Green Options

I have long been a fan of EO (Essential Oil) products.  I discovered EO when I was searching Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database Skin Deep for products that would not irritate my son’s sensitive skin.  EO was the answer, as they never use irritating sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates, and I quickly adopted the products into my preschool classroom, as well.

One of my favorite parts of blogging is when artisans contact us to review their products. I love discovering handmade gems I might not discover otherwise.  One such recent discovery is recycled glass jewelry and lavender sachets by Elena K. called Grace and Jewelry.

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!”

Ready for a skin smoothing, luxuriously scented treat for warm weather skin?  Then it must be Suzanne aux bains Nourishing Body Millk ($30).  Lightly scented with Chamomile, Lavender and Incense essential oils, this creamy-dreamy body lotion is a sweet little indulgence for the skin.

The first time I used Suzanne aux bains Nourishing Body Milk I really didn’t put much thought into it, until later that is.  I  received a sample sachet and quickly applied some of the lotion to my arms and shoulders on the way out the door.  Later, as I was getting ready for bed, I couldn’t help but notice how soft and smooth my arms were, and had to think back to even remember what I had put on them.  Well, needless to say, I purchased a tube the very next day.

In drier winter months a body cream or butter provides us with a thicker, richer form of hydration for the skin.  In warmer seasons we need to switch to something lighter and more regenerative.  Suzanne aux bains uses Jojoba oil for deeply penetrating hydration and Lavender honey to gently exfoliate the skin.

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly place for Valentine’s Day gifts, check out Organica Deluxe.

The online eco-boutique offers eco-conscious minded consumers gift options for every occasion: Baby, Wedding & Anniversary, Birthday, Thinking of You, Get-Away, Thank You, House Warming, Holiday and more.

“We created Organica Deluxe because we wanted a beautiful place to buy eco-friendly and organic for ourselves and our friends,” say owners Wendy James and Jane Hunter.

“We recognized that organic companies often miss the gorgeous and ever miss the green when creating packaging.”

One sweet eco-friendly gift from Organica Deluxe is their BABY LOVE gift set.  “This delightful assortment of organic goodies is filled with softness and love for baby’s sensitive skin,” says Organica Deluxe.

I am simply swooning over these Lavender truffles created by Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates, a company with a goal to produce the highest quality gourmet fair trade and organic chocolates.

Their cocoa is almost all grown on small family farms. Sjaak staes:

• 70% world’s supply comes from West Africa
• abusive and child labor is being eliminated on the farms
• Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon are countries that have the most family farms
• Sustainable cocoa farming that combines good farming methods with good economic practices is increasing…
• Biodiversity is common by planting shade trees that also provide useful products for the farmer

I thought lavender infused

“In Fiore is Italian for In Bloom…”

Founded in 1999, In Fiore was created out of a desire to recreate the wisdom and traditions of couture European Apothecaries. The founder currently studies in a new program that will merge homeopathy and energy medicine into the blooming In Fiore lines.

Right now, I am longing to try is this VITALE Toning Floral Essence:

In Fiore Vitale is “an aloe-based toning essence with fourteen herbal infusions including chamomile flowers and nettles, and essential oils of cypress, rose, and myrrh that revitalize and

Having been inspired by one of my favorite gardening books to leaf through on a regular basis, The Curious Gardner’s Alamanac: Centuries of Practical Garden Wisdom, by Niall Edworthy, I decided to use my 4th of July party guests as guinea pigs. It is kind of fun experimenting on unsuspecting guests . . .

Of course, this was one of the great hits of the party and I did NOT make enough. I had to keep a secret stash so that late comers could at least give it a taste!

Mr. Edworthy offered a very simple recipe for lavender infused lemonade that I couldn’t resist. I put two and two together and realized I had plenty of lavender in the garden just ripe and ready for this sweet, cool, summer drink.

Here’s what I did (pretty much straight from Mr. Edworthy’s book - it worked very well):

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden. 

“Hot. So very hot.”  These words, or some variation of them, echo through my head at least a dozen times a day now that summer is officially here.  Interspersed among them are a sundry of other fleeting thoughts, most prevalent among them being, “Is it lunchtime yet?”   You see, laboring as I do outside so much of the day in my horticulture work, I tend to quickly get a little parched and hungry.  Concocting refreshing icy beverages has become a priority.

This desperation for refreshment brings us to a truly revitalizing Lavender Lemon Soda that is the ideal remedy for a sweaty brow.  It is downright cleansing with its effervescent flavors. I have been intrigued by herbal sodas since last summer when I had one at a local café, but I surprised even myself with how tasty this particular combination turned out to be.  

If you have pets in your house or an older carpet (such as in a dorm or apartment), your flooring may need freshening and deodorizing. Although there are many natural carpet fresheners available in health food stores, it is much simpler and cheaper to make your own. You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen.

To make your own carpet deodorizer, combine one cup of baking soda with 1/2-cup cornstarch.

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