Cork and Cotton February 13, 2008

WOW!  I thought I had seen just about everything -cork shoes, cork floors and cork bulletin boards-but imagine my pleasure when I found these cork handbags on etsy.  I  am so thankful one of my readers gave me a tip about Cork and Cotton.  The artist uses cork fabric made of bark from the cork oak tree that is applied to a cotton backgroundand then sealed.  The cork will not peel or disintegrate.  It is soft and flexible (some have said it feels like leather) and can even go into the washing machine.  Besides being stylish, this fabric is sustainable because the tree is not damaged by the harvest and will regrow its bark within 10 years.   Since cork is waterproof, it could even be used to schelp your suntan lotion, trash novel (on recycled paper, of course) and beverage of choice (in a reusable metal water bottle) to the beach.  I love the variety of colors and textures in this bag! 

And for those evenings out or days when you have a lighter load, this cork wristlet is the perfect size! Cork and Cotton does feature other adorable hand sewn purses made from bright, whimsical cotton fabric.  I couldn’t resist adding a picture because I thought they are so perfect for Spring!

Trashion Coin Purses on Lov.li February 12, 2008

Most people in the DIY/craft movement are aware of etsy but another site I have stumbled upon is a local Northwest creation called lov.li.  It functions in much the same way as etsy but it also allows users to list items they just want to present to the world but don’t want to sell.  Artists, buyers and the just plain curious can peruse the site to see all the cool creations.

While exploring the multitude of offerings on lov.li, I was drawn into a web of memories of bright orange fingers and peanut butter and jelly lunches by these cheeky coin purses.  I can’t stop thinking about licking all that yummy processed “cheese” residue off my fingers.

This is an actual recycled Cheetos bag covered in vinyl, lined with felt and given a zipper closure to keep all your treasures safe.

More memories were stirred by these Ramen Noodle coin purses.  Oh, late night gourmet dining in my college dorm- it doesn’t get any better than that.  (And with the Ramen purses, you get to choose your flavor- beef=red, chicken=orange, oriental=blue and shrimp=pink.)  What cute, functional trashion!

You can find these funky little coin purses and much more at lov.li.  Or look for the matching Ramen booties at MoJo Trashion on etsy.

rinnovi February 11, 2008

With Mother Nature offering us a tease of Spring here in the Pacific Northwest, I began to notice how winter worn, pale and dry  my skin looks.  (It is amazing what you can hide with a turtleneck and a little foundation!)  Now that I am longing to shed my layers of fleece and don my tank tops and mini skirts, I realize I have to do something to spiff up my skin.  Luckily for me, I found Rinnovi Body Spa on etsy.   Rinnovi offers organic bath and body products in a range of scents including sweet orange, vanilla, lavender, margarita, grapefruit and many others.  (You can choose the scent that appeals to you.)  Here is a look at one of their body polish products.

At only $7.60, I can spend the next few months polishing my skin to get it ready to see the light of day. 

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Rinnovi is offering a limited edition Seduction Trio.  This trio includes a 1 oz salt and sugar scrub, 1 oz body butter and a 2 oz organic warming massage oil- all in her special Seduction scent which includes a combination of male and female aphrodisiacs and coconut.  A great way to spice up your Valentine’s Day!

 

Of course, all of Rinnovi’s products are made with organic and all natural ingredients. Be good to yourself and get your skin in shape- summer is just around the corner!  Also, once you are all shiny and exfoliated, checkout Rinnovi’s sister site, Bella Style , to find fashions and accessories to show off your rejuvenated skin.

kinchi February 10, 2008

For some reason, I seem to be focused on the munchkins right now.  While cruising through etsy today, I was struck by these adorable dresses by kinchi.  As a mom of two little boys whose idea of “dressing up” is to put on a collared shirt, I am endless lusting for the pint sized girly fashions available today.  Who could resist this funky, bright colored dress?

 

The fabrics of this dress are all vintage 60’s and 70’s fabrics.  In fact, the orange fabric was the artist’s mom’s curtains before she was born.  The fabric with the small flowers was a sheet in a previous life.   I love the way she uses the center circle to tie all the fabrics together.

Now if I had a little girl, she would definitely need the kinchi whale wrap dress.  It is crafted from  chocolate colored fabric and paired with fabric of bright orange, yellow and pink flowers.   The bodice had a whale applique of the same colored print fabric.   It is sooo cute!

The creative force behind kinchi is a graduate of Amsterdam Fashion Institute, current resident of Rotterdam and a mom. One of the best things about finding this shop now is that she just opened kinchimama, a shop currently consisting of accessories made from all the fun, whimsical vintage fabric featured in her kid’s store.  Look at this cool bag- the greens have me longing for Spring!

Hopefully, we will all get lucky and she will begin offering dresses and skirts patterned after the ones in her kid’s store!

Lost and Found Objects2 February 9, 2008

Today’s spotlight offers a little eye candy for the munchkins in our life.  Lost and Found Objects2 offers adorable stuffed animals made from recycled scarves and other fabric.  Take a look at harvy, the pompom footed monster.

He is made from a recycled knit scarf and “is stuffed with love.”  What child wouldn’t want to receive this monster?  Also cute is Mr. Snarkey, created from a recycled sweater.

I love the rough, well loved look of these stuff animals.  I can see my nieces and nephews dragging these guys everywhere they go!!

Lost and Found Objects2 also offers something for the adults in your life.  They have a whole line of baubles made from recycled pop cans.  Checkout these Pop Heart Earrings that are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

There is much to love about the artist behind Lost and Found Objects2.  Not only does she work with recycled materials, but she also donates 10% of her profits to Patchwork Central, an art organization for inner city kids and she is involved with a woman’s craft cooperative in Honduras.  She is truly an artist dedicated to impacting the world through art!

Kids Central Kitchen February 8, 2008

 

 I don’t know about in your household, but in mine, my kids love to be involved in cooking.  They don’t really seem to care exactly what I ask them to do (except clean-up, of course)- they just want to contribute.  So imagine my pleasure when I found Kids Central Kitchen.

I first discovered this awesome baking mix and kitchen supply company at the Portland CRAVE show where I purchased their Flip Flop Flapjacks Pancake Mix.  I loved that the mix contained organic wheat and white flours and organic evaporated cane juice but my kids loved the yummy taste provided by the twang of the lemon yogart my son added to the mix.  (The recipe called for plain yogurt but in my house that is hard to come by.)  The instructions were easy to follow and even though I “supervised”, my 10 and 8 year old could have easily mixed these up themselves.  (Of course, the actual cooking of them on a hot griddle is another matter!)

My friend bought the Swinging Monkey Banana Bread Mix to give as a stocking stuffer and she reported it was a big tasty hit in her house.

Kids Central Kitchen was founded by Mike and Maureen, the “parents of three active, young children”.  They were looking for something to feed their kids that was low in fat,  low in sugar and  healthy but still tasted good.  They formed “test panels” of their own children and their children’s friends to perfect their recipes.  After much experimentation, they began marketing the mixes you see on their website www.kidscentralkitchen.com. My family test panel would rate them a hit!

Stepping Stones

Today’s featured artist is Stepping Stones, an etsy shop showcasing creations crafted from found items from the Rhode Island coast.  Tracy Prince, the artist, combs the coast on an almost daily basis to find the raw materials for her gorgeous creations.  Most of her items are made from natural stones that she has carved into different shapes.  For Valentine’s Day, I love her WHO LOVES YOU BABY PENDANT-crafted from a dark grey oval beach stone with a heart carved in the middle.

And with circles continuing to be so hot, who won’t love this beautiful OH OH OH NECKLACE? 

My favorite piece, however, is the TIDE POOL CHOCKER.    This piece consists of a deep black, irregular shaped stone suspended from a sterling silver choker.  It is such an unusual piece that I can see it being a major conversation generator.  She shows it both oiled and unoiled so the buyer can see the beautiful colors of the stone.  At only $75, it is a bargain for such a beautiful piece.

Stepping Stones has over 30 items for sale.  Get yourself  to www.steppingstones.etsy.com to see everything.

The Monkey Buzz February 7, 2008

The first small company I want to profile is filled with monkeys engaged in crazy monkey antics.  This company offers vibrant organic cotton t-shirts with monkeys involved in all sorts of activities.  They have monkeys in a can can line, monkeys riding bikes, monkeys surfing, monkeys sipping martinis and monkeys engaged in just about any other activity you can imagine.  The Monkey Buzz first caught my eye on etsy where they feature their “Earth Monkey”  line at www.2monkees.etsy.com.  On Etsy, they offer two different styles of organic t-shirts- one featuring a monkey hugging the Earth and another with a family of monkeys holding hands in front of the Earth.  Here is the Love Earth t-shirt.

In their Etsy listing, they state that you can find more of their designs at www.themonkeybuzz.com.  When I explored their site, I found more Earth Day designs and an incredible assortment of t-shirts, g- strings, boxers, dog sweaters, mugs and other items on which to imprint their impish monkeys.  I even found an adorable Valentine Video gram you can send to your friends and family.  <object width=”425″ height=”355″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/bbiVyFvhsdw&rel=1″></param><param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/bbiVyFvhsdw&rel=1” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=”transparent” width=”425″ height=”355″></embed></object>  Use the Monkey Buzz to express your inner monkey and don’t forget to wish that special someone a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Hello world!

Who am I you may be wondering?  I am just a mom of two active boys who enjoys spending time in the outdoors with my family.  I have been a mostly stay at home mom since my children were born.  (In my previous life, I was a Child and Family Therapist with extremely disturbed pre-schoolers and their families.  This was an amazingly rewarding job but one that also took a big emotional toll.)  In recent years,  I have become involved with a jewelry designer from Sri Lanka (see her work at Ananya Studio), who employs villagers to produce her designs.  She helps them set up their workshops, provides them designs and raw materials and then pays them a fair wage for their product.  My work with her has gotten me very interested in the idea of how our choices as consumers impact the people who produce our consumables and this production’s impact on the world.    I have been drawn into a web of Green/Fair Trade businesses.  What has been interesting to me is seeing how many people are doing small things everyday to create a better world.  Also, how many small producers and artists are out there that consider how their art impacts the world.  This blog will feature one of those small producers, artists or businesses everyday.  I believe through shining the spotlight on the individuals doing small things, we can cause big change in the world.