Friday, October 16, 2009

Mosaically Speaking…and a Giveaway – over $100 Value!

One of our local toy stores is going out of business, and they have had all of their inventory at 50% off for the last few months.

(It’s almost all gone now, or I would tell you about it.)

(Scratch that. If that were true, I would have told you about it a few months ago. I’m a bad sharer of good information.)

ANYWAY, I stocked up on some creative learning toys for Ali, and one of the things that I got was this:

Jungle
It’s a kit of 6 cardboard pictures and 3,500 small square stickers with a legend to show where to put them.

Granted, I figured that she was WAY too young to actually get this concept. I usually don’t pay attention to age suggestions, but this said ages 6-99, so I put it in the closet to save for later.

However, the day after our last art project, Ali started begging me to do more art, so I decided to pull it out to see how long her attention span would last.

I was shocked.

I explained to her that the numbers on the butterfly told her what color of stickers to put on it,

IMG_4027

And showed her how to match the colors and numbers on her legend,IMG_4054

And she TOTALLY got it.IMG_4028

IMG_4034

We have worked on our mosaic several different days, and she has focused on it for long periods of time, loving every minute of it.

She mumbles under her breath constantly: “I need to wook on my wegend.”

IMG_4056

I can’t imagine how good this must be for her reasoning skills and coordination…and it’s fun! I think it is totally age appropriate for toddlers – and a great way to introduce them to a lot of different skills.

I vowed to stay away from her mosaic and let her do every bit of it by herself, but then she started asking me to take turns with her.

And … it’s a bit addicting.

Chris told me to put it down the other night. (After I had been working on it for several minutes after Ali had moved on.)

Oops.

At any rate, here’s our progress so far: IMG_4453
And we have five more pictures in our set for later!

I contacted the company and told them how much I loved their product and that I was going to blog about it, and they graciously provided a giveaway prize pack worth $107!!!

The prize pack includes SIX Mosaic kits!! They are: the Sticky Mosaics® Twinkle Tiaras set, Sticky Mosaics Jewelry Box kit, Sticky Mosaics Flower Mirror kit, Sticky Mosaics Rockstar kit, Sticky Mosaics Fairies set, and Sticky Mosaics Fairy Door Plaque & Memo Board Set:

(By the way: If you need help, Ali would be GLAD to come show you how to wook your cowors up on your wegend.)

If you’d like to win this amazing Prize Pack from The Orb Factory, simply comment on this post! You can get up to three extra entries if you:

  • Subscribe to OR Follow my blog
  • Follow me on Twitter OR Facebook
  • Tweet, blog, OR Facebook about the giveaway

(be sure to leave separate comments for your extra entries.)

Best of luck! This giveaway is open until Monday, October 26th. The winner will be selected randomly and announced on Tuesday, October 27th.

200 Comments:

Karen said...

What a great discovery! Aren't you happy to know that your 2 year old can do what is intended for a 6yo??

Thanks for contacting them and getting free stuff to give to us!

Karen said...

I follow your blog too!

Leanna said...

Wow what a neat thing, I love that Ali is able to figure it out. I would love to have them. I love mosaics and it would be a late birthday present for me. I know they are meant for kids but i don't have any an my nephew is only 1. It looks like a good stress reducer.

Leanna said...

I follow your blog too!

Christen said...

What a cool toy/art project...Ali (and you) are doing a great job on the butterfly!

Christen said...

I follow your blog!

Tracy B at FeedSack Cooking said...

this wil be an awesome prize. My son would love it. he loves those wicky sticks and these would be great. Thanks so much for contacting the company and thanks for the give-a-way.

Tracy B at FeedSack Cooking said...

I follow your blog

Tracy B at FeedSack Cooking said...

I am going to blog about it over at Feedsackcooking.blogspot.com

Wade's World said...

This sounds awesome!!

Wade's World said...

I follow your blog!

Wade's World said...

I'm a facebook friend!

Wade's World said...

I'm passing the word on to my facebook friends!

Shellym said...

Oh my! We hae done mosaics before and they are, oh so fun!! What a great giveaway!!

Shellym said...

And, I'm a Facebook friend. :0)

Angela said...

We would love this at our house!

Angela said...

I also subscribe to your blog.

Jennifer said...

Love it, Love it, Love it!! I know Jenna would too!

Jennifer said...

Just tweeted about it too!!

Shelly Overlook said...

I just saw these a few weeks ago and wasn't sure how fun they'd be. Now I'm going to have to try one. I'd also love Ali to come help my kid figure them out, too! :)

Valerie said...

Ooh Rachel I like this giveaway! Ali is so dang cute!! I'd love to win it for my niece or hey even my grandson whose 2 today!

Valerie said...

I follow your blog!

Valerie said...

I follow you on Twitter.

Valerie said...

I follow you on Facebook.

Valerie said...

I have tweeted!

Valerie said...

I have Facebooked your giveaway!

Kelly Rubin said...

This would be perfect for my daughter. She loves art projects but can't stand to get her hands dirty!

Tina said...

How cool! My boys would love this!

Tina said...

I follow your blog

Tina said...

And on Twitter too!

Linda said...

very cool. so what store has the sale?

Beachbumaw said...

How cool!!! And what a perfect Christmas gift!!!

Beachbumaw said...

I follow your blog!!!

Jennifer said...

How neat! My daughter would love this!

Jennifer said...

I'm already a follower :)

Michelle said...

This is awesome! My 4 year old daughter would love this. She is super arty and I am always looking for new stuff for her to do!

Dighti said...

That is really neat. While of course you're proud of Ali's skills, should we be worried that the 'average' 5 year old shouldn't be able to do it?

Nana said...

This is awesome.

Kitty Engle said...

I think that is great for Ali. And it would be for me to, give me a break from coloring.

Lindsay said...

looks neato!

Lindsay said...

I subscribe to your blog.

Lindsay said...

I follow you on Twitter.

Rachel@just another day in paradise said...

sounds like a great rainy day activity!

Rachel@just another day in paradise said...

I follow you on twitter, and

Rachel@just another day in paradise said...

I follow your blog!

Jill said...

Ali is a little genius! I would love to win.

This Is The Day said...

Wow, those are awesome! If I don't win I will have to find some. I am always looking for educational toys for K. Good find!

abfantom said...

I subscribe.

My daughter would love this!

abfantom at yahoo dot com

Shelbie Johnston said...

What a great Christmas present for my neice!

Shelbie Johnston said...

I follow your blogQ

Shelbie Johnston said...

I follow on twitter!

Kimmer said...

My son would love this craft - he's the same age as Ali! Thanks for the giveaway!
hopingtowin@gmail.com

Shelbie Johnston said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/SweepsCat713/status/4924188624

taterbug said...

Wow, this looks like a great activity. With 5 grandchildren, I'm always looking for things they would enjoy. I think this would appeal to all ages! Thanks for the great giveaway!

taterbug said...

I already follow your blog.

taterbug said...

I already follow on Twitter (taterbugtx)

taterbug said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/taterbugtx/status/4928461847

Gina said...

My 2 year old would try to eat the small pieces, but my 6 year old would LOVE it!

Gina said...

I'm a subscriber

pistolsnprincesses said...

I have a six year old who would LOVE this!

pistolsnprincesses said...

I, too, subscribe. THis is a great giveaway.

amhayes said...

Court would LOVE to do this kind of stuff. She loves to craft! I"ll have to check this stuff out and see if I can find it somewhere local

amhayes said...

I'm a friend on FB AND follow you on twitter. (I know this only counts as one, just thought I'd share.)

amhayes said...

An announcement for you give away is now on my FB!

blabla3269 said...

this is so cool and such an original idea. We are always looking for new craft items t do and have never ran across something like this before. Your daughter is adorable. I have a little doodlebug too though she is too young for this. I hope she turns out half as cute as your little girl.
I know my step daughter would love doing this and I think (weird I know) that my 15 year old son would enjoy this. It seems very tactile and my son is ADHD and has a hard time with hobbies he really likes but things with pieces and where you can see the progress you have made arer eally fun for hm

Karen said...

Oh, I LOVE these! My 2.5 year old and I bought the Pretty Things box to work on while her big brother is in karate, and it keeps her totally occupied. I have a bunch of boxes on my Amazon Wishlist now!

peg42 said...

These Mosaic kits look like so much fun. This is such a wonderful prize. Thank you so much to you and Orb for offering this.

peg42 said...

I'm a subscriber.

peg42 said...

I'm a follower.

pamelarm said...

These would make great Christmas presents for our nieces and nephews, they would last longer than most toys

pamr@mts.net

Abby said...

My crafty girls would absolutely love to give this a whirl!

ajcmeyer at go dot com

Anonymous said...

My kids love to do crafts and this would be great for the cold months when there is nothing to do!

hkropog[at]yahoo[dot]com

Anonymous said...

Following you on twitter-hkropog

hkropog[at]yahoo[dot]com

Anonymous said...

Tweeted contest-
http://twitter.com/hkropog/statuses/4944193938

hkropog[at]yahoo[dot]com

Anonymous said...

My four year old would love it!
cgomez204@hotmail.com

Janna @ Feed Your Pig said...

Thanks for entering me! Great Contest!

Janna Johnson
janna@FeedYourPigBlog.com
jannajanna@hotmail.com
www.FeedYourPigBlog.com

blueviolet said...

I follow you!

blueviolet said...

I follow on twitter (blueviolet)

blueviolet said...

I blogged on my other blog here

mverno said...

i would like to join mverno@roadrunner.com

Anonymous said...

I love mosaics. The front door to my home has mosaics on it.
Telephones@aol.com

cstironkat said...

Alison would love to do these crafts. I like her to use her imagination. Thank you.

Bonnie said...

I love mosaics and would love a fun, safe and easy way to do this with my little boy too.

Tracey said...

This would be a wonderful "rainy day" activity for Liz.
traymona[at]aol.com

Lynn H said...

I follow your blog

knoxvegasc said...

I subscribe.

knoxvegasc said...

What a great giveaway!

scarlette10 said...

I would love to win this for my nephew! I have never seen these before and he loves crafts!

debiwelbon said...

This looks like it would be a great craft for children of all ages! I would really love to win this and try it out on the kids!

Mary said...

I think it is so interesting what people think is "age-appropriate" and not. It goes to show that every child is different and it's always worth trying out new (and fun) things!

Bethany said...

What a fun thing to do! David would love this.

Bethany said...

I follow your blog too.

Bethany said...

And I follow you on Twitter and Facebook.

Tarah said...

Wow - what a cool idea! I love how creative it is while still teaching numbers and colors!

Tarah
tarah716[at]ymail.com

samsakara said...

I would love this for my daughter.

samsakara@twcny.rr.com

samsakara said...

I follow your blog

samsakara@twcny.rr.com
(Shilo Beedy)

samsakara said...

I follow you on twitter as samsakara

samsakara@twcny.rr.com

Cindy said...

How fun. I am pretty sure I would have more fun doing this than any kid would he he.

Amanda said...

My girls would totally love this! If I don't win I might have to see if I can find some on the internet for them for christmas!

Amanda said...

I follow your blog

Amanda said...

I am a facebook friend and follow you on twitter

Val M said...

Those look so neat!
Please enter me.

vpg71 at hotmail.com

sweetsue said...

My three year old granddaughter would flip for this! It has all her favorite elements-girly stuff, color matching and stickers!
smchester at gmail dot com

sweetsue said...

I follow on Google Friend Connect.
smchester at gmail dot com

sweetsue said...

I follow on Twitter (ptowngirl).
smchester at gmail dot com

Jennifer said...

That looks like fun! David would love something like that!

Jennifer said...

And I subscribe to your blog and follow you on Twitter.

Faith said...

what a cool idea! and how totally awesome that the company provided that stuff for you to give away. i'm sure my kids would love it (ages 5&4) and i love anything that occupies them for more than 15 minutes. lol! hope i win...=)

Faith said...

ps i also subscribe to your blog through google reader

Kristi said...

What a neat thing! I am going to look for this item in my local kid's stores I go to! I would love a chance to win though.

kherbrand at comcast dot net

Kristi said...

I follow your blog.

kherbrand at comcast dot net

Kristi said...

I follow you on twitter.

kherbrand at comcast dot net

Anonymous said...

wow, great contest

Amy S. said...

I've been following your blog for about a month now. It's great, and this is a great giveaway. My kiddos and I were just looking at these at a local toy store.

Amy S. said...

Finally subscribed!

Kristi said...

Tweeted - http://twitter.com/kherbrand/statuses/5049210006

kherbrand at comcast dot net

Andrew & Susan said...

Just discovered your blog! I've been looking at these mosaic type activities for my 4 year old -- saw one that's magnetic but not with stickers. These look great!

Susan C. said...

Just subscribed (RSS feeds).

rachel said...

Mosiac stuff rocks my world! Last year, when my oldest daughter was three, I bought a bag of 10,000 mosaic pieces. Okay, so I'm a bit ambitious (...and I've not actually opened that bag yet) but I could work with something like this!

I stumbled onto your blog today and have had some fun times reading about your family!

rachel said...

subscribed to your blog feed today...

but can't justify adding you as a fb friend since I check my fb page, like, once a year. It just seems a little dishonest on my part! =)

Michele said...

Thank you for the giveaway. This sounds like a really great set of projects to work with my kids on!

"Miss" Anita said...

This looks like an awesome giveaway!

roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com

"Miss" Anita said...

I follow your blog.
roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com

"Miss" Anita said...

I follow you on Twitter (@HSBSuzanne).

roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com

"Miss" Anita said...

I tweeted about this giveaway...

http://twitter.com/HSBSuzanne/status/5088262113

I think this will be great for my craft-lovin' kids!

roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com

Sharon said...

Please enter me!

sehudson2006@yahoo.com

Sharon said...

I'm subscribed to your blog! Thanks!

sehudson2006@yahoo.com

Sharon said...

I follow you on twitter!

sehudson2006@yahoo.com

Sharon said...

I tweeted about your giveaway! Thanks!

sehudson2006@yahoo.com

souldolphindream said...

This is so cool! The kids would both love to do this. We are always trying different art projects and this would be really fun for them to do!

souldolphindream@aol.com

souldolphindream said...

I follow on twitter!

souldolphindream@aol.com

Michelle said...

What a fabulous giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win.

Michelle said...

Subscribed via Reader!

Michelle said...

Following you on Twitter as MrsMChappell

demmi said...

what a neat art project looks like fun for everyone

Suesur said...

So cool and what a tactile and sensory filled learning experience. Great product for the wee ones.

Heather M said...

WOW!! Avery is 2 1/2 I think this would be a great project for her next summer when she is 3... or even next winter when we're stuck inside the house! I'd love a chance to win this! Thanks

hmahan_0529 @ yahoo dot com

Sharon said...

My friends' daughter has this and would LOVE to win for my niece. THANKS

donnac36 said...

My niece would love this! It would be fun to do with her. donnac36(at)comcast(dot)net

brightleigh said...

What a cool creative toy!

Leigh B.
robandleighbright@suddenlink.net

Karrie said...

this would be perfect for my kids.thankyou for the contest :)

Jen said...

Wow what a great giveaway; my daughter would love this. Thanks for the chancce to win.

footejennifer at hotmail.com

Renee G said...

This looks great - I'd love to try this with my boys.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(Dot)com

AEKZ2 said...

My kids would be so entertained with this. Thanks!

katzkids said...

The Mosaics look like a lot of fun.We would love to win this.
Thanks for the giveaway:)
kats7960@gmail.com

Angela G said...

What an awesome looking product. I would love to have it for my boys. Thanks for the chance!
ag1414@hotmail.com

Angela G said...

I follow your blog.
ag1414@hotmail.com

Angela G said...

I follow you on twitter. ag1414
ag1414@hotmail.com

SeahorseLady said...

This looks like a great project that would provide hours of fun as well as being educational. Love it!

Kate said...

This looks like so much fun!! Thanks for the giveaway!

strycker@slu.edu

roseh2o19 said...

win!

Jackee Ann said...

This is a great prize!
happeejackee at gmail dot com

Jackee Ann said...

Following on twitter
as happeegirl
happeejackee at gmail dot com

Jackee Ann said...

Tweet
http://twitter.com/happeegirl/statuses/5159134428
happeejackee at gmail dot com

Jammie said...

This would be a great project for my daughter and my niece. They love doing crafts together.

Jammie said...

I guess I subscribe via reader. I see no where to follow your blog nor subscribe via email.

Jammie said...

I am a twitter follower Jammie79

ky2here said...

This would be so perfect for our granddaughter.

ky2here said...

Following on twitter as ky2here.

Molly K said...

We would have so much fun with this.

Heather said...

oh these look like SO much fun

Tracysweetangl said...

The kids would love this. They would have alot of fun with it. Thanks.

Tracysweetangl said...

I follow your blog!

Dispatcher_kristy said...

Oh I want this... my neice would love it

dispatcher_kristy@Hotmail.com

Jeff said...

I've never seen snything like this, thank you for the chance to win one! :)

saddleoneup at att dot net

:)

degood said...

Thanks for posting this. Once my daughter received a mosiac kit as a gift for a birthday and loved it but I has thrown out the box and never knew how to find another set like this. Now I know what to look for for a christmas present.

kerrie@mayansfamily.com

degood said...

I subscribe to your blog thru google reader

kerrie@mayansfamily.com

degood said...

I follow you on twitter as kmayans

kerrie@mayansfamily.com

plhill2000 said...

I have a granddaughter who would really love this.

sarah said...

this looks like a lot of fun - thanks. :)

doodlegirl said...

I've always wanted to do a mosaic

Sarah D. said...

My son would love this type of craft. So would my honey, he's a professional tile guy with a knack for creativity.

kngmckellar said...

What a nice giveaway!

kngmckellar@hotmail.com

kngmckellar said...

subscribe to email

kngmckellar@hotmail.com

FDP 4 Life said...

really cool, i would love to win

FDP 4 Life said...

follower

FDP 4 Life said...

facebook fan
tony l smoaks

Shane said...

what a neat idea. These look like a lot of fun.

tutugirl said...

I have 3 kids here who would really love this craft. It would keep us busy for quite a while.

tutucuteforme(at)hotmail(dot)com

Jennifer said...

This looks like a great idea for my niece, thanks for the giveaway!

mattandjen[at]gmail.com

Jinxy and Me said...

Thanks for the giveaway!

Jinxy and Me said...

I'm following you on Twitter. My twitter name is @ThriftyJinxy

Reeva said...

awesome giveaway - great christmas gift for my daughter!

Atreau said...

This looks like such a fun activity!

Egare1 said...

These look like so much fun! I'd love to do some with my niece :)

Egare1 said...

I'm a blog follower :)

Angie said...

This looks SO fun - my daughters would love this!

bridget3496 said...

This would be so much fun to do with my grandbaby

bridget3496 said...

follow your blog

bridget3496 said...

follow you on twitter- @bridget3496

Ardy22 said...

This is perfect for the little muscian in our family

Ardy22 said...

follow your blog

ardy22

Ardy22 said...

follow twitter

ardy22

Ardy22 said...

tweeted

http://twitter.com/Ardy22/status/5192393113

Donna said...

My kids would love it.
donna444444@yahoo.com

Donna said...

I follow your blog.
donna444444@yahoo.com

Donna said...

I follow you on twitter.(donnak4)
donna444444@yahoo.com

Gianna said...

My kids would love this.. Please enter me :)

liliesrnice said...

this would be great for my little girl.

wigget said...

this would make a great rainy day activity for us