Giveaway Alert!!!  Win a cute pocket cloth diaper compliments of Aimee of Eco-Wrapz; available from The Apple Orchard of Hyena Cart!!!  Eco-ngratulations Jacobsen Family! Watch your email for details on how to claim your Eco-Wrapz diaper!

Have you found Hyena Cart yet?  Why not??  It is slam packed with small earth-friendly shops…including tons of cloth diapers shops! 

The Apple Orchardis home to great collections by Eco-Wrapz, The Funky Birdie Boutique, Robyn’s Star Diapers, and many more great collections.  Aimee of Eco-Wrapz sent Lil’ B a one-size pocket diaper in lilac and zebra print to try.  I’m slowly but surely becoming more comfortable with snaps; the Eco-Wrapz is a good fit for me!  There is one row of snaps around the waist (10 total) and 2 snaps on each tab plus one cross over snap.  There are 2 different rise setting snaps on the front and one on the back.  This is the first diaper I’ve seen with a back rise snap…I like it!!  I always end up with a little pooch in the back of Lil’ B’s bum and this extra snap helps. 

Lil’ B has sported her Eco-Wrapz a few times already and it’s great.  It only comes with one insert but it’s similar to our BG so I can always throw in an extra insert if needed.  She wore it around the house during the day and once at night (so far) and we didn’t have any leaks or problems.  My favorite feature of the Eco-Wrapz is the zebra liner…you can just barely see it peeking out the side of the lilac! Very chic!

Buy It:  Be sure to visit The Apple Orchard on Black Friday and the first of each month when they restock.  Black Friday sales run from 6am-midnight this Friday only!  You can also visit them on Cyber Monday for their HOURLY specials by vendor!  I can’t wait to see what fun patterns are available!  Eco-Wraps has a cute pair of ying yang longies on the site right now!

Win It!  Aimee is giving away one Eco-Wrapz in either red robots or blue hearts.  To enter to win visit The Apple Orchard and leave one comment below about your favorite item or collection. 

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how!)

Giveaway open to all residents in the US over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total.  Giveaway ends December 1, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected. 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Tjos giveaway has ended.  ECO-ngratulations The Jacobsen Family!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post was sponsored by The Apple Orchard and Eco-Wrapz.

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Giveaway Alert!  I have two giveaways with this post and two winners compliments of graze organic and ReUsies!  See details for entry below. ECO-ngratulations Cinella and Tamara! Cinella just won the set of reusable bags from graze organics and Tamara won the set of reusable bags from ReUsies!  Watch your email for more information!

Go look in your kitchen and tell me how many boxes of plastic sandwich and snack bags you have!

(Yes, that was an order…go look now!)

(I’m waiting!)

My pantry has one box of sandwich size bags and I plan on having that box last me the rest of the year!  We are slowly breaking our baggie habit.  It’s much easier to break the habit with my kids and myself but I’m still working on the hubster!  Did you know that the average person uses 3-4 baggies per day?  Multiply that number by the number of members in your family and then multiply that by 365 days of the year and you have a really big number don’t you??  (Ok…I’ll wait as you write that down and do the calculations!  For me that would be 6,840 baggies in just one year!!!)  I’m almost positive you are not like my dear sweet Grandmother who washes her baggies and reuses them, are you?  No, you use them once and throw them into the trash (which in case you are wondering is probably still sitting in a hole in the ground not far from your house.) 

Well I have a solution for you!  Reusable fabric sandwich and snack bags.  I found 2 brands which I was very fond of and want to share these wonderful companies with you. 

The first is graze organic, a small business in California, that makes 100% certified organic cotton bags.  Available in two sizes (sandwich and snack size) these bags have no plastic lining, are printed with water based (non-toxic/PVC-free/no plastisols) ink right here in the USA!  graze organic sells their bags in sets of 3 and in a deluxe set of 5 bags ($24-38/set) perfect for your complete lunch!  My son’s favorite graze bag is the ‘Surprise!’ bag!  Even if something doesn’t require a bag he insists that I put it in one of his bags!  It’s actually quite adorable!  The graze bags seal using hook/loop velcro and is very easy to use.  They aren’t lined so you should use caution if you want to put watermelon or other ‘water’ substances into them!

You may be wondering how easy they are to clean!  I actually (depending on what I put into them) reuse them a few times before I wash them.  Just open and shake clean (empty the crumbs the mice have left behind) and they are ready to use again.  They are machine washable too.  To extend the life of the fabric (and be a little greener) you could always hand wash them in your sink and lay them out to dry!  I tend to just throw them in wash with the kitchen towels at the end of the week.  Very cute and very functional bags!  Our graze organic bags have become a staple in our school lunches and in Lil’ B’s diaper bag (great for puffs and cereal snacks!!).

The second brand of bags is from ReUsies, a small business from Seattle.  The ReUsies bags are 100% cotton (not organic) and lined with a leak resistant nylon.  Don’t worry…the nylon used is BPA-free, Lead-free, and Phthalate-free so they are safe for you and your family!  ReUsies are also machine washable but since they are lined are very easy to wipe clean between washes.  ReUsies also have Velcro closures.  ReUsies currently have over 25 different fabric patterns for girls, boys, and adults!  My son is loving his baseball bag in black!

ReUsies are sold individually at $8.75 for the sandwich size and $6.75 for the snack size.  That’s about the cost of 1-2 boxes of disposable bags and you won’t ever run out!  Just think how much money you will save by not having to keep buying bags to throw away!  Your pocket book will thank you!

Buy It Now!  Don’t waste any more money on those disposable bags!  Invest in a set of reusable bags for each member of your family today.  Whether you like the graze organic bags or the ReUsies I’m sure the Earth will thank you!  

Win It!  Both graze organic and ReUsies are giving away a set of reusable bags.  graze organics is giving away a set of 3 bags (one large, two small) and ReUsies is giving away a set of 2 bags (one large, one small).  I will draw 2 winners, one for each brand.  Contest open to residents in the US. 

MANDATORY ENTRY!  Visit both graze organics and ReUsies and tell me your favorite style/design from each brand.  Leave a comment below with your responses. 

EXTRA ENTRY #1!  Follow us on Twitter!  @TheEcoChic @grazeorganic @ReUsies.  Leave a comment below telling me you follow us all!

EXTRA ENTRY #2!  Tweet about this giveaway!  “Reusable sandwich bags are great for the Earth! Win a set from @grazeorganic @ReUsies from @TheEcoChic www.theecochic.com”  Maximum of 5 extra entries for this contest!  Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.

EXTRA ENTRY #3!  Subscribe to The Eco Chic via Feedburner to be delivered to your inbox!  That way you will never miss another giveaway!  Leave a comment below with the email address you used to subscribe.

EXTRA ENTRY #4!  Subscribe to The Eco Chic via Google Reader and Share this post with your friends!  Add me to the “People You Follow” and “Share” this post with your friends!  (You can find me at theecochic@gmail.com on Google Reader)  Leave me a comment below.

EXTRA ENTRY #5!  Become a Fan on FaceBook of The Eco Chic!  Feel free to share me with your friends!  Leave me a comment telling me you are a fan!  

Remember to leave a separate comment for each task and the first one is mandatory before the extra entries will be counted! 

Contest ends on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at midnight (EST).

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

ECO-ngratulations! Cinella and Tamara are the winners of this giveaway! Watch your emails for more information!

A set of graze organic reusable bags and a set of ReUsies reusable bags were provided by the companies for this review. 

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Hello? 

Hello? 

Is anyone out there? 

Oh wait, you are probably saying…”Where is The Eco Chic?  I haven’t seen anything new from her in a while!!”  Never fear my friends…I am still here!  As usual life has gotten in the way of blogging.  When my friends tell me that the feel neglected and in second place over the Internet I start to take the hint.  (I do listen.)  My family suffers from my addiction at times too.  It’s rare to find a night at the Eco-House where my nose isn’t buried into my computer as soon as the kids are snoozing away!  My dear sweet husband is sitting on one end of the sofa playing Vampires or Mafia Wars on his iPhone and I’m on the other end blogging or tweeting!  Really, it is a sad life we live.  Add in a few visits out of town and I’m actually starting to miss my little escapes to the blogosphere! 

You know exactly what I’m talking about.  There is something much more pressing and important that you need to be doing right now than reading my thoughts…but you are still here…and I love you for it! 

So now that I’ve spent a week conserving energy (hehe!) let’s get right back into the Eco World!  I have so much information and updates to bring you that I don’t know where to start first. 

FTC and blogging!  Why not, everyone else is talking about it.  The FTC is now regulating bloggers who receive compensation (either product or $$) in exchange for writing up a review for companies.  READ the actual regualtions here.  To set the Eco-Record straight…yes I receive compensation for SOME, not ALL, of the reviews that I write.  Most of the compensation I receive is my way of free product.  But rest assured that I have always (and will continue to be) been honest with you in my reviews.  If there is a product that I really don’t like I will tell you what I don’t like about it.  I will also point out the things I do like about it.  And if the product is really that horrible I will send it back to the company that sent it to me.  (Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet!)  What are your thoughts on the FTC regulations?  Do you think it will better the blogosphere?  Do you think that companies will quit offering compensation for reviews?  Have you ever found a product that you really, really, really love because of a product review on a blog?  Tell me about it!  (Leave me a comment below!!)

Breastfeeding!  Yes, I just jumped from the FTC to the Boob!  LOL!  Lady B (she’s growing up so Lil’ B just sounds so young!) is now 9 months old and is still attached to the boob!  Even with 4 teeth and business trips that take me away from her we are still breastfeeding and I couldn’t be happier. 

Cloth Diapers!  Yes, we are still using cloth and loving it!  I have 2 new diapers that I am reviewing right now.  The first is by GroBaby and the second one just arrived yesterday from Bamboo Bums.  Can I tell you that bamboo is soooooooooo soft!  Oh la la….I need a blanket out of this stuff!  Or a sweater?  Hmmm….  Our child care provider is adjusting ok to cloth but we still have a ways to go to get her fully on board.  She’s using cloth but she has some concerns.  For instance…she was sending them home in plastic bags INSIDE the wetbag…kinda defeats the purpose of the wetbag!  And yesterday she told me she put her in a sposieat nap time because she hadn’t gone poo all day.  Sure enough she did go poo at nap time and cleanup was much easier on her…but again…defeating the purpose of cloth!  It’s going to take a little bit of educating and empathizing with her to get her fully on board.  I think I need to practice my new nonviolent communication skills that I’m learning from my new book, Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg.  I’m reading it as part of the training to become a Real Diaper Association (RDA) Circle Leader for the Tampa Bay area.  More on that in another post. 

Family News!  My son is the light of my life and got rave reviews from his teacher yesterday in our first conference of the year.  Besides the fact that we have a mini-genius on our hands I was moved by her words on his kindness and heart!  I guess my little boy is beginning to show compassion for others and that just moved me to tears!  He’s being a mentor to a little boy in his class who doesn’t speak English well…voluntarily!  I couldn’t be more proud of him and the wonderful little man he is becoming!  Lady B is 9 months (like I mentioned earlier) and is weighing in at a whopping 17 3/4 lbs.  I don’t think her brother was that big at a year! LOL! 

Reviews & Giveaways!  Don’t worry I have many things waiting to be written about!  I have more cleaning products to write about, baby food, baby toys, kids toys, diapers, blankets, and so much more coming your way!  Now I should go formulate my game plan on how to get caught up again!  

Thanks for visiting and caring about where I have been!  I really need to find that balance between real life and my blog that seems to get a little off balance more often than not!  Have a great weekend!

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If you read my previous post you know that today is my 2nd blogiversary of blogging at The Eco Chic.  My first giveaway for you is some really cool Crayon Rocks!  I’m super excited to be able to award THREE winners for this giveaway so continue reading and see why I love these awesome crayons.

I don’t get to write about it much but my lifelong passion has been art.  I use to paint a lot as a kid and through college; oil paints and acrylics.  Unfortunately our house doesn’t have room for me to keep my studio set up so I don’t pull out the paints very often.  I do get to share my passion with my son though.  He’s always enjoyed drawing and coloring with me. 

Crayon Rocks are eco-friendly crayons that are great for young kids who are developing their fine motor skills.  Most of us probably have a box full of those other crayons so what makes Crayon Rocks so eco-friendly?  Traditional crayons are made with paraffin wax and pigments.  I didn’t realize that parafin is made of kerosene!  Crayon Rocks are made in America using American-grown soy beans.  They contain natural soy wax and all natural mineral pigments.  The contain no phthalates either (phthalates are used to increase the flexibility of plastics and is bed for the environment and your health). 

I wish I had these Crayon Rocks when Big B was smaller and learning how to color and write.  Their unique rock shape encourages kids to hold the crayons like a pencil thus developing their fine motor skills.  The colors are rich and they are even more fun than regular crayons.  With Crayon Rocks you can smudge them more like oil pastels which allow you to create some really cool techniques.  Big B was excited to take his cute little Red Velvet Bag of Crayon Rocks to school with him this year.  Another quirky tip…Crayon Rocks don’t have any paper wrapping so your kids won’t leave that waste all over your house when the peel off the paper.  Why do they do that anyways?

-Primary Colors in a Treasure Bag (set of 8 Crayon Rocks) are only $4.75
-16 Rocks in a Red Velvet Bag are only $6.95
-and the classroom sized Just Rocks in an eco-box is only $20

Yes, they are slightly more expensive than traditional crayons but that’s because of the process required to mold Crayon Rocks into their unique shape.

Win Your Own Crayon Rocks!  That’s right, you can be one of three lucky winners to receive a set of Crayon Rocks.  One set of each size will be given away.  Yep, you heard me right!  One winner will win a Treasure Bag, one winner will win a Red Velvet Bag, and one winner will win the Just Rocks in an eco-box Crayon Rocks! 

To enter leave me a comment below telling me one interesting thing about Crayon Rocks or the owner, Barbara, that you learned from the Crayon Rocks website (hint – About Us section has lots of info!). 

Extra Ways to Win!
1.  If you read my first post about my Blogiversary you know you can earn an extra entry by leaving me a comment on that post!
2.  Facebook Fans!  If you aren’t one already become one….AND…post a picture on my wall of your current crayon stash!  Leave me a comment below telling me you completed this task.
3.  Twitter Followers!  If you don’t already follow me…follow me!  AND…post a picture of your current crayon stash and a tweet about this giveaway!  Must include @TheEcoChic and a link back here.  Leave me a comment below telling me you completed this task.
4.  Purchase any of the sets of Crayon Rocks from their website and earn 5 bonus entries!  Leave me a comment below telling me you made a purchase and what you bought. 

All Blogiversary Giveaways end on Sept. 23rd at midnight (EST).  While you may enter all of the Blogiversary giveaways you may only win one Blogiversary giveaway!  Past winners are welcome to enter and win! 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO BE ENTERED TO WIN!

Good Luck and Draw, Write, Smile!

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…to win a $25 gift certificate to ECO Store USAs web store.  Contest ends April 1st at midnight.  Open to all residents of the USA. 

To enter see my post http://www.theecochic.com/?p=339 for details.

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You have 2 more days to enter to win a $25 gift certificate to use at the ECO Store USAs webstore.  ECO Store USA is a great company that offers products for the home, bath and body, pets, and baby that are kind on the environment and kind to your health.  I have reviewed several products over the past few weeks including the Baby Nappy Balm, Baby Body Wash, and the Liquid Laundry Detergent.  I’m a HUGE fan of the Nappy Balm!!! 

How do you enter?  Read my previous posts on ECO Store USA and follow the directions here.  You have until midnight on April 1st to enter.  Contest open to all US residents.

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And the winner is Belinda P!  Congratulations!  **An email will be sent to Belinda S. to claim her TerraCycle Drink Pouch tote bag within 7 days.   Belinda, if you do not receive an email from me please contact me with your mailing address at theecochic@gmail.com.

I wanted to thank all of you for your comments and subscriptions to TheEcoChic.  This was my best giveaway yet and I owe it to all of my readers.  Please keep reading and posting comments.  In addition, if you have not subscribed to receive TheEcoChic in your inbox please enter your email address in the FeedBurner box on the right. 

A special thank you to TerraCycle for their product samples that made this giveaway possible.  If you haven’t already please take a minute to visit TerraCycle and learn more about their amazing company.  They are a real inspiration for everyone!

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My little 5 yr old (ok..he’s a big boy now) will be starting school this week.  The start date of school is suppose to be Tuesday BUT that might change with Tropical Storm/Hurricane Faye headed towards Florida.  His school supply list was pretty basic this year; nothing too extravagant.  Mostly just paper, pencils, pencil box, glue, etc.  On my trip to Wal-Mart I only spent $5 on the whole list of supplies.  How can you make your kids school supplies a little more green?

Look for recycled paper and recycled folders.  Look for pencils that are either refillable or made from rainforest free trees.  TerraCycle even offers some unique and quirky back to school supplies.  They have a cute pencil bag, lunch box, and backpack all made from juice pouches.  I actually saw the pencil bag at our local Walgreens last week (only about $3).  Looking on their website they also offer eco-binders and a drink pouch homework folder. 

TerraCycle Bags

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