Category Archives: Reviews & Giveaways

Personalized Wall Art makes a perfect gift! MavisBLUE designs {Giveaway US & CDA}

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I’ve already written about my love for personalized gifts, but I’ve recently discovered even something else that you can get personalized.  ART!  That’s right, ART!

Nattalie Will, a print and digital art enthusiast, has recently launched her Etsy shop MavisBLUE.  After a few years of providing her beautiful work of arts as gifts and being repeatedly asked to make more, she decided to make her work accessible to all.

What’s great about MavisBLUE’s products is that there’s something for everyone on your list.  If you want to purchase a beautiful newborn gift, her baby birth announcement art are a sure hit.  I got some made for both of my sons and I was so impressed with the end result.  All you have to do is provide the name, date of birth, pounds, inches, location and select an animal to showcase and Nattalie takes care of the rest.  You have an option of receiving your purchase immediately as a PDF for $20 or as a print for $30.  I love the option of being able to receive it via PDF.  Not only because you can save money, but also because it allows you to print it at home (or at your local photo store) and give it to a new mom when you visit her and the newborn the first time.  Personally, I think that would put a huge smile on any mother’s face.  Here are my son’s beautiful work of arts!DSC_0855DSC_0863 Continue reading →

Complete home service for busy moms – Concierge Home Services {review}

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There’s no error in my title, I know all moms are busy.  Show me a mom that isn’t busy, and I’ll show you a liar.  Also, I’d like to debunk a myth about stay at home moms.  People assume that SAHMs have time to cook every meal from scratch, clean, run errands and spend attentive time with their children.  While some women are miracle workers and can pull this off, most SAHM can do one or two of the above things.  As a SAHM, I can attest to that.  My number one priority is spending quality time with my sons which doesn’t leave me much time as I would like for everything else.  I obviously ensure that my boys are fed well, so beyond the playing and feeding, there’s little time left for cleaning.

Sure, I can tidy up like no one’s business, taking a messy room to a “tidy” room in seconds (especially if we have unexpected company!), but it’s not technically clean… just tidy.  And in the evenings, when I do have some free time, I prefer to spend it with my husband, on my blog or reading in bed watching TV.  I think I’ve earned a little time to myself, and while I could clean my house, I often choose not too.  My husband and I have both agreed that house cleaning is something we’d love to outsource. Continue reading →

Newborn & Family photoshoot – Kaianne Photography Studio {Giveaway}

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What tops my list for must-have items / services for newborns is professional photography of the baby and the family.  So of course I looked for a photographer months before my due date.

When Joanne from Kaianne Photography Studio approached me, I was really excited for her to take our newborn and family pictures.

Joanne has a great eye for action shots and she’s great with kids.  My son happily smiled at the camera for her when normally his reaction to the camera is “NO PICTURES!” Joanne was very patient with our newborn son, who refused to sleep while she was there, making it a bit tougher to take pictures.  Nonetheless, the photos turned out beautifully.  Joanne was also very open to my creative input and together, we had some great ideas for the shoot. Joanne captured some amazing pictures of my newborn son, Ryan and of the family; both posing and candid.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves…

GIVEAWAY: One lucky reader will win a Children / Family session from Kaianne Photography Studio.  The giveaway includes a one hour photography session worth $250. A minimum of 25 edits in color and black & white are provided on DVD (High Resolution). Travel fees outside of Toronto & GTA not included. Enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter below the pictures (please give it a few seconds to load).  Contest is open to all residents of the GTA.  Contest ends Friday, April 5, 2013.

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Sparkling Vintage Jewelry!! My best giveaway ever – $250 to Bee’s Knees Gems (Open to Canadians)

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a little obsessed with big sparkly gem jewelry this year.  I know they’re a big trend right now, and that might be why I’ve gone bling crazy, but you have to admit, they do look great.  I spent most of the winter season searching for a perfect necklace to wear for the various holidays parties, but all my searches resulted in me leaving stores empty-handed.  While I did spot some beautiful pieces they were too expensive, and everything that was more affordable just looked cheap.  I was left a little disappointed to say the least.

More recently, I was introduced to an amazing Canadian company that specializes in beautiful vintage Gem jewelry; Bee’s Knees Gems.  BeeskneeslogoI probably spent a good hour perusing the web-site.  Every piece was so pretty and special.  I had a hard time deciding whether I should pick the trendy emerald-green and rose gold ring, the teardrop sapphire pendant on a rose gold chain, or the black onyx ring.  After much deliberation and some consultation with my husband (yes, he even helped), I decided to get the cushion cut pendant necklace.  I’ve been searching for something similar to this for a while now.  I also wanted something that I could wear on a daily basis but easily use to go from day wear to evening wear.necklace

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Winter time means dry skin. Why George’s cream is your new best friend {Review & Canadian Giveaway}

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Here’s a guest review of George’s Cream by one of my readers, Fern from Gotcha Covered Baby.  George’s Cream is a great Canadian company that provides something for everyone in the family.  Lets face it, we can all use a little cream here and there in winter time.  Read her review and see details below regarding the Giveaway.

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georges creamI was recently lucky enough to be given the opportunity to test two of Georges skincare products.  This came at a perfect time for me since every winter my husband suffers from really dry, and red knuckles. Being a typically man though the only other product I could ever get him to try was Vaseline Intensive Cream which did nothing to help with his problem.  Since George products are fragrance free he was willing to give Georges Special Dry Skin Cream a try, and within a few days his dry red skin was gone. Now he uses this cream as part of his daily routine so that his dry red skin does not re-occur. Continue reading →

Toronto Family Day Event for a Great Cause; TheChill.ca #StoppingKidsCancerCold

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Family day was first introduced in Ontario in 2008.  Beyond another long-weekend to break up the looooooong winter, it’s a great way for a family to spend some much-needed time together.  While my husband and I enjoyed this long weekend even before we became a family of three, we love it even more now that we can celebrate it with our little one.

I was recently told about a new and exciting event that will be taking place in Yonge-Dundas Square Toronto this upcoming Family Weekend (February 17th & 18th).  The Sears Great Canadian Chill (www.TheChill.ca) is a nationwide series of Polar Bear Dips that will Stop Kids Cancer Cold!  It’s mission is to raise money for kids cancer.  Specifically in Toronto, the funds raised will go to support pediatric oncology research and treatment initiatives at the Hospital for Sick Children.  This is such a great initiative that I just had to spread the word.TheChill.ca

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My love for flyers 2.0 – FlyerFlo Review & $50 Metro GC Giveaway (open to all residents of Ontario, CDA)

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A friend of mine, who was my roommate a while back, introduce me to the fun of flyers over five years ago.  Fast forward and I have to say that I’m like a little kid come Thursday night. The local newspaper arrives filled with flyers.  I look through each one and before I know it, they’re scattered all over the floor.  Most recently, my son has joined my hobby.  Of course, he’s mostly interested in the Toys R Us flyer or any flyer that has toys in them.

While I despise couponing, I love flyers.  I love comparing the deals the various companies have and seeing what I may need / want that I haven’t realized I needed yet.  To say the least, Friday is definitely my favourite shopping day.

However, what I hate is going into a store, and asking the employees there if the item I’m holding in my hand is the one advertised in their flyer and getting a stare blank back from them.  To be fair, they’re not paid enough to remember the weekly flyer by heart (I guess), but it’s frustrating as a shopper.  ENTER FLYERFLO.

FlyerFlo is a great new free app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch that allows you to view all of the weekly flyers of your local stores with the touch of your finger.  No more schlepping around flyers with you to the store and no more memorizing the deals.  You can access all of your favourite deals from your favourite companies immediately. Continue reading →