Donate Your Formalwear for a Good Cause to Fairy Godmother’s Closet

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Do you have any formal attire in your closet that you don’t need any more? If you do, I have the perfect spot for you to donate it!

Fairy Godmother’s Closet is run by the Optimist Club of Brooklin, and they accept donations for suits, dresses, accessories and shoes for the teenagers who need it for their grade 8 graduation or prom.

They loan attire for these events in hopes that everyone has the opportunity to look fabulous for their big night out, and it’s an incredible program which needs donations.

April 30th is their big day for fittings, so it’s important that they receive as many donations as possible.

Please take a look in your closet and if you have any formal dresses, suits, accessories or shoes, please donate them!

I’ve already taken a look through my closet and I have my own donation to drop off!

For more information on either donation or using the service itself, please contact Ethel Scullion at 905-410-0738, or email Brooklinfgc@gmail.com

You can also visit the Optimist Club of Brooklin on their website here, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

 

Xoxo Mandy

 

 

Our Girls Night at the Trump Hotel + Enter to Win Your Own Stay!

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One of my favourite things to do is to have a girls night out!

During Toronto Fashion Week I teamed up with a group of lovely girlfriends for an amazing girls night out that was so much fun. Home base for our girls night out was the Trump International Hotel in Toronto, and it was incredible.

Before we even arrived at the hotel, the hotel was taking steps to make sure our stay was a memorable one.

The Trump Attaché™ team ensures that prior to a guests arrival they determine your personal preferences so you feel like you are walking into an experience aimed at making you the centre of attention.

They handle everything from arranging the use of house cars, to personal shopping, to even nanny services or pet walking! They even look up your social media handles to get an idea of your preferences.

Actually quite a few things were waiting for us upon arrival. We pulled into the hotel and the valet team unloaded our bags (you wouldn’t believe how many a girl needs for one night at a hotel!) and were met by the front desk staff for the quickest check-in the history of hotel check-in’s (I’m not sure what the actual record is on that, but I’m assuming they had it beat).
 

 
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We walked to our suite and found that the second room for our group was not only next door, but it had an adjoining hallway where we could close the door for privacy. We felt like we had our own private wing!

Walking into the room was almost overwhelming. The decor was stunning, and we couldn’t wait to unpack and enjoy our home away from home for the night.

 

 

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What really surprised us were the amazing goodies waiting for us in our room. We were spoiled with champagne, strawberries, chocolate, Macarons, and boxes full of little treats. The Trump Attaché™ team really outdid themselves!

 

 

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Our hostess-with-the-mostess Renee also treated us with some fabulous Plum Pretty Sugar robes which I love and have been wearing over and over (you have probably already seen it pop up in a post or two on the blog!), and some goodies from Blossom Lounge. It included the BEST smelling candle ever from Coal and Canary called Crimped Hair and Truth or Dare, and the cutest nail polish from Trust Fund Beauty (my mauve colour is called “Why You Mad Tho?”), among other amazing goodies.
 

 

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After catching up over champagne and treats we got dressed for our night out, and headed downstairs to The Calvin Bar. We found a cozy seat in the corner and noshed on truffle parmesan fries, spring rolls, catfish tacos, and mini corndogs covered with lobster which were INCREDIBLE! The Calvin Bar was a really fun spot to have drinks, eat amazing food, and it was hard to leave because it had a really fun atmosphere.
 

 

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Next we were off to the Rudsak show at Toronto Fashion Week which wasn’t far away at all, so our decision to stay at the Trump Hotel was a good one because it was so convenient.
 

 
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Once we returned to the hotel the first thing we did was kick of our heels and put on our comfy hotel slippers and robes for more drinks, snacks, and a lot of chatting. Our suite was the perfect size for our group to hang out in.
 

 

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The next morning we were excited to wake up and have a yummy breakfast which we ordered through room service. Yes, it was as good as it looks!
 

 

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We lounged around a bit longer in our suite in our Plum Pretty Sugar robes (how adorable are these?) before we ended our stay.
 

 

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Checking out was the hardest thing to do during our stay. Unfortunately for us it was just as quick to check out as it was to check in. We truly didn’t want to leave.

The experience was so lovely. We felt so pampered from the moment we walked in the doors. Every aspect of our stay was perfect – I couldn’t complain about a thing. Our phone calls to the front desk were answered immediately, we didn’t carry our bags for a moment because the staff already had them in their hands, and we really felt special during our stay.

We had the BEST girls night at the Trump Toronto. They really know how to throw an amazing girls night out. I cannot wait to go back to this incredible hotel to have another amazing night like this one!

 

 

Finally, the big contest! This is your chance to have your own night at the Trump International Hotel in Toronto!

Our girls night group of bloggers have teamed up with the Trump Hotel to give away a One Night Stay in a Deluxe One-Bedroom Suite for Two!

You can enter below for your chance to win. Good luck to everyone who enters! For more details on the Trump International Hotel in Toronto, visit their website here!

 

 

 

 

Xoxo Mandy

 

Lindt’s Easter Storybook App + A Lindt Easter Basket Giveaway!

Lindt's Easter Storybook App + A Lindt Easter Basket Giveaway!

 

 
When I think about Easter I think about spending time with my family, and of course something else comes to mind – chocolate!

We take Easter egg hunts pretty seriously around our house. So seriously, my parents actually had a trophy made a couple years ago for the person who finds the most chocolate eggs in our annual hunt. I rarely lose so I’m not sure why they didn’t just carve my name into the trophy itself, but maybe my parents didn’t want my brother or sister to feel discouraged each Easter before the big hunt!

Speaking of Easter, one of my favourite treats this time of year are the gold bunnies from Lindt. They are so good! I eat as many as I can until I can’t move. Another annual Easter tradition of mine.

Lindt has recently launched a storybook app called The Bell that Rang in Easter, and not only is it free to download from the iTunes Store and Google Play, but Lindt will donate $1 for every app download to the Children’s Aid Foundation (up to $50,000)!
 

 
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The story is about a little girl and a bunny who are friends, and about the bunny’s search for the perfect Easter gift for his friend. My son and I read the story together, and he loved the illustrations. It was nice to sit down and read a cute story together that was Easter-themed, and was interactive so he had lots to do during the story.
 

 
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You can download your own copy of the app at www.goldbunnystory.com.

There are also a few fun Easter events hosted by Lindt over the next week that you should check out as well! All of the events are listed at www.lindt.com.

One of these events from Lindt will be at Square One Shopping Mall in Mississauga. Until March 26th they will have fun activiites for families including colouring stations, a 1400 square foot display with life-sized scenes from the The Bell that Rang in Easter, and it’s author Ashley Spires will be doing live readings of the story. There will also be photo opportunities, personalized gold bunnies will be available, and guests that show proof that they downloaded the app on their smart phone will receive a special Easter offer on site.

I’ve teamed up with Lindt and I’m giving away a fabulous Lindt Easter Basket filled with chocolate (valued at $50) here on the blog!
 

 

Lindt's Easter Storybook App + A Lindt Easter Basket Giveaway!

 

 

Included in the basket is:

•50g Milk Gold Bunny
•100g Chick
•90g Happy Easter Bell Box
•138g Lindor Crystal Gift Egg
•100g Lindor Mini Egg Pack – Milk Chocolate
•Mini Gold Bunny 5-pack – Milk Chocolate

To enter, all you need to do is download the app here (don’t forget it’s free!), and answer the question below in the comments:

Was Theo the bunny the tallest bunny, or the smallest bunny? (Hint – the answer is on page 2!)

One entry per person, and this contest is open to Canadian residents only until Saturday, March 26th at midnight. The randomly selected contest winner will be announced here on the blog!

Good luck to everyone who enters, and Happy Easter!

 

 

Xoxo Mandy

 

Review of Sago Mini Trucks and Diggers

Review of Sago Mini Trucks and Diggers
 
 

The look on my son’s face was priceless when I told him Sago mini was coming out with a new app called Sago Mini Trucks and Diggers.

It was like I told him the best news he had ever heard in his relatively young life. He wanted to play it immediately, and the lucky kid got to test it out last week just before the launch. Who’s the coolest mom ever? Me thank you! Ok, I relished in my coolness for a moment before he was completely submerged in playing with the new app.

My son is almost 4 years old, so he is the perfect age for this app which is geared towards 2 – 5 year olds.

There is a new character in this app called Rosie the hamster, and Rosie overseas all of the work done with the trucks and diggers.

All of the regular characters from the Sago Mini apps also pop up along the way which my son was very happy about because he wondered right away where his favourite character Jinja the cat was.

 
 
Review of Sago Mini Trucks and Diggers
 
 

Review of Sago Mini Trucks and Diggers

 
 

Kids load trucks with dirt, push dirt around on the construction site, and even use a crane and a spinner to work on building a home in the game. Once they finish building they can go ahead and decorate the home as well which was a really fun aspect of the game for my son.

The best part about this and the rest of the Sago Mini apps? My son never needs to ask for help while he’s playing – every move in the app is almost natural and makes sense to him. He doesn’t become frustrated or upset because he can handle any of the challenges that he comes across. It’s a relief to both of us that he can just enjoy himself and he doesn’t feel like he can’t do something in the app. The fact that there are no in-app purchases or advertisements in this or any of the other released apps keeps me committed to Sago Mini!

 
 

 
 

Both my son and I love this new app from Sago Mini. They are completely in touch with what kids love, and there isn’t a Sago Mini app we’ve tried that we didn’t like!

You can find the app in the iTunes Store here!

 
 

Xoxo Mandy

 
 

How to Host Valentine’s Day Party for Kids

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This weekend I had a Valentine’s Day themed party for my toddler’s group of friends that I called a Sweetheart Soirée. I gave the party the title of Soirée because I added some special touches to the party for both the toddlers and their mothers that I thought warranted a special name!

Little Monkey Designs created a custom design for the party’s theme, and all I need to do was give an idea of what I was looking for, and they created stylish design fit for my Soirée. I used this theme for all elements of the party including the invitations and much of the dessert table.

 
 

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I wanted the toddlers to have their own table set for a craft, and for lunch. We actually had 10 toddlers in total (and 8 adults – it was a big party), but I wanted the toddler table to have a grown up look.

The settings included each child’s name written on a chalk board for their seating, along with a heart-shaped place setting and heart shaped plate (all found at Dollarama).

The craft for the day was painting a birdhouse (sourced from Michaels), and I placed the thank you note on each of the birdhouses so I could later write their names on each so they could be identified when the paint dried.
 
 
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Because I wanted the adults to have something special at the party as well, I created a little champagne bar.

I added fresh fruit and juices for mimosas, and I was totally in love with these straws created by Dixie + Twine. They said “and we sip champagne when we thirsty”, and they were the most fabulous part of my champagne bar. The Dixie + Twine Etsy shop has some of cutest party supplies I’ve ever seen!

Obviously my table needed a little glitter, so I painted my own individual champagne bottles with it! I did one coat of gold paint, and then a layer of Mod Podge, and I coated the bottle in glitter. How great do these bottles look?
 
 

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For the main dessert table I repurposed the table cloth I used from this party last year, and I made the backdrop with burlap from Fabricland and hearts from Dollarama. I had a small disaster with the “LOVE” balloons which I received from an Etsy shop since they sent me “LCVE”, so I picked up a heart shaped balloon as my “O”.
 
 
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I picked up a dozen cupcakes from Cupcake Junkie in Whitby as a treat, and I added some cinnamon hearts, popcorn, and alphabet-shaped pretzels as snacks scattered around the table.
 
 
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Cocoa Lane Sweeterie provided the most gorgeous cookies ever! The sweet little envelope cookies included gold etching in an “XO” or kisses on the cookies. The also created some of the best macarons I’ve ever had! If you read the blog you may have an idea of my macaron obsession, so you know I’m a good judge of taste. They were huge and flavourful – I’m addicted! The vanilla bean macarons had adorable mini hearts, and the pomegranate ones had mini roses and some were also heart shaped. Perfect for indulging!
 
 
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Finally, the food! Farm Boy Whitby provided some amazing sandwiches, wraps and an antipasto platter that was more than enough for this large crew! It was so easy to schedule an order with them, and when I went to pick up all of this incredible food they even brought it straight to my car. It was a good healthy choice for lunch for both the toddlers and the adults, and they are definitely at the top of my list for catering parties in the future. We love shopping at Farm Boy for our groceries already, and I love that this store makes it easy for me to make healthy choices.
 
 
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Overall everything turned out amazing, and both the kids and adults had a great time!

Let me know what you thought of my little Sweetheart Soirée! If you have seen any great Pinterest posts or ideas online with Valentine’s Day craft or party ideas please send them to me for next year!

 
 

Xoxo Mandy