Home Decor Gifts for Everyone On Your Shopping List from Zazzle

Thank you to Zazzle for providing a sample round pouf for us to base this review upon and for providing a gift certificate for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Over the years, Zazzle has grown significantly as far as the types of custom products they offer.  Take their home decor selection, for example.  You may expect to see throws, pillows, mugs, and tree ornaments when you visit their site, but you will find so much more.  Upon visiting Zazzle.com recently, I was delighted to find lamps, cutting boards, serving trays, plates, bowls, tree skirts, Christmas stockings, and even wrapping paper!  Of all the wonderful home furnishings items I had discovered, the poufs were my favorite of all.

When I first saw the Luck & Longevity Round Pouf, I knew it would be perfect for our home.  I love the Asian flair and it was an easy way to add another seat in our living room without adding a large piece of furniture.  Of course, you would need to find the right pouf for you.  With currently 43,513 cube and round poufs to choose from and the ability to customize your item, I don't foresee a problem with finding exactly what you need.  There are styles that are suitable for nurseries, dorm rooms, mancaves, and everything in between.  Many styles can be personalized with a name or a monogram, whether your are choosing a trendy chevron pouf or one that's in your favorite team colors.

If you truly cannot find exactly what you're looking for, then you always have the option to design your own pouf by uploading your own images for the top and sides.  I always thought it would be cool to create a mosaic image using photos of my children, my husband, and myself from different stages of our lives.  What design would you put on a custom square or round pouf?

To view all the home decor items available, visit www.Zazzle.com, where you could finish almost all your holiday shopping in just one stop!  Be sure to sign up for the Zazzle newsletter to stay in the know about special offers and Zazzle promo codes during the holiday season and throughout the year.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Back to School 2010: SleepJoy Green Tea Mattress Topper

Everyone could use a better night's sleep, especially students heading back-to-school or off to college, who need to be alert and attentive throughout the day. SleepJoy, a brand known for their brand of eco-friendly memory foam mattresses, also offers memory foam mattress toppers and pillows.

We have always tried different mattress toppers to help extend the life of our once-5-star mattress set . . . from featherbeds to egg crate toppers. I finally broke down and purchased a costly 4" high density foam topper, but to our dismay, it developed a split right across the middle and continued to split until it was almost completely broken into two halves. Luckily, SleepJoy came to our rescue!

We received the 3" Cool Top Mattress Topper to try out on our 10yr old 18" pillowtop mattress. The first thing I noticed when we unpacked it was the pleasant scent of green tea. This was far better than the chemical odor of our last topper, which was accompanied by a note that we needed to let it air out for a few days before using it. Another major difference between our previous topper and the SleepJoy mattress topper is that the queen size topper actually reaches all four edges. Our old topper was at least 2 inches shy on each side. We thought that over time it would eventually spread a little, but it never did.

Although ViscoFresh Enhanced Memory Foam is already porous and ventilated, the contours on one side of this foam topper add additional ventilation, which was perfect for us because my husband overheats very easily. It is not an unusual thing for me to be bundled up under two layers of blankets, while he sleeps with no covers at all.

The cotton cover we received was not the one shown with this particular topper, but rather it was the 300 Thead Count Cotton Cover with Nanotex and a built-in skirt. Many topper covers are designed to fit like a sleeve right over the mattress topper. This one is more like a stain resistant fitted sheet. It was deep enough to accommodate the 3" topper on top of our 18" mattress with room to spare.

SleepJoy carries size Twin XL mattress toppers in most of their 3" styles, which are perfect for college-bound students. I would love to see SleepJoy add 4" mattress toppers to their collection because I prefer a more plush comfort level. This 3" topper, however, was perfect for my husband, who prefers a firmer bed.

To view their full line of memory foam mattresses, toppers, and pillows, visit SleepJoy.com or SleepJoy on Facebook.

Thank you to SleepJoy for providing us with a sample topper and cover free of charge for us to base this review upon.

Giveaway & Review: Furry Nessie LED Lamp from Artistic Sensations [CLOSED]

"Room to Play" Product #7

If you are looking for a unique lamp for your child's, tween's, or teen's room, you must take a look at this adorable (and furry) child's LED lamp I found at Artistic Sensations, an online boutique that offers you everything you need in children's room design.

This is the Nessie Lamp . . .

Inspired by the Loch Ness Monster, this lamp has a flexible neck that can make the lamp shine on the ceiling, a desk, the book your child is reading in bed, or anywhere else light is needed. It measures an impressive 24"h when pointing straight up. Even when completely vertical, the Nessie lamp is weighted on its wider base, so it is extremely steady. My daughter uses this lamp on her bedside table and I have no worries about it tipping over.

The power switch is hidden within the head of the lamp under the soft furry material. Your child need only squeeze the head to turn the lamp on, off, and to switch between settings. It is very user-friendly and our 3yr old daughter can turn the light on and off by herself without any problems. The various settings include different levels of brightness, as well as a variety of colors. You can even set the LED light to change colors on its own. You just click the same button to scroll through these options.

This cordless lamp runs on 4 AA batteries, which are not included. There is a place to plug in an A/C adapter if you so choose, but an adapter is also not included with this lamp. For us, the lamp being cordless is perfect for our needs. I like that there is no wire for our daughter to play with and that the lamp is portable, should we need an extra light somewhere else. It was also a life-saver the day we lost power for over 6 hours due to a storm last month.

The Nessie Lamp comes in 9 different colors and patterns and is currently selling on Artistic Sensations for $34.99 (regularly $44.99). To view the full selection of children's and teen furniture, room furnishings, wall decor, and more, visit ArtisticSensations.com .

Thank you to Artistic Sensations for providing us with a sample lamp free of charge to base this review upon and for providing a second lamp as our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a pink Nessie Lamp.

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Browse the selection of kids and teen bedroom decor offered by Artistic Sensations . Then leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is (aside from the lamp reviewed in this article). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3a) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND ArtisticSensations.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

3b) If you helped me promote this event by blogging about it prior to June 6th, 2010 according to the directions in my Room To Play Event post, then please give yourself an additional 5 entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

4) For one extra entry each, if you are a friend of mine Facebook and/or have "Liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For one extra entry each, follow KidsRoomDecor on Twitter and/or "like" Artistic Sensations on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment for each with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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11a)

Add my "Room To Play" Giveaway Event button to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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11b) If you helped me promote this event by displaying my event tag prior to June 6th, 2010 according to the directions in my Room To Play Event post, then please give yourself an additional 2 entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Shop 'n' Share: Dorm Decor Essentials from Marshalls

I know it feels like summer just began a couple of weeks ago, but for those who will be heading off to college next month, it is time to focus on back-to-school. Furnishing a dorm room can become almost as costly as furnishing a small apartment if you do not know where to shop. That's why I went to my local Marshalls, one of the divisions of the TJX Corporation, to see what deals I could find and to report back to my readers.

After we picked up a pair of Ben 10 sport sandals for my son for about $10 and a pair of black capri leggings for me for just $6, I headed over to the home furnishings section while the rest of the family went to check out the toys. I was pretty impressed because there were several color coordinated displays set up to help make the process of decorating a dorm room much easier. If you're like me, then you will pick what you like from different collections to mix and match. If you like everything to match perfectly, then you will have it made because everything is already coordinated for you.

Here are just a few of the deals I jotted down:

• Fluffie Twin Blanket ($19.99)
• Coordinating Lamps ($29.99 each)
• Wide Assortment of Coordinating Picture Frames ($6.99 each)

• Tommy Hilfiger Twin Comforter & Sham Sets ($39.99 each)
• Furry Oversized Bolster Pillows ($12.99 each)
• Tommy Hilfiger Bath Towels ($4.99 each)

• Ralph Lauren Twin Down Alternative Comforter ($39.99)
• 300 Thread Count Twin Sheet Sets ($16.99 each)

There was a lot that was not worked into these displays, so do not forget to check out all the aisles for toss pillows galore and more. To find a Marshalls store location near you, visit MarshallsOnline.com . If you do not have a Marshalls close by, you can also find similar dorm and apartment furnishings at your local TJ Maxx store.

Please remember that the assortment may vary between store locations.

Thank you to TJX for giving us a gift card to shop so that we could report back to our readers with the deals we found.