When we were growing up, the best part about back-to-school season was always shopping for school supplies. But things have come a long way from the small thrill of finding a Trapper Keeper pattern that matched your personality. In fact, our friends at Minted are back as a sponsor (yay Minted!), and they’ve gotten into the back to school shopping game, too. You thought Minted was just stationery? Turns out they’ve now got personalized notebooks, name labels, cards and more, all to help your kids express themselves through a few special school supplies.

Plus, we are so thrilled that Minted is offering 15% off all their kids’ essentials for back to school with discount code SCHOOL15 because hey, who doesn’t love discounts? On top of that, two of our readers will win a massive shopping spree.

So, yeah. You can see why we like Minted.

To help you out, we’ve combed through their growing line of children’s products, all designed by indie artists from around the world, and picked out some very favorites. And remember, the school year is nine months long. Be sure to use that discount code to stock up!

– Don’t miss a chance to win one of two HUGE back to school shopping sprees, just for CMP readers! All the details below.  –

Custom Name Labels

sweet donut custom name labels | hooray creative

Donuts are the new cupcakes, and these sprinkled stickers are a hip way to ID your kid’s lunch box and water bottle. Did we mention that all of Minted’s new custom name labels are dishwasher safe and waterproof? Thank you, from parents everywhere.

airplane custom name labels | rebecca bowen

We love that Minted has a ton of different sizes and shapes of labels, because you can’t just go sticking a tiny name label inside a big kid’s football helmet if you ever want to find it. We’re digging this small airplane label that’s perfect for water bottles, notebooks, pencil cases, or even a big kid’s gaming device.

beetle bug custom name labels | jessie steury

How fun is this retro Beetle car design? Way cooler than using a Sharpie, and just the right size for journals and books.

oodles of doodles custom name labels | loree mayer

Sometimes it’s important to add a last name or phone number, but not every parent is comfortable with that. We like that the second line on this heart label can personalized for whatever you want — a team name, a classroom number, or you can even leave it blank. (Can you tell we like customization?)

Notebooks

custom initial note notebook | heather francisco

We’re suckers for typography, and this single initial makes a bold statement for kids with more sophisticated taste. Plus, you get chose the type of paper is inside.

personalized planets notebook | tyler tea

Studies show that kids are 73% more likely to remember their notes when they write them in notebooks with cool designs like this retro solar system on the cover. Yeah, we wish that were true, too.

perssonalized paints and pencils notebook | liz conley

We love this hand drawn illustration on a sketchbook for artistic kids to draw and doodle. Just not during class, of course. Nice touch: a “handwritten” line on top that says, sketches & notes by _____. 

personalized watercolor chevron notebook | lindsay megahed

Minted has tons of custom photo notebooks too, that let you upload a favorite memory from camp or summer vacation. We hope that note taking won’t seem like such a drag when your daughter’s BFFs or new puppy are smiling back at her. Get ready for squealing when you hand this over as a special back-to-school shopping gift in September.

Save 15% off all kids’ essentials at Minted for back to school with discount code SCHOOL15 

Personalized Stationery

bright & bold bubble personalized stationery | lacie schoch

We love stocking up on a set of personalized note cards at the beginning of the school year, because you always get plenty of use out of it.This cool design may not replace FaceTime as some kids’ favorite method of communication, but it’s the perfect size for birthday and holiday thank you notes all year round. Not to mention nice notes to teachers and coaches around the holidays.

wriggle worm personalized stationery | up up creative

How cute is this design for little ones! They can practice their handwriting skills on the adorable note cards with just enough room for a short note; and sending random letters to grandparents is sure to win your kid some bonus points with them.

microscopic personalized stationery | stacey hill

Even STEM-loving kids can be introduced to the old fashioned art of snail mail. (Yes! You actually use a PEN.) But you can acknowledge their love of science with this very cool microscope stationery that hides a large first initial in the petri dish. Very fun.

secret agent personalized stationery for kids | lori wemple

We don’t condone note passing during class, but if kids want the same effect when school is out, we bet they’ll love using this clever personalized secret agent stationery to code their messages.  Yes, there was a time that a coded graphical message had no emoji in it at all. Hard to believe, right?

Special offer exclusive for Cool Mom Picks readers:  Enter to win one of two $300 shopping sprees at Minted just for our readers! Click over for details (it’s easy), and be sure to enter by Monday, August 3.

Plus, save 15% off all of kids’ essentials for back to school with discount code SCHOOL15 through 8/3.  And thanks so much to Minted for supporting us, and all of their talented independent artists around the globe.