May Smarty Giveaway: $1250 of Mom's Favorite Things

By Rachel H

Let the Smarty Swag Fest in the Triad begin! In honor of our favorite holiday - Mothers’ Day - we’ve joined in with our Charlotte Smarty Pants friends to create what we are all calling the Mother of All Mothers' Day Giveaways. Initially our goal was to create a Mothers' Day package worth $1,000 for one lucky mom. Well, Smarties, you’re in for more luck. Our package is now worth $1,250 – chock full of gift certificates to 11 of our favorite businesses around the Triad – everything from designer clothes to spa treatments to jewelry to fine foods, and more! And yes, ONE very lucky Triad Smarty Pants newsletter subscriber will win this package. Oh, don’t you just love Mothers' Day?

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a newsletter subscriber, that does not mean you are automatically registered for our giveaways. You must register for each individual giveaway. So first, make sure you are a newsletter subscriber, and secondly, register for this particular giveaway by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.

Let’s take a look at the wonderful assortment of gift certificates all waiting for one lucky mom who could be you!

So what do moms love?

No cooking!
Dream Dinners of Clemmons has graciously donated $100 worth of meals to our winner. If you have not yet tried this place, you are missing out! I met a group of women there one night and we socialized while we prepared 36 servings of meals for our families! Everything was pre-cut, and all the spices and fixings we needed were right there. We chose the recipes that we liked best and simply followed the instructions at each station. In less than two hours, we were packing up our dinners and heading out the door. It was so nice to have all these meals prepared in my freezer. All I had to do was thaw and cook. Nice! One more thing that makes the deal even sweeter, if you book your order, and don't have time to come in and assemble the meals yourself, Dream Dinners will assemble your complete order for just $10 and you can then stop by and pick them up!

Date Nights!
Emerywood Fine Foods of High Point is the perfect place for you and your special someone to enjoy an evening out. The atmosphere inside this restaurant is so relaxing. The entrees are delicious! I must recommend the crab cakes! I also had lunch here with my kids and we sat outside on the garden patio, which is surrounded by all types of flowers, and is just gorgeous. The waitress could not have been better trying to accommodate my picky eater. I must have spent ten minutes trying to decide which of the wraps I wanted that day. They all sounded delicious. Emerywood also offers on and off-site catering. Take a look at their menu and I am sure you’ll be headed there soon! Our lucky winner will receive a $100 gift card to use as they wish!

Personalization!
GoosiePie Monograms was started by Candler Cox, a Winston-Salem native. She is now living in Raleigh, and after six years as a stay-at-home mom, she began embellishing clothes and making items for her three daughters. She quickly realized this was a passion of hers, which gave her the idea for her new business. GoosiePie Monograms is your source for personalized gifts! They specialize in unique, high-quality gifts for any one on your list! I have easily been able to find wonderful gifts for baby showers, birthdays and graduations. They always have the perfect gift for you to give. When you see these adorable gifts on the website, you will be even more excited to see that personalization is always included in the price! One lucky mom will receive $100 to use as she likes!

Jewelry & Accessories!
Simply Sterling & Company is more than just your favorite jewelry store; it is a twelve year shopping tradition for Winston-Salem and surrounding communities. Lea Church Brendle; founder, owner, mother of five and designer takes great pride in creating a wonderful shopping environment chock full of sterling silver jewelry lines such as Chamilia, Waxing Poetic and Island Cowgirl; specialty clothing lines from Three Sisters, Ivy Jane and Virginia Taylor along with an incredible shoe line called Alegria that she just won an award from for being the top specialty store in North America! And that’s not all…they also carry the sought after Hobo, Tusk and JPK Paris 75 Handbags. At Simply Sterling & Company you are always in for a pleasant shopping experience and are sure to have no problem spending your $100. Easily found in Thruway Center behind Bonefish Grill. 336-896-0077

Portraits of your loved ones!
Uppercase Photography is run by Julie Wagoner, who specializes in maternity, newborn, children, teens, and families. She serves the Triad area from her studio and on location. Julie draws on her experiences as a mother of three small children and a former teacher, as she strives to truly connect with each child during a session. The results are beautiful portraits of your children with a wide range of natural expressions. After the session, Julie presents you with a gorgeous set of specially prepared images in both print and an online gallery--the best of both worlds! She will then help you turn your portraits into stunning art for your home with prints, canvases, and specialty items. As a mother, Julie knows that each moment of childhood is fleeting, from the curl of your newborn's toes, the scrunchy nose of your toddler, the missing teeth of your big kid to the budding freedom of your teenager ready to take on the world. The gift certificate included in this giveaway includes a session with Uppercase Photography, a $100 print credit, and an 11x14 mounted image of her choice, all valued at $250.

Fabulous Fashions!
Nitsa’s Apparel was started in 1964 by Nitsa Bambalis over Recreation Billiards in downtown Winston-Salem with a focus on custom-made clothing and professional alterations (they still do alterations today). Today, Nitsa’s is known for its casual sportswear, cute dresses and great eveningwear. They also happen to be one of the top bridal salons in the country featuring Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang to name just a couple. Yes, their formal attire is impressive but, they have a great selection of fashions to wear around town or out for the night. And if you’re looking for something more contemporary, checkout some of the fresh, fun looks in Fashionista, Nitsa’s contemporary “shop-in-shop.” Oh yea, did I mention, the prices in Fashionista are pretty friendly as well. Together, the two stores take up more than 10,000 square feet of space, which means you’ll have to go there to take it all in. Our lucky winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to use as they please.

Unique Gifts!
Kim Taylor & Co. is one of my favorite places to shop for gifts! I have a few friends on my birthday list who are the "women who have everything" and Kim Taylor & Co is the perfect place for me to find a unique gift. This shop carries Crane stationary, Vietri china, Toss Luggage, Lolita gifts, and Main St. & Co personalized gifts, just to name a few of my favorites. I bought the best candle ever here, too! Red Currant by Votivo - it is awesome! I have also been able to find adorable baby gifts here. Mud Pie Babies and Taggies are their two best-selling brands. Kim Taylor is also an interior designer, and you will be able to see her beautiful sense of style when you enter the shop. Our lucky giveaway winner will have no idea where to spend her $100, because everything in here is just what a mom wants! Stop by 153 S Stratford Rd, Winston Salem, NC 27104, or call 722-8503.

Fun Ideas for the Children!
Young Chefs Academy … Young Chefs® Academy is a cooking School for Kids Ages 3-17. They are the only cooking school in the Triad specializing in teaching children how to cook!! What a wonderful opportunity to introduce your children to cooking and teach them a life skill they will use for the rest of their lives! They offer many options, including Spring, Summer & Holiday Mini Camps, School Field Trips, Girl and Boy Scout Field Trips, Homeschool Classes, MasterChefs℠ Program, Preschooler Cooking Classes, and of course Birthday Parties! Another plus is that they offer weekly cooking classes in the afternoons, which is a perfect activity after a tough day at school for our kiddos! Our winner will receive a $100 gift card to use toward any of the above at the Winston-Salem location. Call 336-774-9905 or email winstonsalemnc@youngchefsacademy.com for more info.

Fashion and Accessories for the Children!
Emma Jane's Baby & Kids Specialty Shoppe is a family owned business located in South Side Square in Kernersville, so it is an easy drive from most anywhere in the Triad. This is the cutest children’s boutique that has everything you need for your little ones! They have beautiful lines of children’s furniture, baby & children’s clothing, collectible Lee Middleton Dolls, toys, baby jewelry and more shoes than you can imagine! Some of my favorite brands of shoes they carry are Puddle Jumpers, Pedipeds, Pip Squeaks, Riley Roo, and of course, Robeez. Right now there is a great selection of swimwear as well. An extra perk is that there is a train table, huge stuffed animals, and a foam hop scotch set to keep the kids entertained while you shop. If you sign their address book, they will send you a $10 off coupon on your child’s birthday, too. Our winner will enjoy a $100 shopping spree at Emma Jane’s!

Luxurious Spa Treatments!
Balance Day Spa has been serving the Triad since 1996 and has three convenient locations in Greensboro (574.2556), Kernersville (993.0303), and Burlington (482.3200). They are the largest true day spa in the area and are open 7 days a week. They have a board certified, professional & knowledgeable staff, and a clean, relaxing environment. Just walking in the door makes my heart rate slow down because it is so calming! Their traditional services include natural nail care, massage therapy, skin care, and waxing services. I have had three different massage therapists when I have visited the spa, and would recommend every one of them! I would also highly recommend the pre-natal massage. So nice! Balance Day Spa also offers laser hair removal and spider vein treatment, teeth whitening, light therapy and reflexology. This is a perfect treat for any mom, and our lucky winner will get to choose $100 worth of services. We are sooo jealous!

Dinner out with the family!
The Carriage House Restaurant has donated a $100 gift certificate to our lucky mom and her family. The Carriage House is a restaurant that really takes pride in its customers. One of their signature items that has been around since the day it originally opened in 1969, is the famous relish try that is found on each table during the dinner hours. My favorites are their burgers and homemade chicken pie. We have taken the kids for lunch and the kids menu is great – fettuccini, hamburgers, chopped steak, beef tips, spaghetti, pork chops, chicken fingers, and grilled cheese! And the restaurant has two things that all moms love – crackers already on the table, and a menu with coloring and activities!

To register to win ALL of this, please click here to complete a short survey (this giveaway has now ended) and you’ll be registered. Also, as a favor to some of these gracious businesses – plus other businesses around the Triad who are interested in promoting their goods and services to you – we added a few extra questions to our survey in order to get to know you (and your shopping habits) a little better. There is no obligation to answer these demographic questions (required questions are marked with an *); we just hope you’ll participate as a favor to us and our future business partners.

This promotion ends at 11 pm on Friday, May 8, 2009. The winner will be announced on Mother's Day. And if by chance you don’t win this particular give-away, we hope you’ll visit the shops, restaurants, and boutiques listed above and tell them Triad Smarty Pants sent you! Good luck, Smarties!

Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM