Dotty Dot Dot FREE Blogger Backgrounds, Reviews & Giveaways

To My Sparkely Valentine

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Lovin' the Red Sparkely {skinny}

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Click below to see a preview of this background in use------------->

Strawberry Swirls, 2-Column {skinny}

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by The Scrappy Kat

Click below to see a preview of this background in use:

Zoobie Pet WINNER!

2012-01-30T21:23:00.004-07:00

The winner of the Zoobie Pet Giveaway is...

Entry #20, Kelsie!

Romeo+Juliet=4ever

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Creative Chaos

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Tried, Tested and True

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Creative Chaos

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Lipstick on Your Collar

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Alinabella

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Glitter Heart Button

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by MaryPop Designs

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Sparetime Family Fun Center / Ben Gives Back

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a shout out to a great company that is helping with Ben Gives Back. Sparetime Family Fun Center is a local company who is donating a free bowling pass for every $5 worth of items donated to Ben Gives Back.

There are great people and companies out there. If you are, or know a company who would like to help sick kids at Primary Children's Medical Center by donating to Ben Gives Back please let me know. Donations need to be in by the end of March 2012. We are looking for donations of books, stuffed animals, toys .... anything kid related!

Love, Love, Love

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Kylie M Designs

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Finding Nemo 3D

2012-01-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Coming September 14, 2012

X's and O's

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by A Print A Day

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Zoobies Pets Review & Giveaway

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Zoobies are the adorable plush animals that double as blankets, reading pals and best friends.

A winner of the 2008 Creative Child Magazine Product of the Year Award and recently seen on Today and The View, Zoobies are turning a lot of heads. Zoobies have been seen with celebrities like Gwen Stefani, Tori Spelling and Ali Landry.

Even though Zoobies made it big they still remember their community. In December my 20-month old son stayed one week in Pediatric Intensive Care at Primary Children's Medical Center. This prompted our family to do service project called Ben Gives Back. We are collecting items to donate to the hospital including stuffed animals, board books and children's DVDs. I contacted Zoobies and they agreed to help us out. Any donation is welcome to help Ben Give Back. Contact Ashlie at ashblog@hotmail.com

We received a very adorable and not-ferocious-at-all Lencho the Lion Blanket Pet from Zoobies. So soft and so cuddly. And even though he's not ferocious my son won't stop roaring. Ah well, it's a cute/funny baby roar.

Lencho the Lion

made into a pillow

blanket pulled out

Before I did this review we already had two Zoobies pets in our home which have since been retired. We LOVE them for long car rides to Grandma's house. When car seats can become a bit uncomfortable our Zoobies are cushy pillow props for nodding heads complete with a soft comforting blanket.

Ellema the Elephant

Bing the Bumblebee

Zoobies Slumber Pets are fun for sleepovers. Roll them out and them roll them back up again. A pillow and sleeping bag all-in-one.

Zoobies Very Hungry Caterpillar Slumber Pet

Cuddle up with your favorite story and a Zoobies Storytime Pal. Clifford, Olivia, Spot, Curious George and the Goodnight Moon Bunny can all be found on the Zoobie website.

Clifford Storytime Pal

Curious George Storytime Pal

Zoobies is giving away a blanket pet! Just fill out the form below. A winner will be picked on Monday January 30, 2012.

Use the code Parenthood and get 20% off any Zoobie product!

Links:

Lime Love

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

This one was designed to fit wider layouts, but it looks really great on a 2-Column layout as well. This is the case with many 3-Column wider backgrounds. You just have to try it and see if you like it.

*Page elements by LouCeeCreations

Click below to see a preview of this background in use------------->

HOT HOT HOT Pink

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by LouCeeCreations

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Gold Diamonds

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by JGD

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Chic Subtle Purple

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

*There is a very very very light print on this background.

*Page elements by JGD

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Bloggers, Get $25!

2012-01-16T14:32:00.001-07:00

Brad's Deals is looking for Bloggers to join their ad program. If you get accepted YOU get $25! Email me and I'll get you the info.

Canary Chic

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by JGD

Crocheted Pinwheels

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Kylie M Designs

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Bright White Blinding Love

2012-01-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

(It's hard to see this white background on my white background, but it has hearts on it and is really cute.)

*Page elements by JGD

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Winter Greens

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Thaliris

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Ice Queen

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Thaliris

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Vintage Winter Chic

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Thaliris

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Sparkling Snowflake Spirals

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Thaliris

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Free For Facebook!

2012-01-05T15:40:00.002-07:00

GREAT NEWS!

All of my Blog Headers can be used as Facebook Covers. That just DOUBLED the amount of free stuff on this site! Get a FREE Background and matching Header, and then use the Header again on your Facebook page.

Using Crisp Plaid as an example...

Go to the post of the Background
Find the Header
Click on the Header to open it in a new window
Save the image onto your computer
Upload the Header as a Cover on Facebook

I can customize any Header for a fabulous Facebook Cover...

Crisp Plaid

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Delicious Scraps

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Flakes Are Falling

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Delicious Scraps

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Retro Winter

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Delicious Scraps

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Bright Blizzard

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Delicious Scraps

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Very Subtle Snowflakes

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

*The snowflakes are very, very, VERY subtle.

*Page elements by Joey

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Happy Blue Bow

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

*This background has some detail around the blue bow that makes it happy!

*Page elements by Joey

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Pimp My Cube Contest

2011-12-28T14:00:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory. All opinions are 100% mine.

Remember the teenage years? Spending all your hard earned cash to pimp out your vehicle. Now you're a grown up and all your hard earn cash is spent on food. Where's the fun in that? Wouldn't it be great to pimp out your surroundings now? Get some color on those bland cubicle walls, get your 'work' (yeah, we all 'work'' all eight hours at work, uh-huh) done on a super computer or bump it office-style with new gadgets and hold your own in-cube office par-tay? Contest Factory will do that for you, for FREE, with the Pimp My Cube Contest.

You could win one of these options worth approximately $1200:

A new suped up high-end computer system

A fancy-schmancy new desk, chair and decorations

A rockin' new entertainment package including a high end stereo, espresso machine, etcetera

To enter the contest, make a video showing your office work space. Why is it so bad? Why is it the worst office space on the planet? Show the awfulness, show the gore. Make mouths gape in horror! It's easy to enter a video from your phone, webcam or computer of your work space and upload it at Contest Factory to get your cube totally pimped out. Once your video goes live have everyone you know vote on it to increase your chances of winning! Contest entry period is from December 5, 2011 - January 31, 2012. At the end of the contest a $200 gift card will be awarded to a random registered user. Don't be a square, enter the Pimp My Cube Contest and show your coworkers who's boss in your awesome pimped out cube.

Frigid Flakes

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Joey
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Dark Dangles

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Aquarius Design

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Hollywood Star

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Aquarius Design

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Sent From the North Pole

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Rainbow Designs

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Blue Tree

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by MaryPop Designs

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Snowflake Sparkles

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by MaryPop Designs

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Tree Lined Ski Slope

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by MaryPop Designs

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Evergreen

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by MaryPop Designs

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Frosty Feathers

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by MaryPop Designs

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Slim Fast Shake Review

2011-12-15T20:00:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Slim-Fast. All opinions are 100% mine.

The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming! Slim Fast has a new way to conquer the high calorie get-togethers full of family, fun and fatty foods. Their easy-on-the-go protein shakes slip perfectly into your purse (or diaper bag, right next to the diaper clutch, in my case).

I braved the Christmas shoppers and dodged in and out of aisles to bring you this review. Slim-Fast products in your local supermarket are generally located somewhere near the pharmacy, by the diet foods. I tried the Creamy Chocolate low carb Slim-Fast shake. This review includes chocolate?! WHAT?! Count me in for sure! My Mom also tried the chocolate Slim-Fast shake and proclaimed that it will be her new after work while-TV-watching snack. Something yummy for the tummy without all the extra calories. Slim-Fast shakes provide about four hours of hunger control. Each shake has 10 grams of protein, five grams of fiber and 24 essential vitamins and minerals - about one-third of your recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals. The Slim-Fast 3-2-1 plan starts with THREE Slim-Fast 100-calorie snacks, TWO shakes or meal bars and ONE 500 calorie balanced meal.

Go into this season prepared. A Slim Fast shake in your hand... bring on the holidays!

Visit the Website Slim-Fast
Visit the Facebook Page Slim-Fast

*All opinions are 100% mine. Compensation was provided by Slim-Fast for this review.

Snowman's Prayer

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements from: Cuddlebeez Scraps

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If You Don't Believe, You Don't Receive

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements from: Cuddlebeez Scraps

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Ornament Ric Rac

2011-12-13T00:00:00.001-07:00

*Page elements by Desertgirl Designs

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An Ornament

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Desertgirl Designs

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Outpost 8 WINNER!

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Outpost 8 giveaway is...

Entry #6, Connie!

Gingerbread Love

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

3-COLUMN:

2-COLUMN:

*Page elements by Desertgirl Designs

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Get any header personalized to match your blog:

Blue Ornaments

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Rainbow Designs

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Pine Swirl

2011-12-08T00:00:00.001-07:00

*Page elements by Rainbow Designs

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Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by MaryPop Designs

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Christmas Tree Columns

2011-12-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by DK Designs

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MyMemories WINNER!

2011-12-05T21:30:00.001-07:00

The winner of MyMemories Suite is...

Entry#2, Natalie Wahl!

Outpost 8 ETSY Shop Review and Giveaway

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Where on Earth do you find a store who's tag-line is, "Video game and post-apocalyptic jewelry"?! On Etsy, of course. Outpost 8 is one of my new found Etsy jewels.

I approached many Etsy shops with a custom order for Christmas ornaments and I think I scared most people away with my request for a Magic School Bus ornament. Alia from Outpost 8 took my request head on and created four wonderful custom ornaments for my personal Christmas 2011. Not only are these going to look awesome on my tree, these custom ornaments are going to surprise the pants off their recipients. I can't wait to see to see their faces when they see their ornaments. SO.EXCITED!

I fell in love with Outpost 8 and really, really, really hoped they would accept my custom ornament request when I landed on their shop right in the middle of wearable video game land. I almost spent my Christmas ornament budget on the Super Mario charm bracelet:

You can literally wear your gaming addiction:

Or add it to your backpack:

And where's the post-apocalyptica, as mentioned in Outpost 8's tagline? BAM:

Uniqueness is just oozing out of Outpost 8:

Marshmallow Lucky Charm earrings made from polymer clay

Outpost 8 is giving away a Legend of Zelda Lon Lon milk bottle glass charm! Just fill out the form below.

Outpost 8 Etsy Shop

Outpost 8 Facebook

Outpost 8 Blog

<p>&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

*FULL DISCLOSURE: A trade agreement with Outpost 8 was arranged for this review and giveaway.

Blue Hues

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

3-Column:

2-Column:

*Page elements by DK Designs

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Gently Falling

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

3-Column:

2-Column:

*Page elements by DK Designs

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Get any header personalized to match your blog

Frosty Flakes

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by DK Designs

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Stapled to the Wallpaper

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Amagination

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Rustic Red Flower

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Amagination

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MyMemories Suite Review and Giveaway

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Remember the old way of scrapbooking? Cutting and gluing? Sitting at the card table set up in your living room with shards of paper flying around the place? Well, no more piled paper mountains and sticky fingers in the digital age. My Memories Suite is digital scrapbooking software with a huge support site. Choose to instantly download the My Memories Suite or have it delivered in the US or Canada. It doesn't take to long. There are easy-to-follow installation instructions. Just keep clicking along until you're there.

On the My Memories website there are tons of digital scrapbooking kits, many of which are free! Browse the gallery to see what people are doing with My Memories Suite.

My Memories Suite is a time saver because it's all digital - it's all on the computer. That is where my pictures are anway, so it's super easy to have everything all in one place. I don't have to spend the time ordering pictures (which I have to manually edit one-by-one before I order them, which takes a ton of time!). And when I use the computer (versus traditional glue-stick scrapbooking), it doesn't make a mess all over the place. Zero cleanup is great! After you've completed your project on your computer you can print it on your home printer, get them printed through the site, use them for a book or calendar, or use them in their digital form on the internet. You can even make videos using My Memories Suite.

Order MyMemories Suite v.2 HERE

and use code STMMMS23777

to get a $10 credit on the software

PLUS a $10 coupon to the MyMemories store!

Win a My Memories Suite download for yourself! Just fill out the form below:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

*DISCLAIMER: Product was recieved from MyMemories for this review and giveaway. All opinions are 100% mine.

Two Twigs

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Amagination

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Autumn Dots & Stripes, [skinny]

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Cuddlebeez Scraps

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Autumn's Dots & Stripes

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Cuddlebeez Scraps

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Riviting Ribbon

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Cuddlebeez Scraps

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Cold Stone

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Cuddlebeez Scraps

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Dinosaur Floor Puzzle from Twin Sisters Productions WINNER!

2011-11-21T10:20:00.001-07:00

The winner of the

Dinosaur Floor Puzzle from Twin Sisters Productions is...

Entry #14, Sara H!

Dust Ruffle

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Captivated Visions

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Thanksgiving Movies 2011

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

The top two talked about movies for Thanksgiving 2011 - Breaking Dawn and The Muppets Movie. Can't decide? See them both at the same time:

Chocolate Toffee Flowers

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Captivated Visions

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Dark Chocolate

2011-11-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Captivated Visions

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Coffee Break

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by Captivated Visions

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Red Journal

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by TMA Designs

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Twin Sisters Productions: Dinosaur Floor Puzzle Review & Giveaway

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Can I say it enough? About how much I LOVE products from Twin Sisters Productions?! This time I have the opportunity to review and give away one of their giant 2'x3' floor puzzles.

I am in love with Twin Sisters Productions giant floor puzzles for one big reason: deep extended learning. Their giant floor puzzles include a CD that has songs that go along with the puzzle as well as extra activities you can print off or your computer. The learning is deeper as you hear the music while you assemble the puzzle, and learning keeps going even after the puzzle is all put together when you work on the extra materials included on the CD. I was really excited when I saw the United States map giant floor puzzle - then I remember that we already have a big United States puzzle - but I sure wish I had the one from Twin Sisters Productions that came with the CD!

I love the giant 2'x3' dinosaur floor puzzle for my 3-year-old. The puzzle pieces are big enough for her to manipulate and for her to see and match the patterns. Sometimes teeny tiny puzzle pieces slip out of little hands and are hard to line up just right. The big puzzle pieces are perfect for preschooler hands. We listened to the CD (included with the dinosaur floor puzzle) while we were putting together the puzzle and my 3-year-old exclaimed, "Mom! He say Tyrannosaurus Rex! That's this one. This one, here, MOM!". Now if that isn't learning in action, then I don't know what is! The CD got me thinking, too... we think we know a lot about the dinosaurs - we've found their fossils and have assembled their bones, but we really don't know what color they were, do we? Learning was happening all around in our house while we were assembling the puzzle. :)

Twin Sisters Productions is giving away a dinosaur floor puzzle! Just fill out the form below:

Links:

Stamped Scroll

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by TMA Designs

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Shutterfly Holiday Promotion 2011 WINNERS!

2011-11-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

The THREE winners of
25 cards from
the Shutterfly Giveaway are:

Entry #32, Lori Quesinberry from Shutterfly Experience

Entry #73, Kristen Winter who says,
"it's tough, but I think candy striped snapshot
is my current favorite"

Entry #47, Lexie who says,
"LOVE the vintage style Christmas cards!"

Congratulations! I will be contacting all three of you shortly!

Autumn Subtle Chic

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by TMA Designs

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Big Maple

2011-11-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know why this picture is blurry. It's not blurry when I use it as a background, and it shouldn't be for you, either! I really like this background!

*Page elements by TMA Designs

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Football Stripes

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by ValerieN Designs

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Go Team Go

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by ValerieN Designs

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Back to Blocks WINNER!

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

The winner of the big bucket of blocks

from the Back to Blocks review and giveaway is...

Entry # 41, Emily Peterson!

Referee

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

*Page elements by ValerieN Designs

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Touchdown

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

*Page elements by ValerieN Designs

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Football All-Star

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

*Page elements by ValerieN Designs

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Shutterfly Review & Giveaway

2011-11-02T15:48:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again! Time for one of my FAVORITE giveaways! I did this last year and am SO HAPPY to be working with Shutterfly again this year for their Holiday card promotion.

When it comes Holiday card time I must, must, must have a picture card. I like to send an updated family picture to our family and friends so they can see how big the kids are getting - and I have so many pictures to choose from over the previous 365 days of photo taking - I need to show them off! Shutterfly has a HUGE assortment of personalizable Holiday cards and Christmas cards. Cards with spots for one to a TON of pictures! I had no problem finding cards I liked on Shutterfly - my problem was narrowing down the selection to just a few possibilities for our 2011 card. If you don't see something right away just keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling - the never ending stream of cards keeps refreshing and refreshing and refreshing on Shutterfly's site...

I got my Holiday cards from Shutterfly last year - and of the eight years I've sent out Holiday cards, last year I received the most comments on my cards I'd ever had. Everyone was super impressed with the design and quality of the cards and wanted to know where I got them.

While I was working on my Shutterfly holiday card a window popped up asking me if I'd like to chat with a Shutterfly live assistant. I took the opportunity to ask the live assistant a question to test their live customer service. The live assistant anwered my questions in a timely manner. I really was just asking questions to see what they would do. This was our conversation that took less than five minutes:

Something I had a problem with on the site was that I couldn't find what I was looking for in the search box when I searched for an item by it's name. You're better off searching for an item using the filters on the left side (by style, # of photos, color, size).

Think Shutterfly for other projects, too. Every year I order personalized calendars from Shutterfly. They have photo books, stationary, photo printing and more!

Shutterfly is giving away

3 sets of 25 FREE CARDS!

*That's THREE chances to win!!! Just fill out the form below.

Links:

Shutterfly site

Shutterfly Facebook

Shutterfly Twitter

*Giveaway ends 11/11/2011

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

*DISCLAIMER: All opionions are 100% mine. Product was received from Shutterfly as compensation for this review.

Crocheted Lace

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

*Page elements by Andilynn Designs

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Vintage Swirly Scroll

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder the 3-Column backgrounds look good on 2-Column layouts - this one looks great that way!

*Page elements by Andilynn Designs

Matching blinkie!:

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Fall Flower Girl

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

*Page elements by Audra's Little Scraps

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Autumn Blinkies

2011-10-28T00:00:00.002-06:00

Country 'Bumpkin

2011-10-27T00:00:00.001-06:00

<br /><br /><style type="text/css">body {background-image:url("http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l185/ajojo00/7a5ed11a.jpg"); background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; }</style><div id="tag" style="position:absolute; left:0px; top:30px; z-index:50; width:150px; height:45px;"><a href="http://dottydotdotdesign1.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src=" http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l185/ajojo00/8f9ee4d2.jpg" /></a></div><br/><br />

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Autumn's Gift

2011-10-26T00:00:00.002-06:00

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Back to Blocks Review & Giveaway

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

Every kid needs blocks. Good old fashioned stack'em high, knock 'em down, build to your heart's content wooden blocks. I firmly believe this. So much so that I let my daughter play with the wood scraps left over from finishing our basement. I liked watching her build and create and I knew that she was getting good unstructured imaginative play, but I didn't like picking the splinters out of her little hands from the jagged scrappy pieces. I always had the intention to buy her some blocks, but I've found that a good set of wooden blocks is hard to find.

Miriam from Back to Blocks brought a BIG blue bucket of fun to my house (yep, they're a home-grown company located in Kaysville, Utah). My daughter was SO excited to open the Fun With Friends set! Open a big ol' bucket of blocks and unleash an imagination explosion! She popped the top off the big blue bucket and went to nuts building towers, roads and tall "stackies". As soon as she got the lid off she squealed with delight and exclaimed, "This is fantastic!". It didn't even take five minutes until the blocks were all over the front room. A room scattered with blocks is a room filled with the cranking wheels of imagination. I particularly appreciate the blocks' smooth beveled edges. Lots of play with no more splinters! Mmmmmm, the blocks smelled good. (They're made from the hardwood, poplar.) They smelled like my childhood (maybe this is the foundation of why I think wooden blocks are so important). I have fond memories of never ending roads that grew over the kitchen counter top, complete with bridges to get over the soapy dish water.

Even Daddy joined in on the fun!

(Didn't we already see a picture like this? It must be hereditary...)

*Not recommended for kids under the age of 3.

Back to Blocks started 20 years ago as handmade Christmas gift to the Back to Blocks owner's children. Twenty years, one bucket, 160 blocks and many, many towers, farms, castles, zoos and roads later Back to Blocks is ready to continue the tradition of imagination, construction and most important of all - PLAY. Back to Blocks is a member of the Handmade Toy Alliance. They are committed to preserving the tradition of quality handcrafted products. Their blocks are all natural wood products with NO PAINTS or DYES. They are made to last. Did you realize that if you bought a $75 bucket of blocks from Back to Blocks and kept them for 20 years that would be an investment of $3.75 a year. Back to Blocks also guarantees their blocks, so if they ever crack or splinter through normal use just send it back for a replacement. (You can use the handy-dandy wood engraved block included in every set to find their information if you ever need it).

WHY is it so important for kids to play with blocks? Give a child a car and they will say "vroom". They'll drive it around the room for a while. The next time they play with it they'll do the same expected thing. It's a car, so vroom and drive. Give a child some blocks and they will build. Cities, towns, farms, roads. Castles where princes rescue princesses. Bridges that trolls live under. Caves for bears and mountain lions. Basic blocks are builders for the foundation of a creative imagination. Building with blocks develops hand-eye coordination and motor skills. Every house, every school classroom should have a set of basic wooden building blocks. I think it is truly time to get BACK to BLOCKS!

*Update - after 2 straight hours of playing with the blocks my 3-year-old just came up to me and said, "I sure do love my blocks, Mommy!"

Check out building contests on Back to Block's site! Or, submit a picture of your project.

Back to Blocks 'Fun With Friends' set

Back to Blocks is GIVING AWAY a Fun With Friends set! Just enter the form below:

LINKS:

Back to Blocks website

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DISCLOSURE:
*All opinions are 100% mine. I received compensation in exchange for this review/giveaway.

Watermarked Tree

2011-10-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

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Matching blinkie! --->

Red Simple Stars

2011-10-24T00:00:00.001-06:00

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PREVIEW:

Upcoming Giveaways Sneak Preview

2011-10-21T10:57:00.000-06:00

Coming this MONDAY October 24, 2011 - Back to Blocks is giving away a bucket of wood blocks valued over $100!

THEN,
Shutterfly is giving away free Holiday cards!

AND THEN,
A Twin Sisters Productions giveaway!

O! Orange Circles

2011-10-21T00:00:00.001-06:00

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Red Flower Retro

2011-10-20T00:00:00.001-06:00

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O! Green Circles

2011-10-19T00:00:00.001-06:00

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Retro Targets

2011-10-18T00:00:00.002-06:00

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"Fall"ing for Gerber Daisies

2011-10-17T00:00:00.001-06:00

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