droolicious : holidays

6 Fancy Last Minute Easter Baskets - Delivered Right to Your Door

SunnyChanel — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:52:00 GMT

Have you been procrastinating on getting your kid an Easter basket? Have you procrastinated so much that the guilt is rotting at your subconscious as much as the following bits of sugary sweets will rot your kids’ teeth? If you want to shower them with not just your love but oodles of chocolates, lollipops and treats like handcrafted marshmallows, well here is a list of 6 options. They range from the opulent to the simple and they’re also fitting for the adult in your life too. And best of all, you still have the chance to order one and get it delivered just in time for Easter. Check out the sweet sweet options here.

Dylan's Candy Bar - Easter Deluxe Basket (above)
Dylan's Candy Bar is aptly ALL about the candy. This towering collection of sweets includes Dylan's Candy Bar Chocolate Bar 3-pack, Dylan's Candy Bar signature Kettle Corn, solid milk chocolate bunnies, Dylan's Candy Bar Whirly pops, both a small plush "Chocolate the Bunny" and "Vanilla the Bunny" stuffed animal, a paint can of Easter-themed bulk hard candy, gummy bunnies, and a Dylan's Candy Bar Traditions box. $100 here

Dean & Deluca's - Extraordinary Easter Basket
This one has enough for the whole family, hopefully your kid will share! The big version of Dean & Deluca's basket includes their Large Milk Chocolate Hare with Backpack, Milk Chocolate Carro, a spotted Chocolate Egg, Egg-filled Nest, Eleni's Easter Chick Cookies, DEAN & DELUCA Chocolate Bars, Milk Chocolate Farm Animals, Hammond's Twist Lollipops and Spring Crystal Cuts and bags of DEAN & DELUCA Peas & Carrots, Milk Chocolate-covered Raisins, Cream Chicks & Bunnies, Easter Jelly Beans, Chocolate Jordan Almonds, Sour Chicks & Bunnies and Foil-wrapped Milk Chocolate Eggs. Yeah, now that's a lot of candy. $200 for the large but you can get smaller ones for $150 and $80 here.

Joseph Schmidts
This San Francisco based chocolate store features gorgeous and ultra tasty handcrafted truffles and treats. Sadly, they'll be stopping production after Easter so this will be one of your last chances to indulge in their goodies. These handcrafted baskets contain all dark, all milk, Grand Marnier (for you!), sea salt caramel, dark raspberry, orange sherbet, wild strawberry and peanut butter truffles. You can choose from two designs above. $28 here

Sweet Bliss from Saks Fifth Avenue
This one is totally traditional. Simple and classic Easter fare. This basket is stuffed with a large, hand-decorated Belgian dark chocolate Easter egg filled with marshmallow and caramel, a smaller "Elvis" egg filled with banana, marshmallow and peanut butter, and a third "PBJ" egg filled with peanut butter and grape jelly.Also includes rock candy lollipops. $54 here

Hershey - Bliss Basket
Speaking of classic, I bet a pretty large majority of Easter baskets contain at least one item from the the world's most famous chocolate maker, Hershy's. Might as well just go all the way and just go Hershey's, Hershey's and more Hershey's. This basket contains Milk Chocolate Eggs, Milk Chocolate Eggs with Meltaway Center, Dark Chocolate Squares, Milk Chocolate Squares and Milk Chocolate Hollow Bunny - $32.95 here

Sucré Easter Basket
From the New Orleans based treat shop, this basket is filled with an hollow milk chocolate bunny, twelve handmade seasonal marshmallows, handmade cotton candy, 4oz. bag of jelly beans and 3- 1 oz signature dark chocolate caramel eggs. Basket colors (blue, pink, green, purple and yellow) are chosen at random, so don't get married to a certain hue. $39 here. And their macaroons were just featured in O magazine, so you may wanna pick up some of those while you are at it.

10 Easter Gift for Under $10

SunnyChanel — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Trying to find goodies for the Easter basket that aren’t of the candy, chocolate or sugar filled variety? Non sugary elements for the yearly Easter basket can very quickly add up and hit the pocket book hard. We’ve come up with 10 items for under $10 each that would and could be sweet, fun and inexpensive treats for your Easter basket gettin’ kids and best of all, they won’t rot their teeth. Nice and nice.

Domo Easter Plush (above)
Sorry kids, if you want one of these limited edition Target Exclusive Easter Domo dolls, you're going to have to go to an actual Target to pick one up, this is an "instore" only item. $7.99.

Egg Shaped Sidewalk Chalk
Perfect for some Easter themed art on your driveway. $3.95 here.

Good Egg By Barney Saltzberg
This interactive book allows the reader to have the egg in question "sit", "roll over" and "speak". $9.95 from Amazon here.

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhard
A total classic, and for good reason. This charming interactive "touch and feel" book continues to be fun for generations. $9.99 from Amazon here.

Silly Putty Spring 2 Pack
I always got an egg of silly putty each Easter. A way for my folks to slip in some non-candy related fun in my basket. Although I have yet to introduce my daughter to Silly Putty, this might be the year. $3.09 here.

Playmobil Pirate in an Egg
It’s a pirate. A pirate in an egg! Yeah, this Playmobil piece ain’t for the kid who’d want a bunny, bear or other cute trinket. Nope, this egg busts open to reveal a mighty pirate. Eggs, pirates, Easter…a great mix. $4.29 here

Plush Bitty Rabbit Mini Flopsie 8"
It's hard to avoid putting a cute plush toy in a Easter basket. And when you can pick one up like this 8" bunny by Aurora for just $4.99 here.

Basic Beat Egg Shaker
It’s maracas for the mini set. These small baby and toddler hand sized shakers are perfect for kids to get with the beat. You can pick them up here for $1.50 each.

Lego Mrs. Bunny Easter Set
For those Lego lovers, here is a Bunny Easter Set which pays tribute, in a pixelated style, to trees, eggs and bunnies. You can pick a set up here for $8.99.

Bunny Ring Toss Game
How do you like to spend Easter Sunday? Why by attempting to throw a color ring over the head of a bunny of course. But instead of using a live one, go for this wooden version, it’ll be easier, trust me. You can pick one up here for $5.75.

Let the Good Times Roll a Little Longer

Heather Kuldell — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:32:00 GMT

Fat Tuesday is here, and the good times are wrapping up. Unless you’re in NoLa, the spirit probably passed you by, but you can still celebrate in a colorful way. Print off a few free Mardi Gras coloring pages from Holidays.net, and turn them over to the kids to decorate. The site offers options of costumed characters, masks, fleur de lis and crowns, but sorry folks, you’ll have to supply your own beads.

Last Minute Holiday Deals: Castle Bouncer

AmandaHill — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Another great last minute Christmas deal, if you are about to go search your local stores over for a gift is this Castle Bouncer. Equipped to provide a great bounce, it can provide hours of entertainment. Additionally, it includes 24 balls to bounce around and toss. It is inflatable and has high walls for safety. The reviews for the product are great, and you can pick one up last minute at your local Wal-Mart for $44.99.

Last Minute Holiday Deals: Funny Onesies

AmandaHill — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

As far as last minute Christmas deals go, this long sleeved humor bodysuit for babies is a great one. As if the cute little graphic on the front wasn't enough, Old Navy is selling these dirt cheap right now for just $1.99. Yes, that's right. $1.99. So what are you waiting for? Hop on over to your local Old Navy and pick one up for your baby to wear tomorrow while you guys are ringing in Christmas, if you celebrate.

Child Menorah Costume

Erin Behan — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:34:00 GMT

If the Christmas celebrants get to dress up as elves, wise men and shephards, certainly the Hannakah celebrants can don a menorah outfit ($12.95)--or perhaps a torah ($17.47) is more your child's style. While I've never been to a Hanukkah celebration that included costumes, seems like it would be a lot of fun to have a shiny menorah join the party. Costume craze has something for just about every holiday ... who knew?

Let the Kids in the Holiday Kitchen

SunnyChanel — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:30:00 GMT

I can not wait until my daughter is old enough to do holiday crafts and cooking with me. I’m not talking about her adorable attempts at trying to draw Santa (which honestly looks more like a beached whale), or her indulgence in binging on the gingerbread house’s decorations. No, I can’t wait until she can join me in making Ice Cream Treewitches, Mrs. Clause’s Peppermint Wonders and Sweet and Crunchy Garland or some of the other delicious and delightful recipes and projects included in the book Kids in the Holiday Kitchen – Making, Baking, Giving.

It looks like next year will be the year for our family cooking and crafting, but if your kids are old enough, pick up this book for some festive holiday cheer. This year, we all need a little extra of that. Available from Chronicle Books here. ($16.95)

Buy Pedipeds on Sale & Make-A-Wish

editors — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:03:00 GMT

We love Pediped baby and toddler shoes around here and are confident the little feet on your list will love them too. And right now there’s a bonus to picking up a pair of these stylish, comfortable and marked down beauties – from December 17th until December 31st Pediped will be reducing prices on select shoes and donating fifty percent of the sales to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

In addition to seeing a happy baby in these Logans (sale price $22) pictured above, Make-A-Wish makes children with life-threatening medical conditions smile as they grant these kiddos wishes. That’s a lot of smiling, as one wish is granted every forty minutes by this preeminent non-profit foundation. Now that's one happy holiday. - April Peveteaux

Get them at Pedipeds.

A Sugar Free Gingerbread House!

SunnyChanel — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:52:00 GMT

The other day my toddler and I assembled a Gingerbread House. That is I assembled it as my daughter attempted to stuff as many of the candy decorations into her mouth that she could. Yes, I now realize the truth that toddlers are too young to be faced with the temptation of oodles of unwrapped candy.

This year I should have gotten the plush Gingerbread House designed in Denmark and handmade in Nepal. It’s cute, sugar free and international. It does cost $78 but think of what you’ll be saving in dentist bills. Interested? Go here.

Etsy: Even Stockings go Eco-Friendly

Erin Behan — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

It's stocking time! And why not go all eco-friendly on your stockings with these cute, inexpensive handmade Christmas stockings from Etsy. Designed by KatiePatatey, these 12-inch long Matryoshka lady stocking ($7) are made from Ecospun felt, a material spun from recycled glass bottles. KatiePatatey has a variety of designs on her site from which to choose.

Wheels for Less Than $15

Erin Behan — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:22:00 GMT

My go-to gift for kids fascinated by city life (whether they live in one or not) is this Vilac Mini Taxi ($12). The French-made toy boasts a heritage of beech wood and has soft, easy-rolling rubber wheels. Add Miroslav Sasek's classic This is New York ($12.21) for a lovely gift set that both kids and parents can enjoy.

Advent for Penguin Lovers

Erin Behan — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:46:00 GMT

I posted before about a more traditional advent calendar I liked, but here's one that's a little less traditional and a little more fun. The pop-up Penguin Advent Calendar ($16.99) by Joelle Jolivet will have you and your family counting the penguins behind each of the 24 die-cut widows. A miniature book comes with the calendar and gives door-by-door explanations in rhyme.

Modern Advent Calendar: Does it Exist?

Erin Behan — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:09:00 GMT

If you're not as crafty as flickr's modern cottage, you may have a hard time finding a modern-looking advent calendar (I did). The best selection of the best looking advent calendars that I could find, which coincidentally were also the best priced, all came from Target. My favorite for its minimal look and clean graphics is the above cream-colored advent calendar (on sale for $25). It's handpainted in a distressed white finish and the doors have a stay-closed locking system. See all of Target's advent calendars.

Must Have Holiday Bow &10% Discount

AmandaHill — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

My daughter is a bow girl. Since she started school, she loves them. This gorgeous, gingerbread Holiday Sweet Mckenzie Bow is from 2 Lil' Angels boutique, a boutique filled with fabulous bows for your child. This particular beauty is only 5.49. You can get the bow with an Alligator clip or french barrette. Isn't it adorable? They have a ton of other great bows. Rrght now, the owner is offereing a 10% discount to new customers if you enter the coupon code WELCOME. We have some bows from this boutique, and they are just great.

The Babble Review: Zoobie Pets

editors — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:01:00 GMT

It’s a blankie! It’s a plush doll! And it’s exactly what your little one will want to snuggle with on trips to Grandma’s while keeping his tootsies warm. The Zoobie two-in-one pet is pretty compact so your kid will be willing to carry it through the maze of the airport this holiday season. But it folds out to create a blanket and pillow/cuddle object once the Bendaryl has kicked in.

Zoobie Pets come in many exotic but lovable favorite animal types: Hada the Hippo, Lencho the Lion and Bobo the Baboon to name a few. We like Maskaka the Monkey (seen above) and his impish smile and especially like how easy it transitions from stuffed animal to useful travelling companion. So it’s no wonder Zoobies have won a plethora of awards from the iParenting Media Award to being Hot Mom Approved. That’s right, there’s even a seal for that one - and we're wondering how we can get our hands on it. - April Peveteaux

Get it at Amazon for $29.99.

Etsy: Thanksgiving Crochet Project

Erin Behan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:49:00 GMT

Boy do I wish I could crochet. Because if I could, I'd be jumping on this drumstick rattle pattern that's perfect for teething tots around the holidays. Other use ideas from the Etsy seller include: dog toy, play food item and costume accessory. The finished size is 9 1/2 inches long, which might just be bigger than this year's real drumstick. Buy it from Candypopcreations for $4.

Chronicle Gift Packs

Erin Behan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:29:00 GMT

Chronicle has some great bundled gift packs on its site right now, with themes that match many of life's occasions (yes, even some besides Christmas). When purchasing their gift packs, you save money and get a nicely packaged present. Of course the pregnancy pack ($22.95) caught my eye with its inclusion of the very popular The Pregnancy Journal and the very helpful Pregnancy To-Dos, but also appropriate for Droolers is the kids in the kitchen pack ($29.95), the Eric Carle pack ($29.95) and the Hanukkah for kids pack ($20.95).

Tea and Tiny: Together for Holiday Cards

Erin Behan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:24:00 GMT

It's not quite Thanksgiving, but in the world of holiday cards, it's time to get cracking! For lovers of the children's clothing line Tea Collection, the choice may not be so hard. Tea has teamed up with Tiny Prints and created a slew of holiday card designs. I've thumbed through the samples and the quality is top-notch. My favorite style is the folded Poinsettia Joy (25 cards for $67.95).

Enter code: MERRYTEA for $15 off orders of $100 or more.

Inside of the Poinsettia Joy:

Another favorite: Patchwork Poinsettia ($67.25 for 25)

Very Big Toys: Haunted Memories Is The Real Creepy Halloween Decoration

Chris Ford — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:51:00 GMT

This morning Aaron threw out the gauntlet, saying that the Hallowindow DVD might be the "Creepiest Halloween Decoration Ever," but I have to beg to differ. Haunted Memories is a company that makes frame-able old-timey photos of people for your wall. Except when you walk past the photo, the old-timey image morphs into a zombie, skeleton or ghoul. See the sweet baby above? Click the link below to see what she'll turn into.

These images aren't electronic, they're just a sort of trick photography thing. You can see from the animated GIF below to get an idea of how it works as you pass by. They're available in all sorts of people (kids, old people, even an old Santa) and in all sizes.

Most cost between $25.00 to $99.99. Check them out at HauntedMemories.com.

Telling 'The Truth About Easter Rabbits'

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:48:00 GMT

The truth about Easter rabbits, of course, is whatever you want it to be. But if you're not opposed to furthering the Easter Bunny myth and are looking for a novel way to re-spin the yarn in the days leading up to March 23, The Truth About Easter Rabbits ($17.95 from Nico & Zoe) makes a great jumping-off point. Illustrated with images collected from vintage picture books and postcards, the book gives the back-story on these magical rabbits' family lives, their egg-coloring traditions, and the logistics of just how they manage to deliver all those goodies to children around the world each year.

"Elmo Live" Doll Announced

Chris Ford — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:38:00 GMT

Elmo smells a Christmastime three-peat! Fisher-Price announced today a new Elmo doll that they promise will be the "most engaging and entertaining Elmo product ever." Apparently Elmo Live will move his mouth like the muppet, tell jokes, sit, stand, and even cross his legs. But it won't be available until October 14, 2008 - just in time for you to scramble to get one for the holidays.

There's a link to the video after the jump.

Here's the video from YouTube of the new Elmo.

Powerful Pajamas

Meredith Broussard — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:00:00 GMT

These are not merely pajamas. These are INSTRUMENTS OF DOMESTIC CONTROL.

Got a toddler who doesn't want to put on his pajamas? Avoid a meltdown and reassert domestic dominance by offering PJ's that are just like mommy's or just like daddy's. Half the time, toddlers want to do exactly the same thing as you. Your kid will likely be thrilled to wear PJ's that match yours, and since they're pajamas, you won't be embarassed by being all matchy-matchy in public. These Hanna Andersson organic striped cotton PJ's come in a variety of fun colors (including holiday stripes for family or Fido) and are known for their super-soft texture and typical Hanna durability.

Hanna Andersson organic cotton long johns: baby sleepers start at $18, kids' two-piece sets start at $28, adult tops ($40) and bottoms ($34) sold separately.

Jones Soda Once Again Promises a Pukin' Good Time for the Holidays

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:02:00 GMT

Among certain members of my family, it's become a holiday tradition to see who can down that year's nastiest Jones Soda flavor without tossing his or her Christmas cookies. This year, Jones takes the challenge to new lows with its Christmas Pack: four bottles of limited-edition, holiday-themed soda in Sugar Plum (okay), Egg Nog (not bad), Christmas Tree (wait a second...) and Christmas Ham (urp) flavors. The latter really makes the set, hitting the tongue like carbonated hot-dog water before tickling your gag reflex, while Christmas Tree goes down like liquified air freshener. Ho friggin' ho!

Slightly less nauseating, Jones' Happy Chanukah Pack packs together three not-completely-horrid flavors -- Apple Sauce (not bad), Chocolate Coins (eh...) and sickly-sweet Jelly Doughnut -- before dropping your palate into a bucket of fizzy, week-old boiled-potato runoff. Well, not really, but that's the first thing you'll think when Jones' Latke washes over your tongue. The Happy Chanukah Pack is kosher, so no one in your family can pull out that excuse for not tasting it, and perhaps as a way of making peace after tricking you into drinking a latke, it comes with a dreidel.

Actually, the Christmas Pack is also certified kosher, and both packs are caffeine-free. And despite the masochistic appeal, there's some true holiday spirit behind these sodas: Jones is donating a minimum of $10,000 from sales of the Christmas Pack to Toys for Tots, and a similar amount from sales of the Happy Chanukah Pack to Vitamin Angels. Packs are $12.99 individually, or $21.98 for both.

Hand Made: Lilac and Cream Dress

chrisjordan — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:01:00 GMT

Vintage silk brocade combined with a brushed rayon. A gorgeous dress for one of the many holiday outings you are sure to be invited to this season.

Available at Fifth Avenue South for $55

5 Other Things to Do With an Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet

Aaron Burgess — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:02:00 GMT

If you've been scanning the "hot holiday toy" lists this season, you've no doubt seen many shots of Hasbro's Optimus Prime Voice Changer ($29.99), a big plastic helmet that lets your kids play as the Transformers hero and Autobots leader, complete with digitized robot voice. Of course, kids aren't the only ones who've taken to Optimus -- see these YouTube videos (some of the least unfunny, at least) of grown people geeking out over the thing.

This one's made the rounds (and is still the best):

Go, Malaysia!

Optimus doesn't need to show ID:

Optimus will pwn you:

I would've let him in free: