This 100% natural baby wipe kit is really cool and you can win one by going to Organic Girl's blog.  It consists of a reusable/recyclable jar to keep the bum wipes in, 10 wipes and a blend of essential oils.  The oil blend contains chamomile, calendula and lavender to help calm and freshen baby's wee little bum.  The set is kind of DIY because you add water to moisten the wipes and vinegar to reduce bacteria and odours.  Imagine how many baby wipes you use for one child from birth to potty training...the amount of money wasted and trash ending up in the landfill is ridiculous!  Re-usable wipes such as these are better for both the planet and for baby's delicate skin.  When you make it yourself, you know that there are no harsh chemicals or perfumes in the wipes to dry or irritate your baby's skin.  Now the saying "Soft as a baby's bum" will finally make sense!!

Eco-Me has a whole range of neat products that allow you access to the materials to DIY a variety of environmentally friendly products for babies such as baby pail deodorizers and room sprays.  They also have other kits for home cleaning, dog or cat products.  Check out Organically Hatched to purchase these items or go directly to the Eco-Me website to see their entire range of products!  Thanks to Organic Girl for the chance to win this baby wipe set and check it out!

Check out the I Am Not a Paper Cup that is sold through Amazon for a measley $11.49.  This would make a great gift for the take-out coffee enthusiast who seems to use disposable all the time.  I might just have to get this for my brother for Christmas this year.  It takes everything in me not to freak out when I see him with a styrofoam cup from a coffee shop in his hand.  Styrofoam??!?  Are you kidding me?  This ceramic version of the disposable coffee cup saves trees and prevents people from using styrofoam mugs for their caffeine addictions.  They should sell these right at the coffee shops and make the real disposable cups unavailable!  They already charge a fortune for coffee someplaces anyways...

Looking to check out an up and coming organic skin care line?  Try the ISUN Organic Skin Care that is made with all natural, all organic ingredients.  Check out their website at www.isunorganicskincare.com for more details on their products including the catalogue that lists all of the products that they currently have available.

Their company is inspired by the world around it and therefore, wants to protect it.  They are an eco-conscious company that is mindful of their packaging and manufacturing technologies.  The company tries to ensure that they only have a positive effect on the planet by donating a portion of the proceeds to organizations such as Feed the Children and Youth Action International.  Through their donations, they try to ensure that children receive the loving care, education and personal growth that all children deserve, regardless of where or how they are born.

Wondering how you can try their products out?  Well their products are now being at spas from Maui to Colorado.  You can also enjoy how alive the fair trade ingredient skin care line makes you feel by purchasing online at www.purenaturaltouch.com.  These products would make great Christmas gifts!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

When you're planning your next vacation to a spa (I wish), try using one of the online spa filters so that you can search for an eco-friendly one such as this one called Vil Uyana Sigiriy Hotel in Sri Lanka photographed by ByFlickr. It's important, especially when travelling to visit environmentally responsible companies. When you support an sustainable enterprise, you are supporting green living. Believe it or not, this is one of the easiest ways to make your life a little more greener. Eco-spas can also be counted on to use a variety of natural products when performing services such as massages and facials. Natural products are often better than preservative laden products because they contain natural aromas which can help to relax and heal body and mind. Consider looking into visiting an eco-spa today!

This week's Etsy finds give a whole new meaning to the term "Hump Day!". Check out the repurposing of bicycle inner tubes by Etsy crafter The Inner Works. This crafter describes herself as a "forest-loving, ocean-swimming, bread-baking, rubber-playing, sewing-machine-cursing, houseplant-coddling, bicycle-riding, anti-authoritarian, pro-community, leatherpunch-wielding, sometime-gardener who lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains". That's a pretty darn thorough bio, if you asked me! lol Sounds like alot of fun. She clearly loves repurposing, recycling and creativity. She also runs her own blog and facebook fanpage. Click the links for further info.

This Etsy crafter clearly loves finding new life for leftover bike parts that she mostly collects from a community bike shop called the Bike Church in Santa Cruz, CA. She's come up with some pretty dirty stuff from the rubber that has been well cleaned and sanitized. I love the look of the "eco-flogger" that she has crafted. The largest version in the first picture is made entirely of two complete innertubes that have no glue or tape included in the design at all. This prevents the toy from getting sticky (lol) or cracking over time. The innertubes show off their previous life in some of the designs by having slightly raised numbers or white manufacturer's marks.

The Inner Works describes the eco-flogger as having a delightfully stinging edge with a good size grip for hands of any size. The tail ends of the rubber apparently feel silky and soft when lightly trailed over the skin but pack a hefty punch when whipped. I swear I'm not speaking from personal experience as I have not reviewed this particular product! I think this would make an awesome gift for all those eco-bikers out there from trail riders to hardcore Harley enthusiasts. A love of being dirty and cleaning the earth all at the same time!!

She also makes a variety of other products from the innertubes and spokes of leftover bike parts such as this eco-garter featured here. She claims that the rubber is soft and flexible and warms up to body temperature quite quickly. This garter is made from inner tubes and has a flower that uses some of the rings from a bike chain in it. She suggests that this garter would be a perfect fit for an eco-wedding. Maybe you could wear this garter under one of the eco-chic wedding dresses that I blogged about here! She also makes a range of jewelery like bracelets, earrings, rings, cuffs and hair pins as well that are sure to have people asking where you got that.

This week's featured Etsy seller is Nue to Me. This talented crafter has found a way to repurpose old t-shirts into some really cute, fashionable and practical items for kids. Each item is once of a kind and designed by her so it's not like getting your daughter a gap dress and everyone in her preschool class has it. What a terrible fashion faux pas!! lol My daughter actually loves it when people are wearing the same thing as her -- samesies or twinsies is what she calls it. Three year olds might think it's cute but I think it's more of the mindless drone consumerism that seems to be rampant. I love the custom look of these dresses as well as the green-ness of upcycling old t-shirts.

The dresses made by Nue to Me are my personal fav of her items. You can see the quality and work that goes into stitching each dress. The designs are carefully laid out according to what sorts of designs the t-shirts she's working with have. I love the two dresses pictured here...absolutely adorable! She has a variety of designs and sizes available on her site. They range in size from 6 months to 6 years with a ton of different styles so even the hardest to please little diva would be easy to shop for.

The t-shirt dresses that she makes tend to leave lots of left over bits of t-shirt material. With these bits, she makes cute hats in a variety of colours and sizes. There's the mohawk design featured here as well as a dread lock pirate version! These would be awesome when the snow starts falling soon and the temperatures are dipping. These would be great for Halloween as well! Just imagine how comfy the often washed t-shirt material would be even for the the youngest little one and the sizes would fit for quite a while because of the stretch of the material.

She also makes skirts from co-ordinating panels of t-shirt material like this Disney-inspired piece here. Check out her Etsy site for more of her designs and to see what else she makes out of the bits and pieces left over. This crafter leaves very little waste left over from her designs of wristlet bags made out of sleeves, masks, over size bibs (called dinner armour for a reason!) from the front and shoulder pieces, hair clips, etc. etc. etc. If only I was this talented!!! I'm thinking I might have to place a couple of orders from her for this Christmas...I suggest you do the same before she runs out of pieces!

She has a couple of other Etsy stores as well -- World of Whimm which features fantastic kids costume pieces for boys and girls and On a Whimm which features miscellaneous cute eco-friendly products such as tacks, pin cushions and cat nip toys. Or you could check out her blog at www.worldofwhimm.blogspot.com for more news and information on this imaginative crafter.

Image Credit

There are tons of eco-friendly websites starting up in the big green web out there and that's great news for everyone.  But how do you make your green site even greener???  You look for a green web host to run your green web site because it only makes sense, right?

The problem is that green has become the new black.  Everyone thinks it's fashionable or chic to go green and those materialistic corporations and the people behind them are cashing in on this trend.  Many things that look eco-friendly on the surface turn out to be nothing by green-washed when you really look into it.  People really need to research where they are spending their money if they really truly care about the environment.  The truth is that people and companies will only do what they can get away with.  If green washing no longer becomes something that a company can get away with and make money, they will stop doing it.

There are many ways that a web hosting service can go green.  Alternative energy sources, carbon credits, waste recycling, tree planting and renewable energy sources all go into making a web hosting service "green".  However, these practices are followed differently by each company so you really need to look into what you are buying into.  Comapnies like web hosting geeks can really help you to figure out what your best options are for web site hosting by giving you a look into what different services offer, what their bonus features are, how users rate their services, and just how "green" that host provider may or may not be.  I'd definitely recommend that people look into what "shade" of green their web site host is before they choose.

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

This week's "Hump Day" find is repurposed zippers.  Lots and lots of zippers!  Etsy artisan Amalia Versaci definitely has a love of all things zipper-y and it shows in her work.  She uses every bit of the zipper -- the pull, the metal teeth and the banding that holds the metal teeth together.  She finds vintage zippers -- sometimes as old as the 1930's! -- and creates unique and fabulous work out of them.  Lucky for us, she also sells it on Etsy!

I've never seen jewelry quite like these pieces that are somehow reminiscent of the 80's to me.  Retro 80's styling is definitely "in" again.  The bold, bright colors of the zipper pulls on the necklace especially harken back to days of my youth.  I love how these earrings and necklace don't try to hide their previous use.  Instead, the artist embraces it's past use and makes that the main feature of the piece itself!  Anyone who looked even remotely closely at the jewelry who recognize it immediately.  One common, everyday item turned into a beautiful accessory.

These pieces are also quite affordable as well with the earrings being $14 plus shipping and the necklaces being $36 plus shipping, both in USD.  She's got a huge range of other jewelry available for your perusal on her site as well -- zipper tape earrings and necklaces, earrings and necklaces of pull tabs of every color and design imaginable as well as a variety of bracelets.  She ships to Canada, the US and everywhere else with really pretty reasonable shipping rates as well.  But if you think that jewelry could be the only use for these upcycled zippers, think again!  She also makes some really fantastic jars that are covered in zippers that require more than a passing glance to realize what it's made with.

There's also some fun and colorful magnets which could be used in the office or in the home to hold up the odd bits and pieces of notes, photos or whatever that must be remembered.  I'd definitely recommend stopping by her Etsy store or gallery site to check out the huge range of items that she has available for purchasing.  You could really make some of your loved ones Christmas' a little green-er with her amazing pieces or add some fun flair to your own wardrobe or decor.

Adele Wechsler is a Canadian designer who makes wedding dresses "for the bride who cares about the world in which she lives".  This shorter style strapless gown hits all the right style points for the modern bride.  The puckered ribbon belt and tiered layers on the hem maintain a classical elegance while at the same time create a more manageable dress than the more traditional gown with a train.  Perhaps you could even take the most environmentally friendly transportation to the ceremony by riding a bike like the bride in the photograph!  The best part, in my humble opinion, is that it is made of a certified organic hemp and silk blend.

This gown does have a train for brides with a more traditional dress in mind.  This flirty and romantic dress has the ultimate combination of classic tailoring with modern lines for the bride who wants a bit of everything.  It is also made of certified organic hemp and silk blend fabric with a satin ribbon to emphasize the waist.
Adele Wechsler has created three eco-couture collections of wedding gowns for eco-chic brides.  Her dresses sell throughout Canada and the United States in the $2,000 to $3,000 range, depending on the style and bridal salon chosen.  With green living becoming more and more popular, Adele has found a niche market that will only continue to grow in the future.  People are always looking for ways to live a little bit greener, to become a little bit more conscious of how their decisions effect the planet around them.  These dresses give those people a step in the right direction on the biggest day of their lives.

These two bridal gowns take green-living one step further by using stem, leaf and blossom designs.  The model lying down is wearing the dress called "Fern".  The asymmetrical styling of this gown is emphasized by vines with hand made leaves and stems sprouting from it.  The model in the front is wearing the "Blossom" dress from Adele's Eco-Couture I collection.  The name comes from the leaves and blossoms dotting the skirt of this dress.  Both of these dresses are made from vegetable dyed silk.
The designer says on her website:

There is a wonderful African philosophical concept with a universal idea called Ubuntu.  Ubuntu represents the idea that no person is an island.  Every endeavor is collaborative.  Every decision is effected, at least partly, by the community in which it is made and the communities in which a person has previously lived.  Every single action relies on the actions of others.  And every action and decision is oriented toward enriching the community in which it occurred.  Through fashion, we are able to dream and live our dreams, express our realities, to share our experience with others.  Fashion has brought us together.  Through fashion we have transformed our worlds and journeyed into others have, similarly, journeyed into ours.

Adele Wechsler's designs use sustainable fabrics, vegetable dyes and fair trade labor while creating gorgeous dresses that emphasize style and romance.  Going green on your wedding day doesn't mean that you have sacrifice your fashion sense.  Instead, eco-friendly designs can be used to enhance your style.  Having a "green" wedding doesn't stop at the dress either.  Check out ten tips for having a green wedding on the Adele Wechsler website.  There's some great ideas there that I would have never thought of such as carved wood wedding rings!

Okay, seriously.  A cigarette marketed as "green"?  Sounds like another ridiculous case of a green-washing attempt by marketers to appeal to us eco-lovers.  I'm an ex-smoker myself (smoked for 20 years and have been quit for 4 now!) so I realize just how hard it can be to quit but seriously, a product called Green Smoke?  How did I quit smoking??  I used some nicotine patches, tolerance on the part of friends and family for I was quite crazy and I got pregnant right away which prevented me from picking it up again.

The "green smoke" product is an electric cigarette.  The filter part of the cigarette in this case contains the nicotine which comes in a variety of levels to wean yourself completely off of it all together.  It also comes in a range of flavors that sound like kids candies or ice cream -- apple, coffee, menthol, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or tobacco for those who like the taste of licking an ashtray.  Seriously, apple cigarettes?  WTF?!?

I do agree that quitting smoking is awesome (duh?!) and that whatever it takes to get you to be a non-smoker should be done.  Whatever works for you.  Whether it's a prescription medication, hypnosis, electric cigarettes, patches, or cold turkey.  Smoking cigarettes in this day and age when we realize all the health hazards for both smokers and the ones they love is just downright stupid.  I hope you're reading this Mom... lol

However, to make the claim that this quitting smoking product is green is another thing altogether.  I have seen statistics ranging as high as 80% of litter being cigarette butts.  I guess that would be avoided with this product.  Each cartridge or filter contains enough nicotine that it's comparable to a package of cigarettes.  The white part of the cigarette is a rechargeable battery.  At least it's not disposable but I'm unsure whether or not it's even recyclable.

Here's what their website has to say about being eco-friendly:

"Green Smoke™ aspires to create a greener planet. We, therefore, offer an electric cigarette which has no second-hand smoke, no ash and no risk of fire. Each Green Smoke cartridge is comparable to 30 cigarettes, yet produces much less waste. Green Smoke produces a smoke-like vapor (mostly steam) which is harmless to the ozone layer. Tobacco cigarette smoke contains a number of harmful chemicals which impact not only the atmosphere, but everyone within breathing distance."

I guess it is green-er than smoking real cigarettes although I'm not sure how ash really figures into the equation.  However, I don't think there really is such a thing as a "green smoke".  Just my opinion.  But you know what they say about opinions....they're like asses in that everyone has one.  This post is clearly NOT sponsored by the company that makes this product or anyone else for that matter--lol.