Monthly Archives: June 2012

Kick off Summer with some Pinspiration!

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June 21 marked the official start of summer! We’re celebrating with thoughts of what we’re cooking up on the BBQ this weekend. From pool parties to campfires, we all look forward to the sweet summertime. Here are some of our favorite recipes for our go-to meals as well as some we’ve bookmarked. Check these out and find Mixed Bag Designs on Pinterest.

Mixed Bag Designs Summer BBQ - Pinterest

We hope everyone is enjoying a safe and happy summer so far! Have a great weekend!

Clockwise from top: Caprese Pops pinned by Out To Eat With Kids * Cupcake pinned by Cynthia Dickerson * Lemony Grilled Lamb Kebabs and Vegetables pinned by Real Simple * Rainbow Fruit Skewers with Yogurt Fruit Dip pinned by Skinnytaste * White Sangria Cocktail pinned by Misty Sweeney * Infused Water pinned by Sara Kovacs * Grilled Chicken & Spinach Salad pinned by Skinnytaste

Mixed Bag Designs: Find Us On Google Plus!

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Mixed Bag Designs on Google PlusThe social media adventure continues! We have started a Google Plus page that will include some new stuff that’s a little different from our Facebook page. We’ll add different news, some fun new photos and an all-access pass to our catalogs! Come join us!

Click here: Mixed Bag Designs on Google Plus

Top Five Reasons Reusable Bags Are The Way To Go

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Reusable shopping bags - Mixed Bag DesignsIt starts with such a simple question – “paper or plastic?” – but now some people are looking for a different answer. More and more people are turning to reusable bags for their grocery shopping and errands. What’s the big deal? Disposable bags are still commonplace in all shops and markets, and studies show that on average, a person uses 6 per week. Extrapolate that to the greater population in the United States and a measly six bags quickly multiplies into billions of plastic bags a week. Check out these top five reasons of why reusable shopping bags are the way to go. Try out reusable bags and you’ll probably never go back to the boring plastic bags, but here are some incentives to keep those reusable bags handy in your car or near your door so you’ll never forget them on your way out.

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Great Fundraisers – Support Leukemia and Lymphona Society

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Great Fundraisers - Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in TrainigThis week we had the pleasure of speaking with a strong woman who is a loving mother, proud grandmother and a cancer survivor. Thirty-one years ago, Ms Donna Coykendall had a two-week-old son when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. As she puts it, she began the “fight of her life” and started aggressive chemo and radiation treatments. By the time her son celebrated his first birthday, she was cancer free. Years late, she now has a bill of good health, three children, five grandchildren and a whole new mission: helping to fund research to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancer diseases. Learn more about her story as well as how you can help contribute to her fundraiser.

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Great Fundraisers – Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue

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Great Fundraisers - Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue“We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for our amazing, generous volunteers.” Mixed Bag Designs recently had a chance to sit down and speak with Cheryl Eitz, the event coordinator and fundraising chair for the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue non-profit organization. She had originally worked with MBD to run a fundraiser to raise extra funds for the organization, and as we learned more about the group’s mission, we wanted to help get the word out.

Fortunately, part of working in the fundraising business means that we meet and work with people who are striving to reach their goals. We are lucky in that part of job is working to support some pretty inspiring causes. The stories behind the fundraisers and the subsequent fundraising success stories motivate us to work harder each season to provide fresh and fun designs that will increase profits for every fundraiser we work with. This fundraiser to support an animal rescue organization in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana is one of those stories that makes us pause, reflect and also inspires  the team behind the fundraiser to get the story out to help raise money for the cause.

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Successful Fundraisers: Check out a how-to Fundraiser Checklist

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Plan a Fundraiser - A Fundraiser ChecklistPlanning fundraisers can be stressful for the volunteers and for the fundraiser chairperson, but a few ahead-of-time planning can really cut down on the stress levels and late-night scrambling with all those orders! We are always happy to help our fundraisers not only maximize their profits but also have an easy, hassle-free experience. After all, fun is a part of FUNdraising (sorry, couldn’t resist!). At Mixed Bag Designs, we have created a special Chair’s Office that offers a step-by-step process for the fundraiser chair – with helpful information and guidance for everything from signing the agreement to distributing your orders. However before we jump into organizing the fundraiser, start with a helpful checklist to organize when to start and when you should get things going.

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Great Fundraiser Story: Diabetic Alert Dogs

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The Emery Siblings - Great fundraiser for diabetic alert dogsFortunately, part of working in the fundraising business means that we meet and work with people who are striving to reach their goals. We are lucky in that part of job is working to support some pretty inspiring causes. The stories behind the fundraisers and the subsequent fundraising success stories motivate us to work harder each season to provide fresh and fun designs that will increase profits for every fundraiser we work with. This fundraiser to support a loving family in Texas is one of those stories that makes us pause, reflect and also inspires  the team behind the fundraiser to get the story out to help raise money for the cause.
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Fall 2012 preview: all new eco-friendly products coming soon!

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Green Fundraiser Ideas - Fall 2012 PreviewHere’s a sneak peek of what prints Mixed Bag Designs has in store for Fall 2012. We believe the key to increasing your fundraiser profits each year is to offer an attractive, versatile product that’s on trend. Each year we come out with new products in fun and colorful prints to keep things fresh and fashion-forward. We love to hang on to some fan favorites but always mix it up a bit so you’ll never see the same catalog twice!

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Easy Updates for the PTA: Our School Pages

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Our School Pages - Great Ideas for PTAMixed Bag Designs was recently approached by one of our fundraising customers in the Seattle area with a fantastic idea that can easily organize your local PTA initiatives as well as your school communications. Our School Pages creates a cool, easy-to-follow website that’s customized to your organization within a matter of minutes. Your personalized site takes PTA communications to a whole  new level, creating a streamlined dashboard that organizes all of the important school and PTA information and makes it really easy for volunteers to get involved.

Our School Pages gives schools and PTAs a fully functional and attractive website that’s very user-friendly. The idea has caught on in the Pacific Northwest after founder Rajeev Goel demonstrated the positive impact of the site at the Washington State PTA Convention. Read on to see why so many PTA volunteers have chosen to create a website with Our School Pages.

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Did you know? Get some eco-friendly facts!

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Recycling facts - Mixed Bag Designs Green Fundraising FactsWith several years experience in the green fundraising business, we have gathered tons of little tidbits and helpful information. We have decided to share some of these fun facts and trivia with you all as we kick of the summer! Today, we’ll give you two for the price of one, since we’re so excited about all these fun and random bits of information! So, without further ado…

Did you know?

Citywide recycling programs started in the 1890s. Although we often associate “going green” and recycling with modern, twentieth or twenty-first century lifestyle movements, citywide recycling was up and running in New York City in the 180s. Colonel George E. Waring Jr was at the start of it all when he was appointed the city’s street cleaning commissioner. He built the first facility to separate different kinds of waste for reuse and/or reselling. He then required all households to sort their waste before collecting it. Elsewhere in New York, the Benedetto family opened up the first recycling center in the United States. This center was used to collect and sell old, recycled newspapers and fabrics.

However paper and fabric recycling can be traced back even further to the 1600s in Pennsylvania. Dutch immigrant William Rittenhouse opened the first paper mill in the United States in 1690 in Pennsylvania. He set up the shop outside Philadelphia and used reused rags and fabrics to create paper for printing in the colonies.

The more you know! Keep in touch on our Mixed Bag Designs Facebook Page for our updated factoids and trivia!