Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.
Natural soaps and other beauty products can be portable and convenient. Look for solid lotions, soaps with lids, and other solutions for your travels. Needing soap in a rest-stop bathroom or lotion in your car does not have to mean using products laden with alcohol.
Natural shampoo can come in a liquid soap form as well as a bar form. And Bruce, at Homebrew Soaps, makes an interesting one. I would be inclined to call it liquid soap, rather than shampoo, because it has a distinctly different texture than any other shampoo that I have used.
If you’ve been keeping up with my posts the last few weeks, then you know this New Year is all about revitalization for me! With that, instead of trying to quit bad habits – I instead decided I wanted to try new things and to live more fully. [2011 Calendar from The Must Stash]
So far so good! But one tough thing is keeping it all organized. I’ve added a couple things to my routine (which I’ll share about in a moment), and that seems to be upsetting the apple cart (in a good way)! It’s also asking me to more carefully shape my priorities, and I’m so happy for that.
Weekly Planner from Little Otsu.
Throughout this post you’ll find some beautiful handmade items – all of them will help you become more organized. If you’re like me, you love it when the things around you are fun to look at, it makes staying on track all the more enjoyable.
So, back to me! One thing to know about me is that on top of being a wee bit of a computer nerd, I also love documentaries. Thanks to Netflix coming to Canada I’ve been truly getting my fix the last little while. The husband and I are planning to watch Food Inc together soon. I heard about the movie from friends a while back, but wasn’t ready to watch it for some reason. I was worried it would just discourage me (I’ve been known, when busy with work, to eat take-out 4 out of 7 nights a week and I’ve always loved processed foods), and now I’m glad that I waited.
Custom Organizer from Bubbo.
I did watch the episode of Oprah when the director of the film was on the show, and for some reason he got me thinking about fruit and vegetables. And that I wasn’t eating them very often… Then at the start of the New Year, instead of starting a diet or vowing to watch what I eat, I instead asked myself – are you drinking 8 glasses of water a day, are you eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day? And I issued myself a challenge to do so. I now have a tracker on my desk, and most days I’m eating 3-4 servings of fruit and vegetables and 4 or 5 glasses of water. Can I tell you something? This coupled with yoga and a bit of light cardio, and I feel energetic, full, and my cravings for unhealthy food have diminished big time. Because this is hard to keep track of I actually keep the tracker out on my desk where I can note down my intake and if I’ve exercised too.
Printable Recipe Cards from Little Paper Dog.
I have a feeling that when I sit down in a week or two to watch Food Inc. I’m going to be nodding my head in agreement with a lot of what’s said. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve already seen the movie, or your experiences with healthy lifestyle changes!
In the U.S. Mother’s Day is May 10th this year, and while you may run out the day before and grab a dozen roses and a card for the special mom in your life, why not give her a real surprise with a thoughtful handmade gift. Moms always love gifts made by their children, but if you are not creatively inclined, or you need a gift for the mom who has everything, here are some wonderful ideas.
Let’s start with the card. Yes, you can buy one at the grocery store along with your frozen pizza and green beans, but it won’t be nearly as beautiful as this gorgeous Mother’s Day Card from Smock Paper. This card is so pretty that Mom will be wanting to leave it out to admire year round!
A bouquet of flowers is always a good gift for Moms, but why not give her some flowers that will last and last. This photo from Photo Menagerie is just the thing to show Mom that she is special and, just think, no watering necessary, which is good if the Mom in your life is as bad with plants as I am.
Why not make your Mother’s Day gift personal? This custom silhouette from Blue Clara Paper Goods is stylish, sentimental and sure to make Mom smile. What a sweet gift for any Mom you know.
Know a Mom with an adorable child? How great would it be for that kiddo to show that he or she is Mom’s biggest fan? This tattoo inspired organic tee from Small Threads will show Mom how much your little one appreciates her every time they wear it.
This next personalized option is the perfect thing for new Moms. Made from sterling silver and swarovski, this necklace will quickly become part of Moms daily wardrobe. Available from sTuck in the Coop.
Another personalized option is this lovely nest with name stones from SJ Engraving. This nest is a peaceful and pretty way for you to show Mom that you are thinking of her.
What woman wouldn’t want a new handbag for Mother’s Day? This zebra bag by Paco and Lupe is a fun way for Mom to stay organized when she’s on the go.
Jewelry is always a reliable gift for Mother’s Day. After all, do you know a Mom who wouldn’t like a little extra sparkle in her life? The Mother’s Pride necklace from The Venerable Bead is another custom and fabulous way for Mom to show her love for her kids and look stylish in the process!
And, last but certainly not least, this Mums The Word necklace by Handmade Jewelry From Lorelei would make an excellent gift for any mom. The owl is a theme we’ve seen in past Seasonal Handmade columns and it’s done just right here! Lorelei is an amazing artist, and a friend of mine, so make sure to tell her Kristin sent you.
Now you have no excuses for not finding a fabulous handmade gift for all of the Moms in your life (note to my husband: are you paying attention?). Next week we’ll look at some seasonal fashions that will take you from spring into summer in style!
It’s fabulous farmers market season and these veggies look good enough to eat, if you could eat something so cute. You could, hover cuddle up to them, though, since they’re crocheted from wool. When Ohioja‘s creator Ylenia became unemployed she filled her free time in various corners of the web and discovered amigurumi and instantly fell in love. So much so that she rushed to the nearest bookshop and picked up a crochet guide so that she could get started immediately.
With some encouragement from her friends and after the success of a DIY festival, she decided to start selling her creations. She’s still learning the ins and outs of selling online. If you happen to be in Italy, you might see Ylenia out with her wares in corner markets, festivals and punk rock gigs.
My favorite item is onion, no doubt. Why? Because, talking about amigurumi, it’s hard to see onions and it’s a pity. They are nice, polite and kinda tender-hearted. What’s more I have to say it’s always funny to create an amigurumi onion.
As you can tell, Ylenia’s biggest influence is the grocer’s, but not all of her creations are vegetable based. All of her creations begin as a simple sketch. Then she studies it for a while, imagining how it will shape up and then she jumps in with her crochet hook. The finishing touch is the expression.
Ylenia lives in Florence and works in a Tattoo studio. She likes music and animals. She’s been a vegetarian since 2004, so you can see why she loves vegetables so much!
You can check out her blog where you can find a lot of photos and some info about her upcoming markets.