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Archive for April, 2011

Bento Boxes: Eco-Friendly Lunch for Mom And Child

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

While its true that more and more kids are receiving free or reduced lunches at school due to the recession, the lost art of the old fashioned lunch box is not dead.  Here is how to breathe life into your child’s lunch box with organic, eco friendly choices right down to the actual pail you use.  Another bennie,  if mom works outside the home, she can pack too!  A great habit to share with your child early on.

Bento Lunchboxes

This is the Flower Bento Lunchbox I used when I worked outside the home.

Choose Your Lunchbox:
I highly recommend Laptop Lunches because they are safe, eco-freindly, being made from recycled contents.  The bento boxes also come in a fun assortment of colors and shapes, which will appeal to children.  The bento box holds little containers so food can be placed strategically to make a well-balanced meal.

Bento Box Organizing Containers

An assortment of plastic containers and lids in the Bento box makes eating healthy easy!

Alien Laptop Lunchbox

How could kids resist a fun lunchbox like this?


Add To Your LunchBox:

  • Safe cookie cutters to create a sandwich in a fun shape makes lunch time fun!
  • Pretty toothpicks holds finger sandwiches and other textured food together with ease.  Make sure to use kid-friendly plastic, reusable toothpicks when packing for your child!
  • Edible flowers.  Yes, there are a wide variety of flowers that can be eaten in a salad or on the side, such as the chrysanthemum, daisies, and a variety of blossoms.  I suggest, checking this list before adding flowers!
  • Always add a love note to your child’s box to let them know how much you love them.  I guarantee, they will return the favor!

Happy, Healthy Eating!

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic and her blog.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

The Damsel in the Attic: A Handmade Girl

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Just last week, amidst Earth Day and Easter, my own personal website, The Damsel in the Attic went live.  What started as a blog during a difficult time in my life has transformed into a beautiful website.  I’m proud to say that I’m supporting the green cause on my site, once again reinforcing my beliefs in an Eco-friendly world.  Here’s how I did it for my business!

Handmade:

Most of the clothing and accessories we sell are handmade by my family and I.  As artisans, much of the material that we use is created out of an assortment of recycled items.  When you hand make anything, your not using tons of machinery to create them therefore reducing your carbon footprint.  All a plus for our planet!

Here How You Can:

Try your hand at jewelry making, crochet, or hand sewing.  If your not the hand-eye coordinated type, try to make a point in visiting your local art festivals and Farmer’s Market to choose handmade items.

Stick Em' Barrette

Handmade anything not only uses less energy but your recycling, reusing, and renewing!

 

Vintage:

This one is simple.  Retro will not only make an outfit pop or aid you in a fashion worthy makeover, it will also use recycled results.  Breathing life into an old item is a great way to recycle.

Here’s How You Can:

If vintage isn’t your thing, you can also donate old clothing items to the Goodwill, have a yard sale, or you can even make a little money off like new clothing with places like Plato’s Closet, which will pay you for your old, designer digs.

Vintage Stick Em' Necklace

Recycle: Grab a Vintage look!

 

Girl Story In A Bag:
I wanted to create a bag that is personalized to your life story.  All of our bags are either created out of your old bag or out of a new bag with recycled materials.  The inside of the bag comes with inserts that are interchangeable.  The inserts are magnetized and are covered with 100% organic or recycled scrapbook fabric and plastic.  The little pockets that are sewn in are hand-sewn individually.  Everything is handmade right down to the love letter wallets. Check it out, Earth lovers!

Here’s How You Can:

Recycle your purse when you order.  It may cost you a little extra in shipping but its worth taking something old and making it brand new!  Also, e-mail all pictures to save on paper and postage.

Owl Story

Girl Story in a Bag = Handmade Goodies which are sustainable to our planet.

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic and her blog.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Making Rainbow Fruit Sticks

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Rainbow Fruit Sticks


Need a colourful, tasty, healthy item to bring to your next potluck or school event?!?  Try these easy to make Rainbow Fruit Sticks!  They are a huge hit at any event with kids of all ages.

All you need is a collection of colourful fruit and some skewers! I like to use: Raspberries, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Honeydew Melon and Blackberries to give the skewers a nice rainbow effect!

Rainbow Sticks

1. Wash your fruit and let dry a little so that they are easy to work with.
2. Arrange your fruit and skewer them in the same order.
3. Display your Rainbow Fruit Sticks on a platter and get ready for the compliments!

Happy Healthy Eating,
Kia

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

Happy Earth Day 2011!

Friday, April 22nd, 2011
Happy Earth Day!

Reuse, Recycle, Go Green!

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic or on her personal blog.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Hop Hop! Green Easter is Here!

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

What is Green Easter?  It is the opportunity to take one of your favorite holidays and turn it into something that aids in fueling the Earth with eco-friendliness!  Sounds green to me!  To polish up the offer even more, Earth day is only two days away so why not get started now?  Get your green on and let’s go!

Regina M. Lord's Free Downloadable Bunny Pic

Creative Kismet Free Downloadable artwork!

Click here to get it!

The Easter Egg Hunt.  Teaching your children to appreciate Earth and nature is part of the appeal towards getting them to join hands in the future.  A fun way to get kids involved is to set up an Easter egg hunt outdoors.  Most families already do this anyways so why not get creative?  Nocturnal animals come out at night so grab your flashlights for a p.m. egg hunt.  If your familiar with the animals hiding out in your own backyard, make it into a fun scavenger hunt as well.  Not a night owl?  Have the kiddies rise early on Sunday morning for a little fresh air on the water.  Take a kayak or canoe out to one of your favorite local haunts on the local river or ocean.  Once there, set up a fun hide and seek with the eggs. Last year, I took my daughters to an island favorite and we even saw a real Easter bunny!

Tip: If you opt to head out on the water Easter morning, you may be better off taking the plastic eggs because bugs usually inhabit the islands and backwoods and would go after your real eggs before the kids have a chance to discover their hiding place.  Be sure to remember where you hide them so that your not leaving anything behind that could harm an animal.

Recycle your Easter Basket.  In my last blog post I showed you how to renovate an Easter basket into an enchanting garden.  There are other uses too.  I asked my 9 year old daughter, Chloe, for tips on this very topic and the first thing she admonished is that the plastic ones could be used for a barbie doll pool!  I don’t typically buy the plastic ones but on the occasions when someone else in the family buys them, this is a great use instead of a great waste.  Great tip Chloe!  Another use is for decorative touches around the house, like holding washcloths, magazines, or even to carry cleaning supplies if large enough.

Sweet Treats.  As green moms we want our kids to eat healthy and its one of the main reasons co-founder, Corey Colwell Lipson, started Green Halloween.  If we don’t want our kids downing a bunch of sugar on Halloween then we certainly don’t want them doing it for Easter either.  After all, the Easter bunny does eat carrots, not candy!  If your looking for a sweet treat, try out one of our fabulous sponsors at Surf Sweets.  They offer an array of organically sweetened jelly beans and gummy candies.   If you want to sweeten the deal a little, go fondue style with either organic cheese, caramel, or Fair Trade melted chocolate that is dark and full of antioxidants.

It’s all about the eggs.  You can either choose to use the plastic eggs that can be reused every year or go with organic, cage-free eggs bought from your local farmer.  If you choose to go traditional by coloring your own eggs, look for kits that use natural dyes like Eco Eggs Natural Easter Egg Colouring Kit.  If your feeling creative, make your own natural dyes with grape juice, blueberries, beets and more.

Happy Green Easter!

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.