Merry Christmas!

I have a giveaway up for a greener way to do your laundry! Check it out here.

Have a great Christmas and I'll be around more after the holidays have settled.

Free Bag from Target

You can get a free reusable bag from Target here.

Real post coming tomorrow and I'll need your input!

Winner!

The lovely winner of the Organic Cotton lounge set from Maggie's Organics is the Sassy Pink Boutique! Congrats! Thanks for entering guys!

What Not To Wear....And a Prize!

I have a chance to share something with you that I'm really excited about. Recently, I read a post by Shaun Groves that made me want to research more before purchasing clothing for my family. I followed the links within the story to other posts detailing a recent trip he took to the Dominican Republic with Compassion International and immediately felt convicted. Of all the things I've been trying to change within our family, I have given little thought to our clothing, where it comes from and how it's made.

Ideally, I'd love to be able to support companies that use organic cotton, safe dye and support fair trade. I realize that this is often difficult to do given the extra expense involved and time it would take you to research in order to find such a company.

Maggie's Organics is a company that I am proud to introduce to you. They use only organic materials in making their apparel and were instrumental in creating the Fair Trade Zone, "a 100% worker-owned Sewing Co-Operative in Nicaragua that has helped hurricane refugees create a new life for themselves and their families."

Further, they are currently helping a group of displaced textile workers in rural NC (an area that owns a piece of my heart because I am originally from there!) by helping them start a sewing company owned by the workers themselves.

This company is getting it right. Click here to find out more about how they are putting back into local communities and using materials that are sustainable and safe. If you're curious, Maggie's Organics is also very reasonably priced. I know that is a big issue for me when finding companies to support.



Maggie's recently sent me one of their lounge sets to try out and let me tell you, I'm hooked. I love pajamas and these are soft, comfortable AND cute! They were also kind enough to send along a pair for me to share with you! I have this one in a size large and to win, go to Maggie's Organics site and browse through their products. Come back here and let me know what you love the most and I'll randomly draw a winner from the comments on Wednesday, July 30. In you post about this contest on your own blog, I'll give you three extra entries! (Be sure to let me know that you've done this!)

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them here in the comments or click the link on your right to email me! Good luck!

Preserve Toothbrush

Recently, I was given a Preserve Toothbrush to try out. Have you heard of these? The handle is made of 100% recycled plastic and when you are done with it, you ship it back to them in a postage paid envelope that they provide and they recycle it for you. Couldn't be easier.

They have a partnership with Stonyfield Yogurt that allows them to pick up used yogurt cups as well as the scraps from Stonyfield's plant in New Hampshire and they turn them into toothbrushes, razors and tongue cleaners! Also? The plastic case that it comes in is sturdy enough to keep and use as a travel case for your toothbrush, complete with tiny air holes to keep nasty mold away. I will say that the 45 degree angle curve of the handle took me some getting used to but there are certain parts of your mouth that it just reaches better.

I was curious to see what else this company has to offer so I browsed their site a little and found these cool little cutting boards!

You can find these Preserve Toothbrushes at Target for just over $2 each but if you can't wait that long or (Heaven forbid!) don't live close to a Target, I have one extra to give away! Just leave a comment here before Sunday, June 29 at midnight and I'll draw one random winner for the toothbrush! Don't forget to leave an email address where I can contact you.

I almost forgot to tell you! You can get a coupon for Preserve toothbrushes here.

Contest Winners!

You are all winners in my book. Alas, I only have two books to share and according to the lovely random generator, the lovely winners of Gorgeously Green are:

Comment #3:

Christy said...
That book is on my Amazon list! I'll take the journey with you, it's something I'm working on too!
April 25, 2008 9:05 PM

Comment #7:

Amy said...
You Rock! Can't wait to hear all the things you've incorporated into your life! I've recently started using green cleaning products. We've been using the energy conserving bulbs for a while - why the heck not! This things are supposed to last years! It's been on my mind a lot lately. I think I'm gonna invest in the reusable grocery bags too.
April 28, 2008 5:32 AM


Congratulations, ladies! I will get those books out to you and I hope you will share your thoughts about it with me. I'm working my way through it now and honestly, some things I love and some things I'm like, "Um. Yeah, not so sure I can do that!"

Welcome to My Journey....and a PRIZE!

Welcome to my new journey. For a little over a year now, I've been slowly becoming more "green" and conscious of my family's health and impact on our world. I'll admit that this journey started more as a result of wanting to take better care of my family and less because of wanting to take care of the Earth. As time has gone on, I'd say that I have learned that those two things can indeed go hand in hand.

I've never been one to jump on the latest trends in society and I once was a staunch cynic when someone started to talk about "going green" or buying things organic. Or recycling or using less energy. I gave little to no thought to what was in the foods I eat or the things we used in our home on a daily basis. Some things that I actually made fun of two years ago are now common practices in our family and I can't imagine life without them.

Don't get me wrong. I am no expert and I have a long way to go before I think I'm even well informed. That's where you come in. I know that if I'm thinking about these things and researching them, chances are good that other women out there are, as well. So, I invite you to join me on this journey as I try to go from grey to green, one step at a time. We can discuss, offer ideas to each other and share products that we love. We can share issues that we are having and help each other come up with solutions that fit our families.

I'll share more about the beginnings of my journey in the next few days. For now, I want to give two readers a chance to get a head start on this journey with me. I recently bought the book, Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life, by Sophie Uliano. Believe it or not, I bought it before she appeared on Oprah and impressed millions of other people in one fell swoop.

This book spoke right to me from the first page because I am a girl who loves being a girl. I love wearing make-up. I love hair products. Oh, how I love hair products. I don't have to stop shaving my legs or give up lip gloss to be healthier or help out our planet. Thank you, Jesus.

I have two copies of this book to share with you! Just leave a comment on this post before May 1, 2008 and I'll draw two random winners on that day. If you would like an extra entry, write about this contest (and new blog!) on your own blog and link to this post. Be sure to let me know you have done so with a link to your post. Also, if you don't leave me a valid email address, you can't win. Clear as mud?

I can't wait to take this journey. If one person takes it with me, I'll be happy. More than that will be icing on the cake!