Cyber Monday is the new big thing in retail bargain shopping and a day you don’t want to miss.  In participation with this post-Black-Friday event, Nimli is practically giving away silk scarves just to earn you as a new customer.  Don’t worry, just because they’re only $1 doesn’t mean they are unethical.  The scarves are actually

Fair Trade and made with genuine silk…but Nimli is eating the cost of them in an attempt to win you over as a new eco-customer.  Who can pass a deal like that up?

Visit Nimli on Monday, November 30th to snatch up your $1 scarves and any other eco-holiday gifts you happen to fall in love with.

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Sure to get the message across while garnering a smile these fun soaps will make perfect eco-friendly stocking stuffers.

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The weather is getting colder, and we have a handmade holiday on our minds! Handmade gifts have heart, are better for the environment, and, if you opt to buy, it supports independent artists!

If you want to have a totally handmade holiday, now is the time to get started. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be posting about recycled gifts and giftwrap you can make yourself and great handmade finds for sale!

I just love ornaments! Not only do they look lovely on the tree, they make great little stocking stuffers. In this video, Kim Buchheit of Wildly Wooly shows us how to make acorn ornaments out of felted wool and real acorn caps! You could also use them as pendants, like in the photo above, by just stringing them onto a cord or some hemp and adding a simple clasp.

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Burning Torch has long been a pioneer in recycling clothing. Karyn has been buying up old cashmere sweaters, having them cleaned, sorted, cut up and re-sewn into new sweaters here in Los Angeles for many years. Over the years, she has expanded her recycled offerings to include army fatigues and even beaded antique gowns, to great effect. She also has some organic cotton pieces. One might think I’m biased because I occasionally freelance for her, but I freelance only for the designers whose clothes I want to wear. Those employee discounts can go a long way.

Your Daily Thread, a blog focused on the greener side of LA, recently profiled Karyn here.

The details of the sale are as follows:

Luxurious cashmere!
Beautiful leathers, silks and knits!
Stock up for the Holidays!

Friday, November 20, 10 am to 7 pm
Saturday, November 21, 10 am to 3 pm
1738 Cordova Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Exit 10 Fwy. at Vermont. North on Vermont. Left on Cordova.
Additional parking lot located just east of us, signs will direct you.

Every person who brings a donation for our holiday food drive will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win an amazing Burning Torch gift basket overflowing with goodies!

Any non-perishable goods or unopened personal care items are accepted.
Benefiting the LA Regional Food Bank.

Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and cash only

Save endangered species in style together with WWF’s Holiday Gift Center.

“Make a donation to support WWF’s worldwide conservation efforts and select a special WWF themed thank-you gift.” too!

Now WWF offers stylish jute bags, pajama pants, large recycled and reusable totes, boxers, hats, reusable cups, pet items and stocking stuffers galore.

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Rebekah Green has eco-elegant studs, leverback drops, dangling leverbacks, hoops, chandeliers, and even children’s earrings all made from 100% recycled 14K and 18K gold, along with fair trade gemstones and cubic zirconia.

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Neroli Rose

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The Dazzle Dry formula is also Vegan and Non-Toxic.

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You may be wondering what chocolate has to do with beauty and fashion. It’s simple: Even the most gorgeous makeover and hottest fashion-forward ensemble won’t look right if you’re all frowny. You’ll also get those pesky little lines between your eyebrows. So what better to turn that frown upside down than an adorable little tin jam packed with adorable, dark chocolate-covered cacao niblets?!

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That’s why lip balms make great gifts.

Stick some eco-friendly lip balms in some one’s stocking this year.

Several companies offer delightful organic lip balms in numerous lip smacking flavors that will leave lips soft, smooth, and totally kissable.

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While I’ve yet to be convinced that National Sandwich Day wasn’t created to sell more sliced bread, the holiday is still a good excuse to make a sandwich for dinner tonight - or any night for that matter. Sandwiches can be much more than your basic peanut butter and jelly. When done right, a sandwich can be a simple, healthy, and elegant meal.

Here are my top sandwich choices from the Eat.Drink.Better archive:

• Meatless Monday: 8 Meat-Free Sandwich Ideas

• Meatless Monday: Berry Compote, Tofu Pesto Sandwiches, and Pasta With Chickpeas

• A Beefy (yet Beefless) Burger with Black Beans

For more ideas, visit:

• Smitten Kitchen’s Sandwich Archive

• Sandwiches, from Vietnam to South Carolina

• Scanwiches

To test your sandwich knowledge, take this quiz.

(Image courtesy of andso at flickr under a Creative Commons license)

But I have been keeping an eye out for great eco-friendly products that are reasonably priced (like $25 and under) that would make great gifts and stocking stuffers.

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The Dark Chocolate Orange lip balm by Kokokahn has to be one of the best tasting lip balms I have ever used. At one time I never would have believed that orange and chocolate was a tasty flavor combination but since trying it, it’s almost up there with chocolate and raspberry which is my most favorite flavor combo.

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I’m a bad daughter, as I haven’t gotten anything for my mother this year for Mother’s Day. The truth is I hate buying gifts, and I don’t have time to make anything. Of course, I have turned the responsibility over to my children to honor grandmother, but I did send her this video, which of course I had to watch first making myself Mother of the Year (on the same evening my daughter told me I was “extremely mean” for asking her to do her homework).

Mother’s Day originally began as a day of peace; it is not a Hallmark holiday.  MomsRising, an organization devoted “working to bring together millions of people who share a common concern about the need to build a more family-friendly America”, has created personal videos for Mother’s Day.  According to MomsRising, Americans will spend $16 billion this year on Mother’s Day celebrations!  That’s a lot of money to show Mom we care, and even though I have sent my mom her special video, I will probably still buy her some Dr. Hauschka.

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Are you looking for wonderful green gifts for your eco-mama? Here are some little eco-luxuries that will make great green gifts for the woman on your Mother’s Day list this year.

Green Candlelight

Many women adore candles yet most traditional candles are made with petroleum by products, toxic fragrances and lead laden wicks.

Good news! There are now many eco-candles available so you can feed her candle addiction with candles made from soy wax, beeswax or even vegetable based paraffins, those are all green options. So give your green mama an eco candle this year.

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1. the cost is often a fraction of the shop price,
2. the ingredients tend to be simpler and you know exactly what they are,
3. you can tailor the product to meet the needs of your own skin.

Making your own body products

At this time of year, most women are starting to think bikini. If you want soft, supple skin with a glow, why not make your own body scrub? A basic scrub is really simple to make and you can give it a fragrance that you design yourself, to harmonise with your lifestyle and preferences.

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Psi Bands (pronounced sigh bands) are acupressure bands that can help relieve nausea by putting pressure on the Nei-kuan pressure point on the wrist which will alleviate the symptoms of nausea-without drugs.

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Roses are Red . . .
Are those roses fair trade? How far did they travel? Are they grown organically, sustainably responsibly? If you don’t have a honey to send you flowers (or are unlikely to get them from your own honey), send yourself your favorite flowers!
                  Buy ‘green’ roses from Colombian Florverde growers (not local, but for a good cause).

Skip the Card . . .
Can we get creative electronically? Or write love poems on our bodies or something? Lots of ways to send the message w/out killing trees. If you don’t have anyone to send a love message to, take some time to imagine you are your own lover and send yourself a wonderful love note and appreciate who you are!
                  Care2 has some great FREE eCards that also help highlight important causes

Keep it Local . . .