Tween Girl Gift Idea: Carolina Pad Review and GIVEAWAY!! **ENDED**

 I have an August birthday and I used to get really girly new shiny schools supplies as a birthday gift every year. Because I loved school, I really appreciated these gifts. The more feminine the supplies were, the better! Carolina Pad  creates beautiful and high quality school and office supply collections and I was lucky enough to receive products from their brand new  Commerce with a Conscience collection.

The products are from the Dreamsicle collection created by Carolina Pad and designed by JACK!E to benefit Girls on the Run International.

About Girls on the Run®

Girls on the Run inspires 3rd through 8th grade girls to stay true to themselves and live free from societal stereotypes. The 12 week after-school curriculum innovatively weaves training for a 5k run with lessons that empower girls to celebrate their bodies, honor their voices and embrace their gifts. Girls on the Run has more than 150 councils across North America , serving more than 50,000 girls annually.  To learn more or find a program near you, visit girlsontherun.org.

About Commerce with a Conscience™

Commerce with a Conscience™, a partnership between Carolina Pad and JACK!E, combines the everyday products from Studio C and the extraordinary design from Jackie McFee to create a communication platform for non-profit organizations. The first Commerce with a Conscience collection – the Kendall Kollection – was launched in 2008 in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Review: I was given the following products to review:

            .    1-subject notebook - MSRP $2.99

·       Ideal book (3-subject professional notebook) – MSRP $3.99

·        Ribbon-tie journal – MSRP $5.99

·        2-pocket folder – MSRP $.99

·        Composition Book – MSRP $2.59

·        Personal book – MSRP $2.50

·        Binder w/tab dividers – MSRP $5.99 & $2.49

My reaction to the collection began before I even opened the package. The black package had writing on the outside with common and unfortunate things young girls often tell themselves such as "You're stupid" and "I'm fat". I did wonder what the delivery guy must have thought when he handed it to me!  As soon as I opened the package, I was greeted with this giant sticker shown to the left.

I have reviewed Carolina Pad products in the past so I have come to expect high quality products from them. This collection did not disappoint. Each binder, tab, notebook, and folder is made to resist wear and tear. The collection keeps the needs of the consumer in mind, using things like inner envelopes and tabs for easy organization. I have been using the binder and tabs to help me organize my blog information, and it has shown no wear or tear and it has been with me everywhere for weeks.

 There were inspirational sayings all over this collection. They were subtly yet strategically placed so that girls have an opportunity to read the quotes during their daily activities and hopefully take time to pause and reflect on the hopeful statements.

Several of the products had an option for personalization. I gave this journal to Bella and she loved the pastel colors. She is too young to realize the significance of the sayings, but she really enjoyed the look of it. She likes anything that is super-girly.

Buy it here: The Dreamsicle collection from Carolina Pad is available nation-wide at Wal-Mart, CVS, Hannaford, Kroger, Meijer, Michael's, Office Max, Staples and Wegmans.

Win it here: Carolina Pad is going to give one lucky Cake Mom reader a similar selection of products from the Dreamsicle Commerce with a Conscious collection!

Mandatory Entry:  Visit Carolina Pad's website and tell me what collection you like the MOST and how you would use this collection if you won.  Please note: if you have won a prize package from Caroline Pad within the last 90 days, you are not eligible for this giveaway.

**Please read the rules**
This is open to US and Canadian addresses only.  You must complete the mandatory entry before completing optional entries. Each optional entry needs to be added as a separate comment. If an method counts as several entries, please leave a comment for each bonus entry. Comments that do not follow the rules will not count and will be deleted. PLEASE LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL IN THE COMMENT!

Optional entries: Leave an additional comment for each entry
1. Follow my blog (publicly)
2. Subscribe to my blog via email and confirm the subscription
3. Grab my button and post a link to your blog
4. Blog about this contest (with a link to my blog) and post a link to your blog (3 entries)
5. Follow me and Carolina Pad on twitter AND tweet about this contest (can be done daily). You must place a link to your tweet.
6. Like the Dreamsicle Collection on Facebook.

Winner will be selected on 7/30 via random.org and will be emailed.

I was provide with the mentioned products. The views expressed here are my own. No other compensation was received.