'Slip Into Summer' with a Twisted Orchid Animal Friendly Handbag Giveaway!

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Twisted Orchid! We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation, follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page! Watch for the next bag in the ‘Spring Into Bags’ series to launch SOON.

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Ascending Butterfly Editor's Pick Sponsored By:

Our apologies, there was some confusion with the handbag company slated to be posted before this giveaway, and a result there was a delay in the Handbag Series we have been hosting since March 2010! We know our handbag lovers have been patiently awaiting the return of this feature!

We are happy to say Handbags are back! We return to the series with relish, and with not just any bag, but an Animal-Friendly Leather Purse by Mad Handbags! Trust me when I tell you this one is so worth the wait. And we send our thanks to the amazing folks at Twisted Orchid for stepping in and taking over so we could continue the series. (We still hope to bring you the bag that would have been here today later on down the line this year!)

As you all know by now I am all out obsessed with genuine leather handbags. I will not apologize, excuse or deny it. I also appreciate that some readers don't share my love of all things leather. Not everyone just wants to bury their nose in their brand new leather handbag like I do....I told you....obsessed..... a bit.....

I do have to say that throughout the years animal friendly handbags have become much more stylish and many actually manage to rival not just mimic leather bags in appearance and quality. Not every vegan bag looks real enough to pass my 'can I pass it off as leather test'?

I am happy to say that today's 'Editor's Pick' truly does rival all the things I love about leather handbags, style, hardware, organizational pockets, and just plain 'presence'. (I am going to have to add on the only thing it doesn't have via spray, that leather smell! LOL)

Based in Chicago (you know I love 'Made in the USA'), Twisted Orchid can be seen on the pages of People Style Watch to Lucky, Elle and Oprah. Both trendspotters and fashion provocateurs alike are buzzing about the incredible selection, style and pricing. So whether you're an accessory gal who wants to test out a trend before deciding on a big splurge, or you're a fashionista who prefers to shop for fabulous steals - Twisted has the right piece just for you.  And with secure online shopping, guaranteed delivery, and 30-day hassle free returns, buying from Twisted Orchid is convenient and absolutely risk free! They actually have built in shopping integration straight from their Facebook Page! WOW!

Twisted Orchid exclusively offers Mad by Design. They carry a large selection of totes, clutches, handbags, wallets, animal-friendly leather handbags and eco-friendly bamboo handbags. And ladies I would be remiss if I neglected to tell you that they offer Free Shipping in the United States!

I am pretty tough on my handbags. I'm a public transportation commuter in the heart of New York City and unlike many women I see around me on the train, I refuse to carry a handbag, a totebag with my lunch, a totebag to hold my shoes, you get the picture. I put everything in ONE bag. And that bag must have  a cross over shoulder option, so I can have my hands free. To say my bag gets 'over-stuffed' daily is an under-statement. Another thing you'll notice is that I favor darker colored bags because I am so tough on them.

Twisted Orchid forced me to go outside my comfort zone with the 'Orchid Large Pink Tote'. I love the size, it definitely passes my 'could this pass for leather test' even though it's NOT, it's animal friendly, and it's PINK. Yes, pink. Most people who know me, know I'm definitely not the pink and frilly gal. Nothing against the color or anything but I'm a black wearing New Yorker and wondered if this dainty colored bag could possibly hold up to my daily commute. I thought for sure this bag would end up with strange stains and punctured by having one of my high heels poke a hole through it from the inside, but I was pleasantly surprised! This bag passed the rigors of a weekly NYC public transportation commute (in the summertime no less) with flying colors. It's been well past 30 days and this bag still looks NEW! And the stitching hasn't even buckled under the enormous weight load I put it through daily!

Here's the Skinny: I love this bag! It's the right size for me, despite the fact I carry a lot each day, I don't want my bag to look like I'm using a weekender! This doesn't look like a duffel, but holds up like one. The color is absolutely perfect for Spring and Summer, and it's just the right shade of pink for those of you who are much like me and wouldn't normally go with pink, this isn't peptol or neon or so faded you'd think it's white, it's a true pink rose petal, and very versatile. It has the pockets I love, especially on the outside (I need to reach my metrocard QUICKLY! and with one hand....) So do I recommend? That's a resounding YES ladies! I don't mind embracing more ways to stay 'green' but when it comes to handbags I still have my preferences, this bag helped me to be 'green' and not feel like I was compromising my favorite and preferred bag style type in the process! Twisted Orchid gets my butterfly seal of approval!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Thanks to our friends at Twisted Orchid the lucky winner of this giveaway gets a bag of their choice up to $75 in value.

Don't you just ♥ Twisted Orchid? I know I do!

How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Mandatory Entry (this must be done for all others to count): Visit Twisted Orchid and post the URL of the bag you would pick if you won!  (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Thursday, July 29, 2010 until Friday, August 13, 2010 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment (+5 entries, leave 5 comments with the URL to your blog post!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!) (2 credits, post twice)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascendingbutterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - #ascendingbutterfly + Twisted Orchid #win a handbag of your choice! #Giveaways - http://tinyurl.com/27t4xeq

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry. Get the Tweet's URL by clicking on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow/Like Twisted Orchid on Facebook (and remember to tell them that Ascending Butterfly sent you, post the URL of where you posted on Twisted Orchid's wall) HERE  (+3 extra credit entries for wall post, please post 3 comments!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Subscribe to receive Ascending Butterfly emails using our Feedburner widget on the upper right hand side of the page below the follower thumbnail pictures! (If you are already a subscriber you will still receive extra credit!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Review this blog on Alexa HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  Ascending Butterfly is a nominee for the Bloggers Choice ’10 Awards in the ‘Best Blog About Stuff’ Category - http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/ You can press the button below to go straight to the page where Ascending Butterfly has been nominated!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - NEW! Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

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FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the products are expressly my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate my review and for the giveaway. The sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the product. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.