A weekend of parties

Our weekend was pretty delightful as it was full of birthday parties and wonderful family time. We hosted one of the parties and had some outdoor activities planned. It was rainy though so we stayed inside, but everyone just chatted and played which was still really fun. The birthday and mini pennant banners I made for this party showed up again in a new way.


I love these little colored beeswax candles from here...they're so cute! Of course, a party isn't a party without the tablecloth getting dirtied up a bit with the yummiest chocolate cake ever from here :).


Some of the colorful doilies from this Antique Weekend found their way into the decor too...along with some soy tealights and glass cup vases.


For one of the birthday boys I decided to make another pencil case like this one but I started it the morning of the party, which is not terribly unusual for me unfortunately. :) My sewing machine kept acting up and I was getting really frustrated because we had to leave for the party soon. SO we now have a new rule in our house that presents (since we try to mostly give handmade ones) have to be finished at least two days before they are to be given. Otherwise, the projects are not to even be attempted. It's a good rule, and honestly it's going to be really difficult for me, but I'm going to do my best to follow it. I just get too frazzled under the time constraints when I (or the sewing machine:) mess up and it takes alot of the fun out of the whole process. The pencil case did end up really cute though and the birthday boy liked it alot, which made it all better :). So do any of you have a similar rule you've made for yourselves?


By the way, thank you for all of the sweet comments on Lovebug and her fall! She's doing great and it's healing well. And to the anonymous commenter, YES we are actually filling the darn sunken living room in! It's been on our to do list for quite some time now. That Lovebug incident moved it up to the top for sure and will hopefully be done ASAP! Thank you for offering that idea though.


Well, we need to pack up soon and head out to a friend's to celebrate yet another birthday! :) Have a great day.

Daddy's Day

Yesterday, our day for Daddy was very enjoyable! My Love went kayak fishing in the early morning while I got up and started the doughnut dough. I made the same recipe last year, but my yeast was dead so I ended up with cookies. But THIS year, the baked doughnuts turned out great and were super yummy. I got the recipe from 101 Cookbooks...she has some great ones, so look around. I health and vegan -ified it with whole wheat pastry flour, coconut oil in lieu of butter, and flax mixture instead of eggs. I loved them...well, AM loving them, as there are PLENTY leftover. They certainly are a VERY special treat though and are wonderful with coffee. Most importantly, my Love really enjoyed them! Over brunch, I shared a funny doughnut hole story that had us laughing all day, right babe? :)


When my Love got home mid-morning from fishing, Lovebug had this little tank on that I had embellished with the heart and "Daddy". He LOVED it and said that was probably his favorite little "gift" of the day. Using the stencil I created for his Valentine's shirt made the whole process much easier.


Lovebug and I also gifted Daddy with this awesome cookbook that he is extremely excited about, as it's full of vegan recipes from some of our favorite chefs. Some of the recipes look pretty difficult and time-intensive but I know our "top chef" is up for such challenges and I cannot wait to see (and eat of course) the results! The rest of the HOT day was spent seeing our grandpa and dads, which was alot of fun.


My gorgeous sweet Love, thank you so much for being the most amazing father possible to our Lovebug. We are truly blessed to have you as ours and we love you so much! Thank you for being such a committed, patient, fun, and loving father. You truly are the BEST. Happy Daddy's Day!

Valentine's Week

How was your weekend? Hope it was beautiful! Ours was. I love the weekends so much with the three of us all being together! For the second weekend in a row, I got some sewing in and whipped up this little felt pencil case for our sweet niece's birthday. I know, I'm one of the last ones getting in on these, but it was pretty simple and easy to make. I really want one now for myself! :) OH and the pencils are from Stubby Pencil and are made from 100% FSC certified wood. They are beautiful and very easy to grip.

SO Valentine's Day is this Saturday in case you didn't know! I am a lover of it and always have been. Yes, it is a marketing holiday and I'm not a fan of the consumerism aspect of it but I think it's a fun little day. I truly truly believe you should treat your loved ones like it's Valentine's Day every single day though!


We tend to give homemade or handmade gifts (or nothing) rather than the traditional gifts, but there are lots of ways you can green your typical Valentine's gifts. If you do flowers, then you really need to opt for organic, either bought at a health food store (Whole Foods, Central Market, etc.) or online at Organic Bouquet or California Organics.

If possible, find locally grown flowers too. The commercial flower industry is scary with ridiculously unfair labor practices and an incredibly scary amount of natural resources and chemicals are used to grow those beautiful things. So really go organic or as another option, go with a plant which will help to clean your loved one's air!


As far as Valentines, make your own from craft or everyday materials lying around or buy ones made from recycled or hemp paper. Or send an e-Card!

Another traditional gift is chocolate, right? Yummy. Well you can certainly green that by buying fair trade organic! Dagoba is my personal favorite but there are alot of great choices out there now. In terms of the amount of pesticides used on crops, non-organic cocoa is 2nd only to cotton so it's really important to buy organic chocolate! When you buy fair trade you are supporting fair labor conditions and pay, as well as good environmental practices.


There are tons of adorable things on Etsy of course too...or whip up something of your own! There isn't anything better than getting a present handmade by someone you love.

I'll share later in the week what I am making for my two Loves...I certainly need to get to work on them! Have a wonderful week full of extra love and sweetness everyone!

Handmade

This last weekend I was finally able to get some crafting in. It felt like forever since I had done anything terribly creative and it was most enjoyable. My dear friend is expecting their second baby in about the next month, so the occasion I was creating for was her baby shower. She requested only handmade gifts, which is such a wonderful idea. It was neat to see all the beautiful things that her friends made for her, all different with each artist's individual unique touch.

My Love got in on it too (which is always so fun) as he cut out the bib for me and then embroidered a quick "R" onto it. Then I hand-sewed it and he added the pearl snap. It was a team effort for sure! The material is a super soft organic cotton/hemp blend and it's really yummy.


The little block is made with the same fabric as the bib, but I put the soft part out on two of the sides. It is filled with organic Texas cotton and then I added 4 big bells inside for some jingle. Hopefully the beautiful baby will enjoy playing with this when he/she gets a bit bigger! Poor Lovebug kept wanting to play with it and I had to keep telling her it was for another baby :). I think I'm going to make her some for Valentine's though.


We also included in the gift some of our fave organic baby legs, some organic cotton nursing pads, and a wooden rattle from Vermont that has always been one of Lovebug's favorites. Some other handmade items we included were a relaxing foot soak for my pregnant friend, a deodorizing room spray, some lavender sachets, and a bum spray for the babe along with our recipe for it. I packaged everything up in one of the containers our weekly spinach comes in. We save nearly all of them and keep them for random storage containers and gifts. They work great and tend to go with anything since they are clear, and they are recyclable which is a must. I love giving gifts to our loved ones, especially when we handmake and create them together. So fun! I cannot wait to meet the new baby whenever he/she decides to come! :)


Speaking of handmade, did everyone hear about CPSIA? I'm sure most of you have, but anyone who hasn't, it has been decided by the CPSC Commission that there is going to be a "stay of enforcement of certain testing and certification requirements of CPSIA" for ONE year (via Buy Handmade). This will allow more time for it be further reviewed and hopefully amended. The law hasn't changed (only Congress can do that) but CPSC is saying they are not enforcing the law for one year regarding the testing and certification. However, products STILL have to conform to the new lead and phthalate standards.

Here's a quote from a CPSC press release:
The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.

Further, the CPSC can and only is "staying" their own enforcement and NOT that of the attorney generals, whom still could go after someone in violation of the law. So much work needs to be done in the next 12 months! Here is a description from a staffer of South Carolina Senator DeMint's (who is sponsoring a bill to amend CPSIA) about something we can all do with specifics. So, some good news I guess, but still so much that needs to be done!

I'm bringing hankie back...

Yes that's right :)...I've been wanting to bring hankies back for awhile here at our nest. Since we don't use disposable anything else, cloth handkerchiefs fit right on in. But I wanted to make cute little hankie pouches for them, so I made my Dad's birthday present my trial run. Using an old shirt of my Love's that no longer fit him, I made this one...


It turned out pretty well I think - not perfect by any means, but pretty good. I got the overall idea here, but changed it up and didn't really follow the directions. I wanted a different opening flap than in the tutorial and made a separate outside pocket because I wanted the pouch to be a bit bigger. It's lined with some fabric scraps I got from Hobby Lobby for a steal and finished with a pearl snap. Inside are three super soft organic cotton hankies that I got from here...I had planned on embroidering them, but didn't allow enough time to teach myself how to embroider (soon though:). My Dad, whom I remember used to always have a hankie, seemed to like it, and now I can't wait to make two for my Love and me!


My Dad's favorite cake is a spice one, so I found this vegan spice cake recipe and it was yummy! Used all whole-wheat pastry flour (as always) and baked it in a bundt pan (obviously, per the picture:), made a little powdered sugar and orange juice icing, and added some chopped almonds and raisins to finish the look. It turned out really well and was even more delicious the next morning with some coffee. It tastes very "fall" to me with all the spices - we'll have to try it in October with some spiced apple cider - now that would be delicious! I LOVE me some summer but cool weather sounds pretty nice...


Oh and the vintage metal cake carrier I got from a good friend for my birthday recently - isn't it adorable? Thanks Emily!

A Little Princess

Sorry I did not get to post on Friday - I know my 10 or so readers were very disappointed :)...Seriously - it was a busy day, as was the whole weekend, but loads of fun. We decided to do a little blessing for our babe here in two weeks so there is lots on our to-do list, but isn't that one of the great things about hosting things at your house - that it forces you to get certain things done that you've been needing to for awhile?! But before we could move on to the blessing list, we had a family birthday party on Saturday for my Dad and our niece, which meant a good deal of baking and handmade present making. Think I'll divide it up into a couple different posts for this week to ensure they're not too long.


For our niece's present we decided to try our hand at some freezer paper stenciling, so got a couple of ribbed tanks from a local kid's resale store (fyi - ribbed material isn't the easiest to paint), ordered some supplies from Dharma, and away we went. My Love designed some cool stencils and we were pleased with how they turned out (went ahead and did two tees for our nephew's upcoming b-day as well). I especially love the above tree stencil he made!


Pretty sure we thought they were much cooler than our niece did, but she's five and really wanted to get back in the pool after she saw them, so we understood. Wish we had gone ahead and done a couple for ourselves and Lovebug too...someday soon (after the blessing:). Anyway, the fabric painting was quite fun!

A little birdie told me the birthday girl wanted a pink cake with a princess on top, so I made a vegan strawberry cake with strawberry icing from the Whole Foods recipe section, but used only whole wheat flour and it turned out really well, exept my icing melted a bit during the drive.


The "princess" was a clothespin doll I enjoyed making...used jute for the arms and embroidery floss for her hair, which didn't turn out exactly as I had wanted. My intention was to do a cute bob with bangs to mirror the birthday girl, but it somehow became something else during the creative process. The dress was my favorite part to make though! I am so excited about the new season of Project Runway which I thought could be downloaded from AOL Video like Top Chef was, as we no longer have any TV (which we're really enjoying by the way), but I haven't been able to find the Season 5 premiere yet :(...But anyhoo, that's what I kept thinking about while making the dress - PR - and what would Tim say about it?! :) Have a feeling he would say that it isn't flattering to her waistline, which I would have to agree with.


More birthday creations to come - Happy Monday!!!

Make the switch

I got this video clip sent to me earlier this week...was aware of what he spewed (parts that are true at least)...poor guy comes across (to me) as an ignorant Texan man (HAS to mention Monday night football, Dimebox, and OH how wonderful coal plants are of course:)...and as a Texan myself, I was a bit embarrassed and annoyed by the guy. He does bring up one or two interesting points and some issues that are highly misunderstood regarding CFLs though...Been meaning to post on them for awhile now so I thought there was no better time than the present.

Early on this last year we decided to give CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) as Christmas gifts to promote their use. I think most people thought it was a funny present but in reality it's a very practical gift (and money-saving!). We also made sure to include info on CFLs, and where/how to properly recycle them (which is very important - more on that later) per each person/family('s) location. When we bought our house one of the first things we did was put CFLs in - a more expensive investment up front but well worth it! We researched them greatly before doing so and decided it was the best option currently out there. The way we see it, replacing your incandescents with CFLs is something that can easily be done by everyone to reduce your home's energy use and, thus, it's greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some interesting info/facts on CFLs:

-CFLs use 75% less energy than incandescents
-CFLs last 10 times longer
-CFLs are 4 times more efficient
-When you replace an incandescent with a CFL you keep a half a ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb
-If everyone in the U.S. used CFLs we could retire 90 avg size power plants
-CFLs can be used nearly everywhere incandescents can and are readily available at local home improvement stores

New CFLs give off warm inviting light (they're no longer harsh)...there are dimmable, 3-way, flood, and candelabra CFLs, as well as ones with globe and dome covers that look like standard incandescents in case you're not a fan of the spiral. There should be a CFL out there for all of your needs! REALLY!

NOW, CFLs as the guy mentions DO contain mercury...they are not perfect YET and do contain a small amount of the toxic metal...BUT here's some info on that...The average CFL contains 5 milligrams (mg) of mercury...compare that to the wrist watch that many of you wear - the battery inside contains 25 mg of mercury...the old wall thermostat that many of you still have in your houses or buildings may contain up to 3,000 mg, and glass thermometers contain about 500 mg...So that gives you an idea of how small the amount is...SO it would take quite ALOT of CFLs to equal any of those amounts, but ANY mercury is not good for sure! The levels have already gotten much less since CFLs came out (there are ultra-low mercury bulbs available too -check below) and the industry is saying in 8-10 years, they will all be mercury FREE so that's great news.

NO mercury is released when they are in use - only when they are broken and the concern is when they are broken HOT not cold...and any breaks are most likely to occur when they are being installed/uninstalled at which time they would be off and thus cold. AND the glass of CFLs is much thicker than incandescent glass so they are harder to break...BUT, if you happen to break one, DON'T panic - most of the mercury adheres to the glass anyway, but here's what to do:

1.) Open a window and leave the room for a bit and close the door - the longer the better as the mercury will circulate out the window(s) ...
2.) Use gloves and carefully scoop up the pieces and the powder w/cardboard and place in a glass jar with a lid
3.) Wipe down the area with damp paper towels and place those in the jar as well.

* If the breakage occurs on a rug or carpet, follow the first and second steps above, but then use sticky tape to pick up the powder and any remaining tiny pieces...

NOW that jar needs to be disposed of (as well as CFLs once they reach their end-use)...they SHOULD NOT just be thrown away because then that mercury in the bulbs can end up in our lakes and oceans, which will build up in our fish, and will then be transferred to fish-eaters...This seems to annoy some people -that they have to make an extra effort - come on - it's not that hard! Just check your city website (normally with Household Hazardous Waste info) to see how/where you're supposed to dispose of them...Most cities have somewhere for you to take them, along with your household chemicals and whatnot. Some cities even pick up your hazardous waste curbside, so check...A couple stores also take them and properly dispose of them (like the wonderful Ikea)...Hopefully more retailers that sell CFLs will do this soon too - like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart...

Check locally first to purchase your CFLs, but a wide variety can also be purchased at websites like Earth Easy...they have the LOW-mercury ones that contain about 3 mg of mercury, like the Philips Alto...the Sylvania micro mini, and I believe GE has a low-mercury level one as well. This is a great site to help you find where to dispose/recycle your CFLs - but check your city website first. Here's another helpful website w/ CFL info...AND HERE is a awesome kit that you buy for $17.50 from this company - once you fill it with any broken or end-use CFLs, you simply send the pre-paid box off to be recycled - easy as pie!!

There's some interesting opinions out there that argue that CFLs actually keep a great deal of mercury out of the air as a CFL uses a very small amount of power compared to an incandescent...and most power in our country comes from the beautiful coal plants which constantly release ridiculous amounts of mercury (actually they account for about 40% of our country's emissions). Thus, CFLs can help to reduce mercury emissions from the coal plants because the electricity needed for the use of an incandescent bulb emits 13.6 mg of mercury into the air, compared to 3.3 mg of mercury from a CFL. However, all of that mercury from the coal plants that is emitted from the use of both CFLs and incandescents is unrecoverable unfortunately, but it's less mercury with CFLs...Further, the mercury inside a CFL - IF it's taken to a place where it's recycled - will be contained and recycled/reused to make new CFLs...and it will never be released into the air!

One argument against CFLs the Rep. in the clip had is that ALL CFLs are made in China...well, not ALL but yes, most of them unfortunately...some of the Philip Altos I've found are made in Mexico...Lights of America did have a U.S. CFL plant but I've read it no longer exists since 2007.

Like I said, in 8-10 years (or sooner hopefully) CFLs will be mercury free, even more efficient, and (hopefully much sooner) easier recycling of them will be available...but until then we still think they're the way to go in order to lessen our negative impact. Probably by then though, LEDs will have taken over the market as they are a MUCH MUCH more efficient light than CFLs overall...time will tell but for now go out and get you some CFLs (preferably the low-mercury ones listed above) - the pros really do outweigh the cons and they're worth making the switch, both financially and environmentally! Gosh, this ended up being REALLY long - geez! Sorry - just trying to get the info out...:) Hope I made some sense!

Birthday creations

My Love had a birthday recently and inspired by a post from Danny, I decided to make him an office detox box...Office buildings have such dirty air and since much of his day is spent there, it's very important to do everything to help make it as clean as possible (started with plants awhile back)...SO I took an old shoe box and filled it with newspaper to put under his feet to collect dirt and other allergens tracked in on shoes, added a microfiber cloth to be used periodically to collect dust, a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol to use on his keyboard, phone, etc. to help rid them of bacteria, and some homemade deodorizing room sprays with essential oils to make it smell decent. For some de-stressing moments, I included a mini zen garden made in an old cigar box we had lying around, sand obviously, some black river rocks from the garage, and a mini rake made from branches leftover from J&G's wedding. I made one for my Mom for her birthday too and she loved it!
Also made him a little days of the week countdown with pics of Lovebug for his desk which he loves and this black hemp apron (no, I didn't make it - should have...but there were time constraints so got it at Hemp Sisters)...but I did embellish it with the camouflage "Jolly Roger" made from a used baby onesie got at a resale shop.
Don't you just love making things for your loved ones and eagerly anticipating their reactions? Gosh I do - so enjoyable! Alright, I feel a cool breeze through the windows and it's getting dark quickly so I better run and get clothes off the line before the rain arrives...Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!

Green Your V-Day

The time is almost near and Cupid will soon be here!! I love Valentine's Day and always have - my Mother made it a very special day. Granted, she's the best Mom there is so she made every day special but V-day was especially so, and with every meal there was something red! She would make something wonderful for breakfast and lunch, but dinner was the most special - with lots of red yummy food and she would have little presents for each of us kids at our setting and the eating area would be decorated in reds and pinks. You're the best Mommy - I only hope I can be half the Mom you are!

I know it's a "marketing" holiday and I truly believe that you should treat your loved ones like it's Valentine's EVERY day and do random special things, but I still think it's a fun day! Here are some ways to make your V-Day GREEN:

-In lieu of flowers, buy potted plants so there is no waste after a week AND you're giving something that will help clean your loved one's air!!
**Best air cleaners include: Janet Craig dracaena, Peace Lily, & Rubber Plant, amongst others.

-If purchased flowers are what will make your love the happiest, then buy organic flowers from Organic Bouquet, California Organics, or Manic Organics Flowers...Whole Foods now carries some organic flowers as well - so check your local natural food stores...Look for in-season, locally-grown flowers!
**The commerical flower industry is very scary with unfair labor practices, excessive consumption of natural resources such as water, and a ridiculous amount of toxic chemical use (that are illegal w/i U.S.) that pollutes our environment and harms the workers that work on the flower farms, who often suffer from skin and respiratory problems, fatigue, blurred vision, and premature birth. The flowers are fumigated, sprayed with pesticides, and soaked in preservatives...Do you really want that brought into your home for you and your loved ones to breathe in?

-Buy organic fair-trade chocolates - yummy!! I love Dagoba and Green & Black...
**Non-organic cocoa is 2nd only to cotton in terms of the most pesticides used on the crop, which is scary as exposure to pesticides is being increasingly linked to various kinds of cancer. Buying "fair-trade" ensures that the employees and farmers that harvested the cocoa beans were treated and paid fairly and sustainable environmental practices were in place.

-Look for Valentine's cards that are made from recycled paper content....or make your own for a much more personalized touch from materials you already have...or send an Evite card or e-Card!

See, even a holiday like Valentine's that evokes the color red can be made green...Happy Valentine's everyone!