Thursday, December 3, 2009

CafePress {Review & Giveaway} Customized Porcelain Ornaments - 3 winners!

{This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to those who entered!}

Every year when it's time to put up our Christmas tree, I am excited when it's time to begin the process. Then, by the time I've strung rows and rows of lights (stress on the I because my husband wants no part in it) and dug through the bins of ornaments, much of the enthusiasm has faded.

Our ornaments are a mix of old and new, plain and fancy, and it seems like every year there are less of them that I find as interesting as I did before. Does that happen to you? What ends up happening is that my critical eye leaves a large portion of ornaments in the bins because they're just not personal enough or attractive enough or, in general, deemed "good enough." What I really would love are ornaments that mean something, ones that I could unwrap and hang with fondness year after year.

Now THOSE are ornaments that I'm going to love seeing on my tree every Christmas

The ornament designer on CafePress is just about the most user-friendly program I have ever worked with. Whether you are a computer expert or a novice, as long as you can double-click, you can design your own photo-personalized porcelain ornament that will withstand the tests of time (even if you're picky like me).

Step 1: Choose which of the 30+ photo styles of ornaments is your favorite (there are also 5 non-photo designs, if you choose to go that route). The task of selecting a favorite is harder than you would think because as well as all of the colorful holiday styles that come in round or oval, there are many that are specialized for occasions such as Baby's 1st Christmas, World's Best Dad or even a few for Twilight lovers.

Step 2: Upload your picture (The image you get while your picture is loading gave me a good laugh - see left). There are handy arrows that allow you to adjust your photo to line it up just the way you want it on your ornament, as well as the option to increase or decrease the size and rotate to the left or right.

Step 3: Insert text. There is plenty of room to write Merry Christmas or I Love Grandma or Family Name 2009 or anything else that will customize your creation to fit you best.

Step 4: Preview your order (see below). I love this step, as not only is your ornament complete, but CafePress shows you what it will actually look like hanging on the tree so you can really get a feel of how great it is going to look. The cute red ribbon for hanging it is even included with your order.

Step 5: Your personalized porcelain ornament will arrive right at your door and will quickly become the favorite on the tree. Sorry plain, store-bought, generic ornaments. This one is much better. For $12 per ornament, a custom design from CafePress may cost a little more than traditional ornaments, but this is one that will be cherished much longer in your own home or make an amazing gift for any loved ones.

I really can't imagine ever having a cuter ornament on my tree

If a really cool photo ornament isn't on your gift list this holiday season, CafePress has such a wide variety of other items for the people on your list that you're sure to find something else there. Their slogan is "The world's favorite place to find or make unique T-shirts and gifts" and their selection can keep you discovering new ideas for as long as you continue to look. Using the same great personalization available for the ornaments, you can create a custom wall clock for only $15, a one-of-a-kind 1.0L SIGG water bottle for $25 or a teddy bear wearing a shirt with a certain cute little sister on it for only $16.

From custom art to Flip camcorders to shirts for your dog, CafePress has it all and you can express yourself in almost any way possible. Even if you aren't looking to be a designer, there are great pre-made options to choose from for all ages. I think the "I'm This Many" shirt (shown at right) would be adorable for Little Sister B's birthday next year and even though I'm not into the whole Twilight thing, I'm sure the Twilight Life Button (shown at left) would be a big hit as a stocking stuffer for many of the fans out there.

Be sure to keep up with CafePress on their blog, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter for all the latest and greatest information - and you never know when a great deal will be announced! Now, are you ready to give your ornaments an upgrade? Or create a great gift this holiday season? Thanks to the generosity of CafePress, 3 people are going to have new and improved Christmas trees from this year on, because...

3 lucky people will win personalized porcelain ornaments of their own!


To enter to win your own custom ornament from CafePress: Visit CafePress (the designer takes a minute or two to load) and tell me which ornament design is your favorite AND who this receive this great gift - if it's you, that's okay! Please do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile. I have to have a way to contact the winner.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted. For example, if you subscribe, leave one comment saying "I subscribe #1" and a separate comment saying "I subscribe #2")

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow CafePress on Twitter or sign up for their newsletter (found on the lower right of their homepage).
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway. See the list on the top of my right sidebar - there are some really great ones going on right now and coming up!
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

CafePress ornament giveaway (3 winners)! Amazing photo porcelain ornaments! @thxmailcarrier @cafepress http://bit.ly/4TFeGr #win #giveaway

2 Extra Entries per follow method (leave 2 separate comments for each type) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect (see sidebar), subscribe to my RSS feed or subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email.
3 Extra Entries (leave 3 separate comments) if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries (leave 3 separate comments) if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and CafePress. Please leave an address where it can be found.
5 Extra Entries (leave 5 separate comments) if you make a purchase from CafePress during this giveaway! Let me know what really great item(s) you chose.

Giveaway will end on December 14th at 11:59pm CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to CafePress for providing me with the amazing ornaments I designed as well as 1 ornament for 3 lucky giveaway winners. I LOVED creating them! The opinions shared are my own and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

114 comments:

Rajee said...

love ginger bread


rajee@momsfocusonline.com

Rajee said...

have ur button

Rajee said...

have ur button 2

Rajee said...

have ur button 3

Rajee said...

follow them on twitter

Rajee said...

follow u on twitter and tweeted @momsfocus

Rajee said...

entered BuddyTops Hats giveaway

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

The gingerbread - perfect for my baby's cute head and yes I'd put it on our tree!

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...
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Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

OMG my mouse just freaked out and I'm deleting all of the duplicate comments - oy!

And I'm following cafepress on twitter (pennypinchingma)

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

entered crane

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

entered pose prints

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

entered wee squeak

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6325354582

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

email sub #2
pennypinchingmama[at]yahoo[dot[com]

Laureen said...

I like the Red Birds oval ornament and I would give it to my daughter. THanks!

lmarston AT yahoo DOT com

Laureen said...

I entered the Crane Cool Mist Humidifier giveaway.

lmarston AT yahoo DOT com

Laureen said...

Daily Tweet:
http://twitter.com/MamandeEDS/statuses/6329095665

lmarston AT yahoo DOT com

Kim said...

I'd do a gingerbread man one!

Kim said...

subscribe to emails #1

Kim said...

subscribe to emails #2

Kim said...

subscribe to feed #1

Kim said...

subscribe to feed #2

Kim said...

google follower #1

Kim said...

google follower #2

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6337161741

Anonymous said...

I'd choose the red birds, and I'd give it to my son this Christmas as his yearly ornament!

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Following Cafepress on Twitter - clctaube

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Twitter follower (clctaube)
and tweet http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6344225493

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Email subscriber #1

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Email subscriber #2

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Melissa said...

I would love the Red Birds oval to give to my lovebird! :)

xmeliss182x (at) yahoo (dot) com

Melissa said...

I also entered the WeeSqueak Beibei Shoes giveaway

xmeliss182x (at) yahoo (dot) com

Melissa said...

I also entered the Buddy Tops hats giveaway

xmeliss182x (at) yahoo (dot) com

Melissa said...

Also entered the SodaStream giveaway.

xmeliss182x (at) yahoo (dot) com

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6368012213

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet 12/5
http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6373564288

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

entered sweet arts

sharonjo said...

I'd choose the First Christmas Baby Girl and give it to my niece, Cassidy, who just had a baby girl in July.

Thanks for the chance!

Laureen said...

Tweet
http://twitter.com/MamandeEDS/statuses/6392398175

lmarston AT yahoo DOT com

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6400624065

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet 12/6
http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6401694116

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Kristie said...

I love the Snowman ornament. I think I'd put a picture of both my kids and keep it for myself ;-)

khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Laureen said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/MamandeEDS/statuses/6422056197

lmarston AT yahoo DOT com

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet 12/7
http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6432460807

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6432509400

wigget said...

i like the best mom ornament....for myself!

wigget said...

entered BuddyTops Hats giveaway

Anonymous said...

the gingerbreadman is very cute!
polly
cherubpk@aol.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

I like the snowman circular ornament

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

follow Cafe Press on twitter- WeeShare

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

get the cafe press newsletter at drgdlgletterboxers@yahoo.com

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

1 email subscriber to drgdlgletterboxers@yahoo.com

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

2 email subscriber to drgdlgletterboxers@yahoo.com

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

http://twitter.com/WeeShare/status/6456958839

follow as WeeShare

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

entered the WeeSqueak Giveaway

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Desi @ Wee Share said...

entered the Sweet Arts design Giveaway

Desi
weeshareblog@gmail.com
http://weeshare.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet 12/8
http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6466738750

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Laureen said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/MamandeEDS/statuses/6488421591

lmarston AT yahoo DOT com

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet 12/9
http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6498508650

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6501048379

stephland3 said...

I ould love the gingerbread ornament for my daughter!
dagoprincessss@hotmail.com

costana said...

the gingerbread is adorable!!!

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6531936791

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet 12/10
http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6541587813

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Rajee said...

entered I.D. Me Labels.giveaway

Rajee said...

entered activeion Pro (ARV $299).

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

entered Activeion Pro

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6567091773

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet
http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6578801629

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6600444051

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet: http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6603491475

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Bookwyrm said...

I'm enough of a control freak that I would just go with "Full Bleed" and design my own for myself.

Bookwyrm said...

https://twitter.com/I_Want_To_Win/status/6636136138

Bookwyrm said...

I also entered "Soda Stream"

Bookwyrm said...

I also entered "Sweet Arts"

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet: http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6639182723

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6645895369

Lauren Wayne said...

I think I'd go with the Snowman and give it to Grandma for her tree.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I follow CafePress on Twitter (@Hobo_Mama).

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I subscribe to your RSS feed #1.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I subscribe to your RSS feed #2.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I follow you via Google Friend Connect #1.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I follow you via Google Friend Connect #2.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I entered the SodaStream giveaway.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I entered the BuddyTops giveaway.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I entered the Baby Dipper Bowl giveaway.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Lauren Wayne said...

I entered the Sweet Arts giveaway.

mail AT HoboMama.com

Marie said...

I love the gingerbread with my son's face on it. I would give it to myself.
mccataquet(at)comcast(dot)net

Marie said...

I entered baby dipper bowl
mccataquet(at)comcast(dot)net

Marie said...

I entered buddy top hats
mccataquet(at)comcast(dot)net

Heather @ Girl Gone Mom said...

tweet:
http://twitter.com/PennyPinchingMa/status/6663249660

Anonymous said...

Daily tweet: http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/6672336434

clctaube @ yahoo.com

Unknown said...

My favorite is the Snowman design , the gingerbread that you reviewed is also adorable.
It would be for MUAH! Becuase I am obsessed with ornaments and the ones that are personalized are awesome!
Thanks
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

I follow Cafe Press on Twitter. My username is Macmomof3
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

I just entered your adorable BuddyTops giveaway! SO cute.

jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

I follow you ont witter @macmomof3 tweeted here http://twitter.com/MACMOMof3/status/6687553454

jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

I follow your blog on GFC jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Follower #2
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Subscribe to your rss feed #1
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

feed subscriber #2
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Email subscriber #1
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Email subscriber #2
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Grabbed your button @ http://macmomof3.blogspot.com
jesskaufman at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Button #2
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Unknown said...

BUtton #3
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