Unfortunately, our original Ecco Bella Blush and Compact winner didn’t leave an email address, so I couldn’t notify her about her win. While I did leave her 72 hours to respond to the post in case she happened to visit the blog, she never got in touch with me. So…the new winner of the Ecco Bella FlowerColor Blush and Paperback Duo Compact is Stephanie!
Congratulations Stephanie; you have 72 hours to respond to the email I sent you. Thanks again to everyone that entered!
Muvee Reveal Version 8
Like most parents of the digital age, I have a computer that’s filled with photos. And for the most part, that’s where they stay. While I definitely love being able to take so many pictures of my family, I always get frustrated trying to convert them into a format that I can enjoy at any time. Choosing which pictures to print can be an endless task and the cost of paper and ink can border on absurdity.
Fortunately, I have finally found a solution in the form of muvee Reveal software. This innovative program has allowed me to clear the clutter off of my computer and enjoy all the family photos that I have accumulated at last.
Muvee Reveal version 8 is the newest release from muvee, a company that has been offering the highest quality movie-making software for almost 10 years. This program flawlessly combines photos, videos and music to create professional looking movies that can then be burnt to DVD, saved to computer or even uploaded to Facebook or YouTube.
There are so many features that I love about this program. First of all, it analyses photos and videos, and then syncs them to the music I choose for my movie. No matter what songs I select, the photos and video follow the theme of the music. Also, it includes a magicMoments feature that allows me to choose points in my video that I want to highlight and parts that I want to exclude. Since home videos can often contain long stretches of no action, this was a great option. A music trimming feature allows me to do the same thing with my music. And an optional narration feature even allows me to plug in a microphone and narrate the movie’s events.
The different styles of movie are amazing. For the more traditional shows, classic page-turning scrapbook or rolling filmstrip styles are available. For more action-packed movies, high energy and quick moving styles like Kinetic and Hexplode pop the video from one moment to another. Even the color saturation and effects can be edited to suit my preferences. The movie below was made with the Kinetic style and gives a quick example of what muvee Reveal version 8 can do.
Customizable title and credit screens allow each movie to appear professionally complete. A logo option allows businesses to place their logo in the bottom corner of the screen throughout the movie. And when both media and music are added, a handy tips feature advises me on whether or not I have the correct ratio of media to music to ensure that my movie will look its absolute best.
My husband and I got the chance to put this software to the ultimate test after my son’s first field trip with his playschool class. My husband compiled more than 200 pictures and four songs into an amazing half-hour scrapbook-style video and then burnt DVDs for every parent. As an added bonus, he was able to choose the number of discs that he wanted to burn so that after the video encoded he only had to make a quick switch of the discs to burn all of the necessary copies.
While the program does have a glitch or two (it caused my poor outdated computer to freeze up a few times), it has some nice built-in protections for such occasions. When I restarted the program after it froze, I was given the option of reloading my previous session. Less than a minute later all of my photos, videos and music were back in place and my movie was ready to be saved.
Best of all, I am finally converting my photos and video into a format that I can enjoy at any time and share with anyone. I love being able to pop in a DVD and watch my family’s memories whenever I want. And my husband has really enjoyed being able to share his movies with relatives in other places by uploading them to Facebook. Thanks to muvee Reveal version 8, our photos are presented in the most professional way imaginable and our videos are the envy of the town.
Buy It: Visit muvee to try a free 15-day trial of muvee Reveal version 8
Win It: One lucky reader is going to win a full copy of muvee Reveal version 8 (retail value $99.95)
To Enter (mandatory): Visit muvee and tell me something you liked or something you learned there
Bonus Entries:
· Become a Fan of Mommy Kat and Kids on Facebook
· Become a Fan of muvee on Facebook
· Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post
· Grab my button
· Follow Mommy Kat and Kids on Google Friends Connect
· Subscribe to my blog by RRS Feed
· Subscribe to my blog by email (2 Entries)
· Follow Mommy Kat and Kids on Twitter and Tweet this: I just entered the muvee Reveal giveaway at Mommy Kat and Kids http://www.mommykatandkids.com (can be tweeted once daily for extra entry)
Giveaway ends 11:59 pm CST on March 31, 2010. Open to US and Canada
Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been given free of charge from the manufacturer or PR firm for the purposes of this review. Opinions expressed belong to Mommy Kat and Kids and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view full Terms of Use and Policies
Sunny and Chic-Winner’s Choice-CLOSED
Being the only female in a house full of males definitely has a few advantages. I know much more about engines and home repairs than I used to and, thanks to my preschool son’s toy car obsession, I can almost always accurately name a car’s year, make and model.
Unfortunately, I have had to sacrifice certain pleasures in exchange for my wealth of newfound knowledge. Bubble baths and high-quality chocolates have been lost in the raging rush of parenthood. Girls’ night out has been brushed aside by the demands of my newborn. And shopping for anything exclusively feminine is out of the question. In fact, the closest I get to shopping for accessories is a quick and longing glance at a store while rushing through the mall to the supermarket.
That’s why I absolutely love online shops like Sunny and Chic Boutique. Lara Stice, owner and creator of Sunny and Chic, knows how difficult going out to shop for hair accessories can be. Her shop specializes in producing beautiful, handmade and high-quality headbands for women and girls.
Lara’s headbands are adorned with gorgeous fabric roses made in shades that range from neutral to vibrant. The headbands boast kitschy names like “Milkshake, 2 Straws” and “I Got You Babe.”
Best of all, Sunny and Chic has reached the perfect balance of everyday elegance and special occasion dressiness. While the headbands would look fabulous worn in loose hair with those favorite jeans, they would look equally great with a formal dress and an elaborate up-do. When a woman is as deprived of femininity as I am, these beautiful hair accessories are a dream come true. Lara even offers custom headbands designed to match that perfect outfit.
While I still may not be able to get out of the house and do some serious shopping, I can rest easy knowing that I can maintain a sense of style and show off my love of all things feminine without ever leaving the house. Sunny and Chic Boutique will help make sure of that.
Buy It: Sunny and Chic Boutique is currently offering customers 25% off any order! Use coupon code “SpringInStyle”
Win It: One lucky reader is going to win their choice of headbands from Sunny and Chic (up to a $25 value)
To Enter(mandatory): Visit Sunny and Chic and tell me what your favorite headband was
Bonus Entries:
· Become a Fan of Mommy Kat and Kids on Facebook
· Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post
· Grab my button
· Follow Mommy Kat and Kids on Google Friends Connect
· Subscribe to my blog by RRS Feed
· Subscribe to my blog by email (2 Entries)
· Follow Mommy Kat and Kids on Twitter and Tweet this: I just entered the Sunny and Chic giveaway at Mommy Kat and Kids http://www.mommykatandkids.com (can be tweeted once daily for extra entry)
Giveaway ends 11:59 pm CST on March 15, 2010. Open to US and Canada
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed belong to Mommy Kat and Kids and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view full Terms of Use and Policies
Glass Watering Globes-2 Winners
I don’t generally have too much faith in infomercials. Sure, the products often look revolutionary, but so often the claims seem unbelievable or the inventions seem unnecessary.
In fact, I had previously laughed heartily at the infomercials advertising the Glass Watering Globes. The poor women watering their plants “the old-fashioned way” were so furious about their task, I wondered why the women had even bought the plants in the first place.
But when Christmas rolled around and my husband and I began preparing for a three-week trip to see family, a problem arose. How were we going to keep our plants alive for the three weeks that we would be gone?
“Let’s get some Glass Watering Globes!” my husband suggested enthusiastically. For lack of a better solution, I pushed my scepticism aside and we made the purchase.
While I found the thin stem of the globes a bit difficult to fill with water, my husband seemed to have no problem with them and soon had them all filled and inserted. When we returned from our vacation, some of the globes were empty and all of the plants were thriving.
The watering globes definitely make life a little easier around our house. While I love my plants, I am not very consistent with my watering habits. As well, I have no idea how much water to give each of my plants. Thanks to the globes, I have eliminated the guesswork when caring for my greenery. As an added bonus, my husband finds the globes so novel that he has voluntarily taken on the task of refilling the globes when they are empty. All I do now is sit back and enjoy the beauty of my healthy and thriving plants.
Although the globes work better in larger, heavier pots, we have been able to make them work in even our smaller houseplants. And I have a little extra peace of mind knowing that my plants have exactly the right amount of water without any effort on my part. Any item that leaves me with one less chore to do is a winner in my book!
Win It: Two lucky readers are each going to win a set of two Glass Watering Globes
To Enter: Tell me about a product you would like to see featured on Mommy Kat and Kids
Bonus Entries:
· Become a Fan of Mommy Kat and Kids on Facebook
· Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post
· Grab my button
· Follow Mommy Kat and Kids on Google Friends Connect
· Subscribe to my blog by RRS Feed
· Subscribe to my blog by email (2 Entries)
· Follow Mommy Kat and Kids on Twitter and Tweet this: I just entered the Glass Watering Globes Giveaway @mommykatandkids http://www.mommykatandkids.com (can tweet this once daily for extra entry)
Giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. CST February 28, 2010
Open to U.S. and Canada
Ecco Bella FlowerColor Blush-Review and Giveaway
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gone through some crazy makeup styles. I wore nothing but pale powder foundation and jet-black eyeliner in high school. I wore nothing but bronzer and stark-white eyeliner in my early twenties. But there was one cosmetic that I could never bear to touch. Yes, my fear of blush was almost unshakable.
The second I saw it in the stores, images of sweet, elderly women with bright blue eye shadow and shocking pink circles on their cheeks would pop into my mind unbidden. When it came to blush, I had a full-fledged phobia. But all of that changed when I was introduced to the dazzling FlowerColor Cosmetics made by Ecco Bella.
FlowerColor Cosmetics combine mineral makeup with natural flower waxes to create gorgeous shades of eco-friendly blush, eye shadow, bronzer, shimmer dust and more.
The blush and eye shadow are sold to fit conveniently into the optional, fully recyclable Duo Paperback Compact to minimize waste. All Ecco Bella cosmetics are gluten-free and non-irritating to sensitive skin.
According to Ecco Bella, flower wax is nature’s best-kept secret. Flower wax is a delicate coating on flower petals that protects them from the elements. Combined with mineral makeup, it protects skin so that cosmetics last longer.
Ecco Bella states that the natural pigments in their cosmetics will automatically adjust to your skin tone. It sounded like a dream come true. But visions of clown cheeks continued to dance in my head.
Two swipes of my makeup brush later, my doubts were dispelled. I chose the Coral Rose blush because I had read an article that said coral was flattering to every skin tone. In my opinion, both the article and the claims of Ecco Bella are completely true.
This blush is absolutely amazing. With one quick brushstroke on each cheek and a few seconds of fingertip blending, I have a natural, healthy looking flush that lasts all day long.
On the first day I put it on, I went out for a drive with my husband. He looked over at me with an appraising eye and said, “You look good. You’ve got a little bit of color in your cheeks today. It looks great.”
At that moment, I knew my days of fearing blush were behind me. As a busy mother, I don’t have time to hunt through huge displays of cosmetics to find the ones that suit me. I certainly don’t have the desire to spend money on makeup that might not properly match my skin tone. Ecco Bella’s fantastic cosmetics have solved these problems for me.
These days, I no longer subscribe to crazy makeup trends. In fact, before Ecco Bella there were days that I left the house without any makeup whatsoever. But now I know that with just a touch of blush, I will look energetic, natural and a little more polished even if I’m carrying a crying baby and dragging a stubborn pre-schooler behind me. What more could any woman ask for?
