Hope everyone has a great weekend! We will be back with more tips and ideas on Tuesday.

A gift basket is a thoughtful and easy way to give a birthday or shower gift. The only downside? Gift baskets can cost a lot, running up to $200 a pop! But, there are some great ones out there that are much more affordable as well. Here are a few that I love, including one for baby and one for the new mom:

The Little Seed is a celebrity haven for eco-friendly baby and children’s specialty boutique items. It was started by Soleil Moon Frye and Paige Goldberg Tolmach. Here is their cute (if a bit pricey at $200!) Little Toddler Gift Basket.

This Basket of Wisdom by Martha Stewart has everything the new mom will need such as a thermometer, booties, and tea and candy for her.

Earlier this month, members of the Belmont Primary School in England got married. No, we are aren’t talking about the adult staff, but rather the children.

As part of a class project, these four-year-olds planned and acted out a mock wedding in their classroom. Real to life, the “bride” wore white wedding dress and veil and was escorted down the aisle by her “father” to meet her “groom” who was sporting a bow tie. After the ceremony, the class had a formal, sit-down wedding reception.

The class-run project was part of a curriculum that looked at various types of celebrations throughout the year, and now it seems that mock weddings have caught on as a new trend at various nursery schools throughout England.

This story has conjured up various emotions in our office, and we would love to hear your thoughts. So, you tell us: are nursery weddings a fun approach at education, or is it an a game of “dress up” taken too far?

What are baby book showers?

They are the latest shower theme trend. Guests bring their favorite children’s books as gifts so that the mother will have ample books to read to her child. This would also be a great idea for a child’s first birthday. Here is a list of things you can do to make her baby book shower even more fun and memorable.

1) Give her gift tags to stick on each book with the baby’s name on it.

2) Serve alphabet cake. These cakes are from Martha Stewart and Family Fun.

3) Requests that guests bring their favorite picture books for the new mom.

4) Have guests sign this photo guest book by Adesso.

5) Give out handmade book favors like these from Martha Stewart, or send them home with store bought ones like these adorable favors from Favor Creative.

Meet Reagan - our adorable baby of the week!

• Reagan is 4 years old
• She loves gymnastics and soccer
• Her favorite pastime is crafting
• She hates fruit and veggies
• Her favorite color is pink

To submit your baby’s photos for our Adorable Baby feature, email blog@tinyprints.com.

My father’s birthday is coming up, and every year my family and I face the daunting dilemma of finding him birthday presents. The man is impossible to shop for–anything he wants, he just buys for himself. As a result, we have all turned to quirky unexpected gifts as a way to celebrate Dad’s birthday in style. Bookmark some of these fun gift ideas for the next time you’re stumped when shopping for the men in your life:

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BBQ Sauce of the Month Club

It seems to be in a man’s DNA to want to cook over an open flame, so encourage his passion for the grill with this sweet and tangy gift!. If barbecue isn’t his thing, AmazingClubs.com features 25 other gift-of-the-month clubs, including beer, ice cream, hot sauce, cheese and salsa!

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Party Chain

This nifty little gadget isn’t just a cool key chain–it functions as a bottle opener, LED light and TV remote control. I know my dad would get a kick out of covertly turning on a football game during family dinners or holiday parties!

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Stationery

Our sister site, Wedding Paper Divas, offers an exquisite collection of thank you cards that can be personalized to suit stylish dads of all ages.

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Puzzle Alarm Clock

Perfect for dads who just can seem to get out of bed, this alarm clock doesn’t have a snooze–in fact, it won’t stop going off until you put all of the puzzle pieces in correctly!

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The Stellarscope

This portable, hand-held planetarium will help him identify stars, planets and constellations, and it will chart the night sky any day of the year. It’s perfect for a pop who loves the outdoors or dabbles in science.

Once summer’s over, there’s Halloween, then Thanksgiving…then CHRISTMAS! I know we’re barely into fall, but a few days ago I saw holiday decorations going up already. Soon, stores will start playing those well-known holiday songs and everyone will be in a mad rush to find parking, do their shopping and get their holiday invitations. Planning on doing your yearly holiday celebration, or would you like to throw a fabulous holiday party for the first time this year? To prevent last year’s craziness, why not beat the crowd and do your shopping early? Take a look at these cool designs from Tiny Prints. Then sit back and relax while everyone rushes around for their cards this holiday season.

Now that the kids are back to school, back to books and back to that pesky old homework, it’s time to limit the number of hours they spend on Webkinz and get some good use out of that family computer! Check out these links for fun ways to get your kids the homework help they need. And, don’t forget–your child should always be closely monitored when working online!

• Laugh, play and learn to type along the way! Check out the BBC’s Dance Mat Typing for step by step touch typing instructions complete with silly cartoons (like this goat!), fun music and entertaining lessons.

• Explore Ancient Egypt with your kids on NOVA’s Mysteries of the Nile.

• Time for Kids’ Homework Helper offers step-by-step instructions for writing an A+ book report

• Are your favorite students struggling with math? Help them find the tutoring they need at Math.com, but be sure you stick around to explain anything they might not understand–math can be tricky!

• Encourage your kids’ interest in science and the environment by letting them play at the EPA Environmental Kids Club.

From cupcake lip gloss to peas and carrots cupcakes, these are definitely not your ordinary cupcakes. Here are some unique ideas for a birthday party or baby shower theme filled with cupcakes and everything sweet.

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1) Cupcake lip gloss from Wedding Things. 2) Fuzzy Pink Baby Cupcake Hat from Etsy. 3) Cupcake plates from Target. 4) TV dinner cupcakes (peas and carrots) from Martha Stewart 5) Pizza cupcake from the Hello Cupcake Book. 6) Popcorn cupcake from Family Fun. 7) Bubbly Bear Birthday Party Invitations from Tiny Prints. Jessie Steele Children’s Cupcakes apron from Sas Cupcakes.

Yesterday was the first day of school for many students across the country, which meant that there were dozens of teary-eyed parents dropping their little ones off for the first day of kindergarten, snapping photos and blowing kisses as their children officially entered their school-age years.

When I was a kid, my mom would line my sister and I up by the front door every year to take our annual “first day of school” pictures. I’m sure the tradition started on that infamous first day of kindergarten, but it continued well into high school. I have a hilarious photo of myself looking haughty and annoyed as only a senior in high school can, standing at the front door, tennis bag slung over my arm, books and summer homework spilling everywhere.

That snapshot has become a family favorite, but the really sweet photos all came from my elementary school days. As I chatted with a friend on the phone last night about her daughter’s first day of kindergarten, I kept telling her that she should do something fun with the photos she took. Everyone always celebrates their kids’ graduation from kindergarten, but why not announce their first day in style as well?

These adorable, school-themed cards are the perfect way to inform your family and friends that your child has started kindergarten. All you have to do is modify the text using Tiny Prints’ easy-to-use personalization engine to let everyone know your little one has taken his or her first steps towards that PhD!