Popular Blogger Jill Krause of Baby Rabies Wears our Isabel Gown to Welcome Lowell

This is a long overdue testimonial but well worth the wait!!  We have been following the blog, Baby Rabies, for quite some time so we were so excited when the writer of this blog, Jill Krause, wanted to wear one of our designer hospital gowns for the birth of her third child. 

Jill is a very talented writer with a great sense of humor. Her sense of humor about being a mother and highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly of everyday life has definitely struck a chord with many as she has gained a huge following on her blog and has over 20,000 followers on her Facebook page. If you don't already follow her blog, head on over and check it out. It will be worth your time!!

Jill chose to wear the "Isabel" designer hospital gown for the birth of her third child. She delivered a beautiful baby boy, Lowell Scott Krause, on July 30th, 2013. 

Jill wore her "Isabel" hospital gown to recover in after her delivery and here is what she had to say about wearing her own hospital gown:

"My Annie & Isabel gown was such a nice treat. I loved slipping it on after I got cleaned up post-delivery, before heading to recovery. It was great to have a beautiful, comfortable gown on when family came to visit that not only functioned well for me, but also looked great in pictures. I especially loved that I didn't have to worry about anything peeking out the backside, and that the shoulders unsnapped for breastfeeding and skin to skin time."

If you are up for a good birth story that will make you smile, laugh and cry, read all about the birth of Lowell here from Jill's blog, BabyRabies:  "Lowell's Birth Story"

Congrats Krause family!! You are all truly blessed. 

Photo Credit: A Sacred Project

{GIVEAWAY} POO POURRI ~ Because Everybody Does It

If you remember from our "Hospital Bag Essentials" giveaways, one of the most important items on our Hospital Bag Checklist {in our humble nursing opinion} was a toilet spray called Poo-Pourri. Yep...a toilet spray! Hey, we ARE nurses... so, we can talk about #2 and we definitely can tell you about something we wish everyone knew about, if you know what we mean.

If you have not heard of Poo-Pouri...get ready for a life changing product. These environmentally friendly toilet sprays are not only perfect to pack on your way to the hospital {you don't want to be the start of a CODE BROWN rumor}...but, especially great to carry in your purse for a unexpected trip to the bathroom at work or a friends home. All you have to do is "spritz the bowl before-you-go and no one else will ever know!"

Poo-Pourri carries a variety of sprays, but here a few to make you smile,

• Loo-Pourri ~ A Preemptive Bathroom Scent With a Touch of Elegance
• No. 2 ~ Spray the Loo Before No.2 and No One Will Ever Have a Clue!
• De'ja' Poo ~ You've Been Here Before, but Now with A Scent you Adore!
• Royal Flush ~ Great Washroom Scents for all Distinguished Gents!
• Heaven Scent ~ Celestial Freshness That's Fit for Kings - With Every Flush an Angel Get's It's Wings!

We are giving away the following Poo-Pourri items:

Two Poo Pourri Gift Sets which include a roll of toilet paper and 2oz bottle of bathroom spray. We will also including another 4oz bottle of bathroom spray to each set for a total value approx $30 each. The set looks like the picture below:

We will also be giving away 3 separate bottles of spray to some lucky winners. 

There will be 5 winners for this giveaway, plus, if you "LIKE" the post on our Facebook page we will randomly draw 3 more winners for a travel size spray that you can carry in your purse!!

Good Luck and here is your easy entry!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our friends at Poo-Pourri have generously sponsored this giveaway, but all opinions in this post our ours and we love love their products. If you would like to purchase your own Poo-Pourri please shop their website HERE.

{FINAL GIVEAWAY} Hospital Bag Essentials :: The Bag + More

We've had so much fun introducing our "Hospital Bag Essentials" list to all of you over these past weeks. We had every intention of wrapping up our giveaways shortly after the holidays, but as many of you know..life threw us a few curve balls. We are so thankful for all of your support and well wishes. 

All the items on our essentials list are things that we, as registered nurses, know will make your hospital stay more comfortable, but often can be overlooked {see list below}. We have given away all the major items on our list and now we are going to offer you something FABULOUS to put them in. One last giveaway and this time there will be four chances to win! 

Meet Morris + Terry. 

Morris Terry is a local and sustainable lifestyle brand of stylish athletic and yoga wear. What especially attracted us to Morris Terry {besides their fab tie die pants and chic hoodies} is that they give back to our community. 100% of all sales of their MTX cotton canvas gym bag {pictured above} is donated to support foster youth in Sacramento. They recently were featured in People Magazine's StyleWatch 2012 and SELF Magazine. 

ENTER TO WIN THESE 2 ITEMS FROM MORRIS TERRY

:: MTX GYM BAG :: 100 % COTTON CANVAS 100% GIVING BACK

&

:: MTX PULLOVER ::

TO ENTER this GIVEAWAY-

-LIKE Annie & Isabel on Facebook and post on our wall your choice : MTX Gym Bag or MTX Pullover {posting on our wall gets you entered}

-LIKE Morris Terry on Facebook and post on their wall telling them Annie & Isabel sent you. If you post on their wall they will pick one person to win a $40 gift card to their shop at the close of our giveaway. Their comfy and stylish pants are calling your name, right?!

BONUS ENTRY- 

-TWITTER: follow @annieandisabel and tweet "Just entered an @annieandisabel #giveaway for fab @morristerry_MTX bag & pullover ENTER--> http://bit.ly/xjBYLr"

BONUS BONUS- 

-JUST "like" our post on Facebook about this giveaway and we will enter you into a drawing for a $30 gift certificate to our shop.

GIVEAWAY OPEN FROM 1/30 TO 2/5 MIDNIGHT PST

**Giveaway is open to US residents only and winner will be picked at random. We were not compensated for this post and we chose to feature Morris Terry in our Hospital Bag Essentials Giveaways because we love their products and their mission. 

Hospital Bag Essentials 

Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown{s}

Flip Flops {For Showers & The Not-So-Clean Hospital Floors}

Comfy Socks {Preferably With Grippers}

Journal/Notebook {For Questions, Test Results, & Plan}

Shower Gel/Soap & Loofa

Room Spray

Cell Phone, Charger, Sound Dock & Your Favorite Playlist

Lip Balm/Gloss

Favorite Pillow & Blanket

Hard Candy/Gum/Snacks 

&

Morris Terry Bag {giveaway 1/30 - 2/5 midnight PST} 

{GIVEAWAY} HOSPITAL BAG ESSENTIALS :: iPhone, iTunes, i-Everything

We know that iPhones have certainly changed our lives....period. So, taking your smart phone to the hospital definitely made our Hospital Bag Essentials list. Having your phone not only keeps you connected to your friends and family, it allows you to time your contractions, capture your labor in pictures and video and play your favorite pick-me-up or push-baby-out music while in the hospital. Also, it makes it easy for you to post a pic of your new little one and you in your Annie & Isabel hospital gown to your Facebook wall or Twitter stream. {HINT HINT}

But, seriously... We are excited for this giveaway because ANYONE will love this.. not, just someone going to the hospital. We love Kate Spade and love her iPhone cases. We are giving away this zebra Kate Spade iPhone 4S case {which matches perfectly with our Susan hospital gown} and a $25 iTunes gift card to one lucky winner!!!

&

So...5th on our HOSPITAL BAG ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST is... your smart phone, sound dock, and your favorite playlist

     

     1. Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown{s} - giveaway closed

     2. You Own Shower gel, Loofa, Lotion, & Lip Gloss/Balm - giveaway closed

     3. Comfy Socks - giveaway closed 

     4. Journal or Notebook- to enter click here *closes midnight 12/14 PST

     5. Flip Flops - to enter click here *closes midnight 12/15 PST

     6. Smart Phone, Sound Dock, & Favorite Playlist *enter below  
     7. ?

     8. ?

     9. ?

    10. ?

To enter this giveaway - 

All you have to do is join our mailing list HERE. We will never spam you or give your email address out. We just want to send you special offers and happenings of Annie & Isabel now and then. Also, if you don't already like our page on Facebook.. we'd love that too!

This giveaway will run through Sunday December 18th at midnight PST. We will announce the winner Monday morning via email and on our Facebook & Twitter feeds. This giveaway is open to US residents only and the winner will be selected randomly. If we do not hear back from the winner within 72 hours and new winner will be picked. Good Luck!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We also wanted to recommend bringing a travel speaker set to the hospital. We emailed our favorites Bose and Koostick, but never heard back.. ha! Hey, it never hurts to try, right?  

Here are a few examples of sound docks from most technical to just plain cool...

Bose Soundock® Series II digital music system - retails $299.99

and

Koostik, the "natural alternative to electronically amplified iPhone sound docks". 

Each dock is hand crafted out of solid wood and made in America. We appreciate their values that ring so true with us. Koostik sells various sound docks for iPods, iPhones, and iPads ranging in price from $70-$90.  How convenient would their docks be to pack in your hospital bag? No batteries or plugs and the sound is beautiful. 

{GIVEAWAY} Hospital Bag Essentials :: Don't Forget Your Lipgloss!

I will never forget how it felt to shower for the first time after the birth of my first son in the hospital. It was amazing...yes, I said amazing! I have been a nurse for quite a few years, and there is nothing that grosses me out more than hospital showers. That is why I packed my own shower gel, loofa, lotion, and lipgloss for my stay. I was so thankful I had them when the long awaited shower came to fruition and the visitors started to trickle in to see my son. It may seem like such an afterthought to bring your own products, but it can make a huge impact on your stay. 

So, next on our list of Hospital Bag Essentials are shower gel, loofa, lotion, and of course lip balm/gloss;)

We are thrilled to partner with alex + von consultant Anne Hamilton who is a breast cancer survivor and our Annie & Isabel warrior for this giveaway. After her victory against cancer, she started a blog "Livin' the Green" in which she educates and inspires all who subscribe to live a cleaner more healthy life. She has influenced us tremendously and even has us trading in our morning toast for green smoothies {sooo yum!} and shopping more organically for our families. When Anne announced that she was going to be a consultant for alex + von, a website dedicated to representing products and brands recommended and tested by women, we were listening. She introduced us to 100% Pure, a line of natural and organic skincare, bath and body products, and fruit pigmented cosmetics. Every product that we have tried...we have LOVED. Because the skin on our body is our largest organ, it is only fitting to nourish it with products that will not harm you.

We are honored to be able to share 100% Pure products with you. We will be giving away 2 baskets:

1 FRENCH LAVENDER BODY WASH, LOOFA, BODY LOTION, AND 1 MINT LIP BALM

AND

1 EUCALYPTUS BODY WASH, LOOFA, BODY LOTION, AND 1 MINT LIP BALM

To Enter:

• Comment on this post & TELL US WHICH 100% PURE SCENT YOU WOULD WANT TO WIN :: FRENCH LAVENDER OR EUCALYPTUS
• Like Annie & Isabel on Facebook and comment on our post "lavender or eucalyptus"
• Like Livin' The Green on Facebook

For an Extra Entry

• "share" {button next to like} about our giveaway on Facebook 

*To be eligible to win this giveaway you must be a resident of the United States. The winner will be selected at random and your name will be entered as many times as you enter {up to 4}. Entries must be submitted by midnight PST this Sunday 12/11. We will announce the winner on our Facebook wall Monday morning. Good Luck!

Please take a moment to check out  alex + von and 100% Pure! We know you will love the products too!

LET THE GIVEAWAYS BEGIN..........WHO INSPIRES YOU?

In the spirit of the holiday season, we would like to introduce our "HOSPITAL BAG ESSENTIALS" giveaway campaign that will run for the next two weeks! We have partnered with some of our favorite brands and purchased other products that we feel are necessary in making any hospital visit more comfortable.  As nurses, we know what you REALLY need and we can't wait to share these items with you.

We will be giving away TWO Annie & Isabel hospital gowns throughout this campaign.  What better way to kick off the fun than with a FREE Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown....THE most important item in your hospital bag.

If you know anything about our company, you know that all our hospital gowns are named after women who have inspired us.  We want to know who has inspired you.

To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is tell us about a person who inspires you on our Facebook wall.  Sometimes pictures help to tell your story, so we invite you to include a picture with your post if you so choose, but it is not required.

Now for the fun part.....the person with the most likes on their story will win the Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown.  We will ask our followers to vote on their favorite post and encourage you to invite your Facebook friends to help you win by liking your story.

This contest will end on Thursday, December 8th at midnight PST.  Good Luck and we can't wait to hear your stories!!

READY, SET.........GO ----> FACEBOOK

and remember.......