The EcoChic

How was your Valentine’s Day?  Mine was very low key and relaxed.  I’ve been battling a cold for a few days and have lost my voice, can’t breath through my nose, and am generally pitiful. 

Hubby and I don’t normally exchange big gifts on Valentine’s Day but he always does something special.  Today was really cute and unusual.  He got me a candy bouquet in a small white vase.  Each ‘flower’ is a different hard candy in red, pink, or white wrapper.  He also sent me a tweet and a Facebook message at midnight so I would see it when I woke up.  He knows me so well.

I am such a slacker (that combined with the way that I feel) that I didn’t even get him a card.  But I did make breakfast for him…his favorite…grits, eggs, and bacon!  He didn’t seem to mind that there was no card or Hallmark inspired gift.

My son got some wonderfully yummy chocolate treats.  While I am very eco-friendly around the house our food selections don’t really follow suite.  I only buy organic food on rare occasions, I don’t really care about high fructose corn syrup, and I’ve never feared artificial colors.  However, I do understand the reason for concern.  I tried some really yummy organic candies recently by Surf Sweets that are organic and natural.  I didn’t expect them to taste nearly as good as my favorite gummy bears but to my surprise they were really delicious.  I saved some for my son to try but I managed to eat most of them all by myself.  It’s a good thing that our local Sweet Bay also carries them because I have found my new favorite indulgence…and I can feel good about giving it to my son.  I should get some for my best friend too since the are vegetarian and vegan snacks (with the exception of the gummy bears and worms).  If you become a Fan of Surf Sweets on Facebook during February they will donate $1 to The Ocean Project on your behalf.

If I was feeling better this week I would have gotten a little more creative and tried some new recipes from POM Wonderful.  I received 4 bottles of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice recently and I only got a sip of one of them.  My husband took them to work with him everyday until they were gone.  He doesn’t normally reach for the healthy drinks but when he saw that medical research has shown to improve prostate, cardiovascular, and erectile function I don’t think I had to sell him on the goodness that was in the bottle.  Isn’t it funny what men pay attention to?  Look at these fabulous cupcakes that are made using POM Wonderful and pomegranates.  Now…to see if I can find fresh California pomegranates at our local grocery store here in Florida. 

In past years hubby has been a regular shopper at the store with the little turquoise box (my absolute favorite jewelry). 

I have a few pieces that I wear regularly mixed in with a few feel good pieces.  I wrote a few months ago about the Andean Collection and Zulugrass which both support women, families and communities in impoverished areas around the world.  My favorite piece of feel good jewelry still remains my zulugrass bead bracelet set.  It is so durable and the blue/green colors go with the majority of my wardrobe.  On days like today when I pull out the red I only have a few pieces of jewelry with red in them so my Hands Up Not Hand Outs (HUNHO) wrist wrap in red and black is a nice addition.  These wrap style bracelets tie around your wrist with a satiny ribbon and are made by Palestinian women in the Qalandia Refugee Camp near Jerusalem.  I love that all of the proceeds go back to support the artisans and their local communities.   

What do you do to celebrate Valentine’s Day?  Did you get anything extra special?  I’d love to hear about it. 

Are you curious about the products I talk my views and the products I talk about?  Be sure to read my disclosure and privacy policies.

I have to admit that there are so many paths that being environmentally friendly will lead me down that some days it can be a little overwhelming.  Organic, biobased, recyclable, biodegradable, compostable, natural, non-toxic, BPA-free, phthalate-free, and so on, and so on, and so on!  What about Fair Trade?  What exactly does that mean?  According to the all knowing Wkipedia; fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. 

There is a new company called The Andean Collection that creates fair trade and highly fashionable jewelry.  Their jewelry is created by artisans in Ecuador who are paid a decent wage (compared to the average in their area) under good working conditions (no sweat shops).  A portion of the profits of the Andean Collection even go toward educating the local artisans and their families.  The Andean Collection is working to ensure that the artisans have a realistic path out of poverty.  I think this is a wonderful step in reaching out to communities and giving them the skills they need to improve their lives.  Too bad we can’t make this work here in the US with our own impoverished communities…but that’s a story for another day!

The Andean Collection released their new Fall 2009 line of jewelry and it is Eco-fabulous!  I especially like the line of acai seed necklaces and bracelets.  The bracelet shown here is the natural and turquoise wrap bracelet and was made by Olga Lucia Moran.  You may recognize the word acai from the grocery store; it’s becoming a popular diet drink.  It comes from the acai palm in the South American rain forest where they harvest the fruit for food and beverages.  To make jewelry from acai there are several steps that include drying, sanding, polishing, drilling, hand dyeing, sanding, and polishing before it is sent to the artisan.  They are hand dyed using non-toxic textile dyes.  I can’t image how long the process took to create just this one bracelet. 

Artisans use other natural materials (all harvested sustainably) found in the rain forest including jabon, tagua, and huayruru.  There materials have been used for generations! 

The Andean Collection also operates an environmentally friendly office.  Product tags and marketing materials are printed on recycled paper, and they continually strive to reduce their carbon footprint. In their offices, they take great efforts to conserve resources, including using energy efficient lighting and of course, recycling.

Take a look at their new Fall 2009 product line and let me know what your favorite piece is?  I’m really enjoying my acai wrap bracelet!

To learn more about The Andean Collection:
Visit their website.
Follow their blog.
Become a Fan on Facebook.
Follow them on Twitter.

Giveaway Alert!  This is the second giveaway of my Blogiversary Celebration!  For a complete list of all current giveaways be sure to visit the Current Giveaways & Specials link at the top of the page. 

This giveaway is for all those baby mama’s out there!  Are you tired of your babies pulling on your jewelry only to break your favorite necklace or bracelet?  Are you nursing?  Is your baby teething?  Smart Mom Jewelry has the solution…Teething Bling Necklaces! 

Teething Bling are necklaces that are baby-proof.  They have late- free, silicone bling strung on shiny black cording.  Each bling is BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate free, and non-toxic so your baby can chew and slobber on them all day long!  The bling comes in many differnt colors and shapes and even comes with a breakaway clasp.  No more scolding your little one for tugging on your necklace…let them tug away! 

I love my Teething Bling because it’s simple enough to wear with t-shirts and shorts, but fancy enough to wear to work or out to dinner.  There aren’t many outfits that I have that don’t work with the Teething Bling. 

Buy One!  Teeting Bling start at $19.10 and come in a variety of styles and colors.  They even have teething bracelets and key chains to match. 

Win One!  I have one turquoise Teething Bling to give to a lucky reader!  (I’m mailing this one so I can’t change the color.)  Visit Smart Mom Jewelry and tell me what your favorite Teething Bling is; what color, what style, etc.  Leave me a comment below.

Extra Entries:
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 today and leave me a comment on my Fan Wall about why you want to win a Teething Bling necklace.  Leave me a comment below telling me you completed this task.
3.  Twitter Followers!  If you don’t already follow me…follow me and tweet about this contest.  You must include @TheEcoChic and a link back here.  Leave me a comment below telling me you completed this task.
4.  Subscribe to The Eco Chic via Feedburner using the simple subscription tool at the top of this page (right sidebar).  Leave me a comment telling me you completed this task. 
5.  For each giveaway you entered during my Blogiversary (any open giveaway) you can earn one bonus entry to this giveaway only.  Be sure to leave me a comment below telling me which giveaways you entered (individual comment for each entry). 

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!

Lately it seems like all I’ve written about is cloth diapers and baby stuff but that’s about to change.  Every mom craves to feel like a woman and jewelry is a perfect way to feel womanly.  Unfortunately most mothers of young children don’t get to wear much jewelry in fear of our little ones ripping it off with their little tugs. 

I received a package from The Leakey Collection a few weeks ago and I was skeptical when I opened it to find the delicate Zulugrass jewelry.  When I opened the package a few of the beads fell loose and I was sure this was going to be a disaster around Lil’ B.  I wanted to give it a fair chance though so I’ve worn the strands of Zulugrass almost everyday since then.  I’ve worn them mostly as bracelets but they can be worn as necklaces, arm bands, anklets, waist bands, and hair bands.  The elastic that the Zulugrassis strung on is very strong, it was invented for the movie Spiderman.  Lil’ B pulled at it over and over again and it hasn’t broke yet!  (And trust me a 7 month old can tug!)  As most mothers will admit I rarely take off my jewelry during the day and I am always washing my hands so my Zulugrass was ‘washed’ repeatedly.  Again, the Zulugrass has been tested and passed all of my mommy tests!  The media package I received claims that the elastic will actually hold its shape for over six years even if worn daily in the sun, shower, pool or ocean!  But what makes Zulugrass so special?

Zulugrassis a natural dyed grass bead mixed with glass beads.  It’s lightweight, water resistant, colorful, and eco-friendly.  They are made by the Maasai women of Kenya.  The Zulugrass is a tall grass that grows in Kenya and is harvested and cut by hand.  The founders of The Leakey Collection, Philip and Katy Leakey, worked with the Maasai to design the jewelry that makes up The Leakey Collection today.  This joint venture between the Leakey’s and the Maasai has helped to support and employee the Maasai who were once devastated by a drought.  Today, the Leakey Collection employees over 1200 Kenyans who work in their own environment, often outside in the shade of the acacia trees. 

Interestingly, the Maasai are cattle herders who believe that God entrusted them with the responsibility of taking care of all the cattle in the world.  Their culture is over 800 years old and there are about a half million Maasai living in East Africa today.  I am very proud to be an owner of my own set of Zulugrass jewelry and will continue to wear it proudly.  You can find Zulugrass and other jewelry pieces by The Leakey Collection online and at more than 1200 retails stores.  Locally you can find Zulugrass at the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs and they even sell it at Disney World.