I recently needed to buy 2 gifts for some friends. One was a house warming gift and the other was a birthday. For me, I always find it difficult to shop for friends because I never know what to get them. My husband told me to buy them a gift card or gift certificate, but I like for my gifts to look like I spent some reasonable amount of time on them. Well, time slipped away and I needed something quick so the gift card looked more and more the way to go. So, being the frugal person I am, (I love a bargain!) I turned to the internet for some help. I found a great site for finding and buying discount gift cards and discount coupons. The site is DiscountGiftCardCoupons.com and they have all the major gift cards at a huge discount!

I decided on a Home Depot gift card for my friend with the new house and a Macy's gift card for the friend with the 40th birthday.  I saved a total of $45 dollars off the retail price on the two cards. I was really amazed and impressed with the number of cards they offer. Target, Macy's, Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart and Borders just to name a few. They also have restaurant gift cards as well.

If you are looking for a gift bargain I highly recommend them. Check them out! 

Tags: gift cards, coupons, discounts, gifts
Categories: Discount Coupons
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My son and daughter both got a Nintendo DS game system for Christmas this past year. One of the games we got my daughter was the American Girl: Julie Finds a Way game. I thought the game would be a bit challenging for her, but she took to it very quickly and wouldn't put it down! So much, in fact, that she didn't play any of the other 3 games she got until a week or so later. She has already finished the story once and is on her way to finishing it again. Honestly, I didn't really think that she would play with it again once she finished, but she really likes it a lot. She has a Julie doll and really likes her, so I guess that is why she is into it more than the other games. I love to sit and watch her play it because I am just as interested as she is in the Nintendo DS game system.

If you are not familiar with the story it is about a new girl who's got a whole new story to tell. Julie Albright is a 9 year old girl growing up in the United States in 1975. Play as Julie at the time of America's bicentennial (1975-1976) following the American Girl: Julie series of books. If your daughter is into games, I would seriously pick this one up!

Tags: american girl doll, games, nintendo ds
Categories: American Girl Doll Games
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I was recently asked how to remove dirty hand prints, smudges and dirt from the face and hands of an American Girl Doll. I have experimented with lots of things over the years to clean my dolls. Some of them worked well and some didn't work out so well. The one thing that worked better than any was baking soda and water. It removed the smudges with ease and because it isn't abrasive or contains harsh chemicals, it didn't damage the doll's face or hands. You want to apply a bit of pressure when you are cleaning the doll, but don't scrub too hard as to damage the paint on the face.

Tags: doll care, how to, american girl doll care
Categories: Doll Care
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Due to the slowing demand, the American Girl Theaters in Chicago and New York will be closing down on September 1, 2008 and The Los Angeles location will close April 13th. American Girl Place in Chicago will move to a different location and open 3 new "mystery" attractions. 

You can read more in this article at the Chicago Sun-Times.

Tags: american girl theater, american girl doll, american girl shows
Categories: American Girl
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Using the coupon code A382024 will get you free shipping on purchases at American Girl's website until 3-16-2008.

Better hurry and get those summer clothes for your dolls!

Tags: free shipping, american girl coupon codes
Categories: Discount Coupons
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So, what do you do when your American Girl doll has a bad hair day? There are some American Girl dolls that have hair, such as Kaya, that tangles and becomes rough over time. For those dolls that have braids, it is a good idea to try and keep those intact. There are a couple of options you have if you want to go the route of re-styling your dolls hair.

1. Use the American Girl doll brush and use a detangler. You can pick up some child's detangler at any supermarket or major retail store that sells beauty products. It works really well from experience.
2. Wash your doll's hair using a mild shampoo, like Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo or follow the steps outlined in the video below.
3. Send your doll to the American Girl Doll Hospital. If you doll has other issues beyond hair, you can always send her to the doll hospital for a fix up. Your doll will come home all beautiful along with a hospital gown, wristband, get well balloon and a few other items.

Here is a great (and cute too) video that I found that describes washing and caring for your American Girl doll's hair.

Tags: american girl doll, how to, doll care, hair
Categories: Doll Care
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