Happy Earth Day!

Photo: NASA

I thought that today would be a wonderful day to talk about ways that Polka Dot Bumblebee is a green business.
Polka Dot Bumblebee is proud to be a green website and works to make conscientious decisions when it comes to our vendors, products and packaging methods.

We use recycled office products and limit packaging materials. In addition, we work with a printer that uses wind powered electricity to generate power. We also participate in a monthly tree planting initiative.

We are proud to be a member of the Co2Stats Project that makes our website environmentally friendly. CO2Stats monitors how much electricity is being used to power this site and you as you browse it, and then it "offsets" the emissions by investing in renewable energy projects that help to counteract global warming.

We are continually reminded of our favorite Native American proverb, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

We are delighted to be featured by WAHM Business Opportunities Blog about being both earth-friendly and mom-owned!

Happy Earth DAY! Now go hug a tree... ;)

Blog Buddy: An Island Life

Need to get a taste of the Island Life? Hop on over to one of my new Blog Buddies, Kailani over at An Island Life

She also happens (*wink*) to be doing a review of Polka Dot Bumblebee custom photo cards & stationery(another *wink*)

If you stop by be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win. And if you subscribe to her blog or blog about it yourself - you will earn another entry!

Whenever I come back from reading her blog - I swear that I have sand in my shoes.... ahhhh... I wish!

I'm off to catch a moment of bliss in paradise! Mahalo!

P.S. Be sure to visit Kailani's beautiful Etsy shop for tropical inspired goodies for the babies in your life!

Toddler Activity: Change It Up

Today's toddler activity isn't about an activity really! It's about a series of activities - and changing up your day! Baby Bee and I did just that today and it was really fun!

Have breakfast in bed...or breakfast for dinner! Always go for an evening walk at the park? Try one first thing in the morning. Bedtime bathtime the ritual? Dive in when it's the middle of the day. You will both love the change of pace and you'll find yourself planning a "change it up day" much more often!

Little Love Notes

With our new line of Personalized Stationery we hope to bring back the art of note writing!

Here is a new favorite design! It is called Love Note!

Stumble Upon - Hope Revolution

One of my newest favorite finds is Stumble Upon. It's a neat little button to add to your toolbar and you can stumble upon some new sites. You rate them with a thumbs up or thumbs down and the handly little icon starts to recognize your likes and dislikes. You also set if for certain interests such as organic living or do it yourself crafts.

I recently stumbled upon a little project known as Hope Revolution. What started out as a random act of kindness has bloomed into a nationwide campaign to spread hope.

Maybe you feel funny about leaving random notes for strangers - then why not create a few hope notes for friends or family and send them to spread the message. The site even has printable pdf ones - but really it can be as simple as writing a favorite quote on your toddler's scribbly drawing or sticking a label with a message on the back of a photo of a flower.

The thing that I like best is that there are no rules and it's open to your interpretation.
So what are you waiting for? Go spread some HOPE. This heart pic was done by Baby Bee. What a masterpiece. I'm one proud mama!!

Hope Revolution

We're a Five Minutes For Mom Best Site

Polka Dot Bumblebee is so honored to be recognized as one of the best mom-owned business sites on the web by the much respected Five Minutes For Mom website.

Congrats Laura!!

Thanks to all of you that buzzed on over to Sweet Pea Cakes Etc. Blog and left a comment about their favorite design!

Congrats to Laura for winning the big prize! I look forward to working with you soon to create your Polka Dot Bumblebee custom photo cards!

Reintroducing our custom candy bar wrappers!

How sweet it is! Our custom candy bar wrappers have always been a huge hit! We mail you a high res digital file and you can print them at home or have them printed at a local printer. Trim, wrap and stick and you will have the perfect addition to your celebration.

Whether it's a birth announcement, first birthday favor or a memorable save the date - Polka Dot Bumblebee will be delighted to create your perfect custom candy bar wrapper!

Choose from our countless pattern and font choices or have us create a custom announcement to match your theme and colors.

Sweet Pea Cakes Etc. Reviews us

Hop on over to the adorable Sweet Pea Cakes Etc. site to check out our review!

Please stop by and be sure to leave a comment on your favorite design so that you will be elegible for the contest!

They expecially loved that we are a green business!

From using recycled office products to working with a printer that utilizes wind powered electricity we are happy to do our part in keeping this earth a better and greener place!

Stop back soon for a blog all about our monthly tree planting initiative!

Ice Cream Social Birthday Invitation

I've enjoyed working with this particular family for several of their custom photo card designs!

This particular one is now one of my all time favorites and I'll soon be adding it to my gallery! Her custom request was simple and I enjoyed creating this darling, whimsical invitation for a darling little girl's 3rd birthday!

Happy Birthday!

New promotion on custom photo cards

The free shipping promo is over! We hope that you enjoyed it and we wanted to extend a new promotion in honor of our anniversary which is coming up!

4 x 6 Custom photo cards are now just $.80 a piece with matching white envelopes.
5 x 7 Custom photo cards are now just $1.05 with matching white envelopes.

You do not need a promo code to take advantage of this offer - you simply use our add to cart buttons on our order page!

Click here to order!

Thanks too to all of the leap year families! We enjoyed working with each and every one of you and we ended up giving away close to 1000 custom photo cards instead of the original 500! Congrats again!

Check in often because we will be having lots of promos, sales, specials, giveaways and contests!

An Old Favorite - Pretty in Pink

This pretty in pink custom photo card announcement continues to be one of my favorites and it's become one of our most popular designs! We love the complimentary pink, green combo and the simple beauty where your photo takes center stage!

Play a Simple Game to Donate Mosquito Nets/Combat Malaria

Grammy Bee introduced me to a great site tonight that I knew I wanted to share with you all!

Please visit the site Nothing But Nets and play a quick game of "Deliver The Net" and a mosquito bed net will be delivered in your name. They usually sell for $10. You can play up until April 25th and you are not limited to how many times.

Be sure to send this link to friends and family too!

Here's a little more on the program from the site:

"In the poorest parts of the world, where effective window screens are lacking, insecticide-treated bed nets are arguably the most cost-effective way to prevent malaria transmission. One bed net costs just $10 to buy and deliver to individuals in need. One bed net can safely last a family for about four years, thanks to a long-lasting insecticide woven into the net fabric."

Studies show that use of insecticide-treated bed nets can reduce transmission as much as 90% in areas with high coverage rates.

Currently, nets are treated with pyrethroid insecticides. These insecticides have very low levels of toxicity to humans, but are highly toxic to insects. By repelling the mosquitoes, a bed net can protect other people in the room outside the net. When enough nets are used in an area, the insecticide used in the net fabric makes entire communities safer even for those individuals who don’t have nets.

Please leave me a comment on this campaign after you have played or email me and I will choose one winner at random to win 25 custom photo cards.