Beauty and the Beast: Giveaway!

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Torontonians - I have an exciting new giveaway for you! Walt Disney Animation Studios’ magical classic “Beauty and the Beast” returns to the big screen on January 13, 2012 in Disney Digital 3D™, introducing a whole new generation to the Disney classic with stunning new 3D imagery. The film captures the fantastic journey of Belle (voice of Paige O’Hara), a bright and beautiful young woman who’s taken prisoner by a hideous beast (voice of Robby Benson) in his castle. Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle’s enchanted staff—a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others—and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast’s exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince.

Featuring unforgettable music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, and an enormously talented vocal ensemble, “Beauty and the Beast” was the first animated feature to receive a Best Picture nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You may view the trailer for this movie below:

One lucky winner is going to win an advanced screening family pass for four to see BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (in Disney Digital 3D) in Toronto on Saturday January 7, 2012 at SilverCity Yorkdale Cinemas! Great fun for the entire family! Please enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter form below.

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Holiday Gift Guide: I Caught Santa!

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Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure many of us still have last minute shopping to do. Well, I have something that your kids will love! A custom Santa photo from iCaughtSanta.com is the perfect last-minute gift idea. In fact, 90% of their customers wait until Christmas Eve to create their custom Santa photos. Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when your child receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in his or her very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos.

In three simple steps anyone can upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof or share it via Facebook and Twitter. Last-minute shoppers can purchase Gift Cards and eGift Certificates for loved ones with children, making iCaughtSanta.com a great gift idea even if you don't have kids yourself.

BUY: Use the code SANTA50 at checkout to receive 50% off your entire order!

 

*Disclosure:All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and are not influenced by monetary or other means of compensation. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Schemes de Monterey Giveaway!

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Sheri from Schemes de Monterey is feeling very generous this holiday season and wants to give one of my lucky winners a Blue Sapphire Goddess Jewelry Set!

My review post for Schemes de Monterey can be found here.

Prize Details: Blue Sapphire Sterling Silver Goddess Jewelry Set (ARV $75 USD)

This Casual/Chic 3-Piece Jewelry Set features Natural Blue Sapphire, and Genuine Swarovski Crystal faceted beads, with .925 Sterling Silver Goddess Pendant and Sterling Silver Earring Charms. I love the jewel color combination of this Blue and Green together. This set is trendy, yet sophisticated enough to wear for any occasion - dressed up or down.

Gemstones Include ~ Natural Midnight Blue Sapphire, 7 Stones Total:
Pendant Focal ~ Faceted Oval 11X9X6mm.
Six Feature Stones ~ Faceted Ovals average 8X6X4mm.
Swarovski Crystal Round Beads ~ 6mm in "Tormaline"

The Solid Sterling Silver Goddess Pendant is 1.5 inches long, with a total Pendant Drop of 4 inches.
The Moon accent charms are .925 Sterling Silver ~ 14mm.
The Earring Goddess Charms are Solid Sterling Silver.
The accent Bali style beads are Fine Silver plated Brass ~ 6mm.
The Earwres, Chain and other components are all .925 Sterling Silver.

The Necklace is 18 inches long, plus a 3.5 inch chain extender.
The Earrings are 3 1/4 inches long.

Buy: Sheri is offering 20% OFF everything in her shop through January 1st 2012! Use this coupon code at checkout: FRIENDSOFSALAD20

Please enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter form below. You may have to wait for it to load.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Schemes de Monterey Review

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Calling all holiday shoppers and jewelry lovers! There are only a few shopping days left before Christmas so if you still haven't found that perfect present for your special someone, look no further! My beautiful friend Sherileisa Jacobi has recently opened a new jewelry shop on Etsy called Schemes de Monterey. She makes one of a kind fine inspired artisan gemstone jewelry and it's all made by hand! Now I'll tell you a little bit about Sheri. She is a single mom from the Central Coast of California - The Monterey Bay and has been crafting fine artisan gemstone jewelry for more than five years. Her mother is an artist as well (a ceramicist and art teacher for many decades) so she was raised in a home with a great appreciation of art. Sheri was a songwriter/recording artist for about 25 years, but now she's a full time mom and jewelry designer. Gemstones are her candy and passion. She's amazed by the natural beauty that Mother Nature has blessed us with within our Earth!

For my blog review, I received a stunning 14K gold filled rose quartz lariat necklace and earrings set to review. Now I'm a real sucker for gemstones so when I say this is stunning, I mean STUNNING. The rose quartz gemstone briolettes in this set are generous, and a unique freeform elongated faceted nugget cut. About a year ago, Sheri saw a similar necklace worn by Alison Sweeney on her favourite soap opera. She thought it was amazing and wanted to recreate it. After searching for many months, she finally found the exceptional gemstones she used in this jewelry set. The feature stones are wire wrapped with 24 gauge 14K gold filled wire. All gold components and chain are 14K gold filled.

I'm a HUGE fan of lariats because of the different ways you can wear them and you can certainly do so with this set. The necklace has a completely variable length gold filled chain which is 18 inches long, plus it has a 6 inch chain extender (16-24") with a Swarovski crystal bead accent on the end. So this necklace can be worn as a choker length, portrait length or longer with the pendant dangling at the bust line. The gold ring pendant accent is handmade by Sheri using a 21 gauge gold filled wire X 15mm.

Sheri's creativity and handiwork is so remarkable. Her style is unique, innovative, colourful and best of all, original! You will never find jewelry like hers anywhere else. I fell in love with this set from the moment I saw it and put it on immediately. I wore this to my office christmas party with a fitted black dress and everyone was asking about it! They found it really hard to believe that it was actually handmade but they finally took my word for it. This rose quartz lariat necklace and earrings set goes well with any kind of outfit although it's perfect to wear if you're going out or attending a formal party. You will feel like a princess wearing this. Sheri is selling this for $75 USD in her shop but if you use the discount code shown below, you will get it for $60 which is a bargain! Sheri is awesome to work with so don't hesitate to ask her if there's something you'd like to have custom made for you in a different colour, size or style.

Buy: Sheri is offering 20% OFF everything in her shop through January 1st 2012! Use this coupon code at checkout: FRIENDSOFSALAD20

Giveaway: Please proceed to the giveaway post here to enter to win a Blue Sapphire Goddess Jewelry Set (ARV $75 USD)!

*Disclosure: All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and are not influenced by monetary or other means of compensation. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

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Feature: Bridetastic Canada

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Attention brides and brides-to-be! I have a fantastic website for you to check out called Bridetastic Canada. It's an online community for brides in the Toronto area who are in the process of planning their wedding. You can connect with other brides and share your recommendations, advice, reviews and content about all things wedding related!

Many of us are overwhelmed with wedding planning and don't know where to start. We all want our special day to be perfect and uneventful. You might feel stuck on the type of dress you want to wear or you may not be sure about which hairstylist or makeup artist to use. Well, you can ask your fellow brides for help on Bridetastic Canada! You can get the latest scoop on the best vendors out there who can help make your day very special. You can search and discover various vendors and see what brides have to say about them as well as post your own ratings and reviews about vendors you've experienced with. Post polls and questions if you want feedback from other brides, form groups to discuss specific topics. You can also take photos and upload videos to share with the community. Anything goes!

Bridetastic Canada also has a bridetastic (sorry, couldn't resist) contest for one person who will win a day at the Sweetgrass Spa for herself and three friends. I'm going to be insanely jealous of whoever wins this! The full prize consists of:

• A Lunch Special from George Restaurant: Daily Special with a Side Salad
• Sweetgrass Manicure: Nail Detailing, Hand Massage, Polish Application)
• Sweetgrass SWAG Bags Plus an OPI Nail Polish Swag bag with spa treats (nail file, lotion, etc.) and a choice of Nail Polish
• Unlimited Access to water amenities: Ozonated pool with an underwater treadmill, infrared sauna and whirlpool
• Refreshments and Fruits: Flavoured water, herbal teas, coffee and fresh fruits during your visit

The Spa Lunch Package is valued at approximately $250. See, I told you - a bridetastic prize indeed! Specific details on how to enter the contest are as follows:

1: Join www.Bridetastic.ca and write THREE reviews on THREE wedding companies you've had some interaction with.

2: Do one of the following (or both for better chances of winning!)

a) Follow Bridetastic Canada, Rachhloves and Sweetgrass Spa on FACEBOOK and write the following: [username] entered @Rachhloves Toronto Spa Day GIVEAWAY at @sweetgrassspa thanks to @Bridetastic Canada ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TsMUEp6mWA

and/or

b) Follow Bridetastic_CA, Rachhloves and Sweetgrass Spa on TWITTER and tweet the following: [username] entered @Rachhloves Toronto Spa Day GIVEAWAY at @sweetgrassspa thanks to @Bridetastic_CA! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TsMUEp6mWA

Please make sure that you link the Bridetastic Canada fb page or the Bridetastic_CA Twitter Account when you write/tweet the above statements. It is the only way we will be able to track the eligibility of your entry. :)

3: Tell family and friends to tweet/facebook your username + message above for better chances of winning!

For the official contest rules, please visit the contest page here. Open to Toronto/GTA residents only.

*Disclosure: I was provided with monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and are not influenced by monetary or other means of compensation. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

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$50 EdenFantasys Gift Card Giveaway!

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Please Note: The following blog post contains links to a site that is NSFW and intended for mature audiences only. Please do not read if you are under the age of 18 (or 21 in some states). Thank you!

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with Eden Fantasys given how they have such a popular presence on social media websites. But for those of you who aren't, you are really missing out! I was recently browsing Eden Fantasys' website and noticed that they now offer makeup as well as bath and body products. Being a huge bath and beauty addict myself, I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw they had added the latest products from the Cake Beauty and Bella Il Fiore lines! Total awesomeness!


Plus, Eden Fantasys is holding a *fantastic* Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale for all of you deal seekers out there who are looking to save money. You can save 20% site wide and up to 70% off on other select items. So if you have items on your wishlist that need buying, now is the time.

Eden Fantasys is feeling very generous and wants to give one lucky person a $50 EdenFantasys gift card to use on their website. Please enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter form below.

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$50 Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway!

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Ok, so let's get the facts straight. I'm a Starbucks-aholic and I know you are too (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, right? RIGHT?) I have a $50 Starbucks gift card that I'm going to be giving away to one winner but only on one condition - that you tell me what is your favourite drink! With winter about to set in, I'm going to put my love for iced lattes aside and start reaching for the hot drinks. So go on and fill out the Rafflecopter form and have a caramel macchiato (my favourite!) or a toffee mocha on me!

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Toronto Women's Natural Health Summit - Ticket Giveaway

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The Women’s Natural Health Summit is being held to foster and encourage the education of women on a broad range of issues relevant to personal health and wellbeing. Experts will discuss women’s most common health concerns in an engaging and understandable format. A question and answer session will also be offered for additional learning and education.

When: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 from 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Where: University of Toronto, 5 Bancroft Avenue - Earth Sciences Centre, Reichman Family Lecture Hall

Topics: Breast Health, Hormonal Balance – PMS, Perimenopause, Menopause, Heart Health, Sexual Health

The Summit will be hosted by Dr. Bryce Wylde of CP24's “Wylde on Health” and will feature the following local experts:

• Dr. Alvin Pettle, MD Integrative Medicine
• Sherry Torkos, Registered Pharmacist, Author, Health & Fitness Expert
• Kelli Young, Occupational Therapist, Couples and Sex Therapist

I've never been to a natural health summit before so I am looking forward to attending this with my best friend. I've also been watching Dr. Bryce Wylde regularly on CP24 so I'm pretty excited to be getting this opportunity to see him in person. I hope it'll be a very educational and great experience!

If you are interested in purchasing tickets to this event, they are being sold on Ticketweb for $14.50 each with proceeds benefiting Canadian Breast Cancer charities.

femMED, the title sponsor who is responsible for hosting this amazing event, is generously offering 2 tickets each to this summit to two of my lucky readers! Since the event is being held in Toronto, you do need to be a GTA resident in order to win.

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Manomay: Review & Giveaway!

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I am super thrilled to once again feature Ramya who I have featured on this blog before. You may remember her from her store Ganesh Emporium on Etsy. She was so thrilled with the turn out from the last giveaway that she wanted to do another one! Ramya has returned this time with the launch of her newest handmade jewelry business called Manomay. Manomay is an online fashion jewelry store that sells unique one of a kind, handmade and customizable fashion jewelry. All jewelry is lovingly crafted by Ramya at her home in Southern California. You will find jewelry of all kinds from modern style to vintage as well as hair accessories and brooches. Ramya also accepts custom requests so if you see a style you like but would prefer it in a different colour or size, just let her know and she will be happy to make one for you. Ramya always loves a good challenge! I also love that 10% of the sales are donated to the Red Cross Disaster Relief funds so I know I'm getting great products from her but also helping a good cause. Win-win!

I was sent a gorgeous double stranded pink and green pearl necklace to review. This is a lovely bridal style double stranded pearl choker necklace in baby pink and light bottle green with sterling silver components. I've never owned any pearls in green so I was very delighted to have an opportunity to review this. It's quite an elegant looking necklace perfect for a social evening or wedding party. I wore mine out to a social dinner and received many lovely compliments on it. It held up really well too since it's made of great quality material and handmade with care. You can wear this necklace with overlapping strands or if you want to get creative like me, twist it up to make a twisted choker! I'm a HUGE fan of pearls and can never have too many pearl necklaces. This one is definitely one of my faves and one I will reaching for again and again.

Buy: You can purchase Manomay's jewelry from their online store. They are also offering 20% off your entire purchase until Oct. 27, 2011 if you use the code SALAD-20 at checkout.

Manomay is giving away a cute daisy vintage locket necklace to one lucky winner!

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New New New!!!

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Update: Pardon the dust while we make some changes around here!

We all love change. I know I do! New upgraded changes are coming to this blog along with brand new reviews and giveaways so please pardon the dust. We won't be long!

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Winner of Scandle Candle giveaway!

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Finally, this giveaway has now come to an end and it's time to announce the lucky winner. As always, I used random.org to help determine the winner and it is:

Here are your random numbers:

106

Timestamp: 2011-02-11 05:54:35 UTC

#106 is anash!

Congrats to anash! Please respond to my email within 48 hours otherwise I'll have to select a new winner!

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Ceiva Digital Photo Frames: Review!

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Valentine's day is coming up and you're probably still scrounging around looking for a unique gift to give your loved one. Well, I have the PERFECT gift for that special man or woman in your life - a Ceiva digital photo frame! This is not just any ordinary digital photo frame...there is something very extraordinary about it!
Ceiva Logic Inc. was founded in 2000 and they were the first company to invent and market digital photo frames. I remember seeing these when they first came out and wanting one so badly. I was absolutely delighted when Ceiva wanted to send me a stunning Ceiva Pro 80 digital photo frame to review. This particular frame can receive 60 new photos per day and has unlimited photo storage. It has an 8 inch high resolution LCD screen with six-button front navigation and also comes with interchangeable faceplates in black and wood finish. And if that's not enough, it comes equipped with a one year PicturePlan photo delivery service!

I was a bit nervous about setting up the Ceiva digital photo frame at first because I am hardly what you would call "techy". I always manage to screw things up whenever I attempt something network/internet related. However, with the help of their very helpful quick set-up guide, I was able to set it up with minimal confusion. After registering the frame on Ceiva, I was able to send pictures to my frame right away. They looked brilliant! The quality of the pictures was top notch and true to their likeness. By that, I mean none of the images were cropped, squished or stretched in order to fit the display screen.

Ceiva also offers some interesting channels to display on your digital frame - anything from ABC News, ESPN sports, local weather, recipes and much more. The daily weather and news reports was quite cool. I totally love that this frame is Android and iPhone friendly as well so anyone with those smartphones can send a picture to my frame. Another great thing about Ceiva digital photo frames is that they offer a lifetime warranty. As long as you have an active PicturePlan, Ceiva will replace or repair the product for free! All in all, I am satisfied with the Ceiva Pro 80 digital photo frame and highly recommend it to anyone. It's a fun gadget to play around with and also works anywhere in the world so it's perfect if you have family living abroad. Now you'll never have an excuse for not sending pictures ever again!

Buy: You can purchase Ceiva digital photo frames on their website. Their frames are on sale now for Valentine's Day so grab the great deals now while they last!



*Disclosure: The product in this review was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and are not influenced by monetary or other means of compensation. This review is in compliance with the FTC guidelines.

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