When I thought of reusable bags I didn’t think of cute bags, that would last a long time and hold a lot. I thought about an easy to rip fabric that was branded with a stores logo. That was until I found Mixed Bag Designs.

Mixed Bag Designs offers a variety of Reusable bags that are not only fashionable and cute but are going to last a long time. Mixed Bag Designs complies with the lead content requirements and are made from woven polypropylene-one of the most popular plastics for making food containers like yogurt cups. 10-40% of the polypropylene used in Mixed Bag Designs bags is recycled from post consumer use. They hold up to 50lbs, which is due to the plastic fibers woven into the bags.

With school starting recently and being a member of the PTA I was pleased to see that Mixed Bag Designs offers fundraising opportunities. We are always looking for ways to recycle and reuse at school especially when it comes to items that we use everyday like paper, and ink, so what better way of going green and raising awareness than doing a fundraiser with Mixed Bag Designs?

There are many benefits to having a Mixed Bag Designs Fundraiser, you can do them for not only schools but clubs and teams with a 50% profit!

Benefits of having a Mixed Bag Designs fundraiser:

• Helps your school community ‘Go Green’!
• Unique and useful product: high quality, durable reusable bags. They hod a whopping 50 lbs.
• Free colorful catalogs and order forms
• Easy on-line ordering
• Free shipping
• If you don’t want to have a personal fundraiser, you can do one online!
• For more information on school fundraisers or to get an online catalog email DJ.

Mixed Bag Designs not only offers shopping totes, lunch totes for girls and boys, fashion totes, cosmetic bags & pouches, insulated totes, storage bags & boxes, stationary, tech stuff like iPhone & laptop covers, travel, and stuff for the guys but they also offer gift bags and totes. Mixed Bag Designs range in prices from $8.00 to $32.00. Where else can you get something for everyone? Mixed Bag Designs!

What I love about Mixed Bag Designs is that the bags feel strong, look good and can be used for anything from school, swimming, beach bag, diaper bag, grocery bag, lunch bag, travel tote….Another thing that I love about Mixed Bag Designs is that their products are easy to clean, you just wipe it clean with a wet rag.

 Buy It

You can purchase Mixed Bag Designs on their site  & right now if you

use coupon code: lala you get free shipping until 9/12!

Win It

Thanks to Mixed Bag Designs 4 winners will each win a bag set of their own from the following choices:

Around Town

At Home

Downtown

Out of Town

On the Town

Mandatory Entry

Visit Mixed Bag Designs and tell me which bag(s) is your favorite.

Extra Entries

(are extra & can only be done once the mandatory entry is completed)

Like Mixed Bag Designs on Facebook & show them some love

Like Living in La La Land on Facebook

Follow Mixed Bag Designs on Twitter

Follow Living in La La Land on Twitter

Tweet this giveaway- can be done 1x daily leave a link

#Win Cute, Re-Usable bags from @MixedBagDesigns at @Living_LaLaLand{4 Winners}! http://livinginlalalandblog.com/?p=5518

Giveaway will close on September 12, 2011 at 12:00 am MST. Giveaway is open to U.S. Residents 18+. One entry per household. Sponor is responsible for sending out prizes and may take 4-8 weeks for delivery.

Disclosure: I was provided with a product to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ. For more info see my Disclosure Policy.

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We have all heard of Starbucks Coffee but did you know they make Starbucks Ice Cream?

They currently offer 7 pint sized delicious flavors: Caramel Macchiato, Mocha Frappuccino, Java Chip Frappuccino, Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino, Vanilla Bean Frappuccino and Signature Hot Chocolate.

Our local grocer doesn’t carry all of the varieties so we choose the Mocha Frappuccino and the Signature Hot Chocolate and I have to say that Chucky and I were in heaven. We tried the Mocha Frappuccino first and then the Signature Hot Chocolate. Chucky isn’t one for a coffee flavored ice cream but he loved it. At first I was like, ‘what they only come in pint size?’ and once I dove in I realized you don’t need a lot of it to get your Starbucks Ice Cream fix! Do I have a favorite? Yep, both of them!

I created a recipe using one of the Starbucks Ice Cream flavors and although I couldn’t decide on which ice cream to use so I decided on the Mocha Frappuccino because I love hot coffee, iced coffee, and coffee ice cream.

The Anytime Ice Cream Mocha Frappuccino

• 1 Starbucks VIA packet
• 1 Scoop Mocha Frappuccino Ice Cream
• Whipped Cream

Directions:

Make the Starbucks VIA per directions, add a scoop(or 2) of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Ice Cream and top with whipped cream.

It’s a mix between warm and cold. You could drink it on a hot summer day or sip it by the fire on a cold winters night!

Starbucks Ice Cream offers a lot of great recipes that you could use for anytime of the year!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Starbucks and received coupons and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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I am part of the Carmex Blog Squad and as part of the Carmex Blog Squad I am able to review products and share my honest opinions with you.

This season is a big one for getting chapped lips and I am here to share some tips from Carmex on why it happens, how you can prevent it and why their products work.

What Causes Chapped Lips:

Lips get chapped because they’re too dry; usually due to exposure to the elements(i.e. dry air, wind, sun, cold temperatures, dust). Tempting as it is, licking lips when they are dry actually makes them more chapped. Allergic reactions and dehydration can also cause chapped lips.

What are the not-so-secret Carmex ingredients, and what do they do?

Various forms and flavors of Carmex lip balm may include all or some of the following ingredients, which moisturize and help heal chapped lips while protecting them from further damage.

• Menthol- kills germs and relieves discomfort

Derived from oil of peppermint, menthol is a common ingredient in over-the-counter topical products used for respiratory congestion, headache, skin problems and muscle pain. Menthol also has anesthetic properties and helps soothe the discomfort of dry, chapped lips and the pain associated with cold sores. Menthol elicits a cool, refreshing sensation.

• Camphor- alleviates pain

Camphor is a naturally occurring compound that shares many properties with menthol. The cooling, tingling effect of camphor is similar to that of menthol in that it acts as a mild local anesthetic and antimicrobial agent against germs. Camphor is also one of the ingredients that provide relief for the burning, itching and pain associated with cold sores.

• Phenol- kills germs, exfoliates and anesthetizes

Found in a variety of mouthwashes and sore throat lozenges, phenol is an antiseptic that kills germs and provides a local anesthetic or mild numbing effect. In Carmex, phenol heps reduce the itching and burning associated with dry chapped lips and cold sores. The phenol in Carmex lip balms also help to gently remove old, dry and peeling skin.

• Lanolin- softens, lubricates and protects

Lanolin protects lips from the elements by locking in hydration and restoring softness and elasticity to tender lips.

• Cocoa Seed Butter- Moisturizes and protects

Cocoa butter is extracted from the seeds of the cacao plant. Because of it’s pleasing fragrance and excellent emollient qualities, cocoa butter is a popular ingredient in many cosmetic and skin care products. The cocoa butter in Carmex lip balm moisturizes lips.

• Salicylic Acid- gently exfoliates and relieves pain

Salicylic acid has been used as a pain reliever since ancient times, when a simpler form of a compound was extracted from the bark of the willow tree. Also known as beta hydroxyl acid, salicylic acid improves the overall texture of lips by promoting very mild exfoliation of the outermost layer of the lip, allowing dead skin cells to slough off and enabling the other important ingredients in Carmex-menthol, camphor and phenol, to more effectively penetrate lips. Only a small amount, less than 1 percent are used in various Carmex lip balm products. Salicylic acid can be found in many skin care products such as cleansers, facial creams and lotions.

• Aloe Butter- helps heal and soothe

Aloe serves as a water-binding agent for skin. It aids in rapid hydration of dry skin caused by sun burn, and general chapping. Research shows aloe also has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial qualities. Aloe butter not only helps keep skin smoothe and supple, it also helps soothe burns, cuts and scratches.

• Vitamin E- reduces damaging free radicals

Vitamin E helps retain moisture and prevents lips from chapping. It reduces the formation of free radicals caused by exposure to UVA rays. Vitamin E helps heal wounds faster and also increases the efficacy of other active sunscreen ingredients.

• Shea Butter- penetrates to soften dry, cracked skin

Shea Butter is a plant lipid that is used as an emollient in cosmetics to moisturize and soften skin. It helps dry skin look and feel better because it penetrates to alleviate dry and cracked skin.

• Petrolatum- reduces inflammation and helps heal

Petroleum jelly, petrolatum and soft paraffin are all names for the same ingredient. It is recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) as an approved over-the-counter(OTC) skin protectant and is widely used in cosmetic skin care. Topical application of petrolatum can reduce inflammation and help the skin’s outer layer recover from damage(eg. chapped lips, minor cuts and burns).

Carmex has introduced two of their newest flavors Lime Twist and Vanilla. They are both in a click stick and offer a great light flavor with all of the moisturizing ingredients of Carmexs’ lip line.

I was sent a Carmex Blog Squad Kit that contained, Lime Twist, Vanilla, Carmex Moisture Plus in a satin gloss finish and a really cute picnic blanket that folds up into itself for easy travel.

I loved the Lime Twist especially for Summer, it had a hint of lime that made it especially nice to apply. The Vanilla had the perfect amount of Vanilla, it wasn’t over-powering like some lip products can be. The Carmex Moisture Plus was perfect for when I had somewhere nice to go, it gave my makeup a punch!

The Carmex branded picnic blanket is perfect for a day at the pool, outside in the back yard or going to listen to music in the park!

Buy It

You can find any of these products at a retailer near you.

Win It

Thanks to Carmex one Living in La La Land reader will win:

1 Carmex Lime Twist click stick

1 Carmex Vanilla click stick

1 Carmex Picnic Blanket

Mandatory Entry

Tell me which flavor you would love to try.

Extra Entries-can only be done once the mandatory entry is done.

Like Carmex on Facebook

Like Living in La La Land on Facebook

Enter my current giveaways-1x each let me know which one(s) you entered

Follow Carmex & Living in La La Land on Twitter & tweet:can be done 1x daily leave a link

#Win @CarmexLipBalm Summer Picnic Pack-includes|Lime Twist & Vanilla click stick + a Picnic Blanket @Living_LaLaLand 9/3 http://livinginlalalandblog.com/?p=5501

This giveaway will close on September 3, 2011 at 10:00 pm MST and is open to residents of the U.S. 18+. One entry per household.

Sponsor is responsible for sending out prizes please allow 4-8 weeks for delivery.

Disclosure: I was provided with the above mentioned products to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ. For more info please see my Disclosure policy.

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With school starting for most of our kids and us moms being exhausted from it. I have one question for you- Who’s ready for a girls night out??

Right now T.G.I.Friday’s® is offering a Savor. Sip. Save. where you get Dinner and a Cold One for $10*(in Baltimore, Indianapolis, Chicago & West Palm Beach)! Yep, you read that right dinner and a drink for $10!

Enjoy some of Friday’s delicious entrees including a drink of choice:

• Indulgent Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Jack Daniels Pulled Pork Sandwich
• Balsamic Glazed Chicken Caesar
• Mouth-watering Black Angus Cheeseburger

For the full menus being offered in Baltimore and Indianapolis, please visit:
Baltimore: http://www.tgifridays.com/menus/dinnerColdOne.aspx
Indianapolis: http://www.tgifridays.com/menus/dinnerColdOne_everyday.aspx

Pick 2 for $10 Choose an appetizer, an entr’ee or dessert(offer valid in Chicago(everyday)and West Palm Beach(everyday)

Enjoy two of Friday’s® delicious specials:

• Spinach Florentine Flatbread
• Savory Dragon fire Chicken
• Pan-Seared Parmesan Flounder
• Delicious Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

For the full menus being offered in Chicago and West Palm Beach visit:

Chicago & West Palm Beach:  http://www.tgifridays.com/menus/pick2for10.aspx

Win It 

Thanks to T.G.I.Friday’s® one winner will win a $25 GC to T.G.I.Friday’s®!

Enter

Fill out the Rafflecopter form

Read more

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‘The Day That Just Keeps Giving’ is finally here! If you need more information or want the full schedule of all the blogs participating and their prizes, you can get it here. Don’t forget to come back every hour to enter each giveaway(Rafflecopter will change each hour with a few new giveaways)!! Winners will be announced throughout the day & placed on the winners wall at Giveaway Blogdom! Good Luck!
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Tomorrow at 7 am MST is the start of ‘The Day That Keeps Giving’! A day of giveaways co-hosted by Giveaway Blogdom and Heavenly Savings along with over 20+ blogs who will be giving away over more than $1,000 in prizes and gift cards!!!

There will be a couple of giveaways posted each hour until the event ends at 10 pm MST. You will have 1 hour to enter the giveaways and winners will be drawn and announced throughout the day over at Giveaway Blogdom. Grand Prize winners will be drawn from all of the total entries-the more giveaways you enter the greater your chances of winning a Grand prize! The giveaways will be posted on each participating blog, yet it will be the same giveaway so you only need to enter on one of the sites/Rafflecopter forms. *Some giveaways are open Worldwide!!* Giveaways will updated hourly.

All times are listed in MST! Time Zone Conversions for the major time zones in the US: EST +2 hours, CST +1 hour and PST -1 hour.

7 am= 9 am EST

7 am= 8am CST

7 am= 6 am PST

Here is a schedule of all of the times and bloggers participating:

7 am to 8 am MST: 2 $10 gift certificates to Princess and Rebel Boutique from Heavenly Savings & Giveaway Blogdom

8 am to 9 am MST: $20 Bath & Body Works Gift Pack from Thrifty 101

8 am to 9 am MST: $100 worth of coupons plus 2 FREE Pantene Product Coupons from Going Crazy!! Wanna Go??!!

9 am to 10 am MST: Girly Goody Bag: Lotions, Body Washes from Penny Pincher Pixie

9 am to 10 am MST: $10 Amazon gift card from Musings of a Modern Mom

10 am to 11 am MST: $25 Inspired Silver gift card from My Coupon Lady

10 am to 11 am MST: $25 Restraunt.com gift certificate from The Tween and Me

10 am to 11 am MST: $ 5 Amazon gift card & $50 in Coupons from One Sweet World: Brits Dealy Coups

11 am to 11 am MST: $20 Paypal Cash from Staying Me

11 am to 12 pm MST: $25 gift card to BlueBirdCards.com from Cori’s Coupon Corner

12 pm to 1 pm MST: $100 Book Prize Pack from Keenly Kristin

12 pm to 1 pm MST: $20 Amazon gift code from About A Mom

1 pm to 2 pm MST: $15 Paypal Cash from The Adventures of JMan and MillerBug

1 pm to 2 pm MST: $25 Paypal Cash from Sarah’s Blog of Fun

2 pm to 3 pm MST: $20 Amazon gift code from Mommy’s Coupon Train

2 pm to 3 pm MST: $40 Golden Door Cookbook from Still Blonde After All These Years

2 pm to 3 pm MST: $5 Amazon gift code from Seventeen Sirens

3 pm to 4 pm MST: $20 Paypal Cash from ME

3 pm to 4 pm MST: Handmade Earrings & Ring of choice from Week 99er

4 pm to 5 pm MST: $100 from Money $aving Michele

4 pm to 5 pm MST: $20 gift card to Usborne Books from Mommies Point of View

5 pm to 6 pm MST: Learn to Dance DVD from The Mommy Diaries

5 pm to 6 pm MST: $5 Amazon gift code from Formula Mom

6 pm to 7 pm MST: $40 gift code to Crafty Kids Playhouses from The Freebie Junkie

6 pm to 7 pm MST: $10 Paypal Cash or Amazon gift code from Thrifty Texas Penny

7 pm to 8 pm MST: AT&T Cordless Phone from Mama’s Money Tree

7 pm to 8 pm MST: Subscription to Everyday with Rachel Ray from Frugal Mom Rocks

8 pm to 9 pm MST: $25 Biatta Intimates gift code from Children Teaching Mama

8 pm to 9 pm MST: $5 Amazon gift code from Insights by April

9 pm to 10 pm MST: Grand Prize Giveaway from Giveaway Blogdom

9 pm to 10 pm MST: Grand Prize Giveaway from Heavenly Savings

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Thank you to everyone who came and entered the Falling Skies and Rizolli & Isles giveaways!

Falling Skies Winner…

Rizolli & Isles Winner…

Congratulations! I have sent you each an email please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize:)

Don’t forget to enter my current giveaways and subscribe via email to get the latest on everything happening on Living in La La Land!!!

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One thing that I absolutely HATE is shopping for jeans! Not just because I have the body of an oompa loompa but because I can never find a pair that do what I need them to do which is lengthen me, slim me, hold me in-in certain places, and be worn a lot of different ways. I have struggled to find jeans that I love and when I found a pair that fit my criteria I had to buy in bulk. Unfortunately for me each pair isn’t made the same or by the same person. So one pair would feel okay but the other pair felt skin tight or too loose. It’s aggravating that it has to be that difficult for me to find a pair of great fitting jeans!!!

I was provided the opportunity to review a pair of dENiZEN jeans. I was sent the Women’s Dark Totally Shaping Mid-rise; I have to tell you how ecstatic I am about these jeans. They aren’t your ’mama jeans’ from the past, they are the ‘mama jeans’ of the future! They have a bit of stretch and are oh so slimming in the just the right places with a lot of comfort to top em off! dENiZEN jeans are definitely going to be bought in bulk for not only myself but for Chucky too!

During the California Gold Rush in 1853, Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss founded a wholesale dry goods business in San Francisco called Levi Strauss & Co. In 1873, Strauss helped patent the process of putting rivets in pants for strength and durability, giving birth to the world’s finest jeans. Since then, the company’s unrivaled attention to detail and iconic American style have made Levi Strauss & Co. one of the largest brand-name apparel marketers, selling it’s wares in 110 countries worldwide.

Launched in the U.S. in 2011, the dENiZEN brand offers high-quality, fashionable jeans from the original jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. at affordable prices and exclusively to consumers who shop at Target. The dENiZEN brand is outfitting a new generation of on-the-go families with a modern range of great-fitting jeans-wear for men, women and kids.

dENiZEN Jeans feature quality craftsmanship, sewn from premium heavy-weight denim for exceptional durability, then carefully detailed with vintage-inspired finishes, leaving you with a one-of-a-kind pair that truly lasts and is on-trend styles for the entire family, they are the choice for quality, accessible clothing for families on the move, everywhere in the U.S.

Women’s Sizes range from: 2-18 with fits including Mid Rise Boot Cut, Mid Rise Straight, Totally Shaping Mid Rise Boot Cut and Totally Shaping at Waist Boot cut.

Men’s Sizes range from: 29″-42″ W and 30″-34″ L with fits including Regular, Relaxed, Straight, Loose, Low Boot, Slim Straight and Skinny.

Girls’ Sizes range from: 4-20 with fits Super Skinny, Skinny and Slim Boot.

Boys’ Sizes range from: 4-20 with fits including Loose, Straight, Slim Straight and Skinny.

Prices range from $17.99-$29.99

dENiZen on Facebook

What do you think about the dENiZEN jeans? Do you have a pair? Are you going to try them?

I would love to hear your experience if you have a pair or get a pair!

Disclosure: I was provided a pair of dENiZEN Jeans to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ. For more information please read my Disclosure Policy.

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Manic Music Monday is when I like to take a moment to share music that I am loving, just heard and can not wait to share it with you!

Have you ever bought a CD that you have never listened to before and absolutely loved it? That’s how I feel about Tim Permanents CD. I have never heard it before and absolutely fell in love with it.

It’s something I wasn’t expecting, from Tim’s boyish looks and his sultry sweet voice-I was hooked. Not only did I want to dance, but I wanted to sing along and than I couldn’t get the words out of my head.

Tim Permanent has been inspired by avant-pop lyricism of artists like Tori Amos and the pop sensibilities of Robyn, he creates danceable soundscapes filled with clever phrasing and genuine emotion.

Tim’s CD has 5 tracks that include: Extraordinary, More Than Want, Black & White, Alkaline, and the acclaimed Asymmetrical.

‘Life inspires me to write songs,’ Tim says. ‘My intention is to have the listener feel hopeful and inspired the way that I am.’

Tim, a native of the East Coast, is a self-taught vocalist and guitarist he attended a conservatory for performing arts in New York City. Shortly thereafter, Tim co-founded the politically and socially aware avant-folk band Testosterone Kills, signed to Fortified Records, before relocating to the West Coast and pursuing a solo career. In 2008, he released his debut album Record in an unconventional format-a USB Jump Drive.

Buy It 

You can purchase Tim’s albums on iTunes

Win It

One reader will win Tim’s album Marker

Enter

What do you like about Tim’s music?

Follow Tim Permanent on Facebook and leave him a nice message:)

Like Living in La La Land on Facebook

Follow Living in La La Land on Twitter

Follow Living in La La Land on GFC

Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook(at the end of the post) or in a linky-1 for each option you do

Please leave a separate comment for each entry & don’t forget to include any links

Giveaway will close on September 5th, 2011 at 12:00 am MST. Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. 18+

Disclosure: I was provided with music downloads to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own and others’ may differ.

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So I have been trying to secure a few more giveaway sponsors for the Thank You giveaway here on LILL and while that is taking it’s sweet time I am participating in a couple of Flash Follows!

One is going to be tomorrow over at Simply Stacie and the other is going to be on the 26th(more info to come). So get your fingers ready because there are a lot of prizes to be had by all!

The Flash Follow Giveaway at Simply Stacie starts at 9 am EST. There will be a giveaway each hour until the event ends at 11 pm EST. You will have 1 hour to enter the giveaway and winners will be drawn and announced throughout the day. The giveaways will be posted on Simply Stacie and Makobi Scribe. They will be the same giveaway so you only need to enter on one of the sites. *All giveaways are open Worldwide!!*

9 am to 10 am EST: $20 Amazon GC from Our Crazy Bunch

10 am to 11 am EST: $20 Amazon GC from Frugal Mom of Two

11 am to 12 pm EST: $10 Amazon GC from Generations of Savings

12 pm to 1 pm EST: $15 Amazon from Still Blonde After All These Years

1 pm to 2 pm EST: $40 PictureItCreations GC from It’s the Thought that Counts

2 pm to 3 pm EST: $25 Paypal Cash from My SoCal Life

3 pm to 4 pm EST: $20 Paypal Cash from April Decheine

4 pm to 5 pm EST: $20 Paypal Cash from Mommy’s Memorandum

5 pm to 6 pm EST: $20 Amazon GC from Fabulous Finds by November Girl xoxo

6 pm to 7 pm EST: $20 Paypal Cash from Twingle Mommy

7 pm to 8 pm EST: $25 Paypal Cash from Mia’s Musings

8 pm to 9 pm EST: $10 Amazon GC from Have Kids…Will Coupon

9 pm to 10 pm EST: $20 Paypal Cash from ME

10 pm to 11 pm EST: $55 EdenFantasys GC from Opinions of a Moody Mama

For the full schedule click here.

See ya tomorrow and Good Luck!

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