We love Babystyle, but even more we L-O-V-E their fabulous sales!!!  

Right now, get an additional 50% off of their outlet and summer sale prices with code SUMMER50 through Friday, August 1, 2008!  

It’s a good one, so stock up:).  Also, shop quickly because things sell out fast when marked down and THEN given an additional 50% markdown, right:)?!?!

To win your own Custom Made For Kids Book, visit the Custom Made For Kids website and take the Virtual Tour.  Email reviews@bellaziza.com with ”CUSTOM MADE SWAG” in the subject line and tell us in your email what your favorite part of your personal tour was and why.  

All entries must be received by Sunday, August 3rd, midnight, PST.  You may enter once per email address per day.  Winner will be chosen on Monday via random.org.  Winner will be fetched using Prizey.net.  Good luck to all!

Have you ever been in a bind for a great gift but weren’t exactly sure what to get?  With kids you can just do an age-appropriate toy and call it a day if you need to, but we think that a Custom Made For Kids Book is your best bet.  It’s very unique and appropriate for kids from birth to age 8.  You can purchase a gift certificate for one and then they (or mom and dad) get to have the super fun experience of creating their own!  It will then be printed and sent in the mail which is even more fun – doesn’t everyone just love getting a special package?  It’s also a great answer to a gift for those kids who seem to have everything, without breaking your bank at only $32.95 at www.custommadeforkids.com.  

Books are always a perfect gift.  This book beats all though, truly capturing your child’s memories and personality all in one beautifully illustrated package.  We were also impressed by the creativity of the illustrations, the quality of the paper and it’s durability.  Being that they are made to preserve these memories of childhood, we loved the fact that they were so well-constructed and thoughtfully meant to last throughout the years.

Sarah and Sarah, owners of Custom Made For Kids have created a very unique product, and one that will help capture the memories of childhood for your family.  Until August 31, they are offering 20% off of your own order with code adventures20 too!  Take this opportunity to check out their website and order one for your family.  We really do love ours!

How many kids love going to the produce section of the grocery store?  Lots, right?  It’s a great place for them to express their knowledge and feel good about what they know, building their confidence and lots of other great things.  We always have fun there.  ”Mommy, Apples!  Plums!  Peachey!  Berries!…”  

Inspired by my friend Andrea’s fantastic idea on her blog to go and visit some local farms to pick our own produce, I have been looking into it now for the past few weeks.  I found a great resource online – pickyourown.org – where you can connect with local farmers in your area and see what’s available and when they are ripe for the picking.  Some of them even have petting zoos!  

It’s a great family activity and a wonderful way to teach your little ones exactly where their favorite juicy treats come from.  The other plus is that you will never find fresher fruits and veggies than the ones you pick yourself and it will cost less than what you find at your local market.  So have fun picking your own!

Congratulations to Naomi S. of KS who is the winner of our ITALTRIKE SWAG! Please check back soon for more of the absolute best just for you, and of course more great SWAG ALERTS where you too can win!!!

To win your own fabulous Cavallino, email reviews@bellaziza.com with ”ITALTRIKE SWAG” in the subject line and let us know which of the four Italtrike ABC Chocolate Collection products is your absolute favorite and why.

All entries must be received by Sunday, July 27th, midnight, PST.  You may enter once per email address per day.  Winner will be chosen on Monday via random.org.  Good luck to all!

How many of you find that the before and after look of your home is dramatically different once the little prince or princess hits home?  It’s the huge footprint of toys and baby gear left in their wake that gets hard to deal with sometimes.  What used to look like something out of the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, ends up a kid-zone.  We are so happy that someone is finally coming up with toys that are super fun, but at the same time don’t scream childish in your beautifully furnished home! 

The new ABC Chocolate Collection by Italtrike is absolutely lovely.  It incorporates beautifully finished wood and that fantastic Italian design that always gets us all googley-eyed!  Of the four available pieces in the collection, we received the Triciclino and the Cavallino.  (Take a look at www.italtrike.com for more information on the other two pieces in the collection.)

The Triciclino is absolutely the finest tricycle that we have ever seen.  It’s not only beautiful and can work within your decor, but it’s a pretty smooth ride too from what our favorite little toy-tester tells us!  The wheels are made of a soft rubbery plastic which is is big plus.  They grip the floor better and don’t show wear and tear like hard plastics or foams do.  The wheels also have some weight to them which adds stability to the trike.  The pedals are substantial and nicely shaped, making it a great training trike for kids who are learning to pedal.  It’s a fantastic indoor toy – not too big, and looks so nice!  Not something we would recommend for outside use though.

The Cavallino is equally as wonderful.  We love the detail and lines of the collection as a whole, but the quirky little texture on this horsey’s mane is just too cute!  The rockers on the bottom work really well and have a safe slope to them unlike some other rocking horses out there.  They have this great little curve that goes back out at the tips, preventing tips and accidents when your rowdy little sweetie starts rocking too hard…whew!  

The fact that this collection matches the family coffee table might just be enough for you, but amazingly enough they are truly fantastic toys!  It’s so exciting just to think of the living room as just a living room and not another extension of the playroom with toys all over.  All four pieces are recommended for ages 2-5 and retail for between $90 – $150.  Maybe the ABC Chocolate Collection will help you to find something in-between though, since everyone loves Chocolate!

Congratulations to Kimberly W. of PA who is the winner of our ZENTASTIC SWAG ALERT!  Please check back soon for more of the absolute best just for you, and of course more great SWAG ALERTS where you too can win!!!

Susan T., our winner of PHIL&TEDS TRAVELLER SWAG last week, was warmly welcomed this past Friday by our good friends at Regal Lager in Kennesaw, GA.  She had the opportunity to tour their facility and get up-close and personal with all of the fantastic products that they offer!  Kid gear gadgets and strollers galore – test drive anyone?!?!  (We’re still a little pink with envy.) 

(Pictured left to right - Sharina Richardson-Online Marketing Coordinator, Susan T.-Phil&Teds Traveller winner, Elisabeth Bergoo-Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator)

Susan said “Everything was very unique and so useful!  I was amazed by the metoo, and the strollers or ‘buggies’ as they call them are just so wonderful!  I love the versatility and quality of the Phil&Teds products.”  

Keep checking back with us for more great reviews and SWAG ALERTS from Phil&Teds and others including their super chic new Vibe Uptown InLine Stroller and Susan’s favorite – the MeToo tabletop highchair!  All of this and more just for you, our Favorite Readers.

To win your own fabulous Fisher Price’s new Zen Collection™ Cradle Swing email reviews@bellaziza.com with ”ZENTASTIC SWAG” in the subject line and let us know which Fisher Price Zen Collection™ product is your absolute favorite and why.

All entries must be received by Sunday, July 20th, midnight, PST.  You may enter once per email address per day.  Winner will be chosen on Monday via random.org.  Good luck to all!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Fisher Price!  Someone over there must have felt our recent disappointment in trying to find a truly exceptional swing, because they really delivered!

How many of you mothers went through more than one swing per child because you bought the wrong swing?  It’s not a good feeling when after 3 or 4 months of use a motor bites the dust or something cracks or it’s just no longer usable for whatever reason.  At that point both baby and mommy are liking the swing, so you have to go out and buy another one.  Feelings of buyers’ remorse aside – it’s a pretty important piece of equipment and we have been looking for the absolute best one for quite some time now.

Fisher Price’s new Zen Collection™ is truly breathtaking.  The attention to detail and the quality of the entire collection is really far above and beyond what we had expected.  The collection includes their Cradle Swing, Gliding Bassinet, Highchair and Infant Seat.  They are all aboslutely lovely and the functionality and design of this collection is truly divine!  We really love the earthy tones, real wood accents and luxurious fabrics that they used, setting this collection far apart from any other.  Take one look and you will understand.

The swing’s construction is very high-end and it’s built to last.  It is very simple to operate, and even when changing positions or removing the seat for easy portability, there’s one great button that does it all!  It swings both forward and side to side too.  The mobile is simple but cute, and the music that it plays is actually nice, rather than the techno-electro type of chimyness that most other swings subject everyone to.  It also has waterfall and cricket type nature noises that are quite interesting.

The swing’s cover comes off quite easily for cleaning.   After 3 wash and drys (inside out, delicate cycle, low heat) it still came out looking new with no pilling or shifting of the padding at all!  This makes us smile.  Fisher price will also sell replacement covers for the seat through their parts department eventually.  (It’s such a new product that they don’t have them just yet.)  TIP: buy an extra cover so that you can rotate them rather than washing and waiting!

The swing itself operates on 4 D-sized batteries, or the included wall adapter.  LOVE that!  No more batteries unless you chose to use them!  The D’s get quite expensive too, right?

Our favorite thing about this swing that makes it so unique is the fact that you can take the seat off of the swing base easily and smoothly with one touch to bring baby with you without any disturbance.  It makes such a great little portable baby seat!  There are also two little blankets that are attached, so no more falling blankets that slow the swing down and place extra strain on that motor.  Very smart, right?!?!

The only thing that we weren’t crazy about is that although the recline is fantastic and makes it very usable with tiny newborns, the sitting-up position of the seat is still very reclined.  Once baby is at the point that they want to see their surroundings and be a part of things more, really sitting up in it will be difficult.  Propping a blanket behind them may work, but we do wish that there were another click available in the seat adjustment.

Overall, it is by far the best swing that has probably ever been produced and we are highly recommending it.  Finally, Bellaziza has a Favorite Swing!!!  It retails at just over $200, but given the quality of its construction and magnificent design it is very well worth it.  We love this swing and so will you!

Congratulations to Susan T. of GA who is the winner of our Phil&Teds Traveller SWAG ALERT!  Susan happens to live just minutes from Regal Lager, exclusive distributor of all Phil&Teds products here in the US.  As an added bonus, our fabulous friends at Regal Lager have set her up with a tour of their facility where she can see all of the fantastic products they represent from Phil&Teds and many more great companies!  Anyone jealous?  We are!

Please check back soon for photos of Susan’s visit along with more of the absolute best just for you, and of course more great SWAG ALERTS where you too can win!!!

Okay, so we are really excited about this little piece of insider news…

The Gilt Group, known for their fabulous invitation-only online sample sales of luxury brands like Zac Posen, Valentino, and Missoni, is launching Gilt Groupe Children’s tomorrow!  Become a member (it’s free) and your kiddos can be the best-dressed on the block for a whopping 50-70% off retail.  OMG, right?!?!

It all kicks off tomorrow, Tuesday July 15ht at noon EST with a hand-picked selection from fashion-editor-about-town turned celebrated children’s designer Lucy Sykes.  If you aren’t already a huge admirer of Lucy’s lovely collection, check out the sneak preview on the Gilt Group website (by clicking the link below) and you’ll know just why we are so excited about this!  The fabrics are divine and the fit and details are simply perfect.  Lucy’s line is definitely one of our favorites, and at a huge discount you can’t go wrong!!

The catch is, each designer’s sale at Gilt lasts only 36 hours. So no dawdling, or that exquisite piece you’ve had your eye on all season will belong to some other very lucky kid.

Gilt Groupe Children’s is inviting Bellaziza’s Favorite Things readers to get in on all the yummy deals by clicking on this link.

To win your own fabulous Phil&Teds Traveller, email reviews@bellaziza.com with ”PHIL&TEDS TRAVELLER SWAG” in the subject line and let us know which Phil&Teds product is your absolute favorite.  

All entries must be received by Sunday, July 13, midnight, PST.  You may enter once per email address per day.  Winner will be chosen on Monday via random.org.  

Phil&Teds always thinks of the best and coolest stuff EVER!  Their new Traveller is no exception to that standard, either.  It’s the most versatile, most portable, and most FUN of any portable crib system on the market today.  It is super lightweight at only about 5 pounds, and packs away into it’s own little bag measuring a very compact 24″x8″x8″.  AMAZING!!!

First let’s go over its use as an actual bed.  It’s incredibly comfortable and quite roomy.  You don’t get that hard-wooden-board-with-some-cheap-padding feel when you lay down on it.  It’s more of a soft and airy landing pad!  It’s not rigid at all and is still very supportive.  It actually might make a great guest mattress if it came in larger sizes!  It sets up and tears down with ease, and is incredibly lightweight for the family on the go.

Now, on to the fun part!  It is a great bed, but even better it makes a fantastic hideout!  The front zips down, making it perfect for use as a cozy little hideaway.  Add in your sweetie’s favorite blankets, stuffed animals and a flashlight and it’s the perfect amusement for a night with the lights out, or a cool place to watch a favorite movie!

The Traveller is yet another ingeniously designed must-have product from the Phil&Teds family to your family.  It comes in black and red and retails at $159.  It is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use as it is 100% waterproof, washable, and even bug-proof when fully zipped up.  Take it to the beach, to go camping, to grandma’s house or even on an imaginary trip to the jungle!  We absolutely love it, and we are certain that you and your family will too!