Christmas

The Hottest Gifts of the Holidays Season at Upper Canada Mall

December 11, 2013

Christmas shopping can often be overwhelming, especially when your list is long even for Santa!

Gift guides are very helpful – they can highlight the hottest gifts of the holidays season. I usually go through gift guides and make lists before heading into stores to do some retail damage.

I love shopping at Upper Canada Mall not only because it’s close to me in distance and the best mall north of Toronto, it has all of the best retailers you’ll find in one destination. This time of year is magical too – store windows are decorated festively, Santa’s set up shop and the lovely Christmas music.

UCM has created a fabulous Wish List book, making shopping easier for you. There are some fabulous gift ideas for him, her, kids, teens, the techie, the foodie, the hostess and stocking stuffers too in their gift guide.

Upper Canada Mall is also hosting a contest – while you’re shopping, share what’s on your wishlist using the hashtag #wishlistUCM on your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.) and you could win your gift!

I spent some time shopping for gifts at Upper Canada Mall and found some wonderful gift ideas for everyone in the family.

Here are my picks of hottest gifts for the holiday season:

For Her

Michael Hill has some beautiful pieces of jewelry right now. The Love necklace really caught my eye – it’s such a popular look this year, inspired by the Lanvin collection. The diamond ring needs no explanation – Christmas is a beautiful time to shower her with bling! Ring $3299, Love Necklace $219 at Michael Hill.

Ankle boots are hot this season and Aldo has a different style to choose from. She’ll love either a lace up boot $120 or a slip on $140 – Aldo.

MAC has some beautiful limited edition makeup sets for the holidays. The Nocturnals Lip Gloss in Coral provides high-impact colour in four shades: Dazzleglass in Moth to Flame and Cremesheen Glass in On the Scene, Night is Young and Star Quality. The packaging is sleek too; no wrapping needed as the sets come in a glossy black box embellished in white and gold. $38.50

For Him

A cozy sweater for the special man in your life is always a nice gift under the tree. This red pullover from RW&Co. is a must-have in his fall/winter wardrobe. $69.50

This mens’ check shirt by 7 Downie St is trendy in some pretty cool fabrics. $158 XCrossing

Jack & Jones jeans would be a lovely surprise for the younger male in your life. Low impact denim $120.

The Lamar leather messenger bag is made with crazy horse leather which means the leather has had special waxes to surface of the leather. You can carry all the essentials in this large bag with several compartments. $260 Rudsak

FOR KIDS

All the kids will want a cute Furry binder with a ribbon in shag pink and black is whimsy school accessory for your school-aged girl. From Triple Flip. $18.00

These DC Comics Batman & Superman Bookends are not only fun for a kids’ room but also for a home office! $49.99 HMV

For the baby in the family, the Fisher-Price Peek-a-Blocks Stack & Smile Crocodile will entertain. The alligator’s folded tail has a bumpy surface that aids baby in stacking the 4 new Peek-a-Blocks Builders blocks on and it rewards baby with musical responses. Babies ‘R’ Us. $29.99

These cute pyjamas are perfect for a “sheep-over”.They are 100% cotton rib and featurejersey appliqués and embroidery. Sheep Over Party Two-Piece Gymmies® are at Gymboree for $21.95.

FOR TEENS

Nothing says cozy like a sweatshirt. For teens American Eagle Outfitters sweatshirt. For him $39.95, $34.95 for her.

Perfect for your teenage girl, this V-neck Tee & Boyfriend Pant set comes in a pretty box. PINK Orig. $54.50 Sale $36

Not sure what to get your picky teen? You can’t go wrong with a pair of Vans from West 49. The Chukka low has a canvas and suede upper and Vans Original Waffle outsole. $75 West 49

Stick your iphone or ipod into the Party Horn and instantly have speakers – no electricity or batteries required. Made of silicon, you can just throw it in your travel bag or in your pocket and not worry about breaking it. 1$ of this purchase goes to our Hear No Evil Project and the Let Them Hear Foundation benefiting the hearing impaired. $10 at Zumiez.

FOR THE HOME/HOSTESS

The cranberry oil from Body Shop is their best seller year after year so a Cranberry body lotion set is a lovely gift for the hostess. $20 and $50.

A perfect hostess gift or gift for the home – your home will smell wonderfully with this Lampe Berger paris l’essentielle kit available at Hallmark for $49.99.

Who doesn’t love chocolate? Parfait Chocolates Dessert Collection are Hazelnut praline topped with dark chocolate flakes, caramelized nuts and chocolate coffee beans. 2 for $26 at Laura Secord.

Easy to clean and store this full line of essential everyday kitchen tools and gadgets will provide an ease in cooking and food preparation. KitchenAid® 17-Piece Tool & Gadget Set $69.99 Sears.

Make sure to browse through Upper Canada Mall’s Wish List book for more holiday gift ideas!

Happy Shopping!

Disclosure: I’m working with Upper Canada Mall to promote their gift guide and contest.

Books & Music

Despicable Me 2 Now Available on Blu-ray

December 10, 2013

Despicable Me 2 stands as Universal’s second-highest grossing film of all time, behind Jurassic Park earning $916 million worldwide!

It’s those adorable minions that have catapulted this animated comedy to break records, I say!

While Gru (Steve Carell) is adjusting to his family life as an ex-supervillain and making jams and jellies, a secret Arctic laboratory is stolen. The Anti-Villain League decides it needs Gru to join forces with AVL agent, Lucy Wilde (Kristin Wiig). Their prime suspect is the presumed dead supervillain, El Macho (Benjamin Bratt), who’s teenaged son seems to be smitten with Gru’s daughter Margo. At the same time, Gru is really starting to like Lucy. But what about the minions?!?

My kids and I loved the sequel and shared many laughs watching Despicable Me 2 together. I always enjoy what the supporting characters bring to the film – I had no idea El Macho’s voice is that of Benjamin Bratt! The relationship between Lucy and Dru is also adorable to watch. But of course the minions steal the show!

Bonus Features Exclusive to Blu-ray™ Combo Pack & Blu-ray 3D™ Combo Pack.

· Three All-New Mini-Movies Starring the Minions—Introduced by Gru

o Puppy

o Panic in the Mailroom

o Training Wheels

· The Making of the Mini-Movies—A fun-filled take on the making of the mini-movies through the eyes of the artists who made them.

· Deleted Scene

· The Minions—A visit to Illumination Entertainment in Paris and Los Angeles to hear what it’s really like to work with the Minions.

· Evil Minions—Bigger, badder and more purple than ever, the newest and fiercest addition to the Minion species can chew through metal and swallow a car. Find out more about the process that led to their creation and design.

· A Gru-Some Transformation—A sit-down with Steve Carell as he discusses the transformation of Gru from the ultimate super-villain to super-dad and international spy.

· El Hombre Malo: The Villainy Of El Macho—Every great story needs a good villain, and Despicable Me 2 brings on the diabolico in the form of El Macho! Learn about the creation of this character and the actor who brought him to life—Benjamin Bratt.

Despicable Me 2 is available December 10, 2013 on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack & Blu-ray 3D™ Combo Pack.

Christmas

Create a Dove Personal Page this Holiday Season

December 10, 2013

Do you know someone who had or has cancer?

It’s a sad fact that we all have likely been touched by cancer. You probably know someone who has lost their life to cancer or who is facing it courageously today.

The Doves of Hope campaign is a very special annual tradition at The Princess Margaret Hospital. Last year, supporters created a Dove of Hope – over 12,000 doves soared in The Princess Margaret lobby, each representing someone who has been touched by cancer.

This year, people are encouraged to visit the Doves of Hope website and create a Dove Personal Page in honour of someone who has fought cancer or to give hope to those loved ones who are currently battling cancer.

The Doves of Hope collectively symbolize hope and strength for cancer patients and their families during the holidays, and unite everyone together with one main goal – to conquer cancer.

I’ve created a Dove Personal Page for my grandmother who lost her battle with cancer far too young. Here is her page: http://pmhf3.akaraisin.com/Dove2013/MariaVoidis

It’s simple to create a page in honour of your loved one; you can share their personal story and add a photo to honour that person. It only takes a few minutes to set up a page and you can then share it via email or on social media. Encourage friends and family to make a donation to the Princess Margaret in honour of that person through your Dove page.

You can also support friends and family by contributing to their Dove page and making a donation. Find a Dove from others, or even read other heartfelt tributes that have been shared.

All donations to the Doves of Hope campaign will help make lifesaving breakthroughs, new cancer treatments and innovative support programs possible at one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. The goal is to advance Personalized Cancer Medicine for more patients by finding the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.

Over the past 12 years, 55,000 Doves of Hope have been displayed in the atrium of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and online. All of the doves form an inspiring display of hope for the patients, families and staff who are fighting cancer today.

Your support of the Doves of Hope campaign makes a real difference to those fighting cancer right now.

Create a dove today and help give hope to patients fighting cancer this holiday season.

Contest

Gift Idea for Kids: VTech InnoTab 3S (Plus a Giveaway)

December 10, 2013

My 6.5 year old son had somehow attempted to take over my tablet. But with access to YouTube and Wi-Fi, I won’t allow him to use it without having me in the same room.

The InnoTab 3S by VTech is a tablet offers a wealth of fun, age-appropriate learning games for kids, plus new ways to play and learn. It’s a real tablet made for kids.

I like that little techies can browse parent approved and kid-safe websites without having to worry about inappropriate apps or games. Kids can securely explore age-appropriate websites approved by VTech’s educational experts like Wacky Web Tales and Sports Illustrated Kids.

There is a password protected parental control feature that allows parents to approve additional websites, set a daily usage limit, control which hour time slots kids can be online and view a history of all the websites they visited. Kids and parents can exchange and share their text messages, photos and more over a kid-safe Wi-Fi connection using VTech Kid Connect.

Wish List Maker lets kids explore hundreds of games, e-books, videos, music and send their favorites right to mom or dad’s email. Apps download wirelessly right to the InnoTab 3S.

InnoTab 3S with Wi-Fi connections allows kids to connect with their parents and friends; you can wirelessly exchange text and fun stickers between the InnoTab 3S and smart phones. Kids can also connect with friends and siblings between two InnoTab 3S tablets no matter where they are.

Kids can go on reading adventures with interactive e-books; they can either watch the story as it’s read or touch the words one by one to read at their own pace. Kids can discover new words with the story dictionary; by touching the highlighted words, they can learn their meaning.

InnoTab 3S also comes with apps like an MP3 player, calendar, clock with stopwatch, notes, friends list and more. Some InnoTab 3S’s come bundled with a rechargeable battery pack and AC adapter eliminating the need to buy expensive replacement batteries.

It comes with a 5” colour touch screen, 4 GB on-board memory, 2 styluses and more. Available in blue or pink.

ENTER TO WIN

We are giving an InnoTab 3S to one lucky reader! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway. Open only to Canada.
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Food

Gluten Free Bread Recipe in a Bread Maker

December 9, 2013

I have been wanting to make my own gluten free bread since going gluten free. Although I haven’t tried gluten free flour already prepared (which would be the easiest thing to do), I’ve been experimenting with my own variety of flours.

I’ve had a few unsuccessful attempts. Using the right variations of flours to create an edible recipe was a bit of a challenge – until I received a bread machine from Hamilton Beach.

There are so many variations of gluten free bread recipes but I found that this combination (what I had in my pantry) worked very well!

Yes, making your own gluten-free bread can be easy and delicious with the right recipe and ingredients. Here is my recipe for gluten-free bread for a bread maker:

Gluten Free Bread

Ingredients

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups hot water

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ grape seed oil

½ cup tapioca flour

½ cup sorghum flour

½ cup potato flour/starch

2 cups brown rice flour

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

4 teaspoons guar gum

3 tablespoons sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast for Bread maker

3 tablespoons coconut milk

Directions

Mix all wet ingredients together and pour into the bread machine. Then mix all dry ingredients except the yeast and pour on top. Make a well in the center and add the yeast. Turn your Breadmaker on to the Gluten Free setting. In a few hours, freshly baked gluten free bread!

I sliced the bread once cooled into fairly thin slices and froze half. The texture is a bit dense – not quite the texture of a banana bread but not like a regular loaf either. My husband, who isn’t sensitive to gluten, loved it so much. The fact that it’s made with brown rice flour means it’s high in protein, iron, fiber, vitamin B and more.

I’m assuming that you could make this without a bread machine if you don’t have one. Swap the bread machine yeast to traditional yeast, add to a small bowl of warm water and sprinkle with a little sugar and let it rise. Add to the rest of the ingredients and knead until dough forms. Then cover with a cloth and place a warmed oven to allow to rise.

Enjoy!

Yield: 1 loaf

Gluten Free Bread Recipe in a Bread Maker

Ingredients

Gluten Free Bread
Ingredients
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups hot water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ grape seed oil
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup sorghum flour
½ cup potato flour/starch
2 cups brown rice flour
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
4 teaspoons guar gum
3 tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast for Bread maker
3 tablespoons coconut milk

Instructions

Mix all wet ingredients together and pour into the bread machine.
Then mix all dry ingredients except the yeast and pour on top.
Make a well in the center and add the yeast.
Turn your Bread maker on to the Gluten Free setting.
In a few hours, freshly baked gluten free bread!

Beauty

Gift Idea for Her: Schwarzkopf Repair Rescue Holiday Gift Set (Giveaway)

December 6, 2013

My hair is always dry, especially in the cold winter months. The ends tend to get very dry and straw-like and I usually end up using more treatment for dry hair to add moisture.

Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Repair Rescue Shampoo, Conditioner and Sealed Ends are all designed for dry and damaged hair and are meant to give moisture and elasticity back to your hair.

The scent of these repairing damaged hair products is very pleasant and light and the texture creamy, making it easy to work into your hair. The Sealed Ends treatment comes in a smaller bottle and is just as thick as a moisturizer.

The products wash off without leaving any residue behind, making your hair feel clean, smooth and tangle-free. It also helped control my frizz! I’m hoping that by using these products continuously, my hair will be silky smooth throughout the winter.

Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Repair Rescue Shampoo, Conditioner and Sealed Ends are great for dry hair and thick hair. I do think after several uses you’ll notice it’ll soften and smoothen your hair and add shine and bounce while removing the frizz.

ENTER TO WIN

One lucky reader is going to receive Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Holiday Set which includes the Repair Rescue Shampoo, Conditioner and Sealed Ends in a pretty black bag. You can use the bag for travel or as a make-up bag. This is a great gift idea for her this holiday season!

Use this Rafflecopter form to enter this giveaway. Good luck!

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activities

Create a Group Video Greeting with Vello (Giveaway)

December 6, 2013

How cool would it be to see a video of all of your family and friends from around the globe, sending you birthday or holiday wishes in one video?

Vello is a free app that allows you to create short video greeting cards. The gifter can send a personalized gift by recording a short video greeting to go along with the purchase of an e-gift card. Then, the gifter can invite others to join in and add their own contribution to the video greeting (as well as the e-gift).

Vello will string together all of the videos from each contributor into one long, personal group video greeting card. Also each person can contribute money to a gift card that is delivered along with the video – but the gift card is not mandatory.

It’s a very simple concept and one that could work really well especially with younger, tech-savvy users. I could see users creating birthday greetings with a bunch of friends or the entire office, from anywhere. Vello can be used for any special occasion… and it’s a perfect time to use it during the holidays for those who live far away.

The digital gift cards are also an amazing touch. I have family in the U.S. so it would be nice to send an eCard along with a gift card for Christmas this year, without having to visit a post office!

Here is more about how Vello works:

Here is the video that I started creating on Vello: http://www.velloapp.com/webuser/vello/ref/2UQS8R

Vello Upload from Vello on Vimeo.

I recorded the first video by pressing down the record button and it saved. You do have a chance to re-record the video (I must admit I did this several times to get it right!). I had my son add a little Christmas jingle to the video too. Then, you can choose a recipient, add a title and date and adjust privacy settings, add a gift card if you so choose, and invite friends.

Right now the Vello app is only available on the iPhone or iPod touch. I have an Android and would love to see this app accessible to Android users in the near future.

Vello is brought to you by the same innovative team that introduced CardSwap to the market, a service where you can buy gift cards to all your major retailers and save AND sell your unwanted gift cards for cash.

ENTER TO WIN

Enter to win a $50 credit to CardSwap! Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter this giveaway. Open to Canada and the U.S.
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Good luck!

Christmas

Gift Idea: Make a Photo Book with Blurb

December 5, 2013

Wondering what to do with all of your best photos or Instagram pics? Make a photo book with Blurb – also a perfect Christmas gift for a loved one.

I had the opportunity to make one for myself and tried the Blurb platform for creating and printing photo books. Blurb books are bookstore-quality books printed on premium paper stock with amazing binding.

Creating your book is very simple with Blurb’s industry-leading book-making tool, BookSmart. It comes loaded with professionally designed layouts that you can use as is or customize. There are online tools that let you make instant books from Instagram and Facebook as well as plug-ins for professional design software like Adobe® InDesign®.

I needed a simple way to create my book and used the BookSmart online. I simply chose a size for the book, the number of pages and then was ready to start uploading photos to use in the book. There are several layouts to choose from and you can change the design later as well.

Just drag and drop the photos that you’ve uploaded into the various pages of the book. I made a 20-page book but you can make your book as many pages as you wish. You can add text if you want, and also change the layout of the page – full page, right or left side or with a border, for example.

When it comes to ordering your book, there are several paper and cover options to choose from. I also created a photo cover using one of my photos instead of a dust jacket. You can also put the title on the book’s spine and on the back of the book.

Here is a peak at my book:

ENTER TO WIN

Now you can win $50 towards making your very own Blurb book! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway.
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Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a credit to create my own Blurb book for review.

amw in the city

Raise Your Voice for Women’s College Hospital Foundation

December 5, 2013

The holidays are not about receiving but about giving back. This holiday season, support women’s health and a hospital foundation by downloading a song on iTunes.

Women’s College Hospital Foundation has teamed up with Avril Lavigne to create a remix of her song, “Keep Holding On” featuring the voices of Canadians across the country. The remix has been released on iTunes for just $1.29. The proceeds from every download go toward supporting Women’s College Hospital and the future of healthcare for women.

“Keep Holding On” is a powerful ballad but with the additional voices, brings the song to a higher level.

You’re not alone

Together we stand

I’ll be by your side, you know I’ll take your hand

When it gets cold

And it feels like the end

There’s no place to go

You know I won’t give in

No I won’t give in

Keep holding on

‘Cause you know we’ll make it through, we’ll make it through

Just stay strong

‘Cause you know I’m here for you, I’m here for you

There’s nothing you could say

Nothing you could do

There’s no other way when it comes to the truth

So keep holding on

‘Cause you know we’ll make it through, we’ll make it through

Women’s College Hospital Foundation is dedicated to supporting Women’s College Hospital as it revolutionizes health care for women. The first stand-alone ambulatory care hospital in Canada, Women’s College Hospital is dedicated to advancing the health of women and improving health-care options for all.

Donations to the hospital foundation are helping to build a new state-of-the-art facility, purchase state-of-the-art equipment, support innovative research conducted at Women’s College Research Institute and fund educational priorities and cutting-edge programs.

Here’s a way to give a little back during the Christmas season – download “Keep Holding On” on iTunes. Support the future of Healthcare for Women and Raise your voice and sing with Avril. Use the hashtag #WCHFRaiseUrVoice to show your support!

Disclosure: I’m working to promote this campaign and have received compensation. Opinions are my own.

Books & Music

DreamWorks Holiday Collection and Original Christmas Classics (Giveaway)

December 4, 2013

Some of my fondest childhood Christmas memories are of snuggling on the couch and watching Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. What is even more amazing now is to watch these classic Christmas movies with my own children.

I love watching their reactions to these classic Christmas movies, characters and animation! It’s also lovely to discover new Christmas movies that are also bound to become classics, like Shrek the Halls.

We are giving away a copy of DreamWorks Holiday Collection and Original Christmas Classics to one lucky reader!

DreamWorks Holiday Collection

Join some of your family’s favorite characters, Shrek, Po, Toothless and the rest of the DreamWorks gang, in four timeless holiday specials, available for the first-time in one DVD box set!

This limited edition collection features four holiday favorites in one DVD box set for just $19.98. The glittering box set includes Shrek The Halls, Merry Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda Holiday and Dragons Holiday: Gift of the Night Fury as well as bonus features including games, music videos and more!

Start a new holiday tradition! Bring the family together in front of the fire and get cozy —The DreamWorks Holiday Collection provides hours of entertainment for all ages.

Original Christmas Classics

The cute and family-friendly box set contains four of the most beloved holiday TV specials of all time, including the Rankin/Bass classics “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” and “Frosty Returns.” Watching these iconic TV specials are part of the American holiday tradition, just like baking cookies or trimming the Christmas tree! The holiday season just wouldn’t be the same without them…

ENTER TO WIN

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway – choose to enter how you wish or enter them all! And be sure to check out all of other amazing holiday giveaways happening now.

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Good luck!

Disclosure: Christmas Gift Ideas giveaways are not compensated. Product may have been received for review. Opinions are my own.