Tag Archives: prize

Giveaway! Face Time: Organic Skin Care Products by Annmarie Gianni!

by Julie Posted on November 24, 2012

Like many of us, Annmarie Gianni was disgusted by the ingredients she realized were in her skin care regimen.  Like many of us wished we had, Annmarie did something about it.  She started her own line of organic and natural products.

Personally, I have to be very picky about what goes on my face.  My skin is quite sensitive and if I use the wrong product it resorts to that of a hormonal teenager.  So, the first thing that I like about Annemarie’s products is that they are simple.  My general rule is the fewer ingredients the better.  That goes for meals and cosmetics.

My favorite product I’ve tried from her line is, hands down, the Ayurvedic Facial Scrub.    It is a mixture of herbs and clay that can be added to the Aloe-Herb cleanser several times a week, leaving your skin incredibly soft and vibrant.  I love the DIY aspect of this scrub; you add a teaspoon or so to the cleanser then mix it with a bit of water.  It’s nice being able to control the amount of exfoliant you’re comfortable with and what’s right for your particular skin.  The rest of the week the Aloe-Herb cleanser does the trick on its own and smells subtly like morning dew.

The product line includes an array of different herbal concoctions for face and body and for every skin type.   With wild-crafted, organic ingredients such as coconut oil, neroli hydrosol (from orange blossoms), and even Dead Sea mud there is surly something for even the most temperamental skin!  Not sure what would suit your skin best?  Annmarie offers product sample kits that typically last a week for just $10 a pop – including free shipping!   Her wonderful website includes pointers for all skin types, including a detailed brochure for getting started with your samples.

Annmarie Gianni products are available at several brick and mortar locations worldwide and also from her website.  All products except for samples are 20% off through November 30th!  Know some one special who would love this in their stocking? Check out the holiday gift sets while you’re there!

For the person on the go, she also offers travel kits, starting at $24.95 with an awesome variety of conveniently sized products that can ride in your carry-on and keep you fresh on your journey. I love these options, as I like to try them all, but I don’t want to commit to a full sized product until I see results!

WIN!

Annmarie Gianni is generously awarding a Normal Skin Care Travel Set to a lucky Takes a Village Reader!  It includes  Aloe-Herb Facial Cleanser, Ayurvedic Facial Scrub,  Neroli Toning Mist, and Herbal Facial Oil for Normal and Combination Skin and is valued at $34.95!

Find multiple ways to enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to Annmarie Gianni for providing wonderful samples for my review.
Posted in Beauty, Gift Idea, Giveaway, Greener Living, natural, Nontoxic, organic, Skincare, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Take a Hike! Navitas Trail Mix Giveaway!

by Julie Posted on November 9, 2012

If you’ve read my other articles, you already know I’m always on the hunt for healthy, portable, AND delicious snacks.  My on-the-go lifestyle is far from unique and I’m probably not the only parent who is known to skip meals on particularly busy days. That’s why I’m a huge advocate of always carrying a nutritious bite, wherever you may go.

Trail mix has been around seemingly forever, and with good cause.  Hunter/ gathers needed to stay alert and energized while foraging and stalking and so do we!   I’ve tried all different mixes, many pre-packaged and some of my own.  Honestly, I like most things involving nuts, seeds, fruit, and especially some form of chocolate; I’m not that hard to please.  BUT, there is a company I’ve spoken of before who goes above and beyond the average mix…. Navitas Naturals!

What I love about these mixes is there simplicity.  Their names double as their ingredients:  Mulberries-Gojis-Goldenberries and 3 Berry-Cacoa Nib-Cashew.  Nothing else added to these superfoods – no processing, certified organic, raw, nutrient dense, and delicious.   I tried the latter of the two mixes.  The three berries are those mentioned in the first mix.  Pretty simple, pretty tasty.

I ate the Navitas Trail Mix while hiking, while driving, and admittedly while just sitting here writing.  It tastes good and it feels good.  Packed with iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A; this is one of those treats that you feel from your head to your toes.

While recent claims of cacao containing vitamin C have been proven false, there are plenty of other reasons to eat it.  It is high in iron, magnesium, and fiber, to name a few.  Also, it is an unsweetened, unprocessed way to get a chocolate fix!

Goldenberries, originating in the Incan diet, are basically a citrusy raisin in flavor.  In nutrient value, they give us antioxidants, fiber iron, vitamin A, fiber, and then some.  These were a new flavor for me and grew on me quickly.

Many of you have probably already heard of Goji Berries, they’ve been a recent superfood celebrity.  Antioxidant benefits are joined by beta-carotene, amino acids, polysaccharides, and more!

When Navitas Naturlas decided to put these super-ingredients together, they gave us a nutrient and flavor blast – thanks!  I enjoyed adding the trail mix to cereal and imagine it could be a great addition to baked goods and more – use your imaginations and please let us know what you come up with!

Navitas Naturals is a certified organic, green company based in Northern California.  They are “committed to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. We source our premium functional foods through direct partnerships with farming communities around the world. An essential part of our mission is to create economic opportunities among indigenous people in developing countries, and our support of native agriculture helps expand development of global organic farming practices.”

Navitas Natural products are widely available in stores and also directly from their super informative website, which includes an awesome variety of functional food recipes.

Win Some!

The wonderful crew at Navitas Naturals are giving TWO lucky Takes a Village readers each a 4 oz. bag of Mulberries-Gojis-Goldenberries AND a 4 oz. bag 3 Berry-Cacoa Nib-Cashew trail mixes, a $12 value!

To enter, simply visit Navitas’ website, check out the trail mix and let us know how you would incorporate this into you daily life… would you eat it straight while driving, bake with it (share your recipes!), or what?

Additional entries below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to Navitas Naturals for their delicious samples provided for my review!
Congratulations to our winners Louis and Michelle!
Posted in diet, Food, Giveaway, Gluten Free, Health, Snacks, Vegan, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Giveaway! Have a Healthy Conscience this Halloween with Organic Gummies by Surf Sweets!!

by Julie Posted on October 9, 2012

Halloween is a blast for many reasons.  If you ask a child, there’s a pretty good chance they’re in it largely for the candy.  There are so many options out there for tossing into pumpkin-shaped pails, how do we choose what’s best?

I don’t want to be the house avoided for being too granola, or the apple most parents (including  me) would trash in a heartbeat for fear of tampering, but I also don’t want to add to the bounty of high fructose corn syrup, artificial mayhem that our kids greedily gobble, because it does taste good.

I am personally partial to sour gummy candy.  Until recently my greatest movie theater guilty pleasure was a great big box of Sour Patch Kids, until I found out what makes them so sour and so addictive.  According to an article on Hub Pages,  some of the chemicals used for modification include a petroleuderivative, a corrosive used to remove rust, and potassium hydroxide which is used to make alkaline batteries.  Of course I don’t believe everything I read online, but this is hardly shocking.

So, I found something far better!

Surf Sweets natural and organic candy contains no high-fructose corn syrup, is free of artificial flavors or sweeteners, is allergy-friendly, peanut-free, gluten-free and taste delicious!  My girls love their gummies, saying they taste like “fruit”.  What a refreshing comparison!  I also found that Surf Sweets got the texture just right, nice and soft, yet pleasantly chewy.  They don’t stick to my teeth which makes me feel much better about sharing them with my kids – if they’re lucky.

I must admit the sour gummies are still my preference, and though Surf Sweets Sour Berry Bears are not nearly as mouth hurtingly sour as the mainstream brand, there is VERY good reason for that – they’r non-toxic!  In fact the sour worms and gummy swirls contain 100% of the US RDA for vitamin c and the snack pack gummy bears and sour bears have 70% making them a great trick-or-treat candy or lunchbox addition – happy kid, happy parent!

I was also quite pleased to discover that Surf Sweets has partnered with some great non-profit groups including the Eco Mom Alliance, FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network), Kids with Food Allergies Foundation, Green Halloween, and The Ocean Project.  They are even donating a portion of sales from their multi-box snack packs to Climate Cycle, a Chicago based organization committed to cleaner energy for schools.

Surf Sweets gummy products and other goodies can be purchased for a very reasonable price online or at many brick and mortar shops including Whole Foods and many smaller local markets.

 Happy Halloween!!! It’s Time to Win!!!

Surf Sweets is giving one lucky Takes a Village reader four boxes of organic gummy snack packs (containing 5 packs each), perfect for a month of school lunches or for trick-or-treaters!  It’s easy to enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to Surf Sweets for providing delicious samples for my review!
Posted in Dessert, diet, Food, Giveaway, Snacks, Vegan, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Love your Mother-Motherlove products Giveaway

by Stephanie Posted on September 22, 2012

It’s official, I’m a mom!  Boy has it been a wild ride so far! I’ll be honest, my life has changed in so many ways, and not all of it has been magical.  Take breastfeeding for example — I’ve had a very difficult time.  Like most mommy/baby teams my little one & I have had to work really hard to get it right (and I’m still not sure we have).  The first few weeks of breastfeeding can be very painful. Luckily for me I have been using Motherlove nipple cream.  When my overused and very abused nipples started to chap while my little guy perfected his latch, I’d dab a little on my girls & I’d get instant relief.  With natural ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil, shea butter, and calendula flower (amongst other great stuff) – I felt confident using Motherlove nipple cream, and was comfortable with my son attempting to latch on soon after application.  I didn’t have to worry that he’d be eating any harmful chemicals that could hurt him.  The cream went straight to work soothing, moisturizing, and calming inflammation.  I also found that it works great on lips & any other parts of the body that need a little extra TLC.

 

Not only did I get relief, but my son also benefited from Motherlove products.  Turns out he has sensitive skin & I was able to use their diaper rash and thrush cream.  In his case I quickly learned that prevention was key.  Newsflash – newborns poop & pee a lot – so there is plenty of action going on down there.  After a few days, my little guy started to get some very red & irritated areas on his butt.  I quickly applied the Motherlove Diaper and Thrush ointment –  and within a few applications the red subsided.  I’ve since then applied it every time I change his diaper and we have had zero problems.  My husband especially loves the wonderful scent. He said it’s like vanilla & butterscotch.

I have always expressed my disgust in all of the harmful chemicals that are used by many conventional baby products out there, so I’m constantly on the hunt for safe and healthy products.  Motherlove is a company that takes it’s ingredients seriously, and only uses organic natural ingredients that won’t harm mom (or baby).  I feel totally comfortable using any of their products (and they have plenty to choose from).  Motherlove has all of your pregnancy and post pregnancy needs covered.  From products like their Pregnant  Belly Oil to their very popular More Milk Plus products (that help boost breast milk production).  There’s nothing they haven’t thought of!

Thanks to the people at Motherlove, one of our lucky readers will win a Diaper Rash and Thrush Ointment, a $20 value!  Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to Motherlove for providing fantastic samples for my review!
Posted in Adjusting to Parenthood, Giveaway, Health, natural, New Baby, organic, pain relief, Pregnancy, Skincare, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

DIY Spotlight and Giveaway! Capes by Daisha – Help Your Kid’s Imagination Soar!

by Daisha Posted on June 25, 2012

My name is Daisha and I am Designs By Daish.  For years I have been crafting little treasures for my two crazy boys and for my friends and their kids.  Last year, my Mother-In-Law (who has been mastering the craft of crochet, sewing and many other forms of artistry for over 40 years now) and I decided to do some craft fairs and boutiques.  We had so much fun that we decided to take things to the next level by opening our Etsy shop to get the word out about our handmade products.

My Mother-In-Law has raised 4 children and has 9 grandchildren.  I am a stay-at-home mom to my two boys, 6 and 3.  My husband and I just celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary and life is just moving right along!  We are unique in that we adopted our first son and enjoy an extremely open adoption with his birth parents (yes…both of them!!) and then after 8 years of infertility, we were surprised and very excited to find ourselves pregnant with boy #2 shortly after boy #1 turned two (we couldn’t have planned that better!!).

I enjoy my role as a wife and mother but crafting gives me something that nothing can…the ability to create and be artistic and expressive.  I hope the winner of this custom cape has a child who will enjoy it as much as my two little super heroes enjoy theirs.

Win One!

As for the giveaway…the winner will get to pick EVERY little detail!!  These capes are REVERSIBLE which is wonderful because one side can be adorned with your child’s name and the other side can be their favorite superhero, phrase (BAM!  Ka-Pow!!  Zap!!), etc.  Or for those princesses out there, their cape can be adorned with a crown, flowers or anything you can think of!  You can have each side be a different fabric color…for example, a princess cape could have a pink base on one side and a purple base on the other.  Heroes could have their favorite color on the side with their name and the color that best suits their favorite superhero on the other.  Sky is the limit…so don’t be afraid to get creative!!  These capes are attached at the neck with velcro, which allows for even a toddler to easily put them on and take them off themselves.  Capes are one size fits all from approximately 2 years old all the way up to 8 or 9 years old…which is when most kids don’t want to be superhero’s or princesses anymore. The decals on the capes are handmade, iron on and then stitched into place securely with a sewing machine.  They will stand the test of time…no decals falling on the floor here!

We offer many, many products in our Etsy shop.  Come check us out!  It is a perfect place for baby shower gifts, birthday gifts and much, much more!

Enter to win the giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special thanks to Daisha for her guest article and giveaway!

 
Posted in Creativity, Family, Gift Idea, Giveaway, Guest Author, Kid's Clothes, Toys, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Giveaway! Chalk it Up to Bright Star Kids – Erasable Chalkboard Household Labels

by Julie Posted on March 12, 2012

I am downright obsessive about reusing every glass jar I come across in the kitchen.  It keeps them out of the recycling bin and keeps our food out of harmful plastic bags or containers.  I also like the look of the various shaped and sized jars in my cabinet.  In an effort to get organized, I’ve been transferring all of my bagged, dry ingredients into the massive jar collection I’ve compiled.  Now, I’ve discovered a way to be even more orderly.

Instead of wasting paper labels that will eventually leave an annoying sticky residue on all of my beloved jars, I’ve discovered Bright Star Kids’ Chalkboard Household Labels.  I love these things, I really do.  With a slightly rough vinyl-like texture, the recommended Stabillo Chalk Pencil also available on the Bright Star website in red, yellow, or white doesn’t smudge easily or rub off too quickly.  A quick wipe with a damp cloth, however, removes any hint of the container’s previous contents and you’re ready to relabel, just like that.

I was already a fan of Bright Star’s school label kits, with which my girls have claimed most of their earthly possessions, and now I get to have my own functional fun with these waterproof, dishwasher, and fridge/ freezer safe goodies.  Maybe, if they’re lucky, I’ll save a few for the kids to write on….

Bright Star Kids is an Australian based company with amazingly fast, low cost shipping to the US and elsewhere.  They also have a great fundraiser program - schools and other programs receive a generous 15% cut of all sales made!

Win Some!

Bright Star Kids is kindly giving one Takes a Village reader his or her very own Chalkboard Labels kit, including 32 Small & 8 Medium Labels!

To enter, simply click below and follow instructions to get extra entries!

(more…)

Posted in Environmental, Food, Getting Organized, Giveaway, Housekeeping, Recycling, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments