Archive for August, 2012
Contest: What Makes Your Grandparent So Grand?
08 months ago
Grandparents Day is on September 9th this year and we thought – what better way to celebrate than bragging about how amazing your grandparents are and winning a personalized gift from PMall.com just for them that they’ll treasure forever?!
That’s why we’re having a Grandparents Day Contest and we’re asking our fans … “What Makes Your Grandparent So Grand?”
To enter the contest, send an email with the subject line “Grandparents Day” to social@pmall.com with the following information before the contest ends at midnight on Tuesday, September 4th, 2012:
- Your full name and email address that we can use to contact you if you win
- Your grandparent’s full name
- In 60 words or less, tell us what makes your grandparent so grand!
The PMall.com staff will select the top three most unique entries and determine the first, second and third place winners. We will post the names of the winners here on the A Personal Touch Blog on Wednesday September 5th.
We bet you want to know what you can win, huh!? Well, the first-place winner will win a 16” x 20” Photo Sentiments© Canvas which will be personalized with a picture of the winner and their grandparent and the winning text they submitted so that they can let their grandparent know just how much they mean to them with a special gift!
Second place will win a Photo Sentiments© Table Top Canvas with their own picture and submission and third place will win a Photo Sentiments© Coffee Mug that will be personalized with their picture and submission.
So don’t forget to get your submissions in before the contest ends September 4th! Good luck to everyone and we can’t wait to read all your entries!
Think Outside The Gift Box: Unique Wedding Guestbooks
09 months ago
Here at A Personal Touch we LOVE to put a creative, personalized and unique spin on everything. So you can imagine how excited we’ve become now that we’re seeing couples thinking outside-the-gift-box when it comes to their wedding guestbook! Instead of setting out plain ol’ guestbooks, brides and grooms are getting creative and are coming up with unique items and ways for people to sign in and we can’t wait to tell you all about them!
As always, we stumbled upon our favorite idea from Pinterest! We saw the photo at left and were thrilled to see that people are personalizing canvases, like PMall’s Wedding Memories Photo Canvases, with one of their engagement pictures and having people write a little message and signing their names!
We love the idea that it’s more personal and people get to leave special notes for you but also because once everyone signs the canvas you have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind keepsake that you can hang in your home! It’s like getting 2 things for the price of 1 … and who doesn’t love that!?
To make matters better, PMall has a wide selection of Wedding Canvas Designs that offer you choices for even more of a unique twist to the guestbook! Some of the photo examples at right show how you can personalize an artistic canvas without a photo, like the Heart Rock design (top left canvas in photo at right), or another beautiful design like our popular Wedding Vows canvas (top right) which features the most important words you’ll say on the big day! The Forever and Always theme (bottom left) is a great example of how you can create a canvas in different sizes and shapes and also with the option to include more than one photo and the Photo Sentiments design (bottom right) is a great way to create a canvas with a photo and text that is important to you. You can use your personal vows that you’ve written yourself, a favorite quote, or even the lyrics from the song you will first dance to as husband and wife – the options are endless!
Believe it or not, the new guestbook trend doesn’t stop at pretty canvases. As you can see from the photo we came across on Pinterest (at left), people have been creating personalized photo puzzles, like the Love Connection Photo Puzzle (at right), and having their guests sign or leave a note on the front or back of the individual puzzle pieces! We love how unique this idea is and thanks to the wide selection of PMall’s Personalized Puzzles, you can personalize a puzzle in many different sizes, shapes, colors, and designs – some even come with a personalized tin to store them in! You can create one large puzzle (our largest puzzle includes 551 pieces) or personalize a couple of smaller puzzles and after the wedding you can put them together and frame them for one big piece of art or a beautiful wall collage! Think of all the fun you’ll have spending time as husband and wife, reading all the sweet and funny notes your loved ones have left you as you put the puzzles together. You could even bring the puzzle along on the honeymoon to put together during your downtime!
The last outside-the-gift-box idea we wanted to share with you was one of the most unique ideas we came across while surfing Pinterest.
Brides and grooms have started putting out calendars and asking guests to sign on their birthday or anniversary. How creative is that!?
The only thing that would make this idea better is to use a photo calendar like PMall’s Through The Year Photo Wall Calendar (at right) so that it’s more personal and so you’ll have beautiful pictures to look at throughout the year! It’s a great way to learn all the important dates for your spouse’s family that you’ll need to know once you’re married and it’s a great way to break the ice between your guests, as well!
So what do you think!? Are you a fan of the new trend of unique guestbooks? Have you or are you going to use one of these ideas or one of your own? We’d love to hear all about them! Tell us by leaving a comment or by emailing us at social@pmall.com!
Make It A Curious George Birthday Party!
09 months ago
Curious George is making a comeback!
The adorable mischievous monkey is capturing the hearts of a whole new generation and PMall.com is here to help you throw the perfect Curious George birthday party that your little ones will love!
Thanks to this incredible theme cake we found on Pinterest and our new line of Curious George® Personalized Gifts, we were inspired to put together this party theme and share some ideas for party accessories, birthday gifts and some cute party tricks to help you plan a successful party!
Whether the party is for your baby who loves watching the Curious George cartoons or for your older child who likes to read the Curious George books – we’ve got great ideas that Curious George fans of all ages will love!
Before you start working on making a masterpiece cake like this one have to start planning the party and the first think you need to do is send out party invitations!
Our Curious George® Personalized Invitations feature the title “Calling All Curious Monkeys” and can be personalized with your child’s age and six lines of text which can include all of the important details including the name, date, time and location of the celebration and any other optional details you choose! These cute cards are sold in sets of 24 and include coordinating crisp, white envelopes for mailing.
Once the special day finally arrives, decorate your home or party location with the Curious George® Personalized Party Banner so you can continue the party theme and let guests know exactly where to go for the party! The banner can be personalized with their age and name and is made from heavy duty vinyl so it can be used whether it’s an indoor or outdoor party!
Outside-of-the-gift-box Party Tip: The banner can also be used as a unique guest book! Leave out a permanent marker and have guests sign their names and leave messages for the Birthday Boy or Girl. It makes a great keepsake that they’ll love looking back at for years to come!
Another great way to keep the party theme alive is to incorporate George’s friend The Man With The Yellow Hat into the place settings like they did in this photo (at right) that we came across on Pinterest.
These place settings are easy to put together, won’t cost you anything extra (since you’ll already need plates and cups for the party) and are perfect for the Curious George theme! After you’ve purchased yellow cups and plates, take the yellow cups and tape or glue a line of black construction paper around the top of the cup. If you’d like, you can even write down each guests name on the black “belt” so they know where their cup is at all times! Flip the cup over and place it in the center of the plate and that’s it – you have the yellow hat!
As for the food, prepare their favorite meal (after all, it is their birthday!), but we also suggest incorporating bananas. This is a great way to stick to the theme while also offering your guests a healthy snack! Either place one banana at each of the place settings or hang a bunch and use as a centerpiece for your table and have guests take them as they please!
When it comes time for your little one to open their birthday presents, make sure you’ve wrapped up one of our Curious George® Gifts, such as a personalized sweatshirt, pillowcase, growth chart, picture frame and much more!
When the party starts to wind down and your guests are starting to leave, don’t let them leave without their goodie bag!
Personalize a Curious George® Poster for each of the kids to take home and hang up in their rooms! You get to choose from 4 different Curious George designs (George riding a bike, playing on his ball, flying a kite or hanging out in his room with toys) and personalize the posters with each of the guests’ names in 1 of 3 sizes! They will have had so much fun at the party and love the personalized touch to their goodie bag so much they won’t want to leave!
And there you have it – the perfect Curious George Birthday Party!
Don’t forget to use proper party etiquette and thank your guests – the Curious George® Personalized Thank You Cards would be perfect! If you have any tips or ideas for throwing a Curious George Birthday Party we’d love to hear them so please be sure to comment below.
We Have A Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest Winner!
09 months ago
The Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest may be the PMall.com Staff’s favorite contest yet!
We received several recipes and we couldn’t believe how unique each of them were and how delicious they sounded – we have enough recipes to keep our taste buds happy for the rest of the summer!
Thank you to all who participated in our contest, we can’t thank you enough for sharing all your recipe secrets. While all of your entries had our mouths watering, there was one particular recipe that stood out from all the rest.
Congratulations to Liga Gorrick for winning our Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest with her recipe for Rhubarb Ice Tea!
Thanks to Liga’s special recipe, she has won her very own Personalized Beverage Server with Stand that she can use to serve her Rhubarb Ice Tea for many summers to come!
Here is Liga’s winning entry for all of you to enjoy:
Hello,
My name is Liga Gorrick and my favorite drink in a hot summer day isn’t the regular ice tea everybody serves. It’s the amazing Rhubarb ice tea with its freshness and the beautiful pink color. As I grew up there always was plenty of rhubarb in my mom’s garden during summertime. Mom was really good making something yummy out of it. One of my all-time favorites is this rosy ice tea (especially accompanied with rhubarb tart or pie). It tastes like summer and childhood to me. My mother made it just with rhubarb alone, but I’ve been “playing” with the ingredients over the years and have discovered that I like it best with a little bit of ginger or with hibiscus tea.
All you need is:
- 8-10 large rhubarb stalks
- 8-10 cups of water (1 cup for each rhubarb stalk)
- 1 small ginger root (about 2 inches long)
- Honey (sugar, Splenda or any other sweetener)
Wash and clean the rhubarb (do not peel- the peel is what gives that lovely pink color), cut into about 1 inch chunks. Wash, peel and cut the ginger in thin slices. Add the rhubarb and ginger to the water in a large saucepan and bring it to boil, then simmer covered for 15-20 min. Take the saucepan off the heat and let it cool for a while. Strain the tea; add honey (sugar/Splenda) to the desired sweetness. Chill the tea completely and serve with plenty of ice. I like large pieces of ice that doesn’t dilute the drink so quickly.
For variety you can serve it with a little bit of fresh peppermint, substitute the ginger for a few strips of lemon peel or use rhubarb alone. You can also brew a few bags of hibiscus or green tea in the rhubarb tea while it’s still hot. Hibiscus tea makes it brighter pink or even red. It also gives a stronger, more sour taste. Enjoy!
Best regards,
Liga
Right away we knew we loved the recipe, but when we saw how tasty and refreshing the Rhubarb Tea looked in the picture Liga included, we knew we had a winner! Congrats again to Liga and thank you to all who participated in the PMall contest.
Make sure you keep checking back here for more contests and tips and tricks to make your parties and personalized gifts extra special!
Below are some of our other favorite fan entries for you to enjoy. They may not have won the contest but they’ve won a place in our hearts and cookbooks!
Katie Kitterman’s Pineapple iced tea
- 1 quart water
- 7 tea bags
- 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbl sugar
Brew tea, stir in the rest then let it sit (overnight if possible).
“It’s delish!”
Jennifer Jonas’s Ice Tea Recipe
- 3 Family Sized Lipton Tea Bags
- Pot of water
- 1 1/2 cups of Sugar
- 1 Can Frozen Lemonade Concentrate
- Cold water
Place tea bags in pot of boiling water & steep about 10 minutes. Put sugar in gallon tea pitcher. Pour warm tea over sugar & stir to dissolve completely. Pour lemonade concentrate in & top off with cold water. Stir well & refrigerate for delicious sweet tea (makes 1 gallon).
“What I love most about it: This recipe has been shared with me by my mom. We love this Lemonade Sweet Tea on hot summer days here in Texas. It’s very thirst quenching & refreshing (especially when it’s 107 degrees here).”
Juliet V’s Blended Masala Iced Tea
- 6 to 8 tea bags
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups cold water
- 3 pods cardamom
- 1/4” ginger diced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
- 1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey (optional)
- Lemon/lime to garnish (optional)
Combine all ingredients except honey or sugar and cold water. Boil for 10 minutes. Strain. Put the cold water into a pitcher. Pour the hot tea over the cold water. You put the cold water in first, because the hot tea could melt the pitcher because it is hot. Add sugar or honey to sweeten it, stirring till dissolves. Put the pitcher into the fridge to cool. You can add slices of lime or lemon to the pitcher to give it a refreshing taste.
“I love this tea because it gives me the essence of different spices and soothing/calming effect, which embodies the full flavor of a tea.”
