Search Results for: holiday gift guide

Leapfrog Holiday Gifts for Toddlers (Review) (Holiday Gift Guide)

December 3, 2016 By Marijean

The holidays are here! If you are looking for educational and fun toys for your toddler and preschooler, look no further. Leapfrog has some great products, and I was able to review two of them.

Learn & Groove™ Musical Mat

Get a jump on counting with 3 ways to play!

Twist, dance, leap, laugh, count and learn with the Learn & Groove™ Musical Mat—designed especially for active toddlers. Keep little ones moving and exploring with 50+ songs and phrases and 3 ways to play. Ages 2-5 yrs. $29.99.

The Learn & Groove Musical Mat is for ages 2 years to 5 years. I have a 5 year old and 8 year old, my 8 year old even loves it since she understands the instructions and patterns. The Musical Mat is designed to help gross motor skills, music, rhythm and of course numbers. Both of my kids love music and dancing, so this mat is perfect. My kindergartner is learning numbers and patterns, so this is great for him. I love that this musical mat encourages kids to get up and be active. With all of the songs and ways to play, the kids love spending time playing with this mat!

Count Along Cash Register

Count on big learning fun with a singing register pal that counts, talks and sings—20 checkout items included! Ages 2-4 yrs. $19.99.

Product Features:

Count on big learning fun with a singing register pal that counts, talks and sings-20 checkout items included! Requires 3 AAA batteries (included for product demonstration only; replace for home use). For ages 2 and up.
Counting and imaginative role play combine with a register pal that comes to life with 50+ fun phrases and educational songs. Spunky, singing register has plenty of numbers, counting and role play skills in store.
Set up your store! Place food items on a table or shelves, give your customers their coins, and invite them on a shopping spree! Shop for milk and eggs. Scan the carrots. Insert the correct amount of coins or swipe a shopping card!
Total button tells you how many coins to insert in the count-along coin slot. Shop along to cool sounds and fun songs.
Includes cash register, 8 colorful food pieces, 10 coins and a shopping card. Skills learned include colors, counting, and numbers.

This cash register had provided endless hours of fun for my kids. My kindergartner is learning how to count money by using it and some simple math. My 8 year old loves to shop with me so she is really loving to pretend she is a store cashier. There are many fun features, It has a smiling face that lights up when buttons are pressed. It sings, counts, tells you the number you are pressing and it adds up your total by pressing the pictured healthy food buttons. It has been providing my kids with endless fun.

These would make great holiday gifts or birthday gifts! Check out all of Leapfrog’s educational toys by clicking here.

*I received these products by being in the Leapfrog Blogger Program. All thoughts are my own.

Hard Candy Eye Essential Collection Review (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 30, 2016 By Merrilee Kaminski

Hard Candy has released new makeup sets for the holidays which are available exclusively at Walmart. The Eye Essential Collection comes with 2 eyeshadow palettes, 3 brushes, and a small pouch and retails for $4.88. “Fall in love with these purse friendly eye shadow palettes. Create that smoky look you desire for an evening out on the town or define your eyes with any of these coordinating shades for a natural look.”

I loved all 12 shades in this palette. The colors go on smoothly with minimal fall out and are surprisingly pigmented for this price point. I especially liked the purple shade. In my experience, the purple shades in many pallets are among the weakest shades. Not so in this pallet. Each shade was distinctively shimmery and will help create some fun looks. This is my favorite of the two pallets available in this kit. The eyeshadow had decent lasting power; actually comparable to some of the higher priced pallets in my collection. Swatches were done without primer.

In this particular palette, the shades are all very similar to each other. It’s difficult to get more than one or two looks. Eight of the shades are silvery white shimmers. The blue and purple shades are the standouts here, while the two darker black shades are so similar to each other I couldn’t tell any difference, especially on application to the eyes.

The only brush I found useful in this kit was the eyebrow brush/comb. The other two brushes were so stiff and rough that I couldn’t even get them near my eyes and face. They may be going in the giveaway bin, but the pouch they come in is adorable and I’ll be using it to carry smaller items in my purse.

In my opinion, the neutral shades palette, the eyebrow brush and comb combo and the pouch make this entire kit worthwhile and an excellent value. I plan on giving away the silver/grey pallets to a young friend to play with.

These would make great holiday gifts! Please check out their website here for more information.

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*I received a product in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Customized Lockets from Pictures On Gold (Holiday Gift Guide) (Review)

November 26, 2016 By Marijean

Looking for a perfect yet unique Jewelry gift for a loved one this holiday season? Look no further! Check out my review on customized gold lockets from Pictures On Gold.

Pictures On Gold offers beautiful Jewelry of all styles. Some of the Jewelry they offer are ID Bracelets, Fingerprint Jewelry, Graduation, Religious Jewelry, and my favorite: Photo Lockets.

I was able to review a Build Your Own Sterling Silver 2-Picture Heart Locket. If you do not want silver you can choose from 14K Gold Filled, 14K Yellow Gold, Or 14K White Gold. The locket I built in Sterling Silver starts at just $24.95 and goes up depending on locket size. You can customize the FRONT SIDE of the Locket by choosing the Metal and Size, Bail Stone (we will add a synthetic bithstone to the Bail of your Locket) and the Design options. You can add Clipart, Text or Monogram to the front of the locket. I chose Monogram with both of my children’s initials which are the same.

Once you are done choosing the metal, size and design options, go ahead to Step 2. Step 2 and 3 you can add Text, Monogram or Photo to the left and right sides of the locket. I chose 2 pictures, one on each side of my two children. The pictures can be either Color Laser Engraved, Laser Engraved or a Paper Photo. Prices depend on which you pick. I added Color Laser Engraving for each side which was a $35 charge for each side. You can either upload or email your digital pictures. If you want paper photos you can mail them. Step 4 is customizing the back of the locket. I opted to leave it without Text or Monogram. The last step would be choosing a chain for your locket (or you don’t have to choose one). If you decide you would like a chain you will have a few options with size options. You can choose from Sterling Silver Tip Black Leather Chain in different sizes, Standard Box Chain in different sizes or a Rolo Chain. I chose the Standard Sterling Silver Box Chain in 18″ length which added $25.95 to the price.

Color Laser or Laser is 100% Waterproof & Scratchproof and is guaranteed for a lifetime.
Normally Ships in 1 Day.
Message Engraving is engraved with a high definition laser engraver.
If when uploading your photo, your photo doesn’t fit perfectly inside the locket and you see white space, don’t be concerned as we will automatically fill in.
If your photo has people in it that are spaced apart, our digital artists will enhance the photo to bring them closer together.
Color Laser or Laser- we remove the background of the photograph. Let us know in the “Special Instructions” Box (Last Step) if you’d like the background kept in.
On Paper Prints the background is left in by default, if you want the background removed, let us know in the “Special Instructions” box (Last Step).
If there is an object you want removed from the photo or you have any special requests, let us know in the “Special Instructions” box (Last Step).

My locket was shipped fast and I received it within a few days. It really came out beautiful. I received many compliments on it already. The quality amazing and I know I will cherish this locket for years to come.

This locket will make a wonderful holiday gift. The prices are very reasonable and the quality is outstanding.

You can purchase your own Locket and/or many other beautiful gifts here.

Click the below link to receive 10% off your order!

http://www.usfamilyguide.com/coupons.php?bid=12261&dealid=3052

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I received the mentioned locket in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Papercutz Debuts Barbie Graphic Novels With Two New Series (Review) (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 26, 2016 By Marijean

PAPERCUTZ DEBUTS BARBIE GRAPHIC NOVELS WITH TWO NEW SERIES

Volume One of

Barbie is available now

Volume One of Barbie Puppies will be released on November 29th.

http://papercutz.com/kids-comics-graphic-novels/barbie

Barbie, the world’s #1 fashion doll, is making her debut in two new series from Papercutz this fall. With two new original graphic novel series, Barbie and Barbie Puppies, fans of Mattel’s classic doll can now experience all of the adventures of Barbie and her friends like never before!

Barbie Graphic Novel Vol. 1, “Fashion Superstar,” which is available now, finds Barbie diving into the high-stakes world of fashion. As Barbie pursues her dream, she meets a diverse bunch of all-new friends that can help her… and some others that may actually try to end her fashion career before it even starts!

The second of the new Barbie graphic novels is “Puppy Party” from the Barbie Puppies series, which will be released on November 29. Based on the popular Barbie Puppies DVD films “The Great Puppy Adventure” and “A Puppy Chase,” “Puppy Party” tells the story of Barbie and her sisters entering their pups – Honey, Rookie, Taffy and DJ – in a dog show in the city. But when the puppies get lost, the adventure begins!

These new graphic novels featuring the life and adventures of Barbie are just what young readers have been waiting for. While the Barbie franchise has taken many other forms in music, movies and more, this is the first time in over 25 years that this globally-recognized figure will be the subject of a graphic novel. These fun stories let Barbie fans enjoy her adventures in one of the fastest growing mediums in kids’ media and they’re sure to be a perennial favorite in libraries, schools and homes across America.

A third graphic novel series, Barbie Starlight, is slated for release later this year.

Review:

My daughter was very excited to receive these books. She is a big Barbie fan. These books are Comic Series books , so they are full of sharp and colorful images with words in word bubbles. Barbie Fashion Superstar contains 63 pages, and Barbie Puppy Party contains 60 pages. We recently went on a Thanksgiving vacation and she brought these books with her. She loved reading them in the car and hotel, and she has been asking for more. These books would make great holiday gifts for any girl of any age! Check them out today!

Click here to purchase these books. They are $7.99 each.

About Papercutz

Papercutz is celebrating ten innovative audience-expanding years of publishing great graphic novels for all ages. Papercutz graphic novels for kids, tweens, and teens include a wide range of genres from humor, action adventure, mystery, and horror to favorite licensed characters. It is proud to be the only publisher exclusively dedicated to children’s graphic novels, working every day to introduce young readers to the imaginative wonders waiting to be discovered in comics. To find out more visit http://www.papercutz.com.

About Mattel

The Mattel family of companies (Nasdaq: MAT) is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. Mattel’s portfolio of best-selling brands includes Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever produced, Hot Wheels®, Monster High®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, Fisher-Price® brands and MEGA® Brands, as well as a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. In 2015, Mattel was named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by Ethisphere Magazine, and in 2014 ranked No. 5 on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel’s companies employ approximately 31,000 people in 40 countries and territories and sell products in more than 150 nations. Visit us at www.mattel.com, www.facebook.com/mattel or www.twitter.com/mattel.

Give Beautiful and Unique Gifts This Holiday Season from Diamonds in Ice (Review) (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 22, 2016 By Heather Little

With the holidays right around the corner, we all have those people on our list that are just so hard to shop for. For me, it’s my in-laws, so I’m always on the look out for unique, personalized gifts. I never seem to go wrong with photographs of the grandkids, so I was excited to find a product that offered a way to have beautiful pictures in something other than a traditional print in a frame. Diamonds In Ice uses state of the art technology to embed your photographs right into glass. This incredible process fuses your picture permanently into the glass to capture natural backlight, which enhances the colors and vibrancy of each image perfectly.

Transforming your pictures is a very easy process. Once on the website, www.diamondsinice.com, browse through the products to find what you like. Glass prices start at just over $30 and go up to $85 depending on the size and glass type used. The glass designs come in beveled, flat, and curved. You can purchase coasters and ornaments as well.

I selected the curved glass in the 7″ x 10″ size – I liked that it was free-standing and just the right size for the photo I wanted to use. I uploaded the photograph, easily edited it to make it fit just as I wanted, and even had the option of adding text, like a name or date. I added it to the cart, checked out, and within a couple weeks, a beautiful piece of glass with my photograph fused right into it! Customer service was very helpful and responded to my questions in a timely manner, which is always a plus when ordering items online.

If you’re looking for a unique way to bring new life to a photograph, definitely check out Diamonds in Ice and all the beautiful, personalized items they have to offer. They make great gifts for the holiday and something to enjoy all year long.

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*I received the mentioned curved glass in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.