Beats by Dr. Dre Studio ~ Review & Giveaway

I was very excited when I was contacted by Staples to receive a pair of beats by dr. dre studio for review. My husband and I have been looking for a good pair of headphones for a while. We had heard {beats by dr. dre studio} were pretty nice and I couldn't wait to test them out.

While waiting for my headphones to arrive, I got a special lil surprise in the mail from my contact, Jessica. It was a Staples Easy Button. LOL I couldn't help but crack a smile. My life just became easier. YAY! My kids have since been pressing the button and the "that was easy" verse has been a regular sound here in my house. Although they were a little disappointed when it didn't make their homework magically get done! Gotta love that easy button.  Getting a {Lot of Laughs} over here! Thank you, Jessica!

. . . On to my review of these amazing headphones . . .

As soon as the headphones arrived I was impressed. Impressed with the packaging (yes, I loved the box it came in) quality, sound, carrying case and that I could use them for phone calls. I immediately put them to use. First we all (the kids and I) tried them out by listening to some music. The music sounded clear and precise. We all wanted to use them all night. When my husband got home he tried them out too. He said they were awesome and we got a kick out of him singing out loud. He even tried to steal them from me to take on the road. Nope, they are mine! LOL Ok, maybe I will share a little, but not just yet.

Next, I tried them out while making some phone calls. While they don't cancel out all noise (kids playing in the background) they do cancel it out enough so I can actually hear what the other person is saying. With other headphones I can still hear my kids and I have to stop and tell them to quiet down while I talk.  With these I don't have to at all.  I also worry about the other person hearing the kids in the background, but with the beats by dr. dre studio I don't. The microphone does a great job of canceling out the background noise.  I tested this out in the car, where it gets pretty loud sometimes and it passed.  I also want to mention that the transition from music to a phone call is smooth and when you hang up, it goes back to your music with ease.  

The earcups size and cushion make the headphones very comfortable to wear. They are just the right size for children, teens and adults. I do have to say though at the cost of these headphones, I myself plan on only my husband and I using them and possibly supervised use for the kids.  The headphones are durable and I think they would be just fine for kids use, but it's our preference to keep them for adult use most of the time. The headphone case is very impressive with its rigid construction. I didn't even know they came with a case, so I was excited to know I had somewhere to safely keep my headphones and cords all in one place. This case will keep your headphones safe and together when traveling too!

I would definitely recommend the beats by dr. dre studio to family and friends. They would make a perfect gift for anyone any time of the year. Thanks again to Staples and Jessica for allowing me to host this review.

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. By entering this giveaway you agree to Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.

Staples has generously offered to GIVEAWAY a pair of dr. dre studio headphones to one of my lovely readers. Valued up to $180.

(Headphones pictured below are just an example of what you could win. The winner will choose a pair valued up to $180 on Staples.com)

Enter this giveaway below.

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MORE PRODUCT DETAILS - Courtesy of Staples.com

The original Beats that took the world by storm

After 25 years, Dr. Dre was tired of spending months on a track only to have his fans hear it on weak, distorting ear buds. Two years and hundreds of prototypes later, Beats Studio headphones are the icons that bring you sound the way it was originally intended.

• VALID ONLINE ONLY, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. REQUESTS TO MATCH PRICE IN STORE WILL NOT BE HONORED.
• Powered by a pair of AAA batteries, the noise cancellation feature in a pair of stylish Beats Studio headphones amplifies the music as it blocks out noise, giving you consistently powerful and intense sound
• Super plush and covered with ultra-soft breathable materials, you’ll be cool and comfortable even during marathon listening sessions. The Beats by Dr. Dre logo on the side also acts as a mute button when you press it. No need to take them off to talk.
• Take calls, skip songs and adjust volume right from the cord of your Beats Studio headphones. No more searching for your phone or music player just to find the right song
• A flawless and iconic fit. The perfect lightweight, foldable headphone that fits all sizes and shapes comfortably. The result is a design now copied by brands around the world.
• Beats Studio on ear Headphones, Two (2) AAA batteries, 3.5mm audio cable, 1/4" audio adapter, In-line remote & mic cable (features may vary), Hard Shell carrying case, Beats cleaning cloth

"People aren't hearing all the music.

Artists and producers work hard in the studio perfecting their sound. But people can't really hear it with normal headphones. Most headphones can't handle the bass, the detail, the dynamics. Bottom line, the music doesn't move you.

With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should: the way I do." - Dr. Dre


It's All About Sound
Three years of thorough research and development resulted in the most incredible headphone speaker ever built. Beats features highly advanced materials and construction to deliver a new level of audio accuracy and clarity. Combining extra-large speaker drivers and a high-power digital amplifier, Beats delivers an unprecedented combination of super deep bass, smooth undistorted highs, and crystal clear vocals never heard before from headphones.

Less Noise, More Music With Powered Isolation
Today's digital audio recording technology gives music more detail than ever before. Unfortunately, the details get easily lost in today's noisy world: on the street, on the bus, on the plane. The best listening experience isn't just about what you hear, but what you don't. Monster's powered isolation technology actively cuts external noise, so you experience all the rich details your favorite artists want you to hear.

Extreme Comfort is Music to Your Ears
With Beats, you feel the music, not the headphones. Spacious earcups give you extra room for a higher level of listening comfort. Plush ear cushions covered with ultra-soft breathable materials keep you cool even when the music's hot.

Ready for iPhone^?
Stay connected without missing a beat. Beats comes with an additional Monster iSoniTalk™ iPhone enable headphone cable with built-in answer button and microphone so you can easily stop rockin' and start talkin'.


ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Wired with Monster Cable
Advanced Monster™ Cable headphone cable with Quadripole™ 4 twisted pair construction reduces signal loss for balanced sound and clarity.

Micro Minijack
Compact connector design reduces bulk and eases unnecessary strain that can damage headphone connectors and ports.

Push To Listen
Integrated mute button lets you listen to the outside world without removing your Beats.

Folding Design
Beats fold into a compact shape for easy packing wherever you're going.

Touring Case
Rugged case with rigid construction keeps Beats and accessories safe during transport.

Monster CleanCloth
Ultra-soft cleaning cloth with AEGIS? microbe shield keeps Beats looking good and controls germs on your ear cushions.

Scratch-Resistant Gloss Finish
Advanced materials make Beats stand out from the crowd, and keep them looking good.


What's In The Box

• Beats Studio headphones
• Monster Cable headphone cable
• Monster iSoniTalk™ iPhone enabled headphone cable
• Rigid Tour case
• Anti-Microbial Cleaning cloth
• 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
• Two AAA batteries

One Year Limited Warranty

Specifications

• Weight: 260 grams, 270 grams with batteries
• Headphone cable length: 1.3 meters
• Connector: 1/8 inch (3.5mm), gold-plated

For Your Boy - Review and Giveaway

Pajamas are to Micah what shoes and bags are to most women. He can never have enough. He wants to wear a new pair each night. He likes variety and they must be comfy. When I showed him these new jammies that the lovely people at For Your Boy sent for him to try out he was so excited! Like, jumping up and down excited. It may have something to do with the pirate on the front and that we just had a pirate flag at our house when the youth group came over and shared pictures from their recent trip to the youth gathering. And it may have just been the "I got something new" excitement. And it may have been just the new jammies excitement...but really I think it was all those things wrapped into one!

When I was asked to check out For Your Boy I was very excited to do so. It seems that girl things are all around..afterall I do have three girls and it's easy to make or buy little girl things. Sometimes the boys get a little left out. When I checked out their website I was please to see so many great little items for my boy!! They have some great backpacks with the perfect little boy designs. They have watches, shirts, jammies, rain coats, stainless steel water bottles, you name it. They have a great varitey of products with the perfect designs for little boys, from dinosaurs, to trains and cars, to pirates and superheros. They are even starting to carry superhero costumes and capes. You can easily find something at this store for your boy!!

The quality of the jammies is great. The shipping was super fast and the customer service excellent! Give them a look and see for yourself...lots of goodies in there! Here's some good news! For Your Boy is giving one of my readers a $25 gift certificate to the store!! Think of the great things you can pick up for your boy and if you don't have a boy, you can surely find something for a Christmas gift (never to early to start thinking about that) or birthday gifts for the little boys in your life!!

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The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. 

Hold-On Handle Review

My third child is a mover and a shaker...she always has been. She was climbing on tables before she could walk and has brought a whole new meaning to the word "baby-proofing". I've  had to baby proof things with her that I never had to worry about with my first two kids. She keeps life interesting that is for sure. She loves her new found freedom of being 2.5 and getting to go places out of the stroller or shopping cart now. She loves to follow her big brother and sister around and since she's not the baby anymore she loves to go wherever she chooses. 

When I was contacted about reviewing the Hold-On Handles from Greater Than One Kids that was created by a mother of triplets I jumped at the chance. I thought maybe this will truly help me feel a little better about not taking the double stroller everywhere and will give Hannah a little bit of the freedom that she desires. The hold-on handles come with a giant carabiner that can hook onto many different places or I can just hang on to it. The plush panda bear is fun for Hannah to hang onto yet the length of the strap gives her "just enough" freedom to wander. There's also a second loop that Micah hangs onto sometimes which gives me confidence in his safety as well since he doesn't always pay attention. 

"With Hold-On Handles you can feel more confident, and your children can be safer, more active and happily independent when you are out and about together – a far better option, we believe, than a leash or harness."

I was sent the Zany Zoo Plush Panda handle and we love it. It's so cute and Hannah loves it too. Yes, sometimes I have to remind her to hold onto the bear but she's 2.5 so that's expected!

We used our hold-on handles when we went to visit papa in the hospital, it was so much better than letting the kids go ahead or making them hang right onto the stroller. When they used to hang onto the stroller directly, inevitably someone got stepped on. Hold-on handles gives the kids enough distance to keep their heals intact ;)

We also like to use the hold-on handles when going to the pool at my parents condo. We have to walk on the street to get to the pool so it makes me feel a little better when I know Hannah is holding on to something and not just left to wander.

I would HIGHLY recommend the hold-on handle to anyone with more than one kid...multiples or just a curious toddler with a baby in tow. It saved me many headaches and Hannah is getting trained to hold on more often and actually likes the panda bear...I think we'll have to name it soon! 

I was sent a Zany Zoo Plush Hold-On Handle in exchange for my opinion. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any other way.

GlassesUSA review

I wear glasses everyday. I used to wear contacts but they just didn't work very well for me. So my prescription glasses will have to do...and they are great. I've gotten so used to wearing eyeglasses that I can't imagine going back to contacts. I am cheap thrifty so I don't really like to go to the big box retailer to buy glasses. I was in dire need of new glasses...mine were being held together by a twist tie so I was very excited when I was contacted by the lovely people at GlassesUSA.com and asked to review their website and products.

Let me tell you friends, you will not be disappointed by GlassesUSA. They have an easy to use website with TONS of options. They have a 110% lowest price guarantee and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. They have this awesome feature on their website called the virtual mirror where you can upload a photo or take a photo of yourself with your webcam and "try on" the glasses. My daughter and I had a great time playing around with this feature. She wanted me to try on every pair because she thought it was so fun. And it was very helpful...it really helped me narrow down my options and ultimately decide on the glasses I ordered.

GlassesUSA also has a refer-a-friend program! yeah! When you refer a friend you can get $30 towards your next eyeglass purchase! So, if you're thinking of buying some glasses and would like to help me out you can use my referral link!!!

Seeing properly shouldn’t be a luxury – it should be a necessity. We do our best to help our customers and we take their vision needs very seriously by providing our customers with top quality lenses in the most fashionable frames available! -GlassesUSA

Once I picked out my glasses they came very quickly!! They came in a sturdy box with a great case and a cleaning cloth!! That will come in handy for me...I inevitably end up with little kid finger prints on my glasses a couple of times a day!

One other thing that I loved was this card that was included with my cleaning cloth. My prescription was written right on that card. I am always loosing my prescription from the drs office so I'm so glad to have it in another place...and they also included a coupon code for me as well!

Here are a couple of photos of me with my new glasses on! My friend Tracye took this first photo after she snapped a few of our family of 6 for our Christmas card! Love my new glasses...but not as much as my new baby!!!

I took this photo with my phone...it didn't turn out too horrible!

GlassesUSA offers great prices and lots of coupons as well. You can check out all the coupons right on the website. They have one right now for buy 1 get one free just use the code: "THANKS2FOR1". Such a good deal! You can also take 10% off any order with the code "Blog10"

I WILL be using GlassesUSA again in the future! I was very pleased with the customer service, the quick turn around time to get the glasses and the glasses are great too. The glasses are lightweight, fit great, and I think they look pretty good too. I hope you head over to GlassesUSA and give them a look. Go check em out while there's the great sale too!! You won't be disappointed!!

This post was sponsored by GlassesUSA.com. All opinions are my own. I was compensated with a pair of glasses but everything is my personal opinion!!

BubbleFrame App Review

If you have been on my Instagram page lately (@tarajo4), you would know how much I love BubbleFrame! Recently I was able to review their update before it came out {now available YAY} and I had so, so much fun! I think I post a pic I made in BubbleFrame at least once a day, if not more. LOL You might even have noticed the slideshows on the right over there. Yep, those are some that I made and some that a fellow Instagram{er} (@whippycake) made.

You won't look at other photo apps the same once you see what BubbleFrame can do. You will be addicted. I am using it for my kids pics, lovely word pics, button designing, photo challenges, birthday wishes, anniversary wishes, love notes and so much more.

There are over 90 colorful patterns to choose from as you create. You can even uses patterns from other apps if you save them into your photo album first. So there are many ways to uses this app to dress up, enjoy and share your photos.

....and now with their new update that adds curved text, you can get even more creative. There is even an option to add some of your own fonts in there. AMAZING!! I have already loaded a bunch and can't wait to load more.

Here are some more of my creations I made with BubbleFrame.

Some of these pics have other features from a few other apps I use.

Don't worry, I will list those apps below so you can check those out too.

More info about BubbleFrame...taken from iTunes

Description

Are you ready for hours of innovative fun? Bubbleframe is a unique and creative way to showcase your favorite pictures using adjustable “bubbles” for your frames. Building as many or as little bubbles as you choose and then filling them with pictures, patterns or colors gives you endless possibilities. You’re in control of every aspect from beginning to end creating truly inspiring images to share with your friends and family.

Features:
- easy to use interface - pinch to create a bubble, then fill it with a photo, color, or pattern
- 96 high quality patterns to select from for backgrounds
- add circular text around frame borders 
- adjust border width and color
- add a border gradient
- adjust bubble drop shadow
- zoom and pan each photo
- save the image in high resolution to your camera roll
- send to Instagram
- tweet it
- send to Facebook
- send to other installed apps that accept an image file
- send as an email

...Other Apps and Info I promised to share with you...

If you want to add a fancy Instagram Slideshow to your blog, visit HERE

You can add your personal slideshow, example @tarajo4 

or you can add a hashtag, example #trendytreehouse.

Need Help adding your Instagram feed? Taking Time to Create has a great tutorial HERE.

Photo Apps that are amazing (featured in my photos above)...LabelBox, SigNote, Photo2Text, TypoInsta

Where I get more colorful patterns to use in BubbleFrame...the CupTakes App

Now go, go right now, go on, get over to iTunes and grab the BubbleFrame app. You'll be glad you did!

Please make sure you use the hashtag #bubbleframe when you share your photos so @treasuredbyholly and @devpitcher (the BubbleFrame creators) can see them. And of course so us other BubbleFrame lovers can admire them too!

One more BubbleFrame Pic I made before I go. As if I didn't share enough already.

But had to share this because it is a special one dear to our family. Please pray for my Grandad as he goes through his cancer journey. I made this as a button to link people to his story for my moms blog. You can read more HERE or click on the photo below. 

{Thank you so much to Dev and Holly for allowing me to review their fabulous app. Still on the top of my favorite app list!}

I am available for more app reviews anytime! Just email me at trendytreehouse@me.com to let me know how I can help.

Red Barn Scrapbook Review & Giveaway

Red Barn Scrapbook offers unique, handmade camera straps. What started as a simple desire to have a stylish camera strap for myself, has turned into sharing my creations with others. I currently make straps for DSLR and SLR cameras, as well as wrist straps for point-and-shootcameras. These are beautiful, fun, and unique straps. If you are like me, always with camera in tow, you will delight in having a pretty camera strap. Please visit my etsy store to see the current collection of camera straps, and to make a purchase. Kim

Info above taken from Kim's site Red Barn Scrapbook

I was asked by Kim if I would like to review one of her camera straps. When I saw all the cute straps she had to offer, I was very excited to say YES! All I had to do was decide on a favorite. LOL Which was very hard because there are so many cute ones to choose from! I love owls and when I saw the one I chose, pictured below, my search was over.

Isn't it cute?!? I love the ruffles and the owl ribbon.  This camera strap is perfectly made and very comfortable to wear. I put it on my DSLR camera as soon as I got it. It was the perfect week to get it. We had 2 field trips planned at school and 2 sporting events. I received many compliments from teachers, friends and strangers.  We even took the kids to see the Dr. Seuss Art Show at a local museum. I loved the overall look of my strap and will most likely be ordering another for my other camera.

Red Barn Scrapbook offers many camera straps and camera wrist straps too! The best camera accessories available! Just look at these cute ones now available on Kim's Etsy Shop...click on the photo to see more info on those straps.

...The Ooh La La Camera Strap...

...The Sketchy Camera Wrist Strap...

...The Black and Red Ruffle Camera Strap...

If you like what you see and want to learn more, you can visit Kim's blog too. As well as her business site.


Interested in buying a strap for yourself?
Kim is generously offering a discount through March 15, 2012.
Just enter Code: TRENDYTREEHOUSE
at checkout for a 10% discount
Thank you Kim for offering this discount!


Kim at Red Barn Scrapbook is also offering a giveaway here at Trendy Treehouse
1 lucky reader will get to choose one camera strap of your choice.

...How to enter...

Mandatory 1st Entry -Visit Red Barn Scrapbook & Comment below sharing with us what your favorite camera strap is.

Must enter Mandatory entry or all others will be deleted. Thanks! 

WINNER... Sandra Strickler

You will have until  March 4th @ 9:00 p.m. Pacific Standard time to enter this giveaway. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here. If the winner has provided an email address I will contact you. If you don't provide your email, you will want to check back here and see if you are the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to those living in US, CANADA & AUSTRALIA. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Thanks for entering at Trendy Treehouse. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. By entering this giveaway you agree to Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.