Found Not Lost

I’m not a small purse kind of girl. I’m more a tote bag kind of woman. That’s why I just love these Naturally Knotty tote bags. What’s even better about them is that they are made from factory overstock and recycled materials. And of course, they are just stylish as can be. Whether you’re cleaning the glass tiles in the bathroom (well, maybe not that) or dropping the kids off to soccer practice, you’ll look good carrying these around.

To celebrate our 2-year anniversary, they are offering a special $49.99 pricing for these eco-friendly totes. Hurry and choose your new Knotty tote before they sell out. Offer Expires 7/14/2009.

And I’m not getting paid for this, I just really like these totes :). If you want to buy me one, email me for my mailing address. lol!

Remember the dog house video that has gone viral on the internet? It was a fun parody but it also came quite close to the truth. Some guys are just clueless when it comes to giving their spouses gifts. Now I’m not saying jewelry is the answer to everything, it certainly isn’t with me. But if you’re a guy and you want to play it safe, I say go for the jewelry rather than the new set of Calphalon pots. Unless of course you’re married to someone like me in which case you would then want to get the pots instead. More than likely, you’re not married to me so let’s move on.

Guys, jewelry is a safe bet, that’s for sure. BUT! If you really want to score some major points, then you have to pick the right kind of jewelry. Yes, there is such a thing as the right kind and the wrong kind. This is when it helps that you’ve been paying attention to your lady’s sense of style. Some women go for simple, some go for ornate. Make sure you know what she likes. Also make sure you know what kind of jewelry she likes. Does she like watches? Earrings? Bracelets? Maybe she’s the kind who’d like a necklace? Do you know if she has pierced ears? Is she allergic to gold? It’s entirely possible that she is, you know. Seriously, if you want to stay out of the dog house, you have to consider these things.

For some great tips about choosing the right jewelry, check out the Tips for Guys section on the Bella True website. Here are some of the topics discussed:
* What to Give, When
* The Big Four: A Guide
* The Engagement Ring, Explained
* Rings for The Big Day
* When “I’m Sorry” Isn’t Enough
* Special Days
* Anniversary Guide
* Color Her World
* Gemstones by Color

I love totes! Well sometimes, I just plain need them too. Ever since I had kids my days of small cute purses disappeared and came these days of large roomy totes to carry all my stuff and the kids’ stuff too.

Lately, I have also been trying to be more conscious of the things we consume. With Naturally Knotty, I was first attracted by the looks (aren’t we all?) of their bags. Then when I visited their website and read their company mission:

Our mission is to connect people with elegant and fashionable products made from factory scrap, overstock, remnants, recycled and eco-friendly materials.

The fact that they make their products from remnants and recycled materials immediately caught my interest. Most of us have been conditioned to visualize ‘remnants’ and ‘recycled’ to mean tacky and gaudy with a ‘homemade look’ but not these purses! If you didn’t know what they were made of or made from, you would never know the difference. Well, maybe you would…

I would love to find out just how different these bags are from the craft market finds for silk purses and the likes so I joined up to the Naturally Knotty Giveaway. Visit the link to find out how you can win a gorgeous tote that is also environmentally friendly.

Is Swatch a thing of the eighties? I had always thought that Swatch watches were timeless. That they would always be around like the Rolex brand. So I was a bit surprised when I realized that some people had never even heard of Swatch.

When I was a teenager in the 80’s, this was the watch to have. They came in those multi colored plastics then, but Swatch also had classically designed watches for grown ups not just the trendy stuff. My husband’s most treasured watch is a Swatch watch. The bad thing about it is, the battery on it finally ran out and now we can’t seem to find anyone who can change the battery on it. Remember when all you had to do is take it to the jeweler at the mall and they will put in a new batter for you? Well, not anymore.

Most jewelry stores now, apparently don’t employ a watch repairer anymore. The person I spoke with at the jewelry store said they didn’t know how to open the back of my husband’s Swatch watch. That it needed a special equipment, one that they don’t have, to open the back. It seemed far fetch to me, but whatever. I thought I would check the Swatch website to see if they could help. But wouldn’t you know it, they have one service center listed and it’s in New York. Really, how difficult could it be to change a battery?

If you have any idea on how to change the battery on a swatch watch, please let me know. I’m trying to contact the NY service center now.

Here in North Carolina we’re finally having some serious cold. Temps are below freezing with a slight chance of snow. Mom left yesterday, and escaped to sunnier horizons in California. I’ve been thinking about California a lot lately, especially with the cold. I’ve had to bundle up with my new bomber-style-inspired coat from Target.

A lot of my friends got new North Face coats this year as well. As trendy and warm as those are, I don’t think I could shell out all that dough for a little jacket. The common North Face Denali will run you around $160 dollars, according to their website. You’ve probably seen a lot of people walking around with this classic North Face style.

Besides the price, the whole trend is just a little too overused for me. My $30 Mossimo coat gets the job done. Not too many people have it. Although after Christmas break three of my friends had the same style in red. I’m the only one with the blue/purple style so that’s good.

Ughh even with my heater on my toes are still cold, it’s making me dream of warmer days, vacationing in California or swimming in Vegas before touring the las vegas strip. I’m missing mom already, but I wish I was with her on her trip, seeing family and basking in warm sunlight!

I just happened by MomReviews this morning and found out about this handbag giveaway. Now who doesn’t love a handbag? Not me, certainly! I was all over this handbag giveaway from Handbag Planet immediately.

The Handbag Planet will officially launch on October 15 and on that day, they will give away a handbag every hour! Handbag Planet will be a site where you can get designer bags for a fraction of the cost. To sign up for the giveaway, all you have to do is click on the link above and enter your first name and email address. That’s it! If you’re feeling generous and feel like sharing with your friends, you can increase your chances of winning by spreading the word to your friends. Now keep in mind, that means your chances of winning will decrease the more friends you invite.  But if you have a blog or website, you can earn more chances by blogging about the contest like I just did. So you want a new handbag?