Who wants to win?
So much fun that I can’t even contain myself!!!! I have had the pleasure of meeting Nancy, an awesome Gilbert mom and owner of A to Zebra Celebrations. A to Zebra Celebrations specializes in everything party. From banners to lollipop trees, she has it all covered. Here are just a few things that I love.
Check out the cute cars themed banner!
And…..the Scary Skewers, what a fun Halloween Treat!
So, whats this post all about? What are you winning? You will have a chance to win a “Happy Holidays” banner from A to Zebra Celebrations. How to win? Come to our kids toy swap, enter to win and viola- a new, fun way to decorate for the holidays.
Why don’t I share?
Sharing- divide with, divvy, divvy up, dole out, give and take, give out, go Dutch, go fifty-fifty, go halves, go in with, have a hand in. Just listening to the definition of sharing brings me to ponder, why don’t I do this more?
My mom- my biggest fan and also one of the most honest people said (more than a few times) ”Don’t take this personal but you have too many clothes”. I think she just says this because I always have 10 loads of laundry on any given day :) Her comments have made me question why I have stored brand new items for a “rainy day” instead of giving them to someone in need. I just haven’t sat and thought about the pair of brand new jeans I have in my closet (that don’t even fit me). Had I given them to someone who loved them and needed them–I would have given them my whole closet!
The article Why sharing is a beautiful thing really shows that regular people, you and me, can make a huge difference in the lives of other people. I just hope to buy more purposely and give more generously! The only way I know to do this is to make a plan. My plan is to give one bag of clothes to our local charity and one bag of canned/unopened food to our foodbank every month.
What are the things you do to share? Are you willing to join me and make a plan?
Movie Ticket Winner is!
Christine Accurso you are the winner of 2 Harkins Theatre movie tickets! Thank you for being a part of our first giveaway! If you were not a part of this giveaway you can still get $5 off your admission to the next swap by forwarding the Kids Toy Swap Invitation to 5 of your friends on facebook, its that easy!
Movie Ticket Giveaway!
Want to win 2 Harkins Theatres Movie Tickets from The Swap Spot? I thought it would be fun to host my first giveaway!
This is all you have to do:
Step 1: “Like” The Swap Spot on Facebook. If you already like us then go to Step 2.
Step 2: Post the Kids Toy Swap Invitation on your wall.
Step 3: Leave me a comment on the facebook page to let me know you did this 
One winner will be chosen at random. Entries can be submitted from Monday, October 18 thru midnight Wednesday, October 20th.
Be Green this Halloween
GreenHalloween.org, what an awesome website! Green Halloween is a website giving tips on making Halloween more Eco-friendly. Founder Corey Colwell-Lipson has also recently added a new idea: National Costume Swap Day. Check out this cute clip: National Costume Swap Day on Good Morning America.
For Arizona, National Costume Swap Day was October 8th, 2010. I was a little late on participating but I am planning on it for 2011. Until then it was easy to implement some tips from Green Halloween.
I have reused a fireman costume from 2 years ago for the little one.
For the older one, I am attempting a homemade “Army Man” costume. I reused a camouflage shirt. Printed ARMY on the computer in Stencil font, cut out the letters making my own stencil and spray painted it in black. For his gear we are also painting a squirt gun.
Why not use recycling bags for candy bags? I purchased felt from the craft store and foam stickers. All together spending $3.00 to redo these bags. These are some big candy bags– I hope they don’t fill them
Before
After
Hope you all have fun making your own Green Halloween–
Happy Hallowgreen!!
Simple Steps to hosting a Swap Party
I think most of us, me included, love the idea of getting something new. It doesn’t have to be brand-new but just something different, something we wouldn’t normally buy or something that our friend has…..that is exactly why a Swap Party is something you should host!
Hosting a party has the ” oh no factor” and I sometimes go overboard with the details like perfect invitations, appetizers, drinks, and of course cleaning the house top to bottom. The reality is, nobody knows if it’s not perfect. Here are my personal tips:
1) Clean the rooms your guest will be in: kitchen, 1 bathroom, living room and dining room (maybe). Don’t overdo it and clean the upstairs bathrooms (who’s gonna see that?)
2) Simplify everything: Customize your invitations using these free printable invitations from idiy.com (thanks idiy)
3) Use these appetizer recipes: Ricotta and Herb Spread, Lemon Almond Macaroons, Deviled Eggs and shopping list from Real Simple Magazine.
4) Enjoy the party: Hosting can be fun and your guests will enjoy your stress-free attitude!
5) Read the Real Simple article ” How to Host a Swap Party“- why reinvent the wheel when you can get more tips !
