Spotlight Handbag of the Month: Win Marissa Del Rosario's Prairie Tote in Kaffir Giveaway! ARV $350! Ends 01/27

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Marissa Del Rosario! We look forward to working with you again! The winner is Bunny B. Congrats Bunny! Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

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Today's Butterfly sponsored by:

Ascending Butterfly is super happy for the return of our ongoing handbag feature! We return with a new handbag from one of our favorite designers who was featured by us in 2010, Marissa Del Rosario!

Last year we reviewed a super hot leather bag in one of my favorite colors, Red, with ahead of the trend East West Zipper detailing called the 'Somerset Hobo', you can re-visit that review HERE.

This year, Marissa is back with another hot leather bag from her 2011 collection. I had the privilege of testing this bag before it was ready for launch, and I can tell you it has become my 'reach-for-first' bag. It's a Super Soft washed grain leather and I just can't resist rubbing it every time I have it on. And apparently neither can friends and family who have all given me compliments on this bag since it's debut on my arm in December! Each time someone has complimented it they would touch it, then rub it! I have even had guys approach me when I'm out, and say 'my girlfriend would love that bag where did you get it'? If only the Universe would send me a Boyfriend so thoughtful!

Prairie Tote

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Soft washed grain leather

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Color: Kaffir

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Swivel snap hook and inside magnetic snap closure

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Front slip pocket

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Handles 1" wide

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Shoulder drop 9"

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Inside has 4 slip pockets & zipper pocket

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Turquoise fabric lining

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 14" (l) x 13" (h) x 6" (w)

My Take

Pros:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The leather! It's super soft, a buttery feel leather, a leather so sumptious you'd expect a much higher price tag, it's great to get that kind of quality at such an affordable price!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Color! The Kaffir color goes great with military inspired trends, but it's not limited to it, and that's the best part! If you're anything like me and tend to put practicality first, you go for blacks or neutrals, but you will find this color is trendy yet exceptionally versatile and will go well with your wardrobe, allowing you to get multi season use out of it, and that's an incredible plus, especially in our current economy!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Drop! I began wearing this in December, with bulky sweaters, layers and a coat and I didn't have to hold this bag in my hand, I can wear it comfortably with bulky layers on my shoulders, keeping my hands free.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Size! This bag is not too big or too small and I am a daily public transportation commuter, so it has taken quite a beating and does not look it, I literally carry everything imaginable with me, lets face it, I am my mobile office, and while I love fashionable and trendy bags, they have to be able to be completely functional for me to be worth the investment. This bag fits my super picky bill. I have a lot of requirements for the 'right' bag, and I tend to hate constantly switching out, I love this bag and WANT to wear it everyday. Usually I find most bags that are fashionable, are usually way to small for my day to day needs, but this bag has really worked out perfectly for me, and trust me, that's a shining endorsement coming from me!

Cons

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - There is only one major con I have found with this bag, well OK maybe two. (1) Everyone you know will want it! And ( 2) I now want one in EVERY color, and I do mean every color. While you would think that is a plus, us 'starving writers' have very strict budgets! But I now have visions of the Prairie Tote in 'Denim' dancing in my head!

I love how Marissa's bags always seem to have one eye on the hottest trends, yet still remain extrememly practical and usable for everyday. The hardware detailing, the feet to keep it safe when you set it down, great organizational pockets for your phone, MP3 player, sunglasses and a privacy zippered pocket on the inside for essentials, the pretty lining, all the important details are there, a great variety of colors and just the right size for your essentials. I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity of presenting Marissa and her fashionable bag designs to Ascending Butterfly readers! We have re-named our handbag feature, and we are proud to name Marissa's Prairie Tote as our FIRST 'Spotlight Handbag of the Month' for 2011.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Marissa Del Rosario want you to win a Prairie Tote for yourself!  Don't you just ♥ Marissa Del Rosario? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win:  Here are the Easy 1,2,3 Steps to Winning!

(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- Visit our friends at Marissa Del Rosario and LINK us to another great bag that they sell that catches your eye! REMEMBER: You CANNOT post a link to the prairie tote in Kaffir, or the entry will be disqualified.You may select the prairie tote in a different color if that is your favorite! :-)

(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! This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes. We are  no longer sending courtesy reminders when entries do not qualify, make sure you are following publicly and your entry comment complies with giveaway win it instructions or it will be deleted.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 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, January 13, 2011 until Thursday, January, 27, 2011 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. (If your blog post contains more than just a pic and link you'll get 5 extra credit entries!)

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!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ #ascendingbutterfly and @MarissaDRosario Win the leather Prairie Tote #Giveaway! ARV $350! Ends 01/27 - http://tinyurl.com/4zyuzqv

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click 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 - Follow @MarissaDRosario on Twitter

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 Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Marissa Del Rosario and tell them Ascending Butterfly Blog Sent You on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

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

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you entered another giveaway on Ascending Butterfly? Let me know which one and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you commented on a non-giveaway entry? Let me know which one here and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 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 product and the sponsor are my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate the review and giveaway. Sponsor is fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the products. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment, rests with the sponsor.

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙