Disclosure – I received the following products to provide you with this review. No monetary compensation has been received and all thoughts are my own.

One thing I love about Monday through Saturday is getting the mail and maybe getting a package or two. Since I work from home and spend most of my time there, I enjoy when I the mailman, UPS or FedEx brings me something fun to open.

I have a new monthly subscription service I want to share, Hamptons Lane.

When you signup for Hamptons Lane, you are going to start receiving must-have kitchen gadgets as well as artisan foods & ingredients into a themed box like the Coastal Italy box I received this month. In my box I found products from some of the most breathtaking coastal towns in Italy. I love trying new products, especially ones that I can’t find at my local grocery stores.

Here are the items I received in my Coastal Italy box:

Colatura di Alici – The ultimate in umami from the romantic Amalfi Coast region of Italy.

This colatura comes from the charming seaside town of Cetara on the Amalfi Coast where the Cetaresi catch the fish in the summer, throw them into wooden barrels with alternating layers of sea salt and pressed down by weighting a lid with rocks. The anchovies then produce a fragrant translucent amber juice that is captured by poking a hole in the bottom of the barrel. I am going to use this with a recipe for spaghetti that was also included in my box.

Antichi Ulivetai Extra Virgin Olive Oil – An olive oil that the Pinna family has been producing for generations.

This product comes from Sardinia, an area that is blessed with intense sun, heat and very rich soil. This extra virgin olive oil is made exclusively from Bosana olives that are picked when perfectly ripe and cold pressed in the family mill. Only a small quantity of bottles become available every year which makes this oil all the more precious. I can’t wait to use this in my next Italian dish that I use olive oil in.

Antimo Caputo Tipo 00 Flour – Regarded to as the “World’s Best Pizza Flour”.

This is also one of the world’s best flours for focaccia too! It is 100% natural and also difficult to find outside of pizzerias in the US. One of my favorite things to eat is pizza. I also like to make it homemade because not only does it taste better it also is a lot cheaper. I can’t wait to try this flour the next time I made pizza or get brave and make the focaccia recipe that was included.

IGP Spaghetti Psta by Pastificio Faella – Certified meaning this pasta is original from Gragnano, a status granted to only 9 companies in Italy.

This pasta is made with traditional methods using the best wheats, extruding the pasta with bronze dyes and air drying it naturally for at least two days. This process gives the pasta a rough and porous service that allows it to collect the sauces. Since I make spaghetti often, I can’t wait to try this pasta and see how much better my spaghetti is going to taste!

Blade By Menu Wine Aerating Pourer – Created by award-winning designers at Design Wright in London.

For those that like to drink wine, this handy little gadget is supposed to introduce 43% more oxygen to wine than conventional decanting pourers. I haven’t tried one of these before but the purpose is to aerate your wine which allows it to develop and come to life at an accelerated pace to give it more flavor. This would be a great gift idea for the wine connoisseurs.

Lot 18 $25 Gift Card – High quality wines at attractive places.

In my box I also received this $25 Gift Card to Lot 18 so I can purchase some wine to use with my my new wine aerating pourer. Lot 18 has a variety white and red wines at discounted prices or those that like to buy their wine in bulk. I haven’t bought my wine yet but the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio sounds tasty.

Since I love to cook and consider myself somewhat of a foodie, I LOVE the Hamptons Lane subscription service. I enjoy being able to get products from different countries that I wouldn’t otherwise know about. They also have a referral program. When you refer a friend they will get to SAVE $10 off their first order. Once they make a purchase, you will receive $20 credit in your account to spend on future boxes.

To signup for Hamptons Lane and SAVE $10 off your first box, visit: https://hamptonslane.com/r/a7646dc7d35e326e3946980b53795f59

 

 

Disclosure: I received the following game for review. No monetary compensation has been received and all thoughts are my own.
When it comes to playing games I have always liked the games where you can build cities, houses, farms, etc. There is a new game that was released last month called Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends which is a sequel to the DS game Gardening Mama that I have a copy of.

In Gardening Mama 2 use your stylus as your master gardening tool to plant over 50 types of plants including flowers, fruits and vegetables that Mama’s animal friends can sell in their woodland shops.  Not only do you plant the seeds, bulbs and saplings, you also have to care for them with water and fertilizer.

In this game there are six different animals stores that you will harvest and deliver the garden items to including Bear’s Restaurant, Rabbit’s Flower Shop, Cat’s Beauty Shop and Squirrel’s Cake Shop. Once you fulfill the shop’s request you earn garden points that you can use to buy items and decorations to create your own custom garden like fountains, fences, sculptures and more.  You then use shop tickets to purchase flowers, fruits and vegetables for your garden to make it even more productive.

Take a peek at the trailer for the game below:

I haven’t had a chance to play the game but both my youngest children have been having fun with it the last couple weeks. I asked them both what their favorite part of the game was. My six year old son says he likes that he can buy animals for his garden. My nine year old daughter says she really likes gardening and giving the stuff she grows to the animals with the stores.

Right now Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends – Nintendo 3DS is on SALE on Amazon for only $19.99!

 

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Figleaves.com. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

Recently here in California it has been warm enough to go swimming. We are still in Spring but it sure has felt like Summer these last couple weeks. Now that it is warm it is officially bikini season. This summer I will be rocking my new Sophina by Figleaves.

Figleaves.com offers 200+ designers of lingerie, swimwear, apparel, sleepwear and more! They have popular designers such as Vix and Aguaclara to private labels and exclusive items from brands like Midnight Grace, Just Peachy and the Figleaves label.

Normally I buy my bathing suits at the store so I can make sure that they fit. Figleaves ofers bra-sized swim separates to ensure a perfect fit for all body types. Their cup sizes rang from AA-GG with a variety of styles including one-piece swimsuits, bikinis and chic tankinis. I was so excited when I received by swimsuit and immediately tried it on. I was excited that my new Sophini fits perfect.

Most of the strings on the top of bikinis are NOT very supportive. Well at least the bathing suits that I have worn. I hate having to worry about my top falling off. I LOVE the straps on the Sophina. They are cute and provide great support for the top.

You can mix and match on the Figleaves website but I got the matching bottoms that look really cute with the top. They have a little slit on each side.

If you are looking for new swimwear, be sure to checkout all the cute bathing suits from Figleaves.com. They have lots of cute styles and patterns you are sure to LOVE. Mom’s Blog readers can SAVE 10% OFF by using the promo code: LOVE2014 when checking out. This coupon offer is valid from May 1 to June 15.

You can also find Figleaves on…

• Figleaves Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/figleaveshome
• Figleaves Twitter page: https://twitter.com/figleaveshome
• Figleaves Instagram account: https://instagram.com/figleaveshome#
• Figleaves Pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.com/figleaves/

Have you bought a new bathing suit for the summer?