FREEBIE FRIDAY: Country & State Art Prints

It's FREEBIE FRIDAY and today's featured printable comes from Jenna at Q.A. Design.  I've been trying to come up with something fun to do with a wall in the girls' playroom and when I saw her downloadable state and country art prints, I knew I'd hit the jackpot.

Aren't they fabulous?  I love the color combinations - just popping them in a simple white frame will make a huge impact - and with 65 different options to choose from, there are so many ways you could group them - states you've visited, the countries your family is from.... the sky's the limit!

Hope you enjoyed today's pick and for more fab freebies for the holiday and beyond, check out my Freebies and Printables boards on Pinterest!

A Fun Idea for Father's Day.... or Any Day Really!

I've got a few more Father's Day posts coming your way this week and today's is one of my favorites because it's an easy - and free! - way to show your love for dad.

Have you heard of Wordle?  I just stumbled upon it and can't get enough!  It's a site that helps you create you own "word clouds" which is basically art made from text.  You either fill in the URL of a place you want to pull the words from (maybe a blog or post) or enter your own, like I did here:

Then you click "GO" and Wordle will randomize the words into a "cloud" for you like this:

From there, you can tweak the layout, the color scheme, the font, the background color, even the language until you find the perfect combination.  (BTW, the words the program detects most often show up larger so keep that in mind if you want the sizes of your words to vary like mine do.)

It's a lot of fun to play with and the results are great for those of us who aren't Photoshop savvy enough to make something like this on our own.

So what does all of this have to do with Father's Day, you ask?  Well, why not create a personalized "cloud" for dad like this one I made?

There are so many ways you can use the "cloud" once you finish it - as a card, framed as a piece of art, the sky's the limit.  And the best part about your Wordle work?  It comes from the heart.  And the fact that it's free to use doesn't hurt either!

Pop-Tastic Wall Decals! {GIVEAWAY}

Gabrielle and Alaina just turned two and a half and visions of their big girl room have been dancing in my head.  I know it will be a bright and vibrant space - they're just not pastel-y kind of girls - and I've been bookmarking ideas and pinning them on my boards on Pinterest like crazy.  (Side note: if you haven't checked out Pinterest yet, get yourself over there!  It's a wonderland of eye candy you'll never want to leave.)  So when I found Pop & Lolli, I knew I'd hit pay dirt.  Just look at these fabulous fabric wall decals!

Are they amazing or what?

Like so many of my favorite shops and sites, Pop & Lolli was started by a mom who was frustrated when she couldn't find exactly what she was looking for.  In this case, the mom was Mia, a South African ex-pat who put her masters in Architecture to use working as an Imagineer for Walt Disney.  Um, can you say cool job???  But with a munchkin on the way, Mia was disappointed by the nursery decor choices she found and decided to leave her job to design her own products to fill up the blank walls she found staring at her.  The result?  Playful, funky and flexible wall decals that create an interactive and immersive environment for kiddos of all ages.  Mia likes to call it PICTURE POETRY - design as an opportunity for expression and exploration – and I couldn't have said it better myself.

What I love about Pop & Lolli is how many designs there are to choose from!  These ABC and 123 trees would be perfect for a playroom.

And I adore the whimsical animal sets.  There's the African Circus.

The Jiving Jungle Pals.

The Fantasy Forrest Critters.

And my personal favorites - the Fashion Farm Gang.

The argyle sheep slay me!

Pop & Lolli decals are made from fabric, and they're 100% safe for kids, completely non-toxic and made in the U.S.A.  They're also completely re-usable.  That's right, your little ones can pull 'em off the wall and stick them back up as many times as they want, so the sky is truly the limit in terms of what they can create!  Don't believe me?  Then check out the Cutesy Characters.

Adorable. But get this - munchkins can re-dress each one whenever and however they want.

They can even add thought bubbles!

And not to worry - there are Cutesy Characters for little dudes too.

You're probably already adding Pop & Lolli decals to your cart but just in case you need some more convincing, you have to see the accessory kits.  Your kids can throw their characters or animals a birthday party!

Or take them on a road trip.

They can even decorate for Christmas!

I mean, really, could you just die?

Unlike the regular vinyl decals, Pop & Lolli fabric decals have a semi-gloss UV protective coating which gives them a lifespan of 7-10 years indoors and 5-7 years outdoors so they can really grow with your kids. These decals have made such an impression, Pop & Lolli was nominated for a Cribsie Award the Nursery category!  Super impressive for a new company.

And while you're buying, you can also do some good.  Mia has started (it's) chic 2 change, a charity to help benefit children in her home country, so for every set of decals purchased, Pop & Lolli donates educational materials and resources to positively influence a South African child in need. You can't argue with that.

I've purchased my share of vinyl wall decals for the girls' nursery and while they were less expensive than Pop & Lolli's, they can't be re-used and aren't interactive, so if we move or the girls pull them off the wall, we're out of luck.  For their big girl room, I know where I'll be shopping!  

And I've got a nice treat for a lucky AFOMFT reader - Mia has offered to give away one set of the Pop & Lolli Tweetie Birdie decals!

The set includes 16 spunky character stickers and is valued at $67!  Just look at these sassy birds in action.

To enter, please visit Pop & Lolli and post a comment here telling me which of their wall decal sets is your favorite (this is mandatory). For additional entries:

• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook
• "Like" Pop & Lolli on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Vote for Pop & Lolli in the Cribsie Awards HERE
• 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: #Win a set of adorable re-usable fabric wall decals from Pop & Lolli @AFOMFT 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.
• 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.
• Donate $10 to the Red Cross to help the relief efforts in Japan by texting REDCROSS to 90999 (the donation will be billed to your cell phone bill).  (This is worth 5 entries so please post five separate comments saying that you made a donation)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway or five if you made a donation) 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. only and ends March 23rd at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on March 24th. If the winner does not contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: Pop & Lolli

Valentine's Freebie Festival: Day 3 {FREEBIES}

Another day, another pick from our VALENTINE FREEBIE FESTIVAL.  Today's featured freebie looks like a simple art print:

But this poster from It Is What It Is can also be trimmed and used as a candy bar wrapper.

A goodie bag topper.

Treat tags.

A card.

Or a sweet favor bag.

Talk about multi-purpose!  Download the printable Valentine's poster here at It Is What It Is and if you have a free Valentine's printable you'd like to share, enter it into the link up below!

*If you are reading this in via our e-mail newsletter or RSS feed, the link up won't show up. You have to visit the post on our website to view it.

DEAL ALERT: 11 x 14 Glass Photos for just $12!

You may remember my recent obsession with canvas wrapped photos.  Well, I've got a new photo fascination for 2011 - pictures printed on glass! 

I saw one of these in person and was totally intrigued so when Eversave offered a Fracture Save this week, I had to buy it.  Fracture is a site that prints your pictures directly onto glass, so essentially you get a frame and photo all in one.  But the best part is how low-profile the Fracture is.

Cool, right?  And get this - the edges are ground down so they're not sharp, the glass is laminated to make it  shatter-proof and because the picture is printed on the back of the glass, the image will never fade and it's scratch-proof.  And just in case, each Fracture comes with a lifetime guarantee.  Awesomesauce!

Besides the sleek look of the Fracture, I also love the price.  You can get a 5x7 for $8 and an 11 x 14 for just $25!  Compared to how much the canvas wraps cost, these are a bargain.

And here's where the deal gets even sweeter.  Buy the Eversave Fracture Save and you'll get a $25 credit for just $12!  I bought three of them (the max they'd let me!) and I can't wait to put together a gallery of pictures of the girls.  Maybe I'll even add in some of their artwork, too.  How fun would that look printed on a Fracture? 

But hurry - the Eversave Fracture Save deal ends tonight at midnight CST!  And here's one more perk for you - if you refer friends to sign up for Eversave, you'll earn $12 in Save Rewards for every first-time buyer who uses your link.  That means you could get an 11 x 14 Fracture for free.  Not too shabby!   

Holiday Freebie Festival, Days 14-16!

Okay, I'm totally behind on my HOLIDAY FREEBIE FESTIVAL daily picks but I've got two good reasons that I can't share just yet. Stay tuned for the scoop on why I've been so busy but in the meantime, here are a whole bunch of fabulous freebies in one post to cover days 14, 15 and 16.

Up first is this trio of Keep Calm art prints from Craftily Ever After.

You can download all three and hang them together like in the photo above or just choose one. Either way, you've got a simple and inexpensive way to make your house more festive in no time at all!

For some more wall art options, head over to Agape Love Designs for one of these two fun prints - Merry Christmas to All...

And Keep Calm and Kiss On.

Over at Occasionally Crafty, you can download Keep Calm and Jingle On.

And Kara from Mine for the Making designed a Jingle On print too.

With coordinating Get Your Hot Chocolate On:

And Get Your Smooch On prints too:

Aren't all of these fun?

If you have a free holiday printable you'd like to share, enter it into the link up below!

*If you are reading this in via our e-mail newsletter or RSS feed, the link up won't show up. You have to visit the post on our website to view it.

Holiday Freebie Festival, Day 13! {FREEBIES}

Wowza!  Thanks to everyone who's been posting, tweeting and sharing our HOLIDAY FREEBIE FESTIVAL round up, including Paper Glitter, Erin Bassett, Celebrations at Home, Anders Ruff, Anna and Blue Paperie, Inkspot Workshop, Steals, Deals and Heels, Fresh Chick Design Studio, True Love Found, Oh My Gluestick, Frog Prince Paperie, Savvy Mom's Guide and Polka Dot Market.  I really appreciate it and if I missed anyone, huge thanks to you too!

On to Day 13's featured find!  I found these fantastic printables over on Under the Table & Dreaming, one of my favorite reads.  Stephanie has two exclusive freebies featuring the work of Leo Reynolds, an amazing photographer from the U.K.  The typographic art pieces are so unique that I wanted to download them immediately!  Check out at this beautiful holiday mosaic:

I love the colorful whimsy of that design, and the eclectic industrial feel of this one.

Look at how fabulous it is framed!

You can download both of these prints at Under the Table and Dreaming and also learn how to make your own custom print too.  Talk about a great last minute gift idea!  Oh, and if you have a free holiday printable you'd like to share, enter it into the link up below!

*If you are reading this in via our e-mail newsletter or RSS feed, the link up won't show up. You have to visit the post on our website to view it.

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