Katie's Nesting Spot

Flash Giveaway: Jockey & Purex

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a quick one, you only have THREE DAYS to enter! But if like me, you've got getting in shape on your list of new year to dos you'll want to! That's because while being more active is important, it's also crucial that women have the proper support while doing it. I've got just the thing for you and what you need to get it clean and retain it's shape so you can use it all the time.

I've now had a couple of weeks to work out wearing my Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra. I love it. This is saying a lot because I usually have a hard time finding something that's gives me enough support while not mashing things...if you know what I mean! It has lots of great features like:

Moisture-wicking sports bra helps keep you cool & dry
Convenient key pocket so you can take your workouts anywhere!
Reflective logo at the back
Breathable mesh panels
Soft bottom band for comfortable support.
Machine wash & dry

The two biggest for me are how it stays comfortable even while I work up a sweat and how it's breathable, because who wants acne from work outs! I also like how there aren't things digging into your skin. I no longer go to the gym, preferring to work out at home and in my neighborhood. But I used to and I remember how annoying it was to have no where to put my locker key, the built in pocket is super handy for that!

I've got a great opportunity for one of my readers to win an awesome Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra and the perfect fabric softener for this an all your laundry. Some liquid softeners contain softening oils, which prevent moisture wicking fabrics from working. Purex Crystals infuse long-lasting freshness into fabric fibers without oil – so it's safe to use with active wear like Jockey's sports bras and all laundry including:

Athletic wear, like Jockey's Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra
Towels
Children's Sleepwear
and everything else!

Coupon:

Try a new sports bra with a 20% off coupon to Jockey!
You can also get coupons on the Purex Facebook page.

Giveaway:

One reader will get a a Jockey sports bra and a full-sized bottle of Purex Crystals Tropical Splash from Purex sent right to their door!

To Enter:

Leave me a comment on this post. I'd love to know either your biggest exercise challenge or what you do to stay in shape.

Extra Entries:

Follow @Purex on Twitter.
Visit the Purex Facebook page
Visit the Jockey Facebook page
Follow @Jockey on Twitter for updates, sales, and news.

Since this is a flash giveaway with a really quick ending date, I'd also appreciate any additional ways you spread the word, via Twitter, Facebook, etc. Just let me know what you did in a separate comment.

Open to US residents now through January 29th at midnight EST. The winner will be chosen via random.org, contacted on the 29th via email, and MUST RESPOND by the 30th or another winner will be chosen. All winner's information must be into the sponsor by the 31st!

Disclosure: Complimentary products from Jockey and Purex were provided and the giveaway will also be provided by the sponsors. The experiences and opinions related within are personal and unbiased. No other compensation was received.

A Crafty Soiree #74

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

While you're here, enter to win yourself a winter's supply of Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops, seriously good stuff for soothing those sore throats and cold season is upon us!

Hi Crafters! Today at A Crafty Soiree, we're boy crazy!

Randee's Organized Chaos shared these Robot Valentines

Katy at Osker and Owlivia has put together an adorable owl themed room, full of sweet touches like the mobile made out of paint chips.

If you have an older boy, check out Salvage Savvy's boy's room, with room to grow.

Thanks for linking up and now for TWO more features, because Malia and I have decided to SUPERSIZE the features to five!

This card holder is such a super clever idea, see the how-to at Meaningful Mama.

You are not going to believe how many fun activities Lil Miss Red T-Shirt has fit onto her Game Board Quilt! It's got to be seen to be believed!

Party Guidelines

1. Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).

2. Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL.

3. Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.

4. Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All partygoers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!

5. Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

Let's Party!

Review & Giveaway: Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops? I hadn't, even though they have been around since 1870 and Americans have been using them to sooth their sore throats for over 140 years. These delightful softish drops, that are slightly chewy with an amazing taste, began gaining fame when...

In 1870 J. Herman Pine hung out a confectionery shingle on 8th Street above Walnut in Philadelphia and, along with his brother, sold their first batch of what they called 'Pine Brothers Glycerine Tablets.' In an attempt to relieve his own sore throat and those of his family members, Mr. Pine, a former German confectionery maker, determined that by combining the soothing natural qualities of glycerin with the healing properties of gum acacia, he could sooth and mitigate the mild discomfort of a sore throat. Add in some natural flavoring and a sweetener and voila, Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops were born. "I have discovered something," Pine wrote, "which will give quick throat relief to thousands afflicted as I was." He added,"Perhaps I won't make much money out of this. But I can make people happy, and that's more important than money." Mr. Pine was being unduly modest, as his "discovery" would become one of the most successful, most delicious and most unique throat lozenges in the world. Nor has the recipe changed appreciably since it was first introduced to the public over 140 years ago.

How on earth did I miss them before? I asked among my neighbors and several remembered them from their childhood, as the drops reached their height of popularity in the 70s. Due to a number of changes in ownership in recent years, the softish drop, well "dropped" off the radar for most Americans.

After 15 years, Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops are back! Happily the creator and former owner of Airborne, Victoria Knight-McDowell, for her new company 3 Sisters Home Products™ have now aquired them and given Pine Bros. new life. It's given them a chance to make more people happy. I think that's just like Mr. Pine would have wanted. Even though I hadn't heard of them before I love Airborne so I decided if the creator of it decided Pine Bros. was the way to go, I'd give it a try!

Now that I have, I'm addicted! They taste so good, not all yucky and medicinal like some throat drops do. The biggest surprise, has been how much my daughter likes them, normally she is anti anything that even remotely seems like "medicine". We were sent the Natural Honey and Wild Cherry Flavors, which we tried when both ER and I came down with a doozy of a cold right after Christmas.

The Natural Honey is my favorite. It's mild honey flavor with a hint of sweetness was just perfect for soothing my sore throat. Honey I associate in my mind, with comfort. It evokes images of cozy nights, cuddled underneath blankets during wintry snowy days, probably because I like honey in my tea! So it just mentally made me feel better too! They not only taste great but smell great too. Something I discovered as I began to feel better and my nose had cleared up a bit.

The puck packaging is great. The hard container makes them easy to find in my purse and keeps the drops safe in the car and on the go. The screw off lid of the puck makes it easy to refill with drops from the bags they are also available in. The pucks are so much more convenient and portable for keeping by you all day when you've got a sore throat.

ER preferred the Wild Cherry. Or rather I should say, she is crazy for the Wild Cherry which has a bolder flavor than the honey. I thought it might taste like candy and be so sweet that your teeth almost hurt. I was love how it's the perfect balance of bright cherry taste and sweetness, no fake tasting flavors or after taste. She loves them and so will your kids, they're safe for little ones over 3 years.

Besides a fantastic product, another reason to like Pine Bros. is that they're made in America. We always try to support American made! They're also just 5 calories a drop, and for my fellow diabetics only 2g of carbohydrates so you don't have to worry about one throwing off your meal plans and sugar levels.

Find Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops at your local Walgreens, CVS, and these retailers. I will be checking my local retailers for the Lemon-Citrus, to pick them up as soon as they're out! Licorice is another flavor coming soon. You can also purchase available flavors online.

Giveaway!

One reader will win both flavors of the Softish Throat Drops, that we reviewed!

Win an eight pack of Wild Cherry Pucks and an eight pack of Natural Honey Pucks from Pine Bros. These have a MSRP of $47.84!

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post. I'd love to know if you are new to Pine Bros. or if they're an favorite you're happy to see again!

For Extra Entries:

Follow Pine Bros. on Twitter, leave a link with your Twitter ID.
Fan Pine Bros. on Facebook, leave a comment with your profile name ON THIS POST.

Just a Note - You'll want to follow Pine Bros. both places because they often have even more chances to win some of their awesome drops there!

For more...Keep in touch - follow me on Google friends, subscribe with email, etc. I'd also love for you to help spread the word! Facebook it, tweet it, etc. Just leave me an extra comment for each one so I can give you all the chances you're entitled to!

Giveaway open to US residents now through February 8th, midnight EST. Winner will be chosen via random.org, emailed, and have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Disclosure: Complimentary samples and additional product were provided. However, this did not in any way influence my opinions. The experiences related within are personal and unbiased. This giveaway will be fullfilled and sent directly from Pine Bros.

Project Life: Week 3

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I could've filled all the inserts with pictures from taking the baby to meet his Great Grandpa for the first time. It was a really wonderful visit, and Grandpa stayed for about an hour, unheard of! He usually is fussing to go back to his room after ten minutes, he's never been very social or talkative. But we came armed with my new camera, some video, the NookColor, and of course the big event...two darling great grandchildren. Oh and chocolate, chocolate is always good!

Here's the first page, I went a little overboard with the twine this week but it went so good with the red and white date card I couldn't resist.

Sunday: Generational photo with Great Grandpa, Uncle, Daddy, Grandson, and Papa.
Monday: Sibling Moment: It was so cute, ER watched LB for me while I ran to get something in the next room. I could hear her singing "Patty Cake" to him, and LB giggling. I took this photo when I came back in and said, "Look up!"
Tuesday: Milestone: ER jump roping, a BIG deal to her.

On the second half I did a lot more embellishing, love the cute banner I made with punched circles folded in half over some twine. I stamped SLEEP on it, but it's hard to see in the photo. Digital frame by Crystal Wilkerson, love her! Sticker cluster at the top. Some rub-ons and a chipboard heart combined on Saturday for my favorite little mini layout so far.

Wednesday: Busy, busy, busy day for us. We got a last minute cancellation appointment bright and early at the dentist for ER. Rushed home to get her ready for kindergarten. I ran with LB to Costco. Arrived just in time to get ER off the bus. Then snack followed by book club, for her at the library. Brad met us and we did the switch off so I could dash to my FIRST hair cut since before LB was born. That means, oh let's see, it was over six months since my last trim. No wonder my hair looked a hot mess!
Thursday: Our photos were up from the professional photo shoot we had at the end of December. I was so excited to see them on our online gallery.
Friday: It's official LB has transitioned from back to stomach position for sleeping. It's not an issue now that he's rolling. We're wondering if he'll sleep with his posterior up on the air for as long as ER did.
Saturday: Since getting our pictures I've been obsessively looking at photo ideas online and realized that we didn't have "naked" baby pictures of LB! Shocking; it had to be rectified immediately! Baby skin is so precious, isn't it?

The most exciting part about this week's pages is that I made an insert all by myself!!! I had so many great photos, I just couldn't use only one for our visit to Great Grandpa, and as you see a much longer story to tell as well. What to do?

Most Project Lifer's know several supplies are currently out of stock. The 6X12 page protectors are really popular, probably because of the fabulous things Cathy Zielske's been doing with them. I thought about just waiting until the pages came back in. Then decided to go ahead and do something I've been wanting to do for a long time but was too scared to try.

Sewing on plastic!

I thought the page protector would be slippery. Things would jam, you name it I worried...but I just went slow and it worked really well. I used my pinking shears to trim down, but probably won't do that too often. I don't want them to get all dull for when I need them for fabric. It was fun and now I can think of so many possibilities!

Linking up at The Mom Creative and One Happy Mama.

Snowman Math

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Snowman Math Materials

Dice

Math Mat (above)

Cotton Balls

Dry Erase Marker & Sheet of Kleenex for Eraser

Page Protector or Laminate

I love being able to make my own learning materials for ER using the beautiful digital scrapbooking kits I've collected. This simple addition activity I created with Let It Snow, a now retired kit from Louise Franks Designs. (Visit the kit release post to download the Design Team Quick Pages I created, they're still available for free download.)

Snowman Math is simple and straight forward to do. Roll a dice for the first number. Write it on the first blank line. Roll again for the second number and write it on the second blank line. Use cotton balls to represent each numeral and place on the corresponding snowman. For example, if the first roll is a two, place two snowballs on the first snowman image. Then count up all the math manipulatives, in this case the cotton balls, to get the total.

I printed the math mat on high resolution paper so the colors would be nice and vibrant. Then slipped it into an empty page protector for a cheap way to "laminate" it and make it reusable. On the otherside of the page protector, I slipped in a copy of this printable of Rhymes to Help Students Write Their Numbers, thank you to Miss Ingram for providing it. That way ER can refer to it, if she needs help while writing. I also put a piece of cardstock in between the two to make it a little stiffer and easier for ER to write and erase on.

Besides the cotton balls, we sometimes use some fun snowflake counters that I also used to Let It Snow to create. We also use them to create patterns. I glued them to an old empty cereal box before cutting them apart and "laminated" with clear packing tape so we can use them over and over.

Linking this up to the weekly linky at the blog I helped co-found, ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative.

Disclosure: As a member of the Louise Franks Design Team, I received access to kits to create promotional items. While this was not part of a DT assignment, I did use a complimentary kit to create them and in the interest of full disclosure am noting this for readers.

Bottle Cap Necklaces

2012-01-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

So far this year I've had a card to share on Fridays but I've been busy this week trying to finish everything for a little bit of happy mail we are sending my friend Sharon from Mama's a Mess! and her daughters. I've decided to let it count as my card of the week. Like how I let myself "cheat" and it's only the third Friday of 2012!

Hopefully we'll be popping everything in the mail on Monday. Aren't these bottle cap necklaces adorable? We made some to send to K and M and for some other little friends of ours for Valentine's Day. They are going to be tied around something for the girls, used like a gift tag...see the connection to a card. I know, it's a stretch but once you see everything going in the box, hopefully you'll agree to let me slide.

Here's some more info on the necklaces, in case you want to make some too. You can download the illustrations for them at The Craft Nest. They are perfectly sized to punch out easily with a 1" circle punch. I used 1" flattened bottle caps, flattened because they have fewer sharp points than regular ones, from OhMyCrafts.com for mine. The necklaces came together in a snap, just layer, using a little Diamond Glaze for the glue, and wait to dry. I added a little rub-on, like these in bubblegum pink, for the first initial for each girl too, so sweet and ready for gifting.

Linked Up At: Today's Creative Blog.

A Crafty Soiree #73

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday! It's that time again, crafters unite! Can't wait to visit and be inspired by you all this week. Does this happen to anyone else? Every new year, does your house feel a little empty once the holiday decorations come down? Mine sure does, which is why I was excited to see some fabulous ideas for home decor last week. Here are three fun ways to decorate your walls.

The melted crayon word art from Helping Little Hands is so bold, so bright, so graphic. I keep looking at this over and over and over, love it!

This pretty artwork for a little girl's room came from Desire Empire and is so just so sweet! I like everything about it, the darling birdies, the wire and clips, the beautiful frame...this is definitely {sigh} with desire worthy.

Short on time but still want an update? Aren't these kitchen prints delicious? The play on words make them especially fun and they're FREE from Over the Big Moon.

By the way, while browsing the links I came across a super cute blog Drawer Full of Pretty Wishes. Megan is pretty new to blogging and I already love her sense of style. Check out her fairy tale room, so cute...my bedroom at 21 definitely wasn't blog ready at all! Go say hi and tell her I sent you :)

For being our features this week, here is a lovely Crafty Soiree ribbon, yours to proudly display!

Let's Party!

Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).
Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL
Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.
Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All party goers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

January's Take 12

2012-01-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

Because I obviously don't have enough to do, last minute I decided to jump in and start another year long project. I've been tempted to do something like this every year but usually forget or can't think of anything interesting to photograph. When I saw the photo challenge and supporting Guided Inspiration Kit and Take Twelve Templates, at Ella Publishing I thought it's never going to be easier! They even send a reminder to get those camera's ready shortly before the 12th. There is also a monthly link up and contest, that I didn't get finished in time for this time, but I hope to be a little quicker next month. I think the community feel will give me some added motivation to keep up.

Plus I really like the kit which has ideas for ways to capture the details of life each month. I think it will be fun years from now to see what we ate, where we shopped, shoe styles, and things like that. It's those kinds of things I that I usually don't scrap so without doing this kind of project, those little details would be forgotten over time. The photos I took I got right from the check off list and I also used one of the templates from the other kit.

If you are doing Take 12 be sure to let me know so I can come see your pictures or layout. And if you're scrapping them, especially if you're using the templates, I'd love to know if you've got any tips for including a lot of journaling. There were a couple more details I'd have liked to include but I didn't want the type to end up being too tiny to read. I usually scap 12X12 pages. I was thinking if I got these digital layouts printed in that size, I could then do a 6X12 insert, kind of like a lot of Project Lifers are doing, between layouts with the journaling on there so the focus on the layouts can be on the photos. Any other solutions you can think of? Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to give!

The Journaling Says:

1. Emily’s favorite library books, checked out multiple times.
2. A New Year, and finally some new clothes for Katie! The post pregnancy body needed some fancying up!
3. Love our new calendar from Paper Coterie, much more modern and clean looking than we usually get. Can’t wait to look at it all year long!
4. We got a Kinnect for Christmas and plan to make family game night a regular event!
5. Our little artist with her latest signed work.
6. I usually find Beaver the cat sitting right here, when we come down every morning.
7. A picture of the kiddos as 2012 starts. ER, 5 & LB, 5 months old.
8. Our other kitty, Mabel likes glance outdoors by the heat vent in the kitchen.
9. I love comfy shoes with a little style! My new Crocs and stand by Sketches get worn all the time.
10. ER is on a Cinnamon Chex for breakfast every morning kick, she usually eats it with either a banana or an orange.
11. My cluttered nightstand always has piles on it, at least one lip balm, some snacks - Brad hates when I eat in bed, and easy access to my books and magazines.
12. Currently reading on my NookColor: Mary Boleyn by my favorite history author Alison Weir and just finished Minding Frankie for book club.

Supplies: Title from the Guided Inspiration Kit and Template from Take Twelve Templates and My Happy Family Kit from Louise Franks Designs.

Project Life: Week 2

2012-01-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

Two weeks down and I'm just getting more and more excited about doing Project Life. I really think this is going to be my year! Last week I just posted the pictures I took. I had no idea, until I began blog hopping around to other PL participants, that so many people would be sharing completed pages. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with printing photos each weekend but this time I've got the first and second week to show.

{Week One - Click to Enlarge}

My pages are pretty basic but I'm still very pleased with how they turned out. I used the two types of days of the week stickers from the kit to label the days and on the first week I used a cool transparency over the photo for Thursday.

{Week Two - Click to Enlarge}

I used the date stamp for each journaling card again but changed the color from red to green. I am loving that stamp! This is the first time I incorporated memorabilia into one of the journaling pockets, the check off list from the Lego Minifigures Series 6 that my husband and daughter started collecting. I also added the invitation that ER made at Daisies, so nice to have a place to stash that! One of the journaling cards has some ribbon on it, to cover a mistake. I really like how it looks.

The Week in Review:

Sunday: The progress so far on our basement finishing project.
Monday: The little baby hairs that have been sprouting up on LB's head as they grow back and some more favorites from our mini photo shoot on the couch.
Tuesday: ER at Daisies and her invitation.
Wednesday: Book club meeting for Minding Frankie, edited because my friends are a little shy about appearing on the blog.
Thursday: After school play date and LB with the Jedi Mickey his Godmother brought back from FL.
Friday: SNOW!
Saturday: The Lego Series 6 mini figures that my husband bought, he's obsessed, and the one that ER really wanted.

{Click to Enlarge}

Next week I will try to show some close ups of each side of the week spread, but since I'm playing catch up this week I didn't want to make the post too photo heavy. So instead, I'll just highlight my favorite things from the past two weeks. Clockwise from Top Left: Die cut weekly title, transparency over photo and journaling, mini layout, and embellished photo template from Paislee Press. I noticed that I like the inserts that I get a little creative with, and I'm excited to incorporate that a little bit more. I guess it really is all in the details!

Linked up at The Mom Creative.

I Have A Dream Mobile for MLK Jr. Day

2012-01-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

ER has been learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at kindergarten and we've also been reading books about him too. As an extension activity we made this mobile, with ER providing an age appropriate dream based on MLK Jr.'s ideals. Writing it on one side of the cloud was slightly torturous, not for her but for mom as it was slow going, but good practice for my little who does not like handwriting at all. Plus it was a good opportunity to talk about how if there had been no Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Right's movement, then our family, which is multi-cultural, might not exist. That was certainly an eye opener for her.

Making this hybrid project began with searching through my digital scrapbooking kits for a cloud image. I added the text, alphabet - altered by clipping on papers to change the colors, and banner to it. Printed that out then deleted the extras and flipped the cloud image. Printed the flipped version for the back of the cloud on our mobile.

After we talked about the dream MLK Jr. had, we came up with one that's applicable to five year olds. The word on the street is that the boys and girls don't always get along at recess! ER wrote it on one side. Afterward, we glued it onto chipboard. I cut it out and then glued the flipped image on the other side. We have left the back side blank for the time being, my hope is that we'll add another wish to it next year.

We punched holes at the top with my Crop-A-Dile for hanging and then more at the bottom of the cloud. Each hole was reinforced with an eyelet. I had some dimensional white bird stickers leftover from Christmas, I think they are doves. They look like it to me and if they're not, well they're a decent substitute!

I told her they were doves and that they symbolize peace and hope. We added a dove to one side of a punched scalloped circle, the other side could be used to write facts about MLK Jr. or additional dreams. These have been suspended with fishing wire. I like that since the fishing wire is "clear" it kind of gives the illusion that the birds are "flying".

Supplies Use: Cloud Image from Retired I Heart Spring Kit by Louise Franks Designs, Alphabet, Papers - used as clipping masks, and Banner from Playful Kit by Louise Franks Designs.

Shared At: Skip to My Lou, Crafty Moms Share, Tutus & Tea Parties, and the blog I helped co-found ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative.

From the Heart: Using Die Cuts to Make Cards

2012-01-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

This quick and easy card is a great way to use your collection of punches or die cuts and paper scraps! Just die cut out eleven hearts, use double sided tape to attach to card front, and then stamp a sentiment. You could easily recreate this for any holiday or time of year with a seasonal shape and it's just as easy to use your computer to prerprint the message so there's no need for a large collection of stamps. Now that my daughter is old enough to help me use my Sizzix machine without squishing her fingers, it's even a card we make make together.

Linked Up At: Craftionary, The Answer is Chocolate, 504 Main, Tidy Mom, Joyful Stamper, and Scrappy Gifts.

A Crafty Soiree #72

2012-01-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's my favorite day of the week, Crafty Soiree time! Last week I saw three fun projects linked up that also included patterns, how fun! I know the bloggers who shared them would love to see some others give them a try!

Pompom Purse Pattern from hannicraft

Big Bow Beanie from Little Rays of Sunshine

Winter Star Crochet Pattern from Happy in Red via a guest post on Craftionary.

For being our features this week, here is a lovely Crafty Soiree ribbon, yours to proudly display!

Let's Party!

Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).
Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL
Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.
Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All party goers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

Don't forget, A Crafty Soiree is hosted on two blogs, so when you link up on one your link will automatically show up on the other one too! Please note, by linking up to A Crafty Soiree, you're giving permission to feature your project and photos in the future, with proper credit of course☺

One more thing before you link up, I'd love for you to check out and enter my current giveaway for My Sweet Family by Louise Franks Designs. It's for a full digital scrapbooking bundle with a kit, word art, and template. You can also check out what I did with the My Sweet Family kit in the post to.

Giveaway: My Sweet Family Digital Kit Release

2012-01-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

And the winner is...Shayna, lucky comment #41! Thank you to everyone who entered! Check back often for more fun giveaways!

Louise has been busy and has a lot of new releases! I'll be sharing all of them with you but and the first one I have to feature is My Sweet Family. I love the soft colors and the cool citrus shades she used. The blues go so well with it and it all kinda makes evokes a comfy cozy feeling to me. Did you see the banner, it's a new style for Louise and the scallops give it a dainty feel, but the colors mean you can still use it with masculine photos.

Here is a closer look at the gorgeous papers. The variety of patterns is just awesome, so much good stuff to work with!

And here are is a preview of the coordinating word art kit. The pops of color are really fun.

There's also a template, great for quickly scrapping those memories! Check out how I used it, below.

As you can see, it was easy for me to adapt the template to fit four photos instead of just two. I used papers from My Sweet Family, a couple elements from it like the orange heart and blue flower button, and "adventurous" from the word art kit. But most of the elements are from another recent release from Louise, Happy Camper. I love how I was able to combine the two for a great page!

This next page is a first for me, as in it's the first time I've done a double page layout digitally. To help me take this baby step along the progression of my skills as a digiscrapper I used a template from Simple Scrapper. I treated myself to a Premium Membership a couple months ago and it's one of the perks of belonging.

Here is one more, can you tell I had such a good time creating with My Sweet Family that it was hard to stop? This one is my favorite because it looks a lot like a paper layout I might do. Plus, it has three of my current favorite pictures.

So there you have it, three layouts using the same kit and I think three pretty different looks. The first is very digi-scrappy with all its layers. The second has a clean minimalist feel to it and the last is reminicent of a traditional paper layout down to the "ribbon" wrapped photo. Can't tell you how many times I've done

Giveaway!

Guess what I get to give the whole bundle away to one of you!!! You read that right, the whole thing not just the kit but also the word art and the template! I'm so excited.

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post, I'd love to know how long you've digiscrapped!

Extra Entries:

Follow Louise on Twitter
Follow Louise on Facebook
Follow the Louise Franks Designs blog
Tell me is your favorite Louise Franks Design digikit, check out her store at Scrapping Fairytales to see the selection.
Suggest a theme for a kit you'd like to see Louise design.
Follow me on Twitter.
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Giveaway open now through Wednesday January 18th at Midnight EST. Please note that the prize is delivered electronically.

Disclaimer: As a member of the Louise Franks Designs CT, I receive access to kits to create promotional items.

Project Life 2012: I Try Again

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Have any of you tried to do Project Life before? The general idea is to take at least one picture a day for a year to document your family's daily life. This will be my third year in a row attempting. I've never made it past January before and am still working with the very first original kit of materials. You can see some of the contents in this Q&A post by Becky Higgins from waaaaayyyyy back in 2008 and a few completed layouts with the first kit from Maggie Holmes, here. Back then it was a concept introduced in Creating Keepsakes magazine but I'd say it's one that's really taken off with whole blogs devoted to it and lots of digital supplies and kits designed specifically for it.

I thought I was done with trying. In the past, once I missed a few days, I'd get frustrated and feel guilty about the empty photo pocket staring at me from the weekly layout. Then I'd just give up. What motivated me to give it yet another go was looking back at the few pictures I do have. There are some real gems there, that really brought back little memories of things ER used to do. They tugged at my heart and I know they wouldn't have been recorded otherwise, it made me wonder what other stories did I miss.

So here we are 2012 and starting once again. This time I am more optimistic about making it through. I've got a snazzy new camera from Brad for Christmas, that I'm excited to practice using and learn more about. There's our new little baby who'll be transforming into a toddler during the course of a year and a little girl on the cusp of leaving little kidhood behind to capture.

But the most important thing is, I've given myself permission to miss here and there. To adapt as I need to. I like Jessica Turner's idea to turn it into a weekly documentation. To fill those slots not necessarily with a daily picture but with pictures from the week as a whole. So if I want to fill the whole week with photos from a birthday party, I can.

That if nothing else makes me feel like I've been set free from failing. It's given me a mindset that there are no fails, just more memories documented. There's an excitement to see it through that hasn't been there before.

This year I'm really looking forward to the process! I've even made myself these handy dandy day of the week photo frames to make it a little easier to share on the blog, which I hope to do on a regular basis.

Project Life 2012

Week 1: January 1 - 7

Sunday: With everyone so sick, the first day of the year was decidedly low key. Everyone cuddled up and laid around watching T.V.

Monday: Break out the new Kinnect! So happy we found this kid friendly version of a dance game. The steps are easy enough for ER to keep up and I don't have to worry about the song lyrics or on screen dancer's attire being inappropriate for a five year old.

Tuesday: Mom still not feeling well, Brad's first day back at work ended up being a half day. Home after lunch ER helped him assemble the Lego Millennium Falcon he got for Christmas, while I slept.

Wednesday: ER playing with her Littlest Pet Shop critters, some new glittery ones joined the menagerie over the holidays.

Thursday: Grammy & Papa dropped off Uncle Dave at work and then came over. LB snuggled with Papa and fell right asleep. His nap was a bit early, so he was wide awake for lunch at the pizza buffet.

Friday: Finally feeling better, we made the most of our last day of Christmas vacation starting with a play date with T and C. It was dinner at Chili's before a quick trip to Costco to pick up pictures, diapers, and wipes. There was barely enough time to squeeze in a little crafting time!

Saturday: With temperatures only in the 40s, it's perfect weather for removing the Christmas lights off the tree and a quick walk around the neighborhood.

Shared on Project Life Tuesday at The Mom Creative.

Making A Healthy Snack Mat

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Back on the healthy eating bandwagon? I eagerly climb on each new year, right after I vow to never eat another cookie and to exercise every day. Yep, I'm full of good intentions!

To help us stay on the right path, ER and I spent one of our school vacation days pouring over old cooking magazines, talking about what are good things to eat, and pulling out sheets of yummy looking food.

Sort through the pages, find your favorites, and cut out. To make it easier, I drew cutting guides for ER.

Add a small dot of glue to each corner of your cut outs, flip over, and press down. Here is a tip for when arranging your pictures, start with the largest first and fill in the gaps with smaller ones.

Let every thing dry over night. Cover both sides with clear contact paper. Now you have your very own snack mat, covered with healthy eating choices to help you stay on track!

I made one too, using my scalloped circle punch to make it quicker and some paper scraps for some added cuteness. Now we can eat our after school snack off our cute mother daughter healthy snack mats together! ER thought it was really fun to see how different our mats turned out.

Linked Up at Show & Tell on ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative - the blog I helped co-found.

You Make Me Smile Card

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

One thing I hope to do this year is send more cards to my family and friends, because it's a more tangible way to let someone know I'm thinking of them than an email. Plus it's always fun to get something that's not a bill in the mail, and you know me...I'm always about being part of the fun! For my first version of a little sunshine sent via the postal service, I designed a card with a clean graphic look and a multipurpose sentiment that I can easily produce multiple copies of.

It's been sized to fit inside of standard style #10 business sized envelopes (4-1/8" x 9-1/2"), which we usually keep on hand, and is printed out, double-sided onto one sheet of 8-1/2" x 11"white cardstock. Since there's not much to the design other than the text, it had to really stand out. I knew the bold colors from Playful, one of my favorite digital scrapbooking kits by Louise Franks Designs were perfect. I loved the funky letters of the alphabet that's included but wanted them have the bright colors of the digital papers. So I used Photoshop Elements to clip the papers to the letters I needed and got just the look I wanted.

I also wanted to add a fun peek-a-boo element to the card. I used a circle cutter on the front, but a large punch would make this step a lot easier. Then all I had to do was cut and attach a photo behind the opening. As I mentioned at the start of the post, I've saved the design so it will be really quick to print out more when I need them. It's a simple look, but sometimes that's all you need to get your message across.

By the way, you can see more pictures of the digital kit I used and the past projects I did as a design team member in my Playful release post.

Linked Up at: Today's Creative Blog,

A Crafty Soiree #71

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's my first post of 2012 and I'm so glad it's for our weekly A Crafty Soiree! Normally, I'd have been back online after the holidays before now, but I've been dealing with the sickies. At least the flu bug seems to have left the house. Now we've just got some cold sniffles lingering. It's the first time LB has gotten sick and it's so hard to watch your baby cough and cry in discomfort! Not exactly how I wanted to start off the new year! I hope the year is off to a much better and healthier start for all of you!

Chrissy from Hoot Designs made this calendar journal for a friend. It sounds a little labor intensive with it's 365 hand stamped journal cards and is really a very special gift. I know her friend will think of her and their friendship whenever she jots down a memory.

Minna from Feeling Inspired Today made these elegant printables for ringing in 2012. While it's a bit late to use it while watching the ball drop, I think they'd make great journaling cards for all your memory keeping projects. I can already see one on my scrapbook page layout! Plus I really like the positive and optimistic outlook Minna's given all the cheers.

Now this one I had to share because, my great room is currently littered with the pieces to make a Millennium Falcon and assorted other Star Wars Legos. The Star Wars Room shared on The Blackberry Vine has given me lots of ideas for setting up our Lego area in what I hope is our soon to be finished basement. We SO need a mini figure board!

For being our features this week, here is a lovely Crafty Soiree ribbon, yours to proudly display!

Let's Party!

Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).
Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL
Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.
Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All party goers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

A Crafty Soiree #70

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you've all been enjoying this holiday season. I've been indulging in a bit of a Christmas break from blogging and loving all the time spent with my family. Thank you for taking time to drop by and join us! I have been continuously amazed by all the talent shared each week and am looking forward to more inspiration in 2012! Let's get started with our last Crafty Soiree of 2011, with our weekly features.

Christmas Spool Garland from Artsy VaVa, the beads remind me of cranberries - that won't ever spoil so you can use it year after year!

Scrap Wood Christmas Tree from Signs by Andrea, love the winter white!

Strawberry Pom Poms from MeiJo's Joy, which are darling as an embellishment for your kid's clothing.

For being our features this week, here is a lovely Crafty Soiree ribbon, yours to proudly display!

Let's Party!

Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).
Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL
Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.
Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All party goers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

May All Your Days Be Merry & Bright

2011-12-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays & See You in the New Year!

Kushyfoot Flats to Go Review

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again, holiday party season, a fun but often exhausting time. With so many events to go to all in a row, after the first few my feet are sore from being squeezed into dress shoes. What often happens, is I spend most of the time in just my socks. Resulting in photos like the one on the left below. Do you like that? Smiles on Thanksgiving and otherwise a nice photo but hardly something I'd frame due to the socks! The one on the right taken with my Flats to Go is so much better!

With my new pair of Kushyfoot Flats to Go, I can look stylish and be comfortable! They feel like wearing slippers but their trendy design gives me the look of cute leather ballet flats. Making me look a lot more polished! I like how they fit, although next time I'd get a smaller size, as their fit is generous. The best part is that they fold up and barely take up any room in my already stuffed diaper bag.

They fit nicely in even my smallest purses too. This is great for anytime you are visiting during the snowy winter, here in Michigan. There are so many times I wear my boots out and about and it's just too much of a hassle to bring a spare pair of shoes for me. They just add more weight to all the kid stuff I tote around. That won't be a problem any more because Flats to Go are very light and easy to bring along in their own little carrier. I really find them quite handy and stylish.

Product Description: Soft, flexible faux leather Flats-to-go® are an instant and elegant solution to a perennial need for the relief of sore heels, blisters and scrunched up toes. Featuring an elastic back for a better fit, and a unique, 3-dimensional wavy sole that cushions and massages the foot as the wearer walks-perfect for indoor and smooth outdoor surfaces. They slip neatly and easily into their owner's purse, folded into a cute clear plastic carrier with its own little handles. 1 pack per order.

Flats to Go come in a variety of sizes and colors. The full line from Kushyfoot are available online and at these retailers.

Disclosure: A complimentary review pair were provided. The experiences and opinions related within are personal and unbiased. No other compensation was received.

A Crafty Soiree # 69

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays to all my crafty friends! I so happy that in the mist of the seasonal craziness you've taken the time to come by and say hi and link up. I can't believe this weekend is Christmas, it feels like the month has flown by...so many projects I want to do and so little time! Oh well, there's always next year and here are three projects I've put on my "to do" list.

I've been reading Megan's blog Fowl Single File, ever since I began browsing her archives for my other blog ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative. She's got fabulous ideas and one my favorites was her Christmas Hoop-La from last year...in fact it was a previous Crafty Soiree feature. I just couldn't resist featuring the newest one she's done! Click over to see the one featuring a favorite Christmas carol.

I made some mini book ornaments this year but next year I am so going to make these from Helping Little Hands. They feature cover art from beloved children's books and her daughter even helped sew them. A teacher or librarian would go crazy over them!

Isn't this Peppermint Initial from The Turquoise Piano a fun idea? She's got the perfect picture to pair with it! I think this would be a fun thing to do for my little guy's room next year, perhaps minus the tulle for him.

For being our features this week, here is a lovely Crafty Soiree ribbon, yours to proudly display!

Let's Party!

Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).
Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL
Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.
Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All party goers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

Sending a Snowman

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Every year we give our Grandparents a photo calendar. Here's how we wrapped them this time, aren't they cute? While ours are on the outside of a white envelope, it would also be a fun snow themed art project for any snowy day. We made some minor changes from the original, using ribbon for the scarf and the end of two different sized brushes to make our mouth and nose. click here for the directions for Push the Envelope.

PS: The photo tag in the top photo is one of the freebies I provided for this kit release.

Linked Up At: my own weekly linky: A Crafty Soiree, The 36th Avenue, and Tickled Pink at 504 Main

Make it Personal with Vinyl & Coupon Code from Oh My Crafts

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I showed you seasonal projects I made with vinyl from OhMyCrafts.com. Today I'm having fun making labels with it. The first one I am super excited about! Look at the makeover I gave my NookColor holder! I've been wanting to jazz it up but wasn't too sure about painting or using permanent ink to stamp or even gluing on letters die cut out of paper. That all seemed rather permanent, and what if I made a mistake while applying the paint or ink and then hated how it turned out? I'd be stuck with it! Paper die cuts may become dirty or get wet over time so those weren't a good option.

Now every time I look at it, I think "Fabulous!" Using my Cricut, I just cut out a tag from Lavender Vinyl, using the Once Upon a Princess Cartridge. Then my name from Hot Pink Vinyl with Alphalicious. It was so easy to layer them and while I'm not planning on removing them any time soon, it's nice to know the vinyl is repositionable. If I want to change the look I can just peel off and start again. Plus I think it's rather stylish too. I got a lot of comments about it when I took it out at ER's dance class yesterday. Lots of moms wanting to know how I got that cool look! And of course, I also pointed out how easy it would be to do the samething to an iphone!

The other thing I did may not be a ground breaking idea but it's one of the ones I'm most excited about. I used the chalkboard vinyl to make labels for the glass containers in our bathroom. These handblown canisters have made a couple of moves with us and are some of my favorite pieces. I wanted something special for these! Brad thinks it's really neat that the vinyl is chalkboard and that we can change what it says and also peel it off and move it somewhere else too.

Here's a better view of the monogram I also cut from the Chalkboard Vinyl, the P is for our last name. I have been meaning to use my glass etching cream to add a monogram. I'm so glad I ~~procrastinated~~ waited to do that because this is much easier to see, than the frosted look glass etching gives, especially in a low light room like our master bath. Now I can't wait to label EVERYTHING!

I realized after the fact, that I didn't really "review" the vinyl from Oh My Crafts in yesterday's post. I was way to excited to share the cool things I did with it, which in a way is the best review for a crafting material anyway! But I would like to say that the vinyl was very easy to use with my Cricut. It came with some pointers which really helped, like to use the #2 setting for pressure and to practice on paper first. You really can be creating with the vinyl within a few minutes of getting it on your door step.

One of the reason's it's taken me so long to start using vinyl is because at the stores by my house it's pretty expensive and there's a very limited color choice. I thought the vinyl prices at Oh My Crafts are great, BIG savings! I am sure that vinyl projects will be featured on my blog a lot in 2011!

The Vinyl Used in These Projects was Provided by OhMyCrafts.com

Lavender Vinyl

Hot Pink Vinyl

Chalkboard Vinyl

Don't forget the Coupon Code: Enter OMCBLOG10
Save 10% off you entire order!
Plus to really save, get free shipping on orders over $75!

Disclosure: The vinyl used in the projects was provided Oh My Crafts, for review purposes without charge. No other compensation was received and the opinions and experiences related within are personal and unbiased.

Linked Up At: my own weekly linky: A Crafty Soiree, The 36th Avenue, and Tickled Pink at 504 Main

Celebrate Christmas with Vinyl & Coupon Code

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to try out cutting vinyl for a LONG time and when I got a fabulous offer from OhMyCrafts.com I knew it was time to dust off the Cricut and get cutting! Now that I've seen how awesome it, I have a feeling vinyl will be showing up on EVERYTHING!

Oh My Crafts send me a wonderful variety of vinyl to experiment with. When I got my package, with its rainbow of colors, was like Christmas had arrived early! Oh the possibilities that ran through my head...it was hard for me to focus and decide what to do with it. Since it's the holiday season, I just seemed natural to start with three projects to decorate our home.

You all know how much I LOVE monograms and personalizing things. To ease myself into using vinyl I made two cute ornaments, one for each of my children. Even though she's no longer an only child, ER will definitely always be our little princess. I used my Once Upon a Princess cartridge with a sheet of Grape Vinyl to cut out the crown with her first initial inside and then simply stuck it onto a glass ornament. It blended in seamlessly and almost looked painted on. The purple and green color combo matches our great room. It took me less than five minutes to do and most of that time was spent looking up which buttons to press on my machine!

It's LB's first Christmas so I made his ornament a little bit more elaborate and did a full monogram on one side and the year 2011 on the other, both cut with the Calligraphy Collection cartridge from a scrap of Chalkboard Vinyl I had leftover from a project I'll share tomorrow. I thought the black would look more masculine than purple and like how turned out. However, next time I would use Ebony Vinyl, because the chalkboard vinyl is thicker than the other colors, so the edges didn't "disappear" into the surface of the ornament like the Grape Vinyl. You can clearly see the edges of the chalkboard vinyl on the ornament when you look closely. However the chalkboard vinyl is awesome, and one of my favorites and while not perfect for this application it's great for many others.

Besides personalizing everything, one of my other great loves is hand print projects. This is probably because there aren't too many things more personal than your hand print! I have made hand print calendars - that's actually my most popular post, Valentine's, canvases, hand stitched ornaments, displays, done them for literature enrichment projects, and made even a hanging bat for Halloween. So I think I HAD to do something in vinyl with them!

It actually solved a problem I was having anyway, because LB is only four months old and pretty squirmy. It's been too hard to paint that little hand and get a good clear print. I just needed a close approximation to his hand's outline so, using a nontoxic ink pad I managed to get a quickie, albeit slightly blurry print. I used it to make a pattern that I traced, along with ER's hand, on Emerald Green Flake Vinyl to make a hand print keepsake plate. The sentiment is cut with my Alphalicious cartridge out of Ruby Glitter Vinyl . I actually got a little teary eyed when I finished it, I love it so much. The melamine plate was only $1.99 but's now priceless to me.

The last thing I have to share today is this shadow box for a picture of the first time my little guy experienced snow. I loved using the vinyl on glass; I think it's ideally suited for a shadow box with all the layers. I really adds to the depth of the project. The snowflakes are cut with my Doodlecharms cartridge out of Lucky Green Vinyl, Bubblegum Vinyl, and Pacific Blue Vinyl, which was also used for the sentiment.

As you can see I've had a ton of fun playing around with the vinyl from OhMyCrafts.com. If you haven't tried using vinyl, I suggest you get started right away! My pick for beginners is the Christmas Bundle with 10 Preselected Colors + 1 Free Transfer Tape. It's just $15.50, which is unbelievable, you can't even get two rolls of vinyl from the craft retailer by my home! You will find that and many more amazing deals on OhMyCrafts, who are known for their amazing prices on the hottest crafting supplies!

The Vinyl Used In Featured Projects Was Provided by OhMyCrafts.com:

Grape Vinyl

Chalkboard Vinyl

Emerald Green Flake Vinyl

Ruby Glitter Vinyl

Lucky Green Vinyl

Bubblegum Vinyl

Pacific Blue Vinyl

Special Coupon Code: Enter OMCBLOG10

Save 10% off you entire order!

I'll be back tomorrow with two more "bonus" projects featuring vinyl from OhMyCrafts.com!

These projects have been linked up to: my own weekly linky: A Crafty Soiree and...The 36th Avenue, Made by You Monday at Skip to My Lou, Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do, Making the World Cuter, Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative, Motivate Me Monday at Keeping It Simple, Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Craft-O-Maniac, Live Made Lovely, and Tickled Pink at 504 Main

Disclaimer: The projects in this post were all created with complimentary vinyl, provided by OhMyCrafts.com. The experiences and opinions related within are personal and unbiased.

Children's Book Review: Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure

2011-12-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Cooper and Me is a delightful series featuring Cooper, a fun loving Labrador and his canine friends. It's the brainchild of a mother daughter duo, Monique and Alexa Peters, who work together to write and illustrate the tales. Each one helps kids learn how to cope with a challenge that a young child may encounter and is resolved with a solution that leads to a "happy ending". I love the pictures that are based on Alexa's original drawings, they retain a kid drawn look that my five year old found very appealing. The rhyming text is fun to read.

In Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure!, the title character and his friend Bella the Morkie. The pair go out to enjoy a day of playing in the snow and sledding down the town's biggest hill. When they get to the bottom, they find themselves in an unfamiliar place. They aren't sure what to do, should they sit and wait? As it grows dark they realize they need to get home and begin to howl as loud as they could, and hear a bark back. It's Trooper, the German Shepard, who helps them get home.

My daughter enjoyed the story, she really liked that it was about dogs. At the end of the story there is a space to add important information, that everyone should know if they get lost. It's helpful to add your own there and practice it each time you read the book. There's additional enrichment, like questions about the story and parents can go online and download the Cooper and Me Theme song as well.

Cooper and Me and the Winter Adventure! provides a nice, safe, way to introduce conversations about safety and what to do if you are lost. It gave my daughter something to think about, without scaring her too much and worrying about getting lost. She can see that things turned out okay and didn't get overly anxious, as she sometimes can when we talk about "scary" situations.

She loved the idea that a little girl followed her dream and helped write a real book. She loves to draw herself, and thought it was really neat that Alexa drew the pictures. (I didn't go into detail about how the illustrations are based on drawings and just let her know Alexa helped.) ER now wants to write books with me, so it's encouraged her interests in literature, always a good thing in my book!

Find out more about Cooper and Me on their website and blog. Connect with Cooper and Me on Twitter and Facebook. You can find about Cooper and Me's philanthropic causes on their about page. I think it's wonderful how they are helping kids through their books and with their proceeds.

Continuing Alexa and Monique's passion for giving back,$1 of every Winter Adventure book sold through February 2012 will be donated to the Lustgarten Foundation, which is America's largest private foundation dedicated solely to funding pancreatic cancer research.

You can help them help kids too! Purchase one of the Cooper and Me titles on their website and through December 21st, for every book purchased they will donate one book to the Today Show Toy Drive!

Use the code BUY 1 GIVE 1 at checkout!

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of the book was provided. However the experiences and opinions expressed within are personal and unbiased. No other compensation was received.