LaShue Jewelry

Sarah, from LaShue Jewelry recently contacted me to offer me a free item from her store in exchange for a review.  I selected these beautiful Once Upon a Star Earrings.

The earrings are truly beautiful and Mike even commented that they sparkle like real diamonds.  Now, I just have to convince him to take me someplace fancy enough that warrants earrings with this much sparkle! :)

Click over to LaShue Jewelry and take a peek at all of the beautiful items Sarah has for sale.

Winners in the AR Pillow giveaway are: Katherine won the infant AR Pillow, karrykinsley76 won the adult AR Pillow, Trixx won the elevated changing pad, and Beth won the infant nurser.  Congratulations!

AR Pillow

Recently, I was searching for a way to transition Clara and Anna from sleeping in their carseats to sleeping in their crib. They slept in their carseats for three months due to reflux. Both girls would just scream and scream if placed in their cribs on their backs. Desperate for sleep, Mike and I gave in and let them sleep in their carseats, which was definitely not a good long-term solution...

While researching on the Internet for possible solutions I found AR Pillow. I quickly contacted the company and was thrilled when they agreed to send a pillow for us to review. They also sent along one of their elevated changing pads as well.

Anna says, "Mom, quit taking pictures, I'm trying to sleep!"  Notice the green pillow cover.  The AR Pillow comes with this case to protect the pillow.  You can just remove the case for washing.

We setup the pillow in Anna's crib and she took a nap on it that afternoon. The transition was easy because she was still propped (which is why the carseat was so effective) and didn't have the reflux issues that made her scream. I was thrilled. We ordered another AR Pillow for Clara soon after and she has transitioned easily as well.

The AR Pillow attaches to the crib rails using velcro side pieces. After you place the baby on the wedge, you then velcro them on to the pillow around their tummy and then a harness type feature goes between their legs and velcros to each side. This is for safety reasons to keep the baby from slipping down on the pillow or becoming wedged between the pillow and the crib.

This isn't the best picture of Clara -- she was trying to sleep too!  However, you can see the white band around one of the crib rails.  That is the velcro side piece that secures the pillow to the crib. 

We've had great success with the AR Pillow and I highly recommend it to other parents who are dealing with reflux issues and/or trying to transition their children from sleeping in their carseat to the crib.

AR Pillow has graciously agreed to giveaway a nurser, changing station, AR Infant Pillow, and AR adult/child wedge to four lucky Sticky Feet readers.  All you need to do is click over to the AR Pillow website and select which of the three products you would like to win.  Leave the name of the product in a comment and include a way for me to contact you.  That's it!

Winner will be selected via Random.org on January 31!

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Congratulations to TylerPants and Tina who won the Playmobil giveaway!

Playmobil

Bo opens a new Playmobil playset on Christmas morning.

Playmobil sent Bo this amazing Drivers in Tropical Reef playset. We wrapped it up and said it was from Santa. :)

All of Playmobil's toys are perfect for budding imaginations. It's phenomenal to see the thought process and innovative ideas that Bo experiences with these toys. His first thought when he opened this set on Christmas morning, "Nemo fish." And no, I haven't been able to convince him to watch the movie.

I highly recommend all of Playmobil's playsets for your toddler. However, do take caution if you have smaller siblings in the house. Many of the pieces are quite small. I think we'll be putting this set away for a little while as soon as the girls are on the move!

Playmobil is giving away a nautical expedition playset to two lucky Sticky Feet readers! Simply click over to the Playmobil site and select which playset you think your little one would like best and leave the name in the comments, as well as a way for me to contact you.

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The winner will be selected via Random.org on January 25!

GumDrop Swap

I recently had the opportunity to test drive a new type of consignment shop for children's clothing - GumDrop Swap. Heaven knows, we're going through clothes like crazy right now at Chez Sticky Feet as the girls seem to grow out of their clothes overnight! I jumped at the chance to trade in some of Bo and the girls' old clothing for new clothing in their current sizes.

GumDrop Swap is an innovative idea that redefines consignment shopping. Becoming a member allows you to send a box of gently used clothing to swap for new-to-you apparel in your child's current size. No hassle. No paying multiple eBay shipping fees. You just send the box and then select what items you would like and receive a another box full of clothing in new sizes.

Overall, I was happy with my first GumDrop Swap and I do plan to participate in the service again. I was able to exchange all of the girls newborn apparel and many of Bo's outfits that he has outgrown and that I don't think the girls will wear for GumDrops. I just printed off the checklist and packed it all in a large box. (Note: it is more economical to swap a large box of clothing at once to save on shipping costs). I sent a very large box and the shipping cost was just over $14. I earned over 200 GumDrops for the items I sent and then selected from the list of items online in larger sizes for my little ones.

Approximately a week later, I received a large box from GumDrop Swap and it felt like Christmas morning all over again as I opened the box and anticipated what surprises were inside. Some of the clothing wasn't to my taste (I'm not big on frills, lace, etc. but you can be more specific if there are items you do not want to receive. I'll do that next time.) but all of the clothing was good quality and in excellent condition. At least ten of the pieces I received were brand new with tags!

Currently, a one month membership to GumDrop Swap is only $4.99. I highly suggest that you give it a try if you have clothing in your house that your children have outgrown and you're not saving for other children. My girls may actually get to wear a few pink sleepers instead of all of the baseball themed and blue clothing that they have been wearing thanks to GumDrop Swap!

Congratulations to Tara who won the FlyDuds Giveaway!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Congratulations to Mrs. Hope who won the Emery Lin Handbag!

Also, the FlyDuds giveaway has been extended due to the FlyDuds store being on vacation. Click over and check it out!!

FlyDuds Personalized Tee Review and Giveaway *EXTENDED*

Bo, Katie, and Anna pose for a quick picture on the morning of Bo's birthday.

If you're a Sticky Feet reader then you've already seen pictures from Bo's birthday where he is sporting his adorable #2 tee. Many readers commented asking where the shirt is from and I told you about the great Etsy store FlyDuds on the main blog.

"Bo's birthday shirt (seen in this post and this post) is from a great store I discovered on Etsy called FlyDuds. Everything is very reasonably priced, adorable, and really good quality. I highly recommend them. (And no, nothing was given to me in exchange for this endorsement.) I think Bo and the girls will end up receiving several shirts from their store as time passes!"

After so many comments and a high amount of interest in the shirt, I contacted FlyDuds and they have agreed to giveaway a personalized tee to one lucky reader!

If you are interested in winning a personalized tee for a little one in your life, all you have to do is click over to FlyDuds and pick out what you would like. Leave the tee name, personalization, color, and size in a comment on this post, as well as a way for me to contact you if you win!

Winner will be selected via Random.org on December 10! (This giveaway has been extended to run through December 20 due to the FlyDuds store being on vacation!)

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Emery Lin Handbag Review and Giveaway!

Recently, I've begun stalking a new website. Etsy! I've only made a few purchases but the items I've received have been amazing. I was recently introduced to Foster Kade Designs on Etsy and this beautiful Emery Lin Handbag.

I have the bag pictured, but these photographs are from the Foster Kade Etsy store as Angie's photographs were much better than mine and I want to highlight the craftsmanship of this adorable wristlet.
Many of you probably remember the great purse snatching of 2008 and even though this was over a year ago, I still have not recovered from the horror of that trauma. I did purchase a Coach wristlet to carry my credit cards, license, and hold my keys, but I still haven't invested in a new purse for a variety of reasons. Namely, cost of the type of purse I want and lack of ability to carry a purse these days. 99% of the time I am leaving the house with at least one child and therefore carrying the diaper bag.
This handbag/wristlet has been the perfect solution for me. When I am going somewhere alone I can just grab this out of the diaper bag. If I'm going somewhere with the kids, it fits perfectly and contains all of my essentials. It actually holds quite a bit -- I have my Coach wristlet, keys, 2 rolls of breathsavers, my Blackberry, and a hairbrush with a ponytail holder, a small tube of anti-bacterial lotion, and sunglasses and it all fits easily.

Surprisingly, my favorite part of the bag isn't how perfect it is -- it's actually the story behind the bag! Angie is selling these bags on Etsy to raise money to adopt their daughter from China. She will be named Emery Lin and these bags were named as a special tribute in her honor. Nothing hits closer to home than someone who can relate to many of the issues that we deal with every day in the ALI (adoption, loss, infertility) blogosphere.

From a conversation with Angie,

"We are adopting our daughter from China. My husband and I have spent a lot of time there as English teachers...even living there for a short time when I was pregnant with our first son, Foster. I volunteered in an orphanage and fell in love with the many children waiting for homes. I can't wait to be able to bring my sweet little girl, my Emery Lin, home to her family - I wish it was tomorrow :) We are still in the paperwork/saving funds stage. I am hoping to get our homestudy underway next month. Our two boys are already talking about their sister and how God will bring her from far away to our family."

Angie's also a blogger too! Check out her blog "Blogging Comes Naturally. Cleaning Does Not." :)

Angie has agreed to giveaway one of her precious Emery Lin bags to one lucky reader! All you have to do is head over to Foster Kade Designs Etsy store and pick out which Emery Lin bag you like best (there are tons of different materials available). Then just leave a comment on this post telling me which material you like as well contact information for if you win!

Winner will be chosen via Random.org on December 10.

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