Pop-Tastic Wall Decals! {GIVEAWAY}

Gabrielle and Alaina just turned two and a half and visions of their big girl room have been dancing in my head.  I know it will be a bright and vibrant space - they're just not pastel-y kind of girls - and I've been bookmarking ideas and pinning them on my boards on Pinterest like crazy.  (Side note: if you haven't checked out Pinterest yet, get yourself over there!  It's a wonderland of eye candy you'll never want to leave.)  So when I found Pop & Lolli, I knew I'd hit pay dirt.  Just look at these fabulous fabric wall decals!

Are they amazing or what?

Like so many of my favorite shops and sites, Pop & Lolli was started by a mom who was frustrated when she couldn't find exactly what she was looking for.  In this case, the mom was Mia, a South African ex-pat who put her masters in Architecture to use working as an Imagineer for Walt Disney.  Um, can you say cool job???  But with a munchkin on the way, Mia was disappointed by the nursery decor choices she found and decided to leave her job to design her own products to fill up the blank walls she found staring at her.  The result?  Playful, funky and flexible wall decals that create an interactive and immersive environment for kiddos of all ages.  Mia likes to call it PICTURE POETRY - design as an opportunity for expression and exploration – and I couldn't have said it better myself.

What I love about Pop & Lolli is how many designs there are to choose from!  These ABC and 123 trees would be perfect for a playroom.

And I adore the whimsical animal sets.  There's the African Circus.

The Jiving Jungle Pals.

The Fantasy Forrest Critters.

And my personal favorites - the Fashion Farm Gang.

The argyle sheep slay me!

Pop & Lolli decals are made from fabric, and they're 100% safe for kids, completely non-toxic and made in the U.S.A.  They're also completely re-usable.  That's right, your little ones can pull 'em off the wall and stick them back up as many times as they want, so the sky is truly the limit in terms of what they can create!  Don't believe me?  Then check out the Cutesy Characters.

Adorable. But get this - munchkins can re-dress each one whenever and however they want.

They can even add thought bubbles!

And not to worry - there are Cutesy Characters for little dudes too.

You're probably already adding Pop & Lolli decals to your cart but just in case you need some more convincing, you have to see the accessory kits.  Your kids can throw their characters or animals a birthday party!

Or take them on a road trip.

They can even decorate for Christmas!

I mean, really, could you just die?

Unlike the regular vinyl decals, Pop & Lolli fabric decals have a semi-gloss UV protective coating which gives them a lifespan of 7-10 years indoors and 5-7 years outdoors so they can really grow with your kids. These decals have made such an impression, Pop & Lolli was nominated for a Cribsie Award the Nursery category!  Super impressive for a new company.

And while you're buying, you can also do some good.  Mia has started (it's) chic 2 change, a charity to help benefit children in her home country, so for every set of decals purchased, Pop & Lolli donates educational materials and resources to positively influence a South African child in need. You can't argue with that.

I've purchased my share of vinyl wall decals for the girls' nursery and while they were less expensive than Pop & Lolli's, they can't be re-used and aren't interactive, so if we move or the girls pull them off the wall, we're out of luck.  For their big girl room, I know where I'll be shopping!  

And I've got a nice treat for a lucky AFOMFT reader - Mia has offered to give away one set of the Pop & Lolli Tweetie Birdie decals!

The set includes 16 spunky character stickers and is valued at $67!  Just look at these sassy birds in action.

To enter, please visit Pop & Lolli and post a comment here telling me which of their wall decal sets is your favorite (this is mandatory). For additional entries:

• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook
• "Like" Pop & Lolli on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Vote for Pop & Lolli in the Cribsie Awards HERE
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway: #Win a set of adorable re-usable fabric wall decals from Pop & Lolli @AFOMFT http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here - - to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did. You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.
• Donate $10 to the Red Cross to help the relief efforts in Japan by texting REDCROSS to 90999 (the donation will be billed to your cell phone bill).  (This is worth 5 entries so please post five separate comments saying that you made a donation)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway or five if you made a donation) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post. Comments on Facebook will not count as entries. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends March 23rd at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on March 24th. If the winner does not contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: Pop & Lolli

Photo Finish {GIVEAWAY}

I take a lot of pictures of the girls.  A LOT.  It's gotten to the point where my husband regularly asks if every moment has to be a Kodak one.  Um, yeah!

The problem is that all of the great memories I've captured live on our computer and Facebook but rarely grace the walls or bookcases of our home.  One of my New Year's resolutions (yup, it's that time of year, folks!) is to print our more of our photos to display and enjoy.  And when I found MatSpeaks, I knew it would make keeping that resolution that much easier!

MatSpeaks is a company that produces colorful, fun photo mats made by Cindy, a stay-at-home mom to four girls, which make showing off your favorite photos so so simple.  Many of the designs are customizable so you can choose a color palette that matches your decor or wording that means something to you.  The holiday mats are perfect for all of the pictures you'll be taking over the next few weeks.

And designs like Ribbons and Stripes:

And Foliage:

Would make wonderful holiday gifts!  

The Black & White is just right for displaying pictures of siblings or twins.

Little ladies will look adorable in Doily and Dots.

And Little Sluggers will adore the World Series mat.

Cindy offered to let me pick a mat from MatSpeaks to review for you and I decided to go a little crazy.  I chose the Subtitles design that looks like this on the website.

Wouldn't that be so sweet to give to a grandmother?  But I wanted to put my mat up in the girls' room, so I decided to go with an orange and green color scheme with the words LOVE, BEST FRIENDS and SISTERS in the background and their names in the box.  When it arrived, I couldn't believe how adorable it came out.

Cute, right?  And look at how great it looks with a picture and in a frame.

I love it!  The quality is wonderful and really makes the picture pop, which is why I'm making MatSpeaks one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS.  

Because who doesn't love showing off their photos?  Just be sure to place your order by December 15th to guarantee delivery by Christmas.  

Cindy has generously offered to give away not one but two photo mats to a lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, visit MatSpeaks and post a comment here telling me which ones you'll choose if you win (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook 
• "Like" MatSpeaks on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow MatSpeaks & AFOMFT on Twitter (@matspeaks & @AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT w/ a giveaway-a-day all month! #Win 2 custom photo mats from @matspeaks - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Grab our HOLIDAY HAPPENING button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends December 1st at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on December 2nd. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

And that's not all!  Cindy is also offering AFOMFT readers a 20% discount on all purchases!  Just enter AFOMFT when you checkout.  Happy shopping!

Please note that MatSpeaks sent me one photo mat for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was received.  The opinions I've shared of their product are my own and yours may differ.

Images: AFOMFT & MatSpeaks

Horsing Around {GIVEAWAY}

Life with two toddlers pretty much guarantees that your home is filled with brightly colored plastic toys that take up way too much room and totally negate any semblance of style you've tried to give your space.  So with the holidays just around the corner, I went on a quest to find some gifts for Gabrielle and Alaina that wont' require me to put on sunglasses when I enter my own house, and I was so excited when I found just the thing.

Hobby horses from Manely Recycled!  Just look at the cuteness!

I know, I know, you're probably thinking that you can get hobby horses anywhere but the ponies from Manely Recycled are really unique.  Each one is handmade by Amy, a mom to three boys under 4, from recycled and upcycled materials she buys from thrift stores, which makes every horse one of a kind. She says her boys fall in love with each pony she creates and they love to see photos of them in their new forever homes.  Does it get any sweeter than that?

I can totally see how Amy's little guys would be head-over-heels for this Puff Dragon version:

Your little princess will love riding off on the Pink Leopard pony!

Or these fabulous unicorns.

And the plaid reins on the Molly horsey make me smile.

Amy very generously sent me a pony for Gabrielle and Alaina to try out.  I was immediately impressed with the details.  The yarn mane is super soft and the length of the dowel is perfect for toddlers.

And our guy has a pretty brown button eye!

It was love at first sight for Gabrielle.  She gave the pony kisses.

And stroked his mane.

She even took him for a ride on her rocking cow.

Unfortunately, I can't show you what Alaina thought because when I tried to give her the pony, Gaby held tight and gave me this face:

Yeah, we're still working no that sharing thing.  Obviously, I'll be ordering another hobby horse from Manely Recycled before World War III breaks out at our house!

If you're like me and like buying mom-made green products then the ponies from Manely Recycled should be going on your holiday list, which is why they're one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS.

And if your little one loves polka dots or is all about the color yellow, Amy can make custom a pony to your specifications (provided she can find the right materials).  Because each horse is totally handmade, make sure you place your order before December 5th to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas (you can pay for expedited shipping after the 5th too) or if you miss the deadline, you can buy the little cowboy or cowgirl on your list a gift certificate instead.

And boy am I glad to find a great gift that my kids love without any bright plastic or batteries required.  Hallelujah!

Amy has graciously offered to give away one custom-made hobby horse to a lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, visit Manely Recycled and post a comment here telling me what you'd like your horse to look like if you win (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• Visit Manely Recycled on Etsy and add the store to your favorites.
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook 
• "Like" Manely Recycled on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT w/ a giveaway-a-day all month! #Win an upcycled hobby horse 4 your kiddo - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Grab our HOLIDAY HAPPENING button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends November 30th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on December 1st. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Please note that Manely Recycled sent me one hobby horse for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was received.  The opinions I've shared of their products are my own and yours may differ.

Images: AFOMFT & Manely Recycled