Crayola Pop Art Pixies for $3-$8 AC

Crayola has a line of craft kits aimed at tween girls called Pop Art Pixies, and they're on clearance right now at Target. Visit Crayola's website and print up to 2 coupons for $2 off any kit. They're 50% off right now at my stores, making the larger kits $9.98 (shadow boxes & glass plates) and the smaller kits $4.98. I picked up 2 of the Naomi's Stationery Box kits for $2.98 each after coupon. They're super cute; they look like Japanese bento boxes and come with wasabi stampers, chopstick pens and sushi sticky notes. One's going to my niece for her 9th birthday, and the other is going to my sister, a Japanese major at UNCC. Yes, we still like cute stuff. Don't judge us.

These will make great donations for older girls to Bright Blessings, or save them for this year's Toys for Tots or Salvation Army toy drive.

Bless their Hearts at Toys & Co. in Cotswold

Toys & Co. at 242 Sharon Amity Rd. (in the Cotswold Village Shops) is partnering with Bright Blessings (formerly Birthday Blessings) next week, February 20-26th. Mention "Bright Blessings" or "Bless Their Hearts" when you make a purchase, and 20% of the sale will go to help Bright Blessings. This great charity helps homeless children have the happy birthdays they deserve, and also helps homeless mothers get the supplies they need for their newborn babies. If you've got a birthday party or other occasion coming up, see if you can find something at Toys & Co. and help out.

Birthday Blessings is now Bright Blessings

To reflect the fact that they support homeless children and mothers in many ways, the awesome charity Birthday Blessings has changed its name to Bright Blessings. To see their current wish lists, go here.

Charity Profile: Birthday Blessings

I have to feature Birthday Blessings in this week's Charity Profile, because I think it's such a neat idea. In 2005, Amy & John Cervantes of Charlotte started Birthday Blessings as a way to encourage their kids to give back to others in need. It's grown a lot since then, and now they serve the greater Charlotte area and are trying to take their giving to a national level.

Birthday Blessings has 3 programs: Shelter Parties, which enables children in local homeless shelters to have a birthday party with cake, snacks, party games, presents and goody bags; Student Birthdays, which gives elementary- and middle school-aged kids in unstable housing situations (kids living in motels, campgrounds, etc.) birthday parties at school, complete with cake, presents and goody bags for their classmates; and Blessing Baskets, which provides homeless mothers of newborns with laundry baskets full of baby clothes, diapers, and other necessary supplies. Now, how can you not love this charity?

Please visit Birthday Blessings' Support page to view all the things they need, as there's just too much to list in one post. They need gift cards to Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree and other area stores, gift wrap, laundry baskets (pick some up for $1 each at Dollar Tree!), size N diapers, and much more. If you're like me, you want to give all year long, not just during the holidays. Birthday Blessings is definitely worthy of your help.