Mindful Momma

Think Baby - For Babies And Beyond (P.S. It's a Giveaway!!)

When I was offered to review a feeding set from Think Baby I almost passed because, well, I don't have a baby anymore. Thing is though, this product is not just for babies.  It is an extremely useful set that can be used for kids of any age and is just as useful for food storage as it is for feeding, extending it's life far beyond babyhood.  I'm a big fan of products with multiple uses so I decided to accept a sample.

What do you get when you buy a Think Baby feeding set?  You get 2 bowls with lids, a bento box, a drinking cup and a fork and spoon.  But you really get much more than that.  The lidded bowls are great for storing food - and not just baby food.  I've got homemade almond butter in one of mine right now.  The bento box was the perfect size for a sandwich in my son's lunch box (until he lost it at camp - so sad.)  The cup is one of my 5 year old's favorites. The only thing we aren't still using are the utensils.  How could it be improved?  A sippy cup lid for the cup would mean the cup could be used on-the-go as well as at the table. 

The other thing you get when you use Think Baby is peace of mind. All of the products are free of yucky chems that you just don't want mingling with your child's food:  BPA, PVC, lead, phthalates and nitrosamines.  The products are also made without melamine, a material commonly used in children's feeding sets but that has been out of favor lately.  Instead the pieces are made with durable polypropylene (one of the safer plastics) and lined with food grade stainless steel.

How would you like to try one out for yourself?  Think Baby is giving away a feeding set to one Mindful Momma reader.  Just leave a comment on this post with the reason why you would like to try Think Baby.  The contest will run through midnight, central time on Tuesday, November 10th (only one entry per person and you must have a US shipping address.)

{Full Disclosure:  I received a feeding set from Think Baby at no cost.  This review is based on my own personal opinion of the product.}

Mindful Momma Giveaway: Organic Cotton Fabric from Baby Bird Design

If I were doing a room for a new baby I would want to decorate in a way that was cute but still sophisticated.  I'm not an over-the-top cute kind of person - my tastes run clean and modern - but for a baby it has to be a little bit cute, don't you think?  That must be why I like the organic fabric designs from Baby Bird Design so much.  It's just the right blend of sweet, modern...and sustainable!

That's another reason why I'm digging Baby Bird Design - the fabric is printed on 100% organic cotton.  Plus it has been certified by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), a well-respected standard with strict requirements for an environmental and socially responsible manufacturing processes.  Better for baby and for the planet!

Emily from Baby Bird Design is super passionate about designing fabric.  She is a self-taught artist, which I think is so cool.  She decided to create organic fabric designs for kids because there wasn't much out there to choose from and she knew there would be interest. 

Would you like a chance to create something beautiful with this lovely fabric?  Visit Baby Bird Design on Etsy and let me know your favorite fabric design.  One lucky reader will win a yard of organic cotton fabric of their choice!!  The contest will run through midnight, central time on Thursday, November 5th (only one entry per person and you must have a U.S. shipping address.) Good luck!

Green Discoveries....for Kids

Sock Bats - It's not too late for you to make these spooky sock bats for Halloween.  And who doesn't have a few leftover black socks laying around, just waiting to be re-purposed? (discovered via Ohdeehoh)

Upcycled Sweater Skirt - Julie from Crafting a Green World posted this tutorial for making a child's skirt out of a recycled, adult-sized sweater.  Grab an old sweater straight from the thrift box (no need to felt it) and whip up a simple, elastic-waisted skirt quicker than it takes to go buy one at the store.

Eco-friendly Art Supplies - Clemantine Art not only makes non-toxic art supplies with a smaller environmental footprint than conventional art supplies, they make them in a beautiful way.  The packaging alone is enough to make me want to buy them.  Now I haven't actually had the opportunity to try these products yet, but I'm thinking the natural soy crayons, modeling dough, paint, markers and glue all look like good stocking stuffers to me!  (discovered via Crafting a Green World)

Green Discoveries

There are so many cool, creative green things popping up all the time.  It's hard to keep tabs on them all.  I'm going to try my hand at a weekly (or maybe that's too ambitious, how about bi-weekly?) feature of my green discoveries. 

This week's list is particularly crafty...

Green Craft Magazine - Whoa!  Now this is a cool magazine! Actually, it's much more than a magazine.  It's full of inspirational, eco-friendly project ideas that will get your creative juices flowing for sure.  And you certainly won't be throwing it away at the end of the month - it's a keeper! 

Maya*Made- Was I ever thrilled to discover this sweet blog by a talented crafter named Maya who has a penchant for eco and nature-inspired crafts.  Did you know that coffee grounds keep pins from rusting?  I sure didn't.  So Maya makes pin cushions from salvaged coffee bean sacks and fills them with her used coffee grounds.  I'm itching to make one! 

Reclaimed Threads- Check out this Etsy shop selling handmade trick-or-treat bags designed from salvaged pillow cases.  What young child wouldn't love carrying this around on Halloween?!! 

Sewing Green - Inspired Creations from Repurposed and Organic Materials

It just figures that Betz White's latest book Sewing Green would come out at a time when I have very little time to spend on sewing.  All my precious time has been spent getting ready for the launch of my own book, Practically Green and my sewing machine has been sadly neglected.  Still, I ordered her book the minute it was available on Amazon, and it has been sitting on my desk tempting me ever since.  Today I picked it up and gave it a good cover to cover look-see and my mind is now spinning with things that I just have to make!

The projects that intrigue me the most are the ones that use old bed linens as fabric.  Like the Easy, Breezy Skirt made from a pillowcase:

 

the Easy, Breezy Girls Sundress (also from a pillowcase):

 

and the Take It Easy Lounge Pantsmade from a bed-sheet.

There's so much more in this book - you really have to see it to believe it!  Each and every project is gorgeous and some of them are quite unique.  Like this Tyvek Tote, made from repurposed Tyvek envelopes.  Isn't it amazing?!!

As for me, I'll be heading to my local thrift store in search of cool bed linens and dusting off my sewing machine! 

photo credits:  John Gruen and Betz White 

Bento Box Love

Packing a lunch is so much more fun in a bento.  And these whimsical bento boxes by Japanese designer Shinzi Katoh really rank up there on the cute factor!  I found them via Cool Mom Picks and they are available on a sweet little site called My Sweet Muffin.  Choose the size that's right for you...

The single lunch box:

The double-deck lunch box:

 

or these cute little snack boxes:

 

Adopt-a-River Trash Sculpture

Each year for the Minnesota State Fair, the DNR commissions an artist to create a sculpture from trash picked up through their Adopt-a-River program.  All year long, volunteers collect trash found along the shorelines of Minnesota's rivers.  Between 1989 and 2007, over 5 million pounds of rubbish have been removed.  Sad but true.

Mindful Momma Giveaway: $50 Wedge Worldwide Gift Certificate

Crazy traffic, high gas prices, annoying crowds, inconvenient hours....I'm telling you, internet shopping sounds better and better all the time.  If eco-friendly and fair trade is your thing, then Wedge Worldwide might be just the place you want to shop in the middle of the night or whenever the urge strikes you. 

This awesome online store carries a great selection of earth and people friendly products for home, garden and body...and it just happens to be owned by my local co-op, The Wedge!  What stands out about the shopping experience at Wedge Worldwide is that each product is accompanied by icons that give you the scoop on the environmental and social status of the product.  Here are just a few examples:

This product has less of an environmental impact than many of its commonplace counterparts.

The vendor that we purchase this product from is a registered member of the Fair Trade Federation.

This product is made from organically grown material.

This product is made from recycled materials.

 

So, how would you like to give shopping at Wedge Worldwide a whirl?  One Mindful Momma reader will get 50 bucks to spend whenever they want, on whatever they want, while wearing whatever they want.  All you have to do to be in the running is to take a peek at the Wedge Worldwide website and tell me what cool eco-friendly products you'd pick if you won.  The giveaway will run through midnight central time on Wednesday, September 9th.  (only one entry per person and you must have a U.S. shipping address)

Now if it were me with a $50 credit at Wedge Worldwide, I'd be looking at buying this cool hemp bag

   

or a Laptop Lunch bento box

or maybe some Fair Trade, vegan sneakers!

What would you buy?

The lucky winner is Carole Penner who said she would probably go for some bamboo clothing.  Enjoy your eco-friendly shopping spree Carole!

Camp Crafts

My son came home with this from camp yesterday....a catching game made from a plastic bottle with a bit of tin-foil for a ball. 

 

Which reminds me - if you're looking for some harmless entertainment - it's a great time of year to make a plastic bottle bubble-maker!!

 

Do you have any other plastic bottle craft ideas?  Please share!

Make It Green - DIY Links You'll Love

So many ideas, so little time.  There's no way I'll be able to try them all, but honestly, looking is half the fun!

This paddle boat made from an empty plastic bottle looks easy and super fun for the kids.  I'm guessing that the paddle part is made from styrofoam...a good use for something totally non-recyclable and it looks like the sticks on the sides are old chopsticks! {via Luckybeans}

Here's a quickie tutorial for how to make a lavender/flax filled dryer ball out of an old sock.  It will leave your clothes smelling fresh & clean without all the nasty ingredients found in conventional dryer sheets. {via EcoEtsy}

I might make one of these cereal box wallet/business card holders to take with me to Blogher (yes - I'm going this year - for the first time ever!) {via Replayground} 

This I've got to try.  Take your scissors to an old long sleeved tee that you just don't wear anymore and turn it into the perfect 3/4 sleeved cardigan for summer.  No sewing necessary! {via angry chicken}

I'll probably never get around to doing this...but maybe you will!  A men's dress shirt refashioned into a peasant blouse.  {My Momma Made It via Whip Up}

And if crafting's not your thing, maybe you like to cook?  Check out this 'recipe' for baking chocolate chip cookies on your dashboard...for real! {Baking Bites via Lifehacker via Treehugger}