The Mother’s Day Giveaway!

This contest is now closed.

This is a giveaway for all of those who know moms or babies (or who are moms or babies), and it’s chockful of wonderful stuff, worth up to $171.50! And unlike my last giveaway, where each item was given away to a different winner, this time one lucky winner will get it all!

I’ve chosen some fantastic treats for moms and kids- I know you’re going to love them as much as I do. Instructions on how to enter are below (and they’re easy, too), but I urge you to visit each and every one of these shops, because the products they’ve generously agreed to donate to one lucky Almost Frugal reader are only the tip of the iceburg- there’s a lot more where they came from!

Our first giveaway item is from the eBillme Debt Free Mall, who has partnered with CSN Stores to give Mom (and Almost Frugal readers) something special- a choice of up to two items, for a total value of $100, from this special Mother’s Day gift page with the Top 50 Gifts for Mom. Gifts are divided into a Top 10 category, or four other categories: New Moms, Traditional, Trendy, and gifts Every Mom will love.

I have to tell you, I’ve looked at their selection a lot, and have had a hard time choosing what I would pick myself, were I to be eligible (which I’m not!). There are a lot of great gifts, from halo sleep sacks to stroller organizers to funky wall mirrors and ice-cream makers. However, as I start down a new professional path, I think I would choose the laptop sleeve and the wallet, both pictured here. What would you choose?

Our next item comes from Etsy shop Merit Market, and it’s a market tote. At least she markets it as a market tote, I would use it as an everyday bag, perfect for carrying all of the day’s essentials. Not only that, it would be perfect for carrying all your stuff from this giveaway!

These totes sell for $18, and are completely handmade. The winner gets to choose the design they prefer, so make sure to visit her shop to see what’s in stock! She also has aprons, coasters and ingenious prop and shoot camera sets.

We’ve talked practical, now let’s talk essential. Or luxury- you choose the adjective, but I vote that these delicious orange-twist oreo truffles from SugarSmitten‘s shop are a necessity. SugarSmitten is offering the winner $15 in store credit, and you can choose anything you like… fudge, caramels, bonbons and more… yum!

Leggings for babies, or a cloth diaper of your choice: you decide! That’s what the next sponsor, Snugs Boutique, is letting you do. They sell their own brand of cloth pocket diapers (which in my opinion are the easiest to use, as they go on like a disposable and dry very quickly) and leggings for babies, which I think are one of the cutest baby trends of the past few years. While I’ve shown my favorite pattern of leggings (I’m crazy about stripes on little girls!), the winner is free to choose their preferred pattern.

Another adorable baby item is this pacifier and toy strap from OhSewCuteDesigns, another Etsy shop. Even if your baby doesn’t use pacifiers, these are great for keeping favorite toys attached- we used this idea for all three of our kids, although we just tied the toys on with a string- not nearly as cute! Again, it’s winner’s choice as to the design, and make sure to check out her shop to sneak a peek at all the other cute things she makes and sells.

I couldn’t resist the sockmonkey design on this little bag from PickleThings so I was delighted that she agreed to donate a bag (again, winner’s choice as to the design). And she has felt food as well- tea bags! potatoes and asparagus! PB&J sandwiches! Ravioli in sauce! Really, you have to see it to believe how cute they are.

And, if you’re not  into sockmonkeys, there are a lot of other designs: big dots, flowers, asymetrical dots and so on.

Our final giveaway comes from Quiltdream, another Etsy shop. Although I covet her quilts, that’s not what she’s giving away (although, hey, a girl can dream, right?). Instead she’s offering the winner a minicrayon roll. I love these things- they’re small enough to keep one tucked in your bag to distract whiny toddlers, or to stash them in the car (but maybe not in summer!) for long car rides. The crayon rolls hold six crayons, and not only that, the fabric is sure to please your favorite artist: Elmo, Thomas or Cookie Monster, for example.

So you see what I mean when I say how excited I am about this giveaway- I think there is a lot of great stuff here!

Here’s how to enter (and, as promised, it’s really easy). You get one entry for each of these options, for a total of 10 entries:

• Leave a comment on this post, saying what favorite Mother’s Day gift was, that you have either given or received.
• Post about this giveaway on your own blog, linking back to this post. (No need to let me know you did so, the blog will capture it automatically.)
• Tweet about this giveaway, mentioning the post, and @AlmostFrugal.
• Visit one of the shops mentioned, then come back and leave a comment about your favorite item in that shop. You can do this for each of the seven shops listed.

Now, I know that you’re all busy people, but I’d really appreciate it if you could take a minute to visit each of the sponsor sites- it would mean a lot to each of us.

The contest begins on May 3, 2009 at 12 noon GMT, and finishes on May 11, 2009 at 12 noon GMT. It is only open to people who can give a US or Canadian address, and I reserve the right to disqualify people. Good luck!

Kelly Rigotti started Almost Frugal as a thirty-something American trying to dig her way out from under a mountain of debt (~€60,000). She's almost frugal and would like to be more so, but shops at Ikea too often for her own good.

Kelly has blogged 556 posts here.