We will be choosing two winners. If we choose your name and you are NOT a Sunshine Rewards member, you will receive a Zip It Clutch Denim Pencil/Makeup Pouch. If we choose your name and you ARE a Sunshine Rewards member, you will receive a Zip It Le Gym Large Shoulder Bag. They are both terrific prizes!

Check out the rules on how to enter as well as a great video showing you just how Zipit works. Don’t forget that the holidays are coming up and Zipits make a great unique gift for anyone on your list. Pick up a few in different colors and stash them away for your next vacation as well.

To Enter:

1) Visit Zipit and look at their bags. Leave a comment below telling us how you would use your Zip It (one entry).

2) Twitter about the contest and leave a comment below with your Tweet (one entry).

3) Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page and leave a comment with a link below (one entry).

4) Blog about this contest or post the contest in your giveaway section and leave your link to the post below (two entries).

Drawing will take place October 15 at noon Eastern. Must be a US or Canadian Resident, age 18 or older to enter. Winner will be notified via e-mail and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Mother’s Day is May 9, and we are two moms who know the perfect gifts at the best prices. We shopped around to find some great gift ideas in different categories.

Show Notes:

• Traditional Gifts: candy, flowers, cookies, perfume, and jewelry. Some interesting ideas this year included (Cindy’s favorite) ThePerfumeSpot.com, the planters at 1-800-Flowers (after Tricia saw them on Undercover Boss), Corso’s Cookies, chocolate covered strawberries at CCBerries, Mother’s jewelry from Limoges.com, and treats from Hannah’s Caramel Apples.
• Cool Gifts for Cool Moms: Customized gifts from A Gift Personalized, affordable and “funky cute” (in the words of Jillian) jewelry from Emitations, Zip It bags, spring nail polish from Sephora, tea makers from Teavana, and wine collections from MyWinesDirect.
• Mom Who Has Everything: Custom print from Canvas Press, stationery from Expressionery, and food from Gourmet Station.
• We touched on a lot of the coupons and sales that you can jump on for most of the above if you shop soon. You should be able to find them all at Sunshine Rewards as well as most other coupon sites.

Don’t forget that you can find all of these merchants on Sunshine Rewards and earn cash back when you shop!

Here’s a video of the Japanese Fast Food Erasers that they are currently selling. Be sure to visit Sunshine Rewards first to get your cash back when you shop at Vat19!

January went by so quickly that this was our first podcast of the year. Just in time for February, we decided to review Valentine’s Day merchants. Cindy led most of the podcast because she has been knee-deep in planning the upcoming Sunshine Rewards Valentine’s Day promotion.

Show notes:

* Quick recap of Affiliate Summit and some of the benefits of attending this year.
* Flowers always work for Valentine’s Day and 1-800-Flowers has a lot of different options. Be sure to understand the difference between having your flowers delivered by FedEx and those delivered by local florists.
* Bath & Body Works and The Perfume Spot have good options for both men and women. I got my favorite new perfume (Pink Sugar) from The Perfume Spot. Bath & Body Works has a terrific new Godiva candle available only online.
* Crazy for Bargains is great for fun pajamas for women, men, and kids. Personally, I like the boxers for holidays. Romantic Gowns (new SR merchant!) actually has some great lingerie, including some cute pink and red sets that would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. (Here the mother/daughter podcast got a little bit awkward).
* Jewelry is traditional for Valentine’s Day and May Leigh has some nice options. Women seem to be wearing more jewelry these days, including multiple bracelets and necklaces at a time and mixing silver and gold. Things Remembered has both jewelry and other items available for personalization.
* You usually can’t go wrong with food (especially if the gift is for me). David’s Cookies makes homemade tasting cookies that can be ordered through the 10th. Ghirardelli is an impressive brand name with high quality chocolates.
* From the customer standpoint, these were all merchants that we personally like to shop through.

Lots of great Valentine’s Day gift ideas today. Hopefully a little something for everyone. And you can get cash back from Sunshine Rewards for shopping at all of them!

The Sound Inserts sell for less than $10 each and come in many different songs, including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Call to the Post,” “Battlehymn of the Republic,” and more. You simply take the two parts and slip them into your checkbook cover. When you open up your checkbook, the music play. When you close the cover, it turns off.

These would make a really cute gift for the person in your life who loves a little “pick me up” or different products than what everyone else has. You can also see some of the licensed Checks Unlimited checkbook covers in the video, such as Tweety Bird and Disney’s Cinderella.

For a limited time, you can get free shipping when you use our exclusive Checks Unlimited coupon code “SUN1.” And don’t forget about our awesome cash back rate! Watch the video below to see the Sound Inserts in action.

(many thanks to Todd Farmer for his video services on this one!)

Father’s Day is June 21, which is right around the corner. This week on She Shops Around, the Sunshine Rewards ladies reviewed three different merchants that would be perfect for Father’s Day Gifts. Father’s Day is no longer about ties for dad. It’s about gadgets and grilling and gifts that make dad feel special.

Show Notes:

• Angie reviewed Omaha Steaks, which all three of us have ordered from before and been pleased. Find out what to do with those coolers after you have received your order. (Earn 3% cash back through SR plus use our Omaha Steaks coupon for free burgers this week)
• Tricia reviewed Buy.com, her “go to” merchant for gifts for her husband. (Earn 2% cash back through SR)
• Cindy reviewed a merchant that is newer to the group, DiscountWatchStore.com. Learn about the different types of watches you can buy and how to be sure you are getting what you want. (Earn 4% back on purchases plus use our exclusive limited time DiscountWatchStore.com coupon)
• Want to win a $10 gift certificate? Be sure to listen to the whole podcast and you will find out how you can be entered!

Next month we will be talking about FAMILY summer fun.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a celebrity in a magazine with a little glass teapot with a blooming flower in the tea. I couldn’t tell you the magazine or the celebrity, but the flower in the tea stood out in my mind. I started researching online and found that I could order different types of the Flowering Tea. It comes in different flavors and packages. You can order the flowering bulbs themselves at a merchant like Might Leaf Tea. My particular set came from AsSeenonTvNetwork.com and is the Chinese Flower Tea offer featured at Sunshine Rewards.

Essentially you boil your water and then pour it over the bulb. As the bulb opens, the tea steeps. My particular variety was Jasmine. Not only was it beautiful to watch, but the tea was excellent as well. I’m anxious to make a fresh pot this afternoon for my daughters to see because they will think that it is amazing!

Here’s a a video of me making my first pot of Flowering Tea. You can see through the glass teapot (which is included in the As Seen on TV offer) that it starts as a bulb and within minutes is a fully bloomed flower. It would make a great gift for the tea drinker in your life.

Angie and Cindy joined me again for our second run at podcasting. Everyone who knows us knows that we love our food merchants! To celebrate Angie’s birthday and prepare for upcoming holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day, we decided to review three of our favorite food and drink merchants: wine.com, Cheryl & Co., and Mrs. Prindables.

wine.com review: Learn more about how to use the wine.com reviews and rating system to pick wines for yourself as well as others. wine.com has a huge selection of wines at different prices as well as gift suggestions.

Cheryl & Co. review: One of my favorite all-time sites for both my own family and gift ideas. Cheryl & Co. is loved by Sunshine Rewards members because of their quality and good prices. We talk cookies, brownies, and Cheryl Oh’s. Be sure to also check out our Cheryl & Co. video reviews (Sunshine Rewards Reviews Cheryl & Co and Holiday Treats from Cheryl & Co).

Mrs. Prindables review: By far one of the most impressive gifts that you can send. Across the board, Mrs. Prindables gets high marks for their chocolate covered caramel apples. Watch our Mrs. Prindable’s Awesome Apple video review to see an actual apple as it is delivered.

Don’t forget to use the Sunshine Rewards link above for all three merchants so that you can not only take advantage of our coupons and discounts but also get cash back.

Ghirardelli Chocolate has been a favorite chocolate brand in the United States for over 150 years–with good reason. The chocolate is of excellent quality at affordable prices. Whether you are looking for a $7 gift tin or a $200 holiday basket, Ghirardelli Chocolate has something for everyone.

Check out our video below and then visit Sunshine Rewards for Ghirardelli Chocolate coupons, discounts, and free shipping. Plus, act quickly and take advantage of our increased cash back.

Dancing Deer has become one of the Sunshine Rewards members’ favorite merchants for cookies and brownies. Between our increased cash back and exclusive Dancing Deer Baking coupon code, you can get some fantastic deals for gifts this holiday season.

Be sure to check out our other Dancing Deer Baking Co videos so that you can see even more of their products than what are featured below. (Dancing Deer Baking Co Review for Dads, Thank You From Tricia, and Dancing Deer Baking Co for Mother’s Day).