Recycling All Around You! #Sponsored


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water and Linqia.  All opinions are my own.

Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water has come out with a new bottle that is made from 50% recycled plastic.  They would like to make it 100% however they need OUR help in getting there.

reborn-poster

As of the writing of this post there is roughly about 30% of recycled plastic that gets recycled.  What’s up with that?

This past month I decided to observe the places around me to see if there were recycling options available, and what did I find?

Favorite Amusement Parks: Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm were very prominent with their recycling programs:

Recycling BinDowntown Disney

20130323_095517(1)Knott’s Berry Farm

My own apartment complex also has an area designated in the parking garage designed specifically for recycling goods

I went to an outdoor festival “The Festival of Colors” at a local high school in Los Angeles, and signs of Recycle, Reduce, Reuse were all over the festival.

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During work hours, I’d go into the backrooms of grocery stores and saw the recycling of cardboard and plastic.

And in some Los Angeles markets, there is a “no plastic bag” ban which allows its consumers to bring in their recycled and reusable bags for their shopping needs.

And there are a variety of recycling centers around the Los Angeles area for people to come in and recycle their cans and bottles.  The best part is that some money comes back from it.

But WE still have a long way to go.  Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water has created an interesting infographic that breaks it all down for us:

arrowhead-recycling-infographic

How are you helping in doing your part when it comes to recycling?  Share with me in the comments below.

 

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Finding the Perfect Gift with Uncommon Goods And Chance to Win!


Disclosure: I was given 50 dollars to spend at Uncommon Goods.  All opinions are my own.

I first discovered Uncommon Goods about a year ago, and I have loved that site ever since.  Think homemade goods, custom gifts that are very unique and personable.

Since I live far away from friends and family with lots of family back in Minnesota, a place like Uncommon Goods is a great place to buy gifts especially when I’m looking for gifts under 50 dollars.  Check out a few examples here.

So, I chose two items from Uncommon Gifts:

Heart Vase

The first item was a Heart Vase.  Now when I was shopping I thought the vase was a lot bigger than it was so when it showed up my doorstep I was a bit disappointed, but the artist that created this creation completely turned it around with their personal enclosed message telling me about the vase.

“When you’re in love, you wear your heart on your sleeve and feel it catch in your throat, but you always know it rests safe in the hands of your special someone.

These openhearted vases visually capture that enchantment of romance. A thrilling swirl of colored glass reaches up to a heart-shaped mouth, which is perfect for holding your favorite, fragrant flowers. Each handmade vase will have unique variations in its shape and coloring, and can be given as a tender gift, or kept as a romantic way to hold the flowers you’ve received. Made in Rhode Island.” 

An artist from Rhode Island, once I knew how much heart was put into this vase I fell in love with it all over again.

Face Mug

The second item I got was this “Face” mug.  I was looking for a gift to give my man.  After looking around the site for awhile and looking through these ideas I finally decided on the face mug.  He drinks coffee a lot, and thought he’d find the sense of humor in this mug.

Uncommon Goods is great for special occasion gifts whether for Graduation, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Birthdays, these make for great gifts for the ones you love.

Make sure to check out these fun ideas for Father’s Day coming up in just a few short months here.

And now one of my lucky readers has an opportunity to win a 50 dollar gift certificate to Uncommon Goods!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited. Giveaway ends on 04/08/2013 at 12am EST.  Winner will be chosen through Rafflecopter and notified via email.  All other rules can be found here.

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Wine Tasting at Knott’s Berry Farm #KnottsSpring


Disclosure: I was invited out to Knott’s Berry Bloom on behalf of Knott’s Berry Farm.  All opinions are my own.

Knott’s Berry Bloom kicked off at Knott’s Berry Farm this past Saturday, March 23rd and goes through April 7th.

Along with the fun rides throughout the park, there were beautiful blooms growing along the park grounds to brighten up the area.

knottsbloom

And children activities such as:

Kids were given a card when they first enter the park.  They were on a mission to find the Easte Beagle throughout the park in 5 different locations, and at the end they would get a surprise: An Easter Egg!

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Over in the Grizzly Creek Lodge, children were able to decorate a cupcake at the cost of 3 dollars!  But my oh my, the cupcakes tasted GREAT.  Yes, even adults can decorate too.

KnottsSpring 259And there were outdoor large size board games to play while there.  Games such as Checkers, Connect Four, and a Dice Game:

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However, there was still a little area made specifically for adults in their “Tasting Gardens.”  You could buy a tasting card for 15 dollars and get 6 tastings.  There were 7 different Wineries and Companies around ready to give you a taste.  A fun day of wine tasting.

Outside there was also a booth for beer, and the children even could partake in lemonade tastings.

So who were the companies present?

B.R. Cohn Winery based out of Napa Valley was there with their Chardonney.

20130323_133313This wine is packed with Pear, Apple and Citrus flavors and was a very pleasant Chardonnay to taste.

Hoopla Winery was present tasting their Red Mutt and Chardonney.

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Hoopla is fun, unique quality wine. It’s the realization of a life long ambition for experienced wine producer Spencer Hoopes and his team. Not to have to worry about “what sells”, but simply to have fun bucking trends and creating brave Napa wines that are unlike any other.

I tried out the Red Mutt, which was their Red Blend.  This was a blend of Caberet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Sirah.

Next up: Layer Cake.

I was pretty excited to try out this company because they had such a fun name.  They had tastings available on their Chardonney, Pinot Noir, and Malbec.  I chose to try out the Malbec.

KnottsSpring 170Also at each tasting table they were offering different appetizers to pair with the wines.  The one above was a bacon cheese appetizer.

Duck Pond Cellars was also present.

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Founded in 1993, Duck Pond Cellars owns and operates 840 acres of vineyards in the valleys of northern Oregon and slopes of eastern Washington. Growing in these diverse climates allows Duck Pond Cellars to produce the best quality fruit for a
wide selection of wines.

They brought three of their wines with them including: Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and their Cabaret Sauvignon.

I tried out their Cabaret, and this was a very light and airy Caberet, not heavy at all.  This would be a great Cabaret to sip on during a nice summer breeze evening.

Crimson Wine Group was next.

KnottsSpring 191The Crimson Wine Group owns and operates boutique, estate-based wineries that produce world class wines in the finest wine growing regions of California, Oregon and Washington.

They had 3 varieties of wine present: A Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabaret Sauvignon.

I tried out the Forefront Pinot Noir which was a very pleasant Pinot to sip on.

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Chateau Ste Michelle was also present at Knott’s and were featuring three of their wines: Chardonnay, Red Blend and a Cabaret Sauvignon.  I tried out the Chardonnay.

This is a fresh, soft style of Chardonnay with bright apple and citrus fruit character with subtle spice and oak nuances.  

I could definitely taste the subtly of this Chardonnay, and Chateau Ste. Michelle is a well known name within the wine industry.

The last tasting table present was W.J. Deutsch and Sons, Ltd. From their website: Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits was founded in 1981 by Chairman, Bill Deutsch, to market quality wines produced by prestigious families from major wine regions of the world.

A favorite amongst many of the Knott’s Patron’s was this fun wine bottle:

KnottsSpring 198With such a fun name as “Flirt,” what’s not to love.  This is newly produced as a California White Wine that’s not currently in stores, but with it being such a hit at the tasting room, it won’t be long before its on store shelves.

This is a very sweet white wine so if you have a love of Moscato’s and Reislings you will definitely love this variety.

But the wine I tried was the Enza Prosecco:

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This Prosecco comes from Italy and has fruity accents of pear and green apples with a lightly floral and citrus note.  Not very sweet, a bit dry, but a pleasant sparkling wine that would pair well with a Sunday Brunch or an evening out celebrating amongst friends or loved ones.

The 15 dollars it costs to get into the tasting room was completely worth it especially if you’re a true wino at heart.  Whether you love your whites or your reds, or enjoy a combination you will find a wine to love while here.

And afterwards you can take in a few of the shows, grab some food to eat, or join in during the Spring Fling Dance party that takes place from 7 to 10pm each evening.

Will you be stopping by Knott’s Berry Farm for the “Berry Bloom” in the weeks ahead?

 

 

 

 

 

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