12 Days of Downloads from iTunes (Dec 26 - Jan 6)

Starting tomorrow, iTunes Canada is giving away one gift a day - a free download of an app, song, tv show or movie. In years past, there have been many great downloads to be sure to check it out here.

2012 Holiday Gift Ideas: Easy gifting with CardSwap #Giveaway

There are just some people that are really hard to shop for - what do you get for someone who already has everything? I find that gift cards is a great solution to this problem. More and more people are turning to gift cards as presents now, and many stores seem to have a rack of gift cards you can load up. I give gift cards all the time, especially to my parents. I just pick a store or restaurant that my parent really love going to (McDonalds for my dad, Winners for my mum) and I don't have to worry about anything else - they get to choose what they want at the store!

How about when you receive a gift card that you won't use? Do you usually re-gift it, or just hang onto it forever (like me)?

This is where Cardswap comes in.

Cardswap is the newest place to buy and sell gift cards. Why not trade in your unused gift cards for cash? All you have to do is enter into Cardswap.ca how much the gift card is worth, which store it's for and it shows you what amount they will pay you for it. After selling your gift cards, you can either buy another card you want, or take the money out into your Paypal account.

You can also purchase gift cards on Cardswap.ca, and  will earn points for each gift card you buy. When you collect 1,000 points, you can redeem that for $10 on your next gift card purchase or even withdraw the $10 into Paypal! There are no shipping fees associated with buying or selling your gift cards, and the service is very fast. I ordered a gift card and it took only about 2 business days for it to arrive.

WIN IT!

Cardswap is generously giving away a $25 of your choice to one lucky reader! The giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: A gift card was provided free of charge from the company or PR firm for review of the service. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals & Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.

Gingerbread Lane @ Hyatt Regency

While you're downtown for the Festival of Trees, why not pop on over to the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Burrard Street to take a stroll down Gingerbread Lane? Over 40 gingerbread houses are on display, created by various schools and companies. All there gingerbread creations were very creative and colourful and made with such detail, it was pretty amazing to look at! The gingerbread smell is heavenly, and made me almost want to rip off a chunk of gingerbread to eat myself! Select your favourite gingerbread creation to win this year's People's Choice award. Make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation with your vote and be entered to win a free night stay at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Gingerbread Lane will be open until December 27, 2012.

Santa's workshop

These cupcakes are adorable!

The winner of the secondary school category - this roller coaster scene is very detailed and well made. I see Gingy too!

Historic Gastown

One of my favourites - there are 3 sides to this creation.

The icing is pipetted on so precisely!

Another one of my favourites - not only because it's a marine scene, but because it's from my old high school, David Thompson!

The characters and house from Disney's Up!

A scene from the Nutcracker.

The winner - created by the Vancouver Community College Baking and Pastry Arts department. There is so much detail in this, with tons of small little things to look at.

Everything was made perfectly!

The village of Whoville.

Festival of Trees 2012

Head downtown and get into the Christmas spirit by taking a walk through The Festival of Trees at Pacific Centre Mall and The Four Seasons Hotel. Many different companies have decorated a tree in support of the BC Children's Hospital. The public can get involved and vote for their favourite tree as well. The trees will be up until January 1, 2013.

Starbucks 12 Days of Christmas

The 12 days of Christmas deals is back at Starbucks this year! There will be a different deal everyday for twelve days. It could be anything from a BOGO sale to free coffee with purchase. Make sure you visit Starbucks to find out what the daily deal is!

Xbox Holiday Bundle #Giveaway

Xbox Holiday Bundle Giveaway Event

Hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 and A Medic's World

Please take a moment and visit our sponsor, Penny Auctions Canada

Penny Auctions Canada is an online auction website that lets you buy awesome products for pennies!

Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Holiday Console Bundle Includes:

Xbox 360 250GB Console
3 Month LIVE card
Kinect Sensor
Kinect Adventures
Kinect Carnival

One lucky reader will receive a Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Holiday Console Bundle!

This is the perfect gift for any gamer or even for yourself!

Giveaway ends December 19th at 11:59pm, open worldwide {residents outside of the US will receive cash equivalent of $339}, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Special thank you to our lovely co-hosts: The Lucky Ladybug, CentsLessDeals, Stay a Stay at Home Mom, Glasses & Glitter, Giveaway Bandit and Coupon Queen of Texas.

2012 Holiday Gift Ideas: Chapters Holiday Product Preview #IndigoAdore

I was invited to the Holiday Product Preview event at Chapters last week for loyalty members. I love shopping at Chapters, as they carry more than just books and it's a great place to shop for everyone on your Christmas list so I was excited to see what they had to offer.

Chapters went all out for the event, with live music and wine and cheese to snack on. There were plenty of new products to look at that could be perfect for gifts for him, her, baby and more. The store also carries a plethora of home decor items that would make a unique gift! The pictures below are just a small selection of what Chapters is selling, so make sure to head to your local Chapters to see what's in store!

There was a quick appearance by James Nevison, who wrote Had a Glass 2013, a guide to the top 100 wines that are under $20. This book is the perfect gift for that wine lover you know! Chef Rob Feenie also popped by to promote his newest cookbook, Casual Classics. I've already purchased this book as gift, and it's a perfect cookbook to browse through with easy to make recipes.

There were lots of prize draws for guests and the night ended with a swagbag for everyone that attended! Thanks Chapters!

Live music.

A plate of scrumptious looking meat and cheeses.

There were also chocolates to sample. Chapters is also selling these.

This caramel brownie is made from a recipe from Rob Feenie's cookbook.

Gorgeous floating picture frames.

Candles, soaps.

"Cashmink" scarf.

Milk chocolate truffles in a nutcracker.

This little gingerbread man looks so happy!

A cute 12 Days of Christmas biscuit tin.

These polar bears look really fuzzy and cuddly!

Owl items seem to be very popular!

The eyes of these seals are just begging you to bring them home!

Perfect stocking for baby.

Penguin booties.

These beautiful snow globes would look perfect as a centerpiece.

Pear shaped candles.

Owl candle holder.

A trio of ornaments.

A pillow with the perfect saying for Vancouverites.

Adorable owl mugs.

Chef Rob Feenie introduces his cookbook.

James Nevison talking about his book, Had a Glass 2013.

The goodies in the swagbag!