Petite Tuques

Did you know Canada.. Petite Tuques is a Canadian small business that creates beautiful hats, mitts and scarves and creates her own patterns.  Owner of Petite Tuques, Lisa, lives in Quebec Canada where it gets cold A LOT and she started making hats for her children. Soon after she opened an online shop at iCraft and Etsy. Lisa specialises in cold weather garments, but is now branching out into warm weather garments like this fringe scarf. She has also started to write her own patterns, and has two published on Knit Picks!

Lisa made me the most beautiful fringe scarf - it's a nylon/cotton mix and is made in a ribbon. it's just so funky, and so light and airy. Fun for spring and summer, I've been having lots of fun trying it with different outfits. Makes me feel more put together standing for the school pick ups too. :-)  The quality is fantastic, and I know it's very sturdy because I fiddle with it all day long..haha..


Lisa also creates her own patterns, like this Bella Striped Hat - inspired by the Twlight movie (how cool!). She also offers free patterns, like a really cool “Bufanda” Neck Muff - perfect for our Canadian winters and freezing cold wind. I'm always yanking my scarf up to get it to cover my mouth and nose, this would be PERFECT!  Knitters, get over there right now and check out Lisa's patterns, you won't be disappointed.  Check out this great video showing off some of her work..






I looooove the fingerless mittens featured in Petite Tuques Etsy store as well, perfect for tweeting, texting and more while outside in the winter. With beautiful colours and unique patterns, Petite Tuques offers stylish, fashionable and much needed accessories for our Canadian weather!  Keep up to date with Petite Tuques on Facebook and Twitter.


We are so excited to share one of these beautiful scarves Lisa made with one of our readers as well!!  This will make a beautiful accessory to any spring or summer outfit, it's gorgeous!  The winning scarf is the same pattern as mine but in silver, check it out..

Can't wait to try and win?  Purchase one today in Petite Tuques Etsy store and save 25% off using code DYKC25!


We have one more treat for our readers as well, if you are a knitter, you can check out this pattern for free right here!

Giveaway

Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files

Did you know Canada.. Disney Canada is releasing Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files DVD with Digital Copy and Perry Activity Pack June 5th!

While Phineas and Ferb do it all to make every day the best day ever, evil lurks just around the corner! But there is hope for the unsuspecting citizens of Danville. Now, for the very first time, crack open the top-secret archives of O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) to expose... THE PERRY FILES!


Join Perry the Platypus–a.k.a. Agent P.–on his most exciting adventures as he thwarts his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, at every turn. With groovy gadgets, mad skills and his trademark brown fedora, this semi-aquatic, egg-layin’ mammal of action is unstoppable! Experience the hilarious havoc as he defends the Tristate Area against Doof’s “inators,” battles rogue agent “Dennis the Bunny,” and much more. When it comes to secret agents, Perry’s not only the real deal, he’s real teal!

My boys are going to go nuts for this, there are just getting into Phineas and Ferb and are at the perfect age to enjoy this. We can't wait to see it!!

They are going to love the Bonus Features too:

* Nerves of Teal: Do you have nerves of teal? Then OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) wants you! See if you have what it takes to become like Agent P in this spy recruiting video.
* Platypus Tour: Take a look inside the Platybus, the traveling Phineas and Ferb exhibit that toured North America.

Guess what?? We have three copies of this awesome new DVD to give away to our Canadian readers as well!!! (not open to Quebec) Enter below for your chance to win and enjoy it this summer!

Giveaway

Online Gaming

Did you know Canada.. I've been wondering about online gaming in Canada. With all the promotions going on for online gaming but knowing our strict laws towards gaming, I wasn't sure. Turns out while an online gaming business can not run on Canadian soil, it looks like we are free to use the sites online.  Make sure you know the site you are on allows Canadians to sign up.

Funny enough, software company Cryptologic which used to be based in Toronto, is one of the biggest producers of sites like World Poker Tour Enterprises and other casino and poker products. Cyptologic is actually a great Canadian success story, as it was founded by brothers Andrew and Mark Rivkin in 1995 in the basement of their parents house. :-) Cryptologic has since moved to be based out of Dublin, Ireland.

I would really look for trust worthy sites if I was going to get into online gaming-if you are going to be putting out money you need to feel comfortable that they will pay out any winnings promptly and securely. A fun one I've heard about is Bingo Palace - they have been around since 1999 and promote a safe playing environment.  It's pretty fun to enjoy all the excitement of bingo in a safe, secure and comfortable environment – your own home!! This way you can play when you want, and for however long you want (I see new players get an extra $5 to start too!). While I have enjoyed a few bingo halls in the past, it's hard to schedule for getting there at the right time, having the right supplies and then you are stuck there until it's over. This way you can play when the kids are in bed (no babysitter!), after work, or on a lazy afternoon - perfect!

Now, be sure to check the ages on these sites, most are 18+, but always double check.

Do you play on online gaming sites??

Konsyl Senna Prompt

Did you know Canada.. coming to Walmart this June, which is FRIDAY if you can believe it, is Konsyl Senna Prompt. We've mentioned before how much we like Konsyl products. They are important to your health, they actually taste good, and are easy to take!

We are all busy right, and lack of exercise, poor diet, and stress can affect your digestive system and cause irregularity. Thankfully there is now Konsyl Senna Prompt, it contains the all-natural ingredients (psyllium and senna) that work together to soften stool, and provide overnight relief of occasional constipation. Conveniently available in 90 gluten-free capsules, these are perfect for everyone, easy to take and simple to have on hand.

Not only is this product gluten-free but it also contains no sugar or sugar substitutes so it's safe for diabetics as well.

Fiber therapy is recommended by physicians as the healthy and natural approach to regularity and good digestive health. But most fiber therapy can take 12 to 72 hours to provide relief. SennaPrompt provides a unique combination of fiber therapy plus predictable overnight relief, using all natural ingredients. So you can get a quick start to a healthy, fiber-rich lifestyle.

While not a subject everyone wants to talk about, when you need relief you don't always know where to turn. So I am very happy to let you know that Konsyl is a quality product you can trust, I love not only this but all Konsyl products and use their Balance all the time!

We are happy to share a giveaway with our readers as well, enter below for your chance to win a bottle of Konsyl Senna Prompt 90-Count Capsules.

Giveaway

Lala Soap - Liquid Foaming Hand soap

Did you know Canada.. our Toronto Representative Amanda, from Multi-Testing Mommy, has been trying out Lala Soap's Liquid Foaming Hand soap, she what she thinks..

Lala Soap was one of the wonderful products that I was introduced to at the Made by Hand Show this spring.

Immediately upon arrival at the Lala Soap booth, I was greeted in such a friendly way!

Lala Soap products are 100% biodegradable, made with natural ingredients and are packaged with minimal packaging using recycled materials.

We had the opportunity to try out the Flower Power Liquid Foaming Hand soap. This soap is vegetable based with oils of coconut and olive. We love how versatile this soap is with use in the kitchen and bathroom for our hands or in the bath as a body wash.

The lather that comes from this soap is wonderful with the perfect amount for your hands in one pump. Because it is foaming, a little bit of soap goes a long way.

We have started using foaming hand soap in all of the bathrooms as it lasts a lot longer with young children and is easier for them to effectively clean their hands.

We have been using this soap in the kitchen, for the most part and in a month, it isn't even half gone!

The lovely lavender scent is such a refreshing smell and makes this soap naturally anti-bacterial.

We love that Lala Soap is free of:

• petrochemicals
• parabens
• phthalates
• sulphates
• triclosan

The Lala Soap line offers bar soap, bath bombs, bath salt, body butter, essential oils, lip butter, liquid soap and more!

Feel free to follow Lala Soap on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

This post was written by Multi-Testing Mommy.

Summer Trends 2012 by Loose Button

Did you know Canada..  Toronto Representative Faniya had an amazing night at Summer Trends 2012!  See how it went..

Last week I attended an incredible event by Loose Button & Chantel Guertin - Summer Trends 2012 at Dermalogica Toronto Training Centre.  It was nice evening to spend learning about new products (some of them on the market for a few days or just coming very soon) and latest picks from beauty experts.

When I arrived friendly staff from Dermalogica greeted me, I was given a LB badge with my name (so cute!) and from that point the cocktail party started. Delicious and colorful appetizers, red and white wines were served reminding me that summer fun is not so far away.

In the room two Dermalogica stations were set up with Professional Skin Therapists providing skin consultations and educating on their products.  One of them is Age Smart Skin Perfect Primer SPF30 quite new on the market but already caught the eye of beauty experts like Chantel Guertin.

Other Loose Button partners were at the event as well like Benefit introducing their new Ultra Plush gloss and a brand new VALENTINA fragrance from VALENTINO with the new line of Valentina products.

The room filled with fabulous women and beautiful floral perfume VALENTINA in the air made this event so wonderful. Everything was so fast - cupcakes, talks with skin gurus, meeting ladies from past events.

Then all guests headed to the big boardroom to learn about Top 10 Summer Trends 2012 presented by Chantel Guertin, The Kit’s Beauty Editor, Marilyn Denis Show beauty expert and bestselling author.

I really liked Matching Lips & Nail colour trend, another one Nail Art influenced by digit(al) design like  tiny bites on top, or dark top and light underneath hair tone styles came to nails as well.

 

White hot smile; natural looking waves; flawless, glowing skin; luxurious lushes and hot pink these are Woman of Summer 2012 best friends

At the end of the event every guest received a generous gift bag from Loose Button and sponsors including  Meet Dermalogica Kit (tried and loved this kit, I even gave it my own name Soft Touch), a novel written and signed by Chantel Guertin(mine is Love Struck), Valentino’s Valentina perfume,  Joico’s K-Pak Revitaluxe hair treatment and Benefit’s Ultra Plush Gloss.

Thank you LooseButton for the wonderful evening!!!

Faniya

Teddy Out-Ready

Recipe Round Up - 05/25

Did you know Canada.. it's time for another Recipe Round Up - check out all the awesome recipes we, and co-author Multi Testing Mommy, have been sharing over at Canadian Moms Cook!





Auntie's Amazing Banana Muffins - these muffins are an easy, classic banana muffin recipe. We have included a regular and a healthier version!

Soft Pretzels - complete recipe posted from Step-By-Step bread thanks to DK Canada, they are better than the fair!

Rise and Shine Breakfast Muffins - sometimes, it can be difficult to get veggies into our children. This is a great way to get some carrots into your child in a super, yummy way!

Broccoli Cheese Casserole - a creamy and very tasty side dish that goes with everything!

Sweet Potato Pancakes - delicious, healthy and moist, these pancakes are sure to be a part of a great breakfast!

Last week, we featured:
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Refreshing Lime Drink

What have you been cooking up??

Lay's Chips - Gluten Free!

Did you know Canada.. Lay's has some great news to share, many of their flavours have been certified as Gluten Free by the CCA (Canadian Celiac Association). Lay’s potato chips are actually the first product to be certified by their ‘Gluten-Free Certification Program’.

In fact, you may not have known, but the majority of Lay’s potato chips have always been gluten free and will continue to be gluten free and as such, taste just great. Any Lay’s potato chip flavours that have been certified gluten free have met the brand’s high standards for quality and deliver the same great taste Canadians expect from the Lay’s brand.

We received a fun basket of chips in all their gluten free flavours like orignal (mine and the kids fav), salt and vinager (oops, another one of my favs), dill pickle (hubby's fav), cheddar and sour cream and more! And we are hear to tell you, YES, they taste exactly the same, a perfect afternoon (or late night) snack, great treat to put out when friends and family are over and as always the quality is obvious in every bag.

Lay’s potato chips that are gluten free can be found at all major retailers across Canada at a standard suggested retail price of $2.99 for a 200g bag or $3.49 for a 270g bag

Be sure to spread the word to any friends or family suffering from Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance or follow a gluten free diet - life just got a little less complicated!

Hasbro Canada - Battleship

Did you know Canada.. anyone hit the movies this long weekend?? Battleship just came out this weekend and it looks AMAZING!!

Did you play as a a kid? I did! And I was so excited to introduce Battleship to my boys as well. We were so lucky to receive an awesome promotional box from Hasbro Canada, the box came complete with bullet holes and sound effects, how cool is that???

Here's some of the really fun Hasbro toys we've been checking out..

Classic Battleship Movie Edition Game - 7+ approx. $24.99
This is THE original game, upgraded to go with the movie. It's exactly s you remember, figuring out the best placement for your ships, trying to guess where the other's players are. And don't make any faces to tip off the other person they are hitting close to your ships!!

This upgrades version offers an alien fleet along with commanding the navy, the boys have had so much fun with this. Perfect for working on our number and letter skills as well!!

We've had the boys saying "He Sunk My Battleship" for a week, too cute.

KRE-O Battleship Alien Strike Construction Set - 7+ approx $34.99
We had tons of fun building this with Daddy's help. My guys loved that this set came with FOUR guys, enough for everyone to play! The mini boat and alien ship is leading to a lot of imaginative play, the guys really love the capture claw on the alien warship.

KRE-O BATTLESHIP U.S.S. MISSOURI Construction Set - 8+ approx $79.99
Wow, wow, wow! This one is AMAZING! Not only fun to play, but makes a beautiful display in the boys bedroom. Comes with tons of guys, perfect for imaginative play while they play with the boat full of rocket launchers, missile launchers, Captain's navigation tower and more! It also comes with a deployable attack boat with gunner station, perfect for 2 guys AND Dad to play with all night long. This goes great with the Alien warship as well, we have already played with this for hours and hours.

I was so happy with the quality of the KRE-O sets, they snap together easily and STAY together, the instructions are fantastically detailed (even Mom could build!), so happy with these sets!

The promotional box came with a cute dog tag too, perfect for role play as the boys become members of the navy to fight aliens. :-)

I highly recommend picking up the game and/or one of these amazing KRE-O sets, they have brought hours and hours of enjoyment to my boys, and a perfect compliment to the movie as well!

NIP + FAB

Did you know Canada... I love to experiment with make up, but I admit I don't know much about, and therefore don't use, too many "fix-it" products.

When I heard NIP + FAB was now available in Canada (at most Shoppers Drug Marts) I was really excited to try their Dark Circle Fix. With twin boys and my own silliness of staying up to late, this is one "fix-it" I truly need.

I think one reason why I don't go for a lot of these products is that I don't like a lot of goop and don't have anywhere to put all these bottles. I can picture my Gramma sitting at a table in her bedroom with the cold cream and 10 other lotions she used, and while I think there's a lot of magic in that, I unfortunately don't have a nice dressing table in my bedroom and the kids just knock everything off the bathroom counter (plus I only get like 5 minutes to myself in the bathroom anyways).

What I loved about NIP + FAB's Dark Circle Fix is that it's just in a small bottle, it squirts a small amount of lotion onto your finger, you rub it on and that's it! Nothing to clean up, no sticky fingers, the container isn't goopy and neither is the lotion.

With their 3-In-1 formula, it's clinically proven to reduce under eye puffiness and tighten the skin around the eye area. I absolutely, hands down, see improvement. My eyes are not puffy like they were, even HUBBY noticed if you can believe it. I feel fresher and look more awake in the mornings, I am so happy with this product.

The 3-in-1 formula includes..
* red algae targets dark circles
* tetra peptide reduces the look of puffiness
* shea butter hydrates + softens

If you suffer from dark circles or puffy eyes (don't we all), I highly recommend heading to Shoppers to grab a bottle. It's simple to put on, no mess, and the best part - you get results!

We have exciting news - we have one bottle to giveaway as well!  Enter below for your chance to win a bottle of NIP + FAB's Dark Circle Fix - you'll love it!

Giveaway