Thanksgiving Craft: Turkey Hats (With Pics)

My daughter and I did a great little Thanksgiving craft yesterday, thanks to Disney's Family Fun! Website! We made the Turkey Hat for my daughter to wear...and it is SO cute! She loves to wear it around the house and look at herself in the mirror while wearing it:)

This is our hat...it looks a little less professional than the one on their website, but the idea is still there! We had fun doing it too, and added a little tail and googly eyes we had leftover from another craft.



She calls the little gobbler thingy (technical term right?) on his face a 'band aid' LOL! Then she insisted that she needed to wear a band aid on her face too!! So I let her wear a red band aid too!!

Man, I love 2 year olds :) Oh and when I was trying to get this picture of her, she was being really pouty. So I told her to show me her tongue...that's why she is sticking her tongue out at the camera LOL! Whatever works, right!?

Holiday Gift Guide: BugNik Designs - Felt Play Food Review & Giveaway!!

My daughter is 2 1/2 years old now, and absolutely loves imaginary play. Even just listening to her talk and make up stories puts a smile on my face. Her newest love is Play Food! She likes to set up bowls and plates of food, pretend to eat & drink, and feed her babies too! I love to play along, and she gets a big joy out of setting a plate up for me at her table with her!

If you have a child who loves to pretend, you will definitely want to check out BugNik Designs. This Etsy shop is owned by Karen, a Stay-At-Home, Home Schooling mother of two. She hand makes the most adorable wool felt food, perfect for growing the little one's imaginations. At BugNik Designs you will find items such as pancakes, cookies, eggs, strawberries, and more....all of it soft to the touch for those little hands. The best thing about this Play food is that it allows your child to use their creativity and find new ways to play...instead of relying on a toy's loud music or flashing lights. It is play at it's simplest and most organic form!

(This Pink Flower Mini Iced Sugar Cookies Set comes complete with a White Tin Container for Storing the 6 Cookies!)

Karen sent me some items for my daughter to try, and I really must say she impressed me so much! The very first thing I noticed as soon as I opened the box was the way the food was packaged. It was clear that she put in the extra time to make it attractive and perfect for gift giving. Here are a couple of pictures of the bags of food! You'll notice that each bag came garnished with a little something extra...a cookie cutter with the treats and a mini spatula with the breakfast foods! It really gave it a special and more personalized flair!




These little packages would be perfect for gift giving for the child in your life! I think they would even be great in a stocking!

The quality of her felt food is flawless. The stitching looks completely professional and the food feels very durable. Definitely can stand up to the play of children! One set had breakfast items like eggs, bacon, pancakes, blueberries, and even came with whipped cream topping! She loved arranging the pancakes on her plate and adding her toppings. The bacon even has a little bend to it so it holds its shape!





I loved the soft colors that were used in the desserts and fruit, they are so pretty when you display them in a play bowl. The doughnut looks so realistic (and delicious!), and comes complete with sprinkles. All of BugNik's Felt Food has become a beautiful addition to our playtime, and I feel great knowing that it is made of natural and recycled materials. It's an environmentally friendly option that provides my daughter so much entertainment, and will for years to come!



These special items from BugNik Designs would be a wonderful gift for so many different children this year! One thing they have in common is that children love to pretend play, and Felt Food is the perfect way to add something unique to playtime. It would be the perfect addition to their play kitchen as well! Moms can also feel good about buying from BugNik Designs...you are showing support for a fellow Mom and buying handmade is always a great way to go.

Food is best for children ages 3 & up who no longer put things in their mouth. My daughter is 2 1/2 and can play well with it...but she is always supervised when playing with smaller items. I recommend the same to you.



You can visit BugNik Designs on Etsy to purchase your handmade Felt Foods!



Karen is generously offering one reader a special Giveaway! Winner will receive $12 'Gift Card' to be used on anything in her Shop!




Please visit BugNik Designs and take a look around at her products! The come back and leave a comment telling me which item was your favorite!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave a comment for every additional entry you complete

1. Subscribe to this blog
   
2. Follow my blog
3. Blog About this Giveaway (leave link)
   
4. Follow me on Twitter & Tweet Giveaway (leave link) You can use this: Felt Play Food Giveaway from BugNik Designs! Enter here: http://bit.ly/yDa9N
   
5. Add Main Button or Holiday Button (one entry for each) look on right sidebar for codes
   
6. If you make any purchase from BugNik Designs while this contest is running, you may receive 10 extra entries into this giveaway! (leave 10 extra comments)

Giveaway will end on December 5th at 10pm CST. US Residents only. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced here on Ladybug Soup & emailed directly. Winner has 48 hours to respond to that email or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: No payments were received for this post. I was sent samples to review at no cost to me. Receiving free products do not affect my opinions of products. All opinions given are my own, and different people may have different opinions or experiences.

Holiday Gift Guide: Ozone Socks Review & Giveaway!

For me, a cute new pair of socks can be a real mood booster! To me socks are more than a way to keep my feet warm and protected....I see it as a fun way to add something funky and stylish to your outfit, but in a way that is easy and won't break your bank! And the great thing is that everyone uses them! So this Holiday season, why not send a pair of fun socks to someone on your list....a pair from Ozone Socks!


I LOVE the reasons that Ozone Socks gives you on why socks make the perfect gift! They are better than flowers...because they never make you sneeze, they don't require a vase, and they last longer!! Ozone socks are better than chocolate... because they never cause cavities, they are not fattening, and they don't melt! LOL! And socks are better than a bottle of wine...because they don't stain your clothes, they don't give you a hangover, and they travel better! How FUN & TRUE is that list?? You definitely want to read their complete list, they are hilarious!

I always make sure to add a pair of socks to my Mom's birthday and Holiday gifts. It's something small that makes her feel dressy, and the designs are normally ones she doesn't buy herself. Like most people, she tends to by the bag of white socks...and what is fun about those?? Nothing! Why not kick your feet up in style with a pair from Ozone!

Ozone socks sent me a few pairs of socks to try for myself. It was hard to pick which styles I wanted, because they are ALL so great! One thing I noticed when picking them out, is that when you click on a design, there are also options to change the color. Click the different color, and then the picture will change to show you the same style in a different color. Many times it changes the whole look of the sock and it may just be the one you love the most! Ozone socks are soft against my feet and they are lightweight which allows my foot to breathe.

And you know I couldn't try these socks without sending my Mom a pair! For her I chose the Temptation (pictured above) because of the feminine and delicate flower design. She agreed that they were super comfortable to wear, and that she really loved the design too! The quality of Ozone socks is higher than the socks I usually buy...which makes me definitely want to shop from them for all of my own sock needs and for gifts too! You want to make sure your sock isn't just going to wear through right away, or change texture after going through the wash. I can tell you that I have washed my pairs a few times each, and they are still just as soft and stretchy as the first day I got them!

My own feet in a pair of Mixed Up Dots in Black!

How fun are these???

Women, Men, and Teens! Everyone uses them, you might as well give them a fun pair to wear!! The designs at Ozone are endless, so you are sure find something great for every personality!



You can purchase your Ozone Socks right form their website! Prices start at $10 a pair!



Ozone Socks would like to offer one winner 2 Pair of Socks! Your choice of design! Give them as a gift or keep a pair for yourself!



Please visit Ozone Socks and take a look around at their selection! The come back and leave a comment telling me which pair you liked the most!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave a comment for every extra entry you complete!

1. Follow my Blog
2. Subscribe
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4. Add my Main Button
5. Blog about this Giveaway
6. Follow me on Twitter & Tweet about this Giveaway (you can use this: Ozone Socks Giveaway on Ladybug Soup - 2 Pair!! http://bit.ly/2C3EAq )

Giveaway will close on December 5th at 10pm CST. US Residents only. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced here on Ladybug Soup & emailed directly. Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: No payments were received for this post. Ozone Socks provided items to me for this review at no charge. Ozone Socks will also provide giveaway prize. Opinions and experiences are my own and may vary for other individuals.

Susan Wiggs: Lakeshore Christmas - Great Book For Holidays!

If you are looking for a great book to read to get you into the Holiday Spirit, look no further than Lakeshore Christmas written by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs! This book is the latest installment in her Lakeshore Series...which I have not read yet, but after reading this book I will definitely be picking a couple up! You don't have to be familiar with the series to enjoy this book either, which is nice for someone who hasn't been introduced to her before.


The Book follows Maureen, the town's librarian who absolutely adores the Christmas Season. Everything about it...the snow, the family get togethers, and the Annual Christmas Pageant which she has the opportunity to direct this year. There are a couple of things making Christmas a little more difficult this year though. The first being that the beloved Library is scheduled to close after Christmas because of a lack of funds...the second being a former child actor (Eddie Haven) that completely dislikes Christmas...who happens to be court ordered to help Maureen with the Pageant. Can these two overcome their differences in time to put on a great Pageant for their Church? You'll have to read to find out ;)

It was so easy to love this book, especially now that we are approaching Christmas. The electric energy that comes with the Season was portrayed wonderfully, and it made you feel like you were really in that town with the characters, feeling it right along with them. The characters are very real, easy to relate to, and lovable! From the Teenagers in the Christmas Pageant to the mysterious boy who always manages to say the things people need to hear most, this book is full of interesting people! Then you throw in a love story, and I am hooked! I especially loved reading about Eddie, he kept the story fun and fresh....a kind of bad boy meets good girl story, which is always fun to read!

This book was great for me to escape into before bedtime....watching the characters grow and come together as a community was very inspiring, especially this time of year. I would highly recommend The Lakeshore Christmas to book lovers everywhere! Susan does a great job at keeping her readers entertained and interested in the characters she creates! I must say, when the story was over I didn't want it to end!

TO BUY: You can purchase Lakeshore Christmas in Hardcover on Amazon for only $11.95!

Disclaimer: “I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by MotherTalk on behalf of Lakeshore Christmas and received a copy of the book to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Holiday Gift Guide: Tiny Pumpkin - Personalized Piggy Bank Review With Giveaway!

This next item is one that is truly unique, adorable, and functional! It comes from Liz at Tiny Pumpkin...an Etsy shop that boasts the most adorable Personalized and Hand Painted Piggy Banks!! Liz is very talented and can create a custom design that fits your child's personality, interests, or room decor! Whatever you can think of, Liz will create for you....all on an adorable Piggy Bank that can be used for years to come!




Liz tells me that her love for crafting has been inspired by her daughter and her Mother. Her Mom is a wonderful seamstress and crafter, and Liz believes she got her talents from her. She first started sewing when her daughter was born and it grew and grew from there. Now she finds it to be her own little escape at night when her daughter is sleeping, and after a long day at work looks forward to having some time for herself! Liz made her first Piggy paint after her nephew was born, 9 years ago. She made a few for friends and families, but nothing more than that. Until her sister told her about Etsy about a year ago (so glad she did!). She posted some pictures and when thrilled when she got her first sale a week later! Liz's favorite creations are the custom orders, where she has the freedom to create something new and can stretch her creativity and skills!!

Taking a look at Tiny Pumpkin you will find a wide variety of Piggy bank designs...you'll find flowers, ladybugs, trains, elephants, monkeys, and so much more!! If you have something specific in mind, Liz can create it for you! She also creates other handmade items such as Tumblers, Tees, Pinafores, Pillowcase Dresses, Lap Trays, Placemats, and Onesies!





Liz was super generous and made my daughter her own Piggy! She asked me what ideas I had for the design, and being my super indecisive self (lol) I gave her a few scattered ideas to work with. Basically ladybugs, flowers, or butterflies. Girlie design, girlie colors. She then asked me if I liked the idea to have a little garden theme with flowers & bugs. I LOVED that idea!! She took my choices and created a beautiful Piggy with an adorable assortment of flowers, ladybugs, dragonflies, bees, complete with a picket fence and a shining sun!! Her name is displayed on the Piggy as well, in a super cute and feminine font that I adore! This Bank will be going on her shelf in her room, and matches all of her decor perfectly. She will be able to use this Piggy for years....adding change and saving up for something special to her. It also comes with a rubber stop bottom for easy access to the money, and the padded little feet make it gentle on your table or shelf, and help keep it in place!






This would be a great gift for kids of all ages!! I think it would make a lovely Baby Shower gift, or for a new baby. It makes a beautiful keepsake item!

Do you have a child that you are trying to teach money management to? This Piggy is a fun way to make saving money more enjoyable for a kid, and when they save up enough to get what they want they will learn it's a great accomplishment! Putting their lose change, allowance, or tooth fairy quarters in these fun and cute Piggies will make a big difference, especially if it's got their name on it - it's only theirs!

I also think it would make a beautiful gift for your child this Holiday Season! Their eyes will light up when they see this adorable Piggy bank, dressed up and designed just for them!



You can purchase your Piggy Bank from Tiny Pumpkin on Etsy! If you have a special idea, just let her know when you order it. Otherwise she has a lot of designs that she has created for other customers that you can view on her site, and you can use one of those designs too!

Remember to order early for the Holidays, these are hand painted designs
and take a few days to complete!



Liz is generously offering up a Giveaway to one lucky reader!! Winner can choose one item from her shop Tiny Pumpkin! (excluding placemats)



Please visit Tiny Pumpkin and take a look around at the products and Piggy Designs! Then tell me which item you liked the most!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an additional comment for every extra entry you complete!

1. Tell me a unique design you would get on your Piggy!
2. Follow My Blog
3. Subscribe
4. Add my main Button or Holiday Button (one comment for each)
5. Blog about this Giveaway
6. Follow me on Twitter & Tweet this Giveaway (you can use this: Enter this Giveaway for a Personalized & Hand Painted Piggy Bank from Tiny Pumpkin! http://bit.ly/irNYU @Kelliebug
   

Giveaway will end on December 2nd at 10pm CST. Giveaway is open to US Residents only. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announce don ladybug Soup & emailed directly. Winner has 48 hours to respond to this email or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: No payments were received for this post. I was sent a Piggy bank free of charge to review. Receiving a free product does not influence my opinions given on posts. All opinions and thoughts are my own, and different people may have different opinions and experiences. Tiny Pumpkin is also providing one item for giveaway.
.

Make Your Own Magnets!

Over a year ago I was out shopping at Walmart, I believe in the Photo Album or Camera Section, when I found these great Magnet Sheets that had a sticky back. I bought some and have since made many different kinds of magnets for my daughter to play with on the fridge!

You can use whatever you have around the house for your design. The first magnets I made I used a Sesame Street design from a leftover Gift bag. I just cut out the characters that I wanted to use, lined them up on the magnet sheet, pulled back the sticky, and cut around the edges to make it a good fit. That's it! I made a whole set of Sesame Street Magnets for her...then added Caillou magnets using a box that a Caillou toy came in. I just cut out his little body & stuck him to the magnet sheet!

(A few magnet friends!)

I have recently added some Princesses and Dora...some of her new favorites :) You can also make magnets out of family pictures, cards, whatever you can stick on there!

There is a version you can buy on Amazon, but your local stores may have them too...like Walmart, Michaels, etc!

Holiday Gift Guide Kick Off! Joovy Kooper Stroller GIVEAWAY!!!

I have an awesome Giveaway to kick off my Holiday Gift Guide Event!! This is really exciting to be able to share my favorite Stroller with you all! And one lucky reader will win it!!


So it all started last year, when my blog was brand new and I wasn't hosting Giveaways yet. I entered to win a Joovy Kooper Stroller from the-giveaway.com and to my absolute surprise, I won it!!! This was really huge for us, because all we had up to this point was a $15 Umbrella Stroller. I couldn't afford to spend money on a Stroller, so it was a real blessing to win one. I won it right before Halloween so we even got to bring it around the mall trick or treating!



This Joovy Stroller is incredible!! First of all, the style is so sleek and modern. It is a mix of a Euro Style Buggy and an Umbrella Stroller...it looks so great it will make you feel proud to push it!! Honetsly I have gotten so many compliments on it! The next thing I love about it is how completely smooth the ride is. I was used to getting stuck on turns, carpet, even totally smooth floors would jam our old stroller up. But this one just glides along perfectly, handling corners effortlessly and even outdoor terrain is easy to handle in your Kooper!


This Stroller comes equipped with a removable sun shade which is perfect for keeping the sun out of my daughter's eyes. It has a reclining seat that is completely adjustable to suit your child's needs. It has two cup holders (perfect for a sippy cup, or my soda!) and a Zipper Pouch that I love to use for my Camera or Cell Phone. There are also 2 pockets in the seat that you can store an extra toy in, a snack, or their bottle. And the extra bonus?? Storage under the seat!! There is a great basket that actually fits quite a lot of our belongings....I mean my whole diaper bag PLUS MORE!! LOL, You know it's big then!! Another feature that may get overlooked with other Strollers are the ultra comfortable Ergonomic Deluxe Foam handles! They fit our hands very well and make it comfortable to hold onto all day :) I works equally well for my husband who is almost 6ft tall...and me (only 5'2").

There is a 5 Point Harness for Your Child, which is really easy to use. Trust me, I have had to stick my daughter in that thing when she is totally resisting riding in a stroller (Please tell me you have been there before??) and the buckles are easy and quick. Somebody was definitely thinking of toddlers when that thing was created! The Stroller can be used by Babies who are 6 months old up to 50 Pounds!! Luckily we have a long way to go with this great stroller! We have had it a year already and it is holding up perfectly...it has strong material and strong parts! It also has met the most rigorous product safety testing standards for the industry.

The last thing I would like to tell you about is the major issue of how easy is it to use?? Well, this stroller folds down like an Umbrella Stroller, fitting perfectly in our trunk. And you know what? I can actually fold the thing down all by myself, which may not seem like a big deal, but it is! You just simply put your foot on the release lever and fold it down! It's also pretty lightweight...no heavy bulk here! I can lift it too, which makes me happy when I go out with my daughter alone!




This Stroller would be perfect for anyone with a child from 6 Months all the way up to 50 Pounds in Weight. It's Lightweight, Roomy, and feels comfortable for both parents and Children!





Joovey has generously agreed to offer a Red Joovy Kooper Stroller (MSRP: $249.99) to one lucky winner!

Just in time for all of that Holiday Shopping you have to do!! Now you can have your child ride around in comfort and style!!



Visit Joovy and tell me the name of a product you like or a feature you are excited to see!

This must be completed before extra entries will count

EXTRA ENTRIES:Please leave a comment for every extra entry you complete!

1. Follow My Blog
2. Blog about this Giveaway
3. Add my Main Button or Holiday Button (1 extra entry for each you do)
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Giveaway is open to US Residents only. Giveaway will end on December 11th at 10pm CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced here on Ladybug Soup & emailed directly. Winner has only 48 hours to respond to this email or a new winner will be chosen.

Please remember to have you email address somewhere visible - either in your comment or in your Profile.

Disclaimer: No payment was provided for this post. Giveaway prize will be provided by Joovy. Review item was won previously on another website.

UPrinting Winners!

Winner of 50 Thank You Cards & Envelopes

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

33

Timestamp: 2009-11-14 16:08:39 UTC

Congrats to Mijal Photography!

Winner of 18X24 Poster Print

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

1

Timestamp: 2009-11-14 16:15:20 UTC

Congrats to S Club Mama!

Lastly we have the Winner of the 16X20 Rolled Canvas

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

38

Timestamp: 2009-11-14 16:21:43 UTC

Congrats to Sarah!

I have emailed all of the winner, and they have 48 hours to respond! Thanks to everyone that entered! Holiday Giveaways & Gift ideas start Monday!

Nav Bar Quick Fix

Hi Again!

Well I did my best to put a little bandaid over my Navigational Bar....it will have to do as it for awhile! I have almost zero editing skills (okay, zero is actually right), so just the fact that I was able to get images up instead of those ugly Photobucket messages....(all by myself!) was an accomplishment :)

I am hoping to have my old Nav Bar back soon....this one is 2 rows, which I don't like. And it is missing those black bars on the top & bottom...which I don't like. But you think I have any clue how to fix that?? NOPE, LOL! Sure don't!!

Thanks for your patience while I get things back together!

New Blog Button Code!

I want to apologize for this inconvenience...but as you may have noticed my button is not displaying correctly anymore on people's blogs. So have a new button code now, which will work just the same, you just have to delete the old code and put this one in its place (below). My other button was hosted by my blog designer, but it won't be working for many more days. So I switched the code and now host it from my own Photobucket, which is no where near it's limit, LOL!

<a href="http://ladybugsoup.blogspot.com/" title="Giveaways,Reviews, and life with my little ladybug!"><img src="http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll15/carspics425/LadyBugSoup.png" /></a>


Again, VERY sorry about this! As you may have noticed, yesterday Photobucket went a little crazy...pretty much everywhere on my blog. I have my sidebar images fixed, now just trying to tackle my Nav bar. If I can't fix it on my own, my designer should have it up on Sunday. Crossing my fingers it will be fixed soon!!

Thanks for updating your codes!

Wordless Wednesday: Enjoying Fall

First of all, please pardon my Blog design right now. I see that my designer has some Photobucket issues, and hopefully she will be getting that fixed! Email has been sent!

So here is my Wordless Wednesday! It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend!! These may be the last nice days of fall, you never know when Winter might get here...after all it is nearing the middle of November! I'll take 60 degrees, no complaints here! Here are some pics from our walk at a park.

Playing In Leaves

Exploring With Daddy!

Walking The Trail With Mommy

I Loved This Path, With The Trees That Enclosed It

For more Wordless Wednesday, please visit 5 Minutes For Mom!

If you don't already, be sure to Follow me on Twitter!

Winner of Pickled Pumpkin Giveaway!

Here is the Winner of the Pickled Pumpkin Giveaway!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
19
Timestamp: 2009-11-10 18:43:36 UTC

Congrats to Teena! I am emailing you right now, please get back to me within 72 hours to claim your prize!!