TEN THINGS TUESDAY: Monogrammed for Mother's Day

Can you believe it's May already?  That means one thing in my book - Mother's Day is just around the corner!  Lately, I'm drooling over all things monogrammed, so here's my list of ten great personalized presents any mom is sure to love!

Double Duty Bag I'm Loving:  If there are two types of bags I adore, they're clutches and cross-bodies and this sassy number from Tiny Tulip can be either.  Pair the versatility with the bright, bold color options, and I'll take one of each!

Cute Cuff I'm Loving:  The Enamel Initial cuffs from C. Wonder are simple and elegant, and I love the idea of wearing a set of them with each of your family member's initials.  

Initial Ring I'm Loving:  This sterling silver monogram ring from Kraftshop has a beautiful vintage feel to it.

Wrap I'm Loving:  I don't know about you, but I live in pashminas.  They're the perfect accessory in my book, and this monogrammed version from Marley Lilly gives a fun twist to an old favorite.

Tote-ally Awesome Bag I'm Loving, Part 1:  Longchamp's bags are an investment but they'll go with everything and last forever.  And the new personalized Le Cabas style has me head over heels - you pick the shape, size, leather color, lining and monogram to make a bag that's as one-of-a-kind as you are!

Tote-ally Awesome Bag I'm Loving, Part 2:  Want something a little easier on the wallet than the Longchamp?  The Buckle Tote from Tiny Tulip should fit the bill.

Adorable Accessory I'm Loving:  This monogrammed pillow from Studio Design Lab is a pretty way to help personalize her space.

Necklace I'm Loving:  The Acrylic Block Monogram Necklaces from Moon and Lola are super mod and come in tons of fab colors.  I think I want one in kelly green.

Gadget Gear I'm Loving:  There are tons of great iPhone and iPad covers available out there but I love the modern feel of the ones from Pencil Shavings Studio.

Sweet Bracelet I'm Loving:  The dainty Initial Heart Charm bracelet from Hot Mix Cold is perfect to wear every day.

Bag to Go in a Bag I'm Loving:  I'm of the belief you can never have too many fun little pouches and these personalized pretties from JuJu Baju are just perfect.  

So there you have some of my favorite monogrammed gift ideas for Mother's Day.  See something you like?  Just leave your browser open with this post up and hope your hubby happens to notice....  And to check out more of my must-haves, visit my Mama's Wish List Pinterest Board.

I'd love to hear about the things you're loving right now!  Share the app, movie, book, craft idea, TV show, whatever that's got you giddy in the comments and your picks might be included in next week's TEN ON TUESDAY feature.  And for more of my favorite things, check out my Pinterest boards!

Please note that this list is made up of things I actually use, read, watch, try, etc. and truly enjoy.  These opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way to share them here.

Creative Custom Father's Day Photo Books.... for FREE!

Father's Day is less than two weeks away and if you haven't already gotten your guy a gift, it's time to get serious.  And lucky for you, I've got two great ideas that you can pull of for FREE!

Melissa from Freckle Photo made amazing "10 Reasons I Love You" books for her family last Christmas and creating one for your husband or dad would make the perfect present.

Isn't it sweet?  Here's a peek at a few more pages.

And I love the last page, where the kids contributed their two cents.

Which reminds me of this terrific interactive "Daddy, We Love You" photo book I saw over on Design Aglow.

Ashley interspersed pictures of her kiddos with pages where they could fill in their thoughts about their dad.  From drawing a picture:

And adding in hand prints:

To answering "simple" questions about their dad:

And explaining why he's better than a Jedi Knight:

This is a keepsake fathers and grandfathers alike are sure to cherish forever.

So I know you're probably wondering about that whole FREE thing I mentioned earlier.  Well, York Photo is offering a free 20-page 5x7 custom cover photo book just in time for Father's Day! Just click this graphic for all of the details.

Whether you make a "10 Reasons I Love You" book, one that's similar to the "Daddy, We Love You" book or create something entirely different, this deal is a great reason to get your creative juices flowing to show dad just how much you love him!

Images: Freckle Photo & Design Aglow

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!

Fun (and Almost Free!) Father's Day Gifts! {FREEBIES}

If you read AFOMFT regularly, you probably know I'm obsessed with free printables and with dad's day coming up, here are a few to help you celebrate the man in your life.

Put together a basket full of your guy's favorite goodies and use these Retro Labels from Martha Stewart to show just what you think of him.

Jordan from Oh Happy Day! designed an awesome package of printables for Alpha Mom, made for your personal super hero.

There are labels for you to use to fill a box with treats your man of steel will love.

And even his mortal alter go will approve of.

While we're talking super heroes, Delightful Designs has a Super Dad set that includes a printable banner, bi-fold card and iron on template.

This sweet Father's Day Subway Art print from Pink Ink Doodle would make a great card.

If your dude has a sweet tooth, making hamburgers and French Fries from brownies, cupcakes and cookies would make the perfect gift!  And Bakerella not only has the how to for the sweet treats, but also free printable french fry boxes, burger trays and Father's Day tissue paper to put them in.

And what better to go along with that fun fast food, than some Top Pop soda?  2Clever Blog has a printable for that too!

Last but not least, The Creative Homemaker made up this survey your kids can fill out (there's also one for Grandpa too!).  I think it would adorable to do one of these every year.

So many wonderful - and cheeky! - ways to show your hubbie how much you love him.  For more Father's Day ideas, be sure to check out THESE POSTS, and if you're got a Father's Day printable we didn't include, please post a link below so we can share it too.

CRAFTASTIC: More Easy & Inexpensive Father's Day Gift Ideas

Ready for a few more fun and easy Father's Day Gift ideas?  Good, 'cause here are three you're sure to love!

How fun is this Scrabble-tiled photo project from Just Another Day in Paradise? 

Lovely Design has printable templates you can use to transform your child's abstract art into the perfect present for dad:

And grandpa:

You can find the how to for making a DAD photo collage over on Kodak.com.

And don't forget to check out my tutorial for Easy Father's Day Artwork and this post on how to make a Father's Day Fingerprint Key Chain.

We've got more ideas for dad coming your way next week so stay tuned.

Images: Just Another Day in Paradise, Lovely Design & Kodak

CRAFTASTIC: A Simple DIY Father's Day Gift

I've got Dad's Day on the brain this week as you may have noticed from yesterday's post on Easy Father's Day Artwork, and when I spotted this on Pinterest today (have I mentioned I'm totally addicted???), I knew I had to share it.

I know, I know, you're probably wondering what a necklace has to do with Father's Day.  Well, that's actually a DIY finger print pendant, and while a lot of dads probably wouldn't go for sporting it around their necks, it would make a fabulous keychain!   Am I right or am I right?

This is all you'll need to make your own:

Just roll out some oven bake clay and roll your child's finger in it to create the print:

Then bake it, paint it, seal it and attach it to a key ring.  Easy peasy!  

And if you've got more than one child (or want to make one from all of the grand kids for granddad) you could easily include a print from each one.

Talk about a simple, inexpensive and meaningful gift for any pop or grandpop! 

For the full how to, visit Sarah Ortega Photography, and thanks to Jennifer Post for pinning this tutorial.  You can follow me on Pinterest HERE.

Images: Sarah Ortega Photography

New Shoes Are a Girl's Best Friend {GIVEAWAY & DISCOUNT}

With all of the April showers we've had here, I've been completely enjoying the May flowers popping up all over, but none more than the adorable blooms adorning the baby shoes from CozyToes by Kathy Dee!

Are those sweet or what?  Each pair is hand crafted from the finest felt and the results are just darling!  I love this orange set - they remind me of Creamsicles.

And these blue Mary Janes just scream summer!

The styles range from sassy:

And buzzy:

To dressy:

And blue.

You can even get booties and have them personalized - the ideal new baby gift!

CozyToes can be made in sizes from 1 (0-3 months) up to 5 (12-18 months) and you can opt to add non-slip soles if your little lady is already walking.  I wish they ran bigger - my girls loved theirs and I was so sad when they finally outgrew them - but the good news is that they got tons of use out of them while they still fit because CozyToes are as durable as they are stylish.

Whether you have a girly girl of your own or one you like to spoil, a pair of CozyToes from Kathydee are absolutely in order.  Because really, you're never too young for a fabulous pair of shoes!

And I've got great news because one lucky AFOMFT reader is going to win a pair of CozyToes!  To enter, visit CozyToes by Kathydee and post a comment here telling me which style you'll choose if you win (this is mandatory). For additional entries:

• Visit CozyToes by Kathydee on Etsy and "heart" the shop
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook 
• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• 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 pair of fabulous handmade girl's shoes from CozyToes by Kathydee at @AFOMFT - perfect for Mother's Day! 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.

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 May19th at 11:59 pm EST. The winners will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on May 20th. If the winners fail to contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

If you can't wait to buy a pair of CozyToes. for your kiddo, you're in luck because readers of AFOMFT will receive 10% off all purchases from CozyToes from Kathydee by using code COZYWELCOME at checkout!  The discount does not apply to shipping costs.  Happy shopping!

Images: CozyToes by Kathydee