People, apologies for any alarm I may cause but this is a public service announcement to advise that it’s officially December and christmas is only 23 DAYS AWAY.
I’ll wait here while you wail, tear your hair out, scream, run around aimlessly and/or bury your head in the sand 
Last week I shared one of our previous santa photos in anticipation of this year’s shoot. When it’s santa photo time I know things are getting serious. In the spirit of continuing with our real santa photo theme, here’s this year’s entry.
Good points: Nathan and I were not required to be in it this year, despite actually remembering to dress up accordingly. And it’s a great photo of Gilbert and Matilda.
Not so good points: It’s a little lopsided (okay VERY lopsided) and Delilah continues to be an uncooperative model – this was the best photo we could get of her – all the others had unhappy faces or even more fistfuls of fingers in her mouth.
Anyway, it must be christmas time as we have the photo and the tree is now up. I just need to get a wriggle on with the present giving…
To help all of you along in that department, I have collaborated with some awesome businesses and brands to come up with a MEGA CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!
Do you want to know more? Why, come and walk this way…
THE KIT SOURCE
I was contacted by Khai Ngo a month or so back and he invited me to have a look at the very clever business he and partner Lel Brassel have established. The Kit Source specialises in unique party supplies and gifts and aims to be a one stop shop for all your party needs. You can order all sorts of kits with themed sets of plates, cutlery, serviettes and even decorations to make all your party planning a breeze. You can even order “living kits” as gifts for yourself or for others and there are hints and tips to help make your next event less stressful and more enjoyable.
Khai and Lel sent me a sample of the following kits for review – Outdoor Party Kit, Classic Christmas Party Kit, New Year’s Eve Party Kit and New Year’s Decorator Kit. I have to say I fell in love with the orange tissue paper at once – orange is such a vibe, happy colour!
All the kits are thoughtfully put together and curated by Lel and there is definitely a whimsical vibe to them. They are decent quality too – not a jarring bit of plastic to be seen. I think it’s great that each pack contains every item that your guest may need – even down to an extra napkin and treat bag for everyone.
My absolute favourite of the kits is the outdoor party kit. It is funky and cool and would make any BBQ or outdoor function a memorable event. It probably doesn’t hurt that it rocks orange stripes too!
What I love about The Kit Source is how simple an idea it is and what a big difference it could make to party planning and preparation. Ordering was a breeze and the kit came within a couple of days, well packaged and undamaged.
The kits are pretty good value, with the regular kits (for 25 guests) ranging from $50 to $65. Larger kits (which cater for up to 48 guests) range from $90 to $120. Considering the hassle and expense of sourcing unique party items separately, this is a great alternative to those who are time or inspiration poor.
You can follow Khai and Lel on their blog, facebook and instagram accounts so make sure to check them out as they share more hints and tips there too.
CANVAS CHAMP
Jainam Shah from Canvas Champ is also aiming to make the silly season a little easier on us all. He contacted me to review their range of canvas frames which would make the perfect gift for friends and family this christmas. An Australian company, Canvas Champ offers premium quality canvas prints at the lowest prices in Australia. And with canvas prints starting from $10, they really do offer great value.
I have been meaning to get our much loved family portrait on canvas for months now so I could not pass up the chance to test out Canvas Champ for myself.
As you can see, the picture came up beautifully (compared to the original digital image) and captured the colour and detail perfectly. It was only a small test canvas (10″ x 8″) but I’m planning on getting some more to fill up my hallway wall over the coming weeks.
The quality of the canvas is good, particularly considering the affordability of the pricing. There is a tiny bump in the right hand corner of the canvas but I suspect that one of my children had a hand in that as they all rather eagerly had a look at it when it first arrived…
The website is easy to navigate and there are so many ways you can upload your photos – you can even upload directly from Facebook, Picasa and Instagram. And Canvas Champ doesn’t just deal in canvas prints – they also offer metal prints, photo boards, peel and stick art, acrylic prints and canvas banners as well. So there are quite a few choices if you are considering giving a personalised gift this christmas.
Canvas Champ can be found via their website, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter accounts so make sure you follow them to keep up to date on their special offers and hot deals.
KIDS BUSINESS BLOGGERS BRUNCH GOODIES
A couple of weeks back I turned the AC on, locked the pups up safely inside the house, dropped the kids off at school and preschool and high-tailed it down the M1 to Sydney for the Kids Business Bloggers Brunch.
As always, Kids Business events are a great chance to meet and catch up with fellow bloggers and get down to business with a variety of brands and companies.
The theme of the day was the art of happiness and I have to say that I came away very happy after a convivial few hours spent with like-minded souls!
Highlights of the day for me were catching up with some of my favourite blogging buddies, listening to the inspiring speeches by the keynote speakers as well as catching up with the following brands:
- Unilever who provided Jif and Omo products for bloggers to sample (a staple in my laundry already)
- Arnotts who have brought out a new range of lighter, more sophisticated Shapes Light & Crispy (pity they’re not gluten free )
- Hans who showcased their new Oliving range of gluten free deli meats (absolutely yum!)
- Dyson who cooled us all down with their hi-tech Dyson Cool air multiplier fans (powerful, quiet and very effective on a 40C day!)
- InfaSecure who premiered their brand new baby car seat the Evolve which can adapt with your child from baby to toddler to child (extremely handy!)
- Oricom who were showing off their baby monitor and night light range (the only stand I didn’t get to as it was ALWAYS teeming with bloggers )
- AVG who provided much needed information and advice on keeping your kids safe online
- Only Organic baby who have a tasty selection of custards, pureed meals and snacks (yes I ate baby food and I loved it but I missed out on a sample box)
- Brumbys who tempted me with their delightful 2014 Christmas range (again, I was sad as I couldn’t have any!!!!)
- Breville who brought along the boss in blending. They got points for having gluten free options (and their mango sorbet was DIVINE!)
Thanks as always to Christie and the team at Kids Business for putting on another stellar event. Thanks too to all the brand representatives who were more than happy to answer my questions and have a good old chin wag on the day!
Mega Christmas Giveaway
To celebrate the impending coming of the silly season and to hopefully help with your gift and party preparations, I am holding THE biggest giveaway yet to be hosted on My Home Truths.
You could win one of the following prizes:
1 x $50 voucher from The Kit Source – the perfect solution to your upcoming party planning.
OR
1 x 10″ x 8″ canvas print courtesy of Canvas Champ (valued at $19.67)
OR
A selection of the samples and gifts I received from the Kids Business Bloggers Brunch including:
- 4 x packets of Shapes Light and Crispy thanks to Arnotts
- Mini Christmas pudding plus apron thanks to Brumbys
- Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote thanks to Dyson
- Securall harness protector thanks to InfaSecure
- Post pregnancy exercise DVD thanks to the Healthy Mummy
- USB key thanks to AVG
- Blending with the Boss funky glass jar thanks to Breville
- Comfort fabric softener and Jif Blast off bathroom cleaner thanks to Unilever
For your chance to win leave a comment noting your preferred prize and share how you practice the art of happiness everyday. What makes you happy? What’s certain to centre you in the midst of the upcoming craziness?
This is a game of skill. The comment deemed by my good self to be the most creative or entertaining or inspiring will be judged the winner. Competition only open to Australian residents. Entries will be accepted up until 6pm Sunday 7th December.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck in the giveaway – I’m looking forward to being inspired and entertained by your stories of practicing the art of happiness!
Joining in with Jess this fine Tuesday for IBOT.
Mega Christmas Giveaway Time! is a post from: My Home Truths
The post Mega Christmas Giveaway Time! appeared first on My Home Truths.