Checking Our List #24: Crafty Kids Eco-Friendly Playhouses {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, HiHoRosie!}

As winter gets closer and closer and more cold weather days come and go around here, we've been spending more time making use out of our favorite indoor toys and activities.

Recently I went through and removed a large pile of items out of my kids' play room because of the lack of interest in them - when it's time for fun, we want something entertaining and open-ended, not just another toy that is going to be tossed aside.

And for us, one of the companies that has remained a top choice ever since we were introduced is Crafty Kids and their creative, imaginative and entertaining eco-friendly playhouses.

Made in the U.S.A. out of 100% recycled cardboard materials, the Crafty Kids Playhouses are uniquely designed with a sturdy drawing surface to provide endless decorating possibilities for your child. From their full size Creation Cottage and Shuttle Imagination to their miniature counterpart Craft Models, the quality craftsmanship and white exterior calls out to kids to personalize them as their own.

From the time that we first constructed our Shuttle Imagination to the time that the Shuttle Imagination Craft Model arrived to now, these playhouses have managed to withstand the test of two kids (and their friends) and many hours of rainy or too-cold-to-play-outside days.

And as much fun as Big Sister E and Little Sister B have going inside the 6-foot tall Shuttle, they also love having smaller adventures with the Craft Model. It's just the perfect size for play!

Taking only minutes for the original construction, the slots and flaps that hold Crafty Kids' creations together means there is almost no waiting for the fun to begin and that it holds tight without any problems.

When I first put this together Big Sister E and Little Sister B went right to work coloring it from all angles... and, in the time that has passed, they have continued to do the exact same thing:

Inside, outside, back, front... the newest addition to their decorating has been to color even the bottom!

As this playhouse weighs only three pounds and is just under two feet tall, moving the Shuttle from the floor to the tabletop to almost anywhere in between is done with ease and it just makes it more possible for kids to customize it at their own pace.

From crayons to markers (each Craft Model comes with its own set of six washable, non-toxic, jumbo markers) to stickers to gluing on ribbon or paper, the finished design is never really completed... and you just never know who you might find inside having their own adventure mission.

With their full and mini-sized high quality Playhouses, Crafty Kids has turned a universally-adored toy (the cardboard box) into an award-winning, creativity-inspiring product. Whether large or small, the Shuttle Imagination and Creation Cottage full and Craft Models combine great design, sturdy construction and imaginary play into an inventive, eco-friendly good time for kids of all ages.

And when kids are finally completely done with it? As Crafty Kids Playhouses are of course 100% post-play recyclable, from start to finish they will have been fun and helped the earth. What a great lesson to go along with the enjoyment of playing with them! Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person will find out how much fun a Craft Model from Crafty Kids can really be, because...

One lucky person will win their choice of a Shuttle Imagination Craft Model (ARV $24.95) or Creation Cottage Craft Model (ARV $22.95)!

To enter to win: Visit Crafty Kids and tell me another of the great products that they sell that your child would enjoy.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you head over to A Mom's Balancing Act and enter to win a Crafty Kids Eco-Friendly Craft Model Playhouse over there as well!
1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Crafty Kids on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook. 1 more Extra Entry if you leave the following message on their wall: Imaginative fun is a great holiday gift! I just entered to win my choice of Crafty Kids Shuttle Imagination or Creation Cottage Craft Model at Thanks, Mail Carrier! http://bit.ly/ggmcAV
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the Holiday Gift Guide giveaways (Checking Our List giveaways ONLY) running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Checking Our List 24: #WIN a Crafty Kids Shuttle Imagination or Creation Cottage Craft Model! #thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/ggmcAV #giveaway

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you have our Checking Our List {Holiday Gift Guide 2010} button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and Crafty Kids. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on December 23rd at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Crafty Kids for providing a Shuttle Imagination Craft Model for me to review as well as the choice of Craft Model for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.