feeling a little upcycled {GIVEAWAY}

Yes!! A GIVEAWAY! Just in time for the final days of summer and back to school!  These bags are seriously awesome.  The ThrifTee Gear lady was so generous to provide me with bags to review and one to giveaway to you...my loyal fans.  First, the review. 

There's a new style of bag that's being offered by ThrifTee Gear.  It's a string back pack and its so versatile. It's great for the older kids because its different, but not weird.  It is great for packing waste free lunches, but it can also moonlight as a bag for all your stuff.  In fact, theres one on my kitchen counter right now containing make-up for a day pretending to be at the spa.  My girls LOVE the bags. Not only because they're comfortable to wear, but because they're made from one of our very own, well-loved shirts. They tie dyed one of my husbands shirts a few years ago and have been taking turns wearing it to bed.  It was looking a little rough, the collar had become threadbaren and there were holes cropping up in various places. 

See? I was ready brave their pleas of "NooOooOoO!" to chuck it in the trash when I thought that maybe ThrifTee Gear could work with it and give it a new life. Well, I was amazed at how the awful shirt was transformed! It gave life to two new bags...it was a huge shirt, though and ThrifTee said it was very close...so don't expect two bags from your shirt unless you've got a XXXL laying around...and maybe not even then!

Now it's a string bag, lined with food safe fabric inside. There's a small pocket that closes with Velcro, and a divider in the middle.  Which was perfect for keeping our Yumbox lunchbox separated from our water bottles, bug spray and sunblock.  

I love the little tabs on the bag that hold the strings:

These bags are not only cool, they're durable. They've been through our washer and dryer several times and still look great. I would expect them to last for a great long while. The holey tshirt is no more! My girls are excited to use them for school too.  We love that the bag folds up easily and compacts into their backpacks. They're sure to be a hit with my tween daughters and their friends.  Upcycled, recycled, repurposed and ecofriendly...who could ask for more?

From ThrifTee Gear:

 

ThrifTee Gear Cool Reusable Lunchbags are made from an upcycled product, they are machine washable, reusable, water resistant, bully resistant, and mom made. The bags are lined with a food safe lining, they are soft and conform to the size of the contents creating a casual, comfortable bag, minimal in size.

 

The price for a ThrifTee Gear Original Lunchbag is $19.95, the Back Pack Lunchbag is $25.95 and includes shipping anywhere in the USA. International shipping is available. Custom bags made from a customer’s own t-shirt are also available and a popular choice. The Custom ThrifTee Gear Cool Original Lunchbag is $24.95, the Custom Back Pack is $29.95 and includes two way shipping, meaning that once an order is placed customers will receive a postage paid mailer in which to send in their own t-shirt. This makes it simple for busy families to have their t-shirts transformed quickly and easily. No need to find a shipping envelope, no need to go to the post office. Just place your t-shirt in the envelope with the submission form and drop it into any mailbox including the one in front of your home. Once submissions are received, bags are on their way back home within one week.

For the giveaway:

Follow the instructions below to enter.  Please mind the terms and conditions.

 

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feeling a little yumbox-ed

Oh how I coveted my bento friends Yumboxes. The little sections with cute pictures on the bottom of the clear compartment...the way the food looked so appetizing when presented within it.  The colorful green, leak resistant lid. The people at Yumbox were generous enough to send me one to try out and review for this post.

We grabbed our new bento-style box and headed for the pool today. The wild child helped make her lunch. She was adamant that we put the correct foods within each cup.  I love the images on each section that help me to balance the meal.  They really make you want to be sure there's dairy, fruit, protein, grain and vegetables loaded up in there.  There's also a small dip or treat cup in the middle of the box. I was concerned when I filled it with ranch dressing that it may drip into the other sections...it did not.  And my cooler even tipped over on the way down to the pool. The ranch did get on the lid of the box, but that would be expected. 

The lunch is simple but fairly balanced thanks to the Yumbox.  A slice of cheese, strawberries, carrots, homemade ranch dressing, saltines, and turkey slices rolled up.  

 I love the images on each section that help me to balance the meal.  They really make you want to be sure there's dairy, fruit, protein, grain and vegetables loaded up in there.  There's also a small dip or treat cup in the middle of the box.

The lid has a great rubber seal that makes it quite leak resistant. I filled it with water to check it out...a little bit leaked out, but thicker foods have stayed put. Yogurt and ranch dressing have been tossed around in this box and they don't contaminate the other compartments. If you'd like to maintain that seal, they recommend hand washing the box.  

The tray separates from the box as well.  I have been hand washing the box and putting the clear tray into the dishwasher with no issues at all.  The clear tray nests quite nicely within the box, but not so loose that it falls out or shifts within. Once it's in there, it stays put. I like that its removable, but that it takes a little effort...that way if you have a younger child or a toddler, they can't toss the tray about.  They could, of course, throw the whole thing on the ground...don't miss those days!

My 10 year old loves this box. The latch was easy to snap on and off, the colorful tray and the pictures on the bottom of it were all a hit. This box really helped her want to pack a great, healthier lunch. She is a petite 10 year old so the portion sizes for this box were spot on.  They might be a little light for a bigger kid.  We really do love this box and will be using it again and again, I'm sure.

If you are interested in any of the products I use, click the affiliate links below, please! Anytime you purchase through one of my links, regardless of what you purchase, I get a small percentage of the sale. It's how lunchy gets paid! Thanks!

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