We Do / Me: Gift Suggestion and Giveaway

(From PaperSalt’s “We Do” book)

If you have even reading my blog for a while, you might know that I have a teenaged sister. I write about her less than my other sister because this is primarily a blog about motherhood, and my baby sister Molly isn’t a Mom like Amy and I are (Praise the Lord!).

Buying Christmas gifts for teenaged girls isn’t actually that hard. They pretty much swoon over any piece of name brand clothing or piece of jewelry that articulates their current style. Music or, in my sister’s case, books are always a safe bet too. I am pretty sure I have gifted her with a bookstore gift card for the past few Christmases and birthdays. So finding a gift is not at all hard. Finding a gift that she will love and remember? Well, that’s another thing.

I remember being seventeen. I loved being creative. I loved writing. In fact, I was seventeen when I started my first blog. (I contemplated linking to that post. And then I read it again…). And so, when I consider what gift to give my seventeen year old sister for Christmas, I want to give her something that allows her to express her unique creativity.

When I heard about PaperSalt, a company that creates “simple, effective, to-the-point books and other tools for kids and parents”, I was impressed. These books encourage creativity, learning, and family growth. I quickly requested “Being a Boy” and “We Do” (Things the family stands for) for my home.

These books are full of wisdom and reminders of how to grow strong and loving as individuals and as a family.

(“It can be fun to ‘act like a man,’ but don’t be too tough or cool. The world has too many tough guys, and not enough who will be calm, patient, understanding and truly caring.” – From PaperSalt’s “Being a Boy” book)

They are meant to be “living” books. The pages are to be marked up and pictures are to be added so that they become personal and meaningful to each family. I already know that we will be using these books for years.

There was one other book that stood out for me. It is a called “Me“, a 100 page journal for girls with inspiring topics and quotes. As I browsed through the promotional pictures, I just knew teenaged-me would have filled each page up. Heck, if all my writing wasn’t public these days, I would probably love to have the journal myself. I knew instantly that my seventeen year old creative sister needed to have that journal.

So I gave it to her. And I asked for her opinion:

People always seem to have a tough time defining themselves as a person, finding who they are, and showing that to the world.  A little while ago my sister gave me this sweet little journal.  Unlike many journals it just says “Me” on the front.  It was the first thing that caught my eye.  Pink is not my color, but this was a purpley pink that stood out to me.  I am still not sure about the color, but the heart design made me fall inlove with the journal.  I love art and part of my art includes intricate designs that is similar in style to this interesting swirly heart.

I fell in love with what was inside the journal.  Every page is different and new.  There are little doodles on the corners of each page and a sugested topic on the top.  Some pages have quotes, some have ideas, and some are questions to be answered.  This is something I have never seen before.  These pages help define the person you are trying to discover.  It focuses your mind on one thing, and then when you are satisfied, you go on to the next.  

So I figured, if I liked the journal so much, what would my friends think?  I would easily give this journal to any number of my friends as a gift, but would they want it?  The response was amazing…
 
“THIS IS SO COOL!!!”
 
They thought it was awesome.  Every girl I talked to initially balked at the pink colour on the cover but once I showed them the inside they said they loved the variety of topics and the cute doodles in the corners. They felt inspired by the quotes and each one of them said that they would love to own a “Me” Journal.

 
Here are what some of my friends had to say about the book: 

“It helps people express their feelings in their own way.”
 
“It is your life in a book.” 
 
“It helps us open up about who we are. It helps us reflect on who we are. “

 I would easily give this to every girl on my Christmas list this year and a few extra copies for me. I love this journal. It is unique and personal and it helps me find my voice and decipher my thoughts.

It might just be simply the greatest thing created for a teenage girl. <3

(Thanks Molly for participating in this post! If anyone wants to get to know Molly more, follow her on Twitter @CatherineM_J)

PaperSalt has some really unique products that are awesome for any child, teen, or family on your list. I promise, you won’t be able to find anything like them. That’s why I am adding PaperSalt books to my 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. If you’re someone like my sister and want to give your friend the “Me” journal for Christmas (or if you’re a parent with a teenaged daughter), they will be 30% off on December 9th as part of PaperSalt’s 12 Days of Holiday Deals. Check out the rest of the deals too!

Since I want to make holiday gift giving easier for you, PaperSalt and I are giving two of my readers two books each! Enter below using the Rafflecopter app. There will be a super simple easy comment entry. Don’t feel like you need to jump through any hoops. But if you want, there will be some extra ways to enter too. (Giveaway open to residents of Canada and the US including Alaska and Puerto Rico).

If you want to stay up to date with PaperSalt‘s new products and promotions, be sure to follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The small print: PaperSalt provided me with three books for review, and I chose “We Do”, “Being a Boy”, and the “Me” journal. As always, all opinions are my own (or, in this case, all of my sister Molly’s opinions are her own). 

Looking for another awesome giveaway that you can gift for the Holidays (or keep for yourself?) I am also giving away a Hipkiddo Wet Bag!

Mommy Miracles’ 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

For toddlers: W is for Wapiti! Alphabet rhyme book and music CD
For parents and/or workout gurus: Hipkiddo Wet Bag
For teen girls (and any other families with children at home): Papersalt “Me” Journal (and all of their other products)