Product Review of Pratico Kitchen's IceCubby Holder

I was provided this product for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinion and images are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure statement.

 Do you need a place to store your large ice spheres/balls or cubes? I know I do! Pratico Kitchen comes to the rescue!  They have come out with a storage bin called their IceCubby Holder. It can hold 4 of the large size spheres 2.5" or the square cubes 2.25" at a time. If you have the smaller spheres, I can put 2 side by side in there, and fit about 10 at a time in this ice holder.

I have been storing mine in quart size freezer bags, and while that works, it is much nicer to have them in a storage container like this one. They stay fresh, no more freezer taste either.  You know what I'm talking about. That stale freezer taste that isn't so pleasant. Blech! 

In the photo below, you can see ones I've transferred from a storage bag, and how they are a little misshapen, and have added ice crystals on them. 

 In case you are wondering what in the world these spheres I made, have in them, the first one has chia seeds, the second and fourth both have chia seeds with a liquid supplement called chloroxygen, and the third one is orange juice with chia. They are all delicious, and a different way to get some chia in my diet.  :)

 Now that I have this ice holder , I can keep 4 in this, while I make 4 more in the ice sphere molds. Still, I'd love for them to create a larger one that holds at least 8 at a time. Maybe even more, as I'd love to make these on a much larger scale.

You can use this container for other things if you wish.  It is BPA Free, Food Grade Silicone, and has no noticeable odor at all. This is important to me since I have chemical sensitivities, and was pleasantly surprised that this is odor free.  It is silicone, the whole thing, so it is completely flexible if that matters to you.  It might if you want to do what I'm doing right now, and creating an ice log, lol.  Yep!  I just had to try it, and will post photos when I finish it.  I think you also might be able to use jello in it to make a jello log. Of course, it will be flat on one side, but that makes it easier to cut!  :)

If you don't have any of their other products, you might want to check them out. They have a nice selection of kitchen items at their website PraticoGoods.  Stop in and take a look if you have a few moments.  Picnic blankets, bamboo cutting board, silicone items for the kitchen, dry bags etc.  If you don't have any ice spheres, and aren't familiar with them, you might want to read this.

If you are interested in the IceCubby, or want to read other reviews about it, click any of the links or the images at the top or bottom of this post.

 Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to hang around for awhile if you have the time. If you would like to start testing and reviewing products, please click here to visit my page to some of the sites I use, or read another post I wrote on it here.

I was given this product to test in exchange for my honest review. Disclosure Statement.

Pratisphere Ice Molds Product Review

I was given the opportunity to test these Pratico Ice sphere molds, and part of that honor is posting a reviw on my blog. This post may also contain affiliate links. Disclosure Statement.

These ice sphere molds from Pratico Kitchen are a lot of fun to make.  I've been having a blast creating new designs with them.  As you can see in the above image, they are beautiful all on their own, but there are so many different designs you can make with these.  Think of them as creative ice art.  :)

One of the biggest benefits to these 2.5" spheres, is they keep your drinks cold
without watering them down.  So far, with my testing, these last around 4 hours. I plan on making a bunch of these up to keep in the freezer.  My pup also loves these!  I use 100% organic coconut water for his spheres, and he gets a nice cool, healthy treat and toy to play with for a little while. So cute!  I really must get a photo of him playing with one!

We have some edible flowers around our house, so I grabbed a couple.  Did you know columbine flowers are edible? Seem too pretty to eat! Just one clover, and one columbine in each sphere mold to see how they would look. I wasn't sure what would happen to them, but decided to take a chance.

You can see the clover peeking out of the center hole. 

After they were done, I opened up the molds. Look how pretty they came out! So simple, yet so beautiful. I also had done some blueberries and cranberries to see how they would look. The columbine flower came out amazing!

The designs you can create are unlimited. This would be a great project for kids to do at the beginning of class at school, and they'd be ready by lunch or shortly after. Would also be fun for a birthday party for any age. Just make sure you have at least 4 hours for them to freeze completely.  The floral ones would be so pretty for a bridal shower or wedding reception too!  Please make sure to use organic, edible flowers.

I have quite a few design projects up my sleeves, and I can't wait to try them out.  I will update this post with more photos as I get the materials to do them.  ;)

This particular set by Pratico Kitchen comes with 4 individual ice cube trays, which is great and saves time when you are trying to make a bunch of them up to keep on hand or for a party.

If you would like to purchase this set, please click on any of the links in this blog post or the image shown below.
 

 

I was given this product to test in exchange for my honest review.  Disclosure Statement.

How to Review Products for FREE or at a HUGE Discount on Amazon!

Extremely Small Sample of Products I've Reviewed. Total cost $14.73! Cost on Amazon presently $154.41!!!

Have you ever wondered how some people are able to do reviews on Amazon for companies? You know what I'm talking about? You've seen the reviews where people say something like, "I was able to review this product for free...", or "I was able to review this product at a huge discount in exchange for my honest review".  I always have wondered how they got to do that. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I found out purely by accident! Someone mentioned a site they belong to in a forum I participate in every month. I joined the 2 sites they mentioned through their links, and honestly, I didn't expect very much.

THEY. ARE. AMAZING!!!  Seriously!  They are FREE to join too!

See the image at the top of this post? That is just a VERY very small sampling of items I've reviewed, and received at significant discounts. Those are the first items I reviewed in the first week I started this new venture, literally just a couple of weeks ago. The items in that photo would've cost me $154.41 if I had purchased them outright. (and that is Amazon's sale prices, not retail!) Because of these sites that are an avenue to connecting companies to reviewers, I was able to only pay $14.73! I am an extremely frugal shopper, and that even blew my capabilities out of the water, lol.  Now, some items I needed, some I wanted, and some were just plain cool. :)  Since then, I've received and reviewed over 55 items! I haven't tallied it all up yet, but I will share it in an upcoming post with more photos of products I've been lucky enough to receive at amazing prices, and many of them completely free. You just can't beat FREE!

I have since found more sites that participate in connecting people with companies that have products that they need to have reviewed. I will list them all once I get permission from all of them to do so. I am still waiting to hear back from about half of them, and I am sure I will be adding many more to my list as I find them.  If you happen to know of some I don't have listed, please let me know.

So, what are the sites?
I'm sure you are ready to see what some of these sites have to offer, so to get you started, here are three of the sites I have joined, and participate with regularly:

*AmazingDealsGroup 
*EliteDealClub
*Snagshout

If you join any of them, please let me know how you like the sites in the comment section below.

Follow The Rules

Each site has its own membership requirements, so be sure to read their Rules/TOS/FAQ's. Some rules apply for ALL of the sites, such as:

1) You MUST leave a review in a specified period of time or you will be banned from ever participating again.

2) You CANNOT purchase the same item more than once.

3) You MUST include your Amazon Profile link somewhere...either in your account where it specifies, or in some cases, per item you request to review.

4) You CANNOT share your promo code with ANYONE, EVER!!!

5) You MUST mention somewhere in your review that you received the item at a discount or for free, in exchange for your honest review.

6) You CANNOT purchase or receive any of these items with the intention of selling them to make money.

Those are just some of the rules, off the top of my head, that I know they ALL go by. I will list more, as they become apparent.  If the rules are not followed, you WILL more than likely be banned, and possibly worse.

How is all of this possible?

Well, companies need reviews. Many of the sellers of these items are new companies, or have new products.  So, they join these sites, and agree to a certain number of items to be given away, or sold at huge discounts in order to get honest reviews for their products.

Sometimes it may only be 10 items, so they go fast. Sometimes it's 500 items. Some of the sites have time limits, will give hours of when certain products will be listed that day, or some are available all the time for a certain number of days. Another site, might have it so that the seller contacts YOU if they think your reviews you've written already are good and honest enough, that they want you to review their product. They all have their own way of handling this amazingly awesome opportunity. 
Oh, and all of the sites and sellers DO check your reviews. So, don't think you can just write a few words, and be done with it. They really check! Be honest, share your opinion of the product, and have fun!

PLEASE REMEMBER:

Don't forget, you absolutely CANNOT get the same item twice....even if it's from a different site. The seller is the SAME, and the item is the SAME. So, you can't leave a review on Amazon more than once for the same item. If you try to purchase the same item from multiple sites, you will most likely get banned. You also may have to pay full price to the seller for the items you bought. It's called stealing folks! So. Just. Don't. Do. It! Got it?!

FRIENDLY WARNING :)

These sites quickly become addicting!!!  You'll find yourself checking them multiple times a day to see if something new has come on. I know I do!
 I highly recommend you follow them on twitter, and on their facebook pages so you don't miss out on anything.

I will do a little summary on each one in an upcoming post that shows the differences between them. They all have their own unique way of doing things.

What about Shipping costs?

I must tell you, that unless you are an Amazon Prime member, you would still have to pay for shipping if you choose any items to review.  Amazon Prime members literally get these items for Free (as long as the item is a Prime item, which fortunately, for me, they all have been so far), or at insanely discounted prices!  So, if you are not an Amazon Prime member yet, it's truly worth your while to consider joining. Here is a post I did on it yesterday Amazon Prime There's an Advantage You Probably Don't Know About.
If you have thought about joining Amazon Prime, or just want to check it out, here is a link to the site where you can read up on all it has to offer. Just click on the image below, or click here: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

So, are you ready to see what products these companies have for you today? What are you waiting for?!  Have fun, and please feel free to share what you've gotten from them in the comments below. :)

*Note, this post and site may contain affiliate links. I only link to sites I use personally, as I would never feel comfortable linking to something I wouldn't use myself.

Amazon Prime....There's an Advantage You Probably Don't Know About

Shopping with Amazon Prime sure makes my life A LOT easier. I struggled with paying the $99 membership fee, but I have saved far more than that over the last 10 months just in shipping fees alone.  Truth is, I buy almost 75% of all of my purchases there now.  I used to try to only participate with survey companies that offered PayPal, because it helped me pay my bills. Now, I see the huge advantage to getting Amazon Gift Cards, and usually go for those.

If I need just one item, I look there to see what the best deal is, but I limit my search to only Prime deals. This takes a lot of the work out for me, making the transaction even faster. It doesn't matter if the item is only $1, $5 or $7, I still get FREE 2 day shipping.  No having to put more things in my cart that I don't really need just to make the free shipping limit. THAT, my friend, is why I buy so much there! FREE shipping, and 2 day shipping at that! You just can't beat it! I've gone and SPOILED myself.

I started the membership with the free 30 day trial. We were moving, and there was nowhere to put my new 21 speed bike. (that I also bought on Amazon, but it had free shipping anyway) So, we had 4 days before we moved, and my bike wasn't fitting into any of the pods we ordered. Off to Amazon I went, to see about a bike rack for the car.  I found one, and I could get it in 2 days with Amazon Prime, so I decided what better time to try it out.  It arrived within the 2 days, thank goodness! When the 30 days was up, I went ahead and splurged on the membership. It's been a whole different world ever since.  It opened my eyes to the world of 2 day free shipping, and better prices than I can get the items I need locally or on other sites.

People ask what in the world do I buy there, that I can't buy elsewhere cheaper.  Well, I am very picky about companies I buy supplements and health items from. So, I comparison shop the items I normally buy from other sites, and see what Amazon has them for. Whoever is cheaper gets my business, because every penny counts. I have been so pleasantly surprised when Amazon is cheaper (which more often than not it is!). Sometimes A LOT cheaper.
So, here is a short sample of items I get from Amazon:
*Organic scent free household cleaners
*Vitamins, supplements, herbs, homeopathics
*Personal Care items
*Gifts
*Home and Garden items
*Foods, spices, teas
*Kitchen tools/gadgets
*Unique items you can't find locally
*Diabetic supplies for my brother and dad (they are cheaper on Amazon! Even after Medicare prices at Walmart!!! Seriously!)
*Pet supplies, toys, food, supplements, shampoo etc
*Exercise equipment
*FREE or next to FREE items for doing reviews!!!!!!!!!!! (Thanks to the FREE shipping!)

Did you see the last line? FREE or next to FREE items for doing reviews?  YES! I'm serious! The best part is, MANY of the things I do reviews for, are things I actually have on my wish list or need anyway!  Some are just plain cool items that would make great gifts, or things that I want that I would never buy for myself.
Watch for the next post, cause I am going to tell you how to do this too! THIS is the advantage the post is leading to.

Amazon Prime also has other benefits, such as:
 *unlimited ad-free access to over a million songs with Amazon Prime Music
 *unlimited streaming of movies and videos with Amazon Prime Instant Video
 *unlimited storage for photos in Amazon Cloud Drive
You can read more about the benefits of Prime membership here: Amazon Prime Benefits

If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you are already in the best position you can be for what I will be sharing with you!  If you haven't joined Amazon Prime yet, but have thought about it, I HIGHLY recommend you do, and give it a try, and see how often you use it during your free trial period.  Especially, once I tell you how to get some items for FREE or nearly free, or at the very least, a HUGE discount!
Interested in giving it a try?  Just click the image right down below.

*Some of the links in this blog are affiliate links. I get a very small percentage of sales from products purchased, but every little bit helps.