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Holiday Gift Guide: Pillow Pets Review & Giveaway!

Perfect gift idea for: Traveling kids

Pillow Pets are one of the favorite items I’ve discovered here on this blog.  If you’re not familiar with this toy, Pillow Pets are unique characters that convert from a cuddly stuffed animal to a comfy pillow in seconds.  The animal is made by folding the pillow in half and securing it with the sewn-in velcro patch.  And when it’s time for a snooze, you just undo the velcro and turn your favorite buddy into a pillow.  It’s great for around the house and ideal for travel.

Over the summer I had the pleasure of bringing you a Patriotic Pup giveaway, and just a few weeks later the pup became our very first Pillow Pet friend to come and live with us.  The excitement has not worn off since, and Emma loves rolling around with her Pillow Pet.  It’s her favorite cushion, and I totally understand why.  The chenille fabric is so soft it’s heavenly.  I would love a pillow like this just for myself.  But even with our newset addition, Magical Unicorn, she doesn’t like to share.  

She even found a way to use both of them at once.  The stinker!

Magical Unicorn took this here survey to help you learn about her personality, in case you might want to adopt her.

Your name – Magical Unicorn
Where you live – A castle in Europe
Best friends – Ms. Ladybug, Proper Penguin
Favorite things – Flowers and sparkles
Favorite food – Like a horse, I usually eat things like oats and grass. I love fruits and vegetables of all kinds. Plus, I love marshmallows!
Favorite color – Purple
Favorite thing to do – Making flower necklaces and being with my friends
Favorite thing about you – It used to be my mane, but I’m starting to like my unique horn more and more.
What your friends say about you –
Proper Penguin: “Magical Unicorn is simply lovely. She is sweet and kind and always there to give you a hug. There is also something special about her that I just can’t put my beak on yet.”
Ms. Ladybug – “My favorite thing about Magical Unicorn is the twinkly flair she brings to everything she does. It’s like a special occasion every time we see each other – and she usually brings marshmallows!”

Isn’t that cute?  A lot of time goes into these Pillow Pets, from their name and design to the character and the high quality of the finished product.  I can’t say enough about how luxuriously soft the chenille is, and it doesn’t shed!  We’ve tried copy-cat versions, but the original is always the best and that’s definitely the case with Pillow Pets.  And since they’re so reasonably priced at $24.95 there’s really no need to look elsewhere.  They also offer a smaller version for $15.99.   

GIVEAWAY!
Win the Magical Unicorn Pillow Pet, ARV $25!
(US Only - Ends 11/25)

Mandatory Entry:  Visit Pillow Pets and tell me another favorite character.

EXTRA ENTRIES: Must leave a separate comment for each extra entry. 

+2 Extra Entries EACH if you follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect, become a feed subscriber, or an email subscriber
+1 Extra Entry if you ‘Like’ Girl Gone Mom on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall that you entered.
+1 Extra Entry if you ‘Like’ Pillow Pets on Facebook, leave your FB name.
+1 Extra Entry if after you ‘Like’ them, you leave this comment on their wall: I entered to win the Magical Unicorn Pet at Girl Gone Mom - http://bit.ly/dxqMf2
+1 Entry if you follow Pillow Pets on twitter.
+1 Entry daily follow Girl Gone Mom on twitter and tweet this message:

It’s a Pillow and a Pet – It’s a Pillow Pet! #WIN Magical Unicorn #GGMHolidayGuide  -  http://bit.ly/dxqMf2

+2 Extra Entries if you add my main blog button to your blog’s main page.  Please leave link.
+2 Extra Entries if you post my Holiday Gift Guide (snow globe) button to your blog’s main page.  Leave link.
+2 Extra Entries if you add my blog url to your text blog roll. Leave link.
+5 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

Contest is open to US residents and closes at Midnight EST on Nov. 25th 2010. One main entry per household.  No compensation was received for this post.  The sponsor sent me the product free of charge to facilitate my honest review, and has generously offered the same prize to a lucky reader.

Holiday Gift Guide: Alegria Mini-Boots (Review & Giveaway)

Gift them to: The stylish lady on your list.

I’ll probably be complaining about the blustery cold weather a few months from now, I won’t lie.  But to tell you the truth, I do love it.  Sure, I wish the season was a bit shorter, but you can’t deny how invigorating it is when you breathe in that fresh crisp air while taking in the holiday décor and enjoying winter festivities, picking out your Christmas tree, watching a fun parade or playing in the snow.  That is, as long as you’re bundled up in a comfy coat, warm gloves, and toasty boots while sipping a nice hot cup of cocoa.

My newest pair of comfy-cute boots is from Alegria.  Shoes by Alegria are popular with women who are on their feet all day.  Doctors, nurses, flight attendants, teachers and artists are among those who rave about this footwear brand, and for good reason.  You can see that they’re fun and fashionable, but they also promote health and wellness.

First, they have an anatomically correct patented interlocking footbed system with arch support.  Removeable footbeds are constructed of latex, memory foam and cork, which create a custom fit by molding to the natural contours of your foot. 

Also, they feature a rocker bottom that is extremely popular right now.  The outsole induces a normal walking motion while naturally toning leg muscles, promoting good posture, and reducing stress on muscles, joints and back.

These are properties my mother would look for in a shoe – but my Mini Boots look nothing like what she’d wear.   (No offense mom, but you lost your fashion sense a long time ago!)

The Mini Boot features a Suede Leather Upper, leather-lining and a mini bottom outsole.  They feature that a moveable footbed system I told you about before and they’re hand-stiched.  Talk about great quality.  The fit is very generous.  I like that they’re water repellent – they’ll be suitable for wearing in the rain, snow, etc.  Now I need to just get a pair of skinny jeans or leggings so that I can look as cute as this model pictured below!

GIVEAWAY!
One reader will win a pair of Suede Mini Boots, ARV $160!
(US Only - Ends 12/3)

Mandatory Entry:  Visit Alegria and tell me which color you’d want if you are lucky enough to win these Mini Boots!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Must leave a separate comment for each extra entry. 

+2 Extra Entries EACH if you follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect, become a feed subscriber, or an email subscriber
+1 Extra Entry if you ‘Like’ Girl Gone Mom on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall that you entered.
+1 Extra Entry if you ‘Like’ Alegria on Facebook, leave your FB name.
+1 Extra Entry if after you ‘Like’ them, you leave this comment on their wall: I entered to win the Suede Mini Boots at Girl Gone Mom -
+1 Entry daily follow Girl Gone Mom on twitter and tweet this message:

I entered to win a pair of Alegria suede mini-boots, a $160 value @GirlGoneMom #GGMHolidayGuide and you can too! http://bit.ly/atDJY4

+2 Extra Entries if you add my main blog button to your blog’s main page.  Please leave link.
+2 Extra Entries if you post my Holiday Gift Guide (snow globe) button to your blog’s main page.  Leave link.
+2 Extra Entries if you add my blog url to your text blog roll. Leave link.
+5 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

Contest is open to US residents and closes at Midnight EST on December 3rd, 2010. One main entry per household.  No compensation was received for this post.  The sponsor sent me the product free of charge to facilitate my honest review, and has generously offered the same prize to a lucky reader.

Create home movies easily with muvee Reveal (Review & Giveaway)

Today I was finally able to fine tune my video editing skills using the muvee Reveal software I downloaded a few weeks ago.  I couldn’t decide what kind of video to make at first.  Of course I’d love to put together all of the clips I took of Emma when she was a baby, but I knew that would be too stressful an undertaking for my very first video montage.  I wanted something fun that would allow me to just explore the software and learn what can be done with it. 

When I re-discovered the old videos and photos we’d taken of Winston and Spencer when they were kittens, I couldn’t wait to get started on my very first home movie.  I got together all of the pictures and video clips that I wanted to include and I picked out a song that I felt matched the personalities of these on again off again brothers. 

 

At first, I was frustrated because I didn’t think you could actually do any editing of the clips themselves, but I poked around and discovered how to do it.  The menus are simple and easy to understand, and there are great features built right in.  You can set the video/photos to be displayed in different styles, highlight certain areas, shorten the music and many other sound settings.  I chose to mute the background noise in my video clips so that the focus would be on the background music.

Like the product description says, this software has powerful yet easy to use editing tools.  So easy to use, but the end result looks very professional.  What do you think of The Adventures of Winston and Spencer?

I know I’ll get a ton of use out of this software between my blog and personal use.  The possibilities are endless.  You can make videos for friends to give as gifts, make videos just for fun to share on YouTube and Facebook, or for your business – all without hiring a professional.  I had so much fun experimenting, and now I’m ready to make some ridiculously good-looking videos thanks to the easy to use muvee Reveal platform.

GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win a copy of muvee Reveal ARV $60.00!
(World-wide - Ends 11/19)

Mandatory Entry:  Tell me what kind of muvee you would make.  G-rated, please.

EXTRA ENTRIES: Must leave a separate comment for each extra entry. 

+2 Extra Entries EACH if you follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect, become a feed subscriber, or an email subscriber
+1 Extra Entry if you ‘Like’ Girl Gone Mom on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall that you entered.
+1 Extra Entry if you ‘Like’ muvee on Facebook, leave your FB name.
+1 Extra Entry if you follow muvee on twitter.
+1 Entry daily follow Girl Gone Mom on twitter and tweet this message:

Intimidated by video editing?  Don’t be. With muvee Reveal it's easy to make custom videos in HD. #WIN it @GirlGoneMom http://bit.ly/d9C6Jm

+1 Entry if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave a comment on my video.
+2 Extra Entries if you add my main blog button to your blog’s main page.  Please leave link.
+2 Extra Entries if you post my Holiday Gift Guide (snow globe) button to your blog’s main page.  Leave link.
+2 Extra Entries if you add my blog url to your text blog roll. Leave link.
+5 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway with a link to this post.

Contest is open world-wide and closes at Midnight EST on November 19th, 2010. One main entry per household.  No compensation was received for this post.  The sponsor sent me the product free of charge to facilitate my honest review, and has generously offered the same prize to a lucky reader.