Have you been using reusable bags instead of plastic bags? If not, then you SHOULD! Because plastic bags are not bio-degradable, they loaded landfills and plastic bags are light and can blow in the wind. They fly into trees and into wildlife habitat. Animals can consume these plastics and perish. So plastic bags are a deadly killer to wildlife. Over 100,000 marine animals are also killed each year from plastic bags. Sea turtles, water birds, and other creatures mistake them for food or become entangled in them. In some parts of the ocean, there are six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton.

We surely don't want this!

I have been using reusable bags since a couple of months ago. But as much as I love using reusable bags I always seem to forget to bring them to the store. There are times when me and hubby went to the grocery store only to find that we forgot to bring the reusable bags! Or it could also happen like this: when I went out I usually bring one of the reusable bags i had and throw it to the bag I'm carrying that day because...well I'm kind of an impulsive buyer so i'll never know when I would impulsively stopped by at a store ^o^. Anyway, this will sometimes be a problem because I have a couple of bags which I use daily and when I change bags I usually forget to move the reusable bag from one bag to another.

And then one day I got contacted by Caprice Ericson from Bagnesia which offer me to try the Reusable Bags Reminder Kit. I thought it's brilliant! How many of us seems to have always forgotten to bring our reusable bags? I'm sure it happened to many of you my dear lovely readers... (or like Caprice called it: "reusable bag amnesia") ^o^

I love the name of the company: "Bagnesia". It was created by bestfriends Pam Eatrides and Caprice Ericson who like us sometimes forgot to bring their reusable bags. Check out the website, i like it. The design is cute and simple, and very user-friendly. Their Reusable Bag Reminder Kit comes with simple, effective products to help people remember their reusable bags every time they shop and it even comes with a high quality, stylish, washable bag that rolls up smaller than a cell phone. This I agree. I received the kit for review and I've noticed that the quality is unquestionable.

The Reusable Bags reminder Kit is a simple, effective reminders that work together with a great compact bag so you always remember to grab your reusable bags and take them into the store! Attractively packaged inside a Bagnesia storage pouch are: a Bagnesia reusable bag, a Mini clip, a Door hanger, a Steering wheel wrap.

I love the simple blue text on black background design. The reusable bag is the first thing I fall in love with. It's made from lightweight washable nylon yet very sturdy and could hold up to 40 lbs, water-resistant and (my favorite part) it has an elastic band attached to it so when rolled-up it would fit into small spaces such as my purse. I love that the band is elastic instead of a snap-on button. I love the shape of the bag too, i've tried it by taking it to a store near me and it could hold up many items equivalent to 2 or 3 plastic bags.

The interesting part is the reminder kit; it comes in the shape of a cute laminated door hanger and a flexible black neoprene steering wheel wrap with the words "Grab Your Bags" on each of them. When I first saw them i thought "this is what we need!" so there'll be no more reusable bag amnesia ;p

Hubby was as ecstatic as I am when he saw the kit. He also love the drawstring carrying pouch that the kit came with because we can put all of our reusable bags inside it so we only need to carry that one pouch. He also love the mini clip that came attached to the bag. That makes it even more easier to carry, we can clip it to our bag or even to our belt loops.

Aside from the reminder kit I also received their set of 4 Reusable Produce Bags which is also a big hit on their website. The Reusable Produce bags main function is to eliminate those annoying little throwaway plastic produce bags you get at the store. This is also the answer of our problem because not all companies who sell reusable bags also sell produce bags. But with Bagnesia, you get it all in one place. The reusable produce bags comes in a pretty green shade. You can weigh, wash and store your produce all in one convenient bag. Me and hubby love these produce bags, they're such a very useful addition to the reusable bags.

We think Bagnesia is a brilliant concept, their products comes in great quality and the Reusable Bags Reminder Kit is really useful! I attached the Door hanger reminder on my door knob so every time i go out I will see the reminder. I also put the pouch near my bags so every time I reached for my bag i would see the pouch and remember to bring the reusable bag with me. And if that doesn't enough hubby also put the steering wheel wrap on our vehicle to make sure we don't forget and left our reusable bags in the vehicle. And whenever I just want to drop by a store near our house for a couple of things I just bring the reusable bag and use the clip to attach it to my purse strap and bring nothing else :D

And now for the GIVEAWAY!
Caprice from Bagnesia has kindly offer to give a Free Reusable Bag Reminder Kit for one of you lucky TB readers!

Now Please pay attention to The RULES before you enter.

RULES :

(To be eligible for this giveaway contest you MUST do the MANDATORY below. You only need 1 Mandatory entry to enter, but you could also have Additional entries to maximize your chances, please remember to leave each entry in a separate comment box or it won't be counted)

To ENTER (MANDATORY) : You must visit Bagnesia, take a look around at the store then come back here and tell me in a comment on this post about something you learn from the website. (1 entry)


For Additional entry :

• Follow Tigerlily's Book with Google Friend Connect (must be a visible follower). (2 entries) - put each entry in a separate comment box

• Subscribe to my Email subscription (find link at the lower part of the sidebar) so you won't miss out on the giveaways again! (2 entries)

• Blog about this giveaway with a link back here, leave the URL of your post in a NEW separate comment box. (2 entries)

• Follow me via Subscriber or Twitter (find links in sidebar) then in a NEW separate comment write your id or email. If you're already a follower then just tell me your id/email and which subscription are you using. Don't forget to write in separate comment box for each of your subscriptions. You can find all subscription links at the right side bar. (1 entry for each subscription)

• Tweet about this giveaway and give me the link to your tweet. (1 entry)

• Be a Follower or subscribe by email to my Fashion blog TwoThousandThings. If you're already a Follower or already subscribed by email please leave a comment telling me your id/email (must be a visible follower). (1 entry for each)

• Enter my other giveaways in this blog ("Current Giveaways" links are on the side bar) and tell me which giveaway did you enter. (1 entry for each giveaway you entered)

• Grab my badge and post it in your blog's side bar (find my badge at the upper side of the side bar, just copy the html provided and paste it in your blog), don't forget to give me the link. (3 entries)

NOTE : Remember to include your email in the comment box so I can reach you if you win.
Your entries will be visible after my approval so All entries that does not apply with the rules will not be counted and I will not published the entry!

This giveaway will end on Dec 28, 2009 at 24:00 pm.
Yeah baby, this giveaway is open for WORLDWIDE !
Winner will be announced here on Dec 29, 2009.

I will use random.org to pick the winning number. If the winner does not respond within 48hrs then I will have to choose another winner and will announce it again in my blog.

Good luck to everyone! ^__^

Disclaimer:
I did not receive any form of cash for this review and this is written based on my own honest opinion (other people opinions may vary). Bagnesia gave me the products to be reviewed but it does not affect my personal review.

Party Planner : Halloween Party

Halloween is coming! And as an "imaginary party planner" I already have several things in mind to decorate the house for this year's halloween party!

Oh if you still remember, I have had my first "imaginary party planner" here on Tigerlily's Book, you might also wanna check that out. Who knows, it might give you some ideas and inspirations for your own party ^o^

Well, anyway, let's start with the Halloween Party. I'm not planning for a super spooky-themed party here but more like a mix between spooky and cute, so that the kids would not feel so scared getting in the house for trick or treating. The party is for family and close friends to mingle with so I think it's better to skip the bloody-scary part ^o^

And here we go...

(by clicking the pictures below will take you to the picture source link)


FIRST, THE INVITATION:

The invitation cards should represent what kind of party we are having, so because our party theme is less-scary I chose this card instead ^o^ From Birdie's Custom Cards


THE FRONT YARD:
Let's start with the front yard! Aside from the must-haves carved pumpkins in different sizes and carvings, an additional skeleton hand shaped lawn stakes would add the drama to the party ^o^

shindigz.com


THE TERRACE:
I'll add additional carved and lighted pumpkins too in the terrace, I'd pick the medium to small ones and add some fake-flame here and there near the window or the terrace's chair.

shindigz.com

And let's add this cute trick-or-Treat door sign at the door so that the kids would not get too-scared and so that they know that Trick-or-Treating is welcome in our house^o^

Flea Market Studio via Flickr


THE FOYER:
To welcome guests, I'm gonna put these cute and not-so-scary decorations below near the front door, such as this halloween tree, it's simple but potential to make guests smile.

Sky Blue Crayons via Flickr

And these jack-o-lanterns would store the treats for the neighbor kids who would come for "trick-or-treats". Just put these 2 on a table near the front door and fill them with the treats for quick-grabbing.

From Grandmas Favorite1 via Etsy


And these are the treats that we would be giving the kids:
Candies in various Halloween shapes such as ghost and pumpkins, wrapped in a clear plastic with colorful ties.

Suga' via Flickr


THE DECORATIONS:
These less-scary decorations would surely liven up the party and would make conversation among guests.


both from Flea Market Studio


For the lighting in the main rooms:

Purple SpiderWeb light set from Shindigz


The sofa needs some decor too:

Flea Market Studio


And these are some decorations for the TABLES.
A cute monster lamp shade for the side table near the walls:

Sew Alex via Flickr


For storing mints and candies at the living room table:

vampire jaw cup from Mother Macabre


Halloween house decoration for the table near the window:

Flea Market Studio


And a basket full of halloween eggs decoration as a center-piece in the coffee table:

From Bcompetent



THE GUEST BATHROOM:
When I decor, I like Details. So the guest bathroom would also get the halloween theme make-over so the whole first floor would turn into another dimension and guests would feel like they're in a new different place ^^


First, let's decorate the bathroom door.
Seaside.girl48 via Flickr

And then let's put something in the corner of the bathroom:

Miss Niff, via Flickr

And the mysterious glow-in-the-dark hand soap:

From DugShop



THE DINING ROOM:
For the dining room mantel.

From Melissann via Flickr


Above the dining table, food will be served with this tableware:

from Shindigz



AND THE FOOD...
For appetizer:

the true "finger" food from Olaf N

For the main dish:

Monster Spaghetti, from Creative Kismet



And for the snacks, spread around the living room tables..

Finger cookies by Debs Cookies



Tombstone cookie from Whipped Bakeshop


The drinks:

spooky-label bottles from Shindigz


And of course, the main center-piece cake:

Spider Cake from Dragonfly Custom Cakes,
even the big spider on top is edible!



Last but not least, when the party is nearly over and the guests are getting ready to go home, don't forget to distribute the party favors! Party favors are my favorite part in a party! ^__^
Here I have 2 kind of favor bags, one for Men and other for Women guests (just because there are so many cute favor bags to choose from and I can't decide on just one ;p)
Here's for the Guys..

Paper-Goodie Bag in skull motif and dark colored pattern
From Elles via Etsy

And here's for the Ladies..

a "pretty" skull-shaped bags enriched with sparkly embellishments,
From Tesoros De Mexico via Etsy

Both favor bags are filled with the same goodies which consists of:
an intriguing glycerin soap with spooky characters inside, stored in black organza bag.

From Fig Leaf Soap

and an assorted halloween-themed button/badge:

From My Button Boutique


And both favor bags are also embellished with this gift tags, written on the back is a personalized "thanks for coming" message.

From Bunco Bettys via Etsy

Pfiuh, there you go...!
My "imaginary" Halloween Party, what do you think? Does that makes you want to come to my party? You're all invited! ^_____^

Oh, I almost forgot, as the hostess I must dress in costume (as almost all of halloween party is a costume party) so I'm gonna dress up either as The Queen's Guard:

Or as a Warrior Princess:


Which one do you think I should be ??

Check out many options of great costumes at Flaunt on Fashion (review & giveaway coming soon at my fashion blog TwoThousandThings).
One last thing, I had to have a BLACK CAT as the ultimate halloween accessory:

Meet my cat, Blacky

Vintage inspired teenage room

If I were a little girl or if I have a 8-11 yrs old young-teenage daughter , I would definitely decorate her room in pastel colors with lots of pink! ^o^ It would be a cute and girly theme all over. With canopy bed and maybe some cute wallpapers or some patchwork quilts on the bed.

And these are several things that I would plant in the room ;p :

These would be put on the dresser, for storing some of her accessories. Heck, even I want these for my room!

And below are several more things that would also look lovely in the room. A bit vintage but it's cute and I love it:

Hmm, I guess i'm not consistent with the theme here. I started with "cute&girly" theme in mind but end up with "girly&vintage" theme instead ^o^ Well, it must be because I'm easily drawn to vintage stuffs like these, who can blame me, they're just so cute!

hmm, i think this one's for me ;p

Sources:
spearmintbaby, picnic by ellie via flickr, countryliving, ivydesigns.blogspot