Archives for 2015

Holiday shopping at the Del Amo Fashion Center!

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Christmas is two weeks away and it’s time for Christmas shopping! One of my favorite places to go is the Del Amo Fashion Center! I had the opportunity to visit there this week and had a blast checking out some of the new stores such as DavidsTea and Vera Bradley! My son loved the Godiva Store and they have the best chocolate and of course, I couldn’t resist trying a piece of chocolate too!

I love the atmosphere at the Del Amo Fashion Center! It just looks and feels like the holidays!

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I just love how pretty the Tree is!  But, the big thing is that there are all the fun places to shop and all the great gifts you can find! No matter who you have to find a gift for, you will find something at the Del Amo Fashion Center! I was most excited to check out DavidsTea since I have never been in there before. They have such a great variety of teas! They have the cutest star shaped tea tins with flavors such as Gingerbread Cookie and  Santa’s Secret! (Just a gift idea!)

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If you are looking for clothing gifts, you have to check out H&M, Express and Vera Bradley!

IMG_0275 Yes, my son just walked by the Express store because he was too busy looking for Godiva!

I also love the LUSH store! They have the best bath bombs!

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So, this holiday season, you just have to visit the Del Amo Fashion Center! You will find the perfect gift! Check out the new stores such as the following:

New Retailers and Restaurants


18 | 18 Fine Men’s Salons

A’Gaci*

American Eagle

A Pea in the Pod*

APEX by Sunglass Hut

Arhaus*

Auntie Anne’s

Ay Guey!*

Banana Republic

BCBGMAXAZRIA

Bebe

Ben Bridge/Rolex

Brooks Brothers*

Brow Arc Dry Bar*

Charlotte Russe*

Chico’s

Clarks

Cotton On

Cotton On Kids

David’s Tea

Din Tai Fung*

Eden Sky*

Express

Flight 23/Footaction

Flip Flop Shops

Fly Zone

Fossil

FRIDA*

Frostbites*

Godiva

Gold Elements*

Great Maple*

Guess by Marciano

H&M

Hot Topic

Hugo Boss*

J.Crew

Journey’s*

Kaitlyn Clothing*

Kate Spade*

Kiehl’s Since 1851

KIKO Milano Cosmetics

Kipling

Lane Bryant

Lemonade*

Lenscrafters

L’Occitane

lululemon athletica

Luna Grill*

LUSH

MAC Cosmetics

Madewell

Marbles: the Brain Store

Melissa Shoes

Michael Kors

Minamoto Kitchoan

NYX Cosmetics*

Nordstrom*

Ohana Bros.

Oil & Vinegar*

Open Sesame Grill*

PacSun

Payless

Pink’s Hot Dogs*

Popbar*

Roberto Durville

Sephora

Six 02

Soma

Stride Rite

Steve Madden

Sugar Nails

Sugarcloth*

Sumo Salad*

Swarovski

The Body Shop*

The Walking Company

Torrid

Tumi*

Uniqlo*

U.S. Polo Association*

Varga

Vera Bradley*

Victoria’s Secret

Vince Camuto*

White House | Black Market

Windsor Fashions

Zales

ZARA

Z Gallerie*

*Exclusive to the South Bay

-Italic indicates relocation

A few are not quite open yet such as Pink’s Hotdogs! Yes, I am on a look-out for that one!

Also, I still love some of the older stores such as Old Navy! It’s the best place to shop for clothing for my son! They have great sales right now for the whole family!

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We have teamed up for  a Holiday Giveaway with our friends at the Del Amo Fashion Center! One winner will win a $100. gift card to go shopping at the Del Amo Fashion Center! To enter, leave a comment below and tell us your favorite new store! If you haven’t checked out all the new stores just check out the list and let us know which one you are most excited about! Deadline to enter is December 18th, 2015 at noon PST. One winner will randomly be selected via Random.org.

https://www.instagram.com/delamofashion/

https://twitter.com/DelAmoFashion

https://www.facebook.com/DelAmoFashionCenter/

Self Disclosure: I received a gift card to shop and facilitate this holiday post. 

Art Therapy Collection’s magazine makes a great gift idea!

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By now, you have heard all about adults coloring to relieve stress. There are some really great coloring books but this Art Therapy Collection’s Magazine is a great gift idea! Each magazine is packed with beautiful coloring pages and what I am really impressed with is the creative coloring techniques and relaxation tips. Coloring supplies are even provides such as coloring pencils.

THE INTRODUCTORY SHIPMENT FOR ONLY $4.95

(free shipping and handling)

And, there is no commitment! You can cancel at any time!

To find out more, go to http://us.arttherapycollection.com/

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample to facilitate this post.

Calming Ocean Waves – Brings You Relaxation and Sleep – (Audio CD)

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I love the sound of the ocean and it has always been a way for me to feel less stressed. I simply go down to the beach and listen to the waves. I love this CD because late at night, when I am simply not going to drive down to the beach…I can listen to this CD. I love how it had uninterrupted sounds of waves crashing. There is no talking about relaxing and it is just peaceful and relaxing. I highly recommend!

You can purchase on Amazon.com or

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample in exchange for an unbiased review.

Holiday Gifts that Give Back from the Avon Foundation

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Looking for wonderful Holiday gifts that give back this season? The Avon Foundation has you covered! The  Avon Foundation for Women makes it easy to gift friends and family while giving back. A percentage of each product below will be donated to the Avon Foundation to help conquer breast cancer.

I just love these two gift suggestions! I received the candle and it smells so good! I also love the color since pink is my favorite color.

CHARITABLE GIFTS FROM THE AVON FOUNDATION

Product Product Details
Breast Cancer Crusade Sweet Cherry Blossom Candle

 

·         Price: $10 ($2 donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade)

·         Three-wick wax candle with notes of cherry blossoms, red fruits and soft sandalwood

·         30-hour burn time

·         Glass jar with metal cover

 

Breast Cancer Crusade Ornament with LED Light

 

·         Price: $15 ($3 donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade)

·         Light-up ornament with beaded glass

·         4″ diameter, flat base, button-cell batteries included

·         Illuminates the tree or any tabletop

 

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample to facilitate this holiday post. No other compensation was received.

 

Celebrate Christmas at the OC Zoo Dec. 12

OC Zoo Bear Christmas

Join OC Parks and the animals of the OC Zoo to celebrate the Christmas season on Saturday, December 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Christmas at the OC Zoo invites children to a special story time with Mrs. Claus and a visit with Jolly Old St. Nicholas. Guests will enjoy seasonally inspired crafts and a photo area. Watch the animals of the OC Zoo receive treat-filled gifts hidden inside of Christmas trees and inside gift boxes throughout the day. Reservations are not required to enjoy Christmas at the OC Zoo. The holiday activities are free with paid zoo admission.

 

While visiting the OC Zoo, shop for a Christmas tree or take a ride on Irvine Park Railroad’s annual Christmas Train through Irvine Regional Park. The Christmas Train runs through December 23. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

 

The holidays are upon us so gather the family and ring in the winter season in celebration with OC Zoo and OC Parks!

 

December 12 – Christmas at the Zoo

10 a.m.4 p.m.

Location: OC Zoo (inside Irvine Regional Park)

1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869

Cost: $2 per person, ages 2 & under are free

Parking: $5 per vehicle

Contact: (714) 973-6847

http://www.ocparks.com/oczoo/

Credit: OC Zoo.

 

The amazing animated Christmas jumper!

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The NEW Morph Costume Christmas Jumper selection has arrived just in time for Save The Children’s Christmas Jumper Day on December 18th. But if you’re after a boring, run-of-the-mill festive knit, forget it.

I received one of these awesome sweaters and it takes Christmas sweaters to a much more fun level! I have never seen anything quite like this! Move over Ugly Christmas sweaters! Now, it is time for fun and awesome!

But, they don’t do ordinary Christmas jumpers at Morph Costumes. By now, you should know they are quite unique!

Thanks to some totally awesome Digital Dudz jumper technology, their NEW 2015 collection of warming woolies is guaranteed to make you stand out from the crowd at home, out and about or at the annual office party.

Children and grown ups alike will marvel at the realistic animation we’ve created for each individual design.  And everyone will want one just like yours.

Each Morph Costumes jumper has its own secure pocket space to house your smart phone.  Not only is it a handy little place to keep your handset safe, you also get to impress friends, family and colleagues by downloading their special app. Once you’ve done that, just locate your chosen jumper design and load up the animation that’s going to bring your amazing new festive masterpiece to life.

The full jumper range is online now on both their UK site and their US site  – available while stocks last. This year they’ve come up with a whole host of new designs to get you in the festive mood, from crackling fires and snowy scenes to a cute blinking kitten, cheeky gingerbread man and naughty Moving Mooning Santa.

I received the Gingerbread man and this one is so clever! It actually looks like the Gingerbread Man’s head is nibbled away. I can’t wait to wear it and impress this holiday season!

Each product listed online has a handy video guide to help you get started. Like this one here

Each one will also fit most mobile devices up to 13.6cm x 7cm.  Please note though that the Samsung S6 and iPhone 6+ won’t fit. They’re just a bit too big.

If you have an Apple device make sure it’s running on iOS 8 or greater. Android must be running 4.0 or greater. Download the FREE jumper app here iOS / Android

Here’s something else fun from our friends at Morph Costumes!

 

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And, for even more holiday fun:

Which Christmas movie character are YOU?

Christmas is only 2 weeks away! Twinkling fairy lights are going up everywhere, festive music is playing, ice rinks are heaving and Starbucks are already on it with the Christmasy drink (Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a Gingerbread Latte).

But when it comes to festive celebrations, are you more Buddy the Elf or Scrooge? To find out, take our “Which Christmas Movie Character Are You?” quiz and see which of our favourite famous Christmas icons matches your personality.

You can find it via the link below:

http://www.morphsuits.co.uk/blog/which-christmas-movie-character-are-you/

Happy Holidays and thank you to our friends at Morph Costumes!

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Self Disclosure: I received a free sample to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. 

Peppermint Essential Oil by Simply Earth

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Peppermint Oil can be used for many things! One of my favorites is the Peppermint Essential Oil by Simply Earth – 100% Pure – Non-Toxic – No Additives – Unfiltered and Undiluted with No Fillers. It smells really good and I like that it can be used in scrubs and other recipes. I really also like that peppermint oil has healing properties. This one is quite affordable to. Retails for $6.00 and can be found here.

Self Disclosure: I received a free product in exchange for an unbiased review.

Healthier recipes for the Holiday Season!

Holiday time is usually the time for cookies and other sweets! But here are a couple of healthier recipes to try featuring  Viki’s Granola! I love the taste! Viki’s Granola is nutritious, delicious granola made with 100% all natural ingredients, is Gluten Free with minimal added sugar, and baked with love!

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Viki’s Granola Crisp Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients:

  • 2  Eggs, beaten
  • 1 Cup  Panko crumbs
  • 1/2 Cup  Viki’s Original Honey Granola
  • 1/2 Cup  All-purpose flour
  • 1.25 Pounds Chicken cutlets
  • Vegetable or canola oil
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Place beaten eggs into a shallow dish.
  2. In a food processor, pulse pulse panko crumbs and Viki’s Original Honey Granola. Place crumb mixture into a separate shallow dish.
  3. Place flour into a third shallow dish.
  4. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.
  5. Coat a large frying skillet with 1/8 of an inch of vegetable or canola oil and set over medium heat.
  6. While oil heats, dip/coat cutlets one by one first into flour dish, then into egg dish, and finally into crumb mixture.
  7. Once oil is hot, place cutlets onto frying skillet.
  8. When the bottom is golden brown (approximately 3 minutes), flip cutlets and brown the other side until fully cooked through.
  9. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels.
  10. Serve and enjoy!

New Granola Munchkinsmm

Viki’s Granola Munchkins

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Viki’s Granola (any variety)
  • ½ cup of smooth peanut butter
  • ½ cup of mini chocolate chips

Directions:

  • Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl
  • Chill for 30-40 minutes in the fridge, then roll into balls
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge

Viki’s Granola – Nutritious & delicious granola made with 100% all natural ingredients, Gluten Free, minimal added sugar, and baked with love!  Unlike other granolas on the market that have harder textures and clusters, Viki’s Granola boasts a fresh, soft, chewy texture with ingredients you can pronounce and no artificial aftertaste. Today, Viki’s Granola is available in five delicious flavors (Original Honey, Blueberry Almond and Maple Cranberry, Banana Walnut & Apple Cinnamon)and has a loyal following. Viki’s Foods is dedicated to creating foods made from inspiration and high quality ingredients, with health and happiness at the core.  All of Viki’s recipes are “one of a kind culinary art creations,” with a strong emphasis on taste, presentation, and consistency. The family owned and operated brand prides itself on its approach to maintain traditional, homemade cooking. Sold at retailers nationwide and online at www.VikisFoods.com MSRP: $5.49 / 12oz.

Credit: Viki’s Granola. I received free samples to facilitate this post.