway-Can be done 2times daily- 1 hr apart
        • Enter any other giveaway -1 entry per giveaway
        • Follow STM on Reader of choice
        • Follow STM on Friend Connect-Left Sidebar
        • Subscribe to STM via Email
        • Blog about this giveaway

        Ends on 5/11 and is open to U.S.
        I received said product in exchange for my honest opinion. Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclaimer