Green Town Toys Review + Giveaway

Last month Green Town Toys send me one of their eco-friendly products. The most exciting part to me was the note that came with it, "you're the first person outside our offices to see the White Citadel". What a fun opportunity! Here is a little bit more the company in their own words...

"Green Town Toys is a market leader in innovative and eco-friendly corrugated products. Our mission is to design and manufacture children’s products that inspire imagination, creativity, and fun. Our extensive in-house manufacturing capabilities allow us to ensure prompt delivery, competitive pricing, and unparalleled customer service. In addition, we take the utmost pride in offering sustainable products that are designed and manufactured right here in the U.S.A."

Shandell's Review

I knew that Ben, Malakai + I would all enjoy trying out any of their products. The White Citadel looked like so much fun and something I would have loved to have as a child. We could hardly wait to put it together! Ben + I attempted to assemble it together but Malakai wanted to throw the pieces around and was making it quite difficult.

I distracted Kai with a popsicle in his high chair and he watched us build his new castle. Ben did most of the work and could have easily assembled it himself. Some of the pieces were difficult to fit in, but much easier than any plastic toys we've assembled!

 It took us about 20 minutes total. The directions were super easy to follow and much to my surprise neither one of us got a paper cut!

Daddy + Kai tested it out and had a blast. Malakai's favorite thing to do was to peek through the windows and run in + out of the entrance. As you can see it took up a LOT of space in his little bedroom.



When bedtime rolled around that evening Ben simply took a piece off the front and one off the back to fold it up and move it to our spare room. Malakai is in a toddler bed so he wouldn't have been able to stay away from the castle all night.

The next morning I just pulled the citadel out into our living room, added the pieces back to keep it open and he was able to play in it again. There was a lot more room for him to run around the outside of the castle as well as the inside in our living room than in his bedroom.

Our little 22 month old has a lot of energy and is still testing boundaries. He didn't quite understand the limits his new cardboard kingdom had and was a bit too rough with it. 

The pieces obviously bend, but thankfully are strong enough that he can't all out rip them. This child of mine is so rough on toys I have to cover his board books in packing tape to keep him from peeling them apart!

The citadel started to show a bit of wear after 3 days of rough play. This is to be expected with a toddler and I think the pretend-play aspect that this structure was designed for would be better suited to children 3 and up or those that are more mild tempered than my rowdy boy! So for now we're putting it away until he's matured a bit and can play in it instead of "on" it.

It was super easy to take apart. It took Ben maybe 10 minutes to dismantle the whole thing and it stores completely flat. I am really looking forward to pulling it out again and having Kai decorate the white walls with marker and crayons. Again, when he's old enough to understand the boundaries of coloring his castle walls versus coloring ours.

The White Citadel from Green Town Toys has to be one of the coolest toys we've ever seen and had the opportunity to own. If I wasn't concerned about making it last for him to enjoy in the future we'd have kept it out for him to play with on a regular basis. That, and our house is a bit small for a toy this size to be out full time.

In addition to being a great toy, they come at really reasonable prices. The White Citadel is only $44.79. Be sure to check out their online gallery of kiddos enjoying all of their different products.

The Giveaway!

Green Town Toys wants to give you an opportunity to try a White Citadel of your own! Review the details below and enter to win one shipped to your home (open to U.S. residents in the lower 48 only). Giveaway ends Wednesday June 15th, 2011 at 11pm PDT.

Mandatory Entry:

~Visit Green Town Toys and tell me what OTHER product of theirs catches your eye or something you find interesting about their company.

Additional Entries:

~ Like Green Town Toys on Facebook AND leave a comment on their wall (1 entry)

~Share this giveaway on your Facebook page (1 entry)

~Post my "a Gift + a Hope" button on your blog. Leave info on where to find it in your comment. (1 entry)

~ Follow Green Town Toys on twitter (1 entry)

~ Tweet this giveaway to your followers. Be sure to leave a link to your tweet. (1 entry per tweet, 1 tweet per day). Feel free to use the following example:

"I just entered to win a White Citadel play structure from @GreenTownToys + @ShanLeAnn at Breaking New Ground http://tinyurl.com/3n3j67h"

Discount Code:

Can't wait to pick up something from Green Town Toys? They are also offering an exclusive discount for readers of Breaking New Ground. Enter the code "NEWGROUND" at check out for FREE shipping!

Please be sure that your email address is accessible through your blogger profile, on your site, linked to your open ID or within your comment (format shanleann1 at gmail dot com) so I can notify you if you win. Otherwise, you forfeit your chances.

This giveaway will end Wednesday June 15th 2011 at 11pm PDT. Winner will be selected at random via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to an email in order to claim the prize or it will be awarded to an alternate. 

Comments subject to removal without notification based on their relevance to contest. All comments will be verified. So, please be sure to follow instructions carefully. Questions? As always click on the "email me" button to send me a message. Please do not leave a comment here that isn't intended to be an entry into the giveaway. 

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this giveaway. All opinions are my own. Green Town Toys sent me the White Citadel for the purpose of review.  Click for additional disclosures and PR policies.

Bugalug Review + Discount code

I had a twitter conversation with Bugalug not too long ago that turned into a review of one of their products. They were initially looking for little girls to try out their hair products, but when I mentioned that I just have a boy they offered to send me a belt + cuff set to try. When I received it I was pretty excited to try it out with Malakai as Ben + I had coincidentally been chatting about how his pants tend to gap in the back when he bends over.

Shandell's Review:

I put it on with a pair of shorts that we just busted out. They are 2T and slightly too large but I want to get some wear out of them this season. I put the belt on while he was wearing the shorts and he wasn't too happy about it. This is pretty much the norm as he randomly decides he doesn't like wearing clothes.

I was able to distract him and he forgot about the belt. However, I've tried multiple times with the matching cuff and there's no way he'll be wearing it anytime soon. He was not having it! He's pretty much the same way with hats at times. We'll save it and try again when he's older. 

I love that the belt is reversible. It has skulls on one side and racing checkers on the other. The checkers match best with most of his clothing, but the skulls go better if he happens to be wearing plaid or stripes. It's 2 accessories in one!

The next time I had him wear it with some jeans I put it on the jeans before I got him dressed. It was much easier because he didn't notice the belt and mess with it. I think it's absolutely adorable and love how it holds up his bigger pants and even ones that fit but tend to slide down in the back. 

The elastic backing is nice + stretchy while still maintaining the same fabric + design of the belt. I've seen others that have just a weird piece of material in the back and they aren't very cute. Bugalug has done a great job making something functional and fashionable! I know this will last him at least another year because of the ability it has to stretch.

DISCOUNT:

Bugalug is offering readers of Breaking New Ground an exclusive discount! Just enter the code "GROUND" at checkout for 15% off your order. This offer is good until July 31st, 2011.  

disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own. I was sent the belt + cuff set for the purpose of review. See additional disclosures + policies here. 

blabla kids review + discount code

Just before Christmas I had contacted blabla kids about a review here at Breaking New Ground. They agreed and sent us the adorable Bamboo mini.

I wrapped him up and put him under the Christmas tree for Malakai. That morning was a bit hectic and he wasn't really overly interested in any of his gifts, but rather the wrapping paper.

After the holidays, when things began to slow down and half the toys were packed away for bringing out a little at a time, he noticed Bamboo. He pointed at him and said "what dat?" and when I told him he tried to say bear, which always comes out "bee-uh". Malakai can be pretty rough with his toys, he has thrown Bamboo all over the place and he looks as good as new.

I think think he is absolutely adorable. I love that all their goods are handmade. He's unique and special amongst all his more traditional fuzzy stuffed animals. Bamboo's coloring is bright and whimsical and really goes well with Kai's bedroom decor.

Blabla Kids has a ton of other precious things to choose from like blankets, paper goods, mobiles, and countless dolls {like Bamboo} of different kinds and sizes.

Blabla Kids has generously offered readers of Breaking New Ground a 15% off discount code, useable on any of their cute little things. Just enter BNG15 by 2.28.11 to apply your discount. 

Thank you Blabla kids for the opportunity to try one of your fantastic products and share the love with others.

Dots & Dahlias Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the Dots & Dahlia's giveaway. I was quite impressed with the number of entries after such an influx of giveaways in the blogging world during the holidays. I had no idea how giveaway crazy everybody got around this time. I'll be prepared for next year I guess!

Don't forget the discount code to Dots & Dahlia's custom stationary and invitations, just in case you aren't the lucky winner, you can still grab your favorite item for a screaming deal! Just use code SAVE20BNG for a 20% discount through the end of January.

And for our lucky winner...

PAIGE!

You have won your choice of 12 flat notecards or 8 folded cards in the design of your choosing! Best of luck choosing just one. You might want to take advantage of that discount code too!

How fun to be the one giving something away on my birthday. Maybe this will have to be a new tradition around here...






P.S. Don't forget about the discount code over at Pure + Noble too! BREAKING10 for 10% off your order!

Featured Etsy Shop, Review, + Discount: Pure and Noble

I discovered Pure and Noble over at Today's Letters. Brooke is one of their sponsors and had a featured post about her there a while ago. I knew I wanted to feature her shop here as soon as I looked through her creative handmade goods.

When introducing you to shops, I love to introduce you not only to beautiful goods, but creative minds. I love connecting with people through these features and I hope you enjoy it too.

So here's a behind the scenes look at Pure and Noble with Brooke.

Where are you located + are you from there originally? Dallas, TX - from High Point, NC

How did you come up with your shop name? Philippians 4:8 - I want to honor God in all I do.

How long have you had your shop? 2-3 months

What inspires you? everything! Color, texture, prints, nature, fabric, others, my husband's photography... all of it.What is your favorite item in your shop? Oh gosh, that's a tough one (good question!). Hmmm... I guess it would have to be my Say Something line because it can be personalized and the new plaid bag I just added. It has just the right amount of color and femininity. 

Do you have any other jobs or hobbies? I'm a full time stay at home Mommy. It's the absolute hardest and most worthwhile job I've ever done. I also work with my husband doing books for his business and styling the occasional photo shoot. I also serve up at church at least once a week.

Share an interesting fact about yourself. Really? Interesting? I guess I don't think of myself as that interesting. I guess one cool thing is that I used to be a fit model for a big time New York fashion designer. It was really cool to see him work and help make some of his super cool creations as well. He definitely inspired my love of color and Charley Harper.

What do you hope your future holds? I hope to grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord, be a better parent to my boys, honor my creator and my husband every day. And, once both boys are in school I hope my business really grows so that I can design more and meet loads of interesting folks while showing them the love of Christ.

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Shandell's Review

Brooke sent me some lovely holiday cloth napkins for my review. I was so excited about them because they match my kitchen's decor perfectly. For those of you who know me in person, or maybe if you're read here for a while, you know that my kitchen colors are red, black, + silver. 

{perfection!}

These napkins are beautiful and so unique. My absolute favorite thing about them is that she repurposed a shower curtain! So other than those of you who head over right now to purchase the other 4 sets she has available, nobody else is going to have these beauties in their home. Don't you just love that?!

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Discount Code!

Brooke is offering an exclusive discount for Breaking New Ground's readers. Just enter the code BREAKING10 for 10% off your order at Pure and Noble. She has a ton of new + super fun items in her shop, including prints, bags, + home goods.


Enjoy!

Oh, Little Rabbit Winner + extended discount

The winner of the $10 shop credit {+ free shipping} from Oh, Little Rabbit is...

HEATHER!

I will email you soon, you have 48 hours to respond and claim your prize.

For those of you who didn't win,  Jason + Cara at Oh, Little Rabbit have extended the 10% discount to their shop! So you can pick up some of these...

or perhaps this...

 Just convo them on Etsy + mention Breaking New Ground to claim your discount through the end of August!

P.S. check back in for another "little" giveaway this week!