Jam On! {GIVEAWAY}

It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away! Around now, you're probably checking your list to make sure that you've bought something for everyone, naughty and nice. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, friends, co-workers, teachers, babysittters, hairdressers, neighbors.... Wow, that list is endless isn't it? And you just realized you forgot someone, didn't you? Well, not to worry! I have the perfect gift for anyone you still need to buy for.

Homemade jams and jellies from That's My Jam! Cooked up in Brooklyn, each jar is made with organic and local ingredients and preservative-free. And the flavors are to die for! From Strawberry Rhubarb Jam:

And Grapefruit Marmalade:

To Habanero Jelly:

And Apple Butter:

There's something for everybody!

That's My Jam! began when Tux, a Brooklynite, was given 20 pounds of apples after a friend went a little crazy picking them in upstate New York. He made some apple butter and taught himself how to can it, and the results were so great that when his garden yielded way too many habanero chillies, he decided to use his new skills to create is his own jelly with them. Soon, friends were begging for his delicious concoctions and a business was born.

I can personally attest to just how yummy That's My Jam! is because Tux sent me three flavors to try out.

The Watermelon Jelly is a little slice of summertime in the dead of winter. It's got a subtle tang that made my mouth happy. And just look at the ingredients - it doesn't get any more natural than that!

The Pear & Ginger Jam is just as good but a totally different experience. It's richer and the little kick of spice from the ginger is divine. Tux suggests mixing it with some goat cheese, which I can only imagine would be a bit of heaven smeared on a bit of baguette.

Last is my personal favorite, the Vanilla Peach Jam.

If I had to choose two flavors I love the most, they would probably be vanilla and peach, so this combination made me do a happy dance. Spreading it on my morning bagel was like creating my own mini-peach cobbler, and believe me when I tell you that after sampling this, cream cheese won't ever cut it again.

Not only am I a fan of That's My Jam! but Gabrielle and Alaina are too. They've had Watermelon Jelly on their toast and Pear & Ginger Jam on bagels and there's barely a crumb left over afterward. They haven't had any of the Vanilla Peach Jam yet because I'm too greedy to share it.

I told Tux that after trying his jams and jellies, my taste buds wanted to thank him while my thighs were cursing him and his response was "Feel free to tell your thighs that there's no fat in jam, and that while there is sugar, it's much less and much more from whole fruit than the jams you find in the grocery store." That was all of the explanation I needed to help myself to some more!

Each 8 oz. jar is just $6, such a great value for something so good! Wrap a jar up in some cellophane and attach a gift tag (get some freebies over at out HOLIDAY FREEBIE FESTIVAL!) and it's ready to give. And just think of the cute messages you can use - "You're such a peach!" for the Vanilla Peach, "Something to Heat Up those Winter Days" for the Habanero Jelly or "A Gift that's as Sweet as You Are" for the Apple Butter. And why not keep a few jars wrapped and ready just in case someone gives you something you didn't expect? After all, there's nothing worse than getting caught empty handed! Now you know why That's My Jam! is one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS.

Get your order in by Sunday, December 19th and you're guaranteed delivery by Christmas. And Tux has a little present for one of you too!

One lucky AFOMFT reader is going to in three jars of That's My Jam! To enter, visit That's My Jam! and post a comment here telling me which flavor sounds tastiest to you (this is mandatory). For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook
• "Like" That's My Jam! on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does. You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway: It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT! #Win three jars of homemade jams - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - . You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post. Comments on Facebook will not count as entries. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends December 18th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on December 19th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Please note that That's My Jam! sent me three jars of jelly and jam for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. The opinions I've shared of their product are my own and yours may differ.

Images: AFOMFT & That's My Jam!

AND THE WINNER IS.... {DISCOUNT}

Congratulations TRIXX!  You've won a set of korkers and a set of mini bows from Two Little Birds!  Your are going to love these cute hair accessories!

Please e-mail me at afomft@gmail.com by end of day Monday, December 6th to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.  And a huge thank you to Melissa from Two Little Birds for this fun giveaway!  If you need cute holiday hair clips or bows for your little lady, you know where to look.

And that's not all!  Melissa is also offering AFOMFT a set of simple clips with every $10 purchase! 

Just mention AFOMFT in the message to seller box at checkout along with your color choice and they'll be included in your package.  Happy shopping!

Deck the Halls... and Bedrooms.... and Kitchen.... {GIVEAWAY}

The second I found out I was pregnant, I immediately started planning our nursery, and when we learned we were having two girls, there was one thing I just had to have in the room - a big ornate mirror.  So I tracked down an old picture frame, painted it in purple lacquer and hung it over the changing table.

Isn't it purdy?  Too bad what my blissfully ignorant novice mom self didn't know back then was that as soon as Gabrielle and Alaina were able to sit up, they would start grabbing and pulling at that coveted piece.  As you can probably guess, it was soon taken down, leaving a big, ugly empty space that's been taunting me for, oh, more than a year now.  I couldn't even bear to take a picture of that barren area to share with you because it shamed me so.  And then Mary from A Great Impression e-mailed me about her vinyl wall decals.  After browsing her site, I found the perfect replacement for my beloved mirror.

This scroll monogram design had the same ornate quality to it that I liked about the mirror but I wasn't sure it could fit two initials.  But after e-mailing with Mary, she created one with G&A just for me, and when it arrived, I couldn't wait to put it up!

I had never applied a vinyl decal like the one from A Great Impression before (all of the others in the girls' room are reusable so I didn't worry about screwing them application up) but I have to say, it was a pretty simple process.  Mary sends along very detailed instructions to follow that really help you out.  I'll admit, I'm, one of those people who scans the instructions and tries to skip ahead five steps to save time, but you really do have to do these in order.  All in all, it took me about 15 minutes - mostly by myself, hence the lack of photos - from unrolling the decal to having in place.  Not too shabby!  And look at how fabulous it looked once it was up!

I really love the detail in the decal. 

There are so many little pieces and scrolls and now that it's up, I don't miss the old mirror at all.

A Great Impression has an amazing variety of vinyl wall art to choose from.  There are designs for children:

Decorative elements for living or bedrooms:

And inspirational and other fun sayings to spread throughout the house.

And if you want to deck the halls in a different way this year, why not add some holiday vinyl to your walls?  You know I'm partial to this one:

But these two are festive as well.

A Great Impression can make their vinyl in 24 different colors and you an even use the Custom Wall Art Preview tool to create your own!  And you can always e-mail Mary to design something for you like she did for me at no additional fee.  Can't go wrong with that!

And best of all, the price is right.  The scroll monogram decal that Mary sent for Gabrielle and Alaina can be purchased for just $18.  Such a great deal for something that packs a big punch!  That's why the vinyl from A Great Impression is one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS!

I'm sure you'll be able to find the perfect vinyl design for everyone on your list but be sure to get your orders in by December 15th to guarantee delivery by Christmas.  Hmmmm.... that makes me think.  Maybe Mary can design a cute fireplace decal for me since we don't have one.  How cute would stockings look hung from that?  Too bad I can't enter to win this.....

Mary has generously offered to give away a $30 store credit to one lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, visit A Great Impression and post a comment here telling me what design you'll put it toward if you win (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to A Great Impression's newsletter
• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• Publicly follow A Great Impression's blog
• "Like" A Great Impression on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook 
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT w/ a giveaway-a-day all month! #Win a $30 credit toward fab vinyl wall art - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends December 8th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on December 9th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: AFOMFT & A Great Impression

Letters For Santa {DISCOUNT}

Before Santa arrives this year, I'm going to have to do a purge of Gabrielle and Alaina's toys.  They have so many and some they've outgrown, and while we'll give most of them away to kids who need them, it kind of breaks my heart how many of them will get tossed.  So I decided I wanted to try to buy them some gifts this holiday season that they'd be able to use now and keep forever.  Something that maybe they'd pass down to their kids.  And no, Dance Party Mickey doesn't count.

I knew I'd found exactly what I was looking for when I came across Drawn to Letters.  In addition to making fabulous Nursery Rhyme prints (I love this one!):

And sweet Personalized Art Prints:

Joanne, the lady behind the letters, also makes these wonderful Cloth Alphabet Books.

Each one spells out the child's name and is hand-sewn.

Joanne has illustrated each and every letter herself and then prints them onto fabric, and the last page has a special message just for the child the book is for.

Since Gabrielle and Alaina are obsessed with all things letters, I knew I had to order two of the Drawn to Letters books for them.  They came packaged in these darling boxes.

And when I opened them up, I gasped.  Yes, they were that adorable!

The books are 5.5 inches square and have a velcro closure so they're perfect for little hands and each page features a different illustration:

And the whole book also folds out flat so kids can look at the whole thing at once.

I had the dedication pages include "Merry Christmas" and the year so the girls will always know when they received them.

And best of all, they're washable!

Someday, when Gabrielle and Alaina are older and don't use their Drawn to Letters books anymore, I may pack them away or frame them to hang in their rooms, so they can share them with their children too.  Now that's a gift that keeps on giving, which is why the Cloth Alphabet Books are one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS.

I don't have any pictures of the girls playing with their books because they'll wrapped until the tree on Christmas Day but I can tell you from handling them personally that the quality is first rate.  They're soft and flexible and I know Gabrielle and Alaina will enjoy folding and unfolding their books while naming the letters.  And to me, a personal gift like this is so much more special than this season's "hot toy."  But guess what?  In honor of "Black Friday," Joanne has generously offered a discount exclusively to AFOMFT readers!

Get 20% off your purchase from Drawn to Letters today, Friday, November 26th through Sunday, November 28th by entering code AFOMFT when you check out.  Happy shopping!

Images: AFOMFT & Drawn to Letters

AND THE WINNER IS.... {DISCOUNT}

Congratulations ANGELA!  You've won a Handmitten from Haypenny!  Your hands are going to be toasty warm all winter with this great product.

Please e-mail me at afomft@gmail.com by end of day Sunday, November 28th to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.  And a huge thank you to Emily from Haypenny Design for this fabulous giveaway!

And for those of you who didn't win but want your very own Handmitten, Emily is generously offering readers of AFOMFT a 15% discount on their purchases through Sunday, November 28th.  Just enter code HAYPENNYHOLIDAY at checkout.  Your hands will love you for it!