Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

We had the privilege of receiving two packages of Natural Vines Licorice in the mail yesterday. Yummy!

Natural Vines (TM) brand licorice is a new line of premium gourmet licorice. It is made with only natural flavors and colors from natural sources. It is sweetened with molasses (the black licorice) and pure cane sugar. Natural Vines contains no trans or saturated fats, no high fructose corn syrup or preservatives, zero cholesterol and are very low in sodium. Natural vines is also a soft, chewy licorice.

We all really liked the red licorice, which is strawberry flavored, the best. The black licorice left something to be desired, but hey, I’d eat the nine pieces to get 15% of my daily recommended iron! And I’d have Good ol’ molasses to thank for that! The licorice is very soft and chewy. Not at all tough to chew.

I found that the red licorice left a funny after-taste that I cannot quite describe, but none of the children mentioned experiencing it. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it wasn’t good either. What a contradiction, I know, but I still ate the licorice and liked it. I just wish I knew why it did that to me because it wasn’t anything I ate before the licorice because both times I had some I had not eaten since the last meal. One of my sons actually said he did not like either flavor, but he tends to be a bit more particular than the other children. Only two of the children liked the black licorice, our 2 year old and 6 year old.

Natural Vines comes in a convenient 8 oz. resealable bag, so no need for twist ties or rubber bands to store them. This licorice is such a new product that it just became available in stores this month. Check the retailers page of Natural Vines Licorice to find a store near you carrying this all natural treat.

It is nice that more companies are offering all natural snacks like Natural Vines. We’d buy them and recommend them as a tasty, all natural snack/treat.

About American Licorice Company

An industry leader in the manufacturing of extruded candy products, the American Licorice Company is one of the original licorice manufacturers in the U.S. candy industry. Since its establishment in 1914, American Licorice has brought happiness to consumers with their Red Vines, Snaps, Sour Punch, Super Ropes, Extinguisher and Natural Vines candy.

I already talked about celebrity shoes this week, but then I came across another feature on Yahoo done by Nikki Boyer (host of Daytime in No Time on Yahoo.com) about an Early Show on CBS.

The segment talked about celebrities Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst and Maggie Gyllenhaal and how they have all embraced what Nikki Boyer called “Foul Footwear” and what most would call old-fashioned. The brand of shoe is called Worishofer, which are made in Germany – originally by a German Podiatrist in the 1940′s. Apparently, the souls have shock absorbers and help with bunions. Do young people really get bunions? Guess that’s a stereotype assumption?

This led me to look up the Worishofer to find out more about them since the video segment that Nikki shared was only about a minute and 13 seconds long (it’s the first one on the video link at the end of this article). All I could really find is store carrying them. The store that featured, what seemed like a complete line of Worishofers was a store featuring quite a few different styles and colors called Endless Shoes. They are very reasonably priced considering Hollywood stars are wearing them and that they are considered orthopedic shoes. Below are just a couple of different styles and additional colors to show you what Worishofer shoes have to offer besides the ones the celebrities are wearing in the above photos:

Worishofer Womens 251 Sandal- Retail $42.51-$59.95

Worishofer Womens 562 Sling Back Sandle – Retail $51.71-$74.95

Worishofer Womens 583 Sling Back Sandle – Retail $74.95

I thought this last one was probably the ugliest, what about you? Do you think these are too old fashioned to wear or are you on board with these celebrity stars who have taken a fancy to them?

Related Articles:
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/fashion/2010/07/26/2010-07-26_worishofer_granny_sandal_shoes_comfort_hollywood_stars_like_maggie_gyllenhaal.html

http://tv.yahoo.com/daytime/video/the-today-show-regis-kelly-wendy-williams/20668833/

We all know that back to school sales are attracting children, their parents and teachers alike. Plus, if you are fortunate enough to live in a state like Illinois you may even get exempt from sales tax for 10 days in August! This email isn’t about back to school sales though, it is about a company choosing to celebrate the ones behind education in classrooms around the country. Take a look at the details and be sure to pass it along to the teachers in your life….

*Avery DENNISON CELEBRATES TEACHERS With A NATIONAL SWEEPSTAKES***

* *

*Teacher Appreciation Sweepstakes is One of Several Ways Avery Dennison Office Products Supports U.S. Schools and Their Teachers*

Avery Dennison Office Products Company (“Avery Dennison”), a business unit of Avery Dennison Corporation, is launching a national sweepstakes to reward deserving
teachers nationwide. The sweepstakes, which runs through September 15, 2010, was created to celebrate teachers and all they do for our nations’ children on a daily basis.

Due to budget cuts and the current economic climate, many teachers and students across the country go without even the most basic school supplies. Studies by the non-profit organization, World Vision, show that teachers spend on average at least $500 of their own money each school year on
supplies for their students. This sweepstakes aims to alleviate some of this financial burden, as well as pamper a few lucky teachers.

Avery Dennison will be giving away a grand prize package valued at $1,000 to one teacher through the sweepstakes hosted at: www.avery.com/teachersweeps. Teachers are encouraged to submit as many entries as they would like (up to one a day) between now and September 15, 2010, and also will be eligible to win additional second and third place prizes. Prize packages include an array of Avery-brand school supply products, Spa Finder gift cards and/or Starbucks
gift cards.

“Avery Dennison wants to show our appreciation for all the hard work that teachers do every single day, and what better way to say thank you than awarding prizes that can help organize, pamper and yes, even caffeinate them,” said Jeff Deleon, director of marketing, Education, for Avery Dennison Office Products. “One of our core beliefs is that education is the cornerstone of a strong community, so we support the teachers who nurture students and enable their success.”

Avery Dennison has a long-history of supporting education. This announcement comes on the heels of its parent, Avery Dennison Corporation, launching the *Give Back to Schools* program in late June. Created as a way to give back to the communities that have made the company’s success possible in its 75th anniversary year, *Give Back to Schools* will provide 10 deserving U.S. schools with a truck-load of Avery-brand school supplies, valued at approximately $10,000 each. For Official Rules and to enter to win, students, families and supporters (ages 18 and older) can vote for their local K-8 school now through August 31 at
http://www.AveryDennisonGiveBacktoSchools.com.

In 2009, Avery Dennison joined the Box Tops for Education® program, which helps parents and communities earn much-needed cash for schools. Avery Dennison is the only school and office supply manufacturer participating in the program, and currently offers Box Tops coupons on more than 1,000 school and office supply products, such as Avery® Durable and Heavy Duty binders, Index Maker® dividers, Avery® NoteTabs™, Label Pads, sheet protectors, address and shipping labels, Hi-Liter® highlighters, Marks-A-Lot® dry erase and permanent markers, Avery® glue sticks, name badges, and T-shirt transfers.

The cash earned by schools through Box Tops for Education can be used in many ways, such as helping to rebuild playgrounds, funding under-budgeted programs, or purchasing classroom equipment, library books, computers and other much-needed supplies. For more information on Avery Dennison’s participation in the program, visit www.avery.com/btfe and www.btfe.com.

*Avery Dennison Offers Even More Chances to For Teachers to Win *

In addition to the web-based sweepstakes for teachers and schools, Avery Dennison also is partnering with Box Tops for Education to help teachers earn up to 25 Bonus Box Tops for their participating schools. Now through September 15, teachers can submit a copy of their official school supply list to* General Mills*, listing one of more than 1,000 specially marked Avery brand school and office supply products, for a chance to win 10,000 Bonus Box Tops for their school. Schools are limited to 10 classroom supply list entries. Please visit www.avery.com/btfe and www.btfe.com for rules and regulations, and to view a school supply list example from Avery Dennison.

*About Box Tops for Education*

America’s schools have earned more than $300 million through Box Tops for Education since the program started in 1996. Thousands of schools have used that cash to purchase items such as computers, library books, art supplies and playground equipment. Schools can earn up to $80,000 per year to spend on anything they choose, by clipping Box Tops coupons from hundreds of products, shopping online through the Box Tops Marketplace® and Reading Room, and purchasing items from My Class Essentials™ registries. To learn more about the program visit, www.btfe.com.

* *

*About Avery Dennison*

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) helps make brands more inspiring and the world more intelligent. For 75 years the company has been a global leader in pressure-sensitive technology and materials, retail branding and information solutions, and organization and identification products for offices and consumers. A FORTUNE 500 company with sales of $6 billion in 2009, Avery Dennison is based in Pasadena, California and has employees in over 60 countries. A division of Avery Dennison, Avery Dennison Office Products manufactures and markets products under the well-known Avery® brand name and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of self-adhesive labels for laser and ink jet printers, labeling software, binders, sheet protectors, index and tab dividers and other office-, home- and school-related supplies. For more information, visit www.averydennison.com or www.avery.com.

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Berry Ball

The Berry Ball is the “Innovative Bra Washer”. It is a complete bra & panty cleaning solution set. It is the “Bra Saver” that keeps your bra’s shape.

Product Description:

The NEW Berry Ball & Bag from Berry Perry is a complete care solution set for lingerie that lets you wash your bras, panties, hosiery, socks even swimwear in the washing machine. Say good-bye to tangled and crushed bras, stretched and twisted hosiery, snagged bathing suits, and lost socks! The Berry Ball & Bag saves you valuable time by letting you wash your lingerie & swim in the washing machine, while yielding a delicate, hand wash result. The product is also great as a packing tool to prevent bras from being crushed during travels, as well as a convenient storage tool to keep bra cups in-tact.

Included is also a laundry bag (The Berry Bag) which can be used to wash panties, socks or lingerie. The perfect cleaning solution!

Retail Cost: $13.99

My Review

I have tried to allow for a long enough time to test and try this product, using it a total of three times but perhaps that is not long enough to see how well my under garments retain their shape. Or maybe it is better to try on a brand new bra that way I could definitely tell if the Berry Ball helped retain the shape of it compared to the old way of washing my “unmentionables”. Therefore, I cannot fully attest to the claim that it helps retain the shape and support our bras are meant to give us. Sorry! I can attest to the fact that it does prevent twisted bras. They are still wrinkled but are not twisted around other clothing or the agitator of the washing machine!

This product is not meant for the dryer, the box says “Washing Machine Only”. However, one of my daughters did toss it into the dryer once and since it is plastic it did start to melt the little loop that can be used to hang the Berry Ball up with in the laundry room or closet. Otherwise it faired that mishap very well!

The Berry Ball comes in two sizes: small for sizes 32-36A, 32-36B, 32-34C, 32D and large for sizes 36-38B, 34-38C, 32-38D. Although, it seems pretty roomy since it fit a larger piece of lingerie in it. It is also available in three colors: pink, blue and purple.

I can say that as a person who still enjoys her privacy once in a while in a houseful of people, I like the Berry Ball, especially the Berry Bag. I think both are very useful products that have proven to effectively wash and protect my bra and lacey nightie that I washed in it.

More information may be found at www.BerryPerry.com

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Charter Gives Away Free Laptops To Schools!

Does your school need computers but your school doesn’t have enough money to buy them? Well, right know Charter is giving away 50 laptops to two schools! The laptops are Lenovo G555′s with a 15.6″ screen, 160GB drive and 3GB ram (with a Targus bag).

Ordering any Charter service automatically gives you a chance to win and get up to $300 cash back. You can also register online with no purchase necessary.

But the real opportunity is for all of us as parents and others to nominate our local schools and encourage friends and relatives to vote for our schools so they can win the 50 laptops.

Schools need to be nominated by Aug. 12. There is a short nomination process at http://www.charter.com/laptop and only residential customers within the areas that Charter serves are able to nominate a school. I tried, but my zip code was not qualified. It’s still worth the effort to see if you can nominate the school of your choice though. Some schools are in desperate need of computer upgrades, so this is a great opportunity for them especially.

Charter will choose 50 finalists (based on the nomination stories submitted) and announce them on August 16th.

Open voting occurs between Aug. 16 and Sept. 20 and Charter will announce the two winning schools on Sept. 27th.

You can also enter to win a laptop for yourself. (I did!)

Isn’t it cool that huge companies are giving back to communities? I think it is! In the past Charter has offered some great prizes including: a hybrid car, a Camaro, an HDTV-A-Day for an entire month, free laptops, XBox 360′s and more!

So be sure to enter for yourself in the laptop-a-day giveaway and try to nominate your favorite school.

Also consider following or “like” Charter on Facebook.

What do these celebrities have in common – Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Kristen Steware and Drew Barrymore? They all have favorite stree chic footwear from Saks Fifth Avenue! Take a peek into some Saks and celebrity shoe fashion news…

Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Drew Barrymore were among the first to receive the new UES footwear collection for Fall since Seth Campbell’s collaboration with footwear king, Steve Madden. Now you can fill their shoes thanks to an exclusive pre-sale launching TODAY on Saks.com featuring the black leather Nise sneaker seen below! Soon to follow will be the black velvet Barrow, black leather Chuck Buckle Wedge, black leather Park, black snakeskin Chuck Buckle and the pony hair Forsyth, which will all be made available on Saks.com on August 2nd.

The highly anticipated Fall 2010 collection – which comes after year-long creative hiatus from the Manhattan-based designer, once again re-defines casual footwear, proving that sneakers and luxury need not be mutually exclusive. Campbell’s unprecedented aesthetic- honed over a lifetime of Upper East Side living and downtown parlaying– is now backed by the resources and production power of footwear giant, Steve Madden, and the result is nothing short of stellar. Rabbit fur, pony hair, snakeskin and velvet are just several of the materials that speckle the Fall 2010 line. Chain-link laces and authentic stud-work reaffirm the line’s “shoewelry” status that first made it famous, while new elements – like the rabbit fur-lined combat boots – successfully breathe new life into the brand.

Available Today on Saks.com

Nise in Black Leather ($235)

Coming August 2nd (which is less than a week away!) to Saks.com….

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

What is a Winkee?

What is a Winkee you might be asking? The packaging of this product says a Winkee is:

~ An attractive, lightweight bra accessory, that solves the problem of plunging necklines.
~ Easily attached to your bra in 3 snaps.
~ An affordable way to maximize your outfit, without compromising its design.
~ A whisper of coverage, or a punch of color.
~ A perfect traveling companion – so compact it fits in your purse!
~ Your Bosom’s Buddy.

ABC video feature of beauty products that fit into a “lady-like” handbag, including the Winkee (at about the 4 minute mark):

More videos may be viewed on the company’s press page at http://www.thewinkee.com/winkee-press-and-links.html

My Review

The Winkee really is the fashion solution some of us shouldn’t live without, especially those of us concerned about how much cleavage we are displaying. My older daughter and I both tried out the Winkee. We have the white one like the black one featured in the picture below. It really is lightweight and comfortable. I barely noticed I was wearing it. It is incredibly soft being made from 95% rayon and 5% spandex. The great thing about the Winkee is that you don’t need to order a different sizes, the single solitary design of one Winkee fits women of different sizes. Take my daughter and I as an example. My daughter is a developing teen with a smaller cup size and I am a grown woman who has had multiple pregnancies and am currently pregnant, but we were both able to wear the same Winkee.

My daughter found the Winkee comfortable as well, but what she noticed was that if she did not situate the Winkee high enough on her bra then it wouldn’t necessarily give her the coverage she desired. Nor did it give her much coverage if she bent over.

The Winkee is easy to put on as there are no snaps, hooks, Velcro or buttons. The Winkee is attached with Winkeedots, which are little clear sticky dots. I used the same dots that my daughter did and the Winkee didn’t feel as secure as I would have liked it to, so perhaps I should have used new dots. I was being frugal though because the Winkee only comes with 6-12 dots and I cannot seem to find ours, as everything is in the pretty little pouch except the Winkeedots! Hmm….gotta ask my daughter about that…

Thankfully the Winkee is so small that it can be carried easily in a purse and hand washed very easily as well. It is recommended that it be dried flat.

While I love the concept, I am still not sure that it is the cleavage solution for me.

More information about the Winkee may be found at www.TheWinkee.com

http://www.thewinkee.com/winkee-press-and-links.html

This article is used with permission from Clementine Art and was originally posted on their blog.

Summer is almost upon us and the weather is heating up. Keep cool this summer with natural paintsicle painting with Clementine natural paint. All you need are some popsicle molds (or an ice tray and tongue depressors) and some Clementine natural paint.

Pour the paint in the molds and freeze overnight.

Dip in a warm water bath to demold.

Paint on heavyweight paper. Outside is a good place.

Editor’s Note: Doesn’t that look like fun? I bet many children would love doing this craft fun this summer!

This article is used by permission of Clementine Art and was originally posted on their blog.

My contention is that creativity is now as important as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.

~Sir Ken Robinson

Cultivating a creative child is oddly similar to gardening. You heartily prepare your soil, sprinkle some seeds, choose your tools, tend with love, and cross your fingers for a bountiful harvest. The difference lies in the fact that for many, a backyard garden is a labor of love. Oh, if that could only be the case for creativity.

We must support creativity. Not for it’s own sake, but for the sake of our increasingly complex world struggling under the weight of disease, war, Global Warming, poverty, hunger and vanishing resources. We can expect the world’s population of approximately 6 billion to become 12 billion by 2054 if the current rate of growth continues. Every ounce of innovation, problem-solving, and divergent thinking will be required to bear this load.

The ‘one right answer’ approach (think: children spending the day shading ovals in number 2 pencil) is not sufficient to tackle these grave, global issues. One May 10, 2010, The New York Times proclaimed ‘The Battle Against Aids is Failing,’ while an estimated 3.9 million gallons of oil has spewed into the Gulf since the April 20 explosion. We need citizens with big ideas here.

Sadly, our children are being educated in another direction. Mainstream schools, led by No Child Left Behind legislation, and US cultural trends promote direction-based thinking. I fretted over evidence of this fact every day at Clementine Studio. Inevitably, a child would approach a table laden with inspiring and colorful art materials and ask “What am I supposed to do here?” afraid to make a step in any direction but the ‘correct’ one.

In order to balance the educational and societal trending toward like-mindedness and objectivity, and to encourage the development of creative thinkers, we must start with our youngest citizens. Art experiences provide rich, developmental opportunities for the development of creativity. Since art is an open-ended and unstructured activity, it requires independence, decision-making, problem-solving, and the creation of something new, all essential components toward the development of a creative mind.

What if we tackled the beast with a trowel? I love the idea of merging a sense of urgency with a labor of love. Applying the very same careful and disciplined techniques used in a bountiful garden also work to inspire creativity in children. Learning to think creatively is accessible to every human mind, and requires patience and practice. Most of the work of growing a creative child has to do with adjusting our own, perhaps uncreative habits, judgements and expectations. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Prepare the Soil: Create a space for creating where your child has room, independence and permission. Think of it as a space of possibilities. Help your child to stock it, maintain it, and use it. Resist the temptation to use stencils, craft kits with directions, and rubber stamps.

2. Choose Your Tools: You can set so many creative examples by reusing, recycling and reinventing old materials, trash and other ‘art’ supplies. Corks and paper rolls can be sculpture, fruit trays and vegetables can make prints, and old tin foil can be a costume. Resist the temptation to use overly processed art supplies. It’s the same idea as food. Simple is healthier.

3. Fertilize Your Garden: Children will develop independently, but think of how much more rich the outcome when they receive caring, but non-judgemental support. When children begin to make art to please you, you’ll know it’s time extract yourself, and give them some space to please themselves. Resist the temptation to judge or name your child’s art. That’s a job for the artist.

4. Enjoy the Harvest: Celebrate your child’s art! Hang it up in your home art gallery, make it into a ‘book’ at the copy center and read it, and with permission, give it away! Also, don’t limit yourself to visual art. Perform a play, sing a song, and dance with scarves. The more you encourage creative thinking and self-expression, the more your child will prefer it. Resist the temptation to edit or ‘fix’ your child’s art. That is also a job for the artist.

Fashionable Media Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Product Description:

Retail Cost: $13.99

Our official review of the product is via video with my art loving daughter as the main reviewer. One thing she said that she forgot to mention was that it would have been nice to have lighter colors or at least white to make the four colors she had lighter, as she wanted to make a summer daytime scene, but had to make a night scene. She also would have liked to have black. Now, she has white and black in her other paint supplies but we chose to stick with using only the Clementine Art product we were provided with for her art project.

My oldest daughter reported that the paint containers seemed to tip over easily so with younger children it might be best to have an adult helping. My three oldest did it themselves. They are pretty responsible.

Editor’s Note: One other observation that the girls made was that the colors do not dry true to the color that they appear. They dry a lighter shade of the color. This happened when they dried their pictures inside and outside in the sun.

Here’s the video, just click on the link and Quick Time will open it for you. Depending upon your internet speed it could take up to 30 seconds to load:

July 24-25 024

Clementine Art has offered to give three readers a Clementine Art product of their choice!

Soooo…….you wanna win all natural paint from Clementine Art?

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment telling me why you’d like to win Clementine Art.

Extra Optional Entries: (Leave 1 comment for each extra entry.)

1 Entry: Follow @fashionablebaby on Twitter (include your Twitter name in comment!)

1 Entry: Follow Clementine Art on Twitter.

1 Entry: (per day) Tweet about this contest. Leave 1 comment for each tweet with the link to tweet.

GIVEAWAY! Enter to win an eco-friendly, all natural kids paint! @fashionablebaby http://tiny.cc/ClementineArtGiveaway Please RT!

1 Entry: Become a fan of The Fashionable Bambino on Facebook

3 Entries for: Become a fan of Clementine Art on Facebook

1 Entry: Subscribe To The Fashionable Bambino’s RSS Feed

5 Entries: Blog about this contest and link back to this post and Clementine Art.

1 Entry: For every comment you leave anywhere on the blog besides here, you may add one extra link for each comment. Be sure to leave an entry comment on this post saying you posted your additional comments!

(Note: You must leave 1 comment per entry. Extra entries will not be counted unless you leave a comment for each one.)

Sometimes our spam catcher is a little over zealous and will snag your comments if you leave multiple comments very quickly, one after another. I recommend waiting a minute between each comment. If the spam catcher gets you anyway, don’t worry! Your comments have still been submitted, they are just being held for moderation. I approve them as quickly as possible. If you are very concerned about this issue, you may email me and let me know what the problem is.

Details

Contest runs from July 26th-August 8th. Last chance to enter is August 8th at 11:59pm ET. Three winners will be contacted on or before August 30th, 2010 and asked for full name, along with their mailing address. Clementine Art will be sending the winners a Clementine Art product of their choice. If no response is given within 48 hours, a different winner will be chosen, so please be sure to check your email. Must be 18 or older to enter. Contest open to only the USA!