I LOVE this shop! When I fist saw these online, I thought they were really cute but was a bit overwhelmed. Having to pick the face, hair color, and style of each person on my picture seemed like a lot of pressure - there were so many options and I didn't want to mess things up.
In the end it was as simple as saying "Grandma Lofley - G5 Head - Brown Hair." It was easy to do, but I spent a looong time doing it. I really wanted everyone to look right.
We got our finished picture within days. And the highest praise I can give is to say that when my husband opened the package he looked at it intently for a few seconds. Then he said, "I like that. I really like that."
Considering the picture is crafty, girly, and cute all at the same time, that's saying a lot.
I love the finished product. The characters are adorable and really reflect the personality and style of the person they were modeled after.
I like that the drawing is done on muslin. It adds that extra interest and makes the picture perfect to hang. We haven't bought a frame yet, so it's hanging on our door on a hanger, but it will go up soon.
We just cleaned out our house for a yard sale and I really got into the spirit of things. So much in fact that when I went to get dressed this morning I realized I have almost nothing left.
I love the women's dresses at Shabby Apple and could easily fill my entire wardrobe from their site.
To Buy - One of my favorites is the Spanish Steps Dress that retails for $86. I love the color and the mix of different fabrics. It's just so Audrey Hepburn.
To Win - I'm really jealous because one lucky person is going to win this dress that I love so much.
a Rafflecopter giveawayI received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my
giveaway/disclosure guidelines 
If you have ever tried to get your kids to clean up their room with no success, you may want to check out the line of hanger sets from Kidorable.com.
They
hanger sets come in a variety of styles (pirates, ballerinas, clowns, etc.), and are fun to play with!
To Buy - The hanger sets come in a variety of sizes and retail for $17-$27. You can also get 20% off your order from
June 11 through June 18, by using coupon code CLEANUP2 at checkoutTo Win - Kidorable is giving away a set to one of you!
a Rafflecopter giveawayOpinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my
giveaway/disclosure guidelines
Warner Bros. is proud to announce the release of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island on DVD and Blu-Ray; June 5th 2012 along with the Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Blog App!
In the Movie - Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games) finds a hidden signal that he believes will lead him to his long lost grandfather (Michael Caine, Miss Congeniality). With the help of his new step father (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, The Scorpion King), Sean finds a map and starts his adventure which leads him to Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical) and the island of Atlantis! Sean and his friends battle giant bees, killer lizards, a volcano of gold, and electric eels to escape the lost city and make their way home!
To Win - To Celebrate the release they are giving a DVD to one of you!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my giveaway/disclosure guidelines
Store Feature - Ink of Me Graphics - http://www.etsy.com/shop/inkofme
About - I am an architect with a passion for graphic and print design. I started out designing custom, personalized posters for friends and family, and after some encouragement started selling them online.
I love clean, simple designs and typography art. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I like to make pictures out of words.
My designs are perfect for gifts and home decor and can be personalized and customized in a variety of ways.
Support Homemade - Most of the Prints retail for just $15. They are also offering a coupon good for 25% off - 25OFFMYINK
Win It - They are giving away one print - winners choice a Rafflecopter giveawayHave your etsy/home business shop featured here in our Close2Home Friday Weekly Feature!
This post is written by the Etsy Shop Owner as part of my Close to Home Feature. I received nothing for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my
giveaway/disclosure guidelines
Our house has undergone a few transitions over the past few weeks. The walls are sparkling, our love seat has been replaced by a side chair, and our flowerbeds no longer make our house look like its been abandoned for the last year. But the biggest change of all has taken place in the kids bedrooms.
Even though Baby Co is only 7 months old, Bid and Kik have always shared a room. Lately Bid has thought it was a good idea to jump on Kik's head and wake her up every morning at 6. So the twin beds have been taken down, rooms rearranged, and bunk beds put up.
All of the rearranging does have a plus side. I've found that the easiest way to freshen up a room is to change out the Kids Bedding. And one of my favorite places to shop for bedding is BeyondBedding.com. I love that at BeyondBedding you can get most of their styles in a variety of sizes.
As a mother of an infant, a toddler, and a school aged child I really appreciate the fact that I can coordinate all of their bedding to make their rooms work regardless of how many times I have to rearrange them. Here is the Pink and Green Jungle
Baby girl bedding,
Toddler Bedding, and kids bedding sets.
As much as I love the girls style, my absolute favorite style is the Jungle Time Children & Kids Bedding Set. Besides being adorable, it matches the theme of Co's room perfectly.
When I first saw the bedding I thought it would just be a printed design, but each square is embroidered and sewn together. Co doesn't actually use his bear bed yet - we use it as an extra for when we need to separate the girls - but he loves to sit on it and feel the different materials (i.e. microsuede, courdoroy, etc.)
I love May. To me it means nice weather. mothers day,the end of a school year, and spring cleaning. It might sound crazy, but I love going through the house and cleaning stuff out. It's the perfect chance to redecorate and make little changes in a room that make a big difference.
One of the easiest ways to make a change is Vinyl wall decals from LeoWall Stickers.
Leo Stickers is an Italian based company that specializes in fun and easy to apply kids wall stickers. All you do is put the sticker on a clean, dry wall, and use the plastic squeege to smooth out the bubbles. After a few minutes you have a newly decorated room. You can check out step by step information
here!
We received an Under the Sea Mini Kit, and my kids love them! The kit contains
We have vinyl clings in both kids bedrooms, and in our bathroom and the Leo Stickers were by far the easiest to apply. They went right on without any problem, and the included Squeege made it easy to work out the bubbles.
We placed ours over our bathroom shower to carry on the Aquatic Theme we have going on. I think they look adorable.
To Buy - All of the Vinyl Stickers from
The only thing I like better than cookies, is having cookies made for me. I have a great husband who is always willing to make me a treat, but I also have girls that make cooking hard. When they want to help, Pillsbury® Ready to Bake! ™ Shape® Cookies are a great choice.
With the cookies you just put them on the pan, and then are ready top eat in 8-10 minutes.
To Celebrate Mothers Day Pillsbury teamed up with a special Disney friend, to say, “thanks for everything mom!”
To Buy - Make this Mother’s Day special with Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies. You can visit http://bit.ly/PSCMDCoupon to download a printable coupon for $1.10 off the purchase of (1) package of Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies today!
To Win - Pillsbury is giving away a prize pack to one of you. Prize Pack contains
- A VIP coupon to purchase a package of Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies
- Cookie Jar
- Cookie Spatula
- Oven Mitt
a Rafflecopter giveaway“Disclosure: The VIP coupon, prize pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.” Opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my
giveaway/disclosure guidelines
When I was little I loved when my mom took me grocery shopping. I would walk up and down the cereal aisle checking out all of the boxes very carefully. My favorite was anything with marshmallows, but that always took a backseat to a really awesome prize in one of the boxes.
When I saw that Lucky Charms and other Big G cereals now had a Curvy Straw inside, I knew I had to get it for my kids. Because
1 - Marshmallows + prize = fun
2 - Drinking leftover milk from a bowl of cereal is a great way to help kids get their daily dairy, calcium, and Vitamin D needs.
To make breakfast a little more fun, My Blog Spark and Big G Cereals sent me this fun prize pack.
To Buy - Be sure to collect all six different colorful straws featuring beloved Big G cereal characters. Participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms®(16 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (18 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Trix®(14.8 oz) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz). Made with more whole grain than any other ingredient, Big G cereal, combined with a ½ cup of milk, can help provide a great start to your family’s day. Click
here to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off of the purchase of (2) boxes of participating Big G cereal today!
For more info check out the
Whole Grain Nation Website today.
To Win - My Blog Spark is giving away another prize pack to one of you! Prize pack contains
- 1 box of a participating Big G cereal
- 1 Curvy Straw
- 1 ‘spilt’ milk bowl
- 2 glow cups
- 2 tangle toys
To Enter complete any the Entries on the Rafflecopter form Below. *Note* Javascript must be enabled to view the form. If you are on the main page of my website, you may have to click read more to see the form.
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Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I received a product to review from the above company or their PR Agency. Opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my
giveaway/disclosure guidelines
A lot of us make New Years Resolutions, but how many of us keep them? My goal this year was to be a little bit better at something every day, but honestly I forgot. I figure I can always be better at it tomorrow. Take the quiz below to see how you are doing on your New Years Resolutions and then enter to win the New Years Eve DVD from Warner Brothers.
To Win - To Enter complete any the Entries on the Rafflecopter form Below. *Note* Javascript must be enabled to view the form. If you are on the main page of my website, you may have to click read more to see the form.
a Rafflecopter giveawayYou need javascript enabled to see this giveaway.
I received a product to review from the above company or their PR Agency. Opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my giveaway/disclosure guidelines
It's been crazy hot in Utah the last few days. I believe it was around 86 here today - which is about 20 degrees above average. The warmer weather makes is incredibly tempting to break out all of the summer/water toys, but it never lasts. On Friday the high is supposed to be back down in the mid 50's.
A great toy for this on again off again warm weather is Crayola Color Wonder Bubbles and the Bubble Launcher.
Crayola Color Wonder Bubbles combine all of the fun of traditional bubbles, but with color! Our 3 pack contained the colors "purple pizzazz," "fuschia" and "unmellow yellow".
I had heard that the bubbles were messy so I dressed my girls in play clothes and got ready for some fun. The bubbles screw right on to the launcher, and then you actually hand crank the launcher to blow the bubbles. This is great as it avoids blowing dizziness and doesn't need battery replacement.
The bubbles were fun but did leave behind a slight pink residue.
If you're looking for a good show to watch with your family this weekend check out Bob and Larry's newest feature - Veggie Tales: Robin Good.
In the Movie -
A long time ago, in the faraway town of Bethlingham, roved a band of merry men, led by the fearless Robin Good. Their mission: to help people by fundraising from the rich and giving to the poor! But when a greedy Prince starts stealing the townspeople’s hams, donations are down and Robin’s friends take off and decide to give robbing from the rich a try. Feeling rejected, Robin thinks things can't get any worse, until he finds out that the ham-hoarding Prince has also captured his friends. Can Robin overcome his own hurt, rescue his friends and restore the townspeople's hope? Find out in this fun Veggie story where kids learn that there's no hurt too big for God! The DVD also features Lenny & the Lost Birthday -
Will someone, anyone, remember Lenny’s special day? How could it be misplaced – or is it just his mistake?!This DVD is super fun. It kicks off with the Lenny and the Lost Birthday Short, and then goes into the Robin Hood story. The short is a great way to introduce kids to leap year. And I love the plunger wielding Larry (aka Robin Good) and his lemonade selling Merry Man. My very favorite thing about the DVD is that the Silly Song is and ode to Bubble Wrap.
To Buy - Robin Good & His Not So Merry Men
has a list price of $14.97, but is available right now on Amazon for $9.73. It's a fun addition to the Veggie Tales Library.
On another note Veggie Tales also has a fun new app -
"Step-by-Story® presents VeggieTales: Larry’s Missing Music! The latest reading readiness mobile app from Playful Owl. Larry thinks everything is better with music and we agree! Join Larry and his friends as they create silly instruments that make silly sounds. With Step-by-Story, a child as young as two years old can create his/her own short story through a series of simple choices. The app automatically turns the choices into an animation that can be shared with Mom and Dad. Each title includes over 500 possible story combinations and is currently available for $2.99."To Win - How about a Robin Good Veggie Tales DVD for one of you!
To Enter complete any of the Entries on the Rafflecopter form Below. *Note* Javascript must be enabled to view the form. If you are on the main page of my website, you may have to click read more to see the form.
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I received a product to review from the above company or their PR Agency. Opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post. By en
It's been one of those crazy weeks when I have meant to write a bunch of posts but life got in the way. Hopefully we'll be able to play catch up the next few days.
Yesterday we had a surprise trip to the doctor for Bid and a school bully incident with Kik. After a long long day Kik and I sat down together and played her new favorite game on the DS - Xia Xia.
The Xia Xia DS game was developed around the fun Xia Xia toys. In the game players explore 25 different levels set in 5 unique worlds. The point of the game is to collect starfish and find missing friends and shells so you can move on to the next world.
Kik is almost 6 and this is the first side scrolling platform game she has ever played. The controls are pretty basic. It only requires two buttons (jump and snap) and the arrow buttons for game play. Even though it was pretty basic I didn't know if it would be up her alley - she's usually more into makeover games.
She loved it! She thought it was so fun to explore the worlds and search for the missing crab shells. Her quote "Okay. this game is so fun because you get to do stuff. Like pick your character...."
The true testament of how much she loved the game was the fact that she played for over an hour. She only paused long enough eat dinner before she was at it again.
I liked that she could play the game almost completely by herself. It was her first platform game so I did have to play with her initially, but she didn't need much help once I got her started. I also like that there were no bad guys for her to fight.
To Buy - The Xia Xia DS Game was released by GameMill Entertainment and Black Lantern Studios and has a SRP of $19.99. It's definitely worth checking out if you have young kids!
To Win - GameMill Entertainment is giving away a fun Xia Xia Prize Pack to one of you. The prize Pack will contain 2 randomly selected Xia Xia toys and the Xia Xia Ds Game!
To Enter complete any of the Entries on the Rafflecopter form Below. *Note* Javascript must be enabled to view the form. If you are on the main page of my websi
My husband and I have been married for 8 years and we've always kind of been loaners. We occasionally hang out with my best friend from high school and her husband, but it's usually just us. Then a few months ago something new happened - my husband made a friend. Our families get together every few weeks to eat dinner and play games. It's been really fun and has given us the opportunity to break out all of the games that have been sitting dormant in our closet for years.
Right now we are loving Truth Be Told, Likewise, and Last Word from Buffalo Games.
In
Truth Be Told the host draws a question such as "Truth Be told, I've always dreamed about ..." Then the host writes a truthful answer on the card such as, "I've always dreamed about being a princess at Disneyland." Then all of the other players make up fake answers to the question. The players then have to guess which answer is the correct one.
We played this game once with my family and a couple of times with our new friends. It was fun in both settings. When we played the game with my parents and siblings everyone knew each other so well, that it was hard! A lot of the "fake" answers were true and it took a long time for anyone to win. When we played with our friends we didn't know them very well. The game went fast but it was hilarious! It was a fun way to get to know them.
In
Likewise there are Description Cards and Subject Cards. One of each card is turned over and players have to come up with a word that describes the pairing. So if the Description said Exotic, and the Subject said Cartoon Character, then players would have to write down an Exotic Cartoon Character - such as Marvin the Martian or the Tasmanian Devil. If players match they get a point.
This game was fun, but kind of challenging. Some of the pairings just make no sense and it's hard to come up with an answer. Even though some rounds can be difficult, those are usually the rounds that are the most fun.
Last Word is my favorite of the 3 games. Players are given a subject and a letter and everyone blurts out answers until the timer runs out. For example if the subject was "Countries" and the Letter was "P", players could say Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Portugal, Poland, etc. until the timer ran out. The last person to say a word before the timer goes off wins the round.
What makes this game really fun is that the timer goes off randomly, so you really have to hurry to get your words in. Another feature I love is that the
Because I believe a child's health is very important I want to share with you all a very important message from Larry the Cable Guy.
To Buy - Join in the fight against Tooth Decay and sign your kids up for the America’s Toothfairy Kids Club. Kids Club members will receive personalized letters from the Tooth Fairy herself, as well as quarterly fun, educational activities! Sign up and participation is free, but if you want to support the cause donations are welcome (a suggested minimum of $10).
To Win -NCOHF in association with Xlear, is giving one of you a DVD copy of the all-new Tooth Fairy 2 movie as well as a selection from Xlear, Inc.’s oral care product line - including SparX Candies.
To Enter complete the Entries on the Rafflecopter form Below. *Note* Javascript must be enabled to view the form. If you are on the main page of my website, you may have to click read more to see the form.
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Opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my
giveaway/disclosure guidelines
To Win -They are giving away 1 Free Kids Meal to 3 of you!
To Enter complete Any of the Entries on the Rafflecopter form Below. *Note* Javascript must be enabled to view the form. If you are on the main page of my website, you may have to click read more to see the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js">You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
Opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post. By entering this giveaway you agree to my giveaway/disclosure guidelines
When we had Baby Co we swore that he wasn't going to sleep in our bed. Kik didn't sleep through the night till she was 3 and Bid still comes in our bed all of the time. At this point my husband and I are willing to try anything to get her to stay where she belongs.
When I saw Incredibeds I thought they might be a perfect solution.
Incredibeds are plush characters that have been transitioned into safe kids beds. There is a T-Rex, a Dog, a pink kitty, and two colors of bears.
There is no wood or metal for the kids to bump into on an Incredibed. The mattress and base rest on the floor and then the Incredibed actually zips up around the mattresses. This is great because the bed sits a bit lower and is safer if kids fall out of their bed at night.
We received a
fuzzy brown bear and it is adorable!
To set it up all we did is take the mattress off the bedframe and rest it on the floor. Then we took the pieces of Incredibed and zipped them together.
There are 4 sections that need to be zipped together - 2 sides, the head, and the sheet set. I love that the bed comes in 4 sections. If Bid has any "accidents" it will make clean up so much easier. (Did I mention that each piece fits in a standard size washer and dryer)
Our mattresses are from Ikea so they are a bit smaller than a standard twin. But it still looks great!
Because we are planning on using our Incredibed for a toddler, we also decided to get the Toddler Zipper Bumper Sheet.
The Toddler Bumper Set zips up in place of the normal sheet set. but has a place to insert foam bumpers for added safety. This combined with the height and plushness makes the Incredibed a great toddler bed - especially if your toddler is having a hard time transitioning.
Bid was SO excited when we set up her bed. She thought it was the coolest thing ever.
She's been sleeping in it for about a week now, and I can honestly say that it has made a difference. With the arms wrapped around her at night she doesn't wake up as often. And there have been a few nights when she hasn't woken up at all!
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I'd love to try the have a ball giggables! Looks so fun!
I like the Bright Starts Having A Ball Giggables!
[email protected]
My grandson would like to try the by Einstein™
Count & Compose Piano
[email protected]
ball giggables looks perfect for baby Sam debbie jackson,
djackson1958 at hotmail dot com
I like the Baby Einstien Count and Compose Piano. cwitherstine at zoominternet dot net
I like the Baby Einstein™
Baby Neptune™ Ocean Orchestra
I'd love the cruise 'n' sort bus for my daughter!
I like the Baby Einstein
Touch & Explore Discovery Book!
jbang0331(at)yahoo(dot)com
Baby Einstein™
Shapes & Numbers Discovery Cards
I'd love to try the Baby Einstein™
Baby Neptune™ Ocean Orchestra! So cute!
Bright Starts™
Cruise 'n Sort Bus™
I like the Bright Starts™ Having a Ball™ Swirl & Roll Truck™
kopperkirlz at yahoo dot com
I would love to get my granddaughter the Baby Einstein™ The Classics Collection.
I also like their Baby Einstein
Count & Compose Piano.
colljerr at comcast dot net
I'd like to try the Bright Starts™
Peek-a-Zoom™ for my son
I also like the Baby Neptune Soothing Seascape
I love the bright starts convertible cart cover!
[email protected]
bright stars cruisin short bus
tuckersaver at hotmail dot com
Bright starts drop and giggle looks like something we would love!!
I really like the count and compose piano!
I like the Baby Einstein Discovery Dragon
[email protected]
Bright Starts Drop and Giggle
Taggies look adorable too!
I love the Baby Einstein™ Baby Neptune™ Soother
darciedecided at gmail.com
Musical learning table and the doodle bug station.
Thanks for the chance to win.
Minta
[email protected]
We would love this activity table. http://www.kidsii.com/brightstarts/p-376-having-a-ball-get-rollin-activity-table.aspx
Oh Carter would also love the Baby Einstein Stack & Explore Safari Blocks! Fun!
Bright Starts™
Having a Ball™ Pop & Roll Roadster™
mandinav(at)aol(dot)com
Chase would love the Baby Einstein
Baby Neptune Ocean Orchestra!
Baby Einstein™
Baby Neptune™ Ocean Orchestra
for my new daughter coming soon!
yeloechikee at hotmail dot com
I like the convertable cart cover
sunniewoodyplus2 atmsn.com
Would love to try the Bright Starts™
Having a Ball™ Press & Zoom Pals™
sarah.zaengle at gmail dot com
The baby einstein. Arthur Caudill
Have a Ball Press and Zoom pals
Bright Starts™
Pretty in Pink™ Bundle of Fun Gift Set™
I'd like to try the Bright Starts Having a Ball Let's Get Rolling Activity Table.
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Pretty in Pink purse (Amber H)
I'd also like the Bright Starts Dooble Bug Around We Go
baby Einstein discovery dragon
Baby Einstein™
Stack & Discover Blocks™
My son would love this!
http://www.kidsii.com/p-301-roller-pillar-activity-balls.aspx
[email protected]
I like the Bright Starts™
Doodle Bugs Around We Go!™ Activity Station!