Monday, December 31, 2012
What a year!? 2012 has been an exciting
time for me in my personal and professional life and I absolutely
can't wait to experience all that 2013 has to offer!
Without a doubt, the best decision I made during the past 12 months was to start StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com – a small start-up that I hope to grow and improve in the new year and many years to come.
Without a doubt, the best decision I made during the past 12 months was to start StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com – a small start-up that I hope to grow and improve in the new year and many years to come.
From the bottom of my heart, I would
like to wish you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy 2013.
2013 Resolutions
It turns out businesses can have new
year's resolutions too. Here's a list of our goals for 2013:
- To continue to provide the conscientious consumer with access to fashionable, reasonably priced, eco-friendly textile products and home furnishings;
- To add to our network of small, eco-friendly & fair trade manufacturers in the USA & Canada;
- To explore new ways of reducing our carbon footprint;
- To be a leader in green business practices and to encourage healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle choices.
Spotlight on You!
Are you looking to go green in the new
year? If so, supporting local and sustainable businesses is a great
way to start. StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com is your one-stop online
shopping destination for fashionable organic clothing, sustainable
furniture, and home décor.
From eco-friendly baby shower gifts, to organic dog beds, to comfortable and stylish yoga wear, we've got something for everyone in your family. We are a small company with a big passion for the environment and healthy living and we would love nothing more than help you reach your eco-friendly goals for 2013.
From eco-friendly baby shower gifts, to organic dog beds, to comfortable and stylish yoga wear, we've got something for everyone in your family. We are a small company with a big passion for the environment and healthy living and we would love nothing more than help you reach your eco-friendly goals for 2013.
Thank You!
2012 was great and I owe a lot of that
to you! A big thank you for supporting StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com
in our first year! Here's hoping that your new year's resolutions
include taking time to care for yourself and recognizing the
wonderful person that you already are.
Happy new year!!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Do you ever wonder what kinds of
ingredients are going into the store bought food you eat? Even if you
read the labels who could understand half of what's included on the
packaging? One product in particular that continues to baffle me is
store bought white bread. Basically, if a loaf of bread can be left
out at room temperature for more than a few days without developing
mould then I start to ask questions.
I'm not keen on ingesting whatever
mysterious additives and preservatives are included in these products
so I decided to try my hand at homemade bread today. It seemed like
an appropriate activity for a lazy Sunday morning and now I have fresh baked bread!
The recipe below only requires a total
of 5 ingredients and can be made in less than an hour, including the
baking time (thanks to Food.com for the inspiration). Plus it's an
easy and cost effective way to get 100% organic whole wheat bread.
Try baking it with the kids one afternoon for a bit of family quality
time.
Here's what you'll need (makes one loaf):
- 3 cups of whole wheat flour (preferably organic)
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder (preferably organic)
- 1 teaspoon of fine ground sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
Here's how to make
it:
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder & salt) in a medium to large sized bowl.
- Mix the liquid ingredients (oil & water) in a measuring cup and add them to the dry ingredients.
- Stir together with a rubber spatula until there is no more dry flour mixture. Be careful not to overwork the dough (it should be moist but not sticky).
- Shape the dough into a ball or oval with oiled hands and place onto a clean baking sheet.
- With a sharp knife score an X onto the top of the loaf to prevent the crust from splitting and top with seasoning of choice (I used sea salt and oregano for one and oatmeal for the other).
- Bake for 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 400°F.
Variations:
For
a sweeter bread replace the water with fruit juice or add a
tablespoon of honey to the dough. You can get as creative as you want by adding chopped fruit, seeds or
even sun dried tomatoes to the mix.
The
end result is a flavourful and dense bread that goes great with homemade
jam or perhaps a bit of cheddar cheese. It's a bit crumblier than
store bought bread so make sure to cut the slices nice and thick. And
don't forget to remove your bread from the pan once it's out of the
oven otherwise it will keep on baking. Enjoy!
Are you into all things organic? Check out StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com for eco-friendly women's apparel, men's apparel, children's apparel, pet products, home furnishings & decor for the conscientious consumer.
Are you into all things organic? Check out StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com for eco-friendly women's apparel, men's apparel, children's apparel, pet products, home furnishings & decor for the conscientious consumer.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
This holiday season I've been thinking
a lot about ways to cut back on waste while continuing to take part
in the Christmas traditions that I've come to know and cherish. So
far I've come up with a few eco-friendly ideas that are easy and fun for the whole family to enjoy.
Here's my list up to date:
Here's my list up to date:
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Decorating
One of the best parts of the holidays,
in my opinion, is getting to enjoy all of the beautiful Christmas
decorations. In my household we've decided to stick with mostly
natural decor for an organic holiday motif, complimented by some of
the re-usable Christmas decorations we've acquired over the years
along with some DIY projects (see my homemade Christmas ornament in the
next section).
Aside from the Christmas tree (which
I'll get to shortly) my favourite decorations are the flowers we have
displayed around the house. Aren't these amaryllises gorgeous?
And who could deny the natural beauty
of these brilliant poinsettias? They come in other colours, of
course, but I love the red for this time of year.
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Christmas
Trees
As for the tree, I've always preferred
the real ones over the synthetic variety because they smell better
and because they're better for the environment. These days most
Christmas trees are grown on tree farms so there's no need to worry
about destroying forests for the love of a time-honoured tradition.
But if you've already got a synthetic tree then do your best to keep
it in good shape so it can be re-used for many holiday seasons
to come.
For next year I'm considering a potted
tree that can either be planted outside in the spring time or kept
inside year round and dressed up for the holidays.
Of course no Christmas tree is complete
without a few twinkle lights. So this year we've converted to LED
miniature lights. They come in a variety of colours just like regular kinds only they last longer and they use less energy.
Here's a homemade
Christmas ornament I made from a worn out make-up case along
with some other fabric scraps nestled in with our energy-efficient
Christmas lights.
The heart is a little lopsided, I know, but it's the thought that counts, right?
The heart is a little lopsided, I know, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping
We've cut back a lot on gift giving in
my family over recent years but when I do give presents I like to
make them extra special by getting creative with the wrapping. For
example, last week I wanted to give my significant other an early
Christmas present so I wrapped his gift in a beautiful Christmas
stocking that I picked up at a second hand store and stuffed the top
with re-used tissue paper.
Not only did it look festive but it was
actually cheaper than buying a reusable gift bag. And now he has his
very own Christmas stocking! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture
before I gave it to him but you'll have to trust me when I say that
it looked nice.
Re-using wrapping paper from previous
years is also a great way to cut back on waste and to save money. I
save all of my wrapping paper, gift bags, bows, and so on in a big
box in the basement for easy access and storage.
Ideas on Eco-Friendly Christmas
Cards
This year I sent greeting cards to my clients to thank them for supporting
StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com and to wish them a happy holiday
season.
Being a green focused business owner I
wanted to incorporate some element of eco-friendliness into my Christmas cards so I actually purchased them at Value Village (don't worry,
they're not second hand!). From what I understand Value Village sometimes receives overstock
from companies that are looking to make space for new inventory so I
was able to buy brand new Christmas cards for a fraction of the price
while saving them from a landfill.
If you're one of my clients then these should look familiar!
If you're one of my clients then these should look familiar!
I'm sure there are lots of eco-friendly
Christmas ideas that I missed so feel free to leave yours in the
comment section below. No matter how you choose to celebrate, I hope your holiday season is of to a great start!
P.S. If you want $10 off on your next
purchase of $70 or more from StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com use
discount code Thank You at
the checkout before December 31, 2012.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
If you're looking for good quality and
affordable floor covering options, bamboo may be the way to go.
Bamboo rugs are easy to clean and maintain, appropriate for both
modern and traditional decor, durable, and eco-friendly.
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The beautiful bamboo rugs that we have
in our collection are all courtesy of Anji Mountain, a family owned
business that specializes in the sustainable production of natural fiber rugs.
All of their bamboo rugs are made from Moso bamboo which is renowned for its supreme durability, and is sustainably harvested in its native habitat in the Anji Mountains of China.
All of their bamboo rugs are made from Moso bamboo which is renowned for its supreme durability, and is sustainably harvested in its native habitat in the Anji Mountains of China.
The bamboo is kiln-dried,
machine-planed, sanded until smooth, then finished with an
eco-friendly, non-skid rug pad backing which is ventilated and
provides excellent cushioning while extending the life of your rug.
Available in a range of colours and
sizes, these modern bamboo rugs add beauty and style to any space!
Below are the recommended care and
maintenance instructions from the manufacturer:
- Clean surface with a damp, clean cloth.
- Spot-clean borders with mild dish soap and water solution.
- Shake out to remove debris or vacuum. If you vacuum, a suction attachment is recommended; do not use a beater brush as it may scratch the surface.
- Plastic or felt casters are recommended for chair or furniture legs to protect against scratching and cracking of bamboo slats. A sharp, straight edge of a chair or furniture piece may crack the bamboo slat.
- Chair or furniture casters are not recommended for use on bamboo rugs.
- All fibers that are exposed to direct, prolonged sunlight will experience some degree of fading. Please rotate your rug regularly if it is in a sunny location.
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