Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Oh the Pollybilities
Name:Polly Cordle
Shop Name:Oh the Pollybilities
Shop Link:http://www.ohpolly.com
Location:Richmond, VA
Ships To: Anywhere and Everywhere
What materials do you use for your ECO friendly products? I use teacups, teapots, and other ceramics that I find in thrift and antique stores
Why did you decide to make ECO friendly products? I have a thrift store addiction. If my husband wouldn't kill me I would keep all my little finds to myself. I just thought it was sad that so much stuff used to mean something to someone and now it sat on a shelf covered in dust. I thought maybe as a new something, it might get a new life.
What inspires you? What doesn't? I guess I am most inspired by other people. I love to see their reactions when they realize a birdfeeder used to be a teapot.
How long have you had your shop on Etsy?I have been on Etsy since March of 2008, but really didn't start listing until May, so almost a year.
Is this a job for you or a hobby?a little of both. I have dreams of opening a shared studio, like those places where you paint your own pottery but mine would have a little of everything. This is my creative outlet until I get there. The money mostly gets reinvested right now into more shows and materials, but I hope to put half away this year to start saving toward the goal.
Besides your business practices, do you do other things to live a green life? I certainly try. This year one of my big resolutions is to give up so much one use plastic. So I stopped by single serving things for my son, started using more reusable containers and that sort of thing. It was kind of weird how much one use plastic was in my life when I really sat down and took a look.
How did you get into your craft? That love of thrift stores did it to me. I started out doing stained glass for a friend who wanted me to learn and make things for her shop. But then I got a little crazy with my glass tools and started using them on ceramics and now I am flat out addicted.
Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy shop owners? Be patient. It took forever for me to get my first sale and I still don't have many sales compared to some folks out there. But I have a feeling my time will come.
Anything else you would like to add? Just that I really appreciate you noticing me and putting me on your blog. I have found Etsy to be an amazing place. The things I have learned and the people who help you and remember you make it a special place. This is just another example. Thank you
!Surprise Giveaway!
The giveaway will run from today Friday, March 6th 2009, until Thursday, March 12th Midnight.
The winner will receive the bird bath pictured above from OhThePollybilities! This giveaway is open to the US & Canada.
The winner will receive the bird bath pictured above from OhThePollybilities! This giveaway is open to the US & Canada.
To Enter:
* Official Entry: You MUST visit OhThePollybilities and tell me what else you love.
*1 extra entry: Follow this blog with email subscription.
*1 extra entry: Put my blog button on your blog-you can find the code on the right sidebar.
* 1 extra entry: Blog about this giveaway and link to this blog. Leave a comment with your blog address.
*1 extra entries: Email 3 friends about this giveaway and CC me. (greenearthjourney@gmail.com)
*Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries.
* You MUST leave me a way to contact you.
* If winner does not respond to the winning email within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.
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Labels: giveaway, etsy seller
Thursday, March 5, 2009
ECO Tip-Dry Cleaning
The true meaning of dry cleaning-
The solvents used in conventional dry cleaning are toxic to humans (especially the unfortunate dry cleaning staff) and the environment. The simplest way to avoid contributing to this damage is to choose clothes that do not need dry cleaning. You can also keep clothes fresh for longer between cleans by airing or brushing them, if appropriate, after each wearing. Some "dry clean only" garments can also be washed conventionally: carefully try washing silks and woolens by hand in cold water. If you feel nervous about this, it is probably best to start with something other than your most treasured silk scarf or tie until you've seen for yourself that it works. Another alternative is to seek out "wet cleaning" or "green" dry cleaning services, which use liquid carbon dioxide or silicon based solvents in place of harmful substances.
From the book: 1001 Ways to Save the Earth
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Labels: Helpful tips, Did You Know
The solvents used in conventional dry cleaning are toxic to humans (especially the unfortunate dry cleaning staff) and the environment. The simplest way to avoid contributing to this damage is to choose clothes that do not need dry cleaning. You can also keep clothes fresh for longer between cleans by airing or brushing them, if appropriate, after each wearing. Some "dry clean only" garments can also be washed conventionally: carefully try washing silks and woolens by hand in cold water. If you feel nervous about this, it is probably best to start with something other than your most treasured silk scarf or tie until you've seen for yourself that it works. Another alternative is to seek out "wet cleaning" or "green" dry cleaning services, which use liquid carbon dioxide or silicon based solvents in place of harmful substances.
From the book: 1001 Ways to Save the Earth
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Labels: Helpful tips, Did You Know
Product Review-Lush
I am lovin' Lush! Lush is the way to start your day out great! I was able to try out a few of their products. The packaging could have been better. But they did put some media info in my box, so maybe that is not the usual way their products ship.
The first thing I want to chat about is the shampoo bars!!! Oh my heavens, I don't know if I will ever go back to liquid shampoo! Whoo! I LOVE this stuff! I tried the Godiva Solid Shampoo. I have long, very thick curly hair. The thing I hate about liquid shampoo is it sits on top of my thick hair and never really gets down underneath to the scalp. I never really noticed this until I tried the Godiva Solid Shampoo.
The instructions for the shampoo bar are to wet your hair and then glide the bar over your damp hair. But the bar back in the tin and then lather and rinse. And when they say lather, they mean LATHER! This stuff is Fantastic!!! It lathered into all of my hair and onto my scalp! I am in LOVE! Not only that but it smells Wonderful, like honeysuckle. I also noticed that my hair feels lighter than ever and with thick hair that is a major plus!
My husband tried the Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar and he is in the same boat as me, he doesn't know if he ever wants to use liquid shampoo again! My husband has long thin hair and he also loves the smell and the way it lathered up! This shampoo is amazing!!! The only thing I do not like are the tins for the shampoo. While they are cute and seem useful after a couple of days you can no longer get the bar out. I'd prefer the square tin for the soaps they have rather than the round tins.
The next product I tried was the exfoliating bar, Buffy Body Butter. You use this in the shower by rubbing it onto your body and then massaging it in and rinsing. I really love that it left me skin feeling so soft. I was only able to use it 4 times though before it was gone. So if you do purchase this product I would say use it once a week.
The last product we tried was the Therapy Massage Bar. I absolutely love this! My husband lets the bar sit in his hands for about 15 seconds. The bars melts a little into his hands and then he massages it into my aching back! Which aches more now than ever with my ever growing baby in my belly! The massage oil is wonderful! And I think it even makes my husband a better massager! The smell is wonderful and very calming.
The products are well worth their price infact I want to buy a shampoo bar for everyone I know. The shipping on the other hand is really not worth it based on the size and weight of the products unless you buy more than one product. I can guarantee that you will LOVE the shampoo bars though!!!!
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Labels: Product Review
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Something to Think About-Bamboo
I have been mulling this over ever since my oldest came home from school. He told me that they had watched a movie/documentary on pandas and bamboo. He was really upset he kept saying we have to stop cutting down the bamboo because the pandas will have no more food.
Now my husband and I are big fans of bamboo everything, well everything except clothing. We assured our son that everything would be ok, because bamboo is an extremely fast growing crop. This got me thinking though, every company out there is scrambling for bamboo to make new eco friendly products. But are they doing it with the environment in mind? Sure bamboo is sustainable because it is fast growing and you can use it for almost everything. But is anyone following behind the workers harvesting the bamboo and planting more bamboo? Because if they are not, we are just going to end up with another crisis on our hands.
Are we endangering an ECO system that up until a year ago was pretty much left alone? Right now we are going in and taking the homes and food from the animals, insects, and birds that live there. Are we doing anything in return? Is anyone doing anything in return? Or are we just clearing everything out and moving onto the next crop of bamboo we can find.
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Labels: Did You Know
Life With My Kids and Napkin/Wipe Tutorial
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Note: Pictures belong to me
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The past week I have been making up baby shower stuff for my baby shower on Saturday. I wanted to try and be as Eco friendly as possible. So I made napkins, that we will use as wipes when Willow gets here. I purchased a piece of fabric for the tablecloth that I will make the girls dresses with afterward. We are using a houseplant as the centerpiece. We bought bamboo plates for the cake and what not that we will bring home and use after the party. And I bought some clay pots painted them up and planted Sweet Basil in them for favors. The invitations were made with scraps of fabric I had laying around.
tablecloth fabric
While we were planting the second round of sweet basil, I had opened a new bag of organic soil. Thinking I could just pour it into the pot, like I had been the other bag, I turned to Pixie to fill her pot with soil. Let's just say that didn't quite work! Pixie ended up with a lap full of soil!!! She was a good sport about it and luckily it didn't have any of those white fertilizers balls in the soil that could have gotten in her mouth. That would not have been good!
On another note, Sunday the two little ones were being BAD. I mean they were getting into everything. Since my husband was home for the day, I decided to let him handle it and I went out to get things for the baby shower. When I came back, my husband showed me this photo. Apparently he had gotten Sheamus to sleep and had set him on the couch. Then moved to the other side of the couch and got Pixie to sleep. ( Im sad, some how the photo was accidentally deleted from my camera, but it was a cute picture!)
Napkin/Wipe Tutorial
1. Find some fabric you love
2. Cut out squares, about 8 inches by 8 inches, they don't have to be perfect, mine are not!
3. Face a piece of each fabric together with the right sides facing in. Pin all the way around the edge.
4. Sew around the edge, leaving a 2.5 to 3 inch opening. Make sure to back stitch on each side of the opening.
5. Turn the napkin right side out and iron flat.
6. Sew all along the edges and you are done!
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Labels: Life With My Kids, Make Your Own, Tutorial, Helpful Tips
Note: Pictures belong to me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The past week I have been making up baby shower stuff for my baby shower on Saturday. I wanted to try and be as Eco friendly as possible. So I made napkins, that we will use as wipes when Willow gets here. I purchased a piece of fabric for the tablecloth that I will make the girls dresses with afterward. We are using a houseplant as the centerpiece. We bought bamboo plates for the cake and what not that we will bring home and use after the party. And I bought some clay pots painted them up and planted Sweet Basil in them for favors. The invitations were made with scraps of fabric I had laying around.
tablecloth fabricWhile we were planting the second round of sweet basil, I had opened a new bag of organic soil. Thinking I could just pour it into the pot, like I had been the other bag, I turned to Pixie to fill her pot with soil. Let's just say that didn't quite work! Pixie ended up with a lap full of soil!!! She was a good sport about it and luckily it didn't have any of those white fertilizers balls in the soil that could have gotten in her mouth. That would not have been good!
On another note, Sunday the two little ones were being BAD. I mean they were getting into everything. Since my husband was home for the day, I decided to let him handle it and I went out to get things for the baby shower. When I came back, my husband showed me this photo. Apparently he had gotten Sheamus to sleep and had set him on the couch. Then moved to the other side of the couch and got Pixie to sleep. ( Im sad, some how the photo was accidentally deleted from my camera, but it was a cute picture!)
Napkin/Wipe Tutorial
1. Find some fabric you love
2. Cut out squares, about 8 inches by 8 inches, they don't have to be perfect, mine are not!
3. Face a piece of each fabric together with the right sides facing in. Pin all the way around the edge.
4. Sew around the edge, leaving a 2.5 to 3 inch opening. Make sure to back stitch on each side of the opening.
5. Turn the napkin right side out and iron flat.
6. Sew all along the edges and you are done!
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Labels: Life With My Kids, Make Your Own, Tutorial, Helpful Tips
Giveaway from KnitStorm
The wonderful artist from KnitStorm has offered one of her beautiful reusable tea cozies as a giveaway! She is also the artist behind EcoKate which has been featured on this blog before. The tea cozy that you are entering to win is just like the one in the above picture!
Giveaway Details
The giveaway will run from today Wednesday, March 4th 2009, until Tuesday, March 10th Midnight.
The winner will receive a tea cozy like the one pictured above from KnitStorm! This giveaway is open to the US.
The winner will receive a tea cozy like the one pictured above from KnitStorm! This giveaway is open to the US.
To Enter:
* Official Entry: You MUST visit KnitStorm or EcoKate and tell me what else you love.
*1 extra entry: Follow this blog with email subscription.
*1 extra entry: Put my blog button on your blog-you can find the code on the right sidebar.
* 1 extra entry: Blog about this giveaway and link to this blog. Leave a comment with your blog address.
*1 extra entries: Email 3 friends about this giveaway and CC me. (greenearthjourney@gmail.com)
*Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries.
* You MUST leave me a way to contact you.
* If winner does not respond to the winning email within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.
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Labels: giveaway, etsy seller
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tech Tuesday-Linux
Ok, so the inaugural installment of Tech Tuesdays will deal with something that is not a physical product you buy but a piece of software that can save you a ton of money and if used properly can also be "Eco". I'm talking about Linux. Now some of you probably have never heard of Linux, and some others might have heard of it but gasp in fear whenever you hear its name uttered. Linux is an operating system. For those who aren't in the "know", an operating system is what makes your computer do stuff. Windows and Mac OS are operating systems so you can realize that without one of these guys your computer is just an expensive box with pretty lights on it. Now there are two main reasons why I want to talk about Linux today. The second reason will deal with how it can be eco savvy, but the first one (and perhaps the coolest thing about Linux) is how much money it can save you.
When you buy a new computer you aren't just paying for the components that make it up. If you ask someone who has built a computer from scratch they can prove this to you by showing you that if you add up the prices of the separate parts of the average store bought computer it would only really cost about $300 to $500. That is a far cry from the $799 or $1199 tag you probably saw on the box. Part of this is from the convenience of having it already assembled and tested, but another huge cost is from the operating system. As I said last week, you can build a computer for around $300 if you use parts that aren't meant to be running tomorrows games at frame-rates so fast the human eye can't perceive it.
With that in mind I would like to bring up that to buy a copy of Windows Xp Home edition (which is last generations operating system) you will need to fork over $200. You can see how that can quickly jack up the cost of a machine. Now, I don't want to burst any bubbles but most people who build there own computers have a saying: "Never pay for software!". This usually implies piracy. That's right...PIRATES!!! Well...not the kind with peg legs and eye patches but people doing not-so-savory things non the less. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't need to be the case. There is an entire universe hidden in the distant nooks and crannies of the internet and here you can find things that simply don't exist in the physical world. Things that are free...AND legal! Linux is just such a thing!
Long ago in a galaxy far, far away...a very wise man realized that some things should simply be free. That man invented Linux and made it free for all to use, and modify, however they saw fit. I dare say he started a movement called "Open Source". I'm probably attributing too much to one person and all my facts are not perfect but needless to say, Linux is free and you can use it without doing anything illegal. Some of the future articles will deal with other such free software, but today I will stick to Linux. Now, as I mentioned before, some of you HAVE heard of Linux but fear it. The reason some people fear Linux is the same reason people fear anything. People fear what they don't understand and Linux is new to them. Getting in to Linux can be daunting if you are doing it alone so I'm going to give you some help.
http://www.linux.org is a great place to start looking around. Click on the button on the left that says "Distributions" and look at what's available. Since Linux is "Open Source" that means the code that makes it up can be used by anyone. This means that there is a near limitless number of different versions or "distributions" of Linux floating around out there. Not all of them are for the faint of heart. I'm only going to talk about one "distro" today and that one is Knoppix.
Knoppix is what is called a "Live CD" distro, meaning that it can run right off the CD...without installing it on your hard drive! This brings me to the eco part of Linux. You can put most "Live CD" versions of Linux on a thumb drive and boot from it without even needing a hard drive. Hard drives are made of metal discs that need to spin around to be accessed. This can use a lot of power seeing as how most drives run at VERY high speeds which as you can imagine requires quite a bit of power to get there. If one was to build a computer with low power parts and use Linux on a thumb drive instead of a hard drive you theoretically could build a computer with no moving parts which could run off almost no power at all.
One reason I wanted to tell you about Knoppix is how user friendly it is. It looks a lot like the operating systems that most people are used to and doesn't take too much effort to figure it out for basic use. It comes pre loaded with buckets of free software and has Firefox as a web browser which is the browser most people already use or can quickly figure out. The other major reason I love Knoppix is because you don't have to do any crazy tech hocus-pocus to try it out. Just download it, burn it to a CD and reboot your computer. Well, it might be a bit more complicated then that but not much and everything you need to know is right on the site. So for your homework I want you all to go to http://www.knoppix.net and try it out for yourself. Linux is just as good as Windows and even more secure / virus free as Mac OS so and you don't have to worry about messing anything up because if you get scared you can just pop the CD out and restart your computer and it will boot right back into your safe and familiar OS you are used to using. For extra credit check out the first link in this article and explore some of the options that are free, there is something for everyone!
ARRGG MATIES!!! Enjoy your piracy-free, free operating system!
Hyla here: So I asked Ev for little more clarification. Basically you can go and download the Linux Knoppix operating system for free. Burn it to a disk or transfer it to a thumb drive. Now keep the thumb drive plugged into your computer or leave the disk in. Restart your computer and it should start running the Knoppix program without the hard drive booting up, saving lots of power. You can use Knoppix/Linux to surf the internet. A lot of people spend a lot of money on a computer just to browse the internet. If you would like to write up documents, you have two choices to save them. Email them to yourself or save the documents to a thumb drive.
To figure out how to do all of your other normal daily computer routines, just check out the wealth of information on the websites.
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Labels: Tech Tuesday, Did you know, Helpful tips
Monday, March 2, 2009
Product Review- The Tickle Trunk
The company is unhappy with this review even though I purchased this product with my own money. We are working on resolving this issue.
March Spring Cleaning Madness
For most people March brings spring cleaning. The nitty gritty cleaning of the windows, nooks and crannies and some even wash their walls! Some walls just get a new coat of paint! March is my spring cleaning month even though here in New York, it is still freezing currently 11 degrees as I am typing this!
March is also the month when kids start bringing home a new round of colds to fight off. These two things are connected. As much as I would love to think everyone in my kids classroom uses eco friendly cleaning products, they don't. Regular cleaners have so many chemicals in them and when you are cleaning, the chemicals stay in the air. You inhale these nasty chemicals and your body has to fend off them off. Meanwhile those viruses sneak in for the attach since your immune system is compromised. Did you realize that cleaning could make you sick?
This is why it is very important to spread the word about safe cleaners to your friends and family especially people you visit often. You go over to your mom's with the kids and she has cleaned the house expecting your arrival and now you and your kids are inhaling those chemicals. It is also important to talk about this to the teachers and principals and even at your office. Nothing is going to change without talk, and don't expect them to bring it up. If you have the knowledge you are obliged to share it for the health of your kids, yourself and the people you love.
You can make a difference just keep talking. I have yet to write about the success I had with my son's school and recycling, I really need to write that up! If you have email addresses for the teachers you can forward them to this site and others that are full of information.
This month I will be reviewing cleaning products that are eco and child freindly!! So stay tuned there will also be lots of great giveaways and discounts!
If you have a product you would like featured on the blog this month for March Spring Cleaning Madness please contact me at hylawaldron@gmail.com
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Labels: March Spring Cleaning Madness, product review, did you know
Giveaway from IMCreations
I have featured Irene and her Etsy shop, IMCreations, on the blog before! Now you have a chance to win a scrabble tile pendant of your choice!!!
Giveaway Details
The giveaway will run from today Monday, March 2nd 2009, until Sunday, March 8th Midnight.
The winner will receive a scrabble pendant of their choice from IMCreations! This giveaway is open to the US and Canada and International!
The winner will receive a scrabble pendant of their choice from IMCreations! This giveaway is open to the US and Canada and International!
To Enter:
* Official Entry: You MUST visit IMCreations and tell me what pendant you would choose if you won.
*1 extra entry: Follow this blog with email subscription.
*1 extra entry: Put my blog button on your blog-you can find the code on the right sidebar.
* 1 extra entry: Blog about this giveaway and link to this blog. Leave a comment with your blog address.
*1 extra entries: Email 3 friends about this giveaway and CC me. (greenearthjourney@gmail.com)
*Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries.
* You MUST leave me a way to contact you.
* If winner does not respond to the winning email within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.
NEXT POST
Labels: giveaway, etsy seller
Sunday, March 1, 2009
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