{this giveaway is now closed!! our winner was announced right here. thanks for stopping by!}

i have been so excited about this giveaway, it’s been nearly impossible to keep it under my hat.  and now, finally, the time has come to introduce you all to hi, friend design!  started by a pair of extremely talented ladies, this is hands-down my new favorite line of stationery. beautiful, chic, creative and unbelievably well-priced…what more could i ask?

hi, friend specializes in semi-custom (and incredibly affordable) wedding and shower invitations, and honestly, if you know someone getting married, i can’t say enough about how gorgeous they are.

but, well, i’ve already been down that road.  so for me, i’m in it for hi, friend’s sometimes cheeky, always stylish cards that are absolutely perfect for any occasion at all.

(clearly, i should have asked the talented ladies of hi, friend to help with the graphic for this giveaway. polyvore is just not my friend.)

there literally isn’t a single card in their line that i’m not dying to send to someone i know.  i mean, a flamingo silhouette with a “don’t be tacky” tagline?  or a barbecue proclaiming your friend “a rare one”?  it’s pun-ny perfection for my ultra-corny sense of humor.  and their personalized notecards are so chic, i’m literally looking for excuses to send cards to people, just so i can show them off.

with that, on to the giveaway! one of you lucky, lucky readers (oh, how i envy you) will be taking home a huge gift package that hi, friend is customizing just for us:  a year’s worth of stationery! the winner of this fabulous giveaway will get:  two of each silhouette card at hi, friend (22 in all), a set of 24 custom personalized note cards, a pack of their picture-perfect wine gift bags, and topped off with a completely darling to-do notepad!  in other words, you’ll be spared an entire year of emergency trips to hallmark, and you’ll be forever more known as that friend who always sends the perfect card.  not bad at all, i think.

to win, all you have to do is go take a peek at hi, friend’s website, and leave a comment here telling us whether you think your style fits their “modern girl”, “vintage girl”, or “classic girl” (personally, i think i’m a little bit of each).  and, as always, nab a bonus entry if you post about the giveaway on twitter (@shoppingscardio and @hifrienddesign), on facebook, on your blog, or whatever else you can think of (town crier, perhaps?). just be sure to let me know how you shared: leave a second comment here to get your bonus entry.

you have until monday (7/19) at noon PDT to enter, and we’ll announce a winner then.  so get those entries in soon!  and a huge, huge thanks to hi, friend for coming up with this fantastic package just for us!

this year has been a little tricky for mother’s day gifts for me.  with my nana gone, i’ve been trying to come up with something extra special for my mom this year. and while i did come up with something i think she’ll love (can’t tell, of course…it would ruin the surprise!), i thought i’d share my runner-up ideas with all of you!

as i said, i’ve been a little bit more sentimental than usual about moms this year, so i loved the idea behind this book before i even saw it.  photographer jeannette montgomery barron decided to share her memories about her mom by photographing some of her most memorable outfits and using them to tell the story of her mom’s life, and the result is my mother’s clothes.  it’s incredibly touching, and the photos are beautiful.  i imagine giving this to my mom with a photo of her stylish self pasted into the front.

if your mom leans more heavily toward the martha stewart side of things, jo malone’s candle collaboration with farrow & ball is absolutely sure to be a hit.  they’ve paired their five most popular fragrances with limited edition containers from the famed paint company, and the result is a candle that looks utterly perfect and smells divine.  my favorite is the lime basil & mandarin, but pomegranate noir is also pretty wonderful.

alexis bittar is offering to personally sign a piece of jewelry for your mom this year, if you buy from their website by may 4 (include code ‘LOVEMOM’ and her name in the comments when you check out).  their signature lucite bangles are so perfectly timeless and chic, they’ll be the perfect update to her wardrobe, no matter what her style. and prices start at $55, so you should be able to grab something on most any budget.  the styles i’ve pictured above are my personal favorites for mom…clockwise from left, buy them here, here and here.

while i was out shopping with my dear friend jocelyn when she was in town last weekend, i came across this moleskine recipe journal ($20), and my heart skipped a beat.  it would be perfect for anyone that loves to cook and experiment, but what a perfect gift for your culinarily-inclined mom!  now she can write down all of her “top secret” recipes for you, and tape all of those recipes she’s torn from magazines and newspapers to the pages.

if you’re set on sending flowers (and really, what mom doesn’t love flowers?), i happened on these stunning sugar cookies from miette, one of my favorite pastry shops in san francisco.  they’ll ship anywhere, and i think they might be even prettier than actual flowers.

for this week’s friday finds, i thought i’d show off a few simple little things i’ve come across recently that are making my life just a bit easier, better, or even happier.  sometimes it really is the little things that make your day, and these have definitely been making mine lately!

i’m sure it’s the type A in me, but few things make me happier than pretty desk accessories. i fell for the entire oh joy! desk collection from chronicle books the moment i saw it, and have been using each and every piece since it arrived (seriously, the file folders are so pretty, i actually want to get organized!).  but i especially love the note block, which is the newest addition to the set.  i love the color palette and all of those pretty flowers, but i especially love that the holder has an itty bitty drawer in the bottom.  i find it inexplicably adorable, and i smile every time i use it.  isn’t that worth at least $14.95?

i’ve been hunting for an iphone cover for, well, since i first got my iphone, which was at least 18 months ago.  yes, i’m inordinately picky.  i didn’t want it to be overly bulky, but i wanted it to be protective and durable.  i didn’t want it to be too girly.  and i wanted it to have just the right texture, since i tend to fiddle with things like this quite a bit.  when i spotted the chilewich basketweave cover, it was love at first sight.  best iphone case ever, if you ask me.  i grimaced a little at the $40 pricetag, but quickly realized that if you factor it over the hours i’ve spent hunting for one, it’s a bargain.

i’ve gotten so tired of worrying about whether my water bottle is killing me.  first plastic was bad, then metal, then another type of plastic, next who knows what?  so when i saw these (extreeeeemely cute) glass bottles from lifefactory, they just seemed like the obvious solution.  the silicone sleeve, in addition to making them look highly chic, protects from breakage (which i inadvertently tested when it fell out of my car onto the street…utterly uneventful, thankfully), and really isn’t any heavier than a lot of reusable plastic bottles.  plus, it has a nice wide opening to fit the water & ice dispensers in my fridge.  ah, the little things. my favorite is the white, but they’re all pretty awesome.

have a great weekend, everyone!  spring is definitely worth waiting for here in portland…i hope the weather’s as sunny and lovely where you are as it has been here.

i just can’t seem to get enough of linda & harriett’s products. they’re fun, cheeky, well-made…really, what’s not to love?  but this year, they’ve put together a gift set so sweet, i’d be content to gift this to just about everyone i know.

for $50, linda & harriett’s new holiday gift set includes their fabulous letterpress calendar, a notepad, and a box of letterpress cards, all tucked into their ridiculously cute moose gift bag.  plus (how cool is this?!), the letterpressed images on the calendar actually detach into mailable postcards, so you can send them out once the month is over.  after spending the last several years hoarding calendars that were too pretty to toss, this makes me a very happy girl.

(can’t resist showing you the cuteness of the calendar too…love!!)

personally, i plan to have several of these on hand this holiday, as they may be the perfect last-minute gift.  they’d be perfect for a party hostess, a mom…anyone, really.  but the selfish being in me says this gift is tailor-made for your assistant or co-worker.  you’ll have a pretty calendar to look at whenever you walk past her desk, and her notes to you will now arrive on chic zigzag or cheeky alligator-festooned sheets.  so much better than those tired yellow post-its, right?

oh!  and, just got word that you can score 15% off your order through 12/15 with code JOLLY at checkout, which means i’ll be adding some adorable “get jolly” moose cards and a set of ski sweater gift tags to my order.

i swear, the color theme this week was totally unintentional.  but i couldn’t let october go by without showing you a few things i’m loving in support of breast cancer awareness (BCA) month.

as you probably know, each october, virtually every designer and beauty line under the sun releases a limited-edition pink item in support of breast cancer.  breast cancer blenders, breast cancer flat irons, even breast cancer soap…the options are endless.  in each case, anywhere from a nickel to 100% of the proceeds go to fund research for a cure.  always one to shop for a cause, i thought i’d show you a few of my favorites.  fair warning: i do tend to lean toward the products that donate most or all proceeds to charity – giving $5 from a $200 item doesn’t do much for me.  after all, if you’re shopping for warm fuzzies, you might as well go all out!

i loved this necklace before i even knew it was for BCA.  gorgeous gunmetal chain, and i am crazy for that rose gold feather – so unique, perfect for everyday wear, and really reasonable at $75.  it was designed by elizabeth and james, and is available exclusively at shopbop.

every year, OPI releases a special shade of pink for BCA, and this year’s “pink of hearts” is a personal favorite of mine.  it works as a one-coat sheer (though it’s a little brighter than my usual ’samoan sand’), but is also great full-strength.  it’s a sweet, preppy pink that goes with anything.  and it’s only $6 at amazon!

these flamingo notecards from linda & harriett are so cute, i had to share.  they just make me think of happier, tropical places – i’d love to send them out to friends right about now, when we’re struggling to remember those warm summer days.  you get 6 cards for $14, and 20% of proceeds go to a cancer center in new york.

this one’s pretty cute:  bambako is a headband designer, and has come up with seven different designs for BCA – each named for a breast cancer survivor the designer knows.  plus, a whopping 100% of proceeds go to the susan g. komen foundation!  personally, i’m partial to the feathered ‘rue’ band, but i could definitely see the ‘gloria’ and ‘rhoda’ being darling for holiday fetes.

and last but not least, i can’t resist a cute pair of PJ’s, especially when i know it’s for a good cause.  i love the bright pink and yellow flowers on this set by sleepyheads (on sale for $36), but they have a whole “shop for the cure” section of their site.  any item you find there will get you a 10% donation to breastcancer.org.  sweet dreams indeed!

if you have the cash, this is a great month – and a great excuse – to spend.  besides, who doesn’t need a little pink in their life? if you’ve come across any great BCA products, drop a comment and let us all know…the more ways to spend, the better for everyone!

i’ve always loved jade, and have secretly wished it would reappear in fashion.  while you can find jade in virtually every color under the sun, i’m especially partial to the classic milky green hue.  it’s so striking, beautiful and unexpected.  at long last, it’s back in a big way, and i can hardly wait to take full advantage!

it all started with chanel’s new jade nail colors for spring, which were all the rage during fashion week…

…which i was reminded of today when i spotted these amazing stephen webster jade earrings in an “what would she wear” post over at whowhatwear this morning.  at $510, they’re not coming home with me any time soon, but i love the classic jade juxtaposed with that gorgeous deco-meets-punk setting.

turned out, i also loved WWW’s budget pick from janna conner (in fact, i have the identical earrings in rose quartz, but now i’m wishing i could trade!):

and now i’m just hunting down all things jade…like this scarf (marked down to $49 at virginia johnson)….

…and these beautiful personalized jade note cards from iomoi…

…it’s a slippery slope, you see.  but i’m definitely looking forward to adding a little more jade to my life.  how about you?

one more do-gooder…given my current state of mind, i just can’t resist this one. the owners of linda & harriett, which designs some of my absolute favorite cards, is having the most wonderful event today!  it’s “just because day,” in honor of designer liz’s mom, linda, who was apparently always very courteous and sweet, just because. how fabulous is that?!

to celebrate, just email lindaandharriett@gmail.com … uh, quickly (the offer expires basically right now (9 am pst), but i’m going to email their press rep and ask for a few minutes of an extension for y’all), and include your full name and mailing address. they’ll send you a blank card, absolutely free, for you to address and mail to whoever you like.  how sweet is that?!

sometimes i really lament the fact that we’re all so set in our new high-tech ways.  i spotted these beautiful customized cards by gadabout at style court, and ever since, i’ve been dying to go back to my more thoughtful roots, in which i actually sent the occasional card to a friend, through the mail.

each design can be customized with your name or initials, sometimes in the most unusual ways (i love the couch, with your initials printed on the throw pillow!).  and the prices are fantastic – $40 for a set of 25 cards and envelopes.

it’s no surprise that the designer, hanna brooks nation, hails from the heart of the deep south…i can just imagine sending one of these sophisticated notes to a friend to invite her over for afternoon tea.  you know, in a world in which things like that really happened.  they’d also make fantastic thank-you notes, and a perfect gift for a stylish friend’s birthday.

i think we should all start a movement to resurrect handwritten cards…don’t you?

ugh, remember when your english teacher used “journaling” as a verb?  used to drive me absolutely crazy!  that said, i seem to be on a  journal kick of late…i just keep seeing examples that make me wish i were one of those people that carries a notebook everywhere i go.  i mean, as a writer, isn’t that de rigeur?  in the hopes that some of this intent will morph into action, i thought i’d share a few styles that i can’t resist.

first up is the keel’s simple diary, which literally just debuted over at taschen, one of my favorive publishers.  i’ve only had it for a couple of days, but i’m already smitten.  i love the bright colors, the totally portable size, the back pocket for stashing…whatever.  but mostly i love that it’s already filled out for you!  this is truly a diary for those who think they have nothing interesting to say – you’re virtually guaranteed to sound utterly witty and brilliant.  each page contains a few random questions – multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank…i even spotted a graph.  you pick a page – go in order or don’t, there’s no judge here – answer the questions, ponder the extremely random quote on your page, and move on with your life.  i love this because i know once i get started, i won’t be able to resist it on a daily basis.  check out a few sample pages here, and grab it in any lovely color (each one means something about your personality, so choose wisely!).  this is most definitely going to be my go-to gift this year…stylish, clever, and only $15!

of course, there’s also the classic moleskine.  if it was beloved by hemingway and matisse, who am i to argue?  i yearn to be one of those people furtively sketching away in my moleskine at the hippest coffee shop in town.  sadly, mine tend to mostly end up filled with names of websites i mean to visit, or brands i happen across while shopping.  but i’m thinking if i had one of these amazing engraved leather covers from engrave your book’s new artist series for my moleskine, it would encourage all sorts of creativity.  each one’s designed by a well-known graphic artist, then laser-engraved onto untreated calfskin.  they’re a little pricier at $60, but you can refill them with a standard moleskine forever, and that lovely leather will turn the most beautiful shade of honey brown (or be covered with coffee stains…but doesn’t that just make you a true artist?).

all that said, something tells me these to-the-point little notebooks from orange beautiful are still the most appropriate for my typical state of mind.  don’t we all need to be reminded to stop whining every now and then?

so, what do you think of these sweet new journaling options? are you a journaler by nature, or are you inspired to give it a go?

happy friday, everyone!

hi, readers!!  i’m back from the tropics, and missed you all terribly…i saw so many things i wanted to blog, but alas, the pina colada in my hand was weighing me down.  i had some very grand plans for my first day back…but well, i’m exhausted, and it’s just not happening.  so, i’ll leave you with a few random tidbits, and we’ll start the awesomeness tomorrow.

1. clarins UV plus sunscreen SPF 40 is a miracle potion.  my freakishly sensitive, freckle- and sunburn-prone skin has nary a blemish after a week in the hawaii sun and surf.  tomorrow, i have a fantastic Q&A with their head skincare expert to share with you…so look forward to that!

2. i’m on a huge exotic floral print kick now (big shock), and these beautiful notebooks from cartolina cards are hitting me in just the right spot.  at $4 each, they’re cuter than most of what i saw in hawaii…i’m considering buying a stack and passing them off as souvenirs!

3. it was snowing when i arrived home…welcome back.  but i refuse to be defeated – inhabit is sample sale-ing my favorite, light-as-a-feather stretch cashmere cardigan and v-neck (as well as some other pieces) for $80 each this week…that’s down from more than $300.  i’m stocking up on as many colors as i can afford.  ready, set, shop!