Natural Home Products

The start of a new year is a great time for new beginnings.  If you have been thinking of going green, make 2010 your year!  There are so many great books available on greening your home and your lifestyle; it is definitely worth a trip to your local library to check it out. Also, you can pick up some great tips on the web.  Here are a few of the top Green New Year’s resolutions I have found posted for 2010.  To green your 2010:

1. Stop using plastic bags – remember your re-usable shopping bags and you may be ahead of the curve if plastic ones become outlawed in your community.
2. Plant some trees – in your back yard or the community at large. More trees will help us all breathe a little easier.
3. Cut back on driving your car. If you have public transportation options available to you, try switching to the train or bus one day a week or organize a once-a-week carpool with your neighbours or coworkers. You’ll save on fuel, tolls, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing cars from the road. If you can walk to work or to run your errands, even better. You’ll get in shape and reduce carbon emissions.
4. Upgrade to energy efficient appliances and remember to turn off all power sources not in use.
5. Consume less this year. While our purchases keep the economy going, most of us buy far more than we need. Ask yourself if you REALLY need what you are purchasing, or is it (and all the packaging) just destined for the landfill. Reduce, re-use and recycle!
6. Buy local. Take the time to consider if your meal came from the farm or from a factory. Buying local food may not only be healthier, it reduces your carbon footprint – think of how many miles your food has traveled, how many chemicals were used, and how much pollution and waste have been generated in your foods production.
7. Clean green and reduce the chemicals in your home. Learn to make your own natural cleaning solutions from common ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and borax – or switch to organic cleaning products. Using less harmful chemicals in your home is not only good for the environment; it is healthier for your family.

Small steps can lead to big changes.  Taking the time to learn more about the environment and issues that affect the health and well being of our earth and families is great way to start. Wishing you all a Happy & Green New Year!

Having family and friends gather for a big Christmas feast is truly a magical occasion.  For many, a big turkey with all the fixings is part of a great Christmas celebration!   But preparing a Christmas feast, without ending up a frenzied fiend over the stove, requires some planning.  And with some early Christmas dinner preparations and a little help from family and friends you can create a magical and relaxing Christmas dinner.   

To help make your Christmas dinner a relaxing occasion you will need to plan your dinner menu, guest list and grocery shopping list early.  It helps to choose a few dishes that can be made ahead of time, that re-heat well.  Storing dishes made ahead of time in glass storage containers that go from the freezer or fridge straight to the microwave and are pretty enough to serve at the table, will help to alleviate a lot of the last minute stress of preparing a large dinner.  Involve your family and friends in the preparations by asking them to bring a dish.   And top off your dinner and dessert menu with the lovely baking from your friend and family bake exchange.   With a little help and your early preparation, you too will be able to enjoy the Christmas feast!  Enjoy your holidays, take a few pictures, and create a few special moments! Merry Christmas!

Christmas is a magical time of year that so many look forward to.  Visions of snowflakes, presents under the tree, and the joy of family and friends gathered around a beautifully decorated Christmas tree.  Planning early for a stress-free Christmas will have you enjoying the holidays and avoiding the stress of pulling it all together.   Here are a few tips to help plan a magical, stress-free holiday this year:

1. Purchase gifts as early as possible. Some people like to buy throughout the year and tuck things away; others like to make their Santa list and shop before Christmas. If the shopping malls are too hectic, try shopping on-line from the comfort of your own home. Most on-line retailers deliver within 10 days. And while shopping can be fun, the earlier the shopping is done, the easier it is to focus on other aspects of the holidays!
2. Keep a Christmas card list, complete with addresses, so that sending cards can be fast and fun each year!
3. Decorate your home early so that you can enjoy the full Christmas season.
4. Wrap as you go! Use eco-friendly gift wrapping and start an earth friendly tradition.
5. Do your Christmas baking ahead of time and freeze for the holidays. Try a Christmas bake exchange with your family and friends.
6. Plan your Christmas dinner, guest list and grocery list early! Bake some dishes ahead of time and freeze them for the big feast!
7. Enjoy!

With all the planning and preparation, remember to take the time to sit back and enjoy.  Forget any notion of perfection and remember the joy that is Christmas! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!!

On a cold winter’s evening, it is nice to crawl into a nice warm bed at the end of a long day.  In colder climates, winter bedding is essential and the cool feeling of cotton just won’t suffice when the temperatures are low!  But this winter, flannel is not your only option.  Bamboo sheets are ideal for winter bed linens.  With natural thermal regulating, the highly breathable bamboo bed sheets that helped to keep you cool in the summer will also help to keep you warm in the winter.

 The key to bamboo sheets keeping you warm in the winter lay in the fabrics ability to breathe and to wick moisture from your skin as you sleep.  Unlike cotton sheeting that traps and holds moisture next to your skin as you sleep, bamboo is a highly breathable fabric.  As the bamboo sheets breathe, they wick moisture away from your skin so that it can evaporate, leaving your skin dry and comfortable.  As the bamboo bed sheets breathe and wick moisture, the sheets adapt to your body’s temperature, acting as a natural thermal regulator.  Cool in the summer, warm in the winter; making bamboo sheets ideal for year round use. Providing exquisite comfort, bamboo sheets are also wonderfully light and soft, with a silk like drape and a beautiful silky lustre.  Bamboo sheets are crafted from a very soft, strong fabric that will stand up to the true test of year round use, and with care will last for many years!

Environmentally friendly gift wrapping can be a bold and beautiful solution to your Christmas gift wrapping needs.  The drab, colorless eco-friendly gift wrapping of the past has given way to a new era of bright, colourful and chic eco-friendly gift wrapping products. Many stores carry their own line of “green” gift wrapping and it is easier to find a beautiful variety of eco-friendly gift bags, recycled gift wrapping paper, and eco-friendly ribbon and bows.

If you think about it, any gift wrapping that can be re-used helps to save the planet from more waste.  There are so many gift bags available that can be re-used and if you are thinking of saving waste, really any reusable gift bag is environmental.  Beautiful silk gift bags, organza gift bags, and recycled paper gift bags are re-usable and are an environmentally sensitive solution to your gift wrapping needs. If you give or receive parcels wrapped in paper, if it can be re-used, why not practise a little eco-friendly thrift?  So wrap your gifts up green this Christmas and start an earth-friendly trend with your friends and family.