Discovery: Glass Water Bottles

I don't know about you, but I have a problem with plastic water bottles.  Aside from the BPA issue, I believe they are bad for the environment and are expensive.  I've been looking for a glass alternative, but have had little luck until I came across these little babies above.

These glass bottles are fantastic.  I love that they have a lid that stays shut until you push a button (the botton on the lower rim of the lid) and they pop open.  I love the break in suction sound that is made, that thump, when you push the botton and the lid releases so you can have a drink.  When you open the lid, there is an opening large enough for you to add ice and whatever cold beverage you want (mine is typically water).

They come in blue, pink, orange, and grey.  I bought six, so that Mum, Dawn, and I could have two each.  And we really love using them.  My only gripe is they don't keep cold for long, so either you have to drink fast or refill with ice often.  These glass bottles aren't cheap ($14.99 each) but we have used them so much and they have saved us on buying bottled water, so we have more than made our money back in savings.

Then, the other day I came across these glass bottles.  They're smaller than the other glass bottles we have, but I love the funky cork at the top.  So, I purchased them.  They cost me $12.99 each, so I purchased three (one for each of us) and love them.  I do have two complaints, though.  One complaint is the opening isn't large enough to fit ice cubes in.  To off-set that, we fill them and keep them in the fridge until we need them.  My other complaint is the cork - the reason I love these babies - doesn't stay on well.  If you tip the bottle over - whatever you have inside will spill out.  Luckily, I have cup holders in my truck or I would be spilling a lot.

I love my glass water bottles.  Sure, they aren't perfect but nothing ever is but there are work-arounds.  If you are in the market to replace you plastic with glass (which are hope you are) - check these two options out.  The first bottle can be found at Target, while the second can be found at Storageables.

Discovery: Gifts for Photographers

As a photographer, I love photography-themed gifts.  These are a few photography-themed discoveries I found that I wanted to share.  They would make great gifts for the photographer in your life.  The first is this fabulous camera pencil sharpener at Urban Outfitters.

Then there is this camera lens cup or thermos at Photojojo.  How fun are these mugs? I just love them!

And this gift is just classy.  Absolutely and totally classy.  This camera clock at Mini Clocks is classy.  I can totally see this sitting on my desk - reminding me about how much time I'm spending in front of my computer processing images. 

Hope these items give you some ideas for the photographer in your life because I believe they are just fabulous.

Discovery: KIND Bars

 

I have made a fantastic new discovery... KIND bars.  They're these great bars that are full of good stuff like nuts, honey, and sometimes chocolate... sometimes fruit.  A friend of mine, who has lost 125 pounds over the past 12 months, discovered these little gems when she was trying to find a healthy snack.  She eats these when she misses a meal, needs some energy, or before a work-out (which she does daily).  Though I wasn't looking for a meal substitute or something to eat before working out (because this girl doesn't intentionally work out), I was interested in a healthy snack.

One day, while going through the grocery store, I saw these bars and thought I would buy one and give it a try.  I fell in love.  My favorites are Peanut Butter/Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate/Cinnamon Pecan.  Love them!  And, apparently so does the rest of the world because every time I try to different stores to buy some - they're sold out.

 

I love that these bars are packed with protein, have minimum sugar, and have no cholesterol (though I've been blessed with good cholesterol numbers), and have low sodium.  While there is fat, it is generally more healthy fat - because of the nuts.  They're crunchy (sometimes a bit too hard) and have the right amount of sweetness.  I totally recommend them!

Happy Thursday!

Discovery: Nail Polish

I'm not much of a girlie girl.  I don't wear make up, and I certainly don't worry about my nails.  The world is lucky I clip my nails because I think it would be kind of cool to see them grow long, curly, and gross, but reality is my nails won't grow very long before they break off because.  I do too much that is counter-productive to nail growing.

However, the other day Dawn and I were strolling through the store and my eyes were immediately caught by a brilliant shade of orange, and I immediately fell in love.

We decided to purchase four different colors.  Dawn picked out the blue.  It went perfectly with the outfit I wore for a presentation I gave yesterday.

I, of course, picked out the orange color.  What a fantastic color!

We picked out the purple because it is Mum's favorite color, while Dawn also gravitated toward the green.  In fact, the green was the first color I had to paint her nails.  Plus, the orange, green, and purple colors are the business colors for my studio.  How fabulous is that?!?!

Yesterday was blue but today is orange.  What I truly love about these colorful, non-clichy colors are that I can wear a color to fit my mood.  Guess I've got a touch of the girlie girl after all.

Happy Thursday!