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Block Party!

Having Fun with Stack Blocks!

One day a fun-loving woman decided she needed a creative outlet from everyday life. Preferring wooden toys over plastic for her nieces and nephews,  she decided to create something that would be educational and everlasting  for children to come! Michelle Swingle created Stack Blocks to spark the minds and imaginations of children while giving parents a long-lasting source for educational fun!  HerEtsy Shop includes Block sets from puzzles and letters to beautifully themed decor sets.

I was sent a beautiful Modern Alice in Wonderland Block Set!

These Blocks are Gorgeous! I received them in a nice drawstring bag that can be used to store them and there were 8 blocks in the set. Each Block is a bit different, including not only pictures but classic quotes from the book. The “modern” look includes both characters from the Lewis Carroll Story Book and the Disney Movie. I really loved the combination of the two, making it appeal to both young and old!

Not only are these Blocks Beautiful,but every consideration has been made to ensure your child’s safety with them. They are made from chemical free wood and nice and durable, making them perfect for little hands play. Each block is 1.5 inches squared, which makes them large enough to avoid any choking hazard and small enough so they’re easy for little hands to grasp! The images are sealed onto the wooden blocks with a safe, non-toxic sealant and the edges of the blocks are hand sanded for safety.  Your child can have their fun and when they are done, you can display them as a wonderful center piece to any room! I give Stack Blocks a big Fairy A+!

If you would like to see more Block Sets from Stack Blocks, check out her Etsy Shop!

Stack Blocks is also pleased to announce that through the end of the year, 50% of proceeds on ALL purchases will go to Children’s Charities!

All of Michelle’s Stack Blocks are made to order and she also does custom Block Sets, if there is something you would like created, convo her in her Etsy Shop!

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Vapamore Primo MR-100 Steam Cleaner

“Primo” , the Italian word for “First”, is the basis of Vapamore’s philosophy. The company prides themselves in producing “The Industry’s Best Steam Cleaners”. The MR-100 Primo is the first steam cleaner of its kind.  They listened to their customers, improved their original design and developed the all new Primo from the ground up.

Vapamore offers two types of Steam Cleaners, the MR-50 Wet-Dry Steam Vacuum, which is a handheld. And the MR-100 Primo, which is their larger steam cleaner. I was able to review the Primo MR-100 in my own home!

A Vapamore Primo MR-100 will run you about $300. This is a bargain compared to other steam cleaners in its same class, such as the Ladybug which is over $1000!  If you or someone in your home are allergy or asthma sufferers, a steam cleaner is a MUST! It will sanitize and de-bug anything you use it on,breaking down dust, grime, soap scum, grease, and dirt. Not to mention it cleans at 210° – 220° F which kills bacteria, mold, fungus, dust mites and even bed bugs! If you are wanting to get rid of those harmful and toxic kitchen and bathroom cleaners, the Primo allows you to effectively and professionally clean your home while creating a safer environment for your family.

As soon as I received the Steam Cleaner I opened it up! It was very well packaged and come with loads of attachments that not even some of the higher priced machines come with! This included, a measuring Cup for the DISTILLED WATER (which you MUST  use when filling the steam cleaner), the Instruction Manual and a Lifetime Warranty! All of Vapamore’s products include this Lifetime Warranty at no extra charge! In order to redeem the Lifetime Warranty though, you need to be sure to keep a copy of the order receipt and send it in the Warranty card for it to be valid. If something happens to the cleaner, simply pay shipping to and from the manufacturer and they will happily fix the issue. Sometimes it just requires them sending you a part.

If you think you may be missing a few items, don’t worry! There is a convenient storage compartment on the machine that contains and stores the brush heads, scrapers, nozzles and cloths for the machine, along with the adapter for using the tools.

When unpacking everything, be sure to unwrap the Blue Cleaning Cloth! Inside you should find the small cotton cover for use on furniture. I looked EVERYWHERE for this little guy! After calling the manufacturer and being called out for NOT watching the tutorial videos on their website, was told that I would find my answer by watching the video. SURE ENOUGH, after watching the intro video on their website I found that the cotton cover was rolled all the way up in the larger blue cleaning cloth. Ironically, this is the most asked question from new buyers!

The First Parts you will see as you unpack the machine is the main machine body, the floor cleaning head, hose, the extensions for the hose and for attaching the brushes, scrapers etc. and the steam gun, which is attached to the hose. There is also a storage bag.

Before I got started, I was told by the manufacturer to makes sure I read all the instructions.  They told me a lot of mistakes can be avoided by going through everything so I made sure to do this before turning on the machine. Here is a list of some of the attachments that came with the machine.

• Mr-100 Steam Cleaner
• Steam Gun And Hose
• Detail Adapter
• Jet Nozzle Tool
• Detail Scraper Tool
• Nylon Grout Brush
• Nylon Medium Duty Brush
• Large Nylon Brush
• Brass Metal Brush
• Fabric Tool Cotton Cover
• Micro Fiber Floor Pad
• Floor Cleaning Head
• Extension Tubes X 3
• Clothes / Fabric Tool
• Smooth Surface Squeegee
• Measuring Cup
• Fill Funnel
• Accessory Storage Bag
• Replacement O-ring Set

I then needed to attach the hose by just plugging it into the machine. I attached two of the extensions and the squeegee tool. (since I was planning on sanitizing my counter tops) I needed to let out the excess steam that had built up in the machine during its warm up by turning the steam dial to the middle setting. I must admit it was hard for me to figure out whether or not I had turned the dial to the right spot since there is no line indicating where you have turned it to. The dial does seem to unscrew from the machine the further you turn it, which I suppose lets you know how high you have it set at. Personally, I think an indicator mark or some kind of marking would make this much easier and I wouldn’t have to guess at what setting it was at.

Once I got it to where I thought it needed to be, I had to hold down the trigger on the steam gun until an even flow of steam came out. This happened after about a min or so of holding down the trigger.

I ran the squeegee up and down my counter top, wiping as I went with a small dish towel I had, since there was a good amount of water accumulation. The Primo was relatively quite compared to what I thought it was going to be and it was very easy to use! I had no problem handling the machine or getting it to glide across my counter. Afterwards I wiped my counter top down again with the towel and stood back in amazement!

The Primo was able to get grime off my counter that I haven’t been able to in months! ( I know this sounds gross, but i think everyone ends up with those stuck on stains that just wont come up no matter how much 409 you use!)

Plus, since the Primo only weighs about 10 lbs, has wheels, and has the long hose and extensions it was easy to get around the kitchen. Not to mention, with steam coming out at about 210-220° F it is definitely killing anything that would be harmful and living on my surfaces. It took me about 10 min to clean my kitchen, including switching out the squeegee for the jet detail nozzle and blasting the nasties off my kitchen sink! Even though I only used it for about 10 min, the Primo can go for an entire hour of steam cleaning before needing to be turned off and refilled. You must turn the Primo off  and let it cool down to refill. This, I suppose is a slight set back but for all the wonderful features the steam cleaner offers along with portability, not to mention price, I think the machine is worth the 20 min wait to allow it to cool down and refill.

The next day I was presented with another steam cleaning opportunity! My 23 month old daughter had decided to extend her creative canvas to our front door and walls so I needed to now remove a whole lot of Crayola from our house! I grabbed the Primo, plugged it in and as soon as it heated up, attached the squeegee with the cotton cover. The Crayon came right off! Lucky for me, since my husband would have really let me have it if he had seen it! The Crayon color did come off onto the cotton cover, but that’s an easy fix since it is totally machine washable!

In about 5 min the scribble was gone and my door and wall were cleaner than ever! Like before, I had to make sure I had a small towel with me to wipe up the access water and to dry off the door  but other than that, it was effortless!

I’m convinced that if you have young kids, a  Vapamore Primo MR-100 is a MUST HAVE!! Besides its easy cleaning abilities, its sanitizing and killing anything that could cause my kids to get sick. You can even use it to kill bed bugs! Just put the cotton cover over the squeegee like I have done here and run it slowly over your mattress! It will ensure you and your family are sleeping and playing in a germ and mite free environment. If you are a pet owner, like we are ( we have a 1.5 year old Black Lab named Captain) it’s the safest way to clean your floors. No chemicals means no harsh toxins on their little paws or getting into their eating or sleeping areas. No more putting them outside for hours on end waiting for it to be safe to have their feet on the floor and no more fumes! Any one with allergies or asthma should also have one of these. It will allow you to make sure the items in your home are free of anything that may cause an attack or spark an arousal of an allergy, especially in the winter months.

As the least expensive steam cleaner in its class, the Vapamore Primo MR-100 certainly stands up against the more expensive steam cleaners with a lot of the same capabilities. The LadyBug 2150 Vapor Steam Cleaner is one of the Primo’s big sisters in the steam cleaning world. Known for their performance and professional cleaning ability, the LadyBug is the Primo’s top contender.  With features like continuous fill (meaning it does not need to be turned off to refill) and finger touch controls it boasts better cleaning ability with its “name brand” . However, with a price tag or $1,049 at it’s cheapest, the LadyBug is not exactly a family friendly appliance.  I know we could definitely never afford to spend that on a steam cleaner or any cleaning appliance for that matter.

The Primo is not only price friendly to consumers of all financial levels, but also in my opinion, outperforms the LadyBug in many ways! Besides it being priced at just $299, and the amount of useful attachments only higher priced steam cleaners come with; the Primo can cut through grease ridden ovens, soap scum filled bath tubs and of course, 23 month old crayon catastrophes! Not to mention the Lifetime Warranty, which the LadyBug does not come with.

All in all I believe this is the best steam cleaner on the market. Vapamore is known for their beyond consumer  friendly customer service and listens to their consumers when creating something meant for them, hence the Primo MR-100. You will be able to jobs for a 1/3 of the cost of the “high-end” steam cleaners and once you get the hang of all the attachments, there is no stopping this machine!  If you are looking to create a safer living environment for you and your family, look no further than the Vapamore Primo MR-100.  A Big Fairy A+!

If you would like more info on the Vapamore Primo MR-100, stop by Vapamore’s Website! They have lots of wonderful video tutorials meant to guide you through every process and are more than willing to answer any questions through their elite customer service.

Drop by their Facebook Page and Blog for Promotions and to keep up to date on the latest from the company!

For Instructional Tutorials on  Vapamore Products, Check out these videos!

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Bargain Bakers- Strawberry Cake Mix and Vanilla

Frosting

Bargain Bakers is the Brain Child of a work at home mom to two little girls.

After her girls received an Easy Bake Oven from their Grandmother, they were eager to bake yummy goodies with their new found toy! But the high prices and so called “wide” selection for refills containing unwanted preservatives and additives was a big turn off for Mom. Thus, Bargain Bakers was born! Offering  homemade, preservative free, mixes for Easy Bake and toaster ovens! She can accommodate those with allergies and non-allergies with her full line of gluten-free mixes, sugar-free mixes, dairy-free mixes, and a wide variety of regular mixes!  All Bargain Baker Baking Mixes come complete with baking instructions, and are each carefully labelled with a full list of ingredients.  Their Packages are vacuum sealed to maintain freshness, without preservatives!

I was sent a few Mixes to try! Two Cake Mixes, Vanilla Frosting, and a Pizza Dough! Each came Vacuum Sealed with lables for both ingredients, instructions and a Best Before Date on the package.  My Daughter and I chose to make the Strawberry Cake with the Vanilla Frosting! We brought out our Easy Bake and warmed it up. The Instructions for the Cake Mix was just to add a few teaspoons of water so that was easy!

We then divided the mix into two greased Easy Bake Cake Pans. It was now time to bake them! We let the Oven heat up for 15 min and set the timer for the first cake to the 15 min baking time that was in the instructions. We needed to bake them each separately since only one pan will fit in the oven at a time.

After the 15 min, we used our Easy Bake Push Tool to push the cake to the cooling part of the oven and let it cool for 10 min. We then pushed the other half of the cake into the oven for it to bake for another 15 min while the other one cooled down. Once the first cake was cool, we took it out of the oven and started to make the frosting!

For the Frosting we only needed to add 3/4 teaspoons of water. We stirred it up so it was a good spreading consistency and waited for our other cake to finish baking! Once the final cake was done baking and cooling we were able to see our little confection coming to life! After many frosting finger tests, we placed a little in the middle of the two cakes to keep them together and then added the rest of the frosting to the outside and top of the cake!

We decided to have a little fun and added some Pezz, Sprinkles and  Hershey Kiss!

With everything complete in the baking process, it was now time to eat! My daughter enjoyed the first taste test, giving her vote of satisfaction with big MMMMmmmmmm!

I Definitely had to agree with her! The Cake was nice and moist and we loved the Strawberry Flavor!  The frosting was equally yummy, so much so, I was surprised we still had enough to frost the cake between all of  our taste tests!

I think Bargain Bakers is a wonderful idea and certainly more affordable than buying the more expensive Easy Bake Name Brand refills! I Love that she offers  lines of mixes for both kids and adults with options to those with allergies to certain things as well! The No preservatives is also great, since I like knowing what I’m giving my babies is all natural and doesn’t have anything harmful added into it. All in All Claire and I had a great Bargain Bakers Experience and I Highly recommend them for all your mini baking need! A Big Fairy A+!!

If you would like to see all the mixes and products available from Bargain Bakers, Check out their Facebook Page and theirWebsite!

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Rebecca’s Whims, Herby Doll

Rebecca’s Whims  is the Creation of Rebecca Fitkin, a stay at home Mother of 4 Young Children. Her Etsy Shop offers Beautifully Hand Made Jewelry, Art and Other Items inspired by her son, Henry, who happens to have Cerebral Palsy.  All the proceeds from Rebecca’s Whims go towards caring for Henry, including his therapy, medical care and equipment.

I was sent an Herby Doll from Rebecca’s Whims. The Herby Doll is a Hand Made Flannel Doll  filled with Flaxseed, Lavender Flowers and Spearmint Essential oils. The Dolls are ment to be either heated or chilled for relieving ailments such as when a child gets a bump, scrape,  sore throat, or even an earache!

When i received my Herby Doll, it was nicely wrapped in a sealed Plastic Bag and came with easy to read instructions as well as a business card and a Cerebral Palsy Awareness Card, informing me about Henry’s Heros.

My First impression of the Doll outside of the Packaging was, WOW!! This Doll Smells AWESOME!! And it does! The Lavender Flowers and Spearmint Oils really shine through the doll but not at an over powering rate, which is very nice. The Doll is soft and well stitched, making me feel confident that I won’t have to worry about the little guy coming undone. The Instructions for use were very easy to understand and written on a separate sheet of Paper that came with the Doll.

The first test of the Herby Doll  I did, was place it in the Microwave.

The Instructions were specific about only heating it in 30 Sec increments. I found that only after 20 Sec, the doll was a nice warm temperature and not at all too hot for my 22 month old daughter.  The Herby Doll retained the heat Very well! I was surprised at how long it stayed warm, lasting up to an hour! I’m sure if I had let it go the full 30 Sec it would have lasted longer.  While warm, the soothing Lavender and Spearmint Fragances are very relaxing, especially if you rest the doll behind your head, acting as an aromatherapy pillow! The Doll is nice and soft and the seeds inside did not bother me at all while I had it placed behind my neck. I actually fell asleep while testing it out!

After the Herby Doll had cooled down, I placed in a ziplock bag and placed it in the freezer for it to become cold. The Instructions say, for the Herby Doll to act as a good Freezer Pack, to let it sit in the Freezer for about 4 Hrs. I checked mine at about 3 Hrs and it was already very cold.

What was nice about the Flannel Material though, was that i was able to get the nice cold feeling from the chilled insides but not feel like my skin is freezing off. The chilled Herby Doll lasted about 2.5 Hrs before I really started to notice the cold going away. Once I was done with the Doll, I placed it in a Ziplock Bag with the instructions and sucked the air out to make sure he was kept fresh for next time. (This is also recommended in the instructions)

After testing the Herby Doll out, I have to say I think it is a wonderful little product! It’s perfect for soothing those daily bumps and bruises children acquire and great for mom as well as either a soothing or relaxing tool!  The Herby Doll is well made and since he contains all Natural ingredients he is great for the environment.  I give the Herby Doll from Rebecca’s Whims a Big Fairy A+!

**If you happen to be allergic to Lavender or Mint, I do not recommend this product since it contains Lavender Flowers and Essential Oils that could possibly spark a reaction.

If you would like to purchase an Herby Doll or check out the other wonderful products Rebecca offers, stop by her Etsy Shop, Rebecca’s Whims!

For deals and special discounts, follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

Rebecca also has a Blog and Facebook Page dedicated to documenting her son, Henry’s Progress and bringing hope to a community of others who may be going through the same life experiences. To visit her Blog, Check out Henry’s Heros and visit Henry’s Heros on Facebook. Henry welcomes all donations and well wishes others have to offer.

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Holsom Heart Designs, Bucket Bag and Upcycled

Shoulder Bag

Holsom Heart Designs is the Heart and Soul of Owner Kathy Hoelzlhammer.  After being a Stay at home to 4 children, now in their 20’s, she has decided to make a living doing what she has for so long loved.  Her shop, Holsom Heart Designs offers Unique, One of  a kind designs in Clothing, Purses and Bags and Art Work done by her eldest Daughter.  With the Products Being made from new and upcycled/repurposed materials. While styles may be the same, no two items are ever exactly the same.

She has many styles of  Purses and Bags that she creates out of upholstery scraps. She sent me two styles of her Bags to review a Bucket Bag and an Upcycled Shoulder Bag.

They both arrived Very nicely packed with a sweet thank you not attached. My first reaction to the bags once I pulled them out of the packing was, WOW! These bags looked like something you would find in an upscale Boutique! I was very impressed with detail and the stitching of the two bags. They each had a hand-made tag attached to them stating which kind of Bag it was, the purpose for the bag, the price, and some other snip-its of info she had included. What I found Very Interesting was that on the back of each tag there was a statement saying that a certain percentage of each sale of the bags is donated to WorldWide Heart to Heart Children’s Village. I thought this was incredibly generous, especially since 50% of the Bucket Bag Purchase went towards the Charity, Which means at $30 a Bucket Bag, she is only making $15.

The Inside of the Bucket Bag was nicely lined and very deep! Great for taking shopping or using as a beach bag or for a picnic, anything where you need to take a good amount of things with you!

To try to show you the size of the bag, i stood a Hand Sanitizer Bottle I had next to it. As you can see the bag is quite tall!

Each Bag has a Hand Made Tag attached to it, telling you the kind of bag, price and what the bag is intended for, if anything specific.

The Bucket Bag is intended as a Shopping Companion! Helping you save some money on bagging and help the Earth through recycling by using this bag to shop with instead of a Paper or Plastic option at the check out. Although it has many more uses! Since it’s so nice and tall, it’s great for carrying Books to and from a Class, or taking the kids and all their toys to the park!

I decided to test out the durability of the bag and took it shopping with me. I was surprised to see how much it held! I packed about 10 things in the bag, including a cereal box and a few glass jarred items. Since the Bag is nice and Thick from the Upholstery it makes it safe when carrying breakable items like the glass jars.

The only thing that I found to be an issue was it seemed that the Straps or Handles, which ever you prefer to call them, were a bit too short. I could easily carry the bag with my hand, but the short handles made it a  hard for me to put on my shoulder, in fact I couldn’t do it at all. The straps would have been great if they were moved up a bit on the bag instead of starting so far down. However, maybe it was not meant to be carried on a shoulder, which would explain the short handles, although it would be convenient if it could be!

The Other Bag I was given was an Upcycled Shoulder Bag. This one is more functional as purse and is much smaller then the Bucket Bag.

This bag has a nice long Strap, great for shoulder wearing or across the shoulder wearing like a Messenger Bag. It has a Button Closure, which i liked since it kept the flap of the purse from coming undone. Personally I am a Zipper person, BUT the button was MUCH harder for my 22 Month Old to figure out how to open so that was NICE! 🙂 She eventually found that she could get in through the sides of the flap but it certainly took her a while! She is a master at zippers now so this tripped her up a bit!

The Inside of the Upcycled Shoulder Bag was beautifully lined with Purple and Gold iridescent Material and has 2 open  pockets on the inside for holding things like a phone or other must haves.

I stood this bag next to the same Hand Sanitizer Bottle to show a size comparison. It is a nice size for a shoulder bag and the inside is very roomy, allowing for lots of items. The Upholstery outside is thick and strong leading me to think it would take a lot to rip this bag or harm any way other than a stain.

Again the Stitching and overall detail of the bag was very nice and done very well. There were no spots that I saw that would lead me to thinking the stitching, strap or button would fail and come apart or fall off. As with the Bucket Bag, this too had its own Hand Made Tag stating the type of Bag it was, the Price and the intent of the bag, along with how much of the purchase price was donated to the WorldWide Heart to Heart Charity on the back.

All in all I think Both Bags are well made, and certainly serve a purpose. The Bucket Bag was VERY Handy when shopping for groceries and the Upcycled Shoulder Bag is a beautifully hand crafted purse, sure to turn heads!  The only thing I found I wasn’t too keen on was the shortness of the straps for the Bucket Bag, so for that I must give the Bucket Bag from Holsom Heart Designs a A, instead of an A+. The Upcycled Shoulder Bag, however receives an A+ for functionality, appeal, and overall ease of use of the bag!

I’d like to thank Holsom Heart Designs for allowing me to test out and review their beautiful bags!

If you would like to see more wonderfully Hand Crafted Products from Holsom Heart Designs, Check out their Website HERE! for easy ordering.

You can also follow Kathy of Holsom Heart Designs and her Creations on Facebook for Special Discounts and Announcements! Click Here for her Facebook Page!  She is currently holding a Christmas in July Sale with a 25% discount on EVERYTHING! Use code JULY25 at check out on her website.

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Pink Spa, Aquatico Salt Scrub

Pink Spa is a Company created by everyday women offering Bath and Body Products through Consultants around the country. Regina Bell, Pink Spa Rep was kind enough to allow me to try one of their revered products, the Aquatico Salt Scrub!

When I received the package it was nicely wrapped in a Pink Spa Bag, covered in Pink Tissue paper.

I opened the bag to find the Aquatico Salt Scrub along with a sample of one of their Body Lotions. Of course the first thing i did was open the Scrub and the lotion to see what they smelled like. The Aquatico Salt Scrub, smelled AMAZING!!! It has this suuuuper clean scent to it that kind of resembles curve for men mixed with a more womanly clean undertone. I absolutely LOVE it! So that right there was major Fairy Points! 🙂 The Sample Lotion also smelled very nice. It was a scent called Pink Love which kind of resembled Victoria’s Secret Love Spell.

The Salt Scrub comes in a 4 oz  clear, plastic square container with a thick round twist top. The Ingredients are listed on the lid along with the name of the product. The Sample Lotion came in a 1 oz plastic bottle with the scent name, Pink Love printed on the label so I could know which one I was trying. When I opened the Aquatico Salt Scrub it was well protected with a protection seal keeping the Scrub fresh and the scent intact.

After opening the seal and looking at the Scrub itself, it seemed a bit separated and watery on top and looked a bit dried out in other spots. I swirled it around with my finger which brought it back to the consistency it should have. The scent is amazing, I truly love it. And I couldn’t wait to try it out in the shower!! So guess what I did! 🙂

Since the Aquatico Salt Scrub is in a twist off top container, having wet hands in the shower makes it a little hard to keep a hold of, so I would recommend taking the top off before getting wet and placing it somewhere it can’t get wet since you don’t want it getting drowned with water.  I took a good scoop of the Scrub and rubbed on my skin and it definitely made me feel like I was getting good exfoliation but wasn’t scrapping my skin off. You can immediately smell the scent throughout the bathroom which I loved.  The Scrub rinsed off easily, however in the shower, my skin sort of felt like the scrub had left a residue on my skin which I was a bit weary of.  After drying myself off, the residue feeling seemed to go away and my skin was left feeling very soft and smooth along with smelling great! My skin still smelled wonderful the next morning when i woke up, about 10 hrs after taking my shower!! All in all i have to say that the Aquatico Salt Scrub from Pink Spa is a great product and I encourage everyone to try it!!  Because of the slight residue feeling in the shower however, I give this product a A instead of an A+… still a great rating!

If you would like to try any Pink Spa Products, would like any samples, or have questions about Pink Spa Products or becoming a Pink Spa Rep, contact Regina Bell, Pink Spa Rep through her Facebook Page – Pink Spa By Gina

Her website- http://reginabell.pinkspaparty.com/

Or email her directly at - reginabell@pinkspaparty.com

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Absewlutely Adorable Custom Wipes Case

Absewlutely Adorable is a Boutique Shop Specializing in Handmade and Personalized Baby and Children Items. I was sent one of their Personalized Wipes Cases to review and can happily report that I Absewlutely love it!  They custom embroidered my son’s name, William, onto the top of the case and the Material used on the case seems to be of high quality, with a soft feel to it.  The fabric is firmly attached to the Wipes Case so I don’t feel worried that it may come off. It seems that there must be a few layers of the material or a lining was put between the plastic case and the fabric which gives it a more durable feel.

The sides of the Wipes Case we nicely lined with a matching blue satin ribbon giving it a nice uniformed look while also hiding the white plastic of the case underneath.

When I opened the Wipes Case for the first time I noticed it came with some wipes already added, which was a pleasant surprise I must say!

The type of wipes case used is a travel case from Huggies.  Without the fabric on it, the case has a pull tab opening that allows you to pull a wipe threw it. Since the fabric is covering that opening, the case must be opened completely to remove a wipe. Although this isn’t a big problem, it does make it a little hard sometimes to remove a wipe with one hand  while there may be other wipes sticking to it underneath, all while your holding up 2 little baby legs and changing a diaper.

Other than that, I could not find one thing to complain about with this baby product. It certainly has come in handy and is nice that it fits in such small places. I’ve even thrown a diaper in a ziplock and placed it inside as a make-shift changing kit so I wouldn’t have to lug around my ginormous diaper bag! 🙂 I get comments on it everyday and it is, in my opinion, a perfect baby gift! I give the Absewlutely Adorable Custom Wipes Case a Big Fairy A+!

If you would like to purchase your own Custom Wipes Case or see the other wonderful Baby and Children’s Products from Absewlutely Adorable, you can do so on their FaceBook Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Absewlutely-Adorable/160531577290255

Absewlutely Adorable is also a Featured Shop on Link Fairy for the month of June! Stop by the Featured Shop section of my blog or check out their Featured Shop Album in my photos on Facebook to see more of their great products! - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.220862774599466.63947.211596728859404

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ViSalus Sciences Vi-Shape, Nutritional Shake Mix

ViSalus Sciences is a company that offers  Health and Wellness Products. They Pride themselves in being committed to offering the highest quality, cutting-edge health and wellness products, delivered with the assurance to uphold maximum safety and quality standards.  They offer products to enhance your work out, help with weight management and just general wellness.

I was given a box of their Vi-Shape, Nutritional Shake Mix to review by Brisa Lumbreras, ViSalus Independent Consultant. The Vi-Shape Nutritional Shakes are part of the Weight Management Product Line from ViSalus Sciences. The shakes are supposed to work as either a meal replacement or metabolism booster while suppressing your appetite. The Shakes are also Gluten and Lactose Free, making them able to be used by a much larger market.

When my package arrived it was well packed and came in a box containing 15 drink mix packets in the Sweet Cream Flavor.

There are a few different directions for mixing the shake. One serving suggestion is  to mix the Shake Mix with 8-12 oz of Non-fat Milk or Soy Milk for a meal replacement. The package also suggests mixing in your favorite fruit, powdered coffee cocoa or ice to thicken the drink. Another Serving suggestion is to mix the Shake Mix with 8-12 oz of water for a snack, acting as a metabolism booster. They also say they can be used for children under 12. For this you need to mix 1/2 the shake packet with 4-8 oz of Non-fat Milk or Soy Milk. This, however, is not recommended for children under 4.

I Mixed the drink first with water to see how that would taste. I used a Blender Bottle I have to mix the shake. This is a bottle that has a metal wire whisk ball in it to help dissolve and mix up it’s contents. I must say that after opening the packet, the shake powder smelled like cupcakes. 🙂  After adding the mix to the water, I found that the powder dissolved pretty well, but after shaking for a good minute or two I still had a good amount of little powder chunks in the water.

I tried the water shake mixture and was pleasantly surprised!  I’ve had my share of meal replacement shakes and such and normally they tend to fall flat of their taste description, tasting dull, fake and chalky. This was not that at all! To my surprise, I quite enjoyed it! The Sweet Cream Flavor tasted like a mix between vanilla cupcakes and vanilla ice cream!  I also tried it with the Non-fat Milk as suggested and it was even better!  Lastly I tried it in the blender with some ice and milk. This was my favorite  combination since it mostly resembled a milk shake. It definitely would have been good with some fruit mixed into it, which I didn’t have at the time.

I was not able to try the shake out with my daughter since she is under the 4-year-old mark and it’s not suitable for children under 4.  I was also not able to test these shakes over a long period of time to see if they help at all in achieving weight loss; however after drinking one shake, my appetite was suppressed for a good 3-4 hours. All in all I give the taste and versatility of the Vi-Shape Shake Mix a Big Fairy A!

If you would like to purchase the ViSalus Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix or other ViSalus Products, or just have questions, you can contact Brisa Lumbreras, Independent ViSalus Consultant by going here, to her FaceBook Page!  ViSalus Hot Body-  http://www.facebook.com/vihotbody

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Scentsy Full-Size Warmer and Plug-In Review

For those of you who don’t know what Scentsy is, Scentsy is a  popular, up and coming Wick-less Candle company. They offer flame-less “candles” that are supposed to be a better alternative to flame driven candles. They are supposed to last longer and be a safer option for families with children and pets since there is no fire involved and the wax won’t heat up to an un-safe temperature.  Well I decided to put it to the test! Here is my opinion on one of their Full-Size Warmers and Plug in Warmers.

When I received the package, the Scentsy Consultant had sent me a large warmer, a plug-in warmer, a grab tab for the plug-in, two samples of two different scents and a bar of Luna.

The warmer is ceramic and the top dish comes off  for easy removal of the wax. The Directions are easy enough, pop out a chunk of the bar in whatever scent you are wanting to use and place it in the dish. Plug in the warmer and switch it on!

After plugging in the warmer, it took about 15 min. before the wax was melted, however within about 5 min I was already smelling the scent throughout the first floor of my home. I really like this one! It’s one of the samples I was given and it’s called Flutter. It has a soft sugar scent to it with hints of fruit. It totally smells like a pink Starburst in my house! I love it! 🙂

After about 20 min I could smell the Scent through out my two-story home and even down the basement steps! It’s not overwhelming at all and I like that also. The scent is present but it’s not choking me out. 🙂

About 10 min after turning off the warmer, I was able to remove the wax by just letting it harden a bit till it was pliable and then I could peel it out with my fingers and not get the wax anywhere. I was also told by my Scentsy Consultant that if the wax still had a good amount of scent to it and i wanted to re-use it, I could just pour the liquid wax back into the plastic pack and it would reshape into the chunk form for me to use later. I used one of the sample chunks she sent me though so i wasn’t able to do that with this one. She also informed me that one Scentsy Bar has over 80 hrs of scent which is more than one large Yankee Candle which has about 60!

SCENTSY PLUG-IN WARMER-

The next day I  decided to try out the Plug-in Warmer.  it came in three parts, the ceramic warmer piece, the electric plug-in part, and the light bulb.  It was very easy to put together. Just screw in the light bulb and the ceramic warmer part just twists right on. It seemed nice and sturdy so i wasn’t worried about it being knocked on accident and wax coming out and also has an easy on/off toggle switch.

I Plugged it into a socket in my bathroom and put it to work! I used the other sample chunk of Havana Cabana that I was given for this warmer.

The Plug-in gives off a nice glow of soft light, which would be perfect for a little sweet-smelling night-light in a child’s room. I also like that they would work well as something to keep on at night so you’re not totally in the dark for those night-time bathroom runs!  Again, the wax started melting in about 15 min but I was able to smell the scent within 5. It was even filling my living room with the scent! After 20 min it was completely melted.

To remove the wax from the Plug-Ins, Scentsy offers Grab Tabs to help get it out. I was also given one of these to try. The Grab tab came attached to its instructions, telling me to punch it out, lightly bend the two ends so that they will rest on the sides of the plug-in and place it in the wax before just as I turn off the plug-in.

The Grab Tab after being placed in the liquid wax
The instructions for the Grab Tab said to allow the wax to harden for a bit and then pull the tab out by the sides sticking out of the dish. So i waited about 25 min…

I Pulled out the Grab Tab and this is what happened.  Perhaps The wax needed to be a bit harder, but I didn’t think it would come out at all if I waited any longer. Obviously, I don’t think the Grab Tabs work very well.. hehe.. But they are a great idea that just needs to be improved upon a bit. I think one problem is that the round, bottom part of the Grab Tab is smaller than the base part of the warmer where the wax is. Maybe if this covered more area it would lift out more of the wax.  I was able to get the wax out by letting it get to the pliable stage and peeling it out with my hands, like I did with the Large Warmer.

All in all I think Scentsy is a wonderful product! Having little ones, I really like that it doesn’t involve fire and that the wax is safe enough for any Oopsies that may happen. I think the Plug-In’s are great for the bathroom and even small rooms as both a little light and a way to scent your space.  I also like that it is significantly cheaper than going to a store such as Yankee Candle. The biggest expense you have is the warmer, which is a one time buy. The Bars are only $5 and they also offer Bricks which is a much larger version of a bar for $18. The warmers and plug-ins come in an array of themes and designs, including ones that you can decorate yourself with purchasable vinyl decals. Scentsy also offers Room Sprays, Scent Circles, (which are like a car air freshener) Travel Tins, Fragrance Foam, Scentsy Buddies ( a super cute stuffed animal) and Scent Paks!

If you would like to order anything or have any questions, Contact Laura Burke, Star Consultant on her webpage- https://kickingthewicks.scentsy.us/Home and her Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/KickingtheWicks?sk=wall

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zCush Infant Support Mat Review

Welcome to my first Official product review! The zCush Infant Support Mat!  The zCush Infant Support Mat is made to provide support and comfort for your infant while allowing other’s the ability to hold, feed or just enjoy your baby while giving you the added security of knowing they are just as safe as being in your own arms. I tried out the Mat for a week and here is my personal experience with the product!

My zCush arrived at my door in an oblong box and was nicely packaged to avoid anything happening to the product. Once I opened the box, the Mat was in a plastic, zippered bag, which also would come in handy for transporting your mat since it also has straps on the bag for carrying

Once I opened the package, the zCush was easy to remove and there was nothing to put together since the cover was already on the product.  They have many covers to choose from, I was sent the Blue one with the bear on which is very cute! And since my Product Tester is my 2 month old son, it was perfect!

The First thing I notices once I removed the zcush from the packaging was how soft it was. I was honestly surprised. From the description of an “Infant Support Mat” i was thinking something with a hard surface for them to lay on, but the zcush wasn’t like that at all. It was more like somewhere between a thin pillow and a mattress. You can feel that there is material in the there to make it soft but to also allow for support, so I was glad to see that my son wouldn’t be laying on something hard and uncomfortable.

I laid the zCush on my couch and got ready for it’s first test run! I noticed there was a pouch like spot for the baby, which was nice since it seemed to kind of double as a blanket. There are 2 zippers, one on the right side and one on the bottom of the mat to allow you to zip your baby into the mat with out having to shove them in it which is nice!

Next step was to place my little one in the zCush!

I must say that with the small zippers I was afraid of them getting caught easily but that didn’t happen at all. It was very easy to zip up around him and there was more then enough room for him to move around and kick his little legs.  I felt very safe having him next to me on the couch in the zcush and he seemed to be very content lying in it!

My 20 month old daughter was now, of course, very interested in this new item and kept trying to pull it towards the end of the couch where she was sitting with her brother in it. So, instead, I had her hold her little brother while using the zCush to help her hold him.

She loved being able to hold Will and I was totally confident that he would be alright. I was able to rest him in the zCush on her lap and he was perfectly supported and had a happy Big Sister. This is definitely a great product for allowing other to hold your child if your worried about them doing it incorrectly.  Will was able to stay flat and comfortable and Claire was able to hold her brother with out any direction or me worrying about him getting the right head support.

Over the course of the week we used this everyday for multiple hours.  From just hanging out on the couch, to feeding, to tummy time and letting Claire hold her little brother.

Feeding was alright, I found it a little hard to hold him in the zcush and bottle feed him at the same time since there is so much extra room in the pouch area he was sliding down into one side while I was holding him. Breast feeding I’m assuming would not be easy either, although I don’t think you would need to use this to help with breast feeding.  With the bottle, it worked fine if I was holding him flat on my lap but couldn’t hold him crooked in my arms with out the sliding affect happening.

As for sleeping, He absolutely loved it! It does seem like a very comfortable little make shift bed.  I wouldn’t mind bring this instead of a pack and play to the in-laws for naps, since its  small and portable and keeps him in one place.

We also used the zCush for Tummy Time and this worked well also.  The Cover is fully removable and washable as well. Which is nice considering all the spit ups and pee pee accidents I’m sure will come. All in all I think this is a wonderful, worth-while product! I was very pleased with the way it performed during my everyday use of it and through my daughter playing with it with her baby doll as well. 🙂 I give the zCush a Big Fairy A+!

If you would like to order a zCush Infant Support Mat, you can do so on  their website, http://www.zcush.com/