Second Miss Gina Designs Review and Giveaway!

I must thank Regina Moore from Miss Gina Designs for her generosity and faith in me. Regina agreed to two giveaways before I even really made it off the blog cutting-room floor!

Alright I am learning to come to terms with the fact that I am, heaven forbid, the quintessential "soccer mom"! I have three very active children who love adventure and excitement and feel they must be involved. This means activities, activities, activities times three! Our van has therefore become a second home on wheels. It's frustrating at times keeping the van tidy and there are always those odds and ends scattered here and there and the utter chaos can drive me to insanity. Wouldn't it be great to have a "catch-all" for all those bits and pieces of life, sunglasses, loose-change, pens, or just for the bits of trash that get tossed around the vehicle? A "catch-all" that you can easily remove and return to the vehicle? One that doesn't get in the way, has it's own spot, oh and looks cool besides? Miss Gina Designs has just what you were looking for! Miss Gina Design Car Carry-alls are trendy little bags which clip simply to the vent in your vehicle. The top of the bag is formed using a metal ring so you can easily toss this in and reach your hand in without desperately trying to hold the top of the bag open. Regina adds her personal touch with fabric patterns to suit everyone's personal style! She actually personalized my car carry-all with my initials and the interior of the bag is a great zebra print! I use mine for just about everything and it has helped keep our van a bit tidier and well, stylish.

Regina was so sweet she actually threw in an extra purse personalized with my initials. I just had to review it too! I love it. The fabric is a fantastic green, yellow, and aqua stripe and is aheavy weight upholstery fabric. The fabric is so fresh for spring. The interior of course is fully lined in a beautiful cotton print with pockets for everything. I love that the closure is magnetic which makes it a breeze to open and close. At Miss Gina Designs as always it's about quality, detail, practicality, and style!

One of my lucky readers has the opportunity to experience this quality style! Miss Gina Designs is offering one reader her very own Car Carry-all {reader's choice}!

To Enter:

~ Visit Miss Gina Designs on Etsy or Miss Gina Designs online store and let me know what your favourite item is {Required}

~If you are a non-blogger you can still enter but please leave me your email!

Extra Entries:

~ Follow my blog {publicly}

~ Subscribe via email

~ Grab my Button

~ Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Northern Mama

{Please leave me the link to your post}

~Follow Regina at her Miss Gina Designs blog!

{Leave a separate comment for each entry}

Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes May 8th, 2009 10:00 PM CT. For giveaway details please read the General Giveaway Rules.

Friends of Socktopus Review!

Do you remember the sock monkey? Well, he was invented well before our time! I must admit I knew little of the history of Sock Monkeys and what do I find myself doing if I am ignorant of something? Research! Did you know sock monkeys have been enjoyed for over 100 years? No one truly knows who the original crafter was but in the 1900s mothers started making the first manufactured socks, those created by the Nelson Knitting Co., into cuddly sock monkey friends and other animals. Soon the Nelson Knitting Company was including the sewing directions for sock monkeys with every pair of their Red Heel socks!

Why am I spewing out this bit of trivial history? Though the sock monkey has been around for over one hundred years he still inspires crafters including Hilary the creator of Friends of Socktopus ! In a new era of eco-mindedness sock creations have taken on a whole new meaning. In the past a thrifty toy? Perhaps. But now an eco-friendly toy created using re-purposed fabric! Socktopus is an endearing creature...just ask my three children including my 8 year old son! Simple, a little goofy he seems to appeal to the sympathy of children and adults alike. Hilary creates socktopus using wear softened sweaters and the result is a lovable, squishy buddy no one can resist. I must admit when I first unwrapped socktopus I laughed. I was not sure if my kids would take to him but the moment they all saw him he became an instant hit! My 8 year old is actually sleeping with him tonight and thinks he's "so cool"! I remarkably can't help but feel his squishy legs every time I happen to walk by him. Why is he so endearing? I think it's his simple design which allows us to exercise our imagination, and his soft, warm wholesomeness. A classic toy with a twist can mean so much!

Socktopus is durable and sewn with strong upholstery thread. Hilary actually offers free repairs if socktopus has a bit of an accident! Friend of Socktopus by Blackbird Fashion also carries owl mobiles and eccentric pincushions out of vintage and found objects. Hilary tries to use eco-friendly, natural , and recycled materials whenever possible! Pay Friends of Socktopus a visit and buy someone you love a new, "old" friend today!

Enjoy Earth Day all Spring and Summer Long!

I am tremendously lucky to have three children who adore the outdoors! With the rise of computers and video games many children have forgotten the treasures nature has to offer and the unparallelled joys of outdoor play. Here's a simple traditional idea which one Etsy artisan has taken to a new level--The Scavenger Hunt! blyken and nod is a small business I came across on Etsy which has only a few items for sale currently but they are unique! I purchased one of her scavenger hunts thinking it would be wonderful to tuck away in the van for trips to the park, road trip stops, beach and camping excursions! Hilary from blynken and nod creates beautiful 32 laminated card scavenger hunt sets featuring original colour pencil sketches, strung together with a lovely hemp string, adorned with a colourful felted bead, and enclosed in a small draw string bag! These are currently selling for $16.00 US. Blynken and Nod also sells original games and felt board play items.

If you are cost conscious you could probably create a scavenger hunt card set for your own children which perhaps isn't so elaborate. If you are artistic you could create drawings of items to find or if you are less than artistic why not cut pictures from books or magazines to create the cards. Inexpensive laminating machines are now available at department stores and are great for preserving children's art and game pieces rather than throwing them away. Laminate the cards, string them together using string or ribbon and even a wooden bead. Voila!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

HAPPY EARTH DAY 2009!

Celebrate Mother Earth

Enjoy her Blessings

Love and Protect Her

A Heartfelt and Handmade Review and Giveaway from The Craggy Moor Store!

"...Bronwynn had a little lamb its fleece was gray and flecked!" When I announced Hannah Herdwick was coming to live with us my children became very excited. Of course I had to explain who Hannah was and show them her pictures which had been emailed to me. Who is Hannah? Hannah Herdwick is an adorable handcrafted lamb from The Craggy Moor Store! My children, especially my two daughters begged to know who Hannah would belong to. I explained decidedly that she would be a special friend of the whole family, though I knew it would be my youngest, Bronwynn, who would fall head-over-heels for the precious little creature! The girls started planning Hannah's first night's sleeping arrangements immediately.

Christy of the Craggy Moor is absolutely lovely and one knows from speaking with her that each creature she creates includes a very special, unique element--a small part of Christy's heart! She sees the personality expressed through each truly heartfelt creation. I have tried my hand at "doll -making" in the past and I know how exacting the work can be and how rewarding as you watch the bits of fabric, buttons, and wool become "real" and evoke a personality. Christy forms her lovely critters of re-purposed fabrics like gently worn sweaters and fills them with natural new wool batting, and just enough inert lentils or beans to lend some weight to them. Perfect for an Earth Day week review!

When Hannah arrived in the mail my daughter Bronwynn reached into the box and pulled out a handmade bag. With curiosity she stealthily untied the crocheted drawstring, her eyes alight as she withdrew the soft, weighted body of the precious little creature. Bronwynn quickly took it upon herself to make Hannah at home. Hannah is meticulously crafted and has those wonderful moveable joints that add character and movement to her soft and cuddly body. Her glass bead eyes seem to twinkle. She has already become a loved and cherished friend!

Christy also has her own store blog at http://www.robsclan.com/ . Any of my readers can comment at the Craggy Moore Store blog or leave a comment on their convo at The Craggy Moor Etsy store mentioning Northern Mama to receive 25% off their first purchase!!
The Craggy Moor Store would like to offer one of my readers their own "Heartfelt and Handmade" Jointed Lamb of black and grey! Her name is "Lilly Greywool".To Enter:

~ Visit The Craggy Moor Store and tell me what other creation is your favourite {Required}

~If you are not a blogger you can still enter but please include your email with your comment.

Extra Entries:

~Leave a comment on The Craggy Moor blog or through convo {the contact link} at The Craggy Moor Store on Etsy

~Follow my blog {publicly}

~Subscribe to my blog vis email

~Grab My Button

~Leave a comment on The Craggy Moor blog or through convo {the contact link} at The Craggy Moor Store on Etsy {this will also qualify you for the 25% discount on the purchase of one item}

~Blog about this giveaway with a link back to my blog {please leave me the link to your post}

{Please leave a separate comment for each entry}

Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes May 5, 2009 10:00 PM CT. For further details please read the General Giveaway Rules.

Proud of my Cub!!

I remember my cookie selling Brownie and Girl Guide says! I had a lot of fun in Girl Guides. There aren't any Brownie troops close to home but my son did decide to join Cubs this year. Wow! Did you know that now girls can join the Boy Scouts too?? We were not aware until after my son signed up so our girls have not joined but perhaps they will be considering it next year! This weekend was the big Kub Kar Rally. If you are not familiar with Cubs a Kub Kar is a car hand made out of a cetain sized block of wood. The cars are then run in different events and judged. This was my son's first year and though his design was not all that creative his car did very well in the events! It's amazing how creative some Cubs were in their designs and I'm excited to see what my son {and maybe even my daughters} come up with next year. Wish I could have been a Cub...
The cars are measured and weighed to make sure they meet the proper specifications!

Each car is registered! And then it's off to the track. They are judged on distance, speed, straightness, and design! How cool is that?!

Piggy Paint -- Review, Giveaway, and Discount!

"And this little Piggy... got a makeover!" Ah, the classic rhyme will never be the same! If your daughters are like mine, despite their love of "tom boyish" activities and rambunctious play they still adore painting their nails. I dislike nail polish fumes at the best of times but the most worrying thought is if the chemicals in the polish smell so horrible imagine how toxic they must be. Compare regular nail polish and Piggy Paint on a styrofoam plate. The regular polish eats right through the styrofoam. Why would we want our children to wear something so harmful? Especially when we are aware children tend to put their fingers in their mouths often so not only are they wearing toxic chemicals they are possibly ingesting them! Fear not, lovely little princesses don't have to give up the girlish delight of colourful nails because Piggy Paint is well...."as natural as mud" and comes in an array of kid approved colours! With colours like "Ice Cream Dream" and "Tea Party for Two" how can a girl go wrong? Piggy Paint colours are fun and vibrant and dry quickly. My girls noticed right away how quickly their nails dried and were very impressed! What I noticed was my house did not smell of toxic fumes and there was no need to run around the house opening windows to prevent the onset of a chemical induced headache. Piggy Paint is water-based and is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone. It's also hypo-allergenic! Grown up princesses can also benefit from such a fantastic product!
Piggy Paint also carries non-toxic Nail Polish Remover, safer for your children because it is free of acetone and other solvents! The remover is effective and Piggy Paint has added Vitamin E and aloe vera to keep your child's cuticles and delicate digits soft and healthy.
Piggy Paint was founded by a stay-at-home mom, Melanie, who like myself was fearful of the harmful effects of typical nail polish on her children. Children should not have to give up the fun, girlish activities that make them feel special and fancy! Girls should be able to enjoy being a girl and being princesses without the worry of exposing themselves to dangerous toxins!
Piggy Paint would like your daughters to be princesses without fear! They are offering all my readers a 20% Discount until June 1,2009! Just use the discount code: SPLASH20L when ordering! Shipping is free on orders over $25. I will add this code to my discounts list on my right sidebar!
One lucky reader will also have the chance to win a Mistle Toe Gift Set of Piggy Paint!

To Enter:
~ Visit Piggy Paint and tell me what is your favourite Piggy Paint colour! {This is Required}
~ If you are not a blogger you can still enter but please leave a contact email!
Extra Entries:
~Follow my blog {publicly}
~Subscribe to my blog by email
~Grab my Button
~Blog about this contest with a link back to my blog {please leave me the link to your post}
{Please leave a separate comment for each entry}
Giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents. Giveaway closes May 4th, 1009, 10:00 PM CT. For further details on giveaways see the General Giveaway Rules.