CozyPhones Review/Giveaway

I first learned of CozyPhones around Easter when a friend of mine posted the obligatory night before Easter basket pictures. Many people commented inquiring about the adorable headbands that were draped over each of the four baskets.

Based on those comments, I think she helped CozyPhones make many sales that Spring!

As for me, I was so ecstatic to get the chance to try them for my own kiddos as well! So, what are they?

CozyPhones are just as they sound-- cosy headphones that fit snuggly and safely over the ears!

I have two kids, 7 and 2, and I can't even tell you how much I needed this product without knowing it existed. We are a technology fueled household. Between just the kids there are laptops, and MP3 players and tablets.

Particularly with kids, technology comes with NOISE. My older one is ok with a pair of earbuds but often complains that they fall out too much.

They are made for adults after all, and even then rarely fit inside ears comfortably.

But without headphones, we are always ushering kids to their rooms due to volume levels while playing on them, and dread when they want to take them into the car.

Thanks to CozyPhones, those days are over. Play on, children!

With many styles available, CozyPhones are one size headbands made of super soft fleece.

I will say I wish they weren't entirely 'one size'.

Both of my kids have fairly small heads, or so I thought but its pretty stiff on either of them. I'm hoping that over time they loosen up, but fleece isn't exactly stretchy.

A younger child as well as older child size option would be great.

On the inside of the back there is a slit where the cord comes out. The headphone unit is completely removable for easy washing.

The headphones themselves are ultra thin inside the fleece and super simple to move around to lay flat wherever your child's ears fall. The headphones are good quality with braided cords. One thing I'm not sure of despite searching their website is if they sell replacement headphones.

Each of the styles currently in stock range in price. For the few months I've been watching this company, they have had a retail of around $30 lined out with a sale price ranging from $14-$20.

CozyPhones aren't just for kids either! But perhaps you don't want the pink bunny with floppy ears on your forehead.. That's ok! They have three difference styles available for adults.

The first two are a soft fleece. The Original series comes in black, grey or violet as well as leapard print or camo print, and would be perfect for sleeping with.

The newer Contour series version comes in black, grey or violet and includes a more contoured shape so they'll stay put while sleeping and is made with a cool mess lining so you don't overheat when the weather is warm.

Both of these are usable as a sleep mask as well by simply moving them down over your eyes.

The second is a lightweight lycra mesh sure to make your next workout perfect!

Nothing sucks more than having to stop on the elliptical to catch fallen ear buds that never want to stay in place!

The  lycra mesh version even comes with a handy drawstring pouch perfect to throw into your gym bag.

In addition to relaxing and gym use, I also love to listen to my podcasts in the car (as a passenger - don't wear headphones while driving!) or while doing dishes and other housework, and some of the subject matters aren't particularly kid friendly.

Cozyphones let me do my thing without disturbing others or having to constantly readjust earbuds.

The Lycra Mesh Cozyphones are available in black with 4 trim choices: black, blue, white or pink.

The downside for me? I have the same complaint about this one as I did with the kids version – They seem a little tight and a pain in the butt to get on.

I like to throw my hair up in a bun for the gym and I feel like I have to put my headphones on beforehand or it will mess it all up trying to put on.

Oddly, although they feel tight getting on, they are almost too loose once in place. Since they are a lightweight slippery material I kept feeling like they were going to slip down, yet they didn't.

I think it just takes some getting used to.

Also, I really disliked the company label on them. I'm all for advertising yourself but how about putting it on the side or back?? Right smack on my forehead felt super dorky.

This style retails for $29.99 but have been on sale for $19.97 for as long as I've been watching.

I have washed all three of our pairs, the Active Wear ones more than a few times, and I'm not seeing any damage done or shrinkage. I lay them flat to air dry as instructed.

Regardless of my issues over size, I truly love this company! My kids couldn't be more happy with their adorable accessories and I'm happy to not hear Super Why on loop non-stop as they so very seem to enjoy.

Cozyphones are just great for road trips, airplane rides, the gym, or just around the house, and you just can't beat the cute factor of the kids versions!

And yes, we have a giveaway! Cozyphones will send one of our readers worldwide a Cozyphone of their choice, adult or child version - read on to see how you can enter to win!

www.cozyphones.com

www.facebook.com/cozyphone

https://twitter.com/cozyphones

https://www.instagram.com/cozyphone/

https://www.pinterest.com/cozyphones0412/

One winner worldwide will receive a a pair of CozyPhones in the style of their choice from among those currently in stock at the end of the giveaway.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE and will end just before midnight ET on 8/11. 

The winner will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck!

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Review: Zizo Bolt Cover Phone Case

I am a proud owner of a Samsung S7 Edge but I was a little upset when I bought it to hear that this phone had no tough case that I could buy. So when the opportunity to review the Zizo Bolt Cover phone case came along I was excited! I have two kiddos that love my phone and also love, almost need, to drop it and hear me scream in horror thinking they broke it.

When the Zizo Bolt Cover military grade ULTIMATE PROTECTION finally came, I put it on my phone and was so confident in it that I couldn’t wait to give my phone to my 7 month old and say DO YOUR WORST!. And believe me, she did - but failed.

Oh wait let me back up…

First things first, when opening the box you will get a instruction (in 3 different languages)  for applying the Tempered Glass Screen. Now right away I was excited for that because not only would it protect my screen from the messy fingerprints but also the dirt, and helps protect the phone when it falls.

Also included is a belt clip and the lanyard. I only used the lanyard a few times because honestly I don’t like having my phone on it, though it came in handy when my daughter almost threw my phone over a railing. So thumbs up on that, but I didn’t use it much otherwise.

Next the kickstand, which would be a LIFESAVER IN CARS!!!! I use this stand to place my phone in an upright position so I can use Google Maps to find my way around Germany where we live, and for me I MUST HAVE GPS ALL THE TIME.

The kickstand is also perfect for allowing my son to watch Netflix at a safe distance away from the danger of spills. LOVE IT!

Following the picture instructions were so easy and honestly only 4 steps and you are ready to use your phone.

So my first impressions were nothing but positive. Then Day 2 happened.

I decided to test the Zizo's durability claims out by putting my phone through the sort of challenges that are typical in my life.

First, I started by going through a few test runs, using the belt clip as I ran downstairs. Perfect.

I am 5’5 and I held the phone above my head and dropped it. Perfect.

I dropped it with a little throw as I sometimes throw it on the bed and it bounces off and lands on the floor…..(Yes I’m that mom) Perfect

Gave it to my 7 month old with the Hulk's strength for breaking things. Perfect.

Then I put in my bag to get ready to leave, and I didn’t put on the second strap of my bag and the phone and my wallet fall out and Zizo's tempered glass protection screen broke.

Really, not even half my height and it broke? It can be thrown, dropped from above my head, go through my daughter’s drop test and it breaks with that?

I was heartbroken and mad!! WHAT JUST HAPPENED! NOOOOOOOO!

Unfortunately, as I continued to use it, minus the broken screen protector, I found other issues as well.

The very first time I was trying to lift the kickstand, it was stuck so I had to use a butter knife to pry it open. Also, when you do have the “fragile” tempered glass on it, sometimes it doesn’t allow you to click on things as if not recognizing your finger. And trying to raise or lower the volume needs a little muscle just to push it down.

So though I really liked the style of the case, and loved its features in theory, I would not buy this item unless they came up with a tougher screen protecting glass that also would allow you to answer the phone without needing to slide right 10 times.

Now with that being said, I may still use the kickstand part of the case but the fear of it dropping will still be there. The back part of the case really is ruggedized, so I will just hope it lands on that side.

 Whenever I do find my perfect phone case, I will make sure it has a kickstand feature - that is still my favorite part.

One final comment, regarding Zizo's customer service. The day the screen protection cracked (March 9th), I sent them over an email to let them know what happen in hopes to hear back. A month has gone by and still no word back from them. Which is not a great sign in the hopes of getting it fixed or being sent a replacement.

The set I received, including holster and glass screen protector is currently on sale on their website for $23.99.  They also have other styles with built in kickstands that are available without the screen protector.

https://www.zizowireless.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ZizoWireless/

https://twitter.com/zizowireless

https://www.instagram.com/zizowireless/

Review: Gnoments

This December, the Mister and I will be celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary and twelve years of knowing one another. After living in four different states, having two kids, and that many years behind us, sometimes it is hard to remember to keep some of the spontaneous spark that existed in those early days of infatuation, before the relationship evolved and matured.

When I first realized that I wanted us to take some extra time to focus on us, I implemented “date night” on Tuesday. It was a simple enough concept: after we put Mischief to bed, we put our devices away, and did something together, whether it was watching a show or movie that was just for us and actually being able to discuss it, or playing a two player board game.

Unfortunately, after our daughter was born, those nights became fewer and farther between, as more of our time was spent taking care of a newborn and catching up on sleep and/or work. Then we moved to a new state, and honestly, never picked the ritual back up.

Now that my daughter is two, I find myself missing those weekly date nights, so when I got the opportunity to check out Gnoments, I jumped on it!

Gnoments is a system to help remind you to connect with your love with the help of two adorable gnomes.

I got a cute boxed set that included a hardcover book that was part cute story and part tutorial on how to utilize the two stuffed gnomes.

These gnomes (one male with a beard and one female with braids) have magnets in their hands, which lets them hold each other's hand, pouches for holding treasure and notes on their backs, adorable hats which match up to form a cute heart, and an embedded NFC (Near Field Communication) tag.

NFC is a nifty technology that allows for wireless data transfer that many of the newer phones are now compatible with (if you can use something like Apple Pay, you can probably utilize the NFC tag in the Gnoments gnomes). My phone is not cool, or fancy, so I can't use this feature, however, no worries!

You can still send digital messages with your gnomes online, called a gnomification.

I took the liberty to be completely cheesy and named my gnomes immediately. My gnomes are Gned and Gnatasha. Yes, I am that awesomely lame.

These gnomes are supposed to remind you by just their very presence to take some time for your partner.

I have to say that they have persuaded me to become a bit more spontaneous with my Mister, and within the first week of having them, I set up a surprise date to go see a movie, just the two of us.

To put this in perspective, I think the last time we went out on a date was February, maybe March. Either way, it's been a while, and I am never the one to set things up (I'm a big homebody).

I've used Gned and Gnatasha to leave little notes for the Mister in the mornings, and they even helped me give him his early birthday present!

Unfortunately, even though he read the book, and I explained the concept of these adorable gnomes that now reside in our bedroom, my Mister has not taken any initiative to use them to even leave me a note! Sadface.

While I can use the website to send a Gnomification to the Mister, I find it to be an unnecessary extra step to sending him something. It is much easier to just shoot him a text, even if I want to send him a link. It honestly feels a little like sending something in high school via email a la 2006 instead of a 2016 text.

I think we've moved beyond that, and I prefer to just use the pouches and use pen and paper. The Gnomifications feature seems to me to be a consolation prize for those who lack phones with NFC technology. Or maybe that's just sour grapes talking, and I should just get a phone that costs more that $60...

Even though I couldn't use the NFC chips, I still love these little guys. I like being able to look up and see Gned and Gnatasha holding their hands on the dresser.

They are wonderful little gentle reminders to do something special for your someone special, no matter how big or little. A little whimsy goes a long way in my book, and these gnomes definitely add a little extra whimsy to our lives.

The holidays are coming up, and these little guys are a wonderful gift to a couple. I have actually ordered a set for a friend who just got married and will be giving them to her this holiday season for her and her new hubby to enjoy.

If you can think of a couple who could use adorable gnomey reminders to spend a little effort on each other (maybe you are part of that couple!) I highly recommend Gnoments. You can order a box set for yourself here for $39.95.

http://gnoments.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Gnoments/
https://twitter.com/Gnoments
https://www.instagram.com/gnoments/
https://www.pinterest.com/gnoments/

Cool the Back Seat! DIY Air Conditioning Extension Tube

We live in Central Texas where its currently still in the high 90°'s and it gets blazing hot in my car. I drive a 2013 Dodge Journey that doesn't have AC vents in the back seat. It takes a very long time to cool down back there and for a child, any amount of time is too long. My daughter has Sensory Processing Disorder and sitting in her booster with a sweaty bottom is one of her triggers.

I have been wanting to purchase a product that would help get the cold air to the backseat faster, and there are certainly some great products out there. However as a crafty (ahem. . . cheap. . . ) mom, I like to try to make my own, less expensive version of things. So the following is my tutorial for a quick and effective AC Extension Tube.

Shopping list:

vinyl flexible hose

3" diameter 20' vinyl flexible hose (Found at Home Depot for about $10)

1 1/4" diameter Curtain Clip Rings (you really only need the clip but I was improvising)

Roughly 2.5 yards fabric of your choice

16" of 3/4" elastic

Thread to match fabric

Measuring tape

curtain clips

Pencil

Scissors

Wire cutters

To begin:
Measure the length of tubing you need to get from your AC vent to your back seat. I went with 8 feet. Use the scissors to begin cutting the vinyl and the wire cutters to complete the cut.

For the fabric cover:
Lay your fabric out on a clean, flat surface. Use your pencil and measure tape to mark your fabric. You'll want about 12 inches of width to be able to wrap around the tube and the length should be about 4 inches longer than your tube.

I went along the fabric, marking out the 12" width along the entire length and then used my scissors to "connect the dots".

Once you have your very long rectangle of fabric cut out, fold it in half along the length and iron it with the design side facing each other. You can pin it along the length to make sewing easier.

Sew one long straight line with a 1/4"seam allowance. At each short end fold 1/4" over and then 1/2" over to create a double fold. Sew along this edge but leave a 1" opening to allow for the insertion of the elastic. Repeat for the other side.

Do not insert your elastic yet. Turn the entire sleeve right side out. Insert the vinyl tube into the sleeve.

Using a safety pin or a bodkin, insert the elastic into the opening you left at the end of the sleeve. I used about 8" of elastic in each end. Pull the elastic taut and sew it together. The elastic should be outside of the tube to protect from any jagged edges.


This next part is somewhat difficult to explain. Take your curtain rings and pry the S hook portion open enough to get the ring off. You don't need the ring portion, just the clip and S hook.

You are going to hook the S onto the elastic and clip the other part on the the vents. I used two hook clips placed about 3" apart. You'll have to refer to the picture for clarification.

I leave the back end of the tube in the back seat and let my daughter hold it so she can place the air where she likes.

Notes: While this works great for cold air, I wouldn't recommend that it be used for hot hair as the steel wire that reinforces the tubing could get to hot to touch. When I made my tube, I used aluminum dryer vent tubing but have since gone back for the vinyl for fear that the aluminum may get too warm.

We were parked in my driveway so no need to panic about the lack of seat belt.

Review/Giveaway: Tailor Brands Logo Designs

I think one of the hardest parts about owning a business is branding, and to go even deeper, branding done right.  I have a small photography business, and was thrilled to have an opportunity to get assistance creating a striking logo and other branding materials from Tailor Brands.

It takes a bit of time to work through their set up, but you are able to customize your Logo to work with almost every aspect of your Business!

Every single thing they offered in my Tailor Brands Professional Bundle Package was very accessible and easy to use for my website, Facebook page, and all social media in general.

The program is also Mobile-friendly, which is such a great accessory, so I can still build my business on the go.

Taylor Brands starts by having you answer a type of Questionaire / Survery about your business, and which marketing tools will help you thrive.

It asks you about your personal preferences for fonts, designs, logo pictures, and titles, in order to create a brand design that you might like.

I was pleasantly surprised by how many stock photos they had to offer, to help make your Logo/Branding clean and professional.

For example, I am a photographer and they actually have a template category just for that, so I chose A camera-logo that I felt best represented my own Camera.

Another key point to highlight, is that I absolutely love how they give you so many options for your logo. They Inverse black and white, so you have different shading and color options for the style of your Branding. (Seen Below)

The page automates the design set up, making it easy to get started, but they don't leave you on your own. 

Once you answer the questionnaire through Tailor Brands, they send you these adorable Emails saying "your file is ready to download." I can open to files on my phone as well as my desktop, which enables me to use them so much more. I am always on the go, so have such a mobile-friendly service for my business, is very nice.

Tailor Brands has on-hands staff that can help you at any time through your branding process with their tools and online support. 

I decided I didn't like the way I made one of my logo layouts, so I asked for help through the site and received an email the very same day fixing my personal error.

The personal, hands-on help I received from Lindsey with Tailor Brands exceeded my expectations. She was professional, responsive and helpful from start to finish and this spoke volumes for me in terms of customer service. 

Tailor Brands created a custom Cover Photo for my Photography Facebook Page, with my professional photographs incorporated. You have the choice to use stock photos that Tailor Brands Provides, or you can upload your own pictures, as I did. 

I found it very helpful that Tailor brands emailed me just about every computer format of my logos and branding. They give you SO much to work with, and every template they send you comes with very detailed and helpful instructions to guide you through the process. 

I really love how you have the choice to design vastly different logos, but still stick with consistent branding guidelines. 

They have several options, in terms of pricing and packages. If you aren't ready to get the full bundle, they even offer select services available for monthly billing as well.

I received the Premium Package Bundle for review, a $128 value, currently on sale for $99) which included the following:

Bundles are available for as low as $39.00, and many items are available for individual purchase as well!

Another Feature of Tailor Brands that I love is everything you customize and work on through their site is saved online, and you can pick up where you left off at any time. You have endless online tools through the website, at your disposal to take your business to a whole other level.

I am very proud of my new customized branding through Tailor Brands and look forward to working with their business more in the future. 

I feel as though this is a valuable branding tool, that helped in the professionalism and consistency within my different Photography websites and social media pages.  Just as soon as I have time in my own busy schedule to work on a renovation of my online sites, I will be happily incorporatiing my new brand!

If you've been looking to revamp your online brand, now's the time - Tailor Brands is kindly offering a Giveaway to one of our Awesome Readers.

All files are digital so this one is open world-wide!

The value of the giveaway is originally $128, (although it is on sale for $99) and the winner receives a logo, an EPS file, business card and letterhead design files, branded presentation, a brand book, social media cover photos, and 21 logo sizes, to give you everything you need!  Read on to see how you can enter to win!

https://www.tailorbrands.com

https://www.facebook.com/tailorbrands/

https://twitter.com/TailorBrands

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open WORLD-WIDE and will end just before midnight ET on 6/12. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winners have responded and confirmed, their first names will be posted on our Giveaways  page.


Good luck!

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3D Printing: An Introduction

If you have a computer and internet access, chances are you have heard of the term 3D Printing. But what exactly is it and what can you do with it? What kinds of materials can you print with it? And how the heck does it work? Is it even something regular folks can work with? Well, today, I am here to take you on a journey down the deep, dark rabbit hole that is 3D Printing.

I first learned about 3D printing by seeing ads on the internet a few years ago. As an electronics technician, IT professional, and a lover of all things mechanical I was intrigued by the concept of the 3D printing machine. You can literally create just about anything you could ever desire within the size limitations of the machine being used. I never spent too much thought on it because I was absolutely certain that the current price point was way beyond my reach. At the time they were running anywhere from $1000.00 and up. The larger, industrial applications with the ability to print larger objects were well over $5000.00

After a few years, it was time for me to move from one job to the next. When I got to my current military assignment and started to get to know the people that I worked with, I found out that one of the guys owned a 3D Printer. From talking with him, I also learned that my immediate supervisor had also ordered the same printer that he had bought.

As a father of two on a tight budget, I was a bit envious of them and their ability to purchase such expensive things without much care. But then I learned what they bought. It wasn’t an off-the-shelf printer. They had purchased a kit containing all the parts needed to build their own printer.

After much debate and pricing my options, I decided to go with the same vendor that they had purchased their kits through. That vendor was Folger Technologies. I purchased their aluminum framed 2020 Prusa i3 kit for $270 (almost 1/3 the cost of the low end pre-assembled models).

Since purchasing, assembling, calibrating, upgrading, re-calibrating, and doing it all over again, I have learned a lot. I know my printer inside and out. If something goes wrong I know exactly where to look to start troubleshooting. I have made several little toys as well as functional upgrade parts for my printer. I have made gifts for friends and family, models, and have even designed and printed an electronic cigarette box mod.

My printer has come a very long way since my very first print and I can't wait to see just how much I can do with it. Now that you have a little bit of a background as to how I found my printer, let’s move on and look a little deeper into what 3D printing actually is.

History

To really get to know what 3D printing is, you need to know where it came from and why. 3D printing has actually been around for quite a while now though it’s only become available to the consumer in more recent years.

3D printing is known as Additive Manufacturing (or AM). AM is the process of adding material to a workspace to create an object that has not only length and width but also depth.

Woodworking, for example, would require the artist or manufacturer to remove material from a larger piece of wood until it looked the way the person or company intended. Additive manufacturing increases the amount of material used until the intended end result is achieved.

The earliest form of 3D printing came about in the early 1980s. I will spare you the details for now but will go a little more in depth in a later post (you can read the wiki if you want more information in the time being). There were several patents filed on several types of designs that lead to the modern 3D printers that are in use today. In the early 2010s 3D printing really took off and became what we know today.

Concept

The concept of 3D printing isn’t much different than the ink and paper printers that are used by nearly everyone on the face of the earth today. Ink and paper printers lay down different colors of ink on a sheet of paper in a single layer to achieve an end product. That end product is usually a document or picture.

3D printers don’t use ink but use other types of materials such as plastics and metals. These materials are laid down on the print surface in successive layers to create a 3 dimensional object. If you look closely at a 3D printed object, you can see each individual layer in the material.

Application

3D printing has many different applications. It can be used to create functional prosthetics, prototypes for manufacturing on a larger scale, models and toys, and even functional parts and products.

It has even been said that 3D printing is slated to create a 3rd industrial revolution in which the end user will do the majority of their own manufacturing instead of purchasing mass produced parts from vendors.

It is still a technology in its pioneering stage, so hard to say for sure where it will lead, but I think it is definitely one to keep a close eye on.

If this post has piqued your interest, than you are going to want to check back often. This is the first post of many in the 3D printing series I plan to share.

I will take you through a more in depth explanation of how a 3D printer works, how to choose the printer that’s right for you, how to choose your printing material based on your specific applications, and even building, calibrating, upgrading, and maintaining a DIY 3D printer.

If you've discovered 3D printing already, I'd love to hear from you in comments - what uses have you found for it so far?