Red Cup Living

"Red Cup Living is a philosophy - a way of life. It's about coming together with friends and family, creating memories and enjoying good times." 

Sometimes the simplest things can brighten your whole day and that's kind of what Red Cup Living is trying to capture: the easy-going spirit of the front porch. This photo of their new product line brought an instant smile to my face:

Who doesn't have a fond memory of the iconic red plastic keg cup? No one, that's who! Everyone has used them at a picnic or a party, for beer or lemonade, usually with friends and family all around. Our family usually has everyone's names written on the cups in permanent marker to avoid wasting. What could be more universal?

I received samples from the collection to try out, the 32 oz Icon XL Cup, the 18 oz. Icon Cup and a Magnetic Bottle Opener with Lanyard. The stemmed 8 oz. Wine Cup and 2 oz Shooter Cup (available with and without lanyard for convenience) won't be in stock until later this summer and are available by pre-orders only.

The 32 oz. cup makes the standard 18 oz. cup look dinky, doesn't it? It's the perfect size to leave by the sink to fill up the dog and cats' water bowls. Or to up your water intake on hot summer days! The bottle opener can be worn around your neck or stuck to your fridge or metal cooler, so you're never without a way to open those pesky beer bottles. Plus it's stinking adorable. The cups are made of BPA-free, phthalate-free double-walled ABS plastic that is break-resistant, reusable and dishwasher-safe. They are also significantly more crush-proof than their forebears! 

I love the story behind the brand and their mission to build community one cup at a time.

Do you have a good Red Cup story?

To learn more about Red Cup Living, connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received a sample of the products shown above to facilitate this review. All opinions, however, are my own.

Pringles Speaker

Do you have a guilty pleasure snack? I'm an avowed chocoholic but my true snack lust is reserved for Pringles. I love the crispy potato stacks and their tall proprietary cans with the seldom-needed plastic lids… as they've said "once you pop you can't stop." This is particularly true of flavors like pizza, sour cream and, uh, tabby kitten.

photo source

Okay, there is no kitten flavor, you caught me. Still, if you're indulging in some Pringles binges this summer, you might want to save your receipts. Through Halloween 2011, if you mail in receipts from four Super Stack cans and an official redemption form, you'll receive a cool little speaker doohickey that plugs into your iPod and uses an empty Pringles can as an amplifier. Like so:

I have to say the sound quality is not bad and this is definitely the loudest MP3 plug-in speaker device that I've tried. It runs on 3 AAA batteries and also works on a full can, but the bass sounds better with the empty can. I wasn't really expecting it to be so nifty. Bob actually snatched it to use while working on his garden trellises today. Roo ate all of the Pringles!

Great excuse to do some snacking this summer!

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received the items shown above to facilitate this review. All opinions are, as usual, strictly my own.