Have you ever wondered whatever happened to all of those old tapes people used to have??  Well, it seems like cute little wallets aren’t the only things that really creative people are making out of them!  Check out the work of Brian Dettmer.  It’s absolutely amazing what he’s managed to make from these items that most people would consider a useless relic of the past.  Except for my husband that is.  For whatever reason, he loves old tapes and insists on playing them all the time!

These intricate sculptures are made without any glue or tape to bind them together.  The pieces are made up only of the casette tape case and tape itself in some cases.  The pieces are a metaphor for a dying breed of analog media in an ever increasing digital era.  The thought struck him one day as he saw a dead bird lying on the road.  He pondered the idea that what used to be alive was now irretrivably lost with all that remains was it’s physical, solid form.  The metaphor became a reality in 2005 when he began sculpting the bones of the dead from the dead form of analog.

The skull of the ram shown above is made of altered cassette tapes melted together.  Nothing but the cassette tapes themselves were used in these pieces.  The artist has only revealed that he molds the pieces with wet hands and melted tapes.  The exact process of the art form itself remains a mystery.  I can only begin to imagine the time and energy it has taken to make some of his pieces.

This is especially true for his most intricate sculpture to date.  The skeleton is made up of over 180 individual cassettes.  It is amazingly true to form and instantly recognizable as the human skeletal system.  Mr. Dettmer has made a series of skulls of different themes.  There are 12 in the series with the one shown here being a 80′s metal theme.  Notice that the tape around the skull’s mouth is Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil.  I too was once called a metal head!  It’s good to see artist’s with a sense of humor as well as the creativity that is required to repurpose everyday items into extraordinary art.  This work is an example of upcycling at it’s finest!

In celebration of Arbor Day (US) and the month of Earth Day, I’d like to share a great environmentally friendly company with you — O’Bon. They sent me an awesome package to review including aCherry Notebook, Orange Notebook, pencils and colored pencils. The best part — these stationary products are completely tree free!

The giveaway winner is Anne. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Moonrise Jewelry began in 2002 with a variety of core values that make both a great business while at the same time, ensuring that their profits hurt neither the planet or the people living on it.  Their lines are made up of pieces that are ethically sourced, support fair trade practices and that support their local environment.  Their pieces are hand made in their studio in Virginia to support their local and rural economy.

The winner of the Moonrise Jewelry contest was Anne-Marietvete.  We will be contacting her as soon as we can.

Sasquatch is the eco-friendly line of Carolina Pad which is a major stationary designer and retailer that is even appearing regularly in television shows like Glee.  Their fun and green designs go a long way to making Earth day last a little longer.

The winner of the giveaway is post 23, Anne-Marietvete.  Congratulations.

 am always on the look out for natural bath products for kids.  Many kids and even baby bath products are loaded with chemicals that are completely unpronounceable and produced overseas.  This is not only bad for the planet environmentally, it also has some pretty bad consequences for our kids!  Many studies have been done to test the safety of chemicals used in cosmetic and hygiene products but not all of them have included kids in the research.  It is truly unknown what these products can do to the human system after a lifetime of use.

So, what’s a better solution?  How about a line of natural kids products made by a Canadian company??

That’s exactly what the Junior line of Green Beaver products delivers!  They have a range of the essential products for kids containing natural ingredients.  A percentage of the ingredients are even produced by organic farming!  They don’t need to be shipped thousands of miles either as the products are made in Canada and contain Canadian ingredients!  This line of Green Beaver products has even achieved the organic certified formula label from Eco-Cert.

Many people wonder why it is so important to use certified organic products or whether or not they even make a difference at all.  Green Beaver has a fact page about why organic is the best choice for the planet and for our health that is really full of some shocking numbers.  For example, did you know that a third of all personal health care products contain one or more ingredients that are classified as being possible carcinogens??  Or that 89% of the ingredients used in health care products have not been evaluated for safety??  Those kinds of statistics scare the stuffing right out of me, especially when it comes to my children!

Luckily for me, Green Beaver generously sent me the entire junior line to check out with my daughter.  This includes the conditioning detangler spray, lip balm, foaming hand soap, bubble bath, shampoo and foaming body wash.  She thought it was a birthday gift when it arrived as it was only a couple of weeks away!  All of the products have the same scent which is called Boreal berries.  I definitely thought that it smelled like raspberries and blackberries although my daughter swears it smells just like watermelons and bumble bees — I think she means honey but I can never be too sure!

My favorite product of the line is the conditioning detangler.  It does a great job of making brushing her hair a little less stressful.  When I use this product there is definitely less yelling and crying involved as the brush goes through her fine hair smoothly.  It definitely helps to get rid of the often severe bed head I find waiting me in the morning and cuts down on fly aways and frizzies.  I’ve also got to admit to loving the scent and knowing that what I’m using is natural and local.

My daughter’s favorite product is the lip balm.  She is a complete girly girl princess and loves to wear “lip stick”.  I never let her wear any of the play make-up available at stores because you never know what exactly is in it.  So normally, she just gets plain old unscented, uncolored chap stick.  This lip balm is a huge treat to her because it smells so great and is a pink color when you look at it in the tube.  Not to worry — it goes on clear.  She doesn’t exactly color in the lines with her make up yet if you know what I mean! lol

The foaming hand soap has also been a big hit.  Normally she would use unscented hand made bar soap so the foam is quite exciting for a change.  It’s almost hard to get her to stop washing her hands which is a great complaint to have!  It’s foamy but not super duper foamy and you don’t have to use much to get nice clean hands.

The same goes for both the shampoo and foaming body wash.  A little can definitely go a long way!  She never has a bath or shower without these now.  I know I’m going to have to keep purchasing these items for her because she just loves them sooo much.  Luckily, the site has a handy store listing available so you know exactly which stores in your province carry what you’re looking for.  I think that the bubble bath will be what we run out of first as she likes to have enough bubbles in the tub to hide in.  It’s great to know that what is getting her clean is not harming the planet or her health.  Thanks Green Beaver for the wonderful review opportunity!  I think you’ve found yourself a couple of lifetime fans here!!  Now I’ve got to go and find some of their adult products to check out for myself!  They have hair, face, lips, body and oral care products as well as a separate line for winter skin care products.

In celebration of Arbor Day (US) and the month of Earth Day, I’d like to share a great environmentally friendly company with you — O’Bon.  They sent me an awesome package to review including a Cherry Notebook, Orange Notebook, pencils and colored pencils.  The best part — these stationary products are completely tree free!

The notebooks are sugarcane paper.  Sugarcane grows incredibly fast and the juice is used as a natural sweetener in many products.  The pulp that is left over after juicing is traditionally waste.  Not so anymore!  The pulp is used to make a beautiful paper that does not harm our forests or contribute to global warming.

The notebooks I received are a great size that is easy to carry around in a purse or briefcase to keep notes in.  The paper itself is more substantial than what I am used to and is very easy to write on.  I will definitely be looking for and using sugarcane paper from now on.

O’Bon sent me a box of pencil crayons and a box of pencils to review.  The shafts of the pencils are made from tightly coiled used newspaper instead of being made of wood.  Need HB pencils for computerized grading systems??  Not to worry, these are HB and tree free!  They also look pretty cool when they are sharpened as you can see the layers of newsprint.  The colors of the pencil crayons are vivid and named after different fruits like watermelon and dragon fruit.  A perfect fit with the fruit themed notebooks!

O’Bon goes even a step further.  For every purchase, a tree is planted through a donation from O’Bon directly to the Arbor Day Foundation!  I also really want to encourage people to plant a tree themselves in honor or Arbor Day.  Actually, plant two!  One on the American Arbor Day the last Friday in April and the Canadian Arbor Day on the third Wednesday in September.  Want to win your own O’Bon products??  Here’s how:

To Enter: Read the O’Bon page about deforestation and tell me one thing that you learned.

Bonus Entries:

Moonrise Jewelry began in 2002 with a variety of core values that make both a great business while at the same time, ensuring that their profits hurt neither the planet or the people living on it.  Their lines are made up of pieces that are ethically sourced, support fair trade practices and that support their local environment.  Their pieces are hand made in their studio in Virginia to support their local and rural economy.

For review, they sent me these beautiful recycled glass earrings called Cobb.  These earrings look absolutely gorgeous on and I always get compliments when wearing them.  They are light, easy to wear and match with practically anything!  I am 100% behind eco-friendly jewelry but it still needs to be pretty and fun to wear — that’s absolutely no problem with these earrings or any of the other great designs that they make!

I would definitely recommend following both their facebook account where they announce some incredible sales and joining their mailing list for a $10 off coupon!

Want to try out a pair of their earrings for yourself?  Moonrise Jewelry has graciously offered a pair of pretty earrings called Abilene to one of my readers!  They are made of fair trade silver beads on sterling silver posts and feature purple lace agate.  I absolutely adore these earrings!  They would look great with everything from jeans and a tee shirt to a business suit and everything in between.

To Enter (One Time Only):   Leave a comment on this post about your favorite design at Moonrise Jewelry.  Good luck picking only one thing!  So many of their designs are eye catching.

• *Become a fan of Moonrise Jewelry on Facebook.
• *Join their mailing list (you’ll get a $10 coupon!).
• *Enter one of my other giveaways and leave a comment telling me.
• *Tell me how you heard about this giveaway.
• *Follow Green Colored Glasses on Twitter and ReTweet this giveaway RT @Green Colored Glasses Giveaway – Eco-Friendly Earrings From Moonrise Jewelry Giveaway (you can Tweet this once a day for Extra Entries)
• *Become a Fan of Green Colored Glasses on Facebook
• *Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post
• *Suscribe to Green Colored Glasses by RRS Feed

Sasquatch is the eco-friendly line of Carolina Pad which is a major stationary designer and retailer that is even appearing regularly in television shows like Glee.  Their fun and green designs go a long way to making Earth day last a little longer.

For review, I was sent their “Earth Day Pack”.  It contained this great binder shown here that is PVC free and has 60% recycled covers.  The colors and design are calming and cute and I love the recycled content.  I also like that it is professional enough to use at the office.

I was also sent the 1 subject notebook and personal book for review.  The 1 subject note book has a fun crossword puzzle in the back for long meetings in the board room and the personal journal has a link to find more green tips and eco-friendly living ideas.  The covers have 50% recycled content and the pages inside are 70% tree free!  The colors of this line would be suitable for both guys and girls that love the earth — browns, greens and yellows.  Subdued enough to use at the office yet fun enough to throw a little interest into your day.

Sasquatch is now being offered at major retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart.  You can now also purchase the entire product line online at their new web store in honor of Earth Day!  Some of the Sasquatch products are even on sale right now — I’d definitely recommend checking it out as soon as possible!

Want a chance to win your own Earth Day Pack??  Just a couple little rules — US and Canada only who have not won any Carolina Pad products in the last 90 days.

To Enter (One Time Only):   Leave a comment on this post about your favorite collection at Carolina Pad.

• *Become a fan of Carolina Pad on Facebook.
• *Become a follower of Carolina Pad on Twitter.
• *Tell me how you heard about this giveaway.
• *Enter one of my other giveaways and leave a comment telling me.
• *Follow Green Colored Glasses on Twitter and ReTweet this giveaway RT @Green Colored Glasses Giveaway – Carolina Pad Sasquatch Line Giveaway (you can Tweet this once a day for Extra Entries)
• *Become a Fan of Green Colored Glasses on Facebook
• *Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post
• *Suscribe to Green Colored Glasses by RRS Feed

The winner of the EvoraPlus giveaway is:

Shanna Elizabeth

“I follow Evora Plus on Twitter”

Congrats Shanna!!  What a great way to start off a beautiful Earth day!  I’ll be emailing Shanna shortly and she’ll have 48 hours to confirm her win by sending me her shipping information.

I know I keep saying this but keep your eyes peeled for a ton of great green giveaways here.  I’m absolutely falling behind but will have lots and lots of great giveaways coming up.

Remember to enter the reusable dryer sheet giveaway here.  Thanks to everyone who is entering.  Remember that the more entries received means the more giveaways that I’ll be able to offer!  I’ve got one coming up that is worth over $100!!

MoBoleez is a Canadian company that has come up with a great idea — wide brimmed hats that the baby wears while breastfeeding.  The idea may seem a little bizarre to some at first but once you see how it works, it totally makes sense!  I’m not sure that it really needs to be explained why breastfeeding is the best choice but I’ll give it a quick go.

Breastfeeding provides the baby with all kinds of antibodies to babies leading to healthier kids in the long and short term.  Breastfeeding moms also benefit from breastfeeding.  They heal from the birth faster, spend incredibly bonding time with their babies and even have lowered incidents of breast cancer!  Breast feeding is recommended for at least the first 6 months of life as the sole provider of nutrition.  Recently, a research study suggested that huge amounts of money and lives could be saved simply by having more breastfed babies!

The impact on the environment is also huge from breastfeeding.  There are no wasted formula containers, no bottles, bottle liners, plastic nipples, no garbage created, no waste of any kind really unless you count the stinky bums!  The health benefits of breastfeeding also lead to benefits for the planet because less drugs would be used, less resources directed towards ill people, etc. etc.

Okay, now that we have a basic understanding of why breastfeeding is so important, lets get down to the fun stuff of the MoBoleez breast feeding bonnet!  For review, they sent me a gorgeous hat in blue.  It is made of 70% cotton and 30% bamboo which is a great sustainable choice for a fabric.  The hat is incredibly soft and easy to wash.  It can be thrown right into the washing machine and should be laid flat to dry.

I breastfed my daughter for 2 1/2 years.  Unfortunately for me, she never liked to be covered so it made feeding in public places difficult at best and usually completely impossible.  I always found that it was easiest to feed her in a quiet, calm environment with just the two of us.  As lovely as that is, it’s just not always possible.  We went to strollercize classes, playgroups and all different kinds of activities during the time she was nursing.  She would always get too hot and kick off any blanket that I used to shield her from distractions.

Also, although the world is changing so that breastfeeding is now more acceptable, I’ve found it is very slow to change.  More than once I’ve tried to breastfeed inconspicuously in the corner of a coffee shop and gotten a ton of dirty looks and rude comments.  This meant a lot of feedings sitting in hot cars or even worse, bathroom stalls.  Can you imagine if those uptight people were forced to eat their lunch sitting on a toilet?  People really need to lighten up.  It’s just a boob and that is exactly what it is there for!!

This hat would really come in handy with kids like my daughter who preferred not to be covered or who overheated quickly from blankets and covers.  It is an extremely breathable fabric and fits comfortably on a little one’s head.  This hat would also satisfy even the prudish prude out there as it absolutely covers the action.

It does more than that though — it covers it in style!  There’s a range of cute colors and designs such as “The Milky Way” and a Teddy saying “Mmmmm”.  This hat is truly for the yummy mummy quite literally!  The sweetest touch that I saw was that if you peeked on the nursing babe by lifting up the brim, there’s a message going around the edge that says “Hi Mommy!”.  Adorable and it shows a true eye for attention to detail, humor and a love of breastfeeding.

I can’t say enough good things about this hat.  MoBoleez has come up with a truly ingenious product — simple, stylish, practical and fun way to celebrate the bond of breastfeeding!  Their wide selection of hats is available to buy online for only $29USD or $34USD for their couture line.  They also have a special line of small hats sized 0-3 that are available to purchase.  Half of the proceeds of these small hats goes to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation which is definitely a great cause.  These hats would make a great shower gift or coming home gift for any new mom who intends on nursing.  What a different, cute gift idea!

Thanks so much for the great review opportunity.