I love my Soundfreaq.

What is this little red box of wonder you ask? I can't wait to tell you. If you are a big music lover like myself, you will especially want to know about my Soundfreaq. I've honestly never had anything to play my music from my iPhone (I'm a late adapter), but I have always admired my friends and been jealous.

So I went online and tried to find the best one out there - because now you can get recommendations for anything on the internet - and I picked my favorite based on the reviews that I saw. That is how I ended up with the Soundfreaq Sound Step Recharge.

I love the Recharge because the sound is awesome (crystal clear) and it's really easy to use. I don't like fussing with electronic devices to figure them out. For the Recharge, I pulled it from the box and went. And here's one of my favorite features.

Your phone doesn't have to be sitting in it to play music. Yay! That is such a handy feature.

But if you are so inclined, it easily fits in the dock and plays directly from the speaker. This same dock also fits an iPad, and you don't have to remove the case. (Yes, that is KC & the Sunshine Band currently playing).

Another favorite feature? It has a rechargeable battery, so you can tote it around the house and listen to music for up to six hours. I downloaded the Soundfreaq app on iTunes so in addition to be able to tote it around the house, I can listen to the radio, not just my iPhone.

But I've saved the best for last.

I squealed when I found the remote inside the package. I didn't realize it came with one. So now I sit and listen to music while I work, and if a song comes on that I don't like, I just push it forward. Same with the volume - I adjust it if I want to, and I don't have to get out of my seat. Music on my terms, my friends.

I highly recommend Soundfreaq for your audio needs. Before I go, there is something special you should know about this red Recharge (they are normally black). For every one that is sold through the site, they are donating $20 to Heart to Heart International. H2HI delivers medical aid, attention and supplies around the world and is a very efficient charity, so you can feel good about getting your music on and helping people. Get your Recharge Love here.

Full post disclosure here.

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BabbaBox crafts for kids and giveaway.

I'm really big on kids' crafting - there's nothing that warms my heart more than a little one with Mod Podge in their hand! If you have a difficult time thinking of projects to keep your children busy, I highly recommend BabbaCo.'s BabbaBox. This monthly box-o-craft-activities was developed by a mother who wanted to keep her kids busy but also provide them educational fun as well. BabbaBox was born. If you're a busy mother, I think you're going to like what you see. But don't take my word for it.

I had a little friend help me test it out.

Meet Malcolm. He has all of the makings of a troublemaker with that cute little grin, but he's such a good kid, and also a great tester.

I let him rip into the box to test out the goods. Our box was themed "By The Seashore." Everything in the BabbaBox was related to the ocean including the habitat and creatures that live there. Cool, huh?

There was a lovely book in the box called "Sneakers the Seaside Cat" that we read together. This is the storytelling portion of the box.

Malcolm colored - and colored - and colored. I too love coloring, so this was pretty fun.

There was a game. and I quickly found out that Malcolm is a sticker fiend. Everything was educational and centered around the sea theme.

Given our "sea" theme, there was a experiential activity in the box. This was Malcolm's favorite activity. He loved checking out each shell and then gluing it to the frame.

We finally had to stop, but this box kept my little friend busy for hours, and there was so much more than we were able to look at. Did I mention that everything you need for each craft - everything - is in each box? You won't have to run out to the store to buy anything because it's all there.

Based on Malcolm's experience I'd say we have a winner! To learn more about BabbaBox, take a peek at this video.

 

And now that you've watched the video, here's a chance to win one and try it out for yourself! You can win one below OR you can use the coupon code MOD20OFF to receive a 20% discount when you sign up. Yay!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Full post disclosure here.

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Why I love my Dyson vacuum cleaner.

I don't do a lot of product reviews on this site, so you know if I do one that it's a big deal. You can be sure that I am passionate about the product if I take a post to let you know about it. My friends, I recently got a Dyson vacuum. If it were a man, I would ask my vacuum to marry me.

We've all seen the commercials about the unique properties of a Dyson - in particular I believe it's something like "the unique sucking power" that stands out. And the gentleman has an accent, which means I especially pay attention (right?). I've owned a lot of vacuums in my day, so it's hard to believe that any vacuum is better than another. In fact, I didn't believe it.

But I was wrong.

And let me emphasize that I hate cleaning, with one exception - I like to vacuum. It's the one chore that I will gladly volunteer for. So when I moved into my apartment (which I'm subletting for a few months) I quickly realized that there was no vacuum. Um . . . how am I going to contribute? I certainly don't want to clean toilets. We need a vacuum around here!

Enter the Dyson D35 Multi Floor. It's not a huge vacuum, but we didn't want one - this apartment isn't large. It's also cordless, which made me slightly nervous. Are cordless vacuums as good as those with cords?

So after a full charge, I decided to give it a go. Our carpets weren't that dirty, but certainly in need of a vacuum. I read a little bit more about my D35 and realized that it would operate 15 minutes on constant suction or 6 minutes at MAX power (for the tougher cleans). The living room definitely fell into the tougher clean category, so I started going. AND I timed it.

6 minutes later, the vacuum was still going and I had finished the room.

8 minutes later, still going.

It lasted over 9 minutes on max power. Then I tested the constant suction, and it lasted about 3 minutes longer on that setting as well. I was totally impressed. But let's get to the real question - how did it clean? Well, these next few pictures aren't for the faint of heart.

The container was full. My Dyson did an AMAZING job of cleaning the floor. I went slowly, and it really picked up the mess - even bigger things that I didn't know if it would be able to get. For bigger items, I just moved a little more slowly, and it worked well. When you need to dump the container, there's a red push button on the side so that you don't have to touch anything. No bags.

This photo is really nasty. The brush got SO much hair in it that I wanted to throw up. The great news is that it has one of my favorite features that no other vacuum I've ever owned has - you can easily take the brush out by twisting one piece and pulling. Then you clean the brush off and place it back in. I love that feature. I can't even explain how much I love it.

Because this vacuum is compact and lightweight (less than 5 pounds), I bring it out nearly every day. I've owned it for about a month and it performs flawlessly every time. It charges quickly and cleans wonderfully. I recommend this size for a small space - an apartment or something like a craft room are perfect for this lil' guy.

I know your question - is it worth the price? Now that I own a Dyson, I can say that the answer is positively YES. This is better than any vacuum I've ever had by a long shot, and I know from many other Dyson owners that these last a lifetime. So get one, and join me and the other Dyson owners in our love. I'm off to go vacuum!

Full post disclosure here.

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DaisyDecals review and giveaway.

Meet DaisyDecals. I'm very excited to be doing this review and giveaway. Why? I absolutely LOVE these things! So what am I so excited about? DaisyDecals makes vinyl decals, but with a twist. I see a lot of decals out there in traditional patterns and fonts - while those are great, my style is a bit more modern . . . retro. And that is where DaisyDecals comes in. They have my favorite vinyl decal designs in the whole world. Seriously.

These decals are high quality, very strong and easy to apply. They come in so many fun designs and bright colors, and you can put them on nearly any smooth surface - computers, appliances, windows, notebooks and more.

How do I know so much about how great they are? Well, I tried one! Take a peek at my iPad above, with the retro TV decal. It's so cute! I have a clear plastic cover on the back, so this baby is going to last forever.

DaisyDecals is nice enough to be giving away TWO decals to MPR readers. Aren't they nice? You just have to let me know in the comments which is your favorite decal. DaisyDecals is going to give decals to two winners. My favorites are the Polaroid and the Viewmaster (I just bought them, yay!).

Here are the giveaway rules:

1. Comment on THIS blog entry. What is your favorite decal at DaisyDecals?
2. Only one entry per person. I will choose TWO winners at random.
3. Contest will close this Friday, April 20th at midnight (EST).
4. Winners will receive one decal of their choice.
5. This contest is open to international readers.
6. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Full contest disclosure here.

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Holiday cards with MOO.

Sometimes I do posts about products I love. These are not sponsored posts but rather products I enjoy personally and want to share with you. There are a few brands I am loyal to, and one of those is MOO. I recently ordered a selection of their holiday cards and had to share because I am very impressed not only with the printing but the service level. And let me tell you this - a few weeks ago I helped a friend get Christmas cards at FedEx Office, and it was the most awful experience ever.  I went back three times because of changes and misprints, and I was so frustrated that I told my friend next year he was going to MOO or else!

This isn't the first time I've ordered from MOO. My business cards are from there:

Yep, I have personalized business cards with images of my projects. MOO carries the mini business cards which are my absolute favorite.

My favorite part about MOO is that the ordering process is simple. For instance on my holiday cards I picked a stack of their pre-printed designs (which can also be seen in the first image of this post). 

It was easy to customize the inside.

I was tickled when I could put my piggie on the back of the card with a message. You can add your own photos to any of the MOO products.

And in case you want to see that picture a little more closely.

I got the product quickly and it was done correctly. Sometimes that is hard to find. I hope you enjoy some MOO cards in 2012, because I know I will. Happy Holidays!

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Black and Decker steam mop giveaway.

Are you a fan of cleaning?  Um, me neither.  But I recently was sent a tool by Black and Decker known as the Steam Mop with Smartselect™ Technology . . . and it actually made cleaning my kitchen floor a bit easier.  I absolutely can't stand mopping my kitchen floor because it's huge pain in the bum, and also the sink is close to the middle of the kitchen.  So how is one supposed to mop the entire floor without stepping in wet?  And then the water gets cold, so it doesn't kill germs.  And it's sloppy.  What a yucky mess!

I gave the steam mop a go and I have to say - a very pleasant experience.  So pleasant that I'm reviewing and giving one away.

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Vinyl Crafts review and giveaway.

I'm a huge fan of personalized art, and I like the vinyl decals that I see all over blogland created with special machines.  Here's the thing - what if you want custom vinyl decals but can't afford/don't want a special machine?  That's where Vinyl Crafts comes in!  Becky runs the store and has NINE children.  Can you believe that?  She has to be amazing!

Vinyl Crafts offers a wide variety of product ranging from custom decals to lettering to subway art to monograms.  She has a large shop with just about anything you could imagine wanting to customize your home decor.  You can purchase the decals separately or already on the board for an instant piece of art.  Becky also has a great color range for her decals - if you need a color match, she's got it.  Here are some examples of her best sellers:

Laundry Subway Art

Family Rules Subway Art

Our Love Story Subway Art - customized

There are so many more in Becky's shop; you must check them all out.  Her products are high quality and guaranteed to last - you'll have a permanent piece of art in your home!  And because Becky is so kind, she'd like to offer a gift certificate for $50 to one Mod Podge Rocks reader.  Isn't she sweet?  Here are the rules:

1. Comment on THIS blog entry and tell me your favorite design from the Vinyl Crafts Etsy shop.
2. Get an additional entry by liking Vinyl Crafts on Facebook.  Leave a second comment.
3. Contest will close this Friday, June 10th at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Full review and contest disclosure here.
Winner of the PictureKeeper giveaway was Lindsay Brohman.

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PictureKeeper review and giveaway.

I am a photo junkie.  I take pictures of everything like pets, family, friends, etc. . . . and I'm obviously a blogger, so I take TONS of pictures of projects.  I could just store them on my computer, but after my MacBook died last fall without warning, I realize that's probably not the best idea.  It's always good to have a backup.  That's where Picture Keeper comes in handy!

It looks just like a memory stick, and so you might be asking why you wouldn't just get a memory stick.  Here's why:

• Picture Keeper holds a ton of photos.  The entry-level PK4 that I have holds 4,000 photos, which is way more than my memory stick can hold.  There are three other options, which hold 8,000, 16,000 and 250,000 photos respectively.
• There is software built-in that automatically finds and indexes photos for you.  No hunting and pecking.  There's also a search tool that makes photos easy to find.
• If you modify/update a photo, the software will overwrite the old photo rather than saving ten copies.  I LOVE this feature.  I can't stand it when I have multiple copies of the same thing on a drive, hogging space.
• Compatible with Mac or PC.
• Easy to take to a photo kiosk to find what you need and print it up - or for travel.

I'm giving one PK4 Picture Keeper away today - yay!  It's the same size that I have - holds 4,000 pictures.  One of you will get to try it out and find out how awesome it is.  If you win, I also highly suggest getting reminders sent to you to backup (which you can do on the website).  Um, yes, I have a bad memory.  Oh, and if you don't win?  Purchase a Picture Keeper and use the promo code "modpodgerocks10" to get 10% off.   Here are the rules for the giveaway:

1. Comment on THIS blog entry and tell me why you need a Picture Keeper.
2. Get an additional entry by liking Picture Keeper on Facebook.  Get a third entry by following the Picture Keeper blog.
3.  Leave one comment for each entry above.
4. Contest will close this Friday, June 3rd at midnight (EST).
5. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

Full contest disclosure here.
Last week's winner of the Mod Podge starter set was Jon, who said he would even jump through a flaming hoop for Mod Podge.

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Milk & Honey Naturals review and giveaway.

 

Two things you should know about me.  1) I get a lot of requests to do product reviews and I'm very selective about them and 2) I love bath products.  I mean, what girl doesn't?  When Courtney from Milk and Honey Naturals e-mailed me to try her handmade natural soaps, I immediately visited her Etsy shop to make my decision.  I'm adverse to strong smells and my skin is sensitive, so I wanted to know what I was getting into.  Upon my visit I found that the products are handmade by a mother of twin boys (love supporting mom shops), everything is detergent free and the soap is CUTE.  You know what cute soap is - it's not plain white bars.  Sometimes the soap looks like the description, and it comes in fun shapes/colors.  It's not a requirement for my soap, but hey, I'm a visual person - I like it when things aren't plain.  I asked Courtney to send me some of her fantabulous soaps to try.

She sent me a sample of the following (from left to right): Vanilla Hazelnut, Magnolia Creme Brulee and Basil, Lime and Garden Greens.  I tried them over the course of the past week and am happy to report that Courtney's products absolutely rock!  It's hard to pick my favorite, but I think it's Vanilla Hazelnut.  All three soaps smell delicious, they suds up very well and none of them are tearing up my skin.  What I also love is that all three have a distinctive smell that is not overpowering.  I'm completely sold.  Did I also mention that her prices are just right?

Visit Milk and Honey Naturals to see what else Courtney has to offer besides the three "flavors" above.  Besides individual soaps, she also carries soap for men, facial/shampoo soaps and then even extra sensitive.  If you are inclined to try a sample before buying a full bar, she has those as well.  And since Courtney loves you, she's giving away a prize pack with winner's choice of three soaps from her shop.  Thanks Courtney!

Here are some other things to know for today's giveaway:
1. Comment on THIS blog entry. What would you like to try from Milk and Honey Naturals?
2. Only one entry per person.  One winner will be chosen.
3. Contest will close this Wednesday, April 6th at midnight (EST).
4. PLEASE leave your e-mail address if it's not attached in Blogger - I need some way to reach you.

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Bic Mark It Permanent Marker Collection review and giveaway.

I'm a huge fan of permanent markers.  HUGE.  I use them on all types of craft projects, including Mod Podge-y type ones.  When I was asked to review this set of Bic Mark It Permanent Markers, I said "yay!"  Part of the deal was that if I reviewed the markers, one of you would get a set too.  As you know, that's how I like to roll.

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