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Roses are abundant this time of year, with many lucky ladies receiving gorgeous bouquets for Valentine’s Day.  Roses are loved for their beauty, scent and many can even be eaten.  This perfect posy is also a hard working ingredient when used in skin care and beauty products.

Rose hip oil is extracted from the seeds of the rose bush.  This vegetable oil contains retinol (Vitamin A) and is high in Vitamin C and omega-3 making it highly effective for diminishing signs of aging, reducing sun damage and softening the skin.  It is also used to treat dermatitis, acne and eczema.

Rose oil (rose otto or rose absolute) is the essential oil extracted from the petals of various types of roses and is commonly used in perfumes and other beauty products.

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Anything that you can cut a heart out of or paint a heart on, you can make into a Valentine.

Make your Valentine out of yarn. Or twine. Or twigs. Or hair. Or selvage. Or dried beans. Or dirt. Or ribbon. Or chain.

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I know it’s difficult being married to me. I won’t eat fast food, partially hydrogenated anything, red dye or any other Frankenfood. A box of chocolates will just send me into orbit because of the high fructose corn syrup and cut flowers leaves me cold.

I did make a few itsy, bitsy requests of you last week. But really, Valentine’s Day is like my Superbowl, and I’m getting all excited about it.

Darlin’ I want a dog. Yeah, I know, no dogs because puppies keep you up all night, pee all over the carpet and gnaw at the kids’ toys.

Guess what? I can totally fix that. I want Jimmy! Jimmy is potty trained and little (doesn’t eat much), he’ll occupy the right side of my lap (I’ve got one for the left), he doesn’t shed AND I doubt he has many teeth left.

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Planning a romantic day this Valentines? Yes? No? Well, just in case, here is our lovely green Valentine guide for the upcoming holiday:

1. Love Notes: Give your sweets a personalized note that you craft yourself or share the love with virtual notes like WWF E-cards and Nature Conservancy Valentine E-cards.
2. Blooms: Organic Bouquet has wonderful ways to give fresh flowers and help charity at the same time, and Local Harvest is  another favorite flower source of ours that always brings the freshness of the flower-farm into your home.

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   ]]> http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/10/our-feel-good-red-hot-sexy-and-sweet-green-valentine-guide/feed/ http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/09/it-will-make-her-blush-send-a-free-alima-valentine-to-a-friend/ http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/09/it-will-make-her-blush-send-a-free-alima-valentine-to-a-friend/#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:44:41 +0000 Stancie Wilson http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/09/it-will-make-her-blush-send-a-free-alima-valentine-to-a-friend/ Looking to pass a little love along to your best friend, sister or co-worker this Valentine’s Day?  Alima has a perfect plan – send a collection of certified natural Alima Pure samples to a friend (for free)! For the next week when you place your order, just leave a note in the comments box with your friend’s name and address. They’ll send her three free samples of Alima colors chosen just for the occasion, along with a gorgeous card wishing her a Happy Valentine’s Day. If you like, let them know whether she’d prefer their light collection, or deep collection (both are quite wearable, so you can’t go wrong).

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   ]]> http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/09/it-will-make-her-blush-send-a-free-alima-valentine-to-a-friend/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/08/share-the-love-on-valentines-day-adopt-an-animal/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/08/share-the-love-on-valentines-day-adopt-an-animal/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:16:52 +0000 Robin Elton http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/08/share-the-love-on-valentines-day-adopt-an-animal/ Embarrassingly, our family is still working our way through the piles of chocolate we received for Christmas, and cut flowers? I’m not a fan. 

   Instead, our family will opt to support wildlife this year for Valentine’s Day by symbolically adopting a wolf couple.

   If wolves aren’t your favorites, there are many other ways to protect animals and their habitats- there is certain to be a deserving organization that fits your family and your budget.

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   ]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/08/share-the-love-on-valentines-day-adopt-an-animal/feed/ http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/06/honey-for-you-and-your-honey/ http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/06/honey-for-you-and-your-honey/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:38:16 +0000 Liz Thompson http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/06/honey-for-you-and-your-honey/ Looking forward to a big box of organic chocolate on Valentine’s Day, or maybe a couple of heart shaped cookies?  Your sweet tooth may thank you but your skin tells a different tale.  That’s right, refined sugar can weaken collagen and put skin at risk for premature aging.

   It is not news that refined sugar and the yummy treats we make with it are bad for our bodies and our health.  They are empty calories that cause us to gain belly fat and send our blood sugar through the roof.  But they can be so very tempting, especially on a special occasion.

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   ]]> http://feelgoodstyle.com/2009/02/06/honey-for-you-and-your-honey/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/01/an-open-letter-to-my-husband-on/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/01/an-open-letter-to-my-husband-on/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:08:52 +0000 Jessica Gottlieb http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/01/an-open-letter-to-my-husband-on/ Thank you Darling,

   The last 13 years have been wonderful. I’ve had necklaces in champagne glasses, a proposal on Wesminster Bridge and gourmet dinners lovingly prepared when we lived on love (because we sure as heck weren’t living on money).

   This year Valentine’s Day will be on a Saturday. I think we all know what that means.

   This year Valentine’s Day is about all four of us being together. We’ll bake something pink and do a pomegrantine lemonade.

   But darlin’ you’ve still got to pony up with some gifts. Here’s what I’m demanding I’d really like.

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   ]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/01/an-open-letter-to-my-husband-on/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/23/top-10-green-valentines-day-gift-ideas/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/23/top-10-green-valentines-day-gift-ideas/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:48:30 +0000 Summer Minor http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/23/top-10-green-valentines-day-gift-ideas/

   Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, if you haven’t thought about what to give your sweetheart yet then it is time to get ready. On top of picking out the perfect gifts to give, you also have to consider just how green your Valentine’s Days gifts are. From chocolates to flowers there are environmentally friendly gift alternatives to help you add a little green to cupid’s arrow. Here are the top 5 green Valentine’s Day gift ideas for you to give.

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   ]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/23/top-10-green-valentines-day-gift-ideas/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/21/recycled-cards-for-all-occasions/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/21/recycled-cards-for-all-occasions/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:46:22 +0000 Jamie Ervin http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/21/recycled-cards-for-all-occasions/ I’ve mentioned before that we aren’t big into Valentine’s Day around this house.  That said, we aren’t fun killers either and our children do fully participate in the Valentine fun at school. (I’m the Mom signed up to bring a fruit tray to the party… any ideas on making a super fun fruit presentation, please share!)

   Recently I visited with Oregon’s own Kate Rosenthal, owner of Stubby Pencil Studios.   She started Stubby Pencil out with these amazingly adorable, DIY, Color N Kids Cards.  (Shown here with a set of Soy Crayons, 8 count for $1.00.)  The Valentine version of the cards come in a set of 12 for $7.95.  I adore that these cards come in a variety of images and sayings so there is something appropriate for everyone in class, a “love ya” for the BFF and a “cool dude” or “smile” for less close classmates.  I’m a firm believer in taking a Valentine for each child in the class (it’s part of our “love for all” family promotion).  

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   ]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/21/recycled-cards-for-all-occasions/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/15/valentines-day-do-it-fair-trade/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/15/valentines-day-do-it-fair-trade/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:25:03 +0000 Jamie Ervin http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/15/valentines-day-do-it-fair-trade/ Around the Polka Dot Household we don’t buy into the whole Valentine’s Day thing… I just can’t get beyond the consumerism. Besides my husband gives me flowers every couple of months for no reason at all… why wait for V-Day?

   That said, the kiddos do have Valentine’s celebrations at school and enjoy giving (and receiving) notes and sweet treats.

   Here’s a better way to do it! The Fair Trade Valentine’s Day Action Kit. This kit includes: A box of individually wrapped fair trade chocolates (your choice of dark or milk), a bundle of 12 Valentine Greetings which feature a train and the saying, “On Valentines Day there’s nothing so sweet…as giving loved Ones Fair Trade chocolate to eat ” and facts about cocoa. Also included in the kit is An Amore/Love Papel Picado banner (perfect for the classroom party!), and An I Love Fair Trade Iron On, compliments of Transfair USA. The kit comes packaged in a recycled (red) Kraft handled bag and runs $17.00. (Read more about Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Chocolate Campaign.)

   If you are looking for recycled cards, check out Stubby Pencil Studios DIY color cards. Here are some homecrafted ideas we’ve enjoyed in the past:

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   ]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/15/valentines-day-do-it-fair-trade/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/11/a-greener-valentines-day/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/11/a-greener-valentines-day/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:31:07 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/11/a-greener-valentines-day/ Sure you can buy your sweeties organic flowers or chocolate and have your children decorate Valentines made from recycled paper; however, in my family, we have another tradition. Every year for Valentine’s Day, we take the opportunity to buy a fruit tree or rose bush. What better way to express our love than to give a gift that may offset some of our carbon footprint?

   I love chocolate as much as the next guy/gal, but I am not a fan of cut flowers, even though I worked in flower shop in high school. Lavish bouquets purchased to celebrate holidays have spawned a thriving industry that heavily relies on pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. According to the Wise Geek:

   Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouse environments staffed by underpaid, non-unionized workers…Because cut flowers are grown in nations with more lax environmental laws, many banned substances including DDT and methyl-bromide are used in flower production…Some cut flowers may be shipped thousands of miles, adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at every step of the way.

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   ]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/11/a-greener-valentines-day/feed/ http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/02/04/have-a-green-valentines-day/ http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/02/04/have-a-green-valentines-day/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:00:51 +0000 Juliet Ames http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/02/04/have-a-green-valentines-day/ Valentine’s Day has become more of a headache then heartfelt for most. Poor men are inundated with commercials claiming that if they don’t go to a mall jewelry store, their lover’s family and friends will be completely disappointed in them. That little jewelry box must also be accompanied by chocolates, flowers and a card. And, don’t forget the reservations, guys! No wonder men are not much into this dreaded day. Is this really what women want? Here’s a suggestion for this year: avoid the commercialized, boring routine and have a green Valentine’s Day!

   No worries if you don’t know the first thing about making gifts - it is easier then ever to find cool, recycled, handmade gifts online. Online boutique Zanisa is a great place to find all sorts of recycled, organic and sustainable gifts like this necklace from designer Liana Kabel, made from recycled Tupperware! And of course, Etsy is the fantastic place to find original handmade gifts. Check out the daily Valentine’s Showcase for ideas.

   Even if you are not a crafter, this recycled heart project from A Little Hut, is totally achievable. All you need is a paper egg carton, some red paint, background card-stock and a box frame to create something that your lover won’t soon forget.

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