Banff boots from Boutique Amimoc

Facebook is a great way of discover contest.  During the Christmas season, there were a lot of contests flying on this social media site.   I participated at many of them.  I won a few things too in the last two months.

• Lego Back to the Future set (Delorean) at Mrs. Tiggy Winkles in town.
• Gift certicate of 10$ at Spuds in town.
• Two Blu-Ray DVDs – Mary Poppins and Planes – with the Christian radio CHRI 99.1 FM
• and the most recent one is a pair of Banff boots at Boutique Amimoc located in Quebec City worth 200$.

Last year, I even won a gift certificate at Linen Chest which allowed me to get the T-Fal Actifry Family size.  Yes – it pays to participate to contests sometimes.

So today, here I am to present you the latest prize I have won – the Banff boots from Boutique Amimoc.   Boutique Amimoc has opened its doors in July 2012 in Quebec City.  More specifically, it is located in the Petit-Champlain quarter which is very accessible to tourists.   It is a relatively new boutique which Quebecers doesn’t know much yet.   The idea for the contest was to get the brand know.  They initially hoped for 400 likes on facebook when they launched the contest back in December.    At the time of this blog post, they have reached 10, 842 likes.   The power of social media has exceeded their dreams in way.  Due the high participation of sharing the image and the numerous likes that Boutique Amimoc has received, they have decided to give away four pair of boots – two in December and two in January.

The contest was held until the end of January.   I participated back in December never thinking twice about it when I checked my messages on facebook on February 1st.    I realized that there was one message in the “Other” folder.   I checked and it was a message informing me that I had won a pair of boots.  Seriously?   WoW!  I was one of the two last winners…

Currently, they do not have an online store but you can see their products on their facebook page and order via the manager’s email – Lucie at lucie@amimoc.ca.   They are working on having an online site available later in 2014.

The company who makes the boots and mocassins, Auclair & Martineau, exist since 1956.  Through the years, they have developed an expertise in order to provide the best product for the winters in the province of Quebec.    The mocassins are still made by hand according to the traditions from the First Nations.

So I could pick any color offered for my prize.   In a way, I was glad that there was only three colors to choose from because more than that I would have been overwhelmed…  *grin*  Seriously, though I debated for a full day before sending the color I wanted. 

Here are the options offered:

 

Black and White scream classic to me.   To think of it I don’t think I ever had winter boots of that color.   It would be nice for a more formal outing with my husband like a date.   Besides, like a friend of mine said classic would last a long time as the color will still be there in a few years.  Even my mother-in-love said that the black one would be more practical.

Brown and yellow – again brown is classic but the touch of yellow is a but funky.   I always had brown boots as an adult.  Though I find these beautiful, I am not picking this color because I recently purchased a pair of tan Chloe boots from Baffin http://www.baffin.com/Default.asp.  So seeing that I have some brownish colored boots, this particular color wasn’t speaking to me.

There is also the Wine and Kiwi color which speak to me in a way of saying you can be different.   My only hesitation for this color would be will I still like them in two years from now?   That’s a tricky question…   Though on another note, they would definitively be different than what I am used to wear and more colorful too.    I really like the reddish color on them but not too keen about the kiwi part of them.  If it would have been sand then I wouldn’t have hesitated one minute and selected that one.   But deep down there was hesitation in me.   I was unsure of this color…

In the end, I choose the black ones because I wanted them to last long.   However, I was curious to see what my daughter would have picked.   Turns out that she picked the black ones too without one hint of hesitation when she saw the image with the three boots on it.

Concerning the size of the boots.   I was told that the sizes are pretty good and correspond to the regular size your would wear on other footwear.   Since I was wearing size 10 in running shoes and boots, I ordered the same size for these.

I was told that it could take 10 days for the delivery.  I was okay with the delay.  After all, why should I complain when I won the boots right?   Yesterday, I got the confirmation of the shipment and today… the door bell rang.    A package had arrived.  It was the boots… and they are a perfect fit too!

I find it interesting that there is a zipper on the side of the boot.   This is definitively something new for me as all the boots I had in the past never had a zipper.  The zipper is located on the side facing the interior of the legs.

And here is a close up of the side and interior of the boots. The leather has been specially treated to be waterproof.   Apparently it is highly resistant to salt stain (which I didn’t had the opportunity to test yet!).  The leather is fully breathable which allows the transpiration to evaporate if necessary.  The lining is made of genuine wool and will keep your feet warm during the cool weather.   

As I am writing this, I have inserted my feet in the boots and wear them in the house.   It might be silly for some but it allows me to experience the comfort of the boots in my feet.   The insole can be removed from the bottom of the boot and is shape in such a way that your feet will sit in it perfectly well.  I find that the boot snug closely to my ankle and bottom part of my legs as well.   It’s good in a way because you have less chances to have snow sneaking on you and trying to come in your boots.

I am quite pleased with the prize I have received from Boutique Amimoc.   I think the boots will be perfect from when I go out with my husband on a date.   Many thanks to Boutique Amimoc to have decided to give extra pair of boots!

The Banff boots are made made in Québec City.  They are waterproof and wool lined.  They can handle -30 Celcius temperature.  Their price is 200$ each plus taxes.    If you want to order a pair of Banff boots from Boutique Amimoc, don’t hesitate to contact Lucie at lucie@amimoc.ca.  She is very helpful and nice to deal with.   

Disclaimer: Thanks to Boutique Amimoc for sending me the above mentioned product. I won the pair of boots from a contest held on facebook and was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Zipfy Artist Series

Zipfy Artist Series
By Zipfy

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to review a Zipfy which is a mini luge that the kids have learned to adore and bring every time we go to an hill to slide.   Last year, the two saucers we owned broke after a few years of usage.   At the end of the season we were able to purchase a new double slide but with four kids in the family – having one Zipfy and one double slide wasn’t enough.   We had duct taped the saucers and were planning to use them again this year.   But when I was surfing one early morning, I realized that this year Zipfy has released a new series of their fun luges with an artist series.

The artist series luges are special limited edition of special luge with a unique design. 

Voltio have created the Samurai 39, Totem 48, Maori 26, Ghostrider 0.0 blue and  Ghostrider 0.0 red.

MEC has created the Prism 81.

 

Juliana Neufeld has created the Monsters 7.

Playdead has created the Playdead 00.

 

Skam has created the Graffiti 22.

 

Jacob Rolfe has created Blue Wave 45, Pink Wave 88, and Canadiana 67.

We received a Canadiana 67 model and I must admit that it was my first pick.   I love the Canadian flair that it has on the Zipfy.  As soon as I received the box, I opened it and admired the Artist Zipfy we had received.   I am quite impressed with the quality of the design on the luge.   You can see that it is high quality and that it won’t peel in the cold weather. 

I particularly love the cool Canadian winter design on it.   Nothing more Canadian than a beaver and moose playing hockey on a frozen lake surrounded by maple trees hooked up with the traditional can to collect the sap for maple syrup.   *grin*   I really like the colors and the trees in the background.    And knowing how well our previous Zipfy handles on the snow, I know that the kids and adults in this family will enjoy the slide.   The plastic is strong and can support heavy weight up to 250 lbs.  

We are lucky to have a hill next to our swimming lessons and last year we took advantage of this quite a few times.   The Zipfy and other sledding devices were packed in the Suburban so we can go whenever we wanted to.    The Zipfy is easy to use, simply sit on it and lift you legs up.  Hold yourself on the handle and slide down the hill.   To carry it, you simply have to swing it over your shoulder and climb back up the hill.  Simple. Effective. Fun.   Their site also help you to find a place to slide – which can come in handy if you want to surprise your kids one snowy day of winter!  This year my husband wants to try the Zipfy and look forward to experience the slide.

And if you want to meet other Zipfy users, there is even a global community where you can organize local races, meet fellow riders and more.

We enjoy our Zipfy and I know that this new model will provide hours of pleasure for my family.   If you are looking for a different kind of sliding device this year, I would like to suggest that you check out the Zipfy products.

The Zipfy Artist Series Canadiana 67  is an exclusive product to Chapters Indigo.   You can only get them at the store or online for the price of 44.95$.  Other models are available at Scholar’s Choice.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Zipfyfor sending me the above mentioned product for promotion purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.