Personalised Story Books IandMyStory Review and Giveaway

Today's post is a review and giveaway of Personalised Story Books by 'I and My Story', a company based in India. Keep reading to find out how three of you can win a book too!

Just like all kids my daughter loves to be the center of attention!  She thinks the world revolves around her, and guess what?  She is right.  At least my world revolves around her, and I like to make her feel special with every chance I get. So, personalised gifts are popular in our house. And my daughter loves to read and loves to be read to. So, when I was given a chance to review Personalised Story books by I and My Story I was really excited. All the stories are written and illustrated by local Authors and illustrators in India. The books are printed on fine European Art paper, with a wipe able hard cover and are of A4 size. They have 8 lovely titles for you to choose from. These books are available for level one, lighter content (junior-needing reading help) and level 2. The flow of the stories remains same. Text and content is adapted for different age groups, illustrations and book size remains the same. The ordering process is easy too. Our books were ready to be shipped within 2 days of the order. We recieved our books very fast considering the fact that it was international shipping. 

I gave my daughter her new books to read when she got back from school. She picked them with great excitement and went to her room. What she didn’t know was the book had her name used throughout the book and also had her friends names. It also had her photo in the inside page. She started exploring the book and within seconds she came bolting into the living room full of excitement "Amma, look! this book has my photo in it. How did that happen? and how the heck does this book know my name! My name is in this book". It was funny and very cute. 

So, we sat down together and read both the books. When she heard her name, she got so excited and smiled from ear to ear. Then, she kept pointing to the little girl in the book, saying "Me!" She was thrilled to find her best friend's names in the book. 

Putti and I have spent countless hours since receiving these books, just looking at the beautiful illustrations and reading it over and over. This book has become a keepsake that will be cherished for years to come. She has read this to her animal friends too!

She has taken the books to her preschool to show it to her friends whose names were mentioned in the storybooks. The teacher told me they too were wide-eyed with wonder. They were equally thrilled to see their names in the books. They read the stories together and kept pointing to each others names in the book. 

The book itself got high marks from me, as it was made very well and will hold up to the rigors of being handled by a kid. The dedication on the inside page is very special.

 

I have always wanted to send these Personalised books to my nephews and nieces in India for their birthdays and other Holidays.  But, the high shipping costs always stopped me from that and I had to wait until we visited them which is not often. But, with 'I and My Story' which is India that problem is solved for me and for many other NRI's like me. Shipping charges all over India is just Rs 60/- , isnt that wonderful. I can’t wait to surprise Putti’s cousins with books of their own !

I’ve been so pleased with the I and My Story books that Ie recommend them to anyone looking for the perfect children’s gift. The books are a true keepsake that will be treasured in years to come and That’s why I’m excited to offer the giveaway below. And now for the giveaway!

Update: The winners of the giveaway are entry #46 Kim Vij, #70 Deepa and #2 Archana. Congratulations!! 
Three of you can win a copy each of ‘I and my Story’ books if you have an Indian Shipping address   And, once you win, you can choose the book title for your child, send his/her photo (optional), name/s, message and the personalized storybook will be delivered to you in India via the office of ‘I and My Story’. Just enter in the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: If you are having trouble entering the Rafflecopter form leave a blog comment letting me know so and how many of the entries you have completed along with your email. 

Disclaimer: We were sent 2 books for free for review purpose. All opinions expressed are unbiased and my own. 

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Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

Melissa & Doug has a Terrific Twenty List Holiday Gifts to help you with your holiday shopping for kids this year. Check out their list! They also are having a Giveaway everyday from November 6th running until November 26 th on their facebook fan page. 

 Melissa & Doug are making toys over 24 years. We have many of their toys at home that my little girl loves. The Terrific Twenty Holiday Gift list compiles the “best of the best” toys with items for every child in all age range. Including arts and crafts, wooden favorites, educational toys, classic toys for toddlers, and more. This is a great place to start as you kick off your holiday shopping! 

AND To celebrate, they're having a 20 Days of Terrific Twenty Giveaway on their Facebook page! Every day they'll be giving away one item from their Terrific Twenty list to at least one of their lucky Facebook fans.  Like Melissa and Doug on Facebook and find today's post with the giveaway and follow the simple directions to be entered to win a toy. Here are some examples of the toys given away:

What are you waiting for go check out what you can win. Good Luck! 

Melissa & Doug is also generously giving one of my readers ONE Toy of the winner's choice from their Terrific Twenty list! Enter the Rafflecopter widget below and GOOD LUCK! Giveaway Ends 11/16/12 midnight EST.  GIVE IS NOW CLOSED
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Note: If you are having trouble entering the Rafflecopter form leave a blog comment letting me know so and how many of the entries you have completed along with your email. 

Want to increase your chances of winning?  Check out these other Blogs hosting Melissa and Doug giveaways:

• Reading Confetti
• Living Life Intentionally 
• Glittering Muffins 
• Royal Baloo
• Crafty Moms Share
• School Time Snippets
• KC Edventures
• True Aim
• This Reading Mama
• Creative Learning Fun
• In Lieu of Preschool
• No Twiddle Twaddle
• Toddler Approved
• Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk

Disclaimer: I will receive a Melissa and Doug toy in exchange for running this giveaway. But all opinions above are completely my own. I never recommend any product my family doesn’t truly love.

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BabbaBox - Review and Giveaway

Update: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all of you who entered. Congrats to Winner, Karen!!

I got to review one BabbaBox and you can win one too! Check out the giveaway at the end of the post.
BabbaCo is a subscription based arts, crafts and learning activity box for kids between the ages of 3 and 6. Boxes are delivered at your doorsteps filled with projects, activities, books, digital downloads and online content. Each delivery is a theme-based box with ALL the materials necessary plus know-how content to really engage with kids. Can’t get much easier than that. No thinking. No shopping. No leftovers. You can subscribe to it monthly, quarterly or annually.

For my review, I received a box that was a “You Are What You Eat” theme. My 4 year-old was VERY excited to open the box and check out the contents. Infact she pulled everything out even before I took a photo of the box and it's contents.
In every BabbaBox there are items to help children:  Create, Explore, Story Tell, and Connect.  

Our box included supplies to:

• Create - a shopping list and a power placemat - Sort lots of yummy foods into five food groups.
• Explore - Use your very own measuring cups to cook some delicious, good for you recipes.
• Story Tell - Read "I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato" in which Charlie uses his imagination to convince his picky eater sister Lola, to try new foods.
• Connect - Ziggy's Plate.

The first activity she wanted to work on was creating the shopping list. Everything required for it including the scissors, glue and a detailed instruction was there in the box.

 After my daughter cut the food paper sheets, I talked to her about the five food groups. And we played by placing them on the appropriate colored felts.

 Next she finished the process of putting the shopping list folder together. She loved all of the glueing and cutting, though had to help her with cutting the felt.

 Here is the finished shopping list! We have been using it to show what she ate that day and whether all the five food groups have been included are not. I love that all of this fits nicely inside the clear pocket.

Next activity was a hit too and she really loved coloring the canvas placemat.

Now that both the activities are complete, we plan on making a meal together using the measuring cups next! I love the learning process that takes place doing everyday activities, like cooking.
I really loved this concept. I think it will even be perfect as a Birthday gift. The ability to sit down and do something crafty and fun with your kids without having to hunt down all of the supplies is awesome. And the best part is the learning aspect of it which makes it very unique from other subscription based activity boxes out there. I love the concept of having a theme each month to keep the activities fun and interesting for kids.
With everything that is included in your Babbabox every month you are definitely getting your money’s worth, and your child has something special to look forward to every month. 

And you can too get a box too! BabbaCo is going to give away one month membership to one of the Putti's World readers! I’m so excited for you. There’s a few ways you can win this membership, just use the Rafflecopter gadget below. Good luck! The giveaway will end on August 26th. 

If you just can’t wait, you can start your membership right away and get 20% off your BabbaBox by using PP20OFF. Order here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I have been provided with a free BabbaBox from BabbaCo. But, all opinions are my own. 

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Review Hammering Shapes - Giveaway $40 Gift Card

Update: This giveaway has now ended and the winner is Rab Pom Debbie Jackson! Congratulations!! Thanks to all those who entered :)

PS : Because I did not get a reply from Rab Pom either on facebook or email after 72hrs,  I had to get a new winner which is Debbie. 

I was pretty thrilled when For Small Hands (Montessori-in-the-home division of Montessori Services) sent us this Hammering Shapes for reviewing. And one of You, my lucky readers get to win a $40 gift card to their shop, so that You can buy an educational kids stuff of your choice for your little one. Keep reading to find out how.

This Hammering Shapes is fun hands on activity that helps kids to learn to hammer using real nails and a small wooden hammer. It comes with 100 geometric tiles(with a pre-drilled hole), 1/2" nails and a corkboard. We received this on the day my brother's family arrived and both Putti and her cousin really enjoyed playing this. It became both the girls favorite soon. They would first arrange the tiles in a design they like, place a nail in the pre-drilled hole in a tile, and then hammer it to the corkboard. 

It comes with suggestions for designs, but because of the open-ended nature of this activity, Putti was able to create her own pictures like the house, sun and beanstalk seen below.

The tiles can be removed from the corkboard, then hammered again and again to create an infinite variety of patterns. This is a good table activity that allows children to refine their small motor skills as they work. I love the big colorful bird that the girls made.

The recommended age is 4+ years, but I have had an almost three year-old play and love it too. Though the little guy did not make any design, he loved hammering the tiles randomly.

And now, you can buy one of this or any other toy from 'For Small Hands'. They have been generous to give away a $40 gift card to one of Putti Prapancha readers! There a are few ways you can win this,  simply use the Rafflecopter gadget below. Goodluck. The giveaway is open to residents of US, US provinces or Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure :

I received a toy in exchange for my review, all opinions expressed here are my personal and unbiased . 

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Easy Canvas Prints - Review and Giveaway

Update: This giveaway is now closed. Winner is Maryanne K, Congrats!!!

I LOVE photos and I am sure that is evident in my blog posts too. I do click a ton and post as many in my posts. I have lots of them hanging all over our walls at home!  Recently, I had the opportunity to review Custom Photos on Canvas service at Easy Canvas Prints.   

EasyCanvasPrints.com is an online canvas company where you can upload your own photographs, artwork, or designs to have printed on gallery wrapped canvas.  Choosing an image for something like this is usually difficult for me, but this time  I let Putti choose one of her photos with her appa (dad) as I had upcoming Father's Day in mind. And she chose the one taken during Holi celebrations.

Their website is very easy to use. You just choose the size you want for your canvas,and then upload your image. There’s a handy automatic quality check built right in –so you can easily see if your photo is going to look good when it’s printed. I also appreciated the little “tip”bar near the top of the screen –it’s great if you haven’t done this kind of thing before. If you need more help,they have a FAQ page with answers to common questions. They have a variety of size and pricing options and they even offer photo retouching, red-eye removal and black &white or sepia conversion. 

You also have some nice options for border wraps –which is great.  I preferred the mirror wrap option. But you also have the option to wrap the image or add a colored border. The preview window really helps if you aren’t sure what you want. And one feature that I really enjoyed was the way they provided a visual of how your canvas size would look on a wall with a 7 foot couch.  It puts into perspective the size of canvas you would be getting. Great touch!

And the finished product? Beautiful!!! The canvas arrived in the mail 5 days after I placed the order. Of course, they have faster shipping options if you are in a hurry. The colors are vibrant and true to the original, and the details are just right. Keep in mind that a canvas print generally won’t look as sharp as a print on photo paper…but the details in this shot really are very nice. Does not this make a great Father's Day gift?

The wrapping looks great –clean and professionally done –and the frame is made of wood, not plastic. The canvas is archival quality,so it should look great for a good long time. 

Not sure what you should put on a canvas? They have an IDEA GALLERY! Go check out the ideas they have for you, and it doesn't have to be a photo!  You can create a canvas with your kid's artwork or your own typography.  

Giveaway(For US residents only excluding  Hawaii and Alaska): One lucky reader of Putti Prapancha can win a 16X20 Canvas Print.

Mandatory Entry : Comment on this post telling me Who would you like to win this for?

Additional entries( Make sure to mention each thing you did in a separate comment, as each comment will count as only one entry)

• Like Easy Canvas Prints on Facebook to learn about future giveaways and new activities.
• Like Putti Prapancha on Facebook to keep in touch with all our future posts.
• Share the link to this giveaway on Facebook and tag Putti Prapancha.
• Tweet this giveaway on twitter @easycanvas Prints #giveaway http://bit.ly/Jzoe8R @Putti_prapancha 

Terms and Conditions:

*Available to US residents only excluding  Hawaii and Alaska.

*Leave your email id here if it is not seen on your profile.
* This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Winner(s) will be contacted by email 48 hours after the giveaway ends. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send us an email!
* No purchase is necessary to win.
* Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
* Winners will be chosen via random.org on 5/31/12. Winners will be announced on this post and also will be emailed. If winner does not claim prize within 48 hours or forfeits, prize will be redrawn and the new winner will be notified.

* Void where prohibited by law.

EasyCanvasPrints.com also has a great promo running right now that allows you to get any canvas for 25% off and FREE standard shipping!  So even if you don't win, you can purchase a canvas picture at an affordable price!

Disclosure:

All opinions are my own. I received the Canvas Print at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big thank you to Easy Canvas Prints for providing the giveaway prize!

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{Giveaway} and Review of Green Kid Crafts Kits !!!

Update

Winner of this give away is Suebunting with email id suebunting1977 at gmail.com !!! Congrats!! 

Thanks to all others who entered.

Green Kid Crafts is a subscription based company that is mom-made and mom-run! I just love the fact that all of the items in their kits are kid-friendly, earth-friendly and safe. Everything that is needed is supplied with the kit except for glue, markers/crayons (optional though) and scissors which I am sure all houses with kids will have and you can just add whatever you want to make it your own. Each kit also comes with a little how to card and the very first line states 'Remember its about having fun and the process and not about the finished product'!!!
We received three awesome crafts kits from Green Kid Crafts to review and Putti was completely excited about getting these and has enjoyed making them and playing with them too!  Stay tuned for how to win a one-month sustainable craft kit subscription - 3 free craft kits 

Each kit comes supplied with plenty of decorations, little squares, shiny stars, bears and buttons. All Putti had to do was glue them on and place them in the arrangement she wanted. Her favorite in this kit was these little colored square wood pieces.
 

She first colored the butterflies with crayons (you know butterflies are very colorful amma, she said).....

 She then very carefully glued all the little decorations on them in the way she wanted. Those little squares really worked her fingers, helping her fine motor skills!! 

Arent these pretty !! We had to wait while these dried...

  And the coolest part was we could slide them one inside the other which she loved !!

Our second kit was a Canvas Puppet and again everything required was supplied. Putti loved the variety and textures of the supplies included in the kits. She loved cutting the felt and fabric into pieces and dressing up her puppet with shirt, pant, belt, mittens etc.. 

Though this is slightly big for her hands, she is entertaining us daily with her lovely puppet shows !!

Our last kit was making garden fairies and Putti enjoyed making each one of these and is loving playing with them all. I had to to draw a thick 'V' on the card for her to cut. She colored it and glued it to make wings!!

For her second fairy she wanted to add a butterfly wings, so i helped her cut the card and she glued it and added a flowery hat:) Love the yarn skirt she made, i had to help her though!!

Thanks Green Kids Crafts for sending us these crafts to review. We enjoyed our Green Kid Craft – and hope you will too! A little more about Green Kid Crafts:

• Subscription-based craft kits - this means you get 3 different crafts each month you're subscribed for. (There's 3 month, 6 month and 12 month subscriptions).
• Want to try them without buying an entire subscription? They also sell individual craft kits on Etsy.
• Everything is green, kid-friendly and also safe! 
• Every kit supplies everything you need to make the craft. You just supply glue/scissors - stuff you'd already have in your house!
• These aren't crafts that you're going to file away - they're all something your child can play with after they've made it!

Mandatory Enter:
To enter, visit Green Kid Crafts and leave me a comment on this post telling me what other products/kits do you like to try/buy. Please leave an email id here if it is not visible on your profile. Giveaway closes on 23rd Febraury 2012 12 PM.  
For Extra Entries: (leave a separate comment for each)

• Go visit Green Kid Crafts and  like them on facebook.
• Follow  Green Kid Crafts on twitter
• Like Putti Prapancha on facebook
• Follow Putti Prapancha on twitter.
• Share this giveaway on facebook – and leave a comment here.  
• Tweet this on twitter " #giveaway 3 crafts kits from @greenkidcrafts  http://bit.ly/yvdqQj  via @Putti_prapancha "

Update

Winner of this give away is Suebunting with email id suebunting1977 at gmail.com !!! Congrats!! Thanks to all others who entered.

Terms and Conditions:

*** Available to US residents only.**
* This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Winner(s) will be contacted by email 48 hours after the giveaway ends. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send us an email!
* No purchase is necessary to win.
* Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
* Winners will be chosen via random.org on 2/24/12 and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Winners will be announced on this post and also will be emailed. If winner does not claim prize within 48 hours or forfeits, prize will be redrawn by  and the new winner will be notified.
* Void where prohibited by law.

Disclaimer :

I received 3 crafts kits to review, all opinions expressed here are my personal and unbiased . 

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Giveaway - 2 Melissa & Doug Trunkis

Up for grabs today is 2 adorable Trunkis (shown above) courtesy of Melissa & Doug! Keep reading to find out how to win them. This Trunki is perfect for vacations!! Children can scoot along on their luggage through the airport. Features include...

• A Pack, Carry or Ride Suitcase for kids
• Durable, Sturdy, Strong, Holds 5 gallon capacity
• Airline carry on approved
• doubles as a great pull-along riding toy, too.
• Holds up to 75 lbs. 
• includes a tow strap, carry handles, secure catches, integrated wheels and stabilizers to prevent toppling over.

There are designs on the cases such as stripes on the orange, to look like a tiger and polka dots to the red case to remind you of a lady bug. They also sell fun stickers to create faces as well and kids really enjoy making the Trunki their own. At home, Trunki may be used as a convenient kid-friendly storage bin or for some great pretend play! 

Melissa & Doug have graciously donated these trunkis for The Heart Project. Have you contributed to The Heart Project yet? Donate $5 to the American Heart Association and get The Heart Book as a free gift!

US $5 Donation to AHA

[More information available at The Heart Project ]

Here's your chance to win a Trunki from Melissa & Doug! 

Enter the Melissa & Doug Trunki Giveaway at any of the following blogs:
[entries are all combined from participating blogs] 

hands on : as we grow
The SEEDS Network

Toddler Approved

Putti Prapancha

Share & Remember

Broken Treasures

Living Montessori Now

If you do not see the Rafflecopter entry form below, please enable or update your java script.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, there are auctions for 4 Trunkis with a Teddy Bear that Melissa & Doug so graciously donated for The Heart Project. You can try your luck there too!

Disclaimer: We did not recieve any compensation for this post. Melissa & Doug generously gave trunkis to host giveaways and auction in support of our "Heart Project"

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Giveaway for The Heart project

I have a special giveaway for you today, Please scroll down to find out how you can win these goodies!!

 

Please check the "The Heart Project", a fundraiser for The American Heart Association for more details and                            consider joining hands with us.

Donate $5 and get the ebook

Order the Printed Book US$20

Here's how we're doing so far ... 

We have 2 of our projects, The Hearts Tree and I heart U cards in the The Heart Book. Click on the photos to go to the posts and see how we made them. 

Giveaway (USA only… sorry everyone else  )

                         Now, here's a chance to create your own I heart u cards and the Hearts Tree!

                                                      You can enter for a chance to win these

  

   **a pack of Foam Glitter Hearts Stickers**

                                                **Melissa & Doug Rainbow 6 Color Stamp Pad**

                                                      **Crayola 24ct Long Colored Pencils**

Mandatory Entry:

Leave me a comment along with your email address on this post telling me who your kid(s) would send a 'I heart U' card to. The random number picked was comment number 18 Nicole who said "Love both your heart projects!! My girls would love to make them for their granparents. Thanks " Congrats Nicole, check your email please!! Thanks everyone else for entering

Extra Entries (Optional)

Please leave a seperate comment for each entry!

• Did you support The Heart Project and AHA by donating to the AHA or buying the Printed Heart Book? Leave a comment letting me know you did for an additional entry 
•  Share the Heart Project on Facebook & leave the link in a comment here. Can be done once daily.
•  Tweet about the Heart Project, can be done once daily: Help raise funds for the @American_Heart with #theheartproject http://bit.ly/ACOE18 @putti_prapancha 

Giveaway Rules & Information:

- US Residents only.

- This giveaway ends on February 9th at 11:59pm (PST).

- A random entry will be drawn on February 10th and announced on the blog. I will notify the winner via email also.

- The winner will need to provide their full mailing address to me within 72 hours of announcement.  If no response, a new winner will be drawn.

This is not a sponsored giveaway. Putti Prapancha has received no monetary compensation or products for this giveaway.  

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