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“Treat” Yourself with The Swiss Colony Cupcakes {Giveaway}

December 8, 2011 By 235 Comments

With the holiday season well under way, how are you doing on that shopping list?  Can you believe that I haven’t even made my list yet? Fortunately, my entire family lives here in New Orleans, so I don’t have to worry about getting gifts in the mail for Christmas delivery, but I bet many of you will be frantically making your way to the Post Office in the next few days.

To be honest, shopping online has saved my sanity (I don’t have the patience for crowded department stores) and I was so excited to try another fabulous online retailer, The Swiss Colony.  For 85 years, they have continued to deliver high quality cheese, pastries, sausage and gift items to their valued customers.  During the holidays, they offer some delicious gifts to suit just about anyone on your shopping list.

I had the opportunity to try the Holiday Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes from The Swiss Colony.  What’s not to love about cupcakes that arrive on your doorstep, right?  I am happy to report that the cupcakes arrived in tact (they were packaged well for shipping) and were very tasty.  For just $16.95, you receive 12 mini cupcakes packaged in a pretty red box.  It would also make a fun hostess gift for holiday parties!  Some other great items are the Snowman Truffles andBreakfast Petits Fours! In fact, if you order a box of 72 petit fours, The Swiss Colony will donate a Gingerbread House to a child in a hospital in your region.

GIVEAWAY

One reader will win the Holiday Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes!

How to enter:

1. Visit The Swiss Colony and tell me another product you would love to try.

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @TheSwissColony on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook and The Swiss Colony on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 17th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

I received this item free of charge from The Swiss Colony.  No monetary compensation was received or offered, nor was I under any obligation to write about this product.  All opinions expressed are my honest thoughts.  I am not offering any sales or taking orders for this item.  I will not receive any compensation in connection with any sales of this item.
Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: , , ,

Dress Up Your Doll for the Holidays! {Giveaway}

December 7, 2011 By 147 Comments

My daughters are surrounded with electronics these days.  Between the iPad, Leapster, Nintendo DS and Wii, my girls have the opportunity to be “plugged in” for both educational and interactive play.  That being said, the majority of their time is actually spent in imaginative play with their wooden kitchen, playsets, dress up costumes and baby dolls.

They love to dress up their dolls for bedtime, dance classes, school and even playdates with each other.  And now that the holidays are upon us (where did the time go?), the dolls must be festively dressed.  If you have a child that loves to dress up her babies, too, you have to check out the selection at Constructive Playthings!

My daughters were excited to receive the Modern Christmas Collection which included three outfits for an 18″ doll.  The set includes candy cane pajama tee shirt, plaid pants, red slippers, headband, sweater, red dress, black shoes, gingerbread tee shirt, skirt, black leggings, brown boots, and an adorable teddy bear!  The outfits were well made and very cute (I love the brown boots!).  While the clothes are made to fit the Today’s Girl Dolls from Constructive Playthings, they did fit my daughters’ standard 18″ dolls (however, the shoes were a very snug fit).  Now, the dolls in my home are festive and ready for the holiday parties!

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The Modern Christmas Collection can be purchased for $44.99, but as a Constructive Mom, you can take 15% off your entire order if you click through my link!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive the Modern Christmas Collection from Constructive Playthings!

How to enter:

1. Visit Constructive Playthings and take a look around.  Come back here and tell us what other item a child in your life would love to receive for the Holidays.

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @ConstructiveMom on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook and Constructive Playthings on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 28th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. and Canadian Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While  sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% mine.
Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: , , ,

Elf Magic: The Arrival of Jingles

December 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

Last year, we were so excited to have some Elf Magic in our home during the holiday season.  As soon as the last piece of turkey was eaten on Thanksgiving Day, my daughters were both looking for our elf friend and began leaving notes in hopes that their wish would be heard by the big guy in red.   On the night of November 30th, Jingles made her way back to our NOLA home in order to keep an eye on my girls and report nightly back to Santa.

While Jingles is on official business from the North Pole, she definitely makes time for a little Elf Antics.  My girls can’t wait to wake up in the morning and see where Jingles has landed after her long journey back to the North Pole.  The first night, Jingles arrived in her red suitcase along with both her magic snowflakes and new clothes!

The second night, the Elf Magic began!  My daughters sprinkled Jingles with snowflakes to give her some magic and promptly started whispering their wish lists for Jingles to relay to Santa.  With promises of being good, they went off to bed guessing where Jingles would land upon her return.

In the morning, we decided that Jingles must have had a long flight back because she was getting some much needed R&R in the penthouse jacuzzi tub of Barbie’s Dreamhouse.  The next night, we found her dressed in my youngest daughter’s school uniform and again the next day in her backpack (Jingles is really itching to get to school!).  With three weeks left till Christmas, we can’t wait to see what Jingles will do next!

If your child is wishing for a little Elf Magic this holiday season, check out the passport and sleigh delivery prices soon!

We received an Elf Magic package in order to facilitate this review, however all opinions remain 100% mine.  I was not compensated for this post.
Filed Under: My So-Called Life Tagged With: ,

Treat Yourself with MasterCard’s “Here’s the Mom” Promotion!

December 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Now that the holidays are officially in full swing, how are you doing with your shopping?  Despite my attempts to be done early this year, I am afraid that I am not even half complete!  However, I am getting a bit done and am shopping as much online as possible.  But, I did something unheard of this year….I bought a gift for…..MYSELF.  I can’t remember the last time I went shopping by MYSELF for MYSELF.  It was A.MAZ.ING.  I highly recommend it.

Need a little cash to go shopping for yourself this holiday season?  Join MasterCard in celebrating Moms with its “Here’s to Mom” promotion!  MasterCard wants to treat the person that is busiest this holiday season…Mom!  Take a break from running around on shopping marathons, baking extravaganzas and decorating round the clock and remember a very special person.  You.

The process is really incredibly simple.  Enroll your MasterCard card, do some of your holiday shopping online through December 31, 2011 and after spending $200, you receive a $20 MasterCard gift card to spend on YOURSELF! No kidding.

What would you buy with your MasterCard reward?

Filed Under: Promotions Tagged With: ,

Baskin Robbins Cake Bites {Giveaway}

December 4, 2011 By 165 Comments

Here in NOLA, just about every holiday party we attend will have petit fours.  This deliciously decadent treat consists of a square piece of cake covered in poured icing…perfect size to sample a few.  In fact, the National Restaurant Association declares that mini desserts are one of the biggest food trends of 2011!  While the petit fours have been around for a long while and I have done my fair share of “sampling,” I have often wished for some ice cream on the side.  Apparently, Baskin-Robbins heard my request and developed their newest product, Cake Bites! About the product:

“Cake Bites are elegantly decorated miniature desserts that marry cake and ice cream into one mini dessert – reminiscent of French petit fours. Enrobed in decadent white and dark chocolate, ganache and caramel drizzle—Cake Bites are the perfect treat indulgent treat for one or to server guests while entertaining this holiday season.”

We had the pleasure of trying a box of four Cake Bites in the following flavors:

  • Double Chocolate – Chocolate ice cream over chocolate cake, enrobed with chocolate ganache and finished with a chocolate accent.
  • Praline Caramel – Pralines ‘n Cream ice cream over white cake enrobed with white chocolate ganache and  finished with caramel drizzle and chopped pralines.
  • Chocolate Mint – Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream over chocolate cake, enrobed with chocolate ganache and finished with white chocolate drizzle.
  • Vanilla Blondie – Vanilla ice cream over white cake, enrobed with white chocolate ganache and finished with chocolate accent.

The four pack comes in a cute box with a bow, perfect for bringing to a dinner party or as a hostess gift.  As much as I didn’t want to share, I allowed my family to participate in this review.  My daughters tried the Vanilla Blondie and the Chocolate Mint while my hubby chose the Praline caramel.  It’s no surprise that I went for the Double Chocolate.  They were all gone in a matter of minutes….best.review.ever.

The Baskin-Robbins Cake Bites Cake Bites are available now and can be purchased individually or in a mix-n-match 4-pack.  They cost $2.99 (SRP) for a single Cake Bite or $9.99 (SRP) for a box of 4.  I would definitely consider bringing this to a holiday party.  They were both tasty and pretty!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive $14 in Baskin Robbins Gift Cards!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me which flavor Cake Bites you are most excited to try!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @BaskinRobbins on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Baskin Robbins on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 16th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.
Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: , , ,

WINNERS!

December 2, 2011 By 2 Comments

Congrats to the November winners!  You will all be emailed shortly.  Please check my winner’s policy for instructions on how to claim your prize.

Hershey’s Pieces:  Casey E.

Little Space Heroes: Gianna

Busytown: Lisa

Bertolli:  Donna B.

Unique, by Emma:  Ann P.

Barbar Foods:  Jean L.

Pampers 30 Days of Play:  Ellen

Silk:  Jean L.

KRAFT:  Soha

Thanks to all who entered and to the wonderful sponsors!

Filed Under: Giveaway Winners

Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure DVD {Giveaway}

December 1, 2011 By

With the weather getting colder, I have been looking for more fun indoor activities for my daughters. One of the things we love best is movie night! There is just something about snuggling on the sofa with a cozy blanket, popcorn and a good movie to make everything right with the World!  Because the holidays are right around the corner (can you believe it?), my girls have been choosing Christmas movies to watch together as a family.  So, I was excited to add Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure DVD to our repertoire!

About the movie:

“Tis the season to celebrate with everyone’s favorite St. Bernard, Beethoven, in an all-new, heartwarming holiday adventure where the hilarious canine speaks for the first time! When Henry the elf (Kyle Massey, TV’s That’s So Raven) flees the North Pole with Santa’s sleigh and his magical bag of toys, he crash-lands the precious cargo in a suburban neighborhood tree. But when the bag ends up in the wrong hands, it’s up to heroic Beethoven and his teenage pal, Mason (Munro Chambers, TV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation), to rescue Henry, fetch Santa’s toys and save Christmas for children everywhere. Featuring an all-star cast, including Tom Arnold as the voice of Beethoven, it’s a barking good time for the whole family!”

My girls absolutely loved the movie, and I will admit that I liked it, too (who doesn’t love talking dogs, right?).  Take a look at the trailer below:

The DVD is currently in stores for purchase and don’t forget to use the $3 off coupon (valid until 12/31 in stores only)!

GIVEAWAY

One reader will receive a copy of copy of Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure PLUS 4 additional Holiday titles from Universal including Love Actually, Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas and Barbie: A Perfect Christmas! (ARV $100)

How to Enter:

1. Tell me which DVD you are most excited about winning!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Beethoven Movies on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 12th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest. Giveaway & Screener courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

 

 

Filed Under: Giveaways
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