Holiday Gift Guide: Bring Home a Little Magic with Magic Sketch! + Giveaway

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

My kiddos love being artistic and were super excited to try out Magic Sketch.  They have since decided that it would make an excellent Christmas gift for pretty much any kiddo this holiday season!

Check out Magic Sketch, a fun new way for your kids to draw, play, and learn!  The flexible, LCD screen is transparent, allowing kids to trace with the provided stencils or from their own images!  Magic Sketch is from the makers of the hit product Boogie Board who are also the leaders in crystal display technology.

With Magic Sketch your kids can create all kinds of amazing art and, unlike most tablets, the Magic Sketch is super kid proof!  They can drop it, toss it, even step on it -- it won’t break!  It’s completely water resistant, so if they have a spill, just wipe it off and keep going!  With the advanced internal electronics, you can clear the screen with just the push of a button!

Each Magic Sketch retails for $29.95 and includes:

•      Magic Sketch

•      Protector Guard

•      1 Roller

•      3 Stamps

•      20 Learning Stencils

•      20 Games Stencils

•      20 Art Stencils

They loved free drawing on the Magic Sketch, but the cards that came with were a huge hit as well!  They allow for inspired creativity by providing pages to trace, games to play and skills to master.  So much fun!

Magic Sketch is a fantastic, affordable gift option that will offer hours of creative fun to your kiddos!

Click to shop Magic Sketch!

One lucky reader will win their very own Magic Sketch set!  Enter below:

Holiday Gift Guide: Stompeez Slippers with Personality!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Another great gift idea for the littles on your list...Stompeez!

 Stompeez are super cute, fun slippers that your kids will love. They are soft, comfy and loads of fun. You just walk, stomp, or jump and Stompeez pop to life!

Each Stompeez retails for $19.99 and comes in 9 different styles. There’s Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Batman, Nemo, Dori, Shopkins, Happy Puppy, T-Rex dinosaur and Tsum Tsum(though these are sold out until after the holidays).

D loves wearing his cozy T-Rex Stompeez!  With every step the mouth opens wide showing lots of scary dinosaur teeth:)  Stompeez are slippers with personality and are sure to bring smiles to the faces of the kiddos on your holiday shopping list!

Click to shop Stompeez!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Holiday Gift Guide: Parragon Books and Activity Kits!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Parragon is one of the largest illustrated non-fiction publishers in the world. From great selections of Disney, Barbie, Monster High, Ever After High, Discovery Kids, Dora, TMNT, Sponge Bob to in-house favorites including Little Learners, Pinkabella, Dino Supersaurus, Glitterbelle, Life Canvas, Love Food and more, they make books affordable and accessible to readers all around the globe.  They also feature several fun book kits for all ages.

This month, our favorite books from Parragon include fun activity books from Disney's Moana and a few gorgeous holiday hardback books:

We love adding a few great books to our holiday stash each year and this year, thanks to Parragon, we got to add the oh-so-beautifully illustrated copies of The Nutcracker and The Snow Queen:

These gorgeous books are a great way to get everybody into the holiday spirit!

With the highly anticipated release of Moana getting closer every day, we were excited to get to check out these awesome activity kits and books from Parragon:

Moana Happy Tin

Join Moana as she sails off on an unimaginable adventure across Oceania to save her people and find her true self. She is joined by demigod Maui, who is on his own journey of self-discovery. Discover Moana’s action-packed voyage in this beautiful tin. Inside you’ll find an epic storybook, coloring book and activity book, plus a double-sided poster, over 50 stickers, and 4 colorful felt-tip pens. Fun activities, from ocean mazes to starry spot the difference puzzles, and heaps of coloring will create hours of fun! An ocean of adventure awaits! It’s a tin full of fun!

Moana Adventurer Activities With 10 Tribal Tattoos

Join explorers Moana and Maui on an exciting adventure across the ocean with Disney Moana Adventurer Activities! Count the colorful fish, design a brand-new boat, lead the turtle to the ocean, and lots more! This book comes with over 40 cool activities and 10 temporary tribal tattoos. This book also comes with a bonus code for a free digital Disney storybook.

Moana Choose Your Destiny

Meet Moana and her friends, and join them for some amazing ocean adventures in Disney Moana’s Choose Your Destiny. Design a new necklace for Moana, help Maui find his magical fishhook, color in Pua and Heihei, plus much, much more! This book also comes with over 80 stickers and a bonus code for a free digital Disney storybook.

The kiddos loved every single Moana activity book and we can't wait to see the movie:)

Parragon books and activity kits would make great holiday gifts!

Click to shop Parragon Books!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Holiday Gift Guide: PBS Hit Series Boxed Sets

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Winter is the perfect weather to snuggle up and binge watch your favorite series, which is why we think boxed sets make great gifts!  

I've always been a sucker for PBS shows, especially Masterpiece Theater.  Check out two of my favorites that have been released as full series boxed sets just in time for the holidays!

Created by Emmy® Award-winning writer Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, BridgetJones’ Diary), Mr. Selfridge brings to life the story of American entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, the colorful and visionary founder of Selfridges, London’s lavish department store. Pioneering, reckless, and with an abundance of charm, Harry Selfridge created a theater of retail for early 1900s Londoners, where the latest topics or trends were showcased and traditions were challenged.Starring three-time Emmy® Award-winning actor Jeremy Piven (Entourage) as ‘Mile a Minute Harry’, the brilliant ensemble cast features Amanda Abbington (Sherlock), Tom Goodman-Hill (The Imitation Game), Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street), and Frances O’Connor (The Missing).The critics have hailed the series as “…Downton’s racier cousin…” The Independent, and“… plenty addicting…” The Wall Street Journal.“Mr. Selfridge: The Complete Series” is currently available. The run time of the series is approximately 30.5 hours on 12 discs. The DVD SRP is $89.99

Inspired by the Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter, comes the long-running series Inspector Lewis. Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately) steps out of the shadow of his mentor, the inimitable Inspector Morse, in this highly-acclaimed series of intricate mysteries. Together with his brooding, inscrutable partner, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox), they take on the elite criminal underworld of Oxford, England, relying on Lewis’ instinct and Hathaway’s intellect to see past appearances and into the hearts of their upper-crust foes.All eight seasons of Oxford’s favorite detectives, Lewis and Hathaway are included in this complete series box set. The New York Times boasts, “The writing is sharp in terms of its social incisiveness,” and The AV Club declares, “…well-constructed, reliably entertaining…” “Inspector Lewis The Complete Series” is currently available. The run time is approximately 50 hours on 18 discs and has an SRP of $99.99.

Both of these amazing shows are seriously addictive and what better way to catch every episode than by owning the complete boxed set?!  You can find out more about these hit shows, plus many more amazing PBS series' at PBS.org!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Holiday Gift Guide: Black Sheep Box for Beauty Lovers!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Looking for a great gift idea for the beauty conscious?   Look no farther than Black Sheep Box!

Black Sheep Box is a monthly subscription box of luxury, handmade skincare, soaps and health conscious products.  These handmade, small batch skincare, beauty and bath products are made with natural ingredients that won't break the bank. Subscribers also receive a specially curated item from a featured handcrafted business owner. 

Every month you’ll receive 3-5 full size luxury handmade skincare and soaps in your subscription box.  Check out the November box:

It smelled amazing from the moment we opened the package!  I love Fall scents:)  This box included a Love of Pumpkin soap and body scrub, Coco Cabana Lip Balm and a hand poured soy candle from this month's featured artisan, Bella Organics by Sach.

We loved every single product!  hat a great way to get to try out a variety of quality handmade bath and beauty products!  Black Sheep Box would make a wonderful gift idea this holiday season.

You can get the Black Sheep Box for $14.95 per month with discounts for longer subscriptions.

Click to shop Black Sheep Box!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Holiday Gift Guide: World Vision: Gifts that Give Back! + Giveaway

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

In 2015, Americans gave over $373 billion to charitable organizations, a 4.1 percent increase from 2014 (National Philanthropic Trust). As charitable giving continues to grow, holiday shoppers are searching for reputable organizations to support. This year, I encourage you to place your trust in the World Vision Gift Catalog.

The 2016 World Vision Gift Catalog contains more than 250 poverty-fighting gifts, ranging in price from $16 to $39,000, that improve the quality of life for struggling children and families in the U.S. and around the world. As the holiday season approaches, we would like to show y'all a few of the great gift ideas...beautiful handcrafted items made by artisans around the world featured in the Gift Catalog.

For the Home:

Tree of Life Votive Holder – This lovely votive holder is handmade from cast-off materials. Artisans in India work hard to raise themselves out of poverty and help light the way for their children’s education. $65

Upcycled Artisanal Bowl – This stunning bowl is up-cycled from reclaimed industrial waste such as wires and metal. Artisans in India have hand bent and soldered each piece into inspirational shapes to create this artistic and elaborate bowl that is great as a decorative piece or to hold special items. $135

History’s First Coffee Blend – Citrus and chocolate pair up in this 10-ounce whole bean blend of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Sumatra Permata Gayo coffees from farmers who are overcoming poverty with their earnings. An olivewood scoop and African bag complete the package. $75

For Your Closet:

Turquoise Medallion Necklace – Handmade by families in Delhi, this brightly-beaded medallion necklace adds a bold pop of color to any outfit. $75

Royal Silk Scarf – This gorgeous silk scarf adds color to the holidays and supports the needs of children and families worldwide. The luxurious silk is woven by Vietnam’s Ma Chau villagers, who receive sustainable income through their craft. $95

Mango Wood Beaded Bracelet - One creative community on the island of Java makes these unique bracelets to help provide a sustainable income and care for their children. The artisan group is led by a mother who pours her heart into her craft. $45

These are really lovely gifts!  They are so unique and both the giver and the receiver can appreciate that these gifts give back in a truly awesome way!  Warm fuzzies all the way around:)

The money raised from your purchase of these handcrafted gifts goes to the Where Most Needed fund, which supports a variety of World Vision’s programs around the world.

Since 1996, the World Vision Gift Catalog has grown in popularity as a gift-giving alternative. Last year alone, more than 650,000 people were helped through funds generated by the Catalog. Want to see where your money goes? Check out this video from World Vision to learn more: https://youtu.be/VODK55tS2XA

To order from World Vision’s Gift Catalog, call 855-WV-GIFTS or visit

http://donate.worldvision.org/ways-to-give/gift-catalog?campaign=3020570

Keep up with World Vision via Facebook at /WorldVision and Twitter and Instagram at @WorldVisionUSA

One lucky ABCD Diaries reader will win a prize pack that includes all of the items shown above, over $500 in lovely handmade products!  Enter below:

Fin Fun Mermaid Tails and Cuddle Tails!

If you have a daughter who dreams of being a mermaid, you can make her wish come true this holiday season!  Fin Fun offers fins for the more experienced mermaids and Cuddle Tails for younger or less experienced swimmers.

For mermaids who desire an entire wardrobe of stylish, eye-catching tails, Fin Fun offers an amazing selection of high-quality mermaid tail designs inspired by the beauty of the sea and nature. The Fin Fun Mermaidens collection features tails based on the beloved Mermaiden Princess characters, each with a unique personality and story, which can be found on the kid-friendly FinFriends.com site. The Limited Edition collection combines fantasy with nature's beauty in spectacular designs that have a shimmery, shiny look and feel. 

The patented Fin Fun Monofin (available for separate purchase) provides natural mermaid motion for smooth swimming at the pool, lake or beach. Feet are not strapped in, making removal of the Monofin easy, with just one tug and a kick. The open tail bottom makes it easy to insert and remove the Monofin (required for swimming), while also avoiding trapped air and allowing mermaids to walk on land. These award-winning Fin Fun products are designed for a realistic mermaid experience that also provides maximum safety, comfort and performance. The premium quality and attention to detail has made them a celebrity favorite, as well as the best-selling mermaid tail brand in the world! More information at www.finfun.com

My readers get to save!

Check out our mermaid tails for sale at www.finfunmermaid.com to order yours today! Use code USFAMILY16 to save $5 Off Any Order! 

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