Jenny Robertson's blog

I have a confession: I am obsessed with children’s birthday parties. I love planning them, I love going to them, and I especially love the creativity that they allow. After doing a few myself and helping friends with others, I have put together a few tips for hosting a great children’s birthday party. ...read more

Another week, another round-up! Now that we’re past Valentine’s Day, I’m already starting to get spring fever - which to me means vacation. Road trips, sunshine, maybe a beach! Trips like that can be a little tough with small kids though, so I thought I’d share a few ideas I’ve come across that keep the little ones busy while on the road or in the air. And who knew there’d be SO MANY ideas – and Web sites – out there to help parents with this challenge! Here are a couple of my faves: ...read more

Finding cute Valentine’s Day cards for a two year-old to give away is no easy feat. I don’t like cards with licensed cartoon characters – it seems so commercial for a toddler. And the other cards I see are too…well…“mature.”

Michael Digiacomo, a team member from one of our FedEx Office stores in the Boston-area, wrote in and suggested making “custom cards straight from the heart.” And it got me thinking of fun ways to make personalized cards for friends and family. ...read more

My husband and I have never been big fans of Valentine’s Day…it seems like the restaurants are always crowded and everything is over-priced. But now that we have a two-year-old, I want him to appreciate the general meaning and sentiment behind the holiday. And, it is a nice reminder that we all need to stop every now and then to say how much we care about each other! So I’m thinking of hosting a Valentine’s theme play date at my house this year for Tate’s friends and their moms.

If you want to host your own family celebration, here are some of my top ideas to make your home look fun and festive with some Valentine’s Day decor. ...read more

It seems like birthday party season is upon us. My refrigerator is covered with invitations to toddler birthday parties. So I’ve started making my own gift tags that are reusable and that the moms adore – they’re backpack nametags that tie on perfectly to each kid’s gift bag.

To make them, I use the following steps: ...read more

It’s time for another “best of the blogosphere” round-up from the Out of Office Team. This time I thought I’d share some of the cool things we’ve seen from other sites on home décor. Hope you find their ideas and projects as inspiring as I did!  

• I love the Better Homes and Gardens online decorating archives – check it out here. They’ve got hundreds of projects big and small, plus photos to get you thinking. Their DIY site is also loaded with easy-to-do projects, templates and instructions.
• A home blog on AZCentral.com has a great tip on turning old family photos into something visually stunning on a big, blank wall.
• Room Envy is a fabulous site with amazing room design photos to fit everyone’s tastes – from sleek modernism to retro 60’s designs. Definitely give it a look if you’re in the market for a change.

 How’s this for an easy and creative table-setting idea that also keeps your kids occupied? Give each of your children some construction paper and art supplies (stamps, markers, and paint all work well, but don’t use crayons) and let them create some holiday-themed artwork to use as placemats. They can even create designs specific for each guest, and the placemat can double as a seating assignment as well. (Or if you’re really short on time and don’t want the mess of an art project, just dig out some of their old artwork from past holidays and use that instead.)

You can take the artwork down to your nearest FedEx Office location and laminate it yourself. The laminating machine has very specific instructions next to it, making it easy to do it yourself. It took me less than five minutes to do eight pieces of artwork and it was pretty inexpensive. Each 8.5x11 sheet cost less than $2. ...read more

I’m going to go ahead and declare it: What you are about to read is the best gift idea for the person who has everything. And by “person,” I mean your mother.   ...read more

Christmas is sneaking up on me this year, and I was just about to decide I wasn't doing cards. Between e-mail and Facebook, I keep my family and friends up to speed, so who needs printed cards, right? But let's face it: nothing beats getting real mail. And how hard is it really to mail something once a year?

Fellow procrastinators, take heart! It's not too late to order your holiday cards or photo calendars. You can place an order at fedex.com/gifts all the way up until December 20 to get free rush shipping of your items in time for Christmas. Whew!

So I snapped some pictures of my son, and I dropped them in the template and ordered my cards today. FedEx Office has a new online ordering system, and I was really happy with how easy it was. With the free rush shipping, I will have them in time to get them out before Christmas. No need to do “Happy New Year” cards because I waited too long again this year! ...read more

Guest blogger Renee Lauriano – a Pack and Ship expert from the FedEx Office center in Manhattan – shares some of her advice for getting through the busiest shopping and shipping time of the year. Don’t miss her colorful and creative shipping tip at the bottom!

The holidays are an incredibly busy time of year for everyone. From family get-togethers and office Christmas parties to marathon shopping expeditions, there’s always something going on. Things at my center are round-the-clock busy too. ...read more