I'm the mother of a real life 10 year old, American Girl artist named Sage, so we've LOVED having Saige as American Girl of the year for the past year. It's bittersweet saying so long to 2013 and to Saige.
My own daughter, Sage, celebrated her 10th birthday this year, just like American Girl Saige. Both are artists who love to draw and paint. And even their dogs had an uncanny resemblance to each other!
It was too much fun having an American Girl Doll namesake.
We even got to review a Saige doll and give one away for our readers, as we have for McKenna the gymnast and Kanani from Hawaii, the girls of the year the two years before. Our Saige giveaway had a record number of entries, topping out at 7,740!! We also got to give away a Saige Blu-ray/DVD.
American Girl retired doll gallery behind the scenes, where ChiIL Mama's Sage got to do an exclusive video interview with author Kathleen.
This time last year we also got to do a video interview with prolific American Girl author Valerie Tripp. Check it out at the bottom of this post.
So long, Saige!
Saige Copeland may be gone, but she's NOT forgotten. In fact, she's more precious and valuable than ever. Shehas joined the ranks of all the retired collector dolls in the American Girl series. Check back with ChiIL Mama throughout 2014 for lots more American Girl coverage as we welcome Isabelle the dancer and offer more photo & video filled features, exclusive author interviews, reviews and giveaways.
ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama and win a Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack of the movie Saige Paints the Sky, due for release July 2nd. We got an early sneak peek at a press preview copy and it was a huge hit in our household with the 10 year old girl demographic! Alright, I'll admit it. We all enjoyed it, even the adults and the 12 year old boy. The New Mexico locations are stunningly gorgeous. The story is a compelling one of inner and outer strength, overcoming fears and obstacles, practicing hard and fighting for the arts. And Jane Seymour rocks as Saige's Grandma, Mimi. The Saige movie also introducesSidney Fullmer as Saige, a talented artist with a passion for horses, in this modern-day story about finding one’s voice.
Click the link below for your chance to win a FREE Blu-Ray/DVD combo of the Saige movie! ($26.99 value).
This summer, Saige Copeland™, American Girl’s popular 2013 Girl of the Year, comes to life in a new feature-length movie from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, An American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky.
The movie, releasing on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 2 and airing Saturday, July 13, at 8/7C on NBC,stars Jane Seymour as the beloved Grandma Mimi and introduces Sidney Fullmer as Saige, a talented artist with a passion for horses, in this modern-day story about finding one’s voice.
Here at ChiIL Mama we're extra excited about Saige Copeland™, American Girl’s popular 2013 Girl of the Year, since my own daughter Sage is the same age, loves art, and more than slightly resembles Saige (& her dog)!!
We had an amazing response to our Saige doll giveaway with over 7,700 entries and will continue to bring you lots of American Girl events, giveaways, original author interviews and more. In fact, we'll be shooting a video interview with author Kathleen Ernst who wrote the Caroline books and many American Girl mysteries THIS Tuesday!
Nine-year old Saige is excited about the new school year until she discovers that art—her favorite class—has been cut. On top of that, her best friend, Tessa, is spending more and more time with another girl. For support, Saige turns to her grandma Mimi (Seymour), a well-known artist and horsewoman, who encourages her to take action and inspire her community in a fund-raising effort to start an after-school art program. Heartwarming, empowering, and fun, it’s a movie for every girl who has ever dreamed big.
The International Home and Housewares Show is a mecca for retail sales, media and inventors, but closed to the public. So earlier this monthChiIL Mama went as your eyes and ears, and got the scoop for YOU.
My daughter was excited to hear that her birthstone, emerald, is the color of the year for 2013. Her namesake, Saige, is the American Girl Doll of the year, too. So this really IS her year! She's fond of saying "I have a green name, green birthstone, green eyes, and my favorite color is green." This year she'll be in good company as everyone's going emerald. Speaking of going green... The final day of the International Home and Housewares Show we spent exploring The McCormick Place Lakeside Building which included an impressive Eco-Friendly round up,
awesome artistic displays,
the Hall of Innovation Student inventor awards
and Wired & Well. Speaking of wired...
McCormick Lakeside was also the hall of coffee, so as a self confessed caffiend, I was in my element.
Thanks to Bodum for the rockin' insulated mug! You had some of the sweetest swag at the show. These travel mugs are hot....and stay hot for a good long time.
After tasting an excellent array of espresso shots, hot & iced coffee, flavors, and individual custom cups, we hit a hot new thing that really knocked our socks off. I love my coffee as dark and rich as possible, but I usually make a mocha at home with the kids' 2% organic chocolate milk boxes to cut the acid. I was able to drink a cup of coffee black and love it at the icoffee booth!
The tale of icoffee by Remington:
I was so impressed we set up a video interview/ demo with Bruce Burrows, CEO. His enthusiasm is contagious and his icoffee maker rocked our world. Roll over Beethhoven. icoffee makers aren't even available yet and they're already scoring rave reviews and garnering lots of attention. Retailers were practically begging for inventory at IHHS. We're working on setting up a review and giveaway for our readers as soon as stock is available, and we'll have a more comprehensive feature just on icoffee in the near future.
Soda Stream, hasbeen an eco-friendly fav of ourssince we ran our first review on them back in 2009. They're back again with more innovations and awards. We'll have a full blown feature & review on their latest and greatest in the very near future. We're also working out the details on a giveaway for our readers. We always enjoy their sobering, visually stunning IHHS booth displays. This year they got international with their cage of shame, with bottles and cans that had literally littered the globe! Thermal-Aid made our ChiIL Picks List for family friendly must haves. These adorable animals serve as hot or cold packs for injuries, fevers or even just a warm snuggle for bed time. We came home with "blue bunny" and he's become a treasured nightly ritual. Just 45 seconds in the microwave and these cuddly corn filled critters are ready to hug. We'll have a full feature on Thermal-Aid's 100% natural, washable animals and their other products in the very near future, too.
Kalorik has a unique twist on your standard "food on a stick" fare with Rollie. I tried a tasty french toast stick and was pretty impressed. They also have eggspresso kits and more.
There was a LOT to dig at Zojirushi, besides their cute elephant logo. They have smart rice cookers, fabulous travel tea mugs and eco-friendly containers to keep things hot or cold for hours. They also put out an excellent spread for lunch :).
KitchenAid makes our ChiIL Picks List for embracing their wild side. They had an impressive array of appliance colors and patterns to fit any personality! Rrrrrwow!
We're eager to give some new vacuums a run for their money. We haven't partnered up with any brands, but we'll publicly issue a challenge right here. We live in "the death vac home" with 4 people with long hair, dust allergies, and two large, hairy dogs! We've been buying pet specific, bagless, HEPA vacs in a variety of brands for years and their motors burn out and they all die young. If you think your vac can hold up to our challenges, then you're on. We'd be happy to review and endorse the last vac standing. We ended our entirely productive but exhausting day in the most comfortable massage chair EVER. I'm afraid if I owned a Panasonic Real Pro massage chair, I'd never leave the house again! This was some seriously effective pampering. This chair not only gives an amazing, customized back and neck massage, but does your arms, legs and even feet, too. I think I'm in love...... As you know, I'm picky about who we partner up with. My name and image are on my blog, so my personal credibility is at stake. Social media is the new "back fence" and in a time where people Tivo past slick commercials that cost a bazillion dollars and are cynical about the ones they do see, people trust bloggers. As your neighbor and friend, I'm not going to recommend something I'm not truly excited about, then have to hear about it when I run into you. Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL and chiIL out with great event highlights, product reviews you can trust, and rockin' photo and video filled original content.
