A long time ago I worked for a furniture store. One day they were clearing out all the sample fabric swatches and books that had been discontinued. And what were they going to do with it all?

Toss it in the dumpster. Stacks and stacks of rich, fancy, and fabulous pieces of fabric. All to the trash. I just couldn’t let it happen.

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You might be pleasantly surprised.  From small-business WAHM handmade slings, to big-name brands, there is a wide selection of organic baby carriers out there to choose from.  Whatever style of carrier you prefer, organic options in natural colour-grown fabrics and vivid naturally-dyed colours abound.

Here is just a partial list, to help get your search started.

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Lavender is one of my favorite herbs, and the silk sachet created by Elena K is beautiful. It smells wonderful, and beaded adornment is really nice.  As my daughter says, “It smells goodie!”

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Flowers are a traditional fall back gift for mom, but this year consider a handmade floral-inspired gift that will last a bit longer.  Here are my top picks for eco-friendly Mother’s Day gifts.  All of the gifts in this roundup are floral-inspired and made from natural and sustainable materials.

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The billboard was created using 2,000 (!) reclaimed plastic bags that were woven together to make the billboard, which measures over 120 feet in length. Nedbank employed seven crafters to create the billboard, taking them about six weeks to complete the project, making this a huge handmade project.

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With Easter coming, we have baskets to fill and my first thought was of Kate and her wonderful shop.  So hop on over to Stubby Pencil Studio and order up some of these fabulous eco friendly art supplies and toys (If you are in the Portland area, you can arrange pick up).  You’ll feel good knowing that your children are getting safe, sustainable products and our Earth will breathe a bit easier as well.

Start with your choice of basket or packaging (Stubby Pencil offers two basket options this year and also carries Envirosax).  If you already own baskets (or buckets, bins and bags) reuse those of course.  If not, opt for a container that can get lots of reuse (and you know your world best, so pick: a galvanized metal bucket, a cloth shopping bag, a wicker basket, a hat turned upside down, a kid sized wheel barrow, etc…

Some of our favorite basket filers:

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Andrea, the creative woman behind Kits and Caboodles uses a variety of paper sources to make her eco embellishments and other craft goods.  She is a huge supporter of reduce, reuse, and recycle.  Her creative product packiging made from found and repurposed materials is just the start.

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Take this adorable onesie from BurdyFlyAway. It’s hand-dyed, organic cotton, appliqued with ecospun felt (made from recycled plastic bottles) and says, “i heart trees”. Each item is unique, truly a one of a kind because of the hand dyeing process and applique technique. (Not every item is organic cotton, so choose wisely.)

BurdyFlyAway also makes fabulous t-shirt dresses for Mama… they aren’t organic cotton but otherwise the process is the same.

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Kids like straws, and it is actually good for their oral motor development and speech articulation to use them.  As a green parent, I hate plastic straws.

They can’t be recycled, they are used one time, and they are a waste of resources.  I have purchased the thicker plastic kind before and attempted to wash them, but it is impossible to get them entirely clean.  I can only imagine what germs you would see if you cut one open and put it under a microscope!  Plastic straws can’t go in the dishwasher, or they melt or release toxic chemicals, and who knows about BPA in straws?  I have finely found the eco-alternative to the plastic straw:   GLASS!

Glass Dharma’s David Leonhardt’s mission is to “Save the Planet – 1 straw at a time”.

Here are five reasons why you should switch from plastic straws to glass ones:

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When Tamre Sutphen’s son was born, the microfiber/polyester blanket gifts from friends and family caused him to break out in a rash.   So was born Sutphen’s SHI SHU BABY, her line of baby blankets made from natural fibers bamboo and cotton.

“When I started researching alternative fabrics/fibers, I discovered bamboo and fell in love with its qualities,” says designer Sutphen. “Bamboo is antibacterial, soft as silk, keeps you cool in the summer, keeps you warm in the winter and most importantly…BREATHES.”

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Ahem. Um…I really like Craftster?

In my own challenges to work only within the boundaries of my ethical beliefs (I really do follow my green crafting manifesto), I find Craftster to be one of my best guides. Crafting from primarily recycled materials doesn’t often make working to a pattern or specific tutorial easy, but Craftster, with its indie spirit and overarching environmental ethic, provides a lot of both abstract and direct inspiration.

Here are some of my favorite of their projects, all utilizing primarily recycled components:

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Yeah.

So you may not be surprised that while my Papa watches Fox News all day, I putter. This is where I found the million of Christmas cards from people we’re not even related to anymore and got permission to upcycle them into gift tags. One time I found a bunch of my Mama’s really old resin record albums and ripped them all to my computer. I dug around in the attic until I found all my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls and Transformers and He-Man guys (remember this dude? He’s my favorite).

And then, a couple of days ago, I found the quilts.

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When my babies looked in their felted wool stockings on Christmas morning, among the assorted wonders they found crocheted play food and handmade matching beaded bracelets—made not by me, because I don’t crochet or bead, but by my Christmas in July Stashbuster Swap partner.

Do you swap? You oughta.

A swap is a theme-based exchange of handmade goods between crafters. You sign up, get assigned a partner, learn a little about each other, then both do your best to craft things to send that your partner will really like and that will fit the theme of the swap.

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“Our Touch the Sky card is lovingly handcrafted in Rwanda by young people who have been orphaned by genocide or disease. All the paper is handmade from local Rwandan office waste, making it environmentally sustainable, too.”

Cards for Africa exists to:

• improve the quality of life for orphaned youth in Rwanda.
• represent a diverse partnership of designers from both Rwanda and around the world.
• promote fair trade principles.
• support like-minded partners who believe in the future of Rwanda.
• turn waste into art.
• recycle Rwandan scrap paper that would otherwise be burned.
• work with like-minded partners who believe in the future of Rwanda.
• support sustainable development in Rwanda.

“Why Rwanda? Rwanda is full of potential, but 10 percent of the population has been orphaned by disease and the 1994 genocide.”

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In response to the pending act, parents, small business owners, and online websites have joined together as a means to have their voices heard and encourage government officials to make changes to the act before it puts so many folks out of business.

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