Weekend Winner - 3/29 Edition

One lucky Optimistic Beauty Winner is bringing home a $20 gift certificate to use at Little Mis Clips!

Congrats comment #53 - Andreah!

I will be in contact with you shortly, after which you will have 48 hours to respond confirming acceptance of this awesome prize. If after 48 hours I haven't heard from you a new winner will be selected.

Dare I Say It?/Craft Mommy

Dare I say what? Well it appears that Spring is finally in the air up here in Northern BC. It's about time. Sure, we’re still getting nearly daily rations of snow, but apparently these short spurts of snow and hail storms are an important part of spring. They get the nitrogen flowing in the new growths and give them a kick start.

So with Spring (oops I said it again) in the air this craft Mommy got working on an Spring craft project with the girls.

What better craft to kick off Spring then hand painted and decorated Terra Cotta Pots. After a quick trip to the dollar store yesterday I came home with an awesome stash of craft supplies that had the girls oohing and ahhing. New management is coming in this Tuesday and the new stock is pretty awesome already!

Anyway.

The girls had a blast last night painting their pots. Tala absolutely amazed me by creating a watermelon design on hers. She mixed red and white to make a gorgeous pink colour, and then decided (completely on her own – super proud Mommy alert) to add black dots to the pot all around. Silly Mommy was corrected by Tala when I asked if she was creating a ladybug – lol.

They both worked so hard creating their artwork last night that the first thing out of their mouths this morning was “craft”. Bright and early we headed downstairs (7:32 am to be exact) to finish up their project.

This was our starting point this morning

An hour later this was our finishing point

Absolutely gorgeous, beautiful, one of a kind, Terra Cotta Pots.

But that is not all, oh no that is not all.

You can’t exactly leave such beautiful pots empty now can you? Now I’m sure that you’ve all heard me grumble about the lack of resources in a town this small, and apparently rural (gee thanks Canada Post! – Prince Rupert was supposed to be the Vancouver of BC – unfortunately the plans went down on the Titanic along with Charles Hays!). So off to Safeway (our one and only flower resource) we went to pick up some flowers to adorn these works of art.

The middle pot is mine, picked up from the dollar store yesterday as well. This Craft Mommy prefers to take the sideline and watch the kiddos have all the fun!

Happy Spring Everyone!

Eleven Collection Review & Giveaway

I came across the Eleven Collection in my search to end the monotony that comes with living in Northern BC. Our selection of everything on the market is frustrating to say the least. So finding the top quality shoes that I was used to having access to when we lived in Vancouver has been a challenge. Thankfully there are a handful of retailers who are dedicated to releasing a top quality product, and making it available through the internet. One of which is definitely the Eleven Collection.

Eleven Collection carries on were See Kai Run leaves off. Outfitting children from approximately 3 thru to age 8.

When Tala trucks off to her first day of Kindergarten this fall can you guess what she’ll be wearing? Eleven Collection is at the top of the list because these shoes are built to last. They feature all-leather uppers, and durable soles for active kids. And let me tell you that these shoes have grips on them. Being that we live in such a wet climate things are never quite 100% dry. Wood and rocks in particular are usually quite slippery for some time. So having shoes that are grippy is a huge plus for me.

The second huge draw to the Eleven Collection is definitely the designs. Huge kudos go out the design team of Nancy Coronado and Cause Haun for creating such an exciting, bold line of shoes. There are numerous pairs that I would love to have in my size – and that is not an exaggeration. Stylish, practical shoes are high on my list of must haves. So I guess I must make do with outfitting the girls in this adorable collection.

Melissa of the Eleven Collection has generously offered one lucky Optimistic Beauty reader the chance to bring home their choice of shoe! Any shoe, in any size, from the Eleven Collection.

Miss Tala whole-heartedly recommends the Laura Shoe which was her choice for this review. These shoes are absolutely adorable in design, and have rarely left her feet (weather permitting) and have become a staple around the house (who needs slippers eh?). Thank goodness for the no-scuff soles! As with all Eleven Collection shoes they come wide enough to accommodate all feed shapes, cushioned insoles, and the easiest Velcro closures on the market. Its no wonder that she’s rarely without these shoes on her feet!

WIN! To enter, simply head on over to the Eleven Collection and have a look at the amazing selection available. Then come back here and let me know your favourite (if you can choose just one that is!). It’s that easy.

Looking for more ways to win? Your wish is my command. Additional entries will be granted for each of the following that you complete. Please leave a separate comment for each.

*~* Blog/Twitter about this giveaway complete with a direct link to this post
*~* Subscribe to the Optimistic Beauty Email Updates
*~* Follow this blog!
*~* Post my Optimistic Beauty Button on your blog/site
*~* NEW! Follow me on twitter (bargainhunting) - leave your twitter name in a separate comment.

That's right! You can receive a maximum of 6 entries into this amazing giveaway!

**Please be sure to leave your email address in your post if it isn't included in your blogger profile. If I cannot reach you, you cannot win**

This giveaway will end on April 10th, 2009 at 11:59 pm est and is open to Canadian & US residents only.

Good luck!!!

Contest Call @ Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous

The Fabulous Tenille over at Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous currently has oodles of great contests running. Head on over today for your chance to win one (or more) of these great prizes!

Chewy Lou Designs – Win a long sleeve t of your choice! Ends March 29th! Canadia Entries on this one!

US Candle Company – Win a 12 oz candle in your choice of scent. Ends March 31st!

Saplings Sustainable Kids – One lucky reader will bring home their choice of Liz Clay print! Ends April 1St

Simply Colors – Win a customized t-shirt or onesie with your design on it (text) – April 3rd expiry.

PZI Jeans - The Wow Factor

I have never considered myself a jeans person. They just don't look right on me. But perhaps the problem is that I've been looking in the wrong direction all these years. Enter PZI Jeans. I was super fortunate to win a giveaway through Everything Up Close in the beginning of this year. Finally jeans that are designed to fit. And boy do they ever.

The truly amazing thing about the jeans that I received was how they appear to be made just for me. It is as if they liquified me and poured me into them. They truly do fit like a glove.

Above all else is how I feel I look in these jeans. They fit so well that they give me so much added confidence. And yes the phrase "check out my hotness" did actually come out my mouth yesterday as I paraded my new favourite pants around my sister in law. Insert extremely shocked expression here. It was almost as if I was possessed or something. Anything that draws attention to my body is usually the last thing that comes out of my mouth. But she had to agree that I did look super hot!

Not the greatest picture in the history of ever – I am not usually quite so blurry – but what can you do when you have a 4 year old photographer?

PZI Jeans are unique in the fact that they are designed for women with curves. Just enough spandex in the construction to allow for the jeans to fit in the waist, and through the hips. They solve the age old issue of back gap when we try to fit our hips, and then have to contend with the excess material in the waist. There is also enough room and stretch to accommodate larger than average legs.

The jeans are super stylish and amazingly come with 4 difference inseam allowances. From a 30" inseam right up to a 38 inch inseam they have the demographic covered.

If you are a woman with curves and are frustrated with searching for jeans that fit then you have to give PZI Jeans a try. Perhaps all these years of frustration, and thinking that you weren’t born to be a Jeans person are because you’ve just been trying the wrong ones.

Give ‘em a try – you deserve it!

Bugaboo Shoes & the Non-Model – A Giveaway

I adore my daughter to pieces, and apparently today she does not feel the same about my camera happy ways! She does however absolutely adore her beautiful, orange Bugaboo Shoes. The are absolutely adorable, eye catching, and well made so they score high on this Mommy’s list too.

Yeppers, that is the extent of her effort into having her picture snapped today.

The Bugaboo Shoe Co uses top quality leather to create beautiful shoes, at an affordable price. Which is so important. Let’s face it, we all want to dress our children to the 9’s. We also want shoes that will last, and are constructed with the special needs of young walkers in mind. Thankfully Bugaboo shoes brings all those requisites to us at a price that won’t break that bank.

Miss Malie was given her choice of shoe from Bugaboo’s extensive website. Luckily there are designs to fit even the most discerning shoe shopper. One thing that stands out to me is the availability of different colours in each design. The Paulie Ann shoes that Malie selected are available in your choice of 4 eye catching colours, including Malie’s choice, orange.

All Bugaboo Shoes come with a flexible, yet solid sole perfect for young walkers striving to find the perfect balance. So important for helping build confidence in their new found abilities.

Bugaboo Shoes would like to offer all Canadian Optimistic Beauty readers free shipping on their orders! Use coupon code “Canada” to receive your discount. US readers don’t despair, $3.95 flat rate shipping is super awesome!

And that’s not all, oh no, that is not all (in my very best Dr. Seuss voice of course!). Bugaboo Shoe Co. is giving one lucky Optimistic Beauty Reader the chance to bring home their very own pair!

To enter, head on over to Bugaboo Shoes and have a look around. Then come back here and let me know what your favourite pair of shoes is. It’s that easy!

Looking for more ways to win? Your wish is my command. Additional entries will be granted for each of the following that you complete. Please leave a separate comment for each.

*~* Blog/Twitter about this giveaway complete with a direct link to this post
*~* Subscribe to the Optimistic Beauty Email Updates
*~* Follow this blog!
*~* Post my Optimistic Beauty Button on your blog/site
*~* NEW! Follow me on twitter (bargainhunting) - leave your twitter name in a separate comment.

That's right! You can receive a maximum of 6 entries into this amazing giveaway!

**Please be sure to leave your email address in your post if it isn't included in your blogger profile. If I cannot reach you, you cannot win**

This giveaway will end on April 4th, 2009 at 11:59 pm est and is open to Canadian & US residents only.

Good luck!!!

Great Money Making Idea!

In this day and age where the purse strings are tightening up there are still a couple great ways to make a couple extra dollars here and there.

One of the sites that I visit on a regular basis is Swagbucks.com. I have been super fortunate to receive numerous giftcards for starbucks, and most recently amazon.ca through them.

The catch? Well its pretty easy actually. Every site that you visit on the web simply search through swagbucks.com. For every search you have the opportunity to win between 1 and 5 swagbucks (these are the regular amounts, there are also mega-multipliers up for grabs) which can be redeemed. For as little as 45 swagbucks you can bring home a $5 amazon giftcard (Canada or US).

The downside is that you don't receive swagbucks for every search.

This however does work in our favour. How is that? The cost of the gift certs are lower, and it prevents cheaters from ruining it for the rest of us. There have been far too many sites lately that have gone under due to poor planning, and over zealous people playing the system. Thankfully it appears that Swagbucks.com is here to stay... and I for one am ecstatic.

I just redeemed $10 in amazon.ca gift certificates to get my Twilight DVD for only $15. Not too shabby at all! As my 28th birthday is next month it will make the perfect present to me from my girls. With just me and the girls I'm not anticipating a big birthday production, so this works well for me.

I would love to refer you to Swagbucks. My next big goal is to save up amazon.ca gift certificates to buy the girls their Christmas Presents.

My referral code is: http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=121102 Simply click thru and then search to help me make an extra special Christmas for my girls!

Princessa's Unite - Little Miss Giveaway

Outfit your little princess in super cute, and adorable clips from Little Miss Clips!

Little Misses unite! I absolutely love the ease of clipping in a bow into my girls hair, it adds that little oomph to their hair, and takes far less talent than the other options. Try as I might braiding is a lost art form, pigtails are a constant battle, and ponies are always lopsided, and cluttered with those gosh darn little locks falling out of the do. Thankfully Little Miss Clips are designed to stay put in even the finest hair. I love that they stay place in Tala's curly locks, and also in Malie's super fine hair.

I also adore the selection of adorable, colourful, and exciting designs available through Little Miss Clips' website! All organized into easy to navigate catogories.

Tala has absolutely fallen in love with her ladybug clip!

Little Miss Clips is a Canadian Company, which is a huge plus for this Canadian Mommy. Seeing top quality products coming out of our own country is a great feeling!

Pricing wise Little Miss Clips are very competitive in the market, with one added plus. All orders ship for free when you spend $20 or more. Canadian, US & International orders included in this awesome deal. What does that mean? More clip power for less money!

Erica has generously offered one lucky Optimistic Beauty reader the opportunity to get their clip obsession started with a $20 gift certificate to their shop. That's the equivalent to 5 adorable clips!

To enter head on over to Little Miss Clips online boutique and have a look around. Then come back here and let me know which 5 clips you would spend your $20 on. That's right, its that easy!

Looking for more ways to win? Your wish is my command! Additional entries will be granted for each of the following that you complete. Please leave a separate comment for each!

*~* Blog/Twitter about this giveaway complete with a direct link to this post
*~* Subscribe to the Optimistic Beauty Email Updates
*~* Follow this blog!
*~* Post my Optimistic Beauty Button on your blog/site
*~* NEW! Follow me on twitter (bargainhunting) - leave your twitter name in a separate comment.

That's right! You can receive a maximum of 6 entries into this amazing giveaway!

**Please be sure to leave your email address in your post if it isn't included in your blogger profile. If I cannot reach you, you cannot win**

This giveaway will end on March 28th, 2009 at 11:59 pm est and is open to Canadian & US residents only.

Good luck!!!

Weekend Winner - 3/21 Edition

One lucky Canadian reader will be bringing home their very own Otter Bottle Stainless Steel Water Bottle!

Congrats comment #42 - Emily B! You will bring home your choice of design from Otter Bottles.ca!

I will be in contact with you shortly. After which you will have 48 hours to confirm acceptance of this awesome prize. If I haven't received a response within 48 hours I will be forced to draw a new winner.

Wednesday Winners!

Welcome to a special Wednesday Edition of the Weekly Winners!

This has been a super busy week and things are just settling down. Congrats to all the winners. Reminder that you must respond to my email within 48 hours to confirm acceptance of your prize. If I haven't heard from you within 48 hours a new winners will be selected.

Congrats Comment #57 - andrea v! You will receive Happy Green Bee Leggings in your choice of colour & size!

Congrats comment #66 - Cece! You will receive your choice of shoes from See Kai Run!

Congrats comment #77 - ginny! You will receive the Indoor Gardening Set from Green Toys!

Congrats comment #43 - Kiki. You will receive a $50 photo fiddle gift certificate to create your very own masterpiece!

Congrats comment #169 - Dina. You will receive the Floral Damanziata Jessica Bag 2.0!

I will be in contact with all of you through the evening, after which you will have 48 hours to respond.

WOWZERS

This post is very accurately named... with much careful deliberation I followed the subtle hint from Jennifer of My Magic Me (the marvelous creator of my Twilight Picture!) I absolutely adored the picture that Jennifer created and decided to try something new with my hair. Those of you who are regular readers of my blog might recall this picture from January...

I've been doing the whole redhead thing for awhile and had gotten bored of it. Jennifer inspired me to do this!
I can absolutely not believe that this is me. The change in hair colour is absolutely amazing, and the more I look it that more I love it. So a million thank you's to Jennifer who inspired this new look!

Trophy Clothing Review

I recently had the opportunity to try out a totally unique and eye catching pair of earrings from Trophy Clothing. What drew me to these earrings is the fact that they are so much a part of daily life, yet they are still so unique. Intrigued?

Take a look at the earrings in this picture

Any guesses? Take a closer look
Did you guess that these beautiful earrings are actually fishing lures? Trophy Clothing features an entire line of Fisherman's Daughter Feather Earrings that are absolutely divine.

HaleyMariah's site credits her father's love of fishing for the birth of these earrings:

When i was a little girl my father used to take me fly fishing with him, and he tought me how to tie flies. Now that im grown, and deffinetly not a fisher, ive taken the skills my father tought me and used them to make beautiful feathered earings.

Using all authentic feathers, no craft store replicas, and the extremely sturdy methods used to tie fishing bait.

I have worn these earrings almost everyday since they arrived. Why? They're super light-weight, and get noticed. Just about everyone who has inquired on them has been shocked to hear that they are actually fishing lures turned into beautiful earrings. They're well constructed, not flimsy, and after being tugged on by Miss Malie have thankfully not fallen apart! The earring hook is smaller than I am used to, but is surprisingly more comfortable than other hooks on the market. It is also super compact which prevents it from gouging the sensitive skin behind your ear. A huge plus in my opinion.

HaleyMariah's shop has some adorable pieces left, from bright vibrant notice me earrings, to the more dainty wasp earrings.

Now I totally realize that Fisherman's Daughter Lure Earrings are not in everyone's style. But I can almost guarantee that every single person through this blog could find something in the rest of HaleyMariah's Etsy shop to love. In addition to the Fisherman's Daughter Feather Earrings there is also a selection of hand made clothing. All items are 100% handmade from vintage fabric, without the use of patterns.

Check out Trophy Clothing today!

Otter Bottle Part Deux

Insert super embarrassed Optimistic Beauty icon here. Shortly after confirming the winner for the Otter Bottle Giveaway I received notification that the sponsor doesn't actually ship out of Canada. Legal issues prevented them from fulfilling the winning entry. So I sat down and decided that to make it fair I would run the contest again, for Canadian entries only.

nape I am so sorry for the mis-sight on my part - please be on the lookout for a special surprise from the Optimistic Beauty as an apology for this!

And so once again I present to you Otterbottle.ca!

As an avid hiker I have ample experience with water bottles. In the past the most popular option has been the plastic Nalgene Bottles. I was always frustrated with 2 factors with these bottles. The first being the awful smell, the second being the taste. There is nothing worse than hiking all day in the blazing hot sun and drinking plastic water. The taste is absolutely awful, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect that the reason for the smell and taste transfer was that the bottles weren't as safe as previously expected.

So, what's a hard hiking, thirsty girl to do? Well the answer is actually so simple. Companies like Otterbottle.ca are putting out a high quality product that puts an end to my worries about safe drinking water.
You can read my full review on Otter Bottle here

Shannon of the Otter Bottle has generously offered one lucky Optimistic Beauty reader the opportunity to bring home their very own Stainless Steel Water Bottle! To enter head over to Otter Bottle and have a look at the current designs. Then come back here and let me know what your favorite design is. Its that easy!

Looking for more ways to win? Your wish is my command! Additional entries will be granted for each of the following that you complete. Please leave a separate comment for each!

*~* Blog/Twitter about this giveaway complete with a direct link to this post
*~* Subscribe to the Optimistic Beauty Email Updates
*~* Follow this blog!
*~* Post my Optimistic Beauty Button on your blog/site
*~* NEW! Follow me on twitter (bargainhunting) - leave your twitter name in a separate comment.

That's right! You can receive a maximum of 6 entries into this amazing giveaway!

**Please be sure to leave your email address in your post if it isn't included in your blogger profile. If I cannot reach you, you cannot win**

This giveaway will end on March 15th, 2009 at 11:59 pm est and is open to Canadian Residents Only!!!

Good luck!!!

Kids Konserve

Its no secret around here that my family and I are environmentally conscious. One company that is making Konservation more Kid Friendly is Kids Konserve.
Did you know that the average school age child generates on average 67 pounds of garbage a year through their school lunches? That's insane! Which is where a company like Kids Konserve becomes vitally important. The best way to teach a child about conservation is through living green. If its what they know, then it will be what they live.

Not only will you be doing your part to preserve the environment you'll also be helping your bottom line during these budget conscious times. Not having to be supplying a seemingly endless supply of plastic wrap and baggies is a huge plus.

Kids Konserve is currently kicking off Earth Day with an amazing special where you can bring home a 16 oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle. Regularly this bottle retails for $13 but until April 22th you can bring it home for only $9!
Not only will you receive the Stainless Steel Bottle but also a recycled Aluminum Name Tag shaped like a footprint. But why a footprint??? you may be asking yourself. Well it is actually totally genius! Every time you use your Stainless Steel Water Bottle and Name Tag you'll be reminded that you are reducing your carbon footprint! Sweet!

On my must have list for Tala's school pack next year? This adorable Butterfly Waste Free Lunch Kit!
This awesome set includes a reusable, waste-free lunch kit includes recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, 304 food-grade stainless steel beverage bottle, food kozy and two 304 food-grade stainless steel food containers. Lunch Sack is 7" W x 10.5" T x 4.5". A perfect starter kit for anyone looking to be more green.

We were super lucky to have the opportunity to review the Kids Konserve Thermos. Being that we live in a cold, wet climate soup is a great item to pack in lunches. And I'm sure we've all been there. In a rush, packing lunch and grabbing a plastic container to house our liquids. Thrown it in our bag, only to arrive at our destination to have a swimming pool in our lunch sack, or even worse yet, our purse. Then you try to remedy that the next time around. Fighting with saran wrap to prevent the leakage from attacking our belongings, or oh so cleverly tying your container up in a plastic bag. Only to have to reach into, or remove soaking wet, gloopy plastic from around our containers. Not very appetizing I'm sure you'll agree. I love the fact that not only does the Thermos keep your soup piping hot, it is also leak proof.

The Kids Konserve Thermos is just the right size to house an ample sized meal for kids right through to adults. The opening is wide enough to make eating a breeze, especially for younger children who may not have the same manual dexterity as older kids. And also leaves ample room to slurp your liquids with ease.
A thermos is a great addition to any little kids lunch box as it is durable. Truth is that kids don't always think their actions through fully. Quite a many lunch has met its demise when a backpack has been used as a stool, or step ladder. Rest assured that this great thermos will survive 110% better when subjected to such lunch injustice than a Ziploc or Glad container!

Not only is the container more durable, but you can rest assured that this container isn't leeching dangerous chemicals like BPA into your child's food. To me that is a huge plus. I personally have never enjoyed the taste of foods stored in plastic containers. They pick up the plastic taste so quickly.

One thing that would make a great addition to the Thermos is the addition of a spoon slot, to keep everything together in one compact design. For those busy mornings where there just doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done having one less thing to worry about is a great thing.

Kids Konserve has generously offered all Optimistic Beauty readers the opportunity to save 10% on their order! Use the code "optimistic" to receive your discount now, through April 30th.

Please note that shipping to Canadian Addresses has been temporarily discontinued until further notice. But rest assured, another code will be provided at that time so that us Canadian readers can benefit as well!



Kids Konserve products are better for the environment and better for our families too! What a great combination, and a great company!

Weekend Winners! 3/1 Edition

**ETA - All winners have been notified via email. If you are on this list and have not received an email from me you must contact me at bargainhuntingmommyblog(at)gmail(dot)com immediately.

Good Morning! Woke up to snow to great the first day of March. Hope everyone is having a marvelous day... and a couple of you will be having an even more marvelous day shortly! That's right, another edition of Weekend Winners.

On the docket (lol - always wanted to use that word) today are Otter Bottle.ca, Amber's Ambry & ShooShoo's

Congrats Comment #103 - nape! You will receive your choice of Stainless Steel Water Bottle from the Otter Bottle.ca.

Congrats comment #44 - cdziuba! You will receive an awesome collection of products from Amber's Ambry!

Congrats Comment #68 - Carolsue! You will bring home your choice of soft leather toddler shoe from shooshoos!

Congrats to all the winners! I will contact you via email throughout the day today. After which you will have 48 hours to respond confirming acceptance of this awesome prize. If I haven't heard from you within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn. If you haven't received an email back from me that I've received your response please resend as that means I haven't received it.