Progresso Souper You Giveaway

Are you ready for a new look this New Year?

I personally love  Progresso® soups - they are definitely my preferred brand.  I may try others but always go back to  Progresso® .  Here is another reason to love Progrsso.   Progresso® is kicking of 2012 with another Souper You® Contest  - If you enter you have the chance to win an incredible makeover! Simply tell Progresso why you deserve a makeover and what you love about their soup, you could have the chance to win an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood this Spring!

We are almost through January and many of us made resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle which may include exercising, eating differently or losing weight.  If you made a similar resolution but had a great start that slowly stuttered to a halt OR if you just have not started, it is never too late!~

Thanks to Progresso®, you can have your soup and eat it too! With 40 delicious soups with 100 calories or less per serving, Progresso Soup has a variety of offerings that help you beat diet boredom and satisfy your taste cravings, while helping you stick to your weight management calorie goals. Progresso soups are packed with hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, rice, meat and vegetables that suit your taste buds and make you feel good about including it in your meal choices.

This year, the Souper You^® Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood; this includes a trip for 2 to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season’s live finale of NBC’s The Biggest Loser

Progresso is asking fans to visit www.SouperYou.com and submit their photo with a brief essay about why they love Progresso soups and why they deserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd

Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th

In addition, visit http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup  to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of four (4) cans of Progresso Soup (while supplies last)

 Tune into The Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesdays at 8/7c

Want to find out more?  View the video or visit the links below:

• Souper You Website - http://bit.ly/SouperYou
• Progresso Website - http://bit.ly/ProgressoSoupSite
• Progresso on Facebook - http://on.fb.me/ProgressoFB
• Progresso Online Coupon - http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup

Thanks to Progresso I have a fun giveaway.  One lucky winner will receive a prize pack that includes the following:

• (2) VIP Coupons for Progresso Soup
• (1) copy of “The Biggest Loser” Workout DVD 

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Disclosure:  The Progresso^® Souper You^® prize pack, information, coupon, and giveaway have been provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark

Disney Release Schedule - 2012

I love Beauty and the Beast - we actually have the original on VHS. Yes, I need an upgrade... Until then Beauty and the Beast has been re-relased at theatres. In addition the theatre version currently features a new short from from Tangled Ever After - the Tangled saga continues!. Miss E. LOVES Tangled so I plan to take her to the movie.

Here is also info on other coming movies - Brave and The Secret World of Arrietty also look fab!

January 13: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D 

also in Disney Digital 3D

February 17: THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

March 9: JOHN CARTER

also in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D

April 20 (Earth Day): CHIMPANZEE (Disneynature)

May 4: MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS

also in 3D and IMAX 3D (Marvel Studios)

June 22: BRAVE, also in Disney Digital 3D (Disney/Pixar)

August 15: THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

September 14: FINDING NEMO 3D (Disney/Pixar)

 No image currently available

October 5: FRANKENWEENIE, also in Disney Digital 3D

November 12: WRECK-IT RALPH

also in Disney Digital 3D (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

 

Return to School with Sams Club - Giveaway

The holiday season flew by and it is already back to school, back to routine. Back to school did sneak up on us this year for certain - Miss. N. loves to make her own lunch every day and I realized I had to stock up on snacks the night before school started!

 To keep your pantry filled with goodies for school lunches and snacks breaks, do not forget about Sam's Club.....  Sam's Club offers a wider variety of products, including some of your favorite General Mills brands. In January you can also earn more cash for your local school with the Sam’s Club “6 Box Tops on a Pack” promotion!

 At least 6 Bonus Box Tops will be located on your favorite select return-to-school brands such as Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey Crunchy Granola Bars, Yoplait and Progresso From groceries to pens and paper to computers to notebooks, Sam’s Club makes shopping for all of your return-to-school needs simple.

 This January, be sure to visit your local Sam’s Club to find all your return-to-school necessities. To learn more about the Box Tops for Education Program and how you can help contribute to your school, visit www.BoxTops4Education.com 

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Sam's Club I have one $25 gift card to share with one reader.

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Disclosure: The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”

 

Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks - Review, Giveaway and Coupon!

I have used Ocean Spray products for years - Cranberry Juice is one of my favorites and Ocean Spray is synonymous with cranberry! Now Ocean Spray is also known for great snacks...

This week my family and I were able to review NEW Ocean Spray Fruit snacks. These are simply gummy snacks. I was excited to try these because I love cranberry so much but was not sure if my husband and kids would enjoy these. Well, I had no reason for concern. My kids LOVED these.

 We received these for review this week and out of the six boxes, only two are left!  I discovered the kids were even eating these for breakfast when I came downstairs and found 4 empty wrappers (As much as we LOVE these, I do not recommend substituting for breakfast LOL).

We tried the Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks in "Assorted Flavors" and "Berries and Cherries".  Assorted fruits are more of a Traditional fruit mix (orange, cherry, grape, etc) - Berries and Cherries are berry and cherry flavored (*thus the name).  These really do not taste like cranberry at all.  The kids even said that these were their favorite fruit snacks and my husband commented that they were "really good" -  (unsolicited feedback from both!)  I will definitely be buying these again.

Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks are....

• Made with real fruit juice and natural colors* and flavors.
• 80 calories, gluten free and contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C.
• Available with year round Double Box Tops.

These Fruit Flavored Snacks are made with apple, pear, and cranberry juice concentrate. See package for a list of complete ingredients. They are not intended to replace fruit in the diet.

Save $1.10 on 2 boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks with this COUPON. While supplies last. United States only

You can find out more HERE:

Ocean Spray´s® Website

Ocean Spray´s® Facebook page

I am thrilled to share that FOUR of my readers will win 6 boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks, one of each variety.  Enter using the rafflecopter form below.









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Disclosure: Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks, information, and giveaway have been provided by Ocean Spray through MyBlogSpark.

My True Nature - Review and Giveaway

My True Nature (love the name - very catchy!) is a company that produces non-toxic bath products for children.

We were able to review the holiday set of  All-In-One shampoo / body wash and the bubble bath.  This is a great product for kids.  We have not used the bubble bath yet as the girls typically take showers instead of baths.   I do love the body wash, especially since it is a 2 in one product and thus more econimical. 

- The Milo scent is light, sweet and fruity with a hint of citrus notes.   Kids love fruity scents and something that smells good means that they are more likely to use it.

- These products are packaged in kid friendly sizes.  Even though the bottles are smaller, the product is concentrated so less is needed and it is actually more economical.    This produces a nice frothy lather - another plus for kid

- In addition to the great size, the labels on the bottles are decorated with freindly kid characters, appropriate for younger kids.

Here is information on the bath set from the website:

•All-in-one gentle cleanser & moisturizer for face, hair and body.

•Plant-based, non-irritating cleansers, get your baby squeaky clean without irritating eyes or skin.

•Full of nourishing and calming organic botanicals including olive oil, aloe, and pure essential oils.

•Contains natural silk amino acids and panthenol (pro-vitamin B-5) to penetrate skin and hair, add essential moisture and enhance natural plumpness.

•Not tested on animals.

•Completely free of genetically modified organisms, parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, triclosan or preservatives.

•100% recycled and reusable plastic bottle.

•Big, big bubbles that kids love to play with.

•No slippery residue left on skin or tub.

•Rich in organic botanicals including aloe, plantain & white peony tea extracts, & pure essential oils.

So cute!!!!!

(original drawing of chacters above)

I love that the company uses safe ingredients in their products but also promotes using recycled materials.    Find out more about the company by clicking HERE.  

Prices on products offered range from $8 - $45.  You can also review all of the products below

Kids Bubble Bath
Shampoo and Body Wash
Lotion
Hand Soap
Gift Bags

Thanks to My True Nature, I have one bath set to giveaway to a lucky reader.  Please see the Rafflecopter form below.

Disclosure:  I did not receive monetary compensation for this post.  I did receive a product for review purposes.  For more information on this website or on my posting practices, please refer to the disclosure policy at the bottom of the page.  


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Weekly Card Project - Week 2 / Greetings from Paris

 Here is another card project that I recently completed.  I was not happy with the quality of the photographs- the color depth, crispness and clarity did not accurately display the pictures.  (I am not a great photographer by any means).  The pictures were slightly enhanced using Picnik and the "after" picture is much closer to how the card looks in person.

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This was such a fun card to create.  A variety of materials were used and the end result was a wonderful, whimsical shabby chic creation!

FRONT OF CARD:

• This card was created on an ecru card base - Kraft Paper was pasted over the front of the card, essentially creating a new base. 

• Turquoise card stock was embossed using a Sizzix folder that came with the Texture Boutique machine kit (swirls and Swiss dots). and cut a rectangle, corner piece and small square.  A corner punch was used on the corner section.   All pieces were lightly and gently stamped over with a gold stamp. 
• For the next step, simple shapes were cut from metallic Christmas paper and a lighter shade of craft paper with a punch and also with scissors; these were distressed with a dark brown stamp and gold stamp, both on the front and the edges until achieving the desired effect.
• The card stock shapes were arranged and pasted on the card stock. 
• The turquoise card stock was stamped with brown ink and a Parisian postal stamp.  Small sentiments were also stamped and handwritten with brown ink and highlighted with a rose colored gel pen.
• Flower shapes using a mini punch on the turquoise craft stock, distressed at the edges, pasted on the "photo holder" embellishments and adorned with mini rhinestones. 
• A flower was decorated with brown ribbon, an avocado green button and a mint colored rhinestone. 

 INSIDE OF CARD:

• The inside of the card was covered at the top and bottom sections with turquoise scrapbook paper; this was then overlapped with slightly distressed Kraft paper centered at the middle of the card.  This provides ample room for writing a meaningful note.

• The back of the card was treated as a canvas of sorts - it was stamped using what I call a tattoo stippling technique - basically stamp multiple images are stamped, overlapping one another to where only some parts of the images are clear.  On a different section a clear image is stamped.  For a final step, various sections of the card are colored in with gel pens and embellished with rhinestones. 

BACK OF CARD:

• For fun I did go slightly overboard in Picnik on this one using the HDRish enhancement (I love the funkiness of the after picture).    In person the colors are more muted and the tattooing is less crisp - very much in between the two shown below.  You can get a good idea of the overall effect from the pictures below though.

I look forward to sharing more projects.  I have been experimenting with raised embellishments to add a little more dimension as well as using different embossing and stamping techniques. 

I would love feedback - please free to comment or post links to your paper crafting projects.

CoverYourHair.com- new review and giveaway

A while back I did a review for CoverYourHair.com.  The company reached back out to me and asked if I would be interested in doing another review, which I happily agreed to. It was somewhat ironic that Miss C. had asked me just a couple of days earlier to purchase some headbands for her for xmas . She had even already selected some online that she liked.   When I received the email from CoverYourHair.com I immediately went to the site and started browsing the selection

Miss C. prefers the wide headbands.  What is great is that instead of tieing these like you would have to do with a bandana, you simply slip over your head and then slide it back over your face until the end reaches the hairline. VERY easy (see video below)


I sent CoverYourHair.com a variety of items that I thought my daughter would like. She does not like anything girlie at all so I stuck to neutral colors like black, brown and blue denim. See the selection we received below!:

My daughter LOVED these. The were all great quality.  They seem like they will stand up to a lot of wear and tear but are also very affordable at between $7 to $14 each.  If you are looking for hair accessories, hats, Tichels or turbans, CoverYourHair.com has  a vast selection in every color, fabric, material and style imaginable.

One reader of Momanthology.com will win a surprise box of hair accessories.   For information and to enter see the rafflecopter form below.

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Disclosure - I did not receive monetary compensation for this post. I did receive products for review purposes.

One for Grandma and Grandpa!

Grand Camp Adventures (http://www.grandcamp.com/) is a unique company whose vision is to strengthen the bond of the grandparent - grandchild relationship.   The company supports building this relationship through meaningful interactions / quality time.  You can read more about the company via the "Our Story" link on their homepage.

The products offered help grandparents and grandkids connect:

GrandCamp Adventure products and services are all carefully crafted to create the space and conditions for building your most treasured relationships. Our products, sold primarily via our web site, fit within a series of themes, much like Disney ties products to a movie with themed-inspired activities. Our first theme is called, "Here We Go – Around the World Family Adventure." So when Grandparents wonder this holiday season what to get the GrandKids, or turn to parents for ideas, GrandCamp Adventures has the answer.

We were able to review the "Here We Go" storybook.  I received this a while back but with the craziness of work and the holidays, just got around to opening it up.  After I opened the packaged and thumbed through the book, I left it out to see if the kids would notice.

When Miss E. saw the book she immediately asked "Whose book is this".  I told her it was hers if she wanted it.  She immediately sat down and started reading as she LOVES to read :)  She looked through and asked if she could read out loud to me which she never does unless it is for homework.  I said she and she read through the first few pages.

The story is cute - It is about kids and grandparents scouring the globe for lost treasures on a wacky but fun adventure.  What I was really, really impressed with are the outstanding graphics.  The pages were truly stunning - the drawings were colorful, crisp and fun with a realistic yet dully playful element.

This is a wonderful book for children and grandparents to read together and begin plans to start their own adventures!  With families spread out, this book can help kids and grandparents build a relationship, even with distance.  It would make a great book for kids to grandparents or grandparents to grandkids.  It is also unique in that it is a gift that can be handed down in the future to a parent from the child when a new generation begins :)

GrandCamp Adventures has other products including puzzles, an adventure kit, a CD to go along with the book and some of the cutest stuffed animals I have ever seen!  (see left).  If you are a grandparent I really encourage you to take a look at this product line.

You can visit GrandCamp Adventures on their website or via Facebook.

Disclosure:  I received a product for review purposes but did not receive any form of compensation for this post.  

Weekly card project - Birthday Birdie

Weekly Card Project:

Birthday Birdie

A little bird told me it was your birthday........

What a fun way to share your birthday greetings for a friend - the recipient is sure to love the special touch of a handmade card! 

The girls and I have been busy crafting and creating.  I photographed the card the best I could but I am not a great photographer.  It was very difficult to capture the depth and dimension of the layered effects and the distressed finish on film.  Here is a quick tutorial.......

Front of Card 

-The base for this project was an olive and white  plain, blank note card.  This was purchased at Michael's craft store for $1 a pack.   Michael's is a great source for inexpensive blank card sets.

- The front was partially covered with an embossed rectangle of light gold cardstock - this was created using the Sizzix Texture Boutique Embossing Machine with a swirl and Swiss dot embossing folder included within the package.

-  The edges of the embossed cardstock were "aged" with a light application of a gold art marker.   This shows up a little more stark on film - in person the actual effect is much more muted.

- For a debossed effect, the embossed side was adhered to the card face down using craft glue stick.

- Embellishments added were a Cricut bird (Straight from the Nest cartridge I believe) and a flower created using a punched black cardstock circle and black patterned foiled cardstock flower.  The flower was adorned with a layered "3-D" foil and cardstock butterfly sticker).  The bird was adorned with a sea foam green rhinestone eye.

- The olive sections at the sides not covered with cardstock was given a decorative border in black ink using a clear acrylic block and ornate border stamp.

- The stamped image was distressed by lightly sponging over the image with a stamp pad and the brushed  in a cross hatch style using a "dry" ink wash  (black ink semi-dried on dry paintbrush).  Once fully dry this was lightly sanded for an aged finished.  This same technique was used on the Swiss dot section at the bottom of the card.

- "Happy Birthday" rub-on lettering that was included in the Sizzix Texture Boutique kit was added.


Inside of Card:

- 2 identically sized gold squares were glued to the inside left and right panels of the card.

- The squares were given an aged  patina by using the distressing technique outlined above repetitively (black and brown stamp pads, inkwash and sandpaper).  This was done until  finish desired was achieved.

- The white border around the cardstock was painted with a heavy, black wet ink wash, blended with the cardstock and set out to dry.
 
- The left side of the card was adorned with a piece of black cardstock with intricate "lace" decorative shaping at all 4 corners using a Fiskars corner punch.

The black square was embellished with a flower created using a circle punch on black print card stock with a foiled / shiny finish.  The Cricut flower cutout was aged using the distressing techniques outlined earlier.

- A vellum "quotes" overlay was added.  Because the vellum is translucent, the glue dots used to adhere to the card were slightly visible through the paper; these dots were covered using larger sea-foam green rhinestones.

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There is quite a bit of dimension on both the front and on the inside of the card.  The gold against the olive, black and brown gives a great pop of color.  The distressed finish gives a great rustic, vintage feel but the bird, foil and rhinestones add a touch of contrasting glitz for a great combo.

Congrats!

Congrats to Joy and WWillow6 - you are both winners in the sister Schubert's giveaway.  I misread the press communication - There will be two winners and the company will be sending the coupons to the winners directly (so I did not use the winner's coupon accidentally).

Congratulations ladies - I have emailed both of you! :)