Happy Holidays!!

Did you know Canada.. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays friends!!

Thank you so much for your support and friendship this past year, look forward to bring you more great Canadian content, giveaways and fun events in the new year!!

Will be taking a few days off for Christmas but will back at it again late next week.

All the best and have a very Merry Christmas!!

Lancome Luxebox

Did you know Canada.. if you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you may know I was one of many bloggers in a contest on the Loose Button website to win a Lancôme Special Edition Luxebox. Well - I won!! And in doing so I have also won a box to giveaway to my readers!!

First, let me tell you what's in it..

Tresor Midnight Rose, a feminine scent, this comes in an absolutely gorgeous bottle and would look beautiful on your dresser in a generously sized tester.

Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate, will have you seeing visibly younger skin in just 7 days! I'm only on day 3, hubby is not sure what to answer when I ask if I look younger..haha.. but regardless it makes your face feel amazing.

Aquatique Waterproof Eyecolour Base, this primer will give you long lasting shadow wear and vibrancy. Goes on smooth and easy to apply.

Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Base, this base gives your lashes a big boost. I admit I was not aware a mascara base even existed, but glad I know now, what a difference!

That's the great thing about all Luxeboxes, they introduce you to products you may never have known about, or wouldn't know it works for you. I am so happy to have been able to check out these amazing Lancôme products, since its inception over 75 years ago, Lancôme has epitomized beauty and glamour with a quintessential French touch. And now one of our readers will experience a touch of glamour for themselves. Enter below for your chance to win a Lancôme Luxebox!

Giveaway

WORLD of EYES

Did you know Canada.. Canadian company, WORLD of EYES, is an ecommerce retailer of optical eyewear products that carries a vast selection of prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses and all major brands of contact lenses.

Something that I love, they are not just located in Canada, but eyeglasses are sourced from industry suppliers and distributors and all lenses are processed, installed and inspected right here in Canada before being shipped out! This is a TRUE Canadian company, and one to be proud of!

In the spirit of the holidays, WORLD of EYES would like to give all Facebook fans a FREE pair of GLASSES!! This promotion is open to Canadian residents 18 years of age and older. You can redeem one pair of glasses during this promotion, you just have to cover the cost of shipping, how awesome is that!! Upgrades are also available at a reduced cost.

The FREE pair of GLASSES includes:

- Your choice of an eligible frame
- High Quality Single Vision Essilor Lenses
- Scratch protection coating
- UV protection coating
- Glasses Case
- Lens Cleaning Cloth

Just head on over to their Facebook Fan Page and become a fan of WORLD of EYES. Once a fan, you will get their exclusive coupon code to redeem for a free pair of glasses. I LOVE the Invogue I007 Eyeglasses, I would love to have an extra pair of glasses to be able to change up my look.

This giveaway is only going on from Dec 22 to Dec 28, 2011 midnight or while quantities last, so hurry today!  Happy Holidays everyone and enjoy!!!

Made By Hand Show

Did you know Canada.. November 5th, 2011 saw the first Made by Hand Show. A huge success, they showcased over 150 quality handmade vendors, and welcomed over 1750 customers.

We are excited to announce we are a media sponsor for the Spring 2012 Made by Hand Show coming Saturday, April 21st, 2012 - held at the International Centre in Hall 4 in Mississauga, Ontario.

At Made by Hand, their goal is to promote handmade artists and artisans which we LOVE! Managed by Jacqueline Hunter, who started in 2007 as a handmade vendor showcasing her handmade crafts (paper crafts and scrapbooking) at local craft shows. Now running the show, we are so excited that she is showcasing the work of quality Canadian handmade artists, artisans and crafters. Jacqueline knows what it's like to be a vendor and strives to produce a show where the vendors are involved with great communication, well advertised and a great event for everyone involved.

If you are looking for be a vendor, be sure to check out their Vendor Inquires page for more information.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, check out their awesome sponsor packages.

Proof Set - 100th Anniversary of Parks Canada

Did you know Canada.. for the first 18 years of my life, all my cousins as well, our Grampa gave us a coin set from the Royal Canadian Mint. It was always fun guessing which present under the tree was the coin set, it was something to look forward to every year. Beautiful keepsakes to look back on such a history and a great memory of my Grampa.

The Mint produces limited-mintage numismatic coins honouring major national achievements and themes. Though they bear a denomination, they are not meant for circulation, and their actual worth is usually significantly greater than their face value.

Crafted of gold, silver or platinum, the Mint's collector coins are individually handled as they enter the presses. A single coin may be struck up to three times to achieve a crisp, flawless impression. Certain coins feature the Mint's proprietary technologies: double holograms, selective plating, colouring or laser enhancement.

One of the gorgeous sets introduced by the Royal Canadian Mint this year is the 100th Anniversary of Parks Canada. July 16th of this year was Parks Canada Centennial Celebration, with events nation wide. After 100 years of existence, Parks Canada has become the largest provider of historical and natural heritage tourism in Canada.

This gorgeous commemorative coin design includes four endangered ecological treasures cradled in the hands of a young Canadian; a Whooping Crane, the Southern Maidenhair Fern, the Western Prairie- Fringed Orchid and a Kentucky Coffee Tree. The set also includes circulation type coins but set in silver, bronze and copper and a 50 cent piece I really like, the boys thought that was really cool too.

Perfect for nature lovers and those proud of our Park's history, this elegant book-style packaging, with removable lens is a set to be proud of and part of our heritage. I'll be sharing this set with my boys and as they grow we'll be purchasing more sets so I can start the tradition my Grampa began with my own family.

These sets would make beautiful gifts for anyone in your life, perfect for celebrating occasions. I remember one family New Years Eve party where my uncle gave all the children a special coin to celebrate the New Year. I kept it with me and on my dresser for a long time and always thought of my uncle whenever I saw it. The Royal Canadian Mint offers something for absolutely everyone. With the sets having a limited number of mintage, you know you are giving a unique and special gift that is to be treasured.

We are so excited to share one of these sets with our readers as well!!! Please enter our giveaway below for a chance to win the 100th Anniversary of Parks Canada Proof Set.

Be sure to check out another great Royal Canadian Mint promotion happening now on Maple Leaf Mommy - she is giving away a really cool Year of the Dragon Coin coin!

Giveaway

Best Santa in Canada

Did you know Canada.. after yesterday's dangerous cities, let's lighten it up and find out what cities have the best resources for Santa!!

Check out this study from MPI. A top 10 list of places that would best suit Santa and his needs. They looked at five variables important to his lifestyle: (1) the number of cookie factories per capita; (2) the number of milk producers per capita; (3) the number of doll, toy and game manufacturing establishments per capita; (4) the number of postal service workers/couriers per capita (to receive and reply to wish lists); and (5) department stores per capita.

Did your city make the list??

Most Dangerous Cities

Did you know Canada.. Macleans has released a new study listing the most dangerous cities in Canada.

With 2010 annual crime data from Stats Canada for municipal police services serving the country's 100 largest populations. These 2010 rates per 100,000 people studied six categories: crimes—homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, vehicle theft, robbery plus breaking and entering—Maclean’s then calculated the percentage difference from the national rate.

Click here to use their interactive maps and lists to see where your city ranks!

Snowmobile in Ontario

Did you know Canada.. Armand Bombardier, of Valcourt, Quebec, developed this unique snow machine in 1926. His vehicles were used wherever heavy loads were carried over difficult terrain. In the 1950s, he pioneered the development of small, light snow vehicles for winter sports.

In this day and age snowmobiles are often used for sport and weekend activities.

Check out sites like Ontario Trails to find available trails. Over 43,000 km available in Ontario alone!

In Ontario you must have a valid driver's licence to use a snowmobile. For those without or 12+ there is a driver training course you can take to gain a valid snowmobile licence, for more information visit the OFSC site.

Now all we need is some snow eh?!

ShesConnected - Checking out Toshiba Tablets

Did you know Canada.. Saturday after hockey we headed to the big city for some Christmas shopping. We hit up the local Future Shop and had a look at the awesome Toshiba Tablets!  At the ShesConnected conference I learned a bit about their new tablets, since the conference by my husband and I have gotten smart phones with the Android system so I was really excited to check out a tablet using Android!

First, even though it was so early we had to park pretty far away..

Good thing I brought a helper to help me find the tablets!

Looks like a good price for the 8GB Wi-FI version of the tablet..

I loved that they had an extra information sheet you could review..

And what I reeeeally love is that you can change the back colour on the tablets as well, Toshiba Canada thinks of everything..

Looks like they even have a couple left!!  I hope Santa gets shopping soon  :-)

We discussed with a Future Shop employee - the great thing about the Toshiba Tablet is how customizable it is - I LOVE the home screen.  Powered by Android 3.1 Honeycomb, you can browse the web, read e-books, play tons of games, listen to music, use the TWO cameras, and more.  The Future Shop employee let us know the colours on the tablet were fantastic and everything looks so great on it, the touch screen responds quickly, it charges lightening fast, everyone appreciated that it includes Adobe Flash and it does, well, everything!  They find many people are replacing their laptop with this tablet as it truly does everything they need.

I've been researching it more since we got home and every review you read is glowing, just fantastic and no problems at all (which doesn't always happen with new technology).  This would make a fantastic gift for ANYONE - students, younger children as a learning tool, on the go 20 year olds, Moms & Dads, everyone!

Be sure to stay up to date with Toshiba Canada by following them on Facebook and Twitter!

I am participating in the Toshiba Brand Ambassador program by www.ShesConnected.com. I received a Toshiba Camileo in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Christmas Gift Basket Classic

Did you know Canada.. We've mentioned before that we love the baskets from GourmetGiftBaskets.com. They ship quickly and always arrive in pristine condition.

We recently tried their Christmas Gift Basket Classic - a great gift idea for anyone! Gramma & Grampa, out of town family, parents, students, absolutely everyone and anyone would enjoy a gift basket.

With delicious treats like chocolate covered cherries, dark chocolate bar, chocolate chip cookies, and almond clustered popcorn it's perfect to share with friends! The basket is also beautiful and great quality, can be used for storing toys, books and bobbles, and more.

Picking out a gift basket with care to fit the personality of the recipient is a great gesture. I love the great descriptions GourmetGiftBaskets.com offers, makes it easy to discuss the gift and ask how the cherries were, or the dip. I know just who I would send the Christmas Care Package to, and know quite a few that would love the Microbrew Beer Bucket Gift Basket. I would looooove to have the Christmas Morning Breakfast Gift Basket to show up at my door.

Great ideas for this Holiday Season and a one stop shop for many people in your life.