Holiday Gifts: BigFoot From Fisher Price

It’s the most wonderful time of year so that means it’s time to talk about all of the season’s HOTTEST toys.

I know Audrey Grace has been asking to make a “list for Santa” since before Halloween, and she adds things to it daily (Santa has his work cut out for him in this house!)  This year, you can’t make that list without mentioning BigFoot – the toy that just wants to Play-Play-Play! (Seriously, this remote-controlled toy throws a ball, does somersaults, falls asleep, exercises, and more – it’s CRAZY)  It has made it into almost every “top toy” or “must-have toy” list out there for the 2010 Holiday Season!

If your child is one of the many that is just dying for their very own BigFoot toy, consider heading over to the BigFoot Facebook Page and installing the BigFoot app.  It’s lots of fun (you can pick what “mood” you are – I’m “gleeful”!) and after you’ve installed you’ll also be entered to win a BigFoot toy for the child in your life (they make great holiday gifts!) – now through December 15th!

Haven’t heard the BigFoot toy from Fisher Price?  You can check out the video below!

Don’t forget – head on over to Facebook and check out the BigFoot Facebook App – once you post your BigFoot mood you’ll be entered to win a BigFoot!  Go, go!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post, I was compensated to let you know about the BigFoot Facebook App.  As usual, all opinions are 100% mine.

Chic Holiday Decor For Less

Yay!  It’s official.  Thanksgiving is finally over and all of the Grinches of the world who like to complain if I decorate before Thanksgiving have finally been silenced – because no one can really complain about Christmas decorations being up “too early” once Turkey Day is over!

They probably would cringe to know that I’ve been playing the Glee Christmas CD non-stop for a week now.  Even my 3 year-old refuses to listen to anything except “We Need A Little Christmas”.

All of this is just to say that I’m a bit, erm, Christmas-crazed.  I love the Holiday season – I love the lights, the music, the tree, the decorations – and I’ll confess that I may have the slightest addiction to buying new rolls of wrapping paper.   As a matter of fact, I just bought 4 new rolls yesterday, and lets just say that I have at least 20 already.  I can’t help it -it makes me happy!

However, as much as I love to decorate for the Holidays, I also like to buy gifts for my friends and family (and I have to save up for more wrapping paper, of course) which means I have to set an annual decorating budget and really stick to it, or I’ll be super-stressed in a few weeks when it’s “crunch” time.

So, armed with $50,  I let myself loose in the Christmas Decor section of my Walmart, determined to decorate my house for less this year.

Here are some of the things that I found that I really loved:

• A real potted Christmas Tree – a miniature version – for $5.  Perfect for my kitchen!
• Christmas Stockings for $5 – $7 – even licensed character stockings like Tinkerbell, Mickey, and the Grinch.
• 18 feet of artificial pre-lit pine garland – perfect for the mantel – for $12
• 50 Shatterproof ornaments – great for making wreaths or hanging on the tree – for $15
• Tree Skirts (and the pretty ones in silver, red, gold with lots of glitter!) for $10
• A HUGE selection of pretty, shiny Ornaments for the tree priced at $2
• Pre-Lit Mini Christmas Trees (I love to do a kid’s tree plus “mommy’s” tree) for $18
• Giant Red Bows with glitter for $5
• Holiday Time 400 count Mini Light Set for $10

So, what did I walk away with?

In the end I went with the mini potted Christmas Tree (it smelled divine!), a new red tree skirt (you have no idea how long I stood debating between the red and silver), two new stockings for Audrey Grace and myself (that I plan to have embroidered with our names),  the 400 count mini lights, and the 50-count container of shatterproof ornaments.

A little math for you!  $5 + $10 + ($5 + $5) + 10 + 15 = $50

I got a lot of things that I needed – we can’t find our stockings, our tree skirt is MIA and our tree lights from last year only work when you shake them (gee, we’re a mess!). However, I also got the adorable mini-tree to freshen up our little space.  My favorite and most useful purchase (and the one I think is the best deal) is the container of shatter-proof ornaments because they have so many uses.  That comes out to .30 cents an ornament – which is a GREAT deal.  I reuse my non-holiday hurricane glasses that normally have candles in them and fill them to the brim with these ornaments and place them as the centerpiece on my kitchen table.  I also did this in a few other places with a few inexpensive gold baskets that I had from past Holiday seasons and placed them around my house (even in the bathrooms) to give it an extra festive touch!  I also took several and tied them to varying lengths of fishing line to hang in my windows – it’s a pretty, inexpensive way to decorate for less this holiday season.

How do you decorate for the Holiday Season?  Are you Christmas-crazed like me?  Share in the comments!

Disclosure:  I was compensated for this post as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms program.  Though I am not compensated to be a part of the program, opportunities to create content like this one are compensated.  However, everything I said above is 100% my opinion and true.  For more information please read my disclosure policy.

Fab Finds: Jewelry For Under $30

One of my favorite low-cost ways to update my wardrobe and freshen up old looks is buying new jewelry. No, not jewelry like the Queen’s or anything-I’m talking cute, quirky, affordable jewelry. Piles of bangles can jazz up a plain LBD. A tired cardi/leggings look can be updated with the addition of a long pendant necklace. A statement ring, well, makes a statement. Here are a few interesting pieces that are all under $30-great for you or someone on your shopping list!

link bracelet, studded cuff, equestrain charms, corsage bracelet, hamsa necklace, stone and leather

Fight Hunger This Holiday Season

Did you know that 16.8 million children don’t know where their next meal is coming from?

To me, that number is startling.  I look at my sweet little girl, sleeping soundly in her bed with a full tummy and think, what if she told me she was hungry – if she looked at me with those big blue eyes and asked me for food, and there was nothing that I could do to help her?  The very idea moves me to tears, and I am so thankful that I have never found myself in that situation.

However, the reality is that many parents do find themselves in that situation on a regular basis.

I feel like hunger is not something we consider until it affects us.  Until a relative doesn’t have enough money to buy milk that month because she was laid off from her job and we lend her money do we realize that it happens to people that we know – many people that we know, even.  But think of this – does it matter WHO the child is that we are providing for?  Should you have to KNOW them to want to stop them from being hungry?

Absolutely not.

Audrey Grace and I have been so blessed, and even more so because Walmart gave us the opportunity this Holiday Season to shop for non-perishable food items to donate to the in-store food drive.  They gave us $50 and a suggested list of items and set us loose in our local store.  Here are a list of items that we worked off of (though I did add in a few things that were special to me that I thought a family might appreciate, like stuffing, Jambalaya Mix, and the ingredients to make green bean casserole):

• Spaghetti sauce + noodles
• Canned chicken
• Canned/boxed soup/stew
• Canned tuna
• Canned beans (baked, garbanzo, kidney, etc.)
• Canned nuts
• Peanut butter + jam
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruits in lite syrup
• 100 percent juice boxes and cans
• Canned milk
• Evaporated milk

I created a video about my experience, and I was really surprised at how far I was able to make my $50 stretch.  How do you think that I did?

I hope that you will consider getting involved in some sort of Hunger Initiative this Holiday Season but also on a regular basis.  Also, though I am a Walmart mom, I want to tell you that I have honestly been so impressed by their continued commitments to causes like this one – did you know that Walmart will donate 18 million dollars in monetary and in-kind donations to fight hunger this Holiday Season alone?  If you want to get involved with Walmart’s efforts then head over to to the Fighting Hunger Tab on Walmart’s Facebook page where you can vote for a community in need and help to decide where $1.5M should go to fight hunger. The community that wins will get $1M donated to local food banks and the 5 runner ups will each get $100,000 – one of those communities could be your own!

So I encourage you – make a donation.  Make a difference.

Disclosure:  I was compensated for this post as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms program.  Though I am not compensated to be a part of the program, opportunities to create content like this one are compensated.  However, everything I said above is 100% my opinion and true.  For more information please read my disclosure policy.

Holiday Gifts: Soma Intimates “Personality” PJ’s {Giveaway CLOSED}

I get loads of email each day, something I wished for and hoped for 3 years ago, and now something that I wish I could figure out how to better handle, sort, and organize.  Spam has gotten smarter and my “smart” spam filter stands by and waves it though into my inbox, smiling.  So usually in the mornings, especially on weekday mornings, I sit at the kitchen table with my coffee and sort through all of the email, and unlike my spam filter, I’m not smiling.  As a matter of fact, I’m usually rather non-plussed by most of the items that cross my inbox threshold.

But occasionally, a gem catches my eye.

During one of my routine email deletion sprees, I clicked into an email from Soma Intimates about their new “Personality PJ’s”.  These very cool PJs come in six different prints or personality types, including glam, fun, chic, wild, classic and romantic, and they are super cute.  I clicked on over to to take the quiz and discover my personality type and it turns out that my result was “fun and classic”.  According to my results, I should have gone with the puppy dog pajamas or the snowflake pajamas but in the end my penchant for all-things animal print won out, and I went with the “wild” choice – the Leopard Print PJs.  I think they’re “fitting” for me, don’t you?

I have to share that I wanted them simply because they looked like SO. MUCH. FUN. but as a major bonus?  They are incredibly comfortable.  They are stretchy and soft – like your favorite t-shirt after 4 years of washing it.  They are well made, roomy, and well, just all-around awesome.  My 3 year old was so jealous when I put them on – she wanted a pair of “animal” PJs like Mommy – but she settled for Tinker Bell PJs instead (but, oh, hey Soma – can we work on mommy/daughter PJs for next year?!).

So it looks like I already have my Christmas Pajamas for this year (though I’m sorta gunnin’ for these “glam” Satin Diamond PJs too – talk about ultra lux!) but if you are looking for holiday gifts for a girlfriend, this would be one smart choice!  Plus, right now the Personality PJs are buy one, get one half off!  Not bad, right?

Win It! Soma Intimates wants to give one very lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader the opportunity to win her very own pair of Personality PJs!  To enter, head on over to take the Personality Quiz (it only takes a few minutes, and it was lots of fun!) then come back here and leave a comment letting me know what “personality” you are!  For bonus entries, you can tweet this contest out to your followers, share it on Facebook (see the buttons at the top of this post for help sharing), subscribe to my YouTube Channel, or write a blog post about this contest (worth 3 extra entries).

I can’t wait to find out all of your personality types!  Have fun, and good luck!

This contest will run from November 21, 2010 to November 29th, 2010 and will end at 11:59 pm CST. No purchase necessary to win, and a winner will be chosen at random.  If the winner does not respond to emails within 72 hours of notification, then another winner will be chosen.  US entries only.

Disclosure: I was sent a pair of Soma Intimates Personality PJs for review.  This in no way affected my opinion of the product (they really are amazing), and all thoughts expressed above are 100% mine.  Check out my disclosure policy for more information.

How To Prepare For Black Friday

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Family, friends, delicious food, holiday music, parties, and…

…oh yeah. Shopping.  How could I forget?   Ok, busted.  Of course I didn’t forget. I am “the Chic Shopper Chick” after all.

See, the thing is that we’re not just talking any kind of shopping – we’re talking Black Friday shopping – and that’s an entirely different animal.  So how do you prepare for the single biggest shopping day of the entire year?  Here are my tips:

Do Your Homework

Don’t head into the stores blindly thinking that you’ll just browse for whatever catches your eye.  This is not the time for inspiration, it’s the time for determination.  If you know that you are looking for the Xbox 360 with Kinect, then scour the web for the best prices and decide if what you see in that Black Friday Ad is a good deal or not.  Also, realize that stores like Walmart will price-match any competitors printed ad, so if you find a deal somewhere else, be prepared to bring that ad with you when you go to do your shopping so that you can be sure you get the best price.  Make a list, check it twice. (See what I did there, with the Christmas joke? Nice.)

Have A Plan Of Attack

Ok, “plan of attack might” be aggressive wording, but Black Friday shoppers are a breed unto themselves and you simply have to be prepared.  You’ve done your homework and have a list of what you want – so now it’s time to decide what store will be your main focus.  Prioritize your list and see what “deals” are most important, and also at what store you can scoop up the majority of your items (Christmas pajamas, electronics, appliances) and make that store your primary.  I hate to disappoint you, but unless you are a literal superhero, there is no way you can really take advantage of the deals at more than one store on the morning of Black Friday. Once you know what store you are going to, either visit the store ahead of time to get a feel for what items are placed in what areas, or if you are shopping at Walmart, you can grab one of their store maps that will tell you exactly what deals can be found where.

Wake Up Early

Please, don’t roll your eyes at me.  I know that this seems very obvious, but don’t think that you can roll out of bed at 5 am and stroll into a store around 5:45 or 6 and still get the deals that you want.  As En Vogue would say “you’re never gonna get it” — the deal, that is.  If waiting in line OUTSIDE isn’t your thing, Walmart will be starting their Open House at midnight, so you’ll be able to go inside and grab deals from 12-5 on pajamas, apparel, appliances, and toys before the big deals start at 5 am.  They will also be handing out snacks in select stores – but the important part is that you can stalk that HDTV from inside of the store where it’s nice and warm.  Otherwise, you’ll have to show up a few hours before they even open the doors, and probably wait in line outside instead of in the warmth of your car, which brings me to my next point…

Dress the Part

If you will have to be outside in the night air you’ll likely be at least a bit chilly, even if you live in Louisiana like me (or freezing if you live on the East Coast or up North!) so you might want to consider a jacket. You might even want to consider a jacket a bit heavier than you originally anticipated, because there is not much moving going on when you are sitting or standing in a line, and you don’t want to be the one weirdo jumping up and down like a jumping bean to stay warm.  Consider layering your clothing because once you’re in the store and your adrenaline is pumping, you’re gonna warm up a bit and you’ll be cursing that heavy jacket if all you have underneath is your pajama top.  Lastly, you’ll want to wear comfortable shoes – you’ll be doing a lot of walking, standing, and maneuvering, you’ll need some support below!

Pack Some Snacks

Maybe this is the mom in me, but I promise at some point you’ll need some nourishment to help you feeling balanced and healthy during your mega-shopping trip.  Consider bringing some hot chocolate in a thermos for your time standing in line outside (bonus points if you bring extra cups to share) which will warm you up and help to put you in the Holiday spirit (remember, the Holidays?  Yeah, that’s why we’re doing all of this!).  Some whole grain breakfast or granola bars and a few bottles of water wouldn’t be a bad idea either, and a few pieces of Holiday candy stashed away in your pocket can give you an instant sugar boost and leave you feeling 10 times better.

Bring a Friend

While I’m sure the die-hard Black Friday Strategists have a recommendation on why this is smart, I simply think shopping is only fun (ok, MOSTLY only fun) if you do it with a friend.  Plus, you’ll have years of laughter when you reminisce about that 70 year old woman who draped herself over the very last 50″ HDTV and refused to move.

Have Fun!

My biggest and most important tip is to have FUN!  Yes, the deals on Black Friday are pretty good, but if you HATE to shop, well, you’re not going to love Black Friday, so maybe you should consider staying home and waiting for the deals on Cyber Monday.  If you are going to venture out, relax, smile, and be friendly – and remember that last Zhu Zhu Pet is not worth the fight! Good luck!

Disclosure:  I am a part of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share their current Black Friday Deals. My participation is voluntary and opinions are my own.

Walmart Black Friday Deals and New Open House!

Are you a Black Friday shopper?  I’m a die-hard shopper, but I’m not a morning person in the least so Black Friday often falls by the wayside, even with my best intentions (and set alarm clock).

This year Walmart is doing something unique for Black Friday which will go over well with my fellow night-owls (and morning sleep lovers), called Open House.  Beginning at midnight on November 26th, Walmart will welcome Black Friday shoppers to the Walmart Open House with special Black Friday deals on popular toys, apparel, and home goods.  This is a great option for those of us who can leave the kids snoozing at Grandma’s while we run out to grab a few things before turning in for the night!  Every year I buy Audrey Grace a pair of new Christmas pajamas that I give to her on Christmas eve, so I will definitely be heading to Walmart on midnight to pick those up, not to mention, have you seen the awesome selection of Top Toys from Walmart this year?  I can’t wait to get my shop on!

Walmart will also be welcoming shoppers in from out of the cold by handing out 5 hour energy drinks, Nestle candy, bakery goods, Great Value breakfast bars, Oreos, and other snacks to shoppers in select stores.  Yum!

Starting at 5 am, the “traditional” Walmart Black Friday Sale will begin where customers will find great savings on HDTVs, video games, computers, laptops, and other hot electronics.  To ease the confusion and chaos Walmart will be handing out store maps again this year like the one below – so you can create a plan of attack and head straight to the deals that you want!

Walmart truly does have some amazing deals for Black Friday – if you plan properly you may be to do almost all of your Holiday Shopping in one fell swoop!  Check out some of the best deals below!

Electronics (all start at 5 am)

• 15.6” HP Laptop – $298
• Emerson 32″ LCD HDTV – $198
• Sansui 19″ LCD HDTV – $98
• Nintendo DS Lite (in multiple colors) – $89
• 15.6” eMachines Laptop – $198
• Kodak C183 Digital Camera (14 megapixels) – $59
• Tom Tom GPS XL 335 SE 4.3″ GPS – $79
• Magnavox Wi-Fi Blu-Ray Player with $10 free VUDU movie credits – $69

Toys, Clothes, Appliances, and other deals (all starting at midnight)

• Nintendo Wii – $199 with $50 Walmart Gift Card **
• Toy Story 3 DVD – $10 **
• Zhu Zhu Pets – $4
• Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker, 5-qt Oval – $9.97
• 500 Thread Count Sheets from Beautyrest – Full, Queen, King – $19.88
• Shark Steam Mop – $36
• Wrangler Jeans – $9
• Infant and Toddler 2-piece Character Sleepwear Sets – $4
• Lego Tubs – $15
• Power Wheels – $88
• Bikes – starting at $29

I’m busy making my must-have list (and yes, I’m checking it twice!) but be sure and check out the Walmart Open House and Black Friday event, and maybe I’ll see ya there!

Disclosure:  I am a part of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share their current Black Friday Deals. My participation is voluntary and opinions are my own.

Tory Burch Sale!

You already know I heart Tory Burch, but even better – you know I’ll let you know whenever I spy a Tory Burch Sale … and today, my loves, there is indeed a sale – up to 50% off!

Gentlemen, pay attention – Christmas is coming up and these would make great holiday gifts for your girlfriend or wife!  If you’re wondering, here are some of the awesome finds you can snatch up at this rare Tory Burch sale (which is also going on at Tory Burch boutiques, not just online!):

By the way, that Rene cape and and those strappy heels are to die for.  The purple brush roll has me drooling too.  Of course, you have your ever-present Tory Burch flats, which wouldn’t be a bad stocking stuffer either.   So what are you waiting for – go, shop, enjoy!

Kate Middleton: Style Fit For A Princess

I have a confession to make.

I’m obsessed fascinated with royalty.  Specifically, the British royal family.

I blame it on my Princess complex.

Naturally, I am totally geeked out over yesterday’s news that Kate Middleton and Prince William are engaged.  I’m 28, the same age as both the Prince and the future Princess, so I almost feel like I’ve grown up with him, in some weird sort of way.  I am just giddy over the engagement, and I think Middleton will make a lovely princess and wonderful Queen, and I cannot wait to see the wedding – I hope there will be a live stream!  (Ok, if I’m honest? I’m hoping an invitation shows up in the mail!)

By now you’ve heard that Middleton is wearing Princess Diana’s gorgeous Sapphire and Diamond engagement ring – William’s way of involving his late mother in the excitement of the day.  I was unsure of this choice by Prince William at first, but as someone pointed out to me, future Queen Kate (or will she be Queen Catherine by the time she’s old enough to be the Queen?) will likely have lots of her own jewelry.

When it came to style, Kate Middleton didn’t disappoint.  The navy blue silk wrap dress by Issa that she chose to wear for the announcement of her engagement was the perfect compliment to her new Sapphire engagement ring.  Of course, her choice to wear yet another Issa dress, Middleton’s go-to designer, has fueled buzz that she will also chose Issa to design her wedding dress.  I’ve got to be honest, there is just something about Kate Middleton’s style!  And so the anticipation for a royal wedding begins!

Since I’m sure you have royal-fever like I do, I wanted to share some great jewelry picks for under $50 – all fit for a princess!

No one will be able to wear this gorgeous engagement ring in quite the same manner, but you can have a pinch of Kate Middleton style with this beautiful cocktail ring from Spring Street Design.

Can’t get enough royal style?  Try out some of these other gorgeous, Princess perfect pieces from Spring Street Design.  I especially love the crystal drop earrings and crown keychain.

What are your favorite pieces?  Are you excited about the royal engagement?  Squee with me in the comments!

Stylish Aprons For The Holiday Season

This year is my first year to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I mean to be solely responsible for the food that goes into other people’s mouths. This is some kind of pressure, my friends.  I panicked, scoured about 32,526 magazines/cookbooks, made up a menu, and then made my grocery list. Sounds like I have it all under control, right? Notsomuch. In comes a little retail therapy…I bought a cute apron to do all of the cooking (bet you didn’t see that coming) and am now actually a little excited about the endeavor. Whether it’s your first Thanksgiving as head chef or you just wanna feel fabulous (or team-spirited-see football apron) whilst in the kitchen, a cute apron is the way to go.

You can find these online, but take some time to check out places like Marshall’s and Target for more options-they both carry styles ranging from basic to patterned to girly!

ruched dress apron, polka dot apron, floral apron, tea and crumpets apron, paisley apron, damask apron, skirt apron, football apron

Holiday Gifts: SpaRitual’s Vegan Nail Lacquers {Giveaway CLOSED}

Though I don’t often talk about it, I do my best to lead a chemical-free lifestyle (which is NOT easy when you are as addicted to beauty products as I am!). When a pitch for a line of gorgeous, VEGAN nail lacquers showed up in my email inbox, (which were also dubbed Nicole Richie’s “new favorite nail polish”), I knew that I just had to check them out.

About a week later, a box containing SpaRitual’s Fall Line, “Imagine” showed up on my doorstep. Each color was deep, rich, and spot-on for fall. All I could think was what great holiday gifts these would make for my two younger sisters who both do their best to lead a natural, vegan lifestyle.  I took the picture that you see here and posted it to my Facebook wall, where SpaRitual received high praise from those who were already fans, and lots of interest from those who were not familiar with the brand but were interested in checking it out.

After gushing over the polishes, I emailed the folks at SpaRitual and asked if they would like to do a giveaway of some of their amazing lacquers for my Holiday Gift Guide, and they were kind enough to agree.  I’m so eager to share these awesome vegan nail polishes with you that I knew a giveaway was just a must!  It may be Nicole Richie’s new favorite nail polish, but it’s mine as well!  I cannot say enough great things about the SpaRitual line, and I’m thrilled that these 100% Vegan nail lacquers, free of DBP, formaldehyde, and toluene, are seeing success.

Win it! I have 8 bottles of SpaRitual Nail Lacquers to give away – I will be choosing 4 winners who will receive 2 each!  To enter, leave a comment below telling me why you would like to try SpaRitual, or visit their site and let me know what color you’d most like to have.  For bonus entries, you can tweet this contest out to your followers, share it on Facebook (see the buttons at the top of this post for help sharing), subscribe to my YouTube Channel, or write a blog post about this contest (worth 3 extra entries).

This contest will run from November 15, 2010 to November 25th, 2010 and will end at 11:59 pm CST. No purchase necessary to win, and a winner will be chosen at random.  If the winner does not respond to emails within 72 hours of notification, then another winner will be chosen.  US entries only.

Disclosure: I was sent several SpaRitual Nail Lacquers for review.  This in no way affected my opinion of the product, and all thoughts expressed above are 100% mine.  Check out my disclosure policy for more information.

Holiday Gifts: Little Tikes Neighborhood Market {Giveaway CLOSED}

Audrey Grace is at such a fun age right now.  She is so excited about Christmas and about Santa coming to visit.  As a matter of fact, just yesterday she asked if I thought that Santa would bring her a castle with monkeys in it.  (A CASTLE WITH MONKEYS IN IT?!) Her imagination is expanding day by day, and I am loving every second of it, even if it does usually make me giggle a little bit.

Little Tikes came to me just as I started my search for perfect holiday gifts for Audrey Grace and offered us the opportunity to take the Little Tikes Neighborhood Market for a test drive.  This toy is perfect for her active imagination – she already loves to play with the toy cash register that her Nana and Gra gave her – so this just takes the imagination to a whole new level.

The Little Tikes Neighborhood Market can be a bakery, fruit stand, or ice cream shop, depending on her whim.  One of my favorite parts is the chalkboard marquee above the stand, which means we can change the name from Audrey’s Ice Cream to simply advertising the daily specials (think “Oranges – 5 cents”).  A word of warning – ours did not come with chalk, so if you are thinking of buying this as one of your holiday gifts, you might want to have some chalk on hand to make sure little bakers and ice cream makers can get started right away!

The Little Tikes Neighborhood Market comes with a cash register, pretend money and a credit card, so Audrey can charge, collect, and ring items up to her little heart’s content.  The front of the stand has clear sliding doors that open and shut – just like the real thing!  It also came with 4 cupcakes, 3 lemons, 3 oranges, 2 bunches of bananas, 1 ice cream scooper, 2 ice cream scoops, and 2 ice cream cones to get her market up and running.

We love that the awning pulls down and then winds back up, so Audrey can “close shop” for the day, and that the whole thing is easily transportable and rolls on wheels – we can play out on the balcony on a nice day, or set up shop in her room if it’s rainy or cold.

The assembly process was a bit lengthy, so if you are waiting until midnight on Christmas Eve, you might want to give it a go a bit earlier, but otherwise I find the Little Tikes Neighborhood Market to be durable and an overall awesome toy for fun, imaginative play.  It’s great for both boys and girls – the colors are neutral and the toys is just plain fun, and this would be a great surprise for any child come Christmas morning!

Win It! We have a Little Tikes Neighborhood Market to give away to one of our awesome readers.  To enter, leave a comment telling me what you like about the Neighborhood Market, or why your child would love to have this as their special gift on Christmas morning!  For bonus entries, you can tweet this contest out to your followers, share it on Facebook (see the buttons at the top of this post for help sharing), subscribe to my YouTube Channel, or write a blog post about this contest (worth 3 extra entries).

This contest will run from November 15, 2010 to November 25th, 2010 and will end at 11:59 pm CST. No purchase necessary to win, and a winner will be chosen at random.  If the winner does not respond to emails within 72 hours of notification, then another winner will be chosen.  US entries only.

Disclosure: I was sent the Little Tikes Neighborhood Market for review.  This in no way affected my opinion of the product, and all thoughts expressed above are 100% mine.  Check out my disclosure policy for more information.

Holiday Gift Idea: Scarves

Scarves are an easy gift-for the gifter and the giftee – really, everyone wins! As the giftee, scarves are one of those things that you don’t realize you need or want, but are really glad when you get one. When someone wears the scarf you gave them, they can’t help but think of you fondly…and we all like being thought of fondly, right?  Heck, give one of the scarves below as a gift, and you may even get some uber-fond thoughts.

(L-R), Barneys, Alexander McQueen, Fred Flare, Pucci, PetCo

For the man in your life, this scarf from Barneys is a perfect little pop of color into a (most probably) blandly colored wardrobe. What works with this scarf is that the color palette is bright yet “manly”…try this in anything lighter and he won’t touch it.

An Alexander McQueen scarf is the perfect accessory for your bestie/older sister/cousin. She is fun and fashion-forward, but never really considered getting herself one. She will LOVE you for it.

Your younger sis will rock this cool scarf as she strolls the halls, the malls, and everywhere in between. And when her friends ask where she got it? Her awesome big sis!

Mom deserves a sophisticated classic like a Pucci scarf. She can toss this one on over any basic outfit througout the entire year. And she will definitely think of you-the child who always was the best one- each time.

And even dogs need a little gifting now and then! Check out this adorable blue striped dog scarf!

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