Stuffington Bear Review & Giveaway

Meet Stuffington Bear…he is cute, soft, cuddly, he will be your best friend and guess what? He is MADE IN THE USA! Stuffington Bear Factory is a USA toy manufacturer of teddy bears, stuffed animals and accessories located in Phoenix, Arizona. They have been creating unique American-made stuffed animal gifts since 1959! Stuffington Bear Factory’s creations are high quality and unique, and are designed to be a lasting friend. Stuffington Bear Factory is one of the few stuffed animal manufacturers with production based in the United States. They are proud of their Made in the USA status. Stuffington’s stuffed animals handmade and are 100% Made in the USA, including the materials.

Stuffington has such a variety of animals it would be difficult to list them all. They have the traditional teddy bears in numerous colors, shapes and sizes. My favorite is the Friendly Bear…his arms are stretched wide for a big hug and cuddle! Friendly bear comes in many colors, including golden, white, pink and blue. Of course there are tons of other bears, so everyone can find one that suits their personality. Stuffington also offers various other animals, such as cats, dogs, cows, monkeys, penguins, frogs…to name a few! And most animals can fit into their stuffed animal clothing line, perfect for hours of fun dress-up play.

Stuffington generously provided a bear for us to review; their newest member of the family, Sweetie Bear, in her special Mrs. Santa dress! The oldest of my product testers swiped her away before I even had a chance to snap any pictures. Once I managed to get my hands on the bear, I found it to be soft and cuddly, and so precious in her red and white dress. No wonder my daughter wants to snuggle with her on these cold nights! Of course to me, the softness is great. But the quality is most important. The bear is proof that Stuffington Bear Factory has a focus on quality and safety, and knowing that these bears are handmade from scratch using American-made materials gives me that extra peace of mind.


BUY IT: You can find a variety of Stuffington Bear’s wonderful friends on our All-American Baby retail website!


WIN IT: Stuffington Bear has offered to give away another of their special Santa Sweetie Bears to a lucky follower! The winner can choose between the Mrs. Claus dress or Santa Claus suit for their bear.

1. Mandatory Entry: please visit our website (http://www.all-americanbaby.net/) and return with a comment on one item that you LOVE!


Additional Entries (must complete mandatory entry first):


2. "Liking" All-American Baby on Facebook


3. “Liking” Stuffington Bear Factory on Facebook


4. Follow us on GFC


5. Subscribe via email or RSS (one entry each)


6. Add your networked blog


7. Grab our Holiday Button and post it on your blog or website for TWO entries (leave the link in your comment)


8. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to All-American Baby Blog, and leave the URL to your blog post in the comment for TWO additional entries.


Be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry to get credit! And please leave a way to contact you! Comments without contact information will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn using Random.org. Winner has 24 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn (this is a time sensitive prize, so winner will need to respond ASAP). Contest ends December 15, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Please note that all comments are moderated, so your comment will not appear until it has been approved.

Disclosure: This blog is used to promote American-made children's products, and our retail website All-American Baby. Many of the products reviewed here are available for purchase from our online store, http://www.all-americanbaby.net/. I am always on the look-out for only the best products to offer to parents looking for American-made items. I will only promote high quality, safe products that are made in the USA, whether in my store or in my blog. Stuffington Bear Factory is providing the gift for the winner of this giveaway, and provided a bear for me to review. All views and opinions with regard to the products or manufacturer itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the manufacturer prior to posting. Offer Valid US only!

Tree by Kerri Lee - Have a Handmade Christmas Review & Giveaway! {CLOSED}

I have been familiar with the handmade, timeless baby gifts and room accessories from Tree by Kerri Lee for several years. These beautiful products are vintage-inspired yet modern for today's parents and children. Kerri always strives to design products that are original, with artful details and innovative features.

Talented, hard-working artisans make these 'good baby goods' in a century-old general store building, just two hours from New York City. Why “Tree”? According to Kerri, it’s a nod to her products, many of which are made from wood, always responsibly harvested. It also brings to mind fun, happy activities enjoyed as children, like climbing trees and swinging on a tree swing. And as Janice May Udry says in her 1956 Caldecott award-winning children's book A Tree is Nice:

"Trees are very nice. They fill up the sky. They go beside the rivers and down the valleys. They live up on the hills. Trees make the woods. They make everything beautiful... "

You will find beautiful vintage inspired music and jewelry boxes, personalized baby gifts, and whimsical toys such as brightly painted baby blocks to stuffed “Puffs”! In addition, Tree by Kerri Lee has a variety of vintage-style room décor, including wall frames, growth charts and more.

My favorite of Tree by Kerri Lee’s products is the beautiful handmade, hand-painted wind up music boxes. When we first brought these items into our retail store, my daughter oohed and ahhed over it, as only a little girl can do. The sweet tinkling melody produced when you wind the knob is a sound from music boxes of my childhood. The words printed on the back make a fun family moment as we match the words to the song. Of course, my daughter now has one of her own in her room, a birthday gift that she requested. Although she is almost 5 now, she still turns the knob on a daily basis.

In addition to the hand-painted music boxes, Tree by Kerri Lee also has the smaller but equally darling Musicbox Blocks. These cute little boxes are handcrafted with sweet simple images embroidered on wool felt and trimmed with cotton. The song name is embroidered on one side, and the music plays by winding a key. This is such sweet addition to any nursery décor!


BUY IT: Tree by Kerri Lee’s Musicbox Blocks can be found on our retail website All-American Baby, and additional products can be found on the Tree by Kerri Lee website.


WIN IT: One of our lucky followers will win their very own Musicbox Block in Turquoise, generously provided by Tree by Kerri Lee.

1. Mandatory Entry: please visit our All-American Baby website and/or Tree by Kerri Lee and return with a comment on something that you LOVE!


Additional Entries (must complete mandatory entry first):

2. "Liking" us on Facebook

3. Follow us on GFC

4. Subscribe via email or RSS (one entry each)

5. Add your networked blog

6. Grab our Holiday Button and post it on your blog or website for TWO entries (leave the link in your comment and leave 2 comments)

7. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to All-American Baby Blog, and leave the URL to your blog post in the comment for TWO additional entries.


Be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry to get credit! And please leave a way to contact you! Comments without contact information or commenters who do not include the mandatory entry will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn. Contest ends December 13, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.


Please note that all comments are moderated, so your comment will not appear until it has been approved.


Disclosure: This blog is used to promote American-made children's products, and our retail website All-American Baby. Many of the products reviewed here are available for purchase from our online store, http://www.all-americanbaby.net/. I am always on the look-out for only the best products to offer to parents looking for American-made items. I will only promote high quality, safe products that are made in the USA, whether in my store or in my blog. Tree by Kerri Lee is providing the gift for the winner of this giveaway. All views and opinions with regard to the products or manufacturer itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the manufacturer prior to posting. Offer Valid US only!

Little Twig - A Safe and Natural Bath Time Alternative - and Made in the USA!

I am always on the lookout for natural skin and hair products that are made in the USA.  I was excited to find that Little Twig has products that provide families with a safe and natural bath time alternative to the many chemical-filled bath products that are on shelves. Little Twig’s priority is to ensure that each of their products are safe and mild for newborn skin as well as the entire family. They use ingredients that are mild and effective, like Aloe and Vitamin E.   I love that Little Twig’s bath and body care products are made in USA, but equally as important, they are made from organic and natural ingredients and are pediatrician tested.  For those of you who have done your research on bath and skin care ingredients, they are paraben free and SLS free, pH balanced, hypoallergenic, have no synthetic fragrances, are phthalate free, have no artificial colors, are not tested on animals and are packaged in PET #1 recyclable bottles. 

Little Twig offers bath care, bubble bath, and body care products that are made in the USA (including diaper cream!).  I was sent samples of the Little Twig Baby Wash in Lavender-Lemon Tea Tree and in Extra Mild Unscented.  The Lemon Tea Tree smelled light and lemony, just like it sounds!  And the unscented still has a wonderful light natural fragrance from the ingredients that I enjoyed.  The baby wash bubbled up just fine for us, which is sometimes a drawback with some of the more natural products, but we had plenty of suds to work with.  The body milk was smoothing for the baby, and I used some for myself, too!  I will be switching over to Little Twig, since I find their prices are not as high as some of the all-natural, organic competition. An 8.5 oz bottle of their Happy Tangerine Baby Wash retails for $9.99.  Right now you can save on shipping from the Little Twig website! Free shipping offer for the month of December by using the code FRSHDEC. 

Holgate Toys – Made in the USA Toy Review & Giveaway! {CLOSED}



Holgate Express Train

I am so excited to share the first in our series of reviews of Made in the USA Toys!

Holgate Toys has been in business since 1789, and has been making toys since 1929…truly an American company. All of their wooden toys are Made in the USA from sustainable hardwoods and using non-toxic paint. Holgate has been exceeding safety standards for years, long before the CPSIA requirements.



Holgate's early workshop

Holgate is a company rich in American history. In the year 1789, America's Constitution was signed and George Washington became the country's first President. It was also the year Cornelius Holgate established his Pennsylvania woodworking shop! In 1929, the company expanded its product line by making educational pre-school wooden toys. Holgate's early toy designer was Jarvis Rockwell, brother of famous illustrator Norman Rockwell. Jarvis Rockwell's concern for safety, durability and educational play earned him recognition as America's premier toy designer during this period. With the great consumer success of its toys, Holgate began concentrating on this segment of its business. Today Holgate is synonymous with toys... and still making the finest wooden toys in America.



Bingo Bed

My personal and professional experience with Holgate has always been a positive one. Their toys are excellent quality wood toys, at reasonable prices! The toys they offer are educational and geared toward the developmental needs of young children. One of my favorite things about Holgate Toys (besides the fact that they are made in the USA!) is that they require the child to participate in the play, and thus the learning. No batteries needed here! Just imagination!



Hickory Dickory Dock Clock

Holgate has toys for children of all ages. Their infant toys, such as rattles and baby blocks, are perfect for baby’s first toys. Toddlers love pull toys, and Holgate provides a variety of these toys with their My First series: My First Train, My First Boat, and My First Block Wagon. For preschoolers, Holgate has educational toys like their Hickory Dickory Dock Clock, which helps develop motor skills while teaching early concepts such as numbers, shapes, sorting, and more. For details on these products and pricing, see our Holiday Gift Guide (coming soon).



Rocky Color Cone

One of our favorite Holgate Toys is the Rocky Color Cone stacking toy. This stacker is a beautiful, lasting heirloom toy. Both of my children have enjoyed many playtimes with this wonderful toy, and ours is still in excellent condition after several years of use. It is unique from other stackers in its size and quality! The size of the cone is smaller than other stacking cones, but I found that to be one of its advantages. The stacking pieces are the perfect fit for little hands. The smooth, colorful finishes keep the little one’s attention, and the pieces make a wonderful clacking noise when banged together! It is fun to watch the cone rock, roll and fall. As the child develops, the toy helps very young children learn about size, ordering, and the way things fit together. It provides excellent fine motor skill practice. And when the child wants to put it in his mouth, which inevitably happens, there are no worries about the product’s origins or the safety of the finish. The Rocky Color Cone is in our Holiday Gift Guide as an excellent idea for a Holiday gift for a child on your list.

Buy it: This toy retails for $18.00. It can be purchased here. Other Holgate toys we carry can be found here.

Win it: Holgate Toys has generously offered a FREE Rocky Color Cone to one of our customers or followers! What a great way to check off one item on your Holiday shopping list!


1. Mandatory Entry: please visit our website (http://www.all-americanbaby.net/) and return with a comment on one item that you LOVE!


Additional Entries (must complete mandatory entry first):


2. "Liking" us on Facebook,
3. TWO extra entries for following our blog! (Remember to leave two comments for this or it will only count once!)
4. Subscribe via email or RSS
5. Add your networked blog
6. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to All-American Baby Blog, and leave the URL to your blog post in the comment for an additional entry.


Be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry to get credit! And please leave a way to contact you! Comments without contact information will be disqualified. Contest ends 11:59 p.m. EST November 22, 2010.



Please note that all comments are moderated, so your comment will not appear until it has been approved.


Disclosure: This blog is used to promote American-made children's products, and our retail website All-American Baby. Many of the products reviewed here are available for purchase from our online store, http://www.all-americanbaby.net/. I am always on the look-out for only the best products to offer to parents looking for American-made items. I will only promote high quality, safe products that are made in the USA, whether in my store or in my blog. Holgate Toy is providing the gift for the winner of this giveaway. All views and opinions with regard to the products or manufacturer itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the manufacturer prior to posting. Offer Valid US only!