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Feature Friday-Blog Swap with Just Sew Sassy

December 17, 2010 By Michelle Barneck 3 Comments

Hello all you fabulous A Little Tipsy fans!! We’re super excited to be posting here today:) We LOVE this blog, and feel honored to have been given the opportunity to share a little something with you!! We’re Staci and Marina from Just Sew Sassy, Make sure you stop by our blog today to see what Michelle is sharing with us!!

Allow us to introduce…

I’m Staci. I’ve been married 7 years to a man I met in Bolivia. You know, just some man. J/K we were missionaries together over in the Santa Cruz mission. I’m now a barely sane SAHM of three darling kiddos 5yrs and younger. Crafty things make me happy, and are probably what help me keep my sanity.

And I’m Marina, I have been married for almost 9 years to my amazing supportive husband. I have two little girls that are the inspiration behind most of my crafty attempts. We are two best friends that love to blog, sew and create…

Stop by Just Sew Sassy on Monday for our “yummies” edition of treats…

Come by on Tuesday for some simple tutorials and projects…

We also have some silly wordless Wednesday posts…

And Thursday Treasures where we highlight some new items from our Etsy shop!!

Michelle asked us to answer some fun questions for Christmas…

What is your favorite crafting tool or secret weapon?

Staci: Hmm, when all else fails, use a hot glue gun! It works on paper, fabric, pretty much anything you need to STAY in place!

Marina: I would have to say my sewing machine! I can always whip something up in no time!

Describe a childhood Christmas memory.

Staci: I wanted a puppy for like my entire childhood existence, and never thought I would have one. So, one EARLY early Christmas morning when I was about 12 yrs old, my parents woke me up by putting the tiniest, cutest, cocker spaniel puppy ever, (still wimpering and crying) right in bed next to me. I was so happy I cried. I would love to do that for my kids someday… (Now I’m the one telling my kids “no” to a puppy).

Marina: Hmmm… I had lots of good ones but for me it would have to be when I got my first 10 speed bike, hahaha I know I’m a nerd but I rode that thing everywhere!

If you were a character from a Christmas special who would you be and why?

Staci: Ok, this is a hard one b/c I’m the nerd that watches all the cutesy, (is that a word) tender, little hallmark specials on TV. So I don’t even know which I would pick. You’ve probably never seen the shows… So I’ll stick to the classics. I would probably be the mother on Home Alone. I feel so frantic, forgetful, and overwhelmed during the Holidays that I could forget a kid (lucky for me, that hasn’t happened yet). Is that a confession or what!! I still LOVE the holidays, frantic or not:)

Marina: That’s a good one! I’m not sure who I would be!

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I do adore that ruffly scarf! Thanks to Staci and Marina for swappin’ it up!

The winner of the Dinner kits and $25 Visa Card is…

Karin said… Enjoyed hearing about your dates– Fun, easy to do ideas!

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Babybjorn Carrier Review & Giveaway

December 15, 2010 By Michelle Barneck 255 Comments

If there is one thing I have learned making the rounds with baby number two it is that you can’t skimp with baby products. If you buy cheap diapers they leak, discount bottles will give baby’s tummy bubbles and economical carriers will make your back hurt. When it comes to baby I have my favorite brands and I do not stray. Straying causes stress and who needs more stress?!

Babybjorn makes my carrier of choice. I tried a couple of carrier brands with my first son. I borrowed a carrier from my sister and when she had a baby a few months later, I borrowed my sister-in-law’s Babybjorn carrier. I had no idea what I was missing. The Babybjorn carrier was so much more comfortable! It was easily adjustable to fit like a glove on anyone who wore it. I love that it has lumbar support for me and proper support for my little guy’s wobbly head. There are also little loops by the legs that can hook to make the leg holes smaller for newborns. Love! It makes me feel like my little one can sit comfortably without being flailed about as I move. He loves being all snuggled up and toted about.

(I didn’t put his arms out the holes because he is still little and likes having them close by his face.)

So, guess who has her very own Babybjorn carrier now. Yep, me! It is super festive in bright red. One of the few things for this little guy that aren’t hand me down from my first. Happy new carrier buddy!

What is that you say? You wish you had one too. One that was made from mesh so it is cool and breathable? It should have a cool name (well, besides Bjorn which is a pretty cool name in and of itself!) too like trifecta or verve or synergy. Well call me Fairy Godmother because …

We are giving away a Babybjorn Synergy Carrier to a lucky Tipsy reader! ($170 at Target)

To enter: leave a comment

Extra entries: leave a separate comment for each entry

Follow A Little Tipsy
Like us on facebook
Like Babybjorn on Facebook
Tweet, facebook, or blog about this giveaway

*If you do not leave an email and do not have it on your profile, we will choose another winner.

Giveaway closes Wednesday, December 22nd. Good Luck!

Disclosure: Babybjorn provided me with a carrier for review and one to share. Aren’t they swell.

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The winner of the Thanksgiving Point annual family pass is…

Alisha said… I “like” Thanksgiving Point on facebook

Congrats!

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Santa Claus is Coming to Town

December 14, 2010 By Michelle Barneck 2 Comments

Guess what came in the mail?! The Jack and Chloe Santa suit arrived and the little guy could not be more thrilled! He wanted to put it on right away so I let him try it on before bed.

Then, we saved it for his birthday party with his Aunts & Cousins where he walked around handing out candy canes and saying “Ho, ho, HO!”

It survived the boy for a night and a trip through the wash so I am giving the little suit props! He will wear it to meet Santa at story time tomorrow and again on Christmas eve. He’s such a happy little Santa.

Don’t fret if you did not get your suit from Jack and Chloe this year. They have adorable non-Christmas items too!
I love the appliqued onesies and well this shirt is just tutu cute!

She’s having a destash sale so run over and stock up!

Disclosure: Jack and Chloe provided me with the Santa Suit, but the opinions of her shop are my own.

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Stay Home Date Ideas & Giveaway

December 13, 2010 By Michelle Barneck 151 Comments

As much as we love to go out on extravagant date nights, sometimes budget and or time constraints just don’t allow for it. The hubs and I have found a good alternative to going out for these times when you still want a fun date night, but just can’t make it out. The stay home date night. May sound kind of lame at first, but trust me it can be just as fun as going out. Here are some stay home date night ideas to get you started. Just put the little ones to bed and enjoy the time to yourselves!

Candlelight Scrabble Date

I actually surprised my husband with this one and set it all up while he put our son to bed. He loves word games so I chose a few of his favorites to have as options. Then, I spread a blanket on the floor, turned off the lights and surrounded it with plates of candles.

There is something about candlelight that makes everything special. He chose scrabble and it was an extra long game. We melted the candles all the way down.

Then the hubs threw in a twist of his own, pulled out one of his old college books (he was an English major) and read me some Shakespearean Sonnets. Some were romantic, some just kind of weird, but all fun nonetheless.

Chinese Date Night

I was inspired by this Chinese Date night idea from Love Actually. A trip to the party store (Zurchers) and the Dollar Tree and I had everything I needed to pull off our Asian theme. Ours had a little Christmas flair with the green tablecloth. I would do black if it were not December. 🙂

On hand: tablecloth, red ramekins, river rocks, battery tea lights

Dollar Tree: Serenity Garden (thing with rocks sand and rake), place mats, dishes

Zurchers: Asian hat, chopsticks, black take out boxes, fan, Chinese finger trap

Amazon: Asian spoons, Smashburger: Take out boxes

Smith’s: La Choy fortune cookies (in the black boxes)

I spent about $25, but it is all stuff I can use again.

I adorned some of the items with little notes, like “You’re stuck with me” on the Chinese finger trap and “I’m so fortunate to have you” on the fortune cookie box. I realized later I should have put “I’m your biggest fan” on the fan. 🙂

I am still in easy dinner mode so we started out with egg drop soup and then tried an Orange Chicken meal kit by Wanchai Ferry. It actually turned out really good. The directions were easy to follow and all I had to have on hand was chicken and water. The rest was in the box. Nice! Sometimes that’s about all we have in stock these days. 😉 The flavor wasn’t really orangey, but had a little spice to it. We would totally make it again.

Sick of giveaways yet? Hope not cause here comes another one! We are giving away a Date Night prize pack that includes one Wanchai Ferry dinner kit, one Macaroni Grill dinner kit, and a $25 Visa gift card that you can use to create a magical date night at home! Sweet, I know!

To enter (let’s make it easy): Leave a comment on this post.

Extra entries: Leave a separate comment for each entry

Follow A Little Tipsy
Like us on Facebook
Tweet, blog, or facebook about this giveaway

Giveaway closes Friday, December 17th. Good Luck!

If you can’t wait to see if you win, here’s an online coupon http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/198d/ for $1.50 off two packages of Wanchai Ferry and/or Macaroni Grill Dinner Kits.

Wanchai Ferry and Macaroni Grill provided me with the free product, information, and prize pack through MyBlogSpark.

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We have decided to truncate our feed to help protect against stolen content. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please love us anyway. 🙂