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I'm a stay-at-home-mom freelance graphics designer wife and mommy. I have one sweet little girl whom was born in May of 2008 and another baby on the way in January of 2011!

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Archive for the ‘Toys’ Category

Aurora World’s Milly™ The Pinkest Kitten {review & giveaway}

If you know a little girl that loves Pink, have I got a plush friend to spread the word about that they’ll absolutely love! Aurora World Inc. has just released Milly The Pinkest Kitten into their collection and I am sure she’ll be big a hit because in she totally is in my house!

There are ten perfectly pink variations feature Milly as freestanding plush, in dress up or even portable via scented toy pet carriers. We were sent the Ballerina Milly and another Milly that arrived in toy pet carrier shaped like a little cupcake! Too cute!

Press Release:
“We are excited to introduce the Milly line to little girls and tweens everywhere who are partial to plush that is cute and ‘girly,’ not to mention pink,” says Michael Kessler, SVP of Sales at Aurora. Kessler says, “Milly makes a great gift for girls, while inspiring and comforting them at the same time.”

Milly WannaBes (8”, MSRP: $10.99) are dressed as a princess, ballerina or fairy. Kessler says, “Girls ages three to seven love playing pretend and dress up and aspire to be princesses, ballerinas and fairies most often.

“Aurora’s plush toy pet carriers have been one of the company’s best sellers for over five years, and with Milly,” says Kessler, “Aurora has introduced a line of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry scented carriers.” Milly Cupcake Carriers (MSRP: $13.99) include a removable eight-inch Milly plush animal (Mini-Flopsie™) and for the first time, Aurora’s plush carriers are marked with scents lasting approximately six months (the carriers range in size from six to eight inches).

Milly Birthday Girl (8”, MSRP: $10.99) is available in two styles, holding either a colorful cupcake or birthday balloon. “Cupcakes, birthdays and little girls go hand-in-hand,” says Kessler. Rounding out the collection, Aurora offers the signature soft and pink Milly as small (10”, MSRP $10.99) or medium (13”, MSRP: $12.99) freestanding, bean filled plush animals. Milly The Pinkest Kitten is on shelves now and perfect for ages three and up.

About Aurora
Aurora World, Inc., celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of high quality, competitively priced plush toys and gifts. Aurora’s name reflects its extensive product lines and growing influence in the worldwide marketplace, as well as its international manufacturing, R&D and distribution resources. Founded in 1981, the Korean company with headquarters also in the United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong, has ascended quickly to become a respected leader in the world’s toy and gift industry. Aurora created the international plush toy phenomenon – YooHoo & Friends™ – and its corresponding free, interactive web site (www.yoohoofriends.com), appealing to young children and tweens alike. The company sells its products via a wide variety of retailers including major zoos, high-end toy stores such as Learning Express, top gift chains such as Hallmark and Claire’s as well as hospital gift shops, fine florists, candy stores and gift/stationery stores worldwide.

Information courtesy of Aurora World Inc.

Win it!

One lucky  reader can choose either the  Wanna Be Frilly Milly Ballerina or the Pink Kitty with the Chocolate Carrier to win!

To Enter: Let me know which kitty you would prefer and who you’d be gifting this to!

Extras:

1. Add me to your blogroll or add my button.
2. Blog it, link back to this post. (2 extra)
3. Subscribe by email/RSS. (2 extra)
4. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)
5. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend(s)…one extra entry only)

Tweet: (copy/paste)

RT: Win an adorable Kitty Plush from Aurora’s World ! @erinlowmaster– Ends 8/13/10.

Giveaway running till 08/13/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant.

I received this product free of charge for review on my blog. No other compensation was received. The views and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

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Imagiplay Natural Toys {review and giveaway}

“For over a decade, ImagiPLAY has created high-quality educational toys that inspire children’s imaginations and the desire to explore. With the abundance of toys available for children today, ImagiPLAY sets itself apart from the rest through its motto: Toys with Integrity. By producing quality products that connect with nature, have eco-friendly sources, and hold educational value, ImagiPLAY works to benefit the earth we share and the people that inhabit it.”

ImagiPlay toys are 100% eco-friendly, educational, and thought invoking for children of all ages. The selection offered include puzzles, play sets, pull toys, mazes, food play,building blocks, rattles, and much more.

The quality, safety, and design I’ve seen first hand in several Imagiplay Natural Toys and was very impressed. All parents, like myself, or caregivers should be worry free in knowing that plantation-growth rubberwood is used to craft each toy which is known to always splinter free.

My Thoughts…

ImagiPLAY generously sent my family the Three Chicks Puzzle, the Veggie Set, and Kitty Alphabet set to review and we are fans of each one!

I introduced each of these toys at different times to my two year old daughter because I wanted to see how often she would come back and play with one without being distracted by another and was very happy with the results I was given.

The first toy I introduced to her was the veggie  cutting set. Included is a wooden knife, cutting board, and a variety of five different vegetables. This fun little set also comes with it’s own little vegetable crate just perfect for pretend kitchen play and storage! My daughter loves copying mommy and daddy so she has a lot of fun pretending to cut and prepare meals for us! Overall a perfect learning toy and one that invokes real life and imaginative play! We are totally thinking about getting the matching fruit set!

The second toy I introduced my daughter to was the three chicks puzzle! This is such a fun puzzle set and I knew right away that my daughter would love it as she’s a huge fan of puzzle solving! This 6 piece set is vivid in color and unique as once it’s put together, the pieces can stand up! At first my daughter was trying to match the colors of the pieces together after she took it apart only to discover that it wouldn’t work in going back together. In doing this, this toy is teaching children great problem solving skills! I’m a huge fan of this puzzle and love how different it is from other puzzles my daughter already owns.

The third toy we were sent is mainly for children ages three and up, so I haven’t given it to my daughter quite yet but I probably will soon when I have the time to sit down with her and have a fun craft session day. The Color Me Up Kitty Alphabet by Imagiplay is perfect for teaching your child their alphabet! I think the fact they include were your child can paint it makes this toy that much more fun!

Overall, I would not hesitate at all to purchase or gift Imagiplay Toys to my own child and those with children that I know! Any of these toys would make wonderful gifts for children all of ages.

Special: Use Promotional Code integrity10 for 20% off your entire order!

Win It: Imagiplay is generously offering  the same set of toys  I reviewed (Veggie Set, Kitty Alphabet & 3 chicks) to a lucky winner!

To Enter: Visit Imagiplay and let me know what else you like that I didn’t review!

Extras:

1. Add me to your blogroll or add my button.
2. Blog it, link back to this post. (2 extra)
3. Subscribe by email/RSS. (2 extra)
4. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)
5. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend(s)…one extra entry only)

Tweet: (copy/paste)

RT: Win a set of Eco-friendly wooden toys from Imagiplay! @erinlowmaster– Ends 8/07/10.

Giveaway running till 08/07/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant.

Disclaimer: I was sent set of Eco Friendly Wooden Toys to review from Imagiplay. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

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ToysandGamesOnline.com | CSN Stores {Step2 Naturally Playful Sand Table review}


I am a fan of Toys and Games Online , one of CSN’s many  stores because it’s a one stop shop for many of my toys and gaming needs! A wide array and huge variety of puzzles, dolls, games, stuff animals, craft kits, outdoor toys, and more from many well know brands are available for purchase for reasonable prices. Navigation at ToysAndGamesOnline.com is also a cinch   as you can search by age, brand, price , gender, and more if you don’t specially have a certain item in mind, you can find something in general for the child you may be purchasing a gift for.

I was able to review a Step2 Naturally Playful Sand Table from ToysAndGamesOnline.com for my daughter Melody’s second birthday. I am so thankful I was able to review this item out of the generosity of CSN Stores. I’d been wanting a sandbox for my daughter for quite sometime now!

I chose to go with the Step2 Naturally Playful Sand Table for a number of reason. The first is because it’s a sand table that can easily fit on one of my deck patios.

This is wonderful because we live in a duplex and don’t have a yard for my daughter to play in. The second reason is because I want to encourage outdoors play during the  spring and summer months, as here in Oregon we do get a lot of rain during the fall and winter.

The Step2 Naturally Playful Sand Table was very easy to put together! Basically all my husband had to do was pop the four legs into place and the table was ready to be filled with sand! We put about 40lbs of sand in the table which is a good amount to play with. This table comes with a  protective plastic lid with elastic tine-downs to keep sand dry and clean and I can vouch that it really does keep everything else out including rain, insects, and any other unwanted things!

My daughter Melody, now two, loves this sandbox! She would honestly play in it for hours if I let her.  One of my favorite features is that this sandbox is raised so when my daughter comes in from playing that she’s not covered in sand from her head to her toes! I could easily buy more fun things for my daughter to use in this sandbox but was pretty happy already that this set came with two shovels, one pot and two scoops to use for play!

I would not hesitate to recommend this sandbox to any parent or grandparent looking for a fun toy that encourages imaginative  outdoor play! I give this product 5/5 stars!

Buy it!

You can purchase the Step2 Naturally Playful Sand Table for  $49.99 at ToysandGamesOnline.com.
Note that all orders over $69.00 ship for free!

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Disclosure: I received this product to promote ToysandGamesOnline.com. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

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YooHoo & Friends {review and giveaway}

New Furry Friends…

My daughter Melody who is almost two years old loves all of her plush pals. She’ll often play with them for hours on end, caring, dancing, and having all sort of little adventures with them. It was no surprise to me when her reaction was overall happiness when I gave her two new pals courtesy of Aurora World Inc. and YooHoo & Friends!

These adorable toys have great big eyes and make a noise when you squeeze them! There are over 50 fun styles in the YooHoo and Friends line, meaning there is totally something there for everyone! I personally love the they are based on real animals, some endangered (a great teaching opportunity for you to talk with your children about endangered species and what that means).

We were sent the lovable little scarlet macaw and adorable platypus friends to review and enjoy.  My daughter giggles every time they make their noises and I love that it’s easy for her to do!  Some toys she has a hard time pressing their noise boxes to work and she gets upset. I can’t wait till she is a little older to start teaching her more about these animals through the interactive website but for now we just enjoy knowing what they are and how much fun they are to play with and bring to our little tea parties.

I’m a huge fan of the YooHoo & Friends interactive web site! Your child can choose and raise pets, decorate pet’s room, play games and watch YooHoo & Friends animations! The website provides hours of fun providing fun educational facts, games, desktop wallpapers, coloring sheets and more.

YooHoo & Friends come in sizes of 5in, 8in, and even 10in with prices varying from $7.00-14.00 dollars.  You can find friends for everyday and for special occasions such as birthdays, Easter, graduation, and more. I would highly recommend these fun little friends to parents and children and I think they’d be great to collect since they are priced so reasonably! Check them out for yourself at Aurora World!

In The Now…

Aurora World has recently launched a new YooHoo & Friends site as well as a fun new contest!

Toy and gift manufacturer Aurora World Inc. has launched a brand new web site for its best selling brand, YooHoo & Friends. The free, interactive virtual world requires no activation code and is targeted to children 5 to 12 years old. At the web site, visitors can learn about real animals and their environment, play games, send e-cards, download wallpapers, calendars and coloring sheets, as well as adopt and raise YooHoo & Friends.

Additionally, “Design YooHoo’s Next Friend Contest” entries are being accepted now; the contest runs through May 31st.The “Design YooHoo’s Next Friend Contest” encourages children to submit drawings of who they think YooHoo’s (the original character from YooHoo & Friends) next friend should be. Every entry, such as the “pouch rat” (pictured left) is posted on the Facebook fan page. Three winners will receive various prizes including plush toys from the YooHoo & Friends line. Winners are chosen based on creativity (50%), colors (30%) and choice of animal (20%) and will be notified by June 15, 2010. For more information visit the Design YooHoo’s Next Friend Contest.

Win it!

One of my readers will win a random 5 inch plush animal!

To Enter: Visit YooHoo & Friends & let me know which friend you’d like to have or give to someone special!

Extras:

1. Add me to your blogroll or add my button.
2. Blog it, link back to this post. (2 extra)
3. Favorite my blog on Technorati
4. Subscribe by email/RSS. (2 extra)
5. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)
6. Email a friend about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

Tweet:
(copy/paste)

RT:  Win your very own YooHoo & Friends plush pal!  @erinlowmaster– Ends 5/29/10.

The contest is open until May 29, 2010 . This contest is open to USA only. YooHoo & Friends is responsible for awarding the prizes to the winner.

**Disclaimer: I was given products review for my 100% honest opinion. This review has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.**

NOTE: These toys are recommended for play in children ages 5 and older.  It’s always recommended that children are supervised during play and while on the internet.

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Sassy Toys {review}

To caring parents, grandparents and gift givers worldwide, Sassy is the brand of products for children that you can trust for nurturing and developing your child because they have premium quality, innovative design and focused coloration, environmentally principled, with credible and helpful purpose and value added features.

Being a mom, I’ve purchased and used many brands of baby products for my daughter. Some I’ve been very happy with and others only so so. The Sassy Baby products line, I was given the opportunity to review from the company personally and I must say that I’ve been more than happy with all of the products they sent me to review and wanted to share my thoughts.

Pour & Explore Water Whirl

“(6 Months & Up) Watch baby delight as he pours water into this toy to set the yellow wheel spinning as it turns with the force of the water. Baby learns that pouring more water in increases the speed of the wheel. Once the water flows through the first water wheel, it spills into a rocking teeter-totter, which spills water from side to side. Baby gets a lesson in “less and more” and “empty and full” as the teeter-totter rocks back-and-forth. The water wheel suction-cups to the side of the tub, allowing baby to use both hands to explore and play. Connects with Pour & Explore Cups. Suggested retail price is $5.99.

My daughter really enjoyed me adding this to her collection of bath toys! She has a lot of fun pouring the water into the top to make the wheel turn and the teeter totter rock back and forth! We love this toy and I have no cons at all! The suction has even been holding up fantastically to keep this toy in play on the wall of my bathtub! I’m not sure the peak age for this toy for a babies but I know my nearly two year old daughter loves it!

Sassy Count N Spell Appliques, Pink

This fun and colorful 36 piece set of letters a-z and numbers 0-9 help develop early reading and language skills. Bath appliques simply cling to tile and bath surfaces when wet. They are made from soft and durable foam and are large size for baby to easily grasp. Inspires imagination! Suggested retail price is $5.99

I love these appliques for the tub from Sassy Toys! Not only can bath time be fun, but it can be a fantastic learning experience as well! Right now my daughter is slowly learning her ABC’s and numbers and these have been a great visual tool in helping her memorize them! I’ve had no issues with these at all, they stick to the tub great and clean up really easy! I would not recommend these for younger babies as they are foam and your child could choke on them if teething or biting on them.

Touch & Talk Laptop

“(6 Months & Up) Baby will get straight to work having fun with this toy inspired by mom and dad’s laptops. This fabric covered toy has bold, bright, geometric prints to help baby focus and lots of brilliant colors to stimulate visual development. The screen is a large, True Reflection mirror that reflects baby’s image- a site she loves to study. Push the keys to hear colors in English and Spanish, musical notes or silly rhymes and sounds. When it’s time for a break, baby can close the laptop and tote it around using the convenient little fabric handle. Suggested retail price is $14.99.

This is sweet little toy that kids in this day and age ( computers/laptops) will love and enjoy! I only wish I had this when my daughter was younger! I haven’t a doubt in my mind that my next child will simply adore this toy to it’s full potential! When my daughter was very young, she loved looking at the other baby (herself) in the mirror. That’s why I know a little baby would enjoy that factor of this along with all the bright cheerful colors. A few features my daughter, now almost two likes are that the buttons makes noises, musical sounds and say phrases those of which she repeats back. This no doubt is a great tool to help with learning words and colors in English as well as in Spanish!

Sassy Bucket Of Beads

Sassy Bucket of Beads inspires the senses by encouraging fine motor skill development. Each bead attaches together for fun.This set of 20 vanilla-scented, multi-textured beads can be linked together, pulled apart or sorted by shape and color! They will store conveniently in the included reusable bucket with handle. Suggested retail price is $10.00.

These beads are fantastic and encourage fine motor skills as will as color and shape recognition! My daughter loves sitting with me as we put and take apart the beads making fun necklaces out of them. By far one of our favorite and most played with toys to this date!

Sassy Perfect Size Snack Pods

Perfect Size Snack Pods is a set of square-shaped snack cups that come in three sizes with textured surfaces for easier grip. Large and medium cups have swivel lids and small cup has standard lid. Cups and lids stack for easy storage. Dishwasher safe. Fun and healthy snacks can help your child learn good eating habits. The Sassy Perfect Size Snack Pods are a fun way to dish out the right size snack. Suggested retail price is $5.49

These little snack pods are great! They are perfect for encouraging and promoting you child’s self-feeding skills. My daughter has no problem using these and they are so easy to load up and through in my purse of diaper bag! Must have and very affordable for two snack bowls!   


Sassy Baby Mealtime On the Go Feeding Set

Whether you are at home, Grandmas, daycare or on-the-go with your toddler in tow, this nine-piece feeding set is great for any feeding occasion. It includes one large sectioned feeding dish with lid and three removable individual dishes with lids that are perfect for snacks or smaller feeding portions. It also includes a toddler feeding spoon that easily stores in the large lid. Recommended for ages 6+ Months. Suggested retail price is $20.00

I adore this set! When we go out this little set has and will always be going with us for our child! It’s got the perfect serving size compartment and I really like that the spoon stores in the lid of the big bowl as well as that the smaller bowls can fit snuggly into a compartment in the big bowl!

Overall I am very impressed with Sassy Baby products I have reviewed and would not hesitate at all to recommend or purchase them again in the future.

Get Connected!

**Disclaimer: I was given products to review from Sassy Toys for my 100% honest opinion. This review has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.**

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A Toy Garden – Bolga Basket {review}

LogoATG624

A Toy Garden is one of my favorite online stores when searching for toys for my daughter that I know are natural and safe. I highly praise mom, Sonya who embarked on finding the best quality products and offering them all in one place for parents like me.

This Spring I was given the opportunity to review one the beautiful Bolga Baskets offered at A Toy Garden. These baskets are made by artists living in a small village called Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana. They’re made from natural grass that is beautifully dyed and leather is tied around the handle so they’re comfortable to carry. These baskets come in all sorts of colors and sizes and with that being said, no two are exactly the same.

My daughter was given the basket I was reviewing and immediately fell in love with it! I gave this basket to her on Easter so she could collect eggs in it and she’s been carrying it around ever since. As you can see from my photo, she even decided to bring it along it to take a nap with her, which is ever so precious!

You can purchase a child’s size basket at A Toy Garden for just 15.95. That price is extremely affordable in knowing the high quality durability and the fact this basket will last compared to others I’ve found and used before.

I highly recommend checking out A Toy Garden. They have a fantastic selection of arts and craft items among the vast selection of toys that encourage imaginative play!

Disclaimer: I was sent a Bolga Basket for review from A Toy Garden . This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

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