Holiday Gift Guide: All Glammed Up Super-Giveaway!

Still shopping for girlfriends, moms, sisters, girls of all ages? Check out these great gift ideas! And enter to win some of them for yourself!

#1~ Natural Mineral Lipstick from the PetalX Etsy shop!
My friend Elizabeth makes really beautiful mineral makeup in her own home, and these would make special gifts and wonderful stocking-stuffers!

She has a whole array of great colors in her shop, and all of them combine color with a really nice balm texture. It feels great on your lips, and looks really pretty too! All of her mineral lipsticks are free of fragrance, flavor, and castor-oils. And I love her prices, at $9.50 each!

The PetalX Etsy shop is so much fun, because of all the variety! As well as mineral lipsticks, she also makes mineral eye shadows and powders, and she has some very cool snap-on hair flowers and accessories. Go check out all her fun, girly stuff!
Elizabeth is offering a mineral lipstick in your shade of choice to 1 winner!

#2~ Leslie Tyler Lip Gloss!
This is such beautiful gloss! I love the color and the shine! This is another perfect stocking stuffer. Every girl could always use and love more lip gloss!

The Leslie Tyler brand is loved by lots of celebrities, and it's easy to see why! Each lip gloss is a great price, at $12 each.
My favorite thing about the Liplicious Gloss: it contains a conditioning formula that smooths and protects your lips. Like a chapstick and gloss in one!
One winner will get one in any color they want!

#3~ SwirlyDo Hair Ties!
I don't know who likes these more. . . me or my little girls. Even though they look like telephone cord bracelets, these really work well as ponytail holders! They hold my hair securely but also slide out easily without pulling my hair, and they don't leave the annoying pony tail "bump" or line in your hair after you take them out. Very cool!

My two little girls actually love to wear them as bracelets. And we don't even have the fun colors that are shown in these pictures! We have the neutrals, in browns and clear colors, and my girls still think they're just the coolest things ever. They also work well in their hair as ponytail holders too!
One winner will get a package of SwirlyDo Hair Ties!

#4~ A $20 gift certificate to Socks4Life!
Nobody wants socks in their stockings. . . unless they're really fun, or really cozy, or totally cute like so many of the socks available at Socks4Life. They have a huge variety of socks for men, women, and kids, and pretty much any style you could want! They sell tights, knee socks, slipper socks, leg warmers, and my personal favorites. . . the fuzzy, warm cozy socks! I love mine and wear them all the time. I'm actually wearing them right now! My husband is jealous and wishes they sold cozy socks for men.
One winner gets a $20 gift certificate to buy socks for yourself or to give away as gifts!

Here's how to enter to win all this fun stuff (there will be 4 separate winners!!!):

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 14 this time!!!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Check out the PetalX Etsy shop and let me know which of her products you like best!
3. Add PetalX to your Etsy favorites ("Heart" her shop).
4. Go here and become a PetalX Twitter follower.
5. Become a fan of PetalX on Facebook here.
6. Go here to look at all the Leslie Tyler lip glosses, and tell me which shade you'll choose if you win!
7. Go here to "Like" Leslie Tyler on Facebook.
8. Go here and tell me which SwirlyDo Hair Ties colors you like best.
9. Look around Socks4Life and tell me what you'd spend your gift certificate on if you're the winner!
10. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
11. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
12. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
13. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
14. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on December 29'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received some free products in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are totally mine and I was not compensated!

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Kids!

*Perfect little stocking stuffers. . . Adorable handmade clippies from the Ballard Clips Etsy shop! Most of the clips are made from felt, and they are SO unique and cute! I just love all the tiny little details on each clip.

These clips are perfect for the finest hair, and they don't slide off thanks to the velvet-lined clips. My six week-old baby wore one a few days ago, and it stayed put and didn't slide around at all! Impressive!

Ballard Clips are very reasonably priced, too. Most are $7 or $8 each!

This is one of my favorites. . . the Dark Red 3D Felt Flower clip. I have a LOT of hair clips (with three girls, you can never have too many!) and I have truly never seen designs like these before!

*Great gift for the child who already has every toy you can think of. . .
A teleidoscope!
Kaleidoscopes To You sells a HUGE variety of kaleidoscopes of all kinds, and this is one of my favorites! It would make such a unique and beautiful gift for a child of any age, and is something they'll keep for years or even their entire lives! My 3 year-old LOVES it and took it immediately to store in her "special drawer."

Why you'll love this teleidoscope too:
*It's made of beautiful, high-quality wood and comes with a nice stand for display.
*Just like the plastic kaleidoscopes I'm used to, you can look through it to see gorgeous colored images that change as you move it around. Fascinating for kids!
*It's a great value for such a quality product. . . $39.99.
*This one is the perfect size for kids to carry around, and lightweight.

*For the doll-lover or future older sibling. . .
Baby Gogo!
My oldest daughter has never liked dolls. Everyone told me to give her a doll when I was expecting my second baby, and she wanted nothing to do with the doll! So I think it's totally cute that my second daughter loves baby dolls. She carries them around the house and gives them hugs, and her favorite is this doll by Baby GoGo.

Why it's a great doll:
-Baby GoGo is designed to be gender-neutral. Lots of little boys like dolls too, and Baby GoGo wears bright, modern colors that boys will enjoy as well as girls. No ruffles! But the doll does come with a soft, cozy blankie.
-The doll comes with a cute storybook about taking Baby GoGo home from the hospital. A great way to prepare your little one for a future sibling's arrival!
-The packaging is recyclable!
-You can buy some other accesories, including a moses bed and a diaper bag, and many other accessories are being added soon.
-There's a 25% off holiday sale going on right now, and the whole doll set is $29.99!

My disclaimer: I received some products for free in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are mine, and I don't review anything I don't like!

Holiday Gift Guide: Aurora World and Peaceable Kingdom Toy Giveaway!!!

I have a major thing for stuffed animals. I've always loved them and still do love them! So when I had my first baby girl I made every attempt to surround her with adorable stuffed toys. Imagine my dismay when my now 3 1/2 year-old doesn't seem to care about stuffed animals and never got attached to any of them. Until we got a few of these YooHoos to review from Aurora World. Kirsten loves the YooHoos! She took one look at their big-eyed, cute faces and started laughing. Her very favorite one is the YooHoo 80's Dancer. It plays aerobic music when you press its belly, and she gets such a kick out of carrying it around and dancing to the song.

Why you'll love the YooHoos:
*They rank really high on the cuteness factor. I already want to start a collection!
*They're very affordable! Prices start at $9, making them a great gift option.
*The retro YooHoos like the 80's dancer are really funny! Some of them are modeled after famous pop icons like Elvis and Madonna, and they all make sounds or sing songs.
*The small ones are the perfect size for stockings!

*YooHoo & Friends are featured in a really fun website that's a whole virtual world!

The characters (and their plush counterparts) are based on real animals in their natural habitat. Some of them are endangered and children will be able to learn about each animal. Children can choose and raise pets, decorate their pet’s room, and play games. Registration to the website is free and doesn't require any activation code!

I love this adorable map that shows where each animal lives in the world:

Aurora World, Inc. (http://www.auroragift.com/), celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of high quality plush toys and gifts. The company sells its products via a wide variety of retailers including major zoos, high-end toy stores such as Learning Express, top gift chains such as Hallmark and Claire’s as well as hospital gift shops, fine florists, candy stores and gift/stationery stores worldwide.

Aurora World is offering an awesome giveaway to my readers. . . ANY product of your choice, out of all the ones I'm featuring on this blog post!!!
You can choose any adorable YooHoo OR. . .

A Fancy Pals Purse and Plush Animal in one! I can think of SOOOO many little girls who would just die to have one of these! Each animal fits in the cute purse, and these are a great value at only $12 for each set!

You could also choose a Paws Puppet! This puppet is so soft, stuffed with velboa plush, and even the claws are soft! They come in a bunch of different animal styles, and are a great addition to your child's role playing.

Or you could pick an animal from the totally adorable Dreamy Eyes collection! These animals are incredibly soft and sweet, I want them all!

A second winner will be lucky enough to win a beautiful set of Animal Alphabet Blocks from Peaceable Kingdom Press!

Why you'll love these blocks:
*The Animal Alphabet Blocks are made of cardboard and have a durable, glossy finish. They're lightweight and easy for small hands to hold!
*The colors and animal designs on them are really fun! They're also a great way for kids to learn about letters while increasing their motor skills and hand-eye coordination. My 19 month-old loves to stack them and knock them down!
*The storage box they come in is really great. It's the perfect size to hold every block, and has a magnetic closure.

Here's how to enter to win these fun toys (there will be 2 separate winners!!!):

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Just leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 14 this time!!!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Click around the Aurora World website, and then tell me which product you'll choose from Aurora World if you win! You'll get to choose either a YooHoo, Fancy Pals, Paws Puppet, or Dreamy Eyes plush!
3. "Like" the YooHoo & Friends Fan Page on Facebook!
4. Go here and follow YooHoo & Friends on Twitter.
5. Tell me which YooHoo you think is the cutest. (Tough call, I know!)
6. Look around the Peaceable Kingdom Press website and tell me which product you like the best.
7. "Like" Peaceable Kingdom Press on Facebook here.
8. Go here and sign your kids up for the Peaceable Kingdom Kids Birthday Club! They'll send them something special on their birthday!
9. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
10. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
11. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
12. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
13. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on December 27'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received some free products in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are totally mine and I only review things I really like!

Fun Finds: Holiday Gift Guide. . . Handmade For Kids Giveaway!!!

This one is for all the moms, grandmas, aunts, and friends of little girls! You understand as well as I do how much FUN it is to dress up adorable little girls! And this giveaway will help you do just that! Even if you don't have little girls of your own, these would all make amazing gifts! All handmade, too!

#1: A $20 gift certificate for completely adorable hair accessories from Sweet Bitty Bows!

Why you'll love Sweet Bitty Bows:
-There are pages and pages of cute things for girls, and you'll find bows, clips, flowers, beanies, headbands, legwarmers, and tutus! All very high quality and very cute!
-You can browse her Facebook shop by category, and it's really easy to find what you want.
-She has GREAT prices! Go check them out! And if you "Like" Sweet Bitty Bows on Facebook you'll get a whole bunch of special deals like Free Shipping and Deal of the Day! $20 will go far in this shop! The toughest thing would be deciding what to spend the gift certificate on.

Some of her designs are so unique. This headband is one of my favorites!

#2: Any item of your choice (up to a $20 value!) from the Peace Love and Kids Etsy shop!
She creates one of a kind children's gifts and my gosh, they are adorable! You can find tons of cute onesies, tops, fluffy tutus, and clothing for boys as well as girls!

I'm loving the hand-appliqued designs on these holiday onesies, and she makes them for all occasions of the year too, or she can applique your baby's initial! I was very impressed by the quality of the onesie I received. It's a BIG plus that she uses Carters onesies for her designs. I've found that many Etsy sellers use Gerber onesies, and Carter makes them much thicker, more durable, and better quality. Bravo for going with the higher quality!

Just to make the onesie even more adorable, many of her designs feature "ruffle bottoms" like this one. Too cute!!!

I also love the tutu bodysuits she makes! If you're the winner, you can choose to have a onesie customized for you or one that's already in her shop!

#3: A $25 gift certificate for handmade kid's clothing from Emmifaye Etsy shop. Emmifaye makes some of the most beautiful and unique outfits I've ever seen! I love the way she combines fabrics to make beautiful boutique clothes. And she has quite a few listings for boy's clothing too!

I just LOVE her peasant dresses and tops! And those ruffle pants are adorable!

Cute, cute, CUTE! And check out this gorgeous jacket!

I seriously wish I could sew like she does! I received this Moda Peasant Top for Kirsten to review, and it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen on her! The colors are beautiful, and the fit and quality are perfect.

Here's how to enter to win these beautiful designs (there will be 3 separate winners!!!):

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 16 this time!!!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Check out Sweet Bitty Bows and tell me at least one of your favorite things in her shop!
3. "Like" Sweet Bitty Bows on Facebook.
4. Go here and become a Sweet Bitty Bows Twitter follower.
5. Visit the Peace Love and Kids Etsy shop and tell me what you'll choose if you win!
6. "Heart" Peace Love and Kids on Etsy.
7. Go here to "Like" Peace Love and Kids on Facebook.
8. Go here and become a Twitter follower of Peace Love and Kids.
9. Look around the Emmifaye Etsy shop and tell me what you'd spend your gift certificate on if you're the winner!
10. "Heart" the Emmifaye shop on Etsy.
11. Add Emmifaye as a friend on Facebook here.
12. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
13. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
14. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
15. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
16. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on December 16'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received some free handmade items in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are totally mine and I was not compensated!

Fabulous Finds: Holiday Gift Guide. . . For the Girls!

I know, girls are the easiest to shop for. There are just so many things girls love! With guys, it's a whole other story. But in case you're stuck on finding some fabulous gifts for your girlfriends, sisters, cousins, mothers, in-laws, any of the women in your life. . . here's some help!

*For your own Christmas list. . . some gorgeous home bar furniture from CSN stores. If you have a bar or counter, there are SO many options here and shipping is always free!

*For the music lover. . . Norah Jones' new album, '. . . Featuring'!
I love this album, because it's a collection of all of Norah's collaborations with other artists from the past decade. There are songs on this album that please pretty much any musical taste, because of the wide range of styles featured on this CD. Norah sings with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Ray Charles, as well as the Foo Fighters and Outkast. The album is mellow, beautiful, and would make a great gift for any lover of music!

*For absolutely anyone. . . A pair of warm and snuggly mitts from the Notorious Knits Etsy shop. For $18, you can get some hand-knitted mitts that are practical for the winter weather as well as thoughtful! Her shop features a whole array of stylish winter wear such as cowls, scarves, and leg warmers.

Here's my favorite pair. . . the Kaleidoscope of Colors Mitts! Beautiful!

*For the chatty friend or family member. . . The Box Girls games to create great conversations!
These adorable little games are actually boxes of questions designed to stimulate conversations and stories for families, girls nights, date nights, really any occasion! The boxes with the little bows are so cute you wouldn't even need to gift-wrap them!

Tons of different themed boxes are available. They're perfect for family nights, or as a way to get to know anyone better. These would make awesome stocking stuffers! Since the first box was sold, the Box Girls have raised over $85,000 for charity. Talk about Christmas spirit!

*For your stylish friend. . . makeup with super cute packaging that is also really reasonably priced! Hard Candy makeup is sold at Wal-Mart, and the average price of each product is around $7. The makeup looks so cool and edgy, any teenager would love to carry it around in her purse!

Hard Candy features lots of unique products with cool names, like these:
-Big Girls Don't Cry Waterproof Mascara
-Glamoflauge Heavy-Duty Concealer
-Lip Tattoo- Lip Stain and Breath Freshening Gloss

With the beautiful packaging, it definitely looks like you spent more on this makeup than you actually did. My favorite product of the ones I tried is the Mouthing Off Sheer Lip Shine. It has really beautiful color, and it's thick and lasts for a long time!

*For the fashionista that you want a really nice gift for. . . a Shabby Apple dress!
Oh my gosh, these dresses are adorable! I love to search around their website and look at all their beautiful designs. I can't even count how many of their dresses I would love to own!

Right now they're offering free holiday shipping! Here are just a few of the many things I love about Shabby Apple:
-Their dresses are modest!
-They're designed for real women who have curves, and they have a really cool feature on their website that lets you shop by body type.
-They're offering free holiday shipping right now, and lots of their dresses are on sale!
-They're committed to helping women around the world, and they donate 5% of their net sales to charities.
-The quality of their fabrics and details are top-notch!
-There are SO many adorable designs and colors to choose from!

*For your travel buddy. . . A gorgeous travel bag from Apple & Bee!
Apple & Bee makes absolutely beautiful, high-quality bags from certified organic cotton, bamboo silk, genuine leather, and other earth-friendly materials. I absolutely love my beauty bag! It's the perfect size to fit everything, and the detachable plastic bag with lots of compartments is a great feature.

Apple & Bee sells bags in all different sizes and price ranges, from totes and overnight bags to coin purses and small makeup bags. Don't they have such beautiful fabric designs? Any product from Apple & Bee would make such a special gift for someone you love!

*For the vintage gal. . . Handmade, vintage-inspired jewelry from the Shabby La Rose Etsy shop! There are so many fun finds in this shop. The prices are really reasonable, and you can find fabulous vintage-looking earrings, cocktail rings, necklaces, hairpins, clutches, barrettes, even Christmas ornaments!

*My disclaimer: I received free products in exchange for honest reviews. I was not compensated, and I only review things that I really like!

Adorable Etsy Shops. . . Handmade Jewelry Giveaway!!!

What girl doesn't love beautiful handmade jewelry? It's pretty much a fail-proof Christmas gift for the favorite women in your life. And you can win some amazing jewelry for yourself too! I'm featuring three Etsy shops who are all offering something beautiful for my readers!

Shop #1. . . This is one of those shops that I think I could receive ANY piece from and wear it all the time. I'm loving this gorgeous necklace from Blue Room Gems. . .

Blue Room Gems specializes in unique jewelry made from semi-precious stones, crystals, and pearls. The quality of these pieces blows me away, they are SO stunning! I'm adding these elegant earrings to my Christmas list:

Each piece comes beautifully wrapped, ready for gift giving too! Blue Room Gems is offering one of my readers a $30 gift certificate!!! The hardest part would be deciding what to spend it on. There really are SO many beautiful pieces I'd love to own and wear.

Shop #2. . . Fun, funky, vintage jewelry from Petit Oiseau! I could just eat up this delicious red bracelet. Perfect for the holidays or any time of year!

Petit Oiseau is the only shop I've ever heard of who makes their jewelry from vintage Bakelite dating from the 1940's! SO unique and cool!!!

I chose to review the Bakelite Cherries necklace. I completely love the adorable design! Another winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the Petit Oiseau shop!!!

Shop #3. . . Any true Twilight fan will go nuts over the Twilight-inspired jewelry found in Sykin's One Stop Twilight Shop. How about some Cullen Eyes Earrings?

Or the Forest Earrings! These would make amazing gifts! A third winner will receive any piece of your choice from Sykin's One Stop Twilight Shop!!!

Here's how to enter to win these beautiful designs (there will be 3 separate winners!!!):

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 14 this time!!!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Check out Blue Room Gems and tell me piece is your very favorite!
3. "Heart" the Blue Room Gems Etsy shop.
4. Go here to look around the Petit Oiseau shop and tell me your favorite piece.
5. "Heart" Petit Oiseau on Etsy.
6. Go here and "Like" Petit Oiseau on Facebook, for special sales and fan-only deals.
7. Look around Sykin's One Stop Twilight Shop and tell me which piece you'll want if you're the winner.
8. Add Sykin to your "Hearted" shops on Etsy.
9. Go here and "Like" Sykin's One Stop Twilight Shop on Facebook.
10. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
11. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
12. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
13. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
14. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on December 5'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received some free handmade items in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are totally mine and I was not compensated!