Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl Created Gifts for Tweens

This is another fun use of my Silhouette machine to make some birthday party favors and and birthday gifts for my tween daughter.

She had a "Spa" birthday party and so I did Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl on headbands to give as one of the party favors at the birthday party. They were an awesome addition to have as they needed to pull their hair off their face when they had the clay masks on. I also made my niece one that she will be opening up as a birthday gift in another week.

I also put Swim down the side of a pair of pants I bought for her, so she can wear it with her growing collection of swim championship t-shirts I buy for her when she attends these earned meets with swim team.

And finally, I also made her some Lllama-Corn pillow cases. I knew she would think these were fun and quirky and would  love them.

Half Birthday Cake

This was totally a fun surprise for my son. We don't normally celebrate half birthdays but sometimes it is fun to do something for a surprise and it's a great excuse to have some cake. So as you can see for his birthday made him a half birthday cake. In the picture you can see what I did was that I took one Circle cake and cut it in half and stacked on top of each other to make one half of a cake. A cake mix does make two of these so I have another small cake that I frosted and put in the freezer for another time. We certainly don't need to have full cake just for the 4 of us.

I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but my daughter thought he needed a candle as well and so she took a candle and broke it in half so he had one candle that was half the normal length in his half birthday cake.

Storm Trooper Cupcakes

Storm Trooper Cupcakes (aka Angry Melted Snowmen Cupcakes) were the request of my son for his 7th birthday party with his friends. I used Wilton black writing icing to draw faces on marshmallows and made butter cream frosting to top the cupcakes. The red "sticks" are supposed to be light sabers (even though I am fully aware the storm troopers do not use light sabers) and let my son put everything on his cupcakes the way he wanted. This meant you can't see the bottom of the light sabers because he wanted them sticking up, and well it looks like stick arms. LOL! It was his birthday and it made him happy.

20 - 3rd Grade Level AR Books About Birthdays

It was just my son's birthday recently! So, let's check out what books are out there at the 3rd grade level about birthdays. He's only a 1st grader, but is a very good reader. Both my kids are. Proud mama!


3.1
A Hat for Ivan by Max Lucado
Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Suess

3.2
The Meanest Birthday Girl by Josh Schneider
Three Cheers for Catherine the Great by Cari Best

3.3
Happy Birthday by Gail Gibbons
Happy Birdday Tacky by Helen Lester
Scaredy Squirrel has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt

3.4
Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School by David Mackintosh
Martha Moth Makes Socks by Cambria Evans

3.5
Angelina's Perfect Party by Katharine Craig
Lyle and the Birthday Party by Bernard Waber

3.6
A Birthday for Frances by Russell Hoban
Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery by David Adler
The Matau by Eric Walters

3.7 
Happy Birthday Mallory by Laurie Friendman

3.8
Moira's Birthday by Robert Munsch
The Foot Stomping Adventures of Clementine Sweet by Kitty Griffin
Under the Same Sun by Sharon Robinson

3.9
Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow
The Princess and Her Pets by Angela Kanter

Protein Birthday Cake Shake

Did I come up with this for my kids or myself? Well, probably 2 parents for myself and 1 part for them on one of their birthdays. They have been really enjoying the protein shakes I come up with, but I wanted to enjoy a birthday treat without all the sugar in other birthday treats.Plus, I knew I would feel better sending them off to school with a protein shake in their belly in addition to the cinnamon roll they had they would be better off. I use protein powder that has around 25g protein per serving.

Protein Birthday Cake Shake
8 oz. milk
1 scoop vanilla protein shake powder
1 1/2 T cheese cake pudding mix
1/2 tsp. vanilla
5 ice cubes (optional, if you wants a frozen shake)
whip cream and sprinkles (optional)

Directions: 
Using the blender you like to make shakes in, layer you mixture in order listed above. 
Blend for 30-60 seconds. Allow 5 minutes to thicken before serving. Top with whip cream and sprinkles, if desired.
Enjoy!

Chalk Art Fun!

Here are some more ideas for having fun with Chalk. We have tried a variety of shocks and I find that the Crayola brand has the brightest chalk. It also helps if your asphalt surface is darker, hours will be resurfaced this year as it has worn

If you would like some more chalk art ideas please check out my post on Northern Cheapskate called 5 Fun Ways to Play with Sidewalk Chalk. Also try out this idea on How to Make Your Own (Sidewalk) Chalk Paint.

These are all designs I drew out last year for my daughter's birthday party which was an art themed birthday party. Then I took pictures of all the kids in any of them that they wanted pictures of. They thought this was pretty fun.

Art Birthday Party Ideas

My daughter's 9th birthday party was an Art Theme. We did it at our home and here are some of the ideas I had:

• Palette Cupcakes (those are Spree candies for the paint)
• Easels made from popsicle sticks (hot glues together) with paint chips as their name plates
• Gave each child a colorful apron to use and take home
• Tied her balloons to a watercolor palette for her to keep
• Set up art stations for each of the kids to paint at (one project was an underwater sealife painting)
• Decorated storage containers (metal cans I had sprayed painted in advance) with duct tape, milk lids, chalk paint and twine
• Gave each child a set of paint brushes and a foam brush to use for their painting project and take home 

Easy Paper Plate Birthday Crown

I made this for my daughter's birthday last year and brought it up to school for her to wear when it was time for her to celebrate her birthday with her class.

All my supplies were bought from the Dollar Tree and the plates were ones we were using for her party.

In the small picture you can see the lines I drew on the back side. Then you just cut on the lines to make the crown points. You can pull them out a little to stand up, but once they stick their head in there, the stand up just fine.

She thought this was so fun to have as a crown for her birthday in school and it was quick and easy for me to make.

12 - 4th & 5th Grade Level AR Books About Birthdays

My son's birthday is tomorrow! So, let's get our READING on!!!!

4.0
A Party for Papa Luis by Diane Bertrand
Saturn for my Birthday by John McGrnaghan
Wish Upon a Party by Phoebe Bright

4.1
11 Birthdays by Wendy Maas
The Surprise Party by Linda Chapman

4.4
A Toad for Tuesday by Russell Erickson
Cherry the Cake Fairy by Daisy Meadows

4.6
Lila and Myla: The Twins Fairies by Daisy Meadows
Mallory's Super Sleepover by Laurie Friedman

4.7
Skateboard Party by Karen English

5.2
Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry

5.7
Bernadette and the Lunch Bunch by Susan Glickman

GIVEAWAY: $25 Ruby Tuesday GC & BOGO 50% Off Coupon for Everyone!

Starting TODAY you can use this high value coupon for Ruby Tuesday of BOGO 50% OFF and it will be valid for 2 weeks after you print it. So, if you print it today you will have until September 30th to use this awesome coupon! 

Don't worry if you can't print it today, you have until THIS FRIDAY (September 19th) to get it printed and it will be good for 2 weeks after you printed it. And GUESS WHAT!!! You can use the coupon with the gift card I am giving away. How awesome would that be!!!

You can also show the coupon code on your phone and get the discount that way as well!

I will be going to Ruby Tuesday soon with my family to try out some of the new menu items or perhaps the Endless Garden Bar. The Endless Garden Bar is M-F at lunch and is only $7.99 and sounds like the perfect excuse to take my son to a Toddler Tuesday event at the Mall of America and go out to lunch together. Any friends want to join us there soon?

Ruby Tuesday introduces endless choices, endless combinations, endless lunch for $7.99 with our Garden Bar. 

Try unlimited trips to our Garden Bar and choose from over 30 ingredients to mix and match as many times as you want. Available Monday – Friday at most locations.

Garden bar includes: Spring mix, fresh garden greens, crisp vegetables, premium cheeses and toppings, our famous croutons, and a variety of dressings.

Add on 2 Minis (Sliders), 2 chicken or fish tacos, or a quesadilla for $2 more.

New entree items to try: Coastal Trio, Crispy Fried Shrimp, Hickory Bourbon-Blazed Pork Chop, Southern Style Chicken Tender Dinner, Low Country Shrimp and Grits, or Baked Ravioli

Our full kid’s menu starts at $3.99

Also, be sure to sign up online with Ruby Tuesday. You can get a FREE Burger for your birthday!

Now, I am super hungry and can't wait to go there!!!!

I was just looking over the kids menu and it's awesome! There are the traditional kids favorites for the main entree (sliders, grilled cheese, chicken strips, popcorn shrimp and more!) but what I love is that you can swap out the side item that comes with it (fries) and get some other kind of healthy option. Those options include: grapes, fresh grilled zucchini, apples, fresh green beans, broccoli, or mashed potatoes. 

Kids meals start at just $3.99! That is a really good price for a kids meal.

I keep thinking about the Garden Bar. I am pretty sure that I want to get that and add on some fish tacos for only $2. What a deal!

What are you hungry for now from Ruby Tuesday?

You can also find Ruby Tuesday on Facebook. Go check them out and "Like" them!

ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN A

$25 Gift Card to Ruby Tuesday

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER BELOW

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will be receiving a gift card so that I can go to the restuarant with my family and do a future review on them. No additional monetary compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions are my own. All photos were provided to me.

Thrifty Thursday: Birthday FREEBIES

It is that time of year again. The time where I get another year older and my inbox gets filled with offers for me to celebrate my birthday. I only end up taking advantage of maybe a handful of these (so far I only have done 2 of these this year and don't have much time left to use others). There are a few times you have to watch your junk mail more closely for these offers: the 1st of the month of your birthday, 1 week before your birthday, 2 weeks before your birthday and the day of your birthday. Pay attention to when they can be used and if you have to buy anything, there is fine print to notice on most. So, you can find these retailers and restaurants online by searching for them and sign up for their email lists or birthday club to start getting these offers. Do you get something from a place not on this list? Please share it! But most of all - 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Restaurants
Applebee's - FREE Dessert
Arby's - Free 12 oz. Shake with Food Purchase
Ben & Jerry's - FREE Scoop & $3 Off Cake Coupon
Benihana's - $30 Certificate (only valid for dinner M-Th)
Buca di Beppo - FREE Brownie Sundae
Buffalo Wild Wings - FREE Snack Size Wings
Chammps - FREE Dessert
Chili's - Free Dessert with Entree
Cold Stone Creamery - BOGO Ice Cream Creation
Culver's - FREE 1-scoop Sundae
Dairy Queen - BOGO Blizzard & Cake Coupon
Godfather's Pizza - FREE Mini Pizza
Famous Dave's - BOGO 1/2 Off Entree
Kwik Trip Gas Station - FREE 16 oz coffee beverage and FREE Glazer
Landry Restaurants - $25 off 
Noodles & Co - FREE Bowl of Noodles
O'Charley's - $5 off $20 Food Purchase
Pizza Ranch - $5 in Ranch Rewards
Rainforest Cafe - Free Chef's Dessert or Kid's Meal with Adult Entree
Starbucks - FREE Beverage of Choice
TGI Fridays - FREE Dessert
Tony Roma's - FREE Entree
Wendy's - $1 Off Combo Coupon


Online Retailers
Betty Crocker - Free Shipping 
Crabtree and Evelyn - 15% off (online or in-store)
dELIA'S - $20 off $50
OfficeMax - $10 off $50 (online or in-store)
Old Navy - $10 off $50 or more (online or in-store)
Pillsbury - Free Shipping
Starbucks - 15% off online store
Team Beachbody - Free 30-day Supply Multi-Vitamins (pay s/h)
Victoria's Secret - $10 off $10 or more
World Market - $10 off $10 or more

Brick and Mortar Retailers
AMC Theaters - FREE Large Soft Drink
Crabtree and Evelyn - 15% off (online or in-store)
Moda Yoga (local place in Mpls) - FREE class on exact birthday
OfficeMax - $10 off $50 (online or in-store)
Old Navy - $10 off $50 or more (online or in-store)
Origins - $10 off $25


Online Websites (Earn Points, Coupons etc.)
Disney Movie Rewards - 100 Points
Kashi - $2 off coupon
Kellogg's Family Rewards - 100 points
Swagbucks - 50 Points
Weight Watchers - $3 off coupon

Try It Tuesday: Barbie Fairy Cake

This is the cake that I made for my daughter's 7th Birthday Party. I have mentioned before how we are huge FAIRY FANS in this house, so it only makes sense that we finally had a fairy themed birthday party. I will share more about everything we did for the Fairy Party in another post, but I wanted to share the cake with my readers right away.

I made this Barbie Fairy Cake for her, you can see the other cakes I have made on Northern Cheapskate when I taught myself how to make & work with fondant.

To make this cake I made 2 round cakes and split them and arranged them as you see above. I then made homemade fondant (tastes so much better and cheaper than pre-made stuff!) I frosted the cake with a tub of frosting that we added Duncan Hines Flavor Creations to (it give it color & flavor, she chose Pink Lemonade). I frosted the entire cake in it and then rolled out homemade green and blue fondant and decorated the wings and made a matching skirt for the Barbie (Giselle from Barbie in the Pink Shoes).

I have one happy little girl with such a special birthday cake!

Check out all the posts I have done that revolve around fairies!

Review: Paper Culture Birthday Invitations

I had an exciting opportunity to review birthday invitations from Paper Culture just in time for my daughter's birthday party. They are just the most adorable invitations and even though I had a lot of choices, I instantly knew which one I wanted! The Fairy card! Remember who I told you about what big fairy fans we are in our home, so this was perfect.

On the front of the card I was able to put her face on a fairy body. It was quite easy to do and I was able to change the direction of the image, as well as the size so that I could make it fit in as best as my image would allow. All of the text could be changed and customized, but I loved what they had as a suggestion at the top ("A Fairy Good Time Will Be Had By All", so to kept it. At the bottom I changed the text to include my phone # and email to RSVP to (which is why that part is obviously covered up).

The cards are made on a heavy card stock and are very sturdy. They are actually a quite impressive invitation. One mom texted her daughter's RSVP and said she loved the invitation and asked if I made them myself. I said that I did make them at Paper Culture .com and she replied back "OMG! They are so neat. Good job mom! Cute Pics!" It's pretty awesome to get nice feedback like that from another mom!

On the back side you could make it all text or a picture or a combination of pictures and text. I did a collage of some pictures that show some of my daughter's interests. At the bottom I made the text to say "Date", "Time", and "Place" with lines that I could write on because I was under a deadline to place my order and was still waiting for a location to get back to me to confirm a date/time.

The invitations were shipped in a sturdy cardboard box that is just a plain brown, which my brain is already spinning with how we will reuse this box.

Now that I have told you all about our cards, let me tell you more about Paper Culture.

• They plant a tree with every order they receive. In fact, they send you an email with your dedication (which of course I dedicated to my daughter whose birthday it is). You can post your dedication on Facebook too. Here is my dedication.
• Cards and envelopes are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper (Yeah for recycled paper!)
• They use 130 pound paper when others use 110 pound paper, which is why they are so thick and sturdy!
• They have rounded corners on all their cards and address labels and it's free! No up charge for this service. 
• They have a Mail & Message service which you ONLY pay for the cost of the stamp, no extra costs.
• They offer a 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee.

So, how do you find out more about them? Check them out here:

Paper Culture in the Social World

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/paperculture

Facebook (over 130,000 fans): http://facebook.com/paperculture

Twitter: http://twitter.com/paperculture

Blog: http://paperculture.com/blog

Thrifty Thursday: Birthday Freebies

March is my birthday month!!! And with that comes a bunch of freebies and discounts in my email (mostly.) If you have signed up for birthday clubs from businesses you can generally expect them to email them to you at one of 4 days, so be checking your spam mailbox.

Those days are:
* 1st of the month of your birthday
* Exactly 2 weeks before your birthday
* Exactly 1 week before your birthday
* On your birthday

Here is the list of BIRTHDAY FREEBIES that I have received (mostly via email) this year:

Dining
* Applebees - Free Dessert Shooter
* Arby's - Free 12oz. shake with any purchase
* Ben and Jerry's - Free Scoop of you favorite flavor AND $3 off a cake
* Benihana's - $30 credit (some restrictions apply)
* Buca di Beppo - Free Birthday Brownie Sundae
* Buffalo Wings Wings - Free Snack Size Wings
* California Pizza Kitchen - Free Dessert with entree purchase
* Chammps -  Free Dessert with any entree
* Chili's - Free Birthday Sundae
* Cold Stone Creamery -  BOGO Creation
* Culver's - Free 1-scoop sundae
* Dairy Queen - BOGO Blizzard
* Famous Dave's - $10 off $20+
* Godfather's Pizza - Free Mini Pizza
* Kwik Trip - Free 16oz Karuba Coffee and Glazers Donut
* Landry's Select Club - $25 Birthday Credit (I actually bought this dining club years ago and it paid for itself the first 2 visits.)
* Noodles- Free Bowl of Noodles
* O'Charley's - $5 off $20
* Old Country Buffet - BOGO adult entrees
* Papa Murphy's - Free Coookie Dough with Pizza Purchase
* Pizza Ranch  - Free $5 towards food
* Starbucks - Free Birthday Drink
* T.G.I. Fridays - Free Dessert with entree purchase
* Tony Roma's - Surprise (need to print it off to find out, but I am not using it so I didn't waste my ink/paper)

Entertainment
* Redbox - Free Rental Code
* Mokasha Yoga (Minneapolis) - Free class on birthday

Retail
* Aveda - Free shipping and sample with $25+
* Betty Crocker - Free ebook AND 20% off online store
* Crabtree and Evelyn - 15% off (online and in  stores)
* Delia's - $20 off $50+
* Lancome  - Free 5 Shadow Palette and Lipstick and free shipping with $49+ purchase
* Macy's - Free Shipping Code (no minimum purchase required)
* Melissa and Doug - 15% off an online order
* Office Max - $10 off $50+
* Old Navy - $10 off $50
* Origins (postcard) - $10 off $10+ AND (email) $10 off $25
* Victoria's Secret - $10 off $10+

Reward Programs
* Disney Movie Rewards - 100 Bonus Points
* Kellogg's - Bonus Points (up to 100 points)
* Swagbucks - Free 50 Bonus Swagbucks

Travel
* Wilderness Resort and Waterpark - $25 off stay during birthday month

Be Sure to pay attention to expiration dates, some may expire on your birthday, the end of your birthday month or a week or two after your birthday.

Of course I only use a small percentage of these, but it is nice to know what is out there.

If you want to receive these, do to their websites and see if they have a birthday sign up on there. Some places have the sign up on their website, others you have to sign up in person.

Also, if you go to local places on your birthday be sure to ask (or call ahead and ask if you want to know in advance) if they will give you anything on your birthday. Free dessert is usually the common offer, but I was once offered a free shot of tequila at a local Mexican restaurant (I turned it down, not a tequila shot fan.)

This was LAST YEAR'S list, if you want to see other things that are out there.

Other Homemade Gifts

I just wanted to share some other Homemade Gifts I have made over the last couple months but didn't do tutorials on.

Winter Hats for Twin Baby Girls

Birthday present for book club member's 75th birthday

This is a wooden toy that my daughter painted for my son. I have the kids each make a gift for each other in addition to buying one. My son made a similar one for a friend of his for Christmas.

I made these Tile Coasters for a friend this Christmas (although I have made similar ones on other occasions). A tutorial will be coming soon.)

My daughter (with some assistance from me) made this Back Massage Shirt for daddy for a Christmas present. A tutorial will be coming for this soon as well.

Try It Tuesday: Easy "Homemade" Lollipops

This project is for those times when you want that custom theme. I made these for my son's 3rd birthday party that we held at the John Deere tractor store, so I was going for a Tractor (green & yellow theme - sorry family it was not a Packer theme.)

These were pretty simple to make and I even had my son help me out with placing the candies on top of the silicone sheet in the pattern of yellow-green-yellow.

These are great for a Birthday party favor or you could make them as a fun homemade stocking stuffer for Christmas.

Make Your Own Lollipops

Hard Candies
Lollipop Sticks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Lay out your hard candies in the desired pattern/flavors/colors on top of a silicone baking sheet. I suggest 3 candies high.

Bake for 7 minutes (watch carefully, as some ovens cook hotter/colder than others.)
Take out & immediately stick in sticks.
Twist sticks in the melted candy to get candy covering the stick.
Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving or covering.

**One thing I learned is give them space. On a cookie sheet you should have not more than 3 in a row and 3 rows of 3. Anymore than than and they are likely to spread in to each other.

Football Theme Birthday Party

This was a party that my middle sister & I threw for my son and my niece.

We decorated the tables with black tableclothes and made goal lines from green crepe paper and down the center was a banner than said Touchdown. We also sprinkled shiny football theme (helmets and footballs) confetti on the tables.

We also had several football serving dishes, one held spaghetti, another held chips and two cheese dips and the other one held a chocolate peanut butter dip with pretzels (pictures below.)

These were the goodie bags my son picked to pass out. They were jumbo sized, but were the only ones that had footballs on them.

 Here are some of the decorations. Between all the families within our family, we support the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, so balloons used throughout the dining room were green, yellow, & purple. We had a Happy Birthday sign on one end with some balloons and a football pennant banner. On the other side were some football lights and a football doorway decoration.

 My daughter really wanted to help out and wanted to make some decorations. So, grandma cut out some football shapes for her and she drew on the lacing in different team colors and then we hung them on the door by the other Happy Birthday sign and balloons & kids' table (not pictured.)

And now for some of the football themed food we served (other food mentioned above):

Here is the cake with a football field and goal posts (made from straws) and cake balls in team colors.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Dip & Pretzels

Football Deviled Eggs

Football Pepperoni Pizza

Game Plan Pizza

Birthday Freebies

Happy Birthday to Me!

Recently, I had a birthday. I just love all the birthday freebies that pour in my inbox (& a couple in my mailbox) during March. Generally, you need to keep an eye on your junk mail during your birthday month because that is where a lot may end up. But as a general rule of thumb you just need to pay attention on the 1st of your birthday month, a week before your birthday and on your birthday. Those are the typical times that businesses seem to email out your offers.

I have only signed up for things near me (or was near me at one time). All of these were received in my email unless otherwise noted.

Starbucks (postcard) - Free Drink
Aveda (postcard) - Free Body Care Product or Personal Parfume Blend (up to $25)
Godfathers - Free Mini Pizza
Noodles & Co. - Free Bowl of Noodles
O'Charley's - $5 coupon
Buffalo Wild Wings - Free Dessert
Cold Stone Creamery - BOGO Creation
Boston Market - Free Dessert (with purchase of entree)
Famous Dave's - BOGO Entrees
Ben & Jerry's - Free Scoop of Ice Cream & $3 off a Cake
Arby's - Free Shake (with any purchase)
Champps - Free Dessert (with purchase of entree)
bd's Mongolian - Free Stir-fry Meal
Chili's - Free Brownie Sundae (with purchase of entree)
Origins - $10 off $25+
Landry's Select Club - $25 towards your check at any of their restaurants (I have paid to be part of this restaurant club)
TGI Friday's  - Free Dessert (with purchase of an entree)
Papa Murphy's - Free Cookie Dough (with any pizza purchase)
Benihana's - $30 towards any meal (valid M-Th only)
Starbucks Ice Cream - $1 Coupon for 2 Flavors
Buca di Beppo - Free Brownie Sundae
Qdoba - BOGO Entree
The Kernel - Free Dessert or Fountain Treat (with purchase of an entree)
Old Country Buffet - BOGO Adult Entree
Pizza Ranch - $5 worth of Vittles (food!)
Moksha Yoga - Free class (on birthday only)
Lancome - 5 full size Lipsticks for free (with $35 purchase)
Redbox - Free Rental
Wendy's - $1 off Coupon
Kwik Trip - Free Coffee & Donut
Culver's - Free Sundae
AMC Theatres - Free Large Drink
Applebee's - Free Dessert (with entree purchase)
Old Navy - $10 off $50


I don't know if they got missed in my junk mail or not, but in the past I have usually gotten a Free Drink from Caribou Coffee and BOGO Blizzard from Dairy Queen.


Plus there are always lots of places you can go to on your actual birthday that make give you a free dessert/song/drink/etc. just for asking.

If you are signing up for any of these, just remember that most companies require you to sign up a month or two in advance.

GIVEAWAY and Review: The Birthday Chronicle

TWO WINNERS!!!

I had the opportunity to preview my own Birthday Chronicle from Because I Tried It. The Birthday Chronicle is one of over 20 personalized products they offer, starting at $2. They offer personalized gifts for anyone, anytime. Some of the other items they offer is letters from Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, as well as almanacs for your first or last name or anniversary, in addition to many other items.

I filled out an online form and in less than 24 hours I received an email with the .pdf that contained the Birthday Chronicle. I made one for my daughter for her upcoming birthday and printed it out on some parchment letter stock we had. I thought it gave it a special touch by printing it out on this type of paper. I am going to have to buy one for my son too so that they each have one. The Birthday Chronicle is filled with information pertaining to what was happening in current events (president, top movie, price of bread, milk  & gas, etc.) at the time of their birth. It's one of those neat things to look back at and I think it will be a fun educational opportunity to discuss those facts when I give it to her.

Two lucky readers will also have the opportunity to get their own Birthday Chronicle.

You can also find Because I Tried It through the following locations:

• Join our newsletter http://eepurl.com/iWdkT
• Twitterhttps://twitter.com/BecauseITriedIt
• Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003355719056&ref=tn_tnmn

If you are the winner, you must provide the following information for your Birthday Chronicle:

The Winner
Name of person receiving the Chronicle

DOB  of person receiving the Chronicle
Headline Choice (ex: Isabel is 6!, Mary is 50!)
Email Address (yours!)

This item will be sent via email in a PDF format. Leave your printer settings to normal and it will print on your standard sized paper. These make a great gift framed. Many of our other products come on stationary as well as via email or we can frame it and send it to as a gift.