Birthday Pictures

by Mandy on September 2, 2010

Welcome to Pennies and Blessings, where we love to find and share new ways to save time and money! I would love to have you subscribe to my RSS feed so you don't miss a thing! So glad to have you here!

For years, I have been slightly obsessive about taking my children in for new pictures each year for their birthdays.  Now that our oldest is twelve years old, he’s not such a fan of having his picture taken any more, so we usually let the spring photo shoot at school count for his! ha My two littles still very much enjoy being in front of the camera though, so for their sake I keep the tradition going… ahem… ok, maybe for my sake a little too.

Since most of my high dollar quality photographer friends live many miles away from me now, I returned to my trusty standby – J C Penny Portrait Studio.  Just this week, I took our little guy in for his four year pictures. {It was painful to realize and admit that he is now that old!} I was quite pleasantly surprised by the upgrades to JCP‘s Studio since our last visit! Portable cameras now, which means no more posing the children in one spot while the photographer moved an over-sized clunky camera around.  Little Man was able to move freely around the entire studio “room” and the photographer just kept snapping away!

There were also many new props, backgrounds, and digital options this trip, which was super nice! Little Man immediately spotted the Harley prop and backdrop and claimed it for his own! :)

More than any of those features and upgrades though, the most important and impressive part of our trip to the JCP Studio was the price!  Although I absolutely love having pictures taken of my kiddos, I am not a big fan of paying a fortune in the process! I mean, I am just going to replace these pictures with new ones in a few months or so anyway!

Apparently the associate who helped us with our session this week had bargain-seeker radar, because she knew instantly that I wanted the best available deal and started helping me peruse through my stack of coupons for various packages and freebies!  Did you know that you can tweet – yes, TWEET – from the studio during your session and automatically save 50% off your order?!  Neither did I, but she did! So I tweeted… and I saved… and so I ordered a few extra prints… What?! Isn’t that how it works?!

Between renewing our portrait club membership {no sitting fees}, and the handy “birthday package” coupon we received via email, and the tweet I sent while there – I saved about 67% off my total purchase! Score! And I have some fabulous pictures of my adorable little guy – without the guilt of spending too much! Nothing beats frugal pictures of my babies! :)

This post is part of Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom.

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Our Daily Chocolate {Giveaway!}

by Mandy on September 2, 2010

I. Love. Chocolate.

So naturally when Sarah Mae began tweeting out things about Our Daily Chocolate, I couldn’t click over fast enough! She had me at chocolate! Of course, Ashley‘s little beauties are not edible, but they are most definitely eye candy of many different kinds! :)

My obsession fascination with Ashley’s creativity began with these sweet buds:

Aren’t they just adorable?! Love!

Once I began to stalk follow Ashley’s blog and shop, I realized she is truly a girl after my own heart… We share a love of all things “cottage chic” or vintage, including a mild obsession with beadboard.  And we both seem to have a flare for the unique{Ashley seems to be a bit more successful at expressing that flare though, I must say!}

See what I mean?

Chic. Unique. Creative. Crafty. A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!

I am head-over-heels for this rose bud ring and the new glass charms in her shop!

Ashley has a multitude of fun and crafty tutorials posted as well, in case you feel bitten by the let’s get creative bug while browsing around here!

Now for the really good stuff!! One of you lovelies out there drooling over her shop will win a $25 Shop Credit to Our Daily Chocolate!! Courtesy of the sweet, chocolate-loving Ashley, of course! :)

Here’s how you can enter: {This one is required.}

  • Hop on over to Our Daily Chocolate on Etsy and then leave a comment here telling me your favorite charm, flower, or frame {or any of her other goodies}!

For extra entries, you can:

  • Tweet about the giveaway – be sure to include @PennyBlessings in your tweet!
  • Blog about the giveaway and come back here with the permalink to your post!
  • Facebook about the giveaway and tag me in your status (either as Pennies and Blessings or as Mandy Roberson)!
  • Follow Ashley on Twitter!
  • Follow me on Twitter!
  • Subscribe to  Our Daily Chocolate (the blog)!
  • Subscribe to Pennies and Blessings either by RSS feed or email!

This giveaway will be open until Tuesday, September 7, when the winner will be chosen via Random.org.  I will include the winner in a post on Wednesday, September 8, so be sure to watch for it!

Fine print: A minimum purchase of $35 is requested, for the $25 credit to be applied. Remember – all proceeds from this shop will help Ashley attend the Relevant conference in October!! Also, the rose bud earrings pictured above are available only on Open Sky, and are not included in this giveaway. Sorry!

This post is part of Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

Happy Shopping {and Entering}!! :)


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10% Cash Back with Ebates and GAP

September 2, 2010

Today through Monday, GAP is running a promotion with Ebates that will allow you to earn 10% CASH BACK on your purchases!! Ebates also offers a number of great coupons for shopping GAP online!!  This deal has fabulous bargain potential!! If you are not familiar with Ebates, I can sum it up briefly for you! [...]

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FREE Chips and Queso at Chili’s!

September 2, 2010

Sign up for Chili’s Email Club to receive updates, exclusive offers, and a FREE order of Skillet Queso & Chips!! Combine this with Chili’s current promotion 2 for $20, and you have a pretty yummy deal!! Wouldn’t ya know it?! We ate at Chili’s for lunch today and I totally forgot to take my coupon! [...]

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Simple Pleasures

August 31, 2010

My family was so blessed this summer! We were able to travel much more than originally planned and have many a grand adventure! We spent many, many days in the pool here at home. We saw several different beaches. We were able to admire many landmarks, attractions, and scenic views. But most of all, we [...]

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The Moonlight

August 30, 2010

While thoroughly enjoying our family time at the beach last weekend, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful scenery around me.  Not the fancy water park, although that was impressive… Not the huge condo complexes all around us, although we certainly enjoyed the luxuries they provided… But the scenery that caught my eye was not [...]

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Sell Your Stuff

August 29, 2010

When you find yourself in need of some extra cash, one of the easiest ways to get some of it quickly is by selling stuff you have on hand.  You would be tremendously surprised at what all you have around the house that someone out there would be willing to buy! Trust me – I [...]

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Fill My Cup

August 28, 2010

“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 On this Lord’s Day, try to keep in mind that every day is the Lord’s!

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Clearance on Restaurant.com!!

August 27, 2010

Now through August 31, use code CLEARANCE at Restaurant.com to save 80% on restaurant certificates in your area! We took advantage of this great deal for some certificates not only in our area, but also in the nearby beach areas we have frequented this summer! Can’t beat 80% off!! Happy Dining!

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FREE Sample of John Freida Root Awakening

August 27, 2010

Click here to request your free sample of John Freida Root Awakening products by mail! I have found these “free samples” to be the perfect size for traveling, and of course they are free, so that makes them  even more perfect! Get yours today!!

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