Grapefruit

Grapefruit is available all year and has either pink or white flesh. It’s picked when ripe and should be ready to eat when you buy it in the store.

Ready to eat grapefruit are firm and heavy for their size. Fruit with thin skins have more flavor and juice than thick skinned ones. If a grapefruit is pointed at the stem end, it’s most likely thick skinned. Coarse or wrinkled skin is also an indication that the fruit has thick skin. Minor blemishes on the skin usually do not affect the taste.

Stay away from fruit that is soft or has soggy areas, dull color, and a soft tender peel that can’t withstand finger pressure. These are symptoms of decay.

Kiwifruit

Kiwi skin is edible, but most people prefer to peel the hairy outer covering before eating. Ripe and mature kiwi are plump and unwrinkled, not too hard nor too soft. Hard kiwi can be ripened at home by leaving the fruit at room temperature for a few days.

Stay away from fruit that looks shriveled or that is overly soft, as these are signs of decay. Some kiwi has water stains on the outside, which doesn’t affect the taste or quality.

Lemons

The best lemons have a rich and bright yellow color with smooth skin and a slight gloss, and are firm and heavy.  Lemons that have a greenish color are slightly more acidic.  Thin skinned lemons have more flesh and are preferable.  Rough or coarse textures indicate thick skin.

Avoid dark or dull yellow colors, hard or wrinkled skin, soft spots, and punctures.

Limes

Like lemons, limes should have a glossy skin and a feel heavy for their size.  The green color can vary quite a bit and still be a good quality fruit.

Avoid dull and dry skin and signs of decay.

[info from Family Fare: For the People Who Matter Most.  photos from jupiterimages.com]

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A few months ago I ran into some blogs that talked about monogramming kids clothing, and I fell in love. I wanted to applique and monogram some things for my son, but just couldn’t find the time. It’s been in the back of my mind for a while, so when I saw Personality Plus Boutique’s booth at a local craft fair, I was really impressed.

They had tons of cute stuff on display like embroidered personalized onesies, burp cloths, baby hooded towels, full sized towels, blankets, bags, and more. And the designs were very detailed and professional looking. There were several booths that had hand decorated onesies, but Personality Plus had the highest quality merchandise by far.

All of her designs are customized to the client - you get to choose designs, colors, words, everything. Or, if that is too much for you, she has gobs of adorable samples to choose from.

Monogramming and applique/embroidery has always been something I liked because you can make something individualized and personal for your child. There isn’t much in a child’s life that he or she can really call their own, so I think it’s healthy and fun for kids to see their names on things, giving them a sense of ownership and responsibility over their belongings. I also love the idea of making items individualized to children because I need that kind of clear cut reminder as to what stuff belongs to who.

Since Joel’s birth, I’ve decided I want to give my kids names that each start with a different letter so we can use that letter to identify ownership. I remember when I was growing up never knowing which towel in the bathroom was “mine” and I didn’t want to be using my yucky brother’s! I think this is why I ordered a towel for Joel with his name and a little picture on it. The towel is in his assigned color (green) and also has his name, so there will be no question as to who the towel belongs to.

Personality Plus did a great job on our towel - it’s very high quality and the design is adorable. I will definitely be ordering personalized towels for each of my children as they come.

She also sells those adorable squeaky shoes. Squeaky shoes are a fabulous invention - Joel has a pair and he loves wearing them because they make such a fun sound. I love them because I always know where he is. Maybe I won’t have to get a leash after all…

Personality Plus is a great source for personalized and many other items. I am so glad I went to that craft fair!

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After two days of fruit, I thought maybe I should mix things up a bit with a craft tutorial. I made this hobo bag a while ago and loved it so much I wanted to teach you how to make it. I love this pattern because it’s easy and very functional - the size is perfect. I use mine almost exclusively now, I like it so much. I would say this project would require an intermediate sewing skill level. If you’ve never sewed a purse before, you might want to try something else first, but if you’ve had 1 purse making success story, you should be good to go with this one. Good luck!

p.s. Vanilla Joy will soon be offering video tutorials to go along with written instructions. It’s going to be great! Stay tuned…

p.s.s. If you’re new, you might want to check these out:  Hand Made Burp Cloth Tutorial & Pillowcase Tutorial 

Materials and Supplies

1 yard fabric for exterior of bag
3/4 yard fabric for interior of bag
1 yard heavy stabilizer - Pellon 65 or 70 (non-fusible)
1 - 12×18 sheet of plastic canvas
Pair of square or round rings for straps
1 - 9″ zipper for interior pocket
10″ wide x 16″ tall rectangle for interior pocket (or 10″ x 12″ for smaller pocket)

(supplies and pattern from jcarolinecreative.com)

To Begin

1. Download pattern here, and tape pieces together.

2. Preshrink fabric - wash and dry according to instructions on bolt.

3. Pin pattern to fabric and cut out using the instructions on the pattern - match selvedge edge with pattern center front

(picture of all four pattern pieces for the exterior of the bag)

Read more »

Filed under: Tutorials, Crafts | 1 Comment »

Part 1: Melons

Blueberries

Blueberries are such a delicious snack and are so full of antioxidants and vitamins. They are in season from May to September, and most often the larger berries are cultivated and the smaller berries are wild.

Mature and ripe blueberries are dark blue in color with a natural, protective, waxy coating called a “silvery bloom.” The best blueberries are plump, firm, uniform in shape, dry, and without stems.

Blackberries and Raspberries

Blackberries and raspberries have the same signs of maturity and ripeness because they are very similar in their overall structure. Mature and ripe blackberries and raspberries should be bright and clean in appearance and uniform in their respective colors. The individual cells should be plump and tender without being mushy and should be free of stem caps.

Spoiled berries are easy to spot since they are leaky, mushy, and wilted looking.

Strawberries

Strawberries are a summer fruit, best in May and June, but because of worldwide production are available before and after summer. Mature and ripe strawberries should be a full red color with a bright luster, firm flesh, and the cap stem still attached. Small to medium berries generally taste better than large ones.

Spoiled strawberries are also easy to spot. You usually get a few overripe ones in each carton at the store - they are mushy with brown spots and a very dull red color. The decay can spread quickly to the other berries, so separate overripe berries from mature and ripe ones as soon as possible.

[From Family Fare: For the People Who Matter Most, by Janet Stocks. Images from jupiterimages.com]

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I never really know how to get the ripe stuff at the store when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables. Some things are easy, like bananas and apples, but melons and things that are a little more secretive about their fleshy insides are quite vexing to me. I just bought a bag full of nectarines that were neither ripe nor delicious. I never know if the fruit in question will ripen up or if it’s just bad and will only get worse.

So. I’m diving into my old school textbooks to learn about selecting fruits and vegetables. I must have skipped reading that section at the time, and had quite forgotten that little vault of useful information in my recipe cupboard until just the other day. I’m glad we’ve finally found each other. Goodbye to undesirably crisp, sour, tasteless fruit.

I will be posting a series on choosing different fruits and vegetables over the next little while. My food science teacher, Janet Stocks, at BYU wrote the textbook, and all the information will be coming from handouts and texts I received in her class, so she’s really the genius behind all of this.

Melons

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is a summer fruit, usually available between March and September. You can probably buy melons all year round, but they will be least expensive in season. The three signs of maturity are as follows:

1. The stem should be gone. If some of the stem remains attached, the melon is not mature.
2. The veining should be thick, course, and corky, and should stand out more drastically in some places than in others.
3. The base skin color should be pale yellowish, not green.

A ripe melon will have a noticeable cantaloupe aroma and will yield to gentle pressure on the bottom end. An overripe melon will be very yellow, soft along the entire rind, and the flesh will be soft and watery.

Honey Dew

Honey dew is also a summer fruit, but unlike cantaloupe, honey dew melon has a smooth rind rather than a veiny and coarse one, and has more of an oval shape. The rind color is very light, ranging from creamy white to creamy yellow, and the stem doesn’t not separate from the fruit when ripe but must be cut.

A honey dew melon is mature when the rind is soft and velvety and has the same fruity aroma and yielding to gentle pressure as cantaloupe. An overripe honey dew melon is stark white or greenish white in color.

Watermelon

Watermelons are also at their peak in the summer months, June, July, and August. Determining the quality of a watermelon before it is cut open is very difficult , but look for a melon that has a smooth rind with a matte finish, not dull or shiny, with rounded out ends, and a creamy color on the underside.

The inside flesh should be firm and red with no white streaks, and seeds should be dark brown or black (unless it is a seedless watermelon, in which case the seeds will be white.) An overripe melon will have watery and stringy flesh and white seeds.

I hope this will help you select more juicy and delicious fruit! Check back tomorrow to learn about selecting mature and ripe berries.

Filed under: Food | 3 Comments »

I gave away a Kaboost last week, and I wanted to tell you how I really feel about the product.

First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun opening a box in my life. The box it comes isn’t square, it’s shaped just like the folded up Kaboost. The top of the box is narrower than the bottom and stretches out to a square so you can get the fabulous contraption out.

Now for the actual product: Joel is not really ready to sit in an adult chair, but because the Kaboost chair booster raises him up so high, I can pin him between the chair and the table so he can’t fall out. And he absolutely loves sitting at the table like Mom and Dad and having so much table space on which to bang and throw his food.

Here are some of my favorite features of the portable chair booster:

1. The Kaboost has two different heights. The brace is not in the middle but offset so that it’s closer to the top on one side, creating two different chair heights, increasing the useful lifetime of the product. Lots of boosters out there are only one height so the child gets too tall for the booster but not enough to sit comfortably at the table without one.

2. The Kaboost uses an adjustable spring system. It fits any four round or square legged chair and stays attached even when you lift the chair up. It’s easy to put on, just stretch opposite legs until the chair fits on and the spring loaded mechanism holds on tight.

3. The Kaboost is sturdy and will hold up to 300 pounds. I just bought a tall work table for my craft room, and until I get a tall stool, Joel and I will be sharing it.

4. The Kaboost has rubberized feet, so it doesn’t slip and slide around. That’s the one chair Joel can’t push all over the kitchen, which is one less obstacle for me to damage myself on.

5. The Kaboost folds up nice and small, making transporting it no problem at all. (That rhymes!)

To Kaboost, I say, “Where have you been all my life?” Dinner time is getting better every day.

Filed under: Reviews | 1 Comment »

I didn’t do book talk last Monday because of the giveaway, and I am so glad to be back on track. I love sharing my favorite books with you!

Today’s book talk book is Snakes!, by David T. Greenburg, and it’s a great one. The story is about a boy who is afraid of snakes, and the book tells in rhyme the vivid and imaginative ways that the snakes are going to get him! The rhyming is delightful, and the author threw in bunches of big words, so this book is great for vocabulary building.

The book uses wonderfully descriptive language with lots of unusual and interesting adjectives about these exotic and frightening snakes. Here’s one of my favorite parts:

Reticulated belly snakes
Sea snakes, tree snakes
Peanut-butter jelly snakes
Hyperactive flea snakes

Antagonistic rattlesnakes
Wary snakes, hairy snakes
Dragonistic battlesnakes
Very very scary snakes

This book is so fun to read, and despite the unpleasant subject matter, I think kids of all ages will love it! Taking time to discuss any words that your child doesn’t recognize or know the meaning of would be a great way to improve vocabulary. Rhyming is also an important reading and writing skill, and this book has page after page of clever examples.

If you don’t care for snakes, Greenburg also wrote Bugs!, Skunks!, and Slugs! Enjoy!

Filed under: Book Talk | 1 Comment »

Yesterday I talked about putting milled flax seed in yogurt, and I thought I should talk a little bit more about it, since flax seed comes in different forms.

You can buy flax as seeds (pictured left) or milled, which is ground up seeds (pictured right). You get more benefit from the milled kind because it’s easier for your body to digest. The good stuff is inside the seeds, so it’s not absorbed as well when in seed form.

You can buy golden, dark brown, or red flax seeds - there’s a difference, but I don’t know what it is. I think they all generally have the same nutritional content. If anybody is knowledgeable about this, please inform me.

I do know that every 2 Tablespoons of flax seed has 5 g unsaturated fat, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein, 4% Daily Value of Iron (this is a big one for kids because kid’s iron deficiencies can manifest themselves in strange ways), and omega-3 oils, which help reduce cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and help keep you “regular,” among other things.

You can buy milled flax seed in bulk at Costco or at Wal-Mart - I’m not positive it’s cheaper at Costco. I’m going to figure that out and I’ll let you know.

I am a big fan of milled flax seed because of all the nutritional benefits that we all need. I love to add it in my banana bread recipe especially, but it’s great in so many things. Try it out!

Filed under: Food, Health | 3 Comments »

Our last winner is Victoria, who said, “Wow! It’s all so cute! Thanks for all the awesome giveaways!”  Email me at kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com and I’ll put you in contact with the sponsors.

We will be having more giveaways coming up in the next few weeks, one of which is an item I am REALLY excited about, and I think you will be to.  It’s the most expensive item I’ve given away yet, and you won’t want to miss it, so keep checking back.  Thanks for all your participation!

If you have a product you would like Vanilla Joy to review and giveaway, email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com. Thanks!

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I love Costco for a few reasons, but the biggest one is their samples. Our Costco doesn’t have a ton of samples, but the ones they do have are really yummy. If you go at the right time you don’t have to make yourself lunch at home!

Last time we were there they were doing yogurt with milled flax seed. I’ve tried a few different recipes that call for milled flax seed, and I usually throw it in my banana bread batter just to get the additional healthy fats, protein, and iron, but I never thought about putting it in yogurt!

Yogurt is one of the few foods that Joel will consistently eat, and I got a little sample cup for him at Costco, which he devoured. Yogurt is pretty healthy since it provides 8 oz. of dairy (and babies are supposed to have 20 oz. per day) and lots of protein. I could do without the sugar, but overall I feel good about giving yogurt to Joel. Adding the milled flax seed makes that little snack highly nutritious and delicious!

The great thing about milled flax seed is that it doesn’t really have a taste, so you can easily sneak it into things without your child knowing. It does add a different texture, but I think most babies don’t mind texture - they eat wood, rocks, and other non-food items, so a little lumpyness in their yogurt ain’t no thang.

You could put the milled flax seed in yogurt, applesauce, any pureed fruit or vegetables, macaroni and cheese, banana bread/other sweet breads, muffins, etc. Because it doesn’t have a distinct taste, you really can put it in anything. And it’s great not just for baby, but for the whole family!

Filed under: Food, Health | 2 Comments »

Today’s lucky winner is Sydni, who said, “Oh my gosh, what adorable things! I love the shoes.” Email me your address at kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com and Ill put you in contact with the sponsors.

Personality Plus Boutique is offering a 10% discount to Vanilla Joy readers, so you can still get those squeaky shoes or a personalized item - “vanilla_joy” is the coupon code.

Only one more giveaway to go, so keep earning those extra entries!

If you have a product you would like Vanilla Joy to review and give away, email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com. Thanks!

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Summer is a great time to experiment! Yesterday my neighbor taught me how to make a lava lamp, which is a nice and clean inside experiment/science project. He’s 11 and did it in his science class at school to learn about the different properties of things. Here’s how to do it:

1. Gather an empty water bottle, funnel, olive/vegetable oil, food coloring, and a measuring cup (optional).

2. Fill the water bottle halfway with oil.

3. Squeeze out 5 drops of food coloring.

4. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with water.

Ta-da!!! Lava lamp! The bubbles are hard to capture with the camera - there are giant ones when you flip it upside down that float around in the center of the bottle and gazillions of little ones that rush up to the top. It’s like being underwater! You’ll just have to try it out yourself to see the spectacular show.

This is a great activity for kids old enough to handle the pouring part, or for younger kids if you want to do it for them, and it will keep them entertained all afternoon, at least! Enjoy!

Filed under: Crafts | No Comments »

The winner of Wednesdays giveaway is….Keri, who said, “This is my favorite giveaway day so far. I’m missing a Kaboost in my life for sure.” Congratulations! Email me at kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com and I will put you in contact with the sponsors. Thanks everyone!

If you want to be a product sponsor for our next giveaway, please contact me at kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com.

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I always let Joel play with my keys, and I’ve discovered two problems with letting him use my keys as toys.

1. I have a devil of a time keeping track of them. As we speak, my keys are lurking in some unknown corner, and until I find them, I am constrained to my house.

2. Keys are just the right size to fit into electrical outlets, and you’d better believe that babies will discover this. You should have all electrical outlets covered for really young but mobile babies, but still be aware of this hazard when your baby is playing with keys.

One can never be too careful when it comes to your child’s safety. Taking away the keys isn’t necessary, since they provide a good 20 minutes of entertainment for a baby, just be watchful and aware of what he is doing with them.

[photo from jupiterimages.com]

Filed under: Kid Stuff | 4 Comments »

Tuesday’s giveaway winner is…..Amy, who said, “Those frames are adorable!”

Email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com and I’ll put you in contact with the sponsors.  We still have three more winners to announce, so keep earning those additional entries!

If you want to be a product sponsor for our next giveaway, please contact me at kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com.

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I’m sad to announce that today is the last day of Vanilla Joy’s giveaway. We do still have two other giveaways going on, so be sure to sign up for those after you’re finished with this one. And for those who REALLY want to win, you can still blog about the giveaways to earn extra entries. Thanks for all your comments - I wish everyone could win something!

Check out today’s prizes:

1. A $25 gift certificate at Scribble It.

Vinyl lettering is a relatively new phenomenon, at least to me, and I love it! I love how you can do anything and put it anywhere - it sticks to everything, wood, glass, walls, plastic, ANYTHING!!!

Scribble It is one of my favorite vinyl lettering sources. I saw them at a local art show, and the first thing I noticed was that their vinyl was artistic and original. They have some beautiful vinyl wall art, new designs that are unique to Scribble It like birds, owls, flowers and vines, butterflies, and they all come in various sizes to suit any end use. They also have vinyl vintage wall art, things like silverware, mirrors, chandeliers, dress forms, clocks, shelves, and candlesticks.

The two designs above caught my eye - they do brilliant custom work for businesses logos. Don’t you just love that Elementary school logo? They also do vinyl labels for things in the kitchen, bathroom, and garage. I love labeling things - it makes me feel so organized.

They also do fun designs for children’s rooms. Basically they can do anything. Those people are artistic and creative to boot.

I think their vinyl children’s designs, decals, embellishments, and wall art set them apart from other vinyl lettering businesses, but they also do the standard sayings and quotes. Scribble It has tons of examples and ideas for you to choose from, or you can come up with your own idea and they’ll whip it up just for you.

To sum up, they can create anything for you in any one of 19 vibrant and beautiful vinyl colors and in any font and size you want. They have a photo gallery where you can get ideas, and their prices are very reasonable.

Thanks Scribble It! And good luck to our winner - this is going to be another difficult decision.

2. Winner’s choice of any one item from Simply Polished.

Heather, creator of Simply Polished, has a store full of organizational and decorative treasures. Her decorative storage containers are both beautiful and functional! As you know, I love getting organized, and any product that helps me do that while adding decoration at the same time is my best friend. Getting organized is a perpetual process, and these little storage containers are great solutions for controlling your clutter without having to hide it in a closet.

Simply Polished offers metal and wooden decorative storage containers. She has the wooden boxes available in many different shapes and colors, and the metal ones come in 10 different beautiful designs. Her containers are great for use in bathrooms, kitchens, for receipts, miscellaneous clothing items, craft supplies, books, photos, coupons - you name it! The metal containers measure 8.5L x 6.5W x 5H.

Besides decorative storage containers, Simply Polished has magnet boards, magnets, and coasters in several fun and funky designs. Her store is full of great stuff, so be sure to check it out and be thinking about what you would like to win most!

Thanks, Simply Polished!

3. Winner’s choice of any 2 original art prints from Fall Down Tree.

Have you ever seen any children’s art that you like as much as this? I definitely have not. Once again, I found Fall Down Tree at a local art show, and I wanted to buy one of everything.

Adam Record, artist and mastermind of aforementioned children’s art, has an etsy shop full of fun and whimsical children’s art prints. He does robots, cars, nursery rhyme characters, zoo animals, and more that is so precious and fun and colorful and child-like! Looking at his stuff makes me want to have lots of children (and bedrooms for those children) so I can have space for all of his art.

The two sets above of the zoo animals and nursery rhymes are some of my favorites. Each one is 10×10 and printed on ultra-premium quality semi-gloss paper, and he’ll even frame your prints for you. You can buy any of these individually, but I’m glad he sells them in sets now too because you really do have to have them all. He also gives fun names to his prints - the animals are E L Phunt, G Raff, Ali Gater, Z Bro, and B. Vurr. I also love the 4 in The Nursery Rhyme set - do you recognize all of the stories?

Adam has tons of other stuff, so there’s really something for everyone. You’ll have so much fun browsing through his store! And he posts new work on his blog, so check there too.

The winner of today’s giveaway has some tough choices to make. Have fun picking out your prizes and giving your house a fresh look. Thanks Scribble It, Simply Polished, and Fall Down Tree!

_________________________________________________________

Blog Giveaway Guidelines:

1. You have 3 days to enter this blog giveaway, until midnight PST on Wednesday, July 9th.
2. You must make a single comment on this post to enter. To learn how to earn additional entries for each contest, click here.
3. Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
4. One entry per person via commenting, please.
5. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in a new post on Wednesday morning.

If you have a product you would like Vanilla Joy to review and giveaway, email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com. Thanks!

Filed under: Blog Giveaways | 46 Comments »

Happy 4th, everyone. I think Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays - it’s in the summer, there are fireworks and candy and parades, pancake breakfasts, BBQ dinners - aren’t these some of the great things about America? Hmm-mmm.

I’ve been thinking about our 4th of July traditions, getting ready to celebrate, and I wanted to share mine and get some ideas from you for next year. I am constantly on the lookout for fun family traditions to add to our repertoire because I LOVE TRADITIONS!

When I was growing up, we had a 4th of July pancake breakfast out in the backyard with my parents, 5 siblings, and grandparents. We had a large and beautiful backyard with a little creek just behind our house, and I remember smelling the fresh morning air and feeling happy and content with my family all around. I remember feeling the excitement of the day - the upcoming parade, family baseball game, and fireworks accompanied by homemade popcorn with way too much butter salt.

My mom would occasionally teach us a new patriotic song around the 4th of July. The one I remember best is There’s Only One America, and I still catch myself singing that song at random times throughout the year. Singing songs together is a great way to celebrate any holiday!

I grew up in a small town across the street from my church and a big parking lot. The parade started right by my house, so every 4th I would wake up really early to the sound of horse hooves clacking on the streets and people bustling around, getting ready to make their appearance on Main Street.

I don’t know why, but I’m getting all blubbery just thinking about this! Maybe because so much has changed since then, almost all good, but that time of my life is gone and I can’t ever have it back. That’s why traditions are so important - people need happy memories to look back on and draw from and recreate in their own families.

As an adult now with my own family we have started a few of our own traditions. We attend a hot air balloon festival each 4th of July, followed by the parade. Then we usually BBQ with friends. Another one I’m going to add this year is reading my favorite patriotic book, The Star-Spangled Banner, by Peter Spier. As you might guess, the book puts pictures to the words of our National Anthem. The first verse is the most popular and well-known, but the subsequent 3 verses are just as powerful and poetic.

I want my family to appreciate and love our country and the principles on which it was founded, so part of our tradition is to think and talk about the founding of our country and give thanks for the people who made it happen. God bless America!

I would love to hear your Independence Day family traditions, so please share!

Filed under: Celebrations, Routines, & Traditions | 4 Comments »

And the randomly selected winner is…..Tangie C, who earned additional entries (that really does help!) and said, “Wow!!! I totally would love to win!!! We do use or would like to try all of the products included!! I remember having something similar to the lil rinser when I was a little girl!!!”

Email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com and I’ll put you in contact with the sponsors.

Lil Rinser has offered to give Vanilla Joy readers a discount, so if you didn’t win and you want to buy a Lil Rinser, click here.

Thanks to everyone who participated.  Better luck next time!!!

Filed under: Blog Giveaways | No Comments »

Day 4 brings more great stuff for one lucky winner - I’ll get right to the prizes.

1. One pair of squeaky shoes and one other personalized item from Personality Plus Boutique.

Adrienne, from Personality Plus Boutique, is the sponsor of our first item. She introduced me to squeaky shoes, and I think they’re brilliant! They have little sqeakers in the heel so you can hear your baby wherever she goes - this is a great security measure parents can take to avoid losing their kids in the store. Joel can get away from me so fast, but if I can hear him walking, I’ll be able to find him quickly. The squeakers can be removed so the shoes can be worn in quiet places like the library or at church.

Personality Plus Boutique also sells personalized t-shirts, bath towels, baptism towels, hooded baby towels, bags, aprons, onesies, beanies, blankets, and burp cloths. She has lots of colors and styles to choose from, and her embroidery designs are sooo cute! Best of all, she’s absolutely wonderful to work with - once you choose what you want, she draws up a few designs for you to preview to make sure everything looks just right.

Here is some of the stuff in her store - she has a page of embroidery designs and fonts you can choose from or you can come up with your own. She can do anything! Her embroidery and applique work is very well done - I have been so impressed with the quality and creativity of her product line.

This little cinch pack would be perfect for a little girls’ dance team, as little travel bags for your kids, or even just to keep kid’s “treasures” in. Kids absolutely love to see their name on things, which is why I love Personality Plus Boutique so much. Kids love to feel ownership and membership, and having their name on things gives that to them. It’s a very positive and exciting thing for a child! And it helps Mom to keep straight what belongs to who. This bag comes in 11 colors and has 6 different “all around” designs to choose from.

And here is some stuff she did up for me…well, Joel, actually. I love it!

On the left is a personalized t-shirt that is sooo adorable! And my very favorite thing is the personalized bath towel she did up for him on the right. I told her generally what I wanted and this is what she came up with! I had planned on our kids having bath towels in their assigned colors, and this is just the icing on the cake. I will be ordering bath towels like this for all of my children, and I can’t wait! Our bathroom is going to be so colorful and personalized! She’s a true artist and is very talented and good at what she does.

The winner of this giveaway is going to have a tough time deciding what to order from her shop. Good luck!  And if you don’t win but still want to buy something from her, she’s offering a 10% discount on everything in her store to Vanilla Joy readers.  Thanks Adrienne!

2. One Diaps and Wipes Case, one appliqued onesie, one tag-a-long blanket from Fingers & Toes: Modern Baby Designs.

Today’s winner will also receive three items from Fingers & Toes: Modern Baby Designs. Can you see how cute her stuff is???

Her diaps & wipes case is great to take on its own, in a diaper bag, or thrown in your purse. No one will ever guess that sassy little clutch you have is really hiding diapers and wipes. My make-shift diapers and wipes case right now is a plastic pouch that our car seat cover straps came in - BORING! I really needed one of these in a super girly design.

The fabric is that nice quality stuff, 100% thick and soft cotton - I really love cotton. It’s one of the things I could never live without.

The D&W case can hold a travel sized wipe container and several diapers, and it measures 7.5 w x 13.5 h (when open) so it will fit big baby and toddler diapers too! And a little velcro piece keeps everything tucked in nice and tight so you don’t lose anything! Because it’s washable, after baby is potty trained, you could use the case to carry lots of other stuff like snacks, books, toys, etc. You can use it forever!

The winner will also get an appliqued onesie in one of 5 designs - isn’t the tie fabulous? Perfect for church. This winner is going to have some difficult choices ahead of her! The appliques are fused and then machine stitched to the onesie, and fused again on the backside for increased durability. They come in a variety of sizes and colors, so check out her store!

Finally, you’ll get a tag-a-long blanket. This little blankie is perfect for infants and toddlers (and mommies - you would definitely see me cuddling up to that oh-so-soft minky fabric - I’d love a giant blanket made out of that stuff, just for me.) So one side has the velvet soft minky fabric and the other side will be some modern and beautiful high quality fabric. The fun part for the babies, besides the minkiness, are the little ribbon tabs that stick out everywhere along the sides. As soon as a baby knows she has hands, those little ribbons will be the most interesting and entertaining thing in the world.

Fingers & Toes has some other great stuff in her store like custom crib bedding, bibs and burp cloths, and hooded towels. I don’t know where she finds such beautiful fabric, but I need to find out.

Her custom crib bedding comes with 1 reversible bumper, 1 pleated split corner skirt, 1 fitted sheet, and 1 baby blanket, all in the most gorgeous fabrics, and it looks like she just got new stuff in! Can you tell I love fabric? I would really love to get my hands on one of these sets…

Thanks Personality Plus Boutique and Fingers & Toes!

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Blog Giveaway Guidelines:

1. You have 6 days to enter this blog giveaway, until midnight PST on Tuesday, July 8th.
2. You must make a single comment on this post to enter. To learn how to earn additional entries for each contest, click here.
3. Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
4. One entry per person via commenting, please.
5. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in a new post on Wednesday morning.

If you have a product you would like Vanilla Joy to review and giveaway, email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com. Thanks!

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It’s day 3 of giveaway week and we’re still going strong. We have three more fantastic products for one lucky winner!

Don’t forget to blog about my giveaways to earn extra entries (see “Blog Giveaway Guidelines” at the bottom of the post for more information about earning additional entries) and don’t forget that we will be giving stuff away through Monday of next week. And the stuff just keeps getting better and better (if that’s even possible) so you don’t want to miss out.

Here’s what today’s contest winner will get:

1. A Kaboost. I L-O-V-E this product - it’s brilliant! And it is packaged so cleverly that I enjoyed taking it out of the box just as much as I enjoyed putting it on the chair and using it!

A Kaboost is a booster chair that raises the height of a regular kitchen/dining room chairs so that a child can sit at the table like a big kid! They have a little demo video over at kaboost.com that explains how you use it, so be sure to visit and watch.

Here are a few of my favorite things about the product:

• It hold up to 300 pounds - I just got a tall work table for my craft room, so I will be using the Kaboost myself until I get chair that is tall enough.
• It stays attached when the chair is moved, so it’s safe, stable, and hassle-free.
• It’s small and easy to transport and therefore easy to take to Mom’s for dinner or to a restaurant.
• It’s pretty.
• It has rubberized feet so it doesn’t slip or scratch your floors.
• It has two height positions - you switch from one height to another simply by flipping the thing over.

The Kaboost doesn’t take up any extra room in the kitchen, and it comes in 4 colors. I personally prefer the bright green. You can buy these at Target, Babies’R'Us, and Wal-Mart, so if you don’t win, you know where to get yours. And I recommend you do. Get yours. It will become your new favorite thing too.

2. An Accordion scrapbook handmade by Nycole’s Scrapbooks. These are just two of her adorable designs, but she has tons more, and the winner will get to choose her favorite! It won’t be easy to do, so good luck. The accordion scrapbook measures 4.25 x 5.5 and has 14 pages for displaying photos.

Nycole makes all kinds of unique scrapbooks, photo books, and custom albums. She puts everything together so beautifully, I love her color combinations and clever ideas, and she does custom orders. She reuses things like paper bags and Altoid tins - check out her store to see all her imaginative creations.

Paper Bag Album	Gift Tags	Ring Bound Scrapbook

Here’s just a sample of what she has in her store - there’s so much more!

3. Another 2 boxes of Kraft bagel-fuls, winner’s choice of flavors. Your child will love to sit on his Kaboost and eat his bagel-ful…if you’re willing to share.

Thank you Kaboost, Nycole’s Scrapbooks, and Kraft!!!

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Blog Giveaway Guidelines:

1. You have 6 days to enter this blog giveaway, until midnight PST on Monday, July 7th.
2. You must make a single comment on this post to enter. To learn how to earn additional entries for each contest, click here.
3. Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
4. One entry per person via commenting, please.
5. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in a new post on Tuesday morning.

If you have a product you would like Vanilla Joy to review and giveaway, email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com. Thanks!

Filed under: Blog Giveaways | 72 Comments »

[If you haven’t entered yesterday’s giveaway yet, you have until Wednesday at midnight. And remember that you can earn additional entries by blogging about this giveaway. Click here to read more about earning additional entries.]

The giveaway loot is going to get better and better every day, so be sure to check back all this week and Monday and Tuesday of next week so you don’t miss any of the good stuff.

One lucky winner will win the following two prizes:

1. A set of 4 Puzzle Piece Frames from Hiccup.

I first saw Hiccup Inc’s adorable stuff at a local gift show, but she’s been in some big-time places like on the Martha Stewart Show!!! Basically, she’s amazing and her stuff is really unique and I love it. She was kind enough to give away this item, a $55 value, to our winner! You should visit her blog - it plays great music.

Back to the prize - One frame measures about 10 x 7 and all four together are about 15 1/2 x 14/12 in a square. These are a great conversation pieces because they are so unique and precious, and you can arrange them in so many different ways. You can split them up to use separately around the house or all together. OR, if you like the DIY method, you can get a kit with all the stuff and can make your own! That sounds like fun to me!

I have another product from Hiccup, one of her 6×6 wooden blocks, that is fabulous on my bookshelf. I love her blocks because they have beautiful and different designs on each side, so when you get tired of one, you can spin it and look at something else for a while! She has so many cute things in her shop - animal pull toys, book ends, piggy block bands, and more. I’m really kind of jealous of the winner of this contest. Thanks Hiccup Inc!

2. A set of 2 Handmade books by Vanilla Joy (Ahem, ahem - that’s me).

If you’ve read my blog long, you know I love making books, especially Japanese Stab books. I will be posting a free tutorial on how to make these next week, complete with videos and pictures, so be sure to sign up for my craft newsletter to receive all the extra tips and pointers. This binding is so versatile and beautiful, and anyone can do it!

The winner will get two Japanese stab books, one 6 x 6 and the other 5.5 x 4.25. I always have one of these with me - they’re small and can fit easily into an purse or pocket. I use them for making lists, writing down thoughts and appointments, as an address book, and just a place to store general information.  They make great gifts for Mother’s Day and birthdays especially, so use them for yourself or give them away as gifts!

I think whoever wins this contest is pretty lucky - two more great prizes!

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Blog Giveaway Guidelines:

1. You have 6 days to enter this blog giveaway, until midnight PST on Sunday, July 6th.
2. You must make a single comment on this post to enter. To learn how to earn additional entries for each contest, click here.
3. Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
4. One entry per person via commenting, please.
5. The winner will be randomly picked and announced in a new post on Monday morning - we’ll be skipping the weekend days because of the holiday.

If you have a product you would like Vanilla Joy to review and giveaway, email me at kelsey [at] vanillajoy [dot] com. Thanks!

Filed under: Blog Giveaways | 55 Comments »

Marie over at Make and Takes (one of my favorite blogs) is also doing a giveaway this week.  You have until Thursday at midnight to enter to win a Lisa Leonard Hand Stamped Jewelry Design - they’re super cute and classy, so visit makeandtakes.com to enter!

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Laurie at Tip Junkie is also having a 20 day giveaway - she’ll be giving something away every day for 24 days, actually, since she had so many people who wanted to participate.  I guess this is the week to win free stuff!

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