{Small Style} Summertime With Binksy & Bobo

This little lass is having a blast living in the country. We're finally able to spend more time outside, enjoying the gorgeous breeze that we always seem to have up here, and she's been exploring the property daily. The dogs follow her around like she's their little pack leader. 

I love that she's getting dirty and covered in grass and wet from watering all our gardens with the hose. These are the memories we were hoping for by moving away from the city and into a space where play comes much more easily. 

The first thing she does each morning is pop outside to say hi to the barn cats and kittens who have now taken up residence under the porch. Sometimes we have breakfast outside too. Nothing like sipping my first coffee of the day, while watching the birds sing and my little miss chasing kitties. 

Reversible Tie Dress c/o Binksy & Bobo // Sandals via Joe Fresh

I love dressing Gretchen in the summer -- and as each seasons comes and goes she has more to say about what she'd like to wear... or not! 

When the lovely folks at Binksy & Bobo sent over their neat reversible tie dress I showed it to Gretchen, and she immediately decided she wanted to wear it flowers-side-out. 

Don't you love reversible pieces? This dress is fantastic for travelling (two-outfits-in-one, baby) and is plenty durable. 

Here's a peek at G, helping me feed out neighbours chickens, while wearing the reverse side of her new smock.

Super cute, and a completely different look. I could see the first pattern for play and romping through the yard, and the second (with some cute shoes) for a dressier occasion -- a family reunion, birthday party, summer wedding, you name it.

This dress is also a convertible piece, which means it's going to fit your kiddo way longer than most items. My least favourite part about children's clothing is that it's rare to get more than ONE season out of them. (A sign I should have another baby, right?) The tie-up shoulders and simple fit makes it easy to morph this piece from a dress, to a tunic -- perfect for layering too.

All Binksy & Bobo clothing and accessories are made in Canada (love!) and built to last. This is a piece your little ones will wear and wear, before packing it up, or passing it along to a friend.

I know my daughter is going to have her new pinafore in high rotation all summer long and into the Fall. 

Click here for more Small Style posts.

Don't want to miss a thing? Subscribe to our newly revamped newsletter!

Beautiful Art For Your Home From Easy Canvas Prints {Review}

Any time I've moved in the past, including our most recent move to the country, I'm always compelled to put artwork up first. My clothing isn't completely put away, and we have lots of other boxes to unpack, but I've added pieces of art to nearly every space, including my new office -- where this gorgeous print now hangs.

Earlier this month, the lovely people from Easy Canvas Prints (who also hosted this generous giveaway) sent me a canvas print of my choice. I'm stunned at how well it turned out!

I mentioned in this post that I had chosen one of my favourite Gretchen photos for the print, and I'm so glad I did. The canvas is a beautiful quality, and the image looks fantastic blown up to 16x20 inches.

I'm glad I chose the option to have my image wrap around the edges of the canvas. I love the look it gives!

I'd definitely recommend Easy Canvas Prints if you're looking for a fun new way to display your favourite images -- something that goes beyond traditional framing. You can order prints anywhere from 8x8 to 40x40 inches, with a number of different options for customization. Visit Easy Canvas Prints to get started and check out their deals on now.

Time to decide on my next print choice... there are so many I'm dying to send off. Peace!

View the So Fawned sponsor guidelines and full disclosure here. 

Win A One Year Supply Of Dizolve Ultra Laundry Detergent Strips {Giveaway}

A little while ago, the folks at Dizolve sent me a box of their laundry detergent strips to try out. My first thoughts upon opening the box was, "There's no way that tiny thing can clean a whole load of laundry." However, after a month or so of using the product religiously, I'm a convert.

Though my mister is an expert laundry doer -- he measures and sorts and loads the machine perfectly -- I've always been more of a dumper, shover, and douser. Laundry in, soap in, water in, GO. But in that haze of rushed laundry doing, I know I'v been using more soap than needed. Aka, I've been wasting soap, and wasting money.

Enter, Dizolve strips. They come all attached together, so you've just got to rip one off, pop it into the bottom of your machine, add your clothes and off you go! REALLY dirty load? Use 2. Not so dirty load? Use 1/2. Easy, simple, and BOY do they work.

Perfect for use in hot or cold water, you can't measure wrong, and they work in standard or HE machines. These babies are made in Canada and have a whole host of other fabulous qualities too:

• Zero plastic
• 94% less transportation pollution
• Biodegradable
• 1,4-Dioxane free
• Phosphate-free
• Safe for septics
• Hypoallergenic, gentle on skin
• Free of colour dye

From their website:

We’re on a mission to make your laundry washing chore easier, healthier, more economical, and much kinder to our planet.

A few years ago, we observed many things drastically wrong with traditional detergent products:

• They’re heavy to lug around and bulky to store,

• Shipping them around generates tons of pollution,

• They add a mountain of plastic to our landfills, and

• Over-sized, hard to read measuring caps cost consumers over $1 billion a year in over-dosing waste.

A light bulb went off, and we set out to invent a smarter way to clean laundry.

Because their 72-load packages can be mailed in a small envelop, this is the first time ever that detergeant has been shipped in a cost-effective manner. Amazing stuff.

Click here for a neat infographic about the eco-impact of laundry detergent in Canada.

THE GIVEAWAY
Dizolve has generously offered a year's supply of Dizolve Ultra Laundry Detergent Strips to one of our Canadian readers.

TO ENTER
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends Tuesday, July 2nd at 12am EST! Open to Canadian residents only. A winner will be announced via Twitter/Facebook, and an update on this post.

You can read more about this fantastic Canadian company here, and if you're interested in their fundraising campaigns, take a peek here! A unique company with stellar vision. Love it.

Update: Congrats to our winner, Gillian! Watch your inbox!

{Small Style} And A Bogs Giveaway!

Brrrrr. Where did our 22ºC degree weather go?? I'm frowning at our local weatherman right now, a bit frustrated that I can no longer ride my bike without mittens, and I've had to bring my wool coat back out of storage. I hear tale that snow might be back in the forecast for tomorrow (sigh) but I bet my little girl won't mind at all. The last time it snowed she told me Santa would be REALLY HAPPY. But please, bring those nice temps back for Easter.

Boots: c/o Bogs // Tights: H&M // Dress, Hoodie: Thrifted // Sweater: A gift from this gal // Snowsuit (last photo): Gagou Tagou

We've had about a month to test out our new Bogs boots and they've proved versatile enough to go from snow to rainy day mud puddles and back again, while my daughter smiles away. She LOVES them. Why? Well, maybe because they are purple. And maybe because she gets a kick out of the handles on each side of the boot. She can always get them on without my help, even when she's puffed up in her snowsuit. Bonus for mamas, for sure.

The boots are comfort rated for -30°F (or approx. -34°C if I can do math). This mean my little one is going to have cozy toes no matter what Ontario throws at us. Now, I've just got to grab up a pair of these babies for myself!

THE GIVEAWAY
The lovely folks at Bogs Footwear are offering up one pair of kids' boots (winner's choice!) to one lucky reader.

TO ENTER
Visit the Bogs website, then come back and let me know which pair is your fav! (I pretty much adore these McKenna boots.)

For additional entries (leave one comment per entry):

• Like Bogs Footwear on Facebook
• Follow @bogsfootwear on Twitter
• Like So Fawned on Facebook
• Follow @sofawned on Twitter
• Tweet the following:
• I just entered the @bogsfootwear #giveaway on @sofawned's blog! http://sofawned.com

Giveaway open to US & Canada. Ends Wednesday April 4th at noon EST!

Note: If you're looking to purchase a pair of Bogs for your very own, in the US, visit their main website, and in Canada, shop at Tony Shoes to avoid those nasty over the boarder charges.

Best wishes! 

A Little Love For Fleck: Grow Your World

Maybe you guys know that I'm a bit of a geek, but perhaps you wouldn't take me to be a gamer. However, back in the day (circa 2005-2009) I had an addiction. That addiction, was World of Warcraft. I essentially quit after Gretchen was born, but still dabbled here and there when she was tiny. These days, there just aren't enough hours in the day, and the game has changed so much that I'm not especially interested anymore. That being said, I was recently given an opportunity to test out a new game (still in beta) which compare itself in some ways to WoW.

The game is called Fleck, and it can be played online or on an iPad. Since I don't own such a fancy device, I gave the online version a try. It's actually pretty cute. Still in it's beta form, it has its quirks, but the game has great potential. Basically, it's a social game which takes place on a map of the world (Google maps style), so you can actually walk through your own neighbourhood, place your home, tend your little garden (similar to Farmville) and even better -- counter zombie attacks. Yup. They had me at zombies. The whole idea is very sweet.

Click to continue reading >>
Read more...

A Little Wordlock Love

Since the break-in, I've been exceptionally diligent about locking our doors. Something I was never worried about before, but unfourtunately, after such an intense event, I now keep our house locked up 24/7. It's not ideal, but it does make me feel safer.

Our front door and back door lock up just fine, but shortly after the incident, I starting thinking about the gate to our backyard. I knew I wanted to keep something on it, at least at night, to prevent someone from sneaking into our yard.

Cue the fine folks at Wordlock, who recently sent me one of their really neat padlocks to try out. Our gate closes with a simple latch, which has a small hole at the bottom -- a perfect fit for my new padlock, and a perfect way to me to sleep a little better at night.

As you can see, Wordlock locks are number-free -- which, if you're anything like me, is a bit of a relief. My bank pin is just about the only numbered password that I need to have stuck in my brain. I'd much rather think up a fun word for my fancy new lock.

There's a HUGE collection of words that can be spelled out with this lock, many which are featured in the packaging, so that you can choose and change your keyword (quite simply). And, since you're probably all wondering, it's pretty hard to find any inappropriate combinations. (Yes, I tired.)

According to their website, these spiffy little Wordlocks are weatherproof, can withstand 3000lbs of pull strength and are made with a maximum security hardened steel shackle. Essentially, I don't think I could break this if I tried. Which is a pretty comforting fact!

I'm feeling quite content with this baby hanging on our back gate. Begone, creepy robbers!

...

If you're in the market for a lock (for your gym locker, kids' lockers at school, luggage... you name it) you should definitely check out their website. The lock I was sent goes for less than $10 and is available in four different colours.

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. As always, the thoughts expressed are my own.

Big Paw Designs Love & A Giveaway

I think by now you all know I have a bit of a soft spot for animals. You've seen my snapshots of Sir Winston Hendrix -- the Boston Terrier that just won't quit -- and you've heard my stories of his and Gretchen's kindred friendship.



I also know that a bunch of you out there in Blogland love your pets something fierce, and so today I bring you a little giveaway that will probably warm your hearts.

Aside from creating some incredibly gorgeous items for the furbabes in your life, Big Paw Designs has a strong commitment to support pet rescue organizations, including Used Dogs Rescue in New Orleans. They even have a signature line, especially for this cause, including the lovely Woof Fleur de Lis key chain which they kindly sent me. Think of all those pups, especially after Katrina, sans family... but thankfully, not sans hope!



Isn't it gorgeous? The design is so classy and it's nice and weighty in my hand. (And it goes well with my Matt & Nat wallet, don't you think?) I'm incredibly impressed with the quality, which is wonderful. Considering that fact that I'm the least coordinated person alive, my keys (when I remember to carry them) get dropped and tossed around a lot. Oops...



Win! Big Paw Designs is offering a beautiful collar charm (of choice) to one of my fabulous readers. To enter, simply comment with a little fact about your beloved pet!

If you'd like to enter more than once, you can leave a second comment letting me know you've followed @woofcp on Twitter, and a third comment telling me know you've liked Big Paw Designs on Facebook.



Note: Giveaway ends January 24th at 12am EST and is open to US residents... apologies to my fellow Canucks. Also, if you use the coupon code BLOGHOLIDAY before January 15th, you'll save a lofty 35% off your Big Paw Designs order. Not too shabby.

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. As always, the thoughts expressed are my own.


...


Update: JJ Keith is our lucky winner! I hope her pup enjoys the new bling!

Ecostore Love (And A Giveaway)

If you’re anything like me (aka on a bit of a personal mission to lessen your ecological footprint) then I think you’ll really dig the products from Ecostore.

Originally founded over 15 years ago in New Zealand as a small home business, Ecostore grew exponentially and has now expanded to the US. Their eco-friendly cleaning products are affordable and follow a No Nasty Chemicals™ philosophy.

So far I have tried their Dishwash Liquid as well as the Manuka Sandalwood Shampoo and (as someone who used to work in an all natural soap store) I’m rather impressed with their products!

The Dishwash Liquid has a nice clean & fresh scent which isn’t at all overwhelming like some of the detergents that I have used in the past. Since I am the main dishwasher in my home (the boy is actually to tall to do the dishes for more than 10 minutes without getting a backache!) my hands are subject to all sorts of dish water torture. I was a little nervous to try a new product, but after just a week of using Ecostore soap I was pleasantly surprised that my hands didn’t feel dried out at all. Good for the environment and my skin? I’m sold!

As for the shampoo, well, I am a girl who actually doesn’t wash her hair that often, or condition it. Yes, I’m sure you’re all making disgusted faces, but my hair is much happier with a wash once or twice a week TOPS. This being said, I’m pretty choosy about the shampoo I do use. The Manuka Sandalwood ‘poo has all sorts of delicious smelling essential oils – manuka, cedarwood atlas, sandalwood, amyris and lemon – which I found refreshing and, once again, not overwhelming in the least. I’ve been using it for about a month now & I have to say, I have some content locks! As a busy mama who barely has time to shower in the first place, it’s always nice to know that at least my hair is in good shape!

All in all, I’m smitten and can’t wait to try more of their products – I’ve especially got my eye on their pet products. I bet Sir Winston would love some leave in conditioner!

...

The lovely folks over at Ecostore have generously offered one of my readers at $25 gift certificate -- which will go a long way right now as I see they are having a sale!

To enter the giveaway, simply head over to the Ecostore blog, sign up for their No Nasty Chemicals™ newsletter and leave a comment here letting me know when you have!

For additional entries you can:
1. Follow @desireefawn and @ecostoreusa on Twitter & tweet about the giveaway.
2. Subscribe/follow So Fawned (via RSS, email or Google)

3. Add the So Fawned button to your site
4. Blog about the giveaway

**Please leave one comment per entry – up to five in total!
Contest ends December 12th @ 12am EST!