Entering is simple – no need to sign up for emails (but of course she can if she likes) and just a few quick bits of information and she’s in the running. The winner gets flights for two from Southwest to Boston and three nights at the very centrally located Marriott in Copley Place

Entries are being taken through July 31, 2010.

Between now and August 1 fans of L’Occitane are invited to submit outdoor videos that will be judged on Facebook. L’Occitane must be mentioned in the video or a product must be shown in order to qualify. See the official rules online at loccitane.com.

How can she enter? It’s just a click and few short answers away online at thesparklinglife.com.

Now, through December 18^th, Girlawhirl and her Super Pals everywhere can enter daily – yes, daily – to win a trip for two to Paris along with a $1500 wardrobe from Tory Burch. Entering couldn’t be easier – yes, she had to give up a few personal details – and Girlawhirl can forward the entry to friends because she’s hoping if one of them wins, she’ll get to be her “plus one.”

With instant prizes like Tory Burch wallets, gloves, scarves and hats, Girlawhirl’s definitely clicking back every day! Find out more, including all the rules and regulations of the trip to Paris giveaway, at toryburch.com.

Perhaps it was a conspiracy between hotel concierges and the all day car and drivers they booked for her, but now Girlawhirl can save the euros spent on a car and spend them at The Mall. And it couldn’t be easier to get there on the train.

It’s the same train she takes to Montevarchi – but now she gets off at the Rignano sull’ Arno stop (between the Montevarchi and Florence stations). Taxis are always waiting, and she’s got no problem sharing one with fellow shoppers, to make the 10 minute ride to The Mall.

Now she can combine both trips into one full day of outlet shopping around Florence. The Prada outlet was expanded last year, and every time she returns to The Mall, there are new stores to discover. There’s a big Dolce and Gabbana outlet not too far from The Mall as well – and the taxi drivers are happy to point out, and make stops at, some of the other smaller ones along the way: like Celine and Trussardi.

And Super Pals have reported that there have been great bargains at the outlets this summer! Fewer shoppers have translated into great prices and a larger than normal selection. Find the train schedule to both the Prada outlet in Montevarchi and The Mall in Rignano, online here.

Made by hand by artisans in Peru, the flowered luggage tag was colorful and still sturdy enough to handle the rigors of airline travel – if only Girlawhirl felt that way herself! On the flip side there was the typical clear plastic that protected a business card inserted inside.

The woman went on to explain that the tag was made following fair trade principles, providing financial security to the women who make them. She told Girlawhirl that she bought hers online at harrietandleo.com.

Now with her new travel Wordlock she can leave her suitcase without a second or third glance backwards as she proceeds through security. Like all the other Wordlock locks, it’s set with a word – in this case four letters so there’s really no chance of her forgetting the combination. Of course it’s approved by the Transportation Safety Administration, so her luggage will pass through its own security procedures with flying colors.

Girlawhirl found her Wordlock for luggage, along with all the new kinds of Wordlocks online at wordlock.com.

 Today she can do better than just dream; she can enter to win one of four trips from Sierra Club Outings and Honest Tea. It’s all part of a year long collaboration – Honest Tea will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their green teas to support the Sierra Club’s efforts to protect our air, water, parks and wildlife.

Girlawhirl makes it a practice to choose Honest Tea when she’s picking up a deli lunch – it contains far less sugar than typical bottled iced teas and the green varieties: Moroccan Mint, Green Dragon, Honey Green and Mango Green Tea give her body a boost of antioxidants. Now when she reaches for her favorite flavor she double checks to make sure the Sierra Club symbol is on the label.

And today, instead of trolling her favorite online boutiques for bargains, she’ll peruse the Sierra Club’s Outings page – with all kinds of fabulous getaways. From rafting in Utah to sailing in Alaska, Girlawhirl has a chance to win any trip she’d like.

Four rounds of prizes will be awarded – one grand prize, the trip and a year’s supply of Honest Tea – and two second prizes, a Jamis bike and a case of Honest Tea® – will be awarded quarterly between June 30, 2009 and March 31, 2010.

Find out more about the Honest Tea and Sierra Club giveaways here.

The new rule’s been in effect since August, and here’s how it works: If a laptop is in a case or compartment all by itself and without zippers, pockets or other hardware that can obstruct the X ray machine’s view of the computer, it can stay snug in its case. This means that when Girlawhirl travels with her laptop in a neoprene sleeve she can just pull the whole sleeve out of her larger carry on and put it on the X ray belt. She has to be sure not to stuff any documents, jump drives or even the plug in that sleeve, but there’s plenty of room for those elsewhere in her bag.

There’s also a new kind of computer bag that contains a foldout pocket designed for a laptop that complies with the new rule. These pouches or sections of the bags are designed to fold out and lay flat outside of the bag so the computer can be run through the X ray section of the machine without being obstructed by the other contents of the bag.

Not all computer bags meet the criteria, but Girlawhirl suspects that soon enough they’ll catch up. Mobile Edge has a new ScanFast collection of bags that complies with the TSA rules, but until Girlawhirl finds a bag she loves, she’ll keeps her computer in a neoprene sleeve.

Here’s an added bonus: make a travel-friendly laptop bag with these easy instructions from favecrafts.com.

With soaring ceilings and glowing fireplaces, there are plenty of places to relax and take in the view of Elliott Bay. Befitting its name, the Edgewater is built on a pier so it’s as if it’s part of the bustling bay, with ferries and other boat traffic practically close enough to touch. But it’s the indoor trees that blew Girlawhirl away. Every support column in the interior is cleverly disguised as a tree! And the branches go beyond what nature intended with shiny metal hinges affixed throughout.

Whether she was walking through the lobby or enjoying a drink or dinner in the restaurant, the combination of the view – and those trees – kept Girlawhirl wondering what she’d encounter next at the Edgewater Hotel.

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