Christmas in July #Giveaway with UglyChristmasSweater.com!

We love the holiday season. And what's more to love than an Ugly Christmas Sweater? Whether you're attending an Ugly Sweater Contest or just going to your family Christmas dinner, you should definitely check out our wide variety of sweaters to choose from. We create original designs for everyone.

My Thoughts:

I'm a huge fan of UglyChristmasSweater.com! Everything I try from them is always well made and top quality. This is the first time I've had a onesie in many years, and it did not disappoint! In honor of, A Christmas Story, this onesie is an identical recreation of the cute bunny suit from the movie. This is an officially licensed product, so you're getting the real deal!

Right when I pulled it out of the packaging, I was excited to feel how soft it was. The onesie was just thick enough to be comfortable without making me feel as if I was going to overheat in it. The bunny ears were easy to adjust and not heavy at all on my head. I also can confirm the bunny slippers with bottom padding and the gloves come too! Who doesn't love accessories being included?

I got a size XL to ensure there was enough wiggle room for all my adventures. I like my sleepwear to be a little roomy, and the XL was perfect for that. I've worn it already and I got so many compliments and lots of smiles. It was an absolute hit!

The Giveaway: 

UglyChristmasSweater.com was kind enough to provide a giveaway for our readers to win their own product from the site! I know you all will love this company as much as I do. Thank you to UCS for always giving back to our readers and for my wonderful new onesie!

Entry-Form

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Show off your cat pride with this new book from, The Quarto Group!

Doodled Cats is packed with creative prompts, fun feline facts, and step-by-step doodling projects for the feline fanatic in you—the perfect book for on-the-go artists.

In Doodled Cats, beloved artist and illustrator Gemma Correll provides inspiration and ideas for doodling a variety of different cat breeds in a fun, quirky style. From a Persian and a Sphynx to a Scottish Fold and Siamese, doodle enthusiasts will learn to draw and doodle all their favorite feline friends, in addition to anthropomorphic cats, fashionable furballs, and even cats in hats! A bonus project demonstrates how to create your own cat-doodled mug.

This compact, hardcover book makes the perfect gift for on-the-go creative types and cat lovers alike.

DOODLED CATS

By Gemma Correll

9781633226531

160 pages

US $14.99, CAN $19.99

June 26, 2018

Walter Foster Publishing

My Thoughts:

Cats are one of my favorite animals! They're so independent and full of vigor. When I saw the adorable designs of Doodled Cats, I knew it would be a hit in my classroom (and for me personally). My students range from around 8 to 15 and this book has designs for all types of artistic levels from beginners to experienced. I loved the step by step guides to each design, as well as the cats designed as known figures in our society today.

The other adorable aspect of this book is the cute little illustrations and stories. These can be fun to read or to try and recreate for your own customized designs. You can even add your own real life feline friend!

If you're looking for a gift for your favorite cat lover or a fun activity book to enjoy, I highly recommend Doodled Cats!

Connect with the Quarto Group:

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Relax and Unwind with a New Scratch & Create Book from The Quarto Group!

Scratch and create is the newest form of art therapy for adults! Reconnect with your creativity, reduce stress, and unwind form a long day by scratching your artistic itch with Enchanted Animals.

With the included stylus, you can embark immediately on your scratch and create journey with this book. When your meditation is complete, you will have charming work of art to display and share—and each page is perforated for easy removal.

My Thoughts:

One of my favorite activities growing up has been coloring and scratch art! When adult coloring books became the latest in meditative practices and stress relief, I was certainly excited to rekindle my love for the projects! Scratch & Draw Enchanted Animals by Marisa Redondo was right up my alley with these designs! I adore animals, nature, as well as abstract designs that have a little magic and mysticism to them. I couldn't wait to create with this book! 

As the description states:

Scratch & Draw Enchanted Animals

by Marisa Redondo

Paperback, 20 pages

US $19.99, CAN $25.99

9781631595110

Rockport Publishers

Scuff, scrape, and scratch dark metallic coating away to create inspirational and decorative illustrations of rabbits and dandelions, raccoons, owls, foxes, and a whole forest of enchanting wildlife.

Here is the rough draft of one of the projects I've been working on in the book! I found the creative designs to be fun, easy to follow, and extremely unique. Each scratch page has a different color and they're easy to draw on with the stylus included. Hours of fun for everyone, adults and children alike! I'm excited to bring this book into my classroom for my art students to try! I know they'll love it as much as I do!

Connect with The Quarto Group:

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Singing Machine® SML385 Review

 

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – August 25, 2014 – The Singing Machine Company, Inc., (SMDM) North America’s leader in consumer karaoke entertainment systems announces the availability of the SML385 as the latest addition to their line of at-home entertainment products. The SML385 features a top loading CD+G player, and two microphone jacks for duets. The SML385 comes complete with disco lights to kick up your performance with some serious fun and boasts a built-in speaker to deliver big sound to your party and doubles as a voice projector for big groups.

Simply plug in the Singing Machine into a power source, pop in one of your favorite CD+Gs and connect the device to your TV or monitor via an included RCA cable to view the scrolling lyrics on screen. Within seconds, the music will begin playing through the speaker while the lyrics scroll across the monitor screen for easy viewing so you and your friends can sing along. The Singing Machine SML385 will automatically highlight the so you never miss a beat.

“There are so many TV shows, movies and talented musicians making it big with YouTube and singing competition shows today,” says Singing Machine CEO Gary Atkinson. “The SML385 is the perfect way to get in on the action. In addition, karaoke is educational.  It teaches lyrics and musical composition.  It helps in voice training and musical creativity.  Karaoke is a uniquely fun way to sing, practice, improvise, record and share your singing with others.”

About Singing Machine

Based in the US, Singing Machine is the North American leader in consumer karaoke products.  We offer the widest line of at-home karaoke entertainment products which allow consumers to find a machine that suits their needs and skill level.  As the most recognized brand in karaoke, Singing Machine has a long history of offering quality products with the latest technology.  We continue to redefine the home entertainment space. The Singing Machine sells its products through major retailers in North America and offers the industry’s best warranty program. For more information on Singing Machine, visit www.singingmachine.com.

Our Thoughts

Everyone loves to sing, you cannot even deny it to yourself. You definitely feel like a pro when you're singing with this machine. Compact but easily portable you can take it with you to your friends house or different rooms in your own house with ease. Great for adults, entertaining, and kids! 

Easily set up, the directions are clear cut  you can't get confused, the buttons are easy to use on the front of the machine. It sounds great, is not hard to get connected to the TV and is totally fun.

My girls, especially my youngest daughter, is constantly running around the house singing all of her favorite songs. This child has a knack for remembering every new song that comes out. Another great thing about this machine is that the lyrics on the screen really help her to learn how to read. She's right at that in between stage of learning and this helps motivate so it's really a FUN learning process too.

Buy yours here and don't forget to check them out on Facebook, and Twitter!

Reviewed by Jackie

Review: Uncle Milton Interactive Toys for Kids

Founded in 1946, Uncle Milton creates, produces and markets proprietary and licensed toys that inspire imagination and learning while encouraging kids to explore and discover their world. The company has branched out and has numerous brands.

Marvel Science has the new Transforming Hulk. This is a fun and interactive. Hulk is locked inside an underwater vault. Add water and wait for the Hulk to break out and grow up to 4 times his size. My son enjoyed this and kept checking to see what changes had been made. 

The directions say it takes 24-48 hours for Hulk to begin to break the chamber. However, the temperature of the water I believe varies this time. We used luke warm water, as per directions, and it took more like 72 hours for the chamber to crack. 

Hulk is supposed to shrink back down so you can grow him again, but after almost two weeks, Hulk is still rather large. Whether Hulk shrinks back down or not, this was a lot of fun for my nine year old, as well as the grown ups.





Fireworks Light Show allows kids to celebrate all year round with their new Wild Whilstin' Fireball. There really isn't too much to this, but it is a lot of fun! Multi-colored lights and fireworks sound effects keeps kids entertained! This was a lot of fun, especially on camping trips to keep occupied once the sun goes down. Engaging and bright, we really enjoyed receiving this to review.

Stay connected with Uncle Milton by visitng Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube

Review: Gold Rush Panning Kit

The Gold Rush panning kit comes with everything needed to pan for gold at home.

Kit includes:

12" gold pan

Glass vial

Snuffer Bottle

1 bag of pay dirt

Certificate of Authenticity

If you've ever watched anything about panning gold, chances are you've wondered how it's done. If you've watched "Gold Rush" on the Discovery Channel with any of your kids, chances are they want to pan for gold. Look no further than this kit guaranteed to have gold, even if the tiniest amount. 

This makes a great gift for the adventurer in your family, no matter their age! Even though this was originally intended for our eight year old son, his father and I enjoyed this just as much. Not knowing when you'll find the gold, or how much you'll find is the name of the game. You'll find yourself on your tip toes anticipating the find.

It even comes with a certificate to authenticate the gold you do find. We think this was a HUGE hit! Added with the fact you can buy more "Pay Dirt" I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll be getting more soon!

Find Gold Rush:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldRush
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gold_Rush

Purchase your own Panning Kit Here

Reviewed by Steph

Review--Loom Magic Is Great fun for Winter Days

Rainbow Looms are the coolest craft on the market! This hot toy is sweeping both boys and girls ages five to fifteen away in a tide of shareable, wearable bracelets, necklaces, and other accessories made from rubber bands. John McCannand Becky Thomas have put together a wide variety of creative projects in this fun and original collection, including:

·         Cell phone Case

·         Watch band Octo bracelet

·         Sports fan keychain

·         Matching barrettes

·         Pencil topper

·         Snowman ornament

Our Thoughts:

Want a great way to keep kids busy and productive? Like crafts, but not the mess? Rainbow Looms make craft time fun! Their new book has twenty-five new rubber band crafts for kids! Kids love making things they can wear or give to other friends, this is a simple solution!

Just about any age can use this and make something to be proud of. My eight year old son, loves rubber bands, so this was a no brainer. My nieces 18, 13, and 7 all had fun looking through the book over the holidays and are anxious to try to make their own crafts! There are so many more crafts you can do simply by going to their website! 

Loads of fun and hours of creativity, Loom Magic is a sure fire way to spend those cold days inside! Even the kid in every adult will find these rubber band project fun!

Find Rainbow Loom:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rainbow-Loom/340822649338519

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RainbowLoom

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/search/?q=rainbowloom

Holiday Gift Guide: Zombie Pets

**This product was received free in exchange for an honest review.**

It's a ZOMBIE Christmas:

A Zombie apocalypse like no other you've seen is descending upon Target stores and Amazon.com as we speak.

Zombie Pets is a new collection of eight adorably undead plush toys and a fun pack.  The collection also includes a free Zombie Pets app, now available via iTunes and Google Play.  Each Pet comes with a unique QR code, which, when scanned, reanimates that Pet within the free app.  The Fun Pack includes stickers, pop-ups and clings plus one power-up coin, which can be used for additional in-app play.

The plush pets are priced really well, at less than $10.

Our Thoughts:

With everything today being about zombies, why wouldn't you pick up one of these Zombie Pets? They are cute, but don't get too close, they are still zombies! Your kids will love them, just as much as mine do!

My 8 year old loves to play games, and what better way to play than with your beloved Zombie Pet? The app is so much fun, and he plays it and takes his stuffed pet everywhere!
Doing a review for this one was a no brainer! You absolutely must have your Zombie Pets before the impending apocalypse! 

Squeaker Bates (Pictured above)  and Rodney Hoppenstein (below) are just two of adorbale yet deadly zombie pets you can choose from! Use them to help Dr. Stan, by completing missions and earning points to banish Boris and rebuild Arcadia and rescue the pets that were kidnapped. Scan the code on your pet to use them in the game!

Want to play? Here's the link! But hurry, before Boris and his evil cronies destroy what's left of Arcadia forever:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bullsitoy.zombiepets

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombie-pets/id685450769?mt=8

Find them on:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/playzombiepets

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PlayZombiePets

Instagram:  http://instagram.com/playzombiepets

Reviewed by Steph

***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were not influenced in any way.***