Thank You For A Wonderful 2013!

The end of 2013 is almost here - and what a year it has been!!

You asked for more designs this year, and we delivered!  It was thrilling to have launched 16 new designs over the past twelve months, including:

Chinese Calligraphy           Dragon Tattoos Graffiti Monsters Princess Birds  Skateboarders Brown Bear™ Hungry Caterpillar™

Monkeys Luchadores Flutterbugs Arcade Zombies Music Notes Empire City Military Vehicles

Just a few of our new designs launched in 2013

2013 also saw the introduction of our Loot Bag Packages, which have been a hit with parents for more than just parties; new Personalized Wall Art products for more ways to make your child's room their own (without marking the walls!); and increased website functionality for even greater customization of labels and packages.

Wordless Wednesday - Our Great Wall of Friends

Thanks for all your comments on our blog posts! Every time you interact with us on social media, you are added to our Great Wall of Friends.

Thanks for being part of our story! :)

Fun Christmas Websites

I love everything about the holidays - hot chocolate, making snowmen, Santa Claus, spending time with family and friends… what's not to love?

So, over the years, I've found a few resources that I go back to again and again to kick up the Christmas spirit a notch. If you love Christmas, too, check 'em out!

1. Portable North Pole - this fantastic, free service allows you to make a custom video for your child FROM SANTA!!! What could be better than seeing the look of wonder and amazement on their faces when they get a personalized message from the big elf himself?

2. Elf Name Generator - no Christmas would be complete without knowing what your elf name is, right? It's a silly, fun way to usher in this festive time of year.

3. Visiting NorthPole.com, where there are lots of things to do, including fun seasonal games and great blog posts

4. Scouring the web for the best free Christmas printables, like these:

•  Spoonful.com 
• Amy Locurto's blog 

If you have any favorite online holiday resources, please share them with us - Happy Holidays!

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Holiday Kickoff

The holidays are here! 

American Thanksgiving and Hanukkah signalled the official start of the holiday season, followed quickly by Black Friday and Cyber Monday. My, how the time is flying by!! If the December dash hasn't begun at your house yet, it's coming.

We here at Oliver’s Labels are busy preparing for our best holiday season yet, and are thrilled to offer limited-edition HolidayWall Art decals, as well as lots of fun tips, giveaways and festive fun on our social media pages (links are below)! 

But, before we get into all the fun of the season, we want to take a moment to reflect on those who aren’t as fortunate as we are. If you are involved in an act of kindness in your neighborhood or community, let us know about it! Whether you’re volunteering at a homeless shelter or hospital; donating funds or resources to causes in other countries; or contributing to your local food bank, we would love to hear about the many acts of kindness being done this holiday season. 

Let's inspire each other and make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Let the merry-making, cooking, gift buying, baking, decorating and hot-cocoa-drinking begin!

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It’s more than just a "like" to us… the Oliver's Labels Great Wall of Friends

At Oliver’s Labels, we genuinely love hearing from our friends through social media. Be it a Facebook Like, a Twitter follow, or a Google +1, we think each interaction is important, and should be shared - forever.

So we’ve created the Oliver’s Labels Great Wall of Friends - a monument to our friends on social media.

For each post, like and tweet we receive, we'll print it on an actual physical label. Then we stick that label on our Great Wall of Friends at Oliver’s Labels HQ for everyone to see - including you.

Each week we’ll take a photo of our wall and proudly share it on social media and blog pages. And when you post, tweet or like our page, your message will be up there too.

So be a part of our wall, our company, and our story. Share with us on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter and ask your friends to share too.

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Showing Thankfulness at Thanksgiving… and All Year ‘Round

Many kids these days have a lot – more than they really need – and it’s our job as parents to instil a sense of gratitude for all our abundance. With (American) Thanksgiving right around the corner, it is the perfect time to introduce kids to fun activities that encourage gratitude.

So in that spirit, we've rounded up some amazing ideas from talented bloggers; we hope they provide you with some inspiration!

Live. Craft. Eat. and Lasso the Moon: Thankful Hearts and “I am Thankful” printable

Image: livecrafteat.com
Thankful Hearts from Live. Craft. Eat. 

Apples 4 The Teacher: Giving Thanks placemats (+ 3 more)

Little House Living: The Thankful Thanksgiving Jar

Image: littlehouseliving.com
Little House Living's Thankfulness Jar

One last idea that we thought of… make a yearly “thankful” video. Whether you choose to make it around the holidays, or during some other time of year, it’s wonderful to be able to look back on what each family member was grateful for in years past. And, it’s a great tradition of gratitude to leave for future generations.

We love the idea of making thankfulness a big(ger) part of our lives by expressing it not only at Thanksgiving, but all year 'round. So, if you have a special "thankful" tradition, we'd love to hear it! Share it with us in the comments below, or on our social media pages (links are below).

And, to all of our American friends who will be celebrating in a few weeks - Happy Thanksgiving!

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Oooh, it's (almost) Halloween night...

We love Halloween because it is the only holiday where outlandish outfits, mountains of sugar and silliness prevail! It's the one night of the year when adults and children alike indulge in ghoulish fun with abandon.

The best part, though, is the lead-up to the big day. Decorating the house with spider webs, witches, ghosts and goblins is so much fun... all to make a spooky impression for those pint-sized revelers that will knock on the door!

With that in mind, we've rounded up a bunch of our favorite Halloween crafts and activities to do with your kids. From spooky-themed food to fun decorations and class treats, there's something for every age group and ability here.

And now, our favorite Halloween ideas from Pinterest...

1. Paper Coterie's FREE printables (the Bingo game is *the cutest*!) - Halloween treat bags and bingo game

Image: Paper Coterie blog

2. Cute (and FREE!) treat bag printables from Smitten on Paper - perfect for class treats!

Image: Smitten on Paper blog

3. Fun activity for the preschool set from TeachPreschool.org - get wrapped up like a mummy

4. Spooky classroom snacks from AllTheCooks.com - banana ghosts and orange pumpkins

Image: fenway / allthecooks.com

5. Halloween luminaries (we especially like the glass jar ones!)

And...

If you've got little ones going out trick-or-treating, don't forget their spoooooky Safety Wristbands... added peace of mind in case they get separated from the group. For kids of all ages, make sure their loot bag is labelled or tagged so they can easily spot which one is theirs.

Check out these designs perfect for Halloween!

Crossbones   |   Girly Crossbones   |   Zombies   |   Grafitti Monsters

We hope you have fun this month!! 

Stay tuned for more fun Halloween ideas on our social media pages...

           

Operation Desk Organization

The new school year is underway and, while you may be organized in a backpack-and-lunchbox sort of way, you might still find that getting back into the homework routine can come with a bit of a (re)learning curve.

This week's post is all about ways to help organize your (or your child's) workspace. Working efficiently is so much easier if you've got an orderly desk and neatly defined spots for all your office supplies, so I've rounded up some of the best DIY ideas I've seen this week...

Gorgeous DIY Pin Board from Maple and Magnolia

Clip-on Desk Organizers from Brit + Co.
 
Pretty Drawer Dividers from Oscar Learn, Oscar Teach

Binder Clip Cable Keepers from Wired.com

Keep yourself organized with this free "Peek at the Week" printable calendar from iHeartOrganizing

Recycled Desk Organizer from Mod Podge Rocks (shown below)

Photo credit: Mod Podge Rocks Blog

There are so many ways to make your workspace more efficient, so why not make it beautiful while you're at it? :) If you've got any great desk organization ideas, please share them with us on social media!

           
 

It's That Time of the Year Again...

It's back-to-school season! Who would have thought the summer would fly by so quickly? I say that each year, but this year it's especially true, maybe in part because of the crazy weather we've experienced. It's really been more like spring (or fall) than summer!

With the new school year comes new opportunities to label, label, label (my favorite thing to do)!

If you've ever wondered what really needs to be labelled for school, here's a run-down...

• School supplies; I don't go so far as to label every single pencil in a jumbo pack of 64, but I do think it's important to label the more expensive items like washable markers and specialty writing tools that tend to 'disappear' quickly (sparkly pens, pencils with fun erasers, etc.). And, of course, labelling your child's pencil case is a must. :)

• Clothing - especially shoes, jackets & hats (also mittens in winter). You really don't want high-ticket items like jackets and shoes to end up in the lost-and-found pile, and smaller items - although not as pricey - are at greater risk of being lost more often. Save your sanity and label it all! TIP: If you are out of Shoe Labels, try Original Labels or Stick-eez Labels. I've used both of them in a pinch and they've worked great!

• Backpacks and lunch items (those Thermos containers are NOT cheap - enough said!)

• Extra set of clothing to leave at school - little kids especially need to have extra clothes in case of an accident. I like to recycle a zippable bag, like the ones that Robeez shoes come in, and fill it with the extra change of clothes. I use an Original Label on the bag to help quickly identify who it belongs to, then also label the items inside with Stick-eez clothing labels.

And...

If you're feeling lucky, there are lots of back-to-school giveaways going on over at some of our favorite blogs! Here's a round-up of our current giveaways in case you want to throw your name in the ring to win some...

The Mama Maven - ends tonight
Homeschooling Mom 4 Two - ends Aug. 21 @ 11:59pm
Multi-testing Mommy - ends Aug. 25 @ midnight
Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous - Aug. 31 @ midnight
Ahh~mazing Reviews - Aug. 31 @ 11:59pm
The Taylor House - Aug. 31 @ 11:59pm

Wishing you a fun, stress-free back-to-school season!!

Summer Bucket Lists + lots of chances to WIN!

The summer is already half over, but there are still lots of things I'd love to do with my kids before school resumes. Time goes by much too quickly and, unless I've got a list of adventure "To-Dos", many of them are left by the wayside come September.

That's why I love all of the amazing Summer Bucket Lists that are popping up everywhere. Pinterest, alone, has so many that I'd never get through them all. Based on the feedback we've received from our fans on social media, they love them too! So, in case you're still looking for a few more adventures to share with your family this summer, here's a round-up of some of the best bucket lists.

Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles

Image: Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles

Fancy Shanty

Image: StacyMolter.com / Fancy Shanty

U-Create Crafts

Image: u-createcrafts.com

If you have a bucket list you'd like to share, please connect with us on social media!

         

And now for some more fun - giveaways!! 

We have lots of wonderful bloggers who love our labels and are spreading the word. If you'd like to enter to win a School Package of labels and tags in time for back-to-school season, check out the reviews and giveaways, below. All are open to residents of Canada and the US. Good luck!

Celiac Baby - ends August 10, 2013

Kiddies Corner Deals - ends August 10, 2013

The Koala Bear Writer - ends August 13, 2013

Homeschooling Mom 4 Two - ends August 21, 2013