CityMama's™ Stuff People Send Me

Wrap-N-Mat

Wrap-N-Mat, a washable reusable sandwich wrapper/placemat, has rocked my lunch-making world. My goal when packing Bunny's lunch is zero waste (trash) and this helps me to reach my goal. It's a large mat that you wrap around a sandwich and it's secured shut with Vel-Cro.  Bunny brings it home and I gently wash it and hang it to dry. We have two so that we always have a dry one at the ready.

What I like about it: It's the ultimate no-waste lunch box solution. The fabric is sturdy and the entire Wrap-N-Mat is easy to wash and resuse. We've used it just about every day since school started and they still look like new.
What I don't: I wish it had a loop on it so could hang it to try. I wish all the versions were the (non-PVC) PEVA versions. (Maybe they are are non-PVC now and someone from Wrap-N-Mat can confirm?) I wish it wasn't made in China.

Cost to you: $6.75 each
Cost to me: Free

photo credit: yourownbags.com

Wild Turkey 101

I'm not gonna lie. One of my favorite free things to get is booze. (PR people take heed.) This week, the fine folks at Wild Turkey sent me some of their 101-proof Bourbon Whiskey.  I usually buy Knob Creek or Maker's Mark so it was good to try something new and even better that I actually liked it.  I know that not everyone likes bourbon, but I do. It reminds of parties that my grandma used to throw. Just the smell takes me back to when I was 6-years-old. I used to walk around the party smelling people's drinks. Never drinking, just drawing in the sweet, oaky smell.  Tonight I used it to make a Dry Manhattan and it was...perfection.

I put 1 - 3/4 ounces Wild Turkey 101 with 3/4 ounce of Dry Vermouth and 2 dashes of Agnostura Bitters into a shaker filled with ice. I shook it for about 10 seconds then strained it into a chilled martini glass and garnished with a lemon twist.  Two sips in and I had forgotten all about what a rough day it was. Making dinner was a joy. My kids were angels.

What I liked about it: It has a smooth flavor that is just fine for an all-purpose Bourbon Whiskey.
What I didn't: Nothing. One drinkie poo had Mamma feeling very happy. And that's a very good thing.

Cost to you: about $25 per 740 m bottle
Cost to me: Free

Tiny Prints Holiday Cards and Business Holiday Cards

A couple of years ago, I was Googling around for "modern holiday cards" (using those exact search terms) and I stumbled upon a site called Tiny Prints.  I ordered some holiday cards and was so impressed that not only did I order cards from them the next year (along with everyone else, it seems, because we received so many cute Tiny Prints cards last winter and all of them different), but I ordered personalized stationery for my daughters from them as well.  I love that the colors are true, the photo print quality is nice, and the cards are printed on weighty card stock, not the cheap stuff. I also love that they are located about 10 minutes from where I live.

I have been a happy, paying customer of Tiny Prints for over two years.

That's why when they approached me to write about their new holiday and corporate holiday card promotion, I happily agreed to do it. When they said they'd offer one of my readers a $50 gift certificate, I was even more delighted.  When they threw in one for me, well, naturally that sealed the deal. You know I tell you the real deal about stuff people send me, but since I already planned to order my holiday cards from Tiny Prints anyway, I'll use my gift certificate for that.

So here are the contest details. I know most people's eyes glaze over when faced with an explanation of a blog contest, but I promise, these are pretty painless. And best of all you get to see the very newest holiday cards before everyone else does. (Kinda.)  It's a fun contest.

*********

Win a $50 gift certificate from Tiny Prints!

Show your holiday spirit and share your favorite new card design for 2008

A leader in holiday photo cards, Tiny Prints is so excited about the upcoming 2008 holiday card line that they couldn’t wait to offering a sneak peek to showcase the  all new card designs.  Enter their contest to help determine what cards will be most popular this coming holiday.  During this early preview period, the new holiday cards are not yet available for purchase; however, for a very limited time you can receive amazing early-bird savings on their soon-to-be retired photo cards, Christmas cards and holiday invitations. 

To help them celebrate the launch, they’re looking for contestants to review any of their very newest 2008 Christmas cards, holiday photo cards and business holiday cards for those who work in or own companies. Simply go to Tiny Prints (www.tinyprints.com), browse your favorite 2008 holiday card designs currently being previewed and save your favorite 2008 design in your account by clicking the “save in favorites” button. Then come back to this blog post and provide a link to the specific holiday card (see link for example) in the comments below indicating what you liked best about it.  Please note that some designs are so new that they cannot yet be customized, but will be soon (early October and hundreds more designs)!

The contest will run through Tuesday, September 30^th  2008. Winners will then be drawn at random from people who have properly followed the above directions and placed comments in this blog post. Please create your comment using the same e-mail address you used when creating an account on Tiny Prints so participation can be verified.