A Little Tipsy

Creative Tips & Ideas

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Feature Friday-Sassy Scoops

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Today I am so excited to be featuring Sassy Scoops!

They are a group of 8 fabulous women dishing out the scoop on Utah’s local businesses. (Sorry kids, this one is local). Oh, did I mention that I am one of those women?! ha ha Does that mean I am featuring myself? uh, er, Anyway…

I have a blast with these ladies and I think you will just love them too! So here we go with the one minute interview:

What is your favorite crafting tool or secret weapon?

vanessasassyVanessa: I like to BUY others crafting genius products the only crafting I really do besides that is crafting with my kids. My secret weapon for this is Mod Podge, boy do they love slather that stuff on and make things all shiny and sparkly!

profile_QuinnQuinn: I’m not much of a crafter either. I do love to do art projects with my kids, whipping out paints and brushes, markers, crayons, scissors and construction paper just about every day.

camilleCamille: There is no creativity in my bones – I can’t even think of something creative in how to answer your question! 🙂 Pretty much around our house, glue sticks and glitter are the extent of my creative brilliance.

farnsworth_150x150Emily: Um, I don’t craft so my secret weapon is Etsy.

sell-075eeEvonne:My only crafting tool that I use whether I am scrapbooking or not would be my big ol’ paper cutter…or what I like to call my “slicer-dicer”!

Kalli Profile 003Kalli:My secret craft weapon is google. But now it’s not so much a secret now anymore is it? Geez…

stephanieaStephanie: I am probably the least crafty person in existence. But I do love hot glue guns. The 2 semi crafty things I do a year require a hot glue gun and I can seriously RAWK it.

Righty oh, probably why these ladies are reviewers, not craft bloggers. 😉 But, we do have a fabulous time together. Sometimes, we bring along the kiddos and the hubs and sometimes it’s just us girls.

Last time, we had a big girl’s tea party (my very first!) sponsored by Dippidees. You have got to see this cake! It was all gold and shimmery!

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They also made cookies to match everyone’s blogs! See the cookies up close here. See mine on the right below. So fun!

Jump on over to see the full review. Oh, and did I mention the giveaway (closes Friday, Jan 15th)?! Win a dozen of their yummy cupcakes!

This review was definitely the little guy’s favorite! Dinosaurs, bugs, and goo, what could be better?!






And how could this review be complete without sharing the Sassies favorite local distractions!

Vanessa: Whole Foods in Sugarhouse, Beehive Bazaar and Cafe Madrid

Quinn: I’m a HUGE Zupas fan – give me panini and chocolate fondue any day and I’m your BFF for life! I also love Gardner Village, especially Anastasia’s Attic.

Emily: Five Guys Burgers & Fries followed by a trip to Anthropologie followed by dessert at Frogurt

Camille: Cupcake Chic, Sweet Tooth Fairy, Down East Basics, Thanksgiving Point

Evonne: The Philadelphian, El Paisa Grill, and a trip to any mall!!

Kalli: JCW’s, Shade Clothing, Aristo’s

Stephanie: La Frontera, any pet store, Butterfield Park, and American Fork Canyon

Me: Lunch at Zupas and a trip to DownEast Outfitters followed by a big mug of Stephens Hot Cocoa

Be sure to check out Sassy Scoops for all the latest deets on Utah’s local businesses! You can also find us on Twitter @Sassyscoops.

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Feature Friday-Melissa & Doug Toys (giveaway)

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This giveaway is now closed. 🙂

Are you making your list and checking it twice? Today’s Feature Friday is a great line of toys just in time for the holidays. Melissa & Doug makes such wonderful things, I could not help but share! For the feature I will be reviewing one particular toy set, the cutting fruit crate. But, there are so many options, they have something for everyone!

I was asked by All Children’s Furniture to do a review and I knew right away that my little guy would just love this Melissa & Doug cutting fruit play set. He is very analytical and loves toys that he can manipulate, besides the fact that it means he gets to play with a knife.

Here it is straight out of the box. It was a success right away, but I wondered if the initial excitement would last. Sorry the video is so poor, I was lazy and took it with my camera.

It lasted all right! He played with it for an hour straight, which is unheard of for my active 2 year old! Usually, he doesn’t play with anything for more than five minutes. Here he is an hour later.

He would have played with it longer, but I made him put it away for dinner time.

I have now had this set for a little over a month and it is holding up like a champ with a boy that is not gentle on anything. He knows all the fruits and can put the pieces back together by himself. It is solid wood, so he cannot break it. He has chipped the paint slightly on a few corners when he throws it across the hardwood in the kitchen, but the velcro is still in great shape and he still loves playing with it. I am looking forward to collecting more Melissa & Doug products! We may just have to tell Santa about them!!

And guess what?! Santa has come early for you! I am giving away a Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit Crate to one lucky reader! I do what I can to help those Recession Christmas budgets. 😉

Melissa and Doug Play Food Cutting Fruit Crate - 4021

To enter:

Visit All ChildrensFurniture.com for fun brands like Melissa & Doug, KidKraft, Little Tikes and more. Come back and leave a comment on this post including what item, besides the fruit crate, your little one would like under the tree. Also, please leave an email if you do not have one on your profile.

Leave only one comment including all entries.

Extra entries:

  • 2 extra: Tweet about the giveaway including @LittleTipsyblog so I can see you did.
  • 2 extra: Blog or facebook about it and include the link in your comment

Giveaway closes on Wednesday the 25th so you will know if you won by Black Friday.

Oh, and All ChildrensFurniture.com is offering 10% off all orders until Sunday. Bonus!


All Children’s Furniture provided the product for review and is providing the product for the giveaway. I was not paid for my comments, I only rave about things I am truly impressed with.

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Just My Lullaby Giveaway ($150+ value!)

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I have a big, no HUGE announcement!! Russ, the professional composer from my sponsor Just My Lullaby, has given me permission to not only give away the compilation cd, but a professionally composed lullaby!! That’s right, he is going to write and record a song just for one of you, my fantastic readers! I am so excited! I wish I could enter! All you have to do is hop on over to the feature post and follow the rules to enter. If you already entered, you are all set, we just upped the anty!! Be sure to get all your extra entries in the same post! Good luck!!

If you don’t have a baby on the way, that’s ok. You can do a theme song for another child or the prize is transferable so if you want to enter to give it as a gift go right ahead. What a gift that would be!! It would definitely be something they would never forget!

Thanks Russ!

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Feature Friday-Just My Lullaby (giveaway)

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Today’s Feature Friday is my new sponsor, Just My Lullaby.

Just My Lullaby is a unique company in that they create personalized lullabies and theme songs for you and your loved ones. I have known Russ Whitelock, Just My Lullaby’s professional composer, since I moved in to my house 4 years ago (and have served with his wife in the YW Presidency for the last couple of years and she is AMAZING!) and have always been in awe of his musical talent.

Russ 7Russ 3

I wanted to help you get to know him a little better, so I subjected him to the infamous one minute interview. 😉

1. When did you first know that music was your life?
This may sound a bit strange but I remember hearing the full score to the movie “Jaws” when I was 12 years old. I was initially captivated by the rhythm of the cellos and basses in the main theme. I purchased the soundtrack and realized how much “other music” composer John Williams wrote for the film that went beyond the famous Jaws theme. The whole score was so powerful and compelling to me. The other themes written for the film were even more fascinating, it really grabbed me at that time. There was so much beauty in the music I didn’t expect. I guess it was at that point that I was hooked on film music and began thinking – that would be a cool job.

2. What inspires you when composing?
There are actually several things that inspire me and help me to write the kind of music I love and want to develop. A good project is probably the first. When a well produced project is brought to me it certainly inspires me to do my best work to accompany their hard work.
I love the creative process of composing lullabies because I can start with a new melody every time. Then the best part is having other instruments pick-up that melody and carry it through the piece. It’s like deciding which instruments will move the melody along and then at some point hand it over another. For the most part I use the same instruments, but because each lullaby is different I can choose which instruments get to do what along the way. It’s a great process.

3. What is your all time favorite song?
I really can’t answer this by naming one piece. I will mention a few perhaps in different areas. I have asked Tami more than once that I want “The Cowboys Overture” (John Williams-1972) played at my memorial service. She doesn’t respond to my request. There are many scores composed by Williams and other composers that I grew up with over the years. Bruce Broughton has written some of my favorite music themes and scores. One in particular I must mention is “Young Sherlock Holmes” (1986). I must also mention the score written for “The Mission” (J. Williams-1985) This was the pilot episode for a weekly television series called “Amazing Stories”. Williams composed the series theme music and two of the episodes.
I grew up watching my father perform in the annual production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” with the Utah symphony- a one act opera written by Gian-Carlo Menotti. This music is very beautiful and the libretto tells an amazing story of a young crippled boy (Amahl) who is visited during the night by the three wise men on their way to see the Christ child in Bethlehem. It has a wonderful message of hope, love and miracles. Anyway, I am getting a bit long with this question – one more would be the beautiful carols of Alfred Burt. Many people know the music, but don’t know of him.
Russ 5

I have thoroughly enjoyed Russ’s arrangements played in church meetings as well as background for live theatrical performances and film soundtracks. I was thrilled to hear he was starting his own company composing original music and what a sweet way to commemorate the birth of a sweet new life than through a song written just for them. What a cool idea!

This is not one of those companies that sells you “personalized songs” where they just insert their name in to a pre-made song. Russ actually composes a one of a kind instrumental lullaby inspired by your little one. It will never be re-used or recycled, it is truly yours!

So here’s the fun part. We are (*edit) giving away one of Russ Whitelock’s professionally composed lullabies ($150 value!). He will be writing and recording a song just for you! This way you can get to know his music and see why I am so happy to rant and rave about it!

To enter: Hop on over to Just My Lullaby and listen to the samples and leave a comment here telling us which one you like best. My personal favorite is Isabella’s Lullaby, it is so sweet!

For extra entries:
Become a Fan of Just My Lullaby on Facebook (5 extra)
Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway and give me the link to it (5 extra)

Please put all entries in to one comment.

The giveaway will close Wednesday, November 18th so get your entries in!!

FTC Disclosure: Just My Lullaby is a sponsor which means I have been compensated to advertise, but I would rant and rave about them anyway because they are awesome and I don’t feature anything that isn’t awesome!

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