Gift giving made easy with Uncorked Ventures

Sponsored post basic disclosure
More and more of us have friends that are far away these days and I find I’m often sending gift baskets long distances to celebrate weddings, birthdays, and big events. The problem with this is that you usually need to handpick the items yourself, package them in a way that looks beautiful but still ships well, and then pay huge postage fees on top of the cost of the gift itself.

Or, you could go with an Uncorked Ventures gift basket and let them do all the work for you while you accept all the thanks. With collections specifically for chocolate lovers, those who love to cook, and wine lovers, it’s easy to find that perfect set for even the hardest to buy for. 

Uncorked ventures wine gift baskets

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How to host your own upcycling party {Singer VIVO Repair & Create machine}

Upcycling party with Singer
You know those times when everything in your closet just seems so boring? Whether you haven’t been shopping since you were in high school or your body has changed and you’re still wearing your old clothing, chances are you have a stack of clothes in your closet taking up space that you really don’t want to be wearing anymore. 

I know I did, as did my friends, so we decided to get together to make a negative into a very big positive. Instead of going shopping together and blowing a few hundred dollars between us while we updated our wardrobes, we did something a whole lot more fun and cost effective – we upcycled our clothing. 

For those not familiar with the term “upcycle”, the basic idea is that you use what you already have and are not using to create something new and fabulous that you would have otherwise had to buy. Think of it as the greener way to recycle.   

So, to start my party off, I had all of the guests create two bags full of stuff beforehand – stuff they like but want to make amazing in one bag and stuff they really don’t want any more but can still be used for parts in the second.

Welcome to Upcycling partyImmediately upon walking into the party, they were greeted with two felt bins – one to dump their discards into for everyone to use as material, and one for the clothing they would like to upcycle. Once everyone had arrived, we went through the contents of the first bin together so everyone could see what materials they had to work with.

The saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” comes to mind as digging through the discard bin quickly turned into a clothing swap where everyone grabbed a few new-to-them items. Hey, it's green and resourceful. 

But, our purpose wasn't just to swap clothing, we were here to make our clothing awesome, which is why we had this little baby by our side:

Singer Vivo

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VTech Switch & Go Dinos

My son is crazy about dinosaurs and about vehicles of all kinds, so I knew he would think that the Switch & Go Dinos were basically the coolest thing ever.  Whenever he sees the brightly colored dino covered boxes when we’re out shopping, he can’t help but hug them all. Of course I couldn't say no when offered a set of Switch & Go Dinos to review right before his birthday. 
Switch and Go Dinos
If you haven’t seen them in stores yet, Switch & Go Dinos are robotic dinosaurs that transform into various vehicles with just a few motions. When in dino mode, they roar like prehistoric animals, and when in car/truck/flying object mode, their engines rev and they make vrooming noises. Pretty much the best toy ever, in a little boy’s eyes.

I already knew that my son would think it was pretty awesome if a few Switch & Go Dinos came to live with us, so I was sure they would be the perfect birthday present for him this September. My daughter recognized this as well and decided that of all the other toys on the market, she really wanted to buy him one of these dinos for his birthday. 

Switch and Go Dinos packages

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Whole house clean with the Shark Sonic Duo Cleaning System

If you know me, you know how much I adore cleaning gadgets. Even a good scrub brush makes me happy, but if the product actually saves me time and energy, I’m ecstatic. Such is the case with the Shark Duo Carpet and Hard Floor Cleaner that I was sent after meeting the Shark team at the MomTrends Shark party during BlogHer.

Isn't this gorgeous? The view isn't half bad, either.

Shark Sonic Duo in Chicago

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Karmin G3 Salon Pro Pure Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron {Review}

As someone who doesn’t go to fancy salons, I’m always a little behind on hair trends.  In fact, I don’t think I even owned a flat iron until 2008 when I got a top-of-the-line model at the time.  Even though that doesn’t seem like that long ago, it really feels like flat irons have come … Read more

Step2 Corvette Room Organizer {review}

I adore my kids, and I love *most* of their toys.  I just hate when their toys are all over my house.  While toy boxes are one solution, I find that their favorite toys tend to get buried in a big box and then they dump out the entire contents to get that one beloved … Read more

Our Week In The Future {Kia Optima Hybrid Review}

by Tyler, editor and reviewer Last week I was spoiled by STI – The Drive Experience Company.  While I am currently driving the newest car I have ever owned {a spry 18 years old} I really don’t spend a lot of time in newer cars.  But, this last week I was lucky enough to drive … Read more

JumpSport Elite Trampoline {Review}

Trampoline picture - mama  Lily  Jonathan and Ali
Fun fact: just like blowing bubbles or skipping through a park, I firmly believe it is impossible to jump and bounce on a trampoline without smiling. While I don’t have any scientific proof this is true, I remain 100% convinced this is a fact and could show you hundreds of pictures of us bouncing on our JumpSport Trampoline over the last few weeks as “evidence”. Just the thought of someone frowning and grumpy on a trampoline makes me laugh.

As for me, I think I have a genetic disposition that causes me to giggle uncontrollably as soon as I set foot on our JumpSport trampoline. I say this is genetic, because every single person with a blood relation to me has the same trait, including my siblings, cousins, and my two adorable kiddos. Maybe this is why they beg to bounce daily and why we’ve spent most of our summer thus far on our trampoline. 

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Sony Handycam {Review}

Do you remember when video cameras came in a suitcase?  Not much smaller than the film cameras used in Hollywood, video cameras of the 80s required a strong shoulder to keep them steady and they were anything but portable.  I always felt really sorry for the poor parent holding the video camera, not just for … Read more

B-Ready for everything with Britax

Get Out and PLAY Event – Day 21 If you’ve been in Washington over the past two months, it’s likely that you saw us crisscrossing the state with our newest ride. No, not a car, a stroller: specifically, the new Britax B-Ready stroller. In an effort to save money, use less gas, and get some … Read more