Author: Erin Sluka

Uncategorized

Best Gifts for the Holidays – Holiday Gift Guide 2024

Erin Sluka

Welcome to the 2024 Holiday Gift Guide. This is your place for:

  • Frequent Gift Idea Updates
  • Giveaway
  • Deals

Come back daily or weekly through November and December for the latest!

You have the gift lists and we have the gift ideas…..

Kitchen Mats

Brand: Homergy

Deals: Check back frequently on Amazon

Homergy Anti Fatigue Kitchen Mats for Floor 2 PCS, Memory Foam Cushioned Rugs

TV Series on DVD & Blu-Ray

Brand: Warner Bros. Discovery

Review on Parenting Healthy

Deals: Black Friday Special- Amazon

Gift Ideas from WBD include TV complete series and movies from Warner Brothers, HBO, Cartoon Network, TLC and more.

Gaming Devices

Brand: Arcade1Up Infinity Game Boards

Review on Parenting Healthy

Deals: Amazon Deal Page

The Infinity Gaming Devices are the company’s award-winning line of digital board gaming devices that offer 100+ digital versions of your favorite games like Backgammon, Scrabble, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Sorry!, puzzles, and more. Available on Amazon as well.

Adaptive Aid Tools – Stocking Stuffer

Brand: EaZyHold

Review on Parenting Healthy

Deals: Check for Deals on Amazon

Innovative tools that support individuals with physical challenges in performing essential tasks such as self-feeding, grooming, schoolwork, housework, and hobbies…

Jewelry

Brand: V Coterie

Deals-Save 10% when you sign up for thier Newsletter

Jewelry and accessories for playful self-expression. Whether you’re in the hospital, in the laboratory, in private practice, or in the library, our pieces serve as vessels of empowerment along your journey through lifelong learning.

Etsy Favorites

Brand: See my Favorites Shop

Deals: Check my shop often for deals

“Give ‘I get you’ gifts,”! Putting human craft front-and-center, find gifts that help small-business owners.

For the Dogs

Brand: Trot Pets

Deals: Save 10% for new email subscribers + Black Friday Deals now!

The last pet bowls you’ll ever buy.. The Meal Time Experience Your Best Friend Deserves

Winter Boots

Brand: Icebug

Deals: Amazon Deals periodically

Icebug Metro2 BUGrip are carbide-tipped steel stud boots. Metro is Icebug’s big test winner, praised in the daily press for both its traction and comfort

Sound Protection

Brand: CURVD Earplugs

Deals: Frequently on Amazon

Take control of your surroundings with reusable and comfortable noise-reducing earplugs.

Barware

Brand: Crafthouse by Fortessa

Deals: Frequently on Amazon

Everything you need to make great shaken drinks. Set includes: 2-piece Boston Shaker; Hawthorne strainer; jigger and muddler

Brand: Bond Touch

Record, feel and keep heartbeats with this smart necklace! This is the Bond Heart Necklace and you have never been able to hold onto someones heart in such a way. Store unlimited heartbeats labeled in your app.

Drinkware

Brand: Fortessa

Fortessa Jupiter Beaded Hobnail Glasses are made of soda-lime with magnesium oxide and alumina for durability, makes a delightful statement, adding color and texture to fashionable tablescapes.

Fitness

Brand: Nordic

Nordic Lifting Mini Stepper & Stair Climber Machine – w/Resistance Bands Set & Non-Slip Foot Pads – Durable Construction with 330 LBS Weight Capacity – LCD Monitor

Home Scents

Brand: Preston Lane Candles

Deals: Now available in Nordstrom stores. Save 15% when you sign up for newsletter

Preston Lane has created a network of master Italian perfumers craft their clean fragrances with only the finest blend of IFRA-certified natural and synthetic ingredients and are Leaping Bunny Certified 

Bath & Body

Brand: Bootleg Bath 

Deals on Amazon-20% Amazon coupon live

Natural Ingredients: Made with premium ingredients, our steamers provide a natural way to relax, invigorate, or clear your mind.

Personalized Gifts

Brand: Vistaprint

Deals: Sitewide and New Text Subscribers. Black Friday specials!

VistaPrint is simplifying the holiday card design process with a vast selection of custom card templates, hundreds of designs to fit any taste, and free envelope addressing. Also, personalize any gift!

For Baby

Brand: LouLou Lollipop

Deals: On Amazon. Some products Black Friday Deals

Designed with durability and functionality in mind, products are tried and tested by parents like you. Blankets, towels, swaddles, and more…

Gift Baskets

Brand: Supermarket Italy

Curated Gift Baskets from Supermarket Italy. authentic imported gourmet products since 2009, is making the holidays extra special with a new lineup of curated gift baskets.

Brand: Daily Rituals

Shower with an invigorating blend of eucalyptus, bamboo, orange and mint essential oils. The Daily Rituals® Variety Pack includes four tablets and a bamboo plate

Brand: iLive Electronics

iLive Massage Gun and Eye Mask – Includes a 6 speed setting massage gun and a soothing eye mask with Bluetooth.

Brand: For the Cubs

Deals: Use Code BFCM20 for 20% sitewide and free shipping on orders $75+ from 11/20-12/2

For the Cubs’ new organic baby bedding. curated collections for eating, sleeping and soothing baby.

Brand: Grey Bandit

Deals: 30% off on Black Friday with code: BLACKFRIDAY and 35% off on Cyber Monday with code: CYBERMONDAY

I keep receiving compliments every time I have worn this sweater! Abigail Quarter Zip Sweater. Find quality clothing for all seasons!

Brand: Quntis

Deals: 20% off Black Friday on Amazon

Quntis Cluster Christmas String LED Lights Pink & White. 8 Modes & Memory Function. Connect up to 4-10 strands to cover a large area. Also love their Christmas Snowflakes Window Lights!

Brand: Pink Lemonade

Pink Lemonade Knit Toys and blankets. Delicate zig-zag knit stitch makes for a classic addition to any nursery or cri

Brand: OceanFoam

Deals: Amazon Page

Ripple Foam Roller designed to provide a gentle and effective massage for any part of your body. The wave texture helps to stimulate muscles, release tightness and improve mobility.

Brand: Supermarket Italy

A new lineup of curated gift baskets featuring delicacies from Italy and beyond, offering a world of flavors sourced from 44 countries across Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, South America, and Australia.

Brand: Two Rivers Coffee Company

Offering a diverse range of over 60 coffee products alongside teas, hot cocoa, ciders, and cappuccinos. Santa’s Favorites Gift Pack with fan-favorite flavors.

Stay tuned…more to come…

Enter to Holiday Giveaway

Giveaway starts on December 2. Hit the ENTER COMPETITION button below to enter to win a $20 Amazon or Starbucks gift card. Prize is open to US only and ends on December 20, 2024. Good luck!

Education

Arcade1Up adds Educational games to Infinity Gaming Devices

Erin Sluka
Arcade1Up adds Educational games to Infinity Gaming Devices

When was the last time you enjoyed a good ‘ole board game? How fun would it be to take a tablet and play your favorite games electronically? To save your game as you ended it- no mess or play pieces that go missing. Next up from Arcade1Up is the Infinity Game Board®. So many games- a lot are free on a board with enough storage tp hold all of your favorites. If the game board isn’t enough for you, they also have the new Infinity Game Table®. Pick hour game play!

I have the Infinity Game Board and when I saw Battleship, I had to play! This is one of my favorite games and I did not have top clean up any pegs! The animations and explosions within the game enhance the experience. Missiles fly, ships explode and there is sound and guidance the entire way.

When you play board games, you are typically seated opposite of your opponent at a table, right?Especially in a game like Battleship to keep your arrangement hidden from each other. When you play on the game board or table, you can keep the unit in place. When it is your turn it will face you, when it is your opponents turn, the touchscreen will auto rotate to them.

When you ae done playing- see and save stats. I won, but my accuracy could improve so there is an added challenge as you keep playing your favorites. When done, I pressed power off and that’s it. Bathroom break? Hit pause! That’s the beauty of electronic game play.

Arcade1Up and RosiMosi Team Up

Maybe you need more than Battleship and Sorry! Maybe you need some educational games for the kids too. Arcade1Up has teamed up with educational game creator, RosiMosi. Together, they will introduce a series of educational games for children in grades 1-4 for the table and board. Such games will include 21 fully safe, ad-free games covering key subjects such as math, language, science, STEM, and critical-thinking skills.

Visit Arcade1Up to see all game consoles and fun for your game nights at home!

Movies Reviews

Rewatch your Favorite TV Series at home

Erin Sluka

In partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. Opinions of product sent are of my own

Friends: The Complete Series, 30 Year Edition on 4K Ultra HD

Friends: The Complete Series, 30 Year Edition on 4K Ultra HD

20 years ago, the grand finale of FRIENDS, TV series aired. Yes, 20 years ago! Watching Friends in 4K Ulktra HD has the best picture ever. It will be like watching the series in todays technology for a better experience. If you know a FRIENDS series fan, Warner Bros. served this series right in the picture quality and this is the set to keep and watch it all over again!

Bonus Content: Includes all 236 original broadcast episodes (100+ hours) and hours of bonus content including an all-new never before seen bonus featurette.​ Buy Friends: The Complete Series (4K UltraHD)

The West Wing: The Complete Series on Blu-Ray

The West Wing: The Complete Series on Blu-Ray

Never Doubt That A Small Group Of Thoughtful Committed Citizens Can Change The World.” – President Bartlet. The West Wing fans can watch the series all over again on Blu-Ray in this complete series set. 128 episodes on 28 discs. It is all here!

Special Features: Including over 20 Commentaries, Behind-the-scenes Featurettes, Unaired Scenes, Gag reels and More. Buy The West Wing: The Complete Series

VEEP: The Complete Series on Blu-Ray

VEEP: The Complete Series on Blu-Ray

Anna Chlumsky, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale – what a cast! Fans of The Veep can now watch the complete series on Blu-Ray. In Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the Vice President of the United States. Each episode follows her whirlwind day-to-day existence as she puts out political fires, juggles public and private demands and defends the interests of the chief executive–with whom she shares a uniquely dysfunctional relationship. Buy VEEP on Blu-Ray

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Series on DVD

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Series on DVD

Curb Your Enthusiasm is the hilarious Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-winning semi-improvised comedy series and you can now watch the entire series at any time! All 60 hours are on 24 discs! Been a while since you laughed through an entire series? Buy Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Series

Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise on DVD

Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise on DVD

For the kids! 5 teens with 5 different powers, earth, wind, water, fire or heart combat eco-villains everywhere in the world. Once all 5 powers are combined, Captain Planet is born and he is more powerful that all 5 powers. Together, they are heroes! The kids can watch all 43+ hours on 15 discs during the stormy winter months. Buy Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise

Movies Reviews

Turning Vintage Slides into Modern Storyboards for Films

Erin Sluka
Turning Vintage Slides into Modern Storyboards for Films
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

In the fast-paced world of filmmaking, innovation often emerges from revisiting the past. Vintage slides, once used for family memories or educational purposes, can serve as a goldmine for modern filmmakers. They carry a distinct aesthetic, capturing moments in vivid color and unique composition. One intriguing way filmmakers are utilizing these relics is by transforming them into modern storyboards, a technique that blends nostalgia with creativity.

Why Vintage Slides Make Unique Storyboards

Vintage slides, particularly 35mm slides, have an inherent visual charm. The grainy texture, muted colors, and sometimes faded edges can evoke a sense of time that modern digital photos often lack. For filmmakers aiming to create period pieces or films with a nostalgic feel, these slides offer a genuine sense of authenticity. Additionally, the fixed frame of each slide forces creators to focus on composition, making it an ideal tool for planning scenes visually before moving into actual production. 

Digitize and Organize Slides for Storyboarding

Before filmmakers can harness the power of vintage slides for their projects, the first step is digitization. While commercial projects often come with specific technical requirements, personal or DIY projects can equally benefit from photo digitization to preserve memories and elevate creative work. A key service offered in this process is the digitization of 35mm slides, which enables seamless transformation of physical media into high-quality digital formats

Inspiration for Filmmakers: Using Slides for Visual Planning

Using vintage slides in storyboarding opens up a world of creative possibilities. The limitations of working within a slide’s single frame can push filmmakers to think outside the box when visualizing their scenes. For example, a sequence of 35mm slides could help set the mood of a scene, allowing directors and cinematographers to experiment with lighting, color schemes, and even framing techniques before filming.

Incorporating slides into the pre-production phase offers more than just visual inspiration. They can be a bridge between the historical context of a story and its modern retelling. Directors looking to capture the essence of a specific era might use vintage slides to guide costume design, set decoration, or camera work. Slides can also serve as a roadmap, connecting disparate ideas into a unified vision.

Conclusion

Turning vintage slides into modern storyboards offers filmmakers a unique tool for planning and visualizing their films. The process allows for a blend of nostalgia and innovation, giving filmmakers the chance to explore new ways of telling stories while preserving the aesthetic qualities of the past. Whether it’s the authentic look of vintage visuals or the hands-on approach of digitizing and organizing slides, this technique provides an inspiring and creative method for developing a film’s visual narrative. By repurposing these historical artifacts, filmmakers can craft storyboards that both honor the past and enhance the cinematic journey.