Natural Home Products

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.

In our fast paced world, getting a good night of sleep is not always easy.  Having comfortable bedding can help us sleep well and to wake up feeling revitalized and refreshed each morning. Organic bedding provides a healthy sleeping environment while providing the comfort needed for a good night’s rest.  Natural wool bedding, including wool duvets and wool pillows are becoming an increasingly popular choice of organic bedding, favoured for their natural comfort and for the health benefits associated with wool products.

Organic wool duvets and wool pillows are a healthy and friendly alternative to synthetics or down.  Wool bedding is naturally resistant to dust mites, mould and mildew, making this organic bedding an excellent choice for those who suffer from allergies.  Wool is a highly breathable product and both wool duvets and wool pillows help to naturally regulate body temperature.  Rather than trapping heat and moisture like synthetic or down products, natural wool bedding breathes, adapting to your body temperature.  Acting as a natural thermal regulator, wool bedding keeps you warm but not hot, cool but not cold. Natural wool is supportive and comfortable, making it a natural choice for pillows.  Also, wool duvets are not heavy and do not bunch up, so they remain light and allow us to move freely while we sleep. Wool is natural, renewable and bio-degradable, so we can sleep well in this comfortable organic bedding knowing that it is good for us and good for the environment.

While cotton remains one of the most popular textiles for clothing and bedding, the unsustainable farming practises used for growing cotton are damaging cotton’s once pure reputation.  The National Geographic’s Green Guide outlines the heavy use of chemicals used to grow cotton:  the use of insecticides, herbicides, and defoliants used in conventional cotton farming practices account for approximately 25% of all global insecticide use and more than 10% of global pesticide use.  In the USA alone, the 10.5 million acres of convention cotton grown in 2007 were sprayed with a staggering 55 million pounds of pesticides.  And while the use of pesticides is common, they are hardly safe.  The toxic accumulations in the cotton, in the soil, and in the groundwater are having disturbing consequences for both the environment and the people and animals that share the earth’s resources.  And the bad news about conventional cotton does not end there.   After the cotton is harvested, it typically undergoes a number of processes including regular bleaching and dying processes that will add another whole host of chemicals and dioxins into the cotton product and into environment.

So with all the chemicals involved in growing and processing cotton it begs the question, what are you sleeping on?   When you stop to consider that approximately one third of our lives are spent sleeping, it is easy to realize just how important healthy bedding products are to our general health and well being.     There is no need to snuggle up to synthetic fabrics or insecticide-laden cotton when there are healthier options available.   Organic sheets are now easier to find than ever, with options available in every price range.  Organic cotton sheets can reduce our daily exposure to pesticide residues.  Buying organic also helps to support more sustainable farming methods.  Make sure to look for an all-organic product when buying any bedding.  Look for organic sheets that have not undergone chlorine bleaching and have not been treated with any potentially toxic dyes or other fabric treatments.  While these organic bed sheets come in fewer style and pattern options, you can rest easy knowing your chemical free sheets are not only cozy and comfy, they are contributing to your health and well being.

As shops across North America gear up for Christmas, consumers will find a greater variety of green and eco-friendly gifts this holiday season.   Fuelled by the public’s concern for the environment, the number of organic and eco-friendly toys and gifts available in North American shops has grown dramatically in the last few years.  And, eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean “expensive” this holiday season! While consumers recognize that “green” gifts are great for the environment and parents recognize that “green” toys can provide a positive experience for children, cost has sometimes been an issue. But with greater choice available, living green and being eco-friendly won’t mean that you have to compromise on the gifts you choose to give this holiday season.

Green toys make wonderful Christmas gifts for the kids in your life. Many toys made from renewable, regenerative, and recycled resources, are showing up in local toy stores.  These green toys consider the earth while also considering the safety and enjoyment of your children.  Recycled plastic is showing up in a variety of toys so look for the recycled label when choosing toys like buckets and shovels and other plastic toys.  Handcrafted wooden toys still remain popular and chances are your child will be able to pass their wooden toys on to their own children some day, making these toys a great investment.   Green themed toys such as the recycling truck are also proving popular.  There are so many eco friendly toys this Christmas that are fun, creative, and environmentally friendly.

Many traditional gifts are also finding an eco-friendly twist this year, making eco-friendly gifts for all ages easier to find. There are so many eco-friendly home products that make great gifts and can range anywhere from solar lighting to new LED Christmas lights or outdoor LED Christmas decorations.  Luxurious bathrobes, towels and linens can be found in a variety of eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, hemp, or 100% organic cotton.  Giving bamboo bath towels, hemp table linens, or 100% organic cotton bedding will add a luxuriously “green” touch to your gift giving.  For a more personal touch, try some of the new organic bath and body products.  There is a great variety of organic hand lotions and handmade soaps that make a perfect eco-friendly gift.  Whatever your choice this Christmas, you will find that living green and being eco-friendly will add a special touch to your gifts this holiday season.

It seems that as soon as Halloween passes, Christmas shows up in the stores across North America.  Decorations, presents and all that pretty Christmas gift wrapping.   No doubt that Christmas is a joyful time of celebration, but with the increased consumption, Christmas can also be one of the least environmentally friendly times of year.  Just think of the tons of Christmas gift wrap, cards, and decorations that end up in our landfills.  Practicing a little eco-friendly thrift around the holidays is a gesture that everyone, including mother earth, can appreciate.

With a little planning, it isn’t difficult to make your holiday celebrations a little greener!  When I tuck away the Halloween decorations, I like to pull out the Christmas wrapping, gift bags and cards left over from the year before.  After taking inventory of what I have to re-use, I then like to start my holiday shopping by looking for innovative, eco-friendly gift wrapping that will match the great gifts of the season.   As the movement to eco-chic gift wrapping increases, it is becoming easier to find re-usable gift bags, many crafted from natural fibres and ecologically friendly dyes.  A natural fibre gift bag, like a vibrant red burlap gift bag, can make a great “Santa sack” for your gifts this Christmas.  Eco-friendly gift wrapping that is fun to give and a pleasure to re-use.   A little eco-friendly thrift for the holidays is a gesture that can be appreciated!

Our bedrooms should be a pleasant and peaceful retreat, but can often smell a little less than “fresh”.  As winter approaches and we tend to keep our windows closed more often, there are some tips we can follow to keep our bedrooms smelling pleasant, naturally.  Of course a fresh smelling room always begins with a clean room.  Keeping all dirt and dust out of the bedroom is not only healthy, it enhances better indoor air quality. 

A thorough cleaning of the bedroom to remove all dirt and dust will not only eliminate a host of allergens and irritants from the air, it will help to keep your bedroom smelling fresh.  Vacuuming all carpet surfaces with a vacuum equipped with strong suction, rotating brushes and a HEPA filter ensures that dust and dirt won’t get blown back out in the exhaust. Mopping non-carpeted floors will pick up the dust that vacuuming left behind. You can skip the soaps and cleaners and just use plain water to capture any lingering dust or allergens or add a little white vinegar to the water for extra cleaning power.  You may want to try the new microfiber mops (and dust cloths), they reportedly capture more dust and dirt than traditional fibres and don’t require any cleaning solutions.

The vacuum is also a good piece of equipment to freshen up your box spring and bed mattress.  A regular vacuuming of your box spring and your bed mattress will help to keep dust mites under control.  To help draw any scent out of the mattress, you can sprinkle a light dusting of baking soda on the mattress, leave for half an hour and then vacuum thoroughly.  Making your bed with fresh sheets will add a nice scent.  Using bamboo bed sheets will help to keep the bed smelling fresh; bamboo sheets are naturally bacteria and odour resistant.

Having a clean, fresh room will help to keep your bedroom smelling fresh.  If you want to add a light scent to the bedroom, avoid using synthetic “air fresheners” and opt instead for naturally scented products.  A little potpourri or naturally scented room crystals or even a dab of aromatherapy essential oil to scent a few hankies will leave a fresh light scent in the room.  If it is not too cold outside, consider opening a window and letting in some fresh air. With a quick cleaning and some natural home products, you can enjoy a fresh smelling bedroom any time of the year!

With the eco-friendly stamp of approval, bamboo towels are becoming an increasingly popular eco-chic home product.  No wonder bamboo bath towels have become so popular with eco-minded consumers; bamboo is an eco-friendly and highly renewable resource.  The towels made from the bamboo fibres are naturally absorbent and extremely soft.  Towels crafted from 100% bamboo yarn boast the softness and silkiness of cashmere, with an absorbency that surpasses cotton.  Bamboo towels claim natural hypo-allergenic properties along with anti-microbial and odour resistant properties.  A high quality bamboo bath towel is a sumptuously plush and durable towel.

Given the popularity of bamboo bath towels and the inherent qualities of the bamboo fibre, it is no surprise these towels are becoming an increasingly popular item in the kitchen.  Woven bamboo kitchen towels are a wonderful match to your daily kitchen chores and dining experience.  Bamboo kitchen towels are highly absorbent and naturally antibacterial.  These eco-friendly kitchen towels dry quickly and repel bacteria and odour.  Bamboo towels are practical kitchen products that will with-stand the wear of a busy kitchen.