Snappy Socks Review/Giveaway

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Make it a family movie night with the beloved blue creatures in the fully animated, all-new take on The Smurfs when Sony Pictures Animation’s SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE debuts on Digital June 20 and on 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray™ + Digital, Blu-ray + Digital and DVD July 11 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE follows Smurfette and her friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!
SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE features an all-star voice cast, including platinum-selling recording artist Demi Lovato as Smurfette, Emmy®-nominated comic actor Rainn Wilson as Gargamel, Joe Manganiello as Hefty Smurf, Jack McBrayer as Clumsy Smurf, Danny Pudi as Brainy Smurf, Michelle Rodriguez as SmurfStorm, Ellie Kemper as SmurfBlossom, Ariel Winter as SmurfLily, with Mandy Patinkin as Papa Smurf and Academy Award® winner Julia Roberts as SmurfWillow.
SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE is bursting with bonus materials on the Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, DVD and digital releases. Along with filmmaker commentary, there are 10 fun and interactive featurettes, including Meghan Trainor’s “I’m A Lady” music video and “Lost Village Dance Along” where you can join in the Smurf dance party. Get ready to represent your Smurf style with “Smurfify Your Nails” and create a Lost Village inspired manicure, then go inside “Baker Smurf’s Mini Kitchen” to follow along and guess what’s cooking, plus get step-by-step tutorials on how to draw your favorite Smurfs with three “how to” videos. Fans can also go behind the scenes as Demi Lovato auditions for the film and goes through a pretty tough interview with Smurfette herself in “Demi Lovato Meets Smurfette.”
DVD and Digital Bonus Materials Include:
Filmmaker Commentary
Meghan Trainor “I’m A Lady” Music Video
The Emoji Movie Sneak Peek
Featurettes:
“Kids at Heart! The Making of Smurfs: The Lost Village
“Demi Lovato Meets Smurfette”
“Lost Village Dance Along”
“Smurfify Your Nails”
“Baker Smurf’s Mini Kitchen”
Meghan Trainor “I’m A Lady” Music Video
“How To Draw Smurfette”
“How To Draw Brainy”
“How To Draw Clumsy”
“Making The Song ‘You Will Always Find Me In Your Heart’”
“The Sound Of The Smurfs”
Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD Exclusive Bonus Materials Include:
Everything listed above, plus:
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes:
Digital (iTunes, Vudu and Xfinity) Exclusive Bonus Materials Include:
Everything on the DVD, Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD
“Girl Power! Making Meghan Trainor’s ‘I’m A Lady’”

Last week, NBC’s hit series America’s Got Talent wrapped up its 10th season with the crowning of a new winner who rose above to walk away with the series’ top honor.
After several eliminations throughout the night, it all came down to two competitors, comedian Drew Lynch and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin. Only one act could walk away with the series’ top honor. In the end, Zerdin got the edge on the young comedian and walked away with the $1 million prize!
Last week a few fellow bloggers/reporters were able to interview the winner Paul Zerdin about his win. Here are a few questions and answers.
Can you speak a little bit about what was going through your mind as you awaited the final results? And what your initial reaction was when Nick announced your name as the Season 10 Champion? – Cody Schultz from hiddenremote.com
Well, when it was whittled down to myself and Drew I thought that Drew would win it definitely. I thought he was an amazing comedian. Very, very, very lovable character — personality. The audience loved him in the theater and, you know, out and about in America.
And I thought that he was going to win it. So I was preparing in my head what I would say to him before I got told to get off the stage. And I was going to say to him, you know, well done. The best man won. You’re a great act and congratulations.
And I thought I would be runner up. And then when they said my name, my heart skipped a beat. And it took a bit of a – it took a moment to sink in really. I still the feel the same really.
It’s a mixture of jetlag, lack of sleep, and euphoria all together — which, you know, I feel very happy about it. And I’m still slightly lost for words when people ask me about it now like you have done.
You had some tremendous performances throughout the season. So looking back is there any performance that stands out as your personal favorite? And what was it about that performance that made it your stand out above the rest? – Cody Schultz from hiddenremote.com
Well, I think, well, probably my first audition at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood would stand out for me because it was the first one. And I just thought, I don’t know what’s going to happen here. It could go horribly wrong, or it could go well.
And luckily it went well. And I got a standing ovation from the judges and from the audience in the theater. And so I thought, wow that’s a great reaction and what a great start.
So that filled me with confidence. And I think helped me enormously to carry on and think that I could maybe, you know, go far. I didn’t ever think I could win it. But I thought I could get maybe, you know, quite a bit further in the competition.
That was a big moment for me. And also having Howie last week in the semifinal be my human dummy. I mean that was a bit of a moment because he was such a great sport. He had no idea what was going to happen.
And I was so lucky the way that he reacted. Because he could have reacted so differently. But he – whatever he did, he did it just beautifully. And I love doing that piece because I can control – I do it from, you know, I’ll be doing it in my show in Las Vegas where I’ll get a couple out of the audience and I — a married couple is what I usually do — and I turn them into my dummies.
And I get them doing, you know, crazy things. And it’s great being able to sort of control them. But you’re, of course, you’re not really in control. You control their voices. But it’s very much up to the individuals how they react. And everyone reacts differently.
But that’s what I love. I love the danger of that and the fact that you can adlib. And Howie Mandel was absolutely brilliant.
So I’m curious to know is there anything throughout your time spent in the competition that you found that you were surprised to learn about yourself as a performer? – Kristyn Clarke from Pop Culture Madness
Well, I think when you come to perform at Radio City — and I’ve been lucky enough to perform all over the place, all around the world doing different sorts of gigs and things — no gig has ever been quite as big as Radio City.
I mean that theater holds just under 6,000, I think it is. And even though I think of myself as a, you know, a fairly polished performer and, you know, pretty experienced, I still had jitters in my stomach. I had butterflies just before I started my performance.
I’m not a performer that’s like a jabbering nervous wreck before I go on. I’ve worked with some comics over the years who just spend all day worrying about the gig that night. And I’ve always thought that’s crazy. That’s just going to ruin your day. And I’m, you know, I work a lot and perform a lot. And I just thought, I can’t go through life just worrying about it. I think that’s ridiculous. But I try and channel the nervous energy.
So I would just get a little kind of buzz just before I started. Before I walked out on the stage at Radio City. But I remember being slightly surprised that, you know, I did have that slight jitter.
And I just kept saying to myself, “Right. Come on. Keep it cool. Keep it cool. Look like you’re in control. Just go out there.” And also sometimes you’re worrying about so much because you’re very limited with time. You don’t have much time. You’ve got to try and make an impact when you’re on a live TV show and you want to try and make the best impression you can.
You want to impress the judges. You want the audience at home to love what you’re doing. And you want a great – you want great feedback from the theater audience as well. And to try and do that in like two minutes — or whatever it is — is quite hard.
And so I – you’re worrying about it. Or and you don’t want to overrun because you’re on live television — which when you think about it, is quite – it’s quite a big deal when you’re right there in the moment.

Today Donna from donnahup.com brings us these adorable Easter Peep Surprise Cupcakes! These cupcakes are not only adorable to look at, but they’re so much fun to eat! Under each peep is a “surprise” in the cupcake. You can customize them depending on dietary needs. Get the full recipe with tutorial pics over at donnahup.com.

Have you ever been watching your favorite TV show and wondered where you can find that outfit or piece of jewelry? I know I have…many many times…Loralyn Designs, design handmade stainless steel jewelry that have been worn on TV shows like The Vampire Diaries & given away in award show goodie bags. Loralyn Designs sent me several handmade stainless steel jewelry pieces to check out including a few brand new pieces! If you follow on Instagram you’ve seen these pieces in my flatlay photo, but today we’re getting a closer look at these gorgeous pieces!
But first, let’s learn a little more about Loralyn Designs…Laura King is the owner, designer and graphic designer for Loralyn Designs!
“I have always loved silver jewelry and how different accessories can truly compliment an outfit but hated opening up my jewelry drawer and realizing I couldn’t wear something because it was tarnished. Over time, I would stop wearing those tarnished pieces until there are a bunch that you decide it is time to polish.
A true New Englander, I was born, raised and still live in Massachusetts, USA. I am thankful to have had a mom that encouraged crafting and creativity from an early age. She taught me the beauty of handmade items from sewing to painting and drawing, gift wrapping, jewelry making, and home decorations. At age 8, I was selling my jewelry door to door (OK, I was selling my fashion plate color drawings too). At 13, my mom invited me to join her in selling my 3D plastic canvas Christmas ornaments. I remember being awestruck by my mom and the fact that she was willing to sell my items next to hers. Funny, I still have a few of those ornaments I put on my tree every year.
Quite a few years later, I branched out to woodworking and home improvement. Love my tools! One day after polishing some silver jewelry, I was down at my workbench and picked up some screws and nuts. Realizing many of my parts were hand me downs over the years, there were a few that still looked brand spanking new. I’m sure you can guess what they were made out of, stainless steel. That one moment is when the idea for Loralyn Designs was born and I have never looked back!”
Laura was recently at BlogHer where she was handing out some adorable earrings to a few lucky attendees. I missed out on this, but knew I wanted to connect with her to bring you a look at these fabulous stainless steel designs.
Bonnie Bennett Medieval Black Iron Diamond Pendant Stainless Steel Necklace Chain – Designed for the wardrobe stylist for The Vampire Diaries who chose to use it on Bonnie Bennett on The Vampire Diaries Season 5, Episode 18! Inspired by the middle ages, this necklace is a standout piece that can easily be incorporate into any casual or work wardrobe. The unique forged black iron diamond-shaped pendant measures 1″ wide by 2″ tall. It is adorned with a steel scroll filigree design which frames an eye-catching crimson red and black center. The color is not a stone, it is a metallic modeling resin which is hand molded into every piece.
Dark Pink and Silver Celtic Knot Earrings – Beautiful 3/8 inch diameter celtic knot design dangles with a customizable center color (shown in dark red). These earrings come on surgical steel french hook earrings wires which are great for sensitive skin!
Stainless Steel Simple Open Circle Earrings Silver – Each earring wire features a bead and coil design connected to stainless steel split and jump rings. At the end are stainless steel open circle shapes made from 3 layers of thin stainless steel for visual interest. The lightweight brushed steel earrings measure 1/2″ in diameter and hang approx 3/4″ down from each earring hanger.
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite because I love them all! I’ve always been drawn to the Celtic knots & meanings so I adore those for sure. I love that they are stainless which mean I don’t have to worry about them tarnishing or turning my skin green. All of these pieces make a beautiful statement for everyday wear or an evening out on the town. Be sure to get your holiday orders in now! Loralyn Designs is part of the 2016 My Sparkling Life Holiday Gift Guide!

The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new Stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family.
Soon, she is forced to become their servant, disrespected, covered in ashes and spitefully renamed Cinderella. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her, and she continues to remain positive, determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.”
When Ella meets a dashing stranger in the woods, unaware that he is really the Prince (Richard Madden) and not merely Kit, an apprentice at the palace, she believes she has finally found a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the King (Derek Jacobi) summons all maidens in the kingdom to attend a royal ball at the palace, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit. Alas, her Stepmother forbids her to attend and callously destroys her dress.
Meanwhile, the calculating Grand Duke (Stellan Skarsgård) devises a plan to thwart the Prince’s hopes of reuniting with Ella and enlists the support of the devious Stepmother. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand. Soon, a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham Carter) steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin, a few mice and a magic wand, changes Cinderella’s life forever.
Visit the official CINDERELLA Website:
http://disney.com/Cinderella
Like CINDERELLA on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Cinderella
Follow CINDERELLA on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/CinderellaMovie
Follow CINDERELLA on Instagram:
http://www.instagram.com/DisneyCinderella
Follow CINDERELLA on Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/disneystudios/cinderella
Follow CINDERELLA on Google +:
https://plus.google.com/+disneycinderella
CINDERELLA opens in theaters everywhere on March 13th!