ChiIL Mama : Princess Etch A Sketch

Showing posts with label Princess Etch A Sketch. Show all posts

Saturday, December 23, 2017

PHOTO RECAP: ChiIL Mama's Adventures at The Chicago Toy and Game Fair 2017

This year my 16 year old son, Dugan, took one camera and I took the other, and we tag teamed coverage of ChiTAG, the largest annual public Toy & Game Fair in the country. We've included all our collective shots in the SLIDE SHOW here and some of our favorites are embedded below, from meeting inventors to our Star Wars themed press/blogger lunch. Dugan did a fabulous job documenting the fun. His photos and mine are watermarked individually in case you're curious who shot what. Enjoy!

The ChiTAG fair is a great way to meet toy and game inventors, get great gift giving ideas, check out brand new releases, and revisit old favorites. They even have show deals and merch on sale on the spot. If you're still stuck for gifting ideas for the holidays, birthdays and beyond, let us be your guide.

Full ChiTAG 2017 Slideshow Here:

Some highlights this year were:
seeing Jane Labowitch: AKA Princess Etch and her amazing Etch a Sketch art again,

meeting Adam Hocherman, the inventor of Playmonster's Tinkineer's Marbleocity,

checking out the intricate, amazing buildable creations by UGEARS (They sent us two to build, The Theater and the train, and they're incredible!),

and getting a lesson in how to play Charmed from one of the co-creators, .

Some of our favorite low tech play spaces were the cardboard creative area where kids could DIY anything out of discarded boxes and the Legos area.

Looking for great family game ideas to play in 2018? ChiIL Mama's giving away Chrono Bomb, myPad, and a buildable Mini Skate Park Maker Kit from Playmonster, the award winning IceCool game from Brain Games, Charms game from Studio 9, a Happy Salmon Card Game and more!

Click image below for lots more opportunities to enter and WIN through 12/20/17.
ChiIL Mama's Holidaze 12 Days of Giveaways Gift Guide is LIVE

Holiday Gift Guide, Giveaways, Discount Codes, Product Reviews and More!

Disclosure: I have sometimes been given complimentary games for our giveaways and for review purposes and/or I have been compensated for sharing with our readers. As always, all opinions, photos and adventures are my own.

More ChiTAG Photo Favs Below:

Monday, August 4, 2014

ChiIL Mama's Adventures With Disney Social Media Moms "On the Road" #DisneySMMoms

Here at ChiIL Mama, we had a chance to rock our Disney Side earlier this summer when Disney SMMoms "On The Road" made a stop right here where it all began, in Sweet Home Chicago. Did you know Walt Disney, was BORN right here in Chicago (like my Dad & my 2 kids!) and Disney's birth place and first childhood home is currently being restored?

Of course, if you follow ChiIL Mama on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you already saw loads of our real time social media coverage before & during the Disney SMMoms event.

We have lift off!! #Chicago #DisneySide #DisneySMMoms #DisneyOTR

The sold out Disney OTR Social Media Conference was exciting, informative and lots of fun. We were thrilled to be invited to be a part of it all. Relive it vicariously right her. Check out our full slide show, and our favorite photos embedded at the bottom of this feature.

Highlights:
Of course it always rocks to hug Mickey Mouse! We can never get enough meet n greets with THE mouse.

Our other favorite special guest was Chicago's own Princess Etch A Sketch, Jane Labowitch.

Look, it's ChiIL Mama with her long, blonde braid!... erm, I mean Elsa from Frozen. Pretty chill!

This girl can DRAW! ChiIL Mama chatted with her a while and found out the secret to her sketches' staying power is drilling a hole in the back of the Etch A Sketch and dumping the extra powder out before drawing so it doesn't erase. Then she sketches out her designs in advance and goes for it--in one intricate, continuous line. Her Etch A Sketch art is stunningly great and hardly seems humanly possible. It was truly a joy to meet her and check out her unique work!

The Disney SMMoms On The Road speakers were full of great words of wisdom and it was a dream come true to meet the Disney social media team.

Disney parks costumed characters all making a hashtag together! How cool is that?!

There was NO limit to the characters at my table. I was in some brilliant bloggy company with a table full of wordy and wise women!

The Dark Side or The Disney Side... Gary Buchanan, Walt Disney World Social Media Managing Editor, was a hoot in his Jedi robe. We had a spirited exchange on social media during the event where I suggested he come next year as Yoda and impart some backwards speak wisdom in green face. He said he was game... so game on, Gary!

It was also great to meet Jamie Langdon, Leanne Jakubowski O’Regan, Michelle Stepney and Jenn Fickley-Baker.

Lori Lorenz, Senior Director, Direct Print Services, HP was also full of hot tips on The Solution Side of Motherhood. Thanks for the sweet print of my kids' first day at Disney.

Dugan & Sage's first glimpse of Disney World! Note their first visit buttons. The characters were extra friendly to them and made it special and memorable.

Can't wait to print THIS one.

This is my favorite Disney Side Shot ever and still cracks me up. "The Twins" outside of The Haunted Mansion (another of our big favorites).

It was also a trip to hear Ramon De Leon, Sr. Social Strategist, Rise Interactive. Chicago native, Ramon, is a high energy powerhouse of a speaker that can best be described as caffeine incarnate! He's the first motivational speaker I've ever seen bring in a roll of toilet paper as a visual aid. He's an enthusiastic story teller who captivated everyone's attention.

Click here for ChiIL Mama's past Adventures at Disney World. Then check back with us like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. We hope to have lots more Disney tips, original photos, deals, and delights in the coming months via Disney SMMoms.

ChiIL Mama's Favorite Pixs Picks:

Disney SMMoms Were All EARS