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12/23/2020 0 Comments The Wrapping Paper DilemmaEvery year I have a love/hate relationship with wrapping presents. We procrastinate and my husband seems to slink away every time it's “wrapping time”. Most times I end up staying up way too late and wrapping presents in a dark quiet house...by that point it’s quite zen. I have always felt that making and creating is a great way to quell anxiety, and anxiety is abundant in a normal holiday season, let alone this year… I usually try to go an eco friendly wrapping route since wrapping paper cannot be recycled (yikes). We usually do either brown paper bags that we have accumulated throughout the year or reusable bags. But this year I decided to do something a bit different. Ruby goes to a WONDERFUL little preschool and they send her home with copious amounts of artwork. We love our little artist’s masterpieces, but you really can’t keep them all...especially if they are quite large in size. I started thinking about what we could do with all of her paintings. I approached Ruby and asked her if we could turn her artwork into something REALLY special. So this year, our wrapping paper is unique, one of a kind work. Determined to not wait until the very last minute this year we started wrapping earlier. We found that we ran out of Ruby’s paper so we got the cousins together (we are all covid tested and quarantined together) and we made more. It was a magical bonding experience that had 4 of the 5 kids engaged ( ages 2.5-8 years old). We then made watercolor tags to go along with our homemade paper. I loved having all my little elves working with me, and it really reminded me of my years teaching in the classroom. When it came time to wrap, my husband begrudgingly helped me wrap the gifts and I think he even might have enjoyed it a little. We topped them off with the dried oranges and ornaments from our earlier crafts (read about that in this blog post.) I love how they turned out, in all of their quirkiness. Although this year our paper cannot be recycled-painted paper can negatively affect the quality of the other recycled paper... We were able to give our kid’s artwork a second life, because we all know many art pieces from preschool end up in the garbage can ( I promise I save some of it!!) We also created memories by turning it into an activity for the cousins. I imagine that our gift recipients will enjoy the paper and it hopefully will spark joy for them in an otherwise weird holiday season.
Happy Holidays
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12/14/2020 0 Comments About Beautycounter I want to take the time to introduce BEAUTYCOUNTER. Whether you are new or not to Beautycounter, I would love for you to read this post and look into this company more. The personal care product industry is unbelievably under-regulated and so, unfortunately, it’s up to us to check our products to be sure they’re safe. As the leaders in clean, Beautycounter competes with any other company in the beauty industry and has won many awards such as including Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, Allure's Best of Beauty, Glamour's Beauty Awards, Refinery29's Innovators List, the NewBeauty Awards, WWD's 2019 Best-Performing Beauty Company (small cap), and the CEW's 2019 Indie Brand of the Year. One of the main reasons I feel so passionate about this company is its dedication to advocacy... Beautycounter is a Certified B Corporation, and part of a global movement of brands using business as a force for positive change. Beautycounter invests in a cleaner future by partnering with leading scientists in the search for safer ingredients that will make up the better products for tomorrow. Beautycounter ethically sources their mica, vanilla and palm oil and is constantly striving to create more environmentally friendly packaging and practices within the business. From advocating in Congress for tighter regulations for skincare products, to donating over 3.6 million dollars to organizations like the Environmental Working Group, Black Women for Wellness, Stand up to Cancer and many more, this company strives to make a positive impact. Beautycounter's Sustainablity Goals
12/13/2020 0 Comments The Courage to BeginAlright… I did a thing. I feel really vulnerable coming on the internet and “shouting it from the rooftops...” Because honestly I’ve been afraid of what some people might think.
But I have come to the conclusion that I want to live an authentic life...and thanks to Glennon Doyleand Brené Brown I know that vulnerability is really a superpower and what the world really needs is more women being unapologetically themselves. So here I am, putting myself out there. I recently became a Beautycounter consultant. Beauautycounter is a Certified B Corporation (businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.) Beautycounter’s mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone....Formulate, advocate, & educate—all while providing incredible and effective products. There are 1,800 ingredients that they never put in their formulations—The Never List™— the more I learn about the stuff in skincare and make up the more shocked I am! Beautycounter cares about ethical and sustainable sourcing of their ingredients. Beautycounter is constantly striving to minimize environmental impacts of the products, packaging, and footprint of the company. Back when I became pregnant with my first child was the first time I really started thinking about what was in the products I was putting onto my skin. As a mom of two now, I now more than ever care about it. That’s why it truly became a no-brainer for me to get involved with this company. I both really enjoy the quality of the products and also wholeheartedly believe in the company’s mission. Long story short… I want cleaner products for my family, for your family - for all of us. If you’re ever interested in learning more about clean and safe products, I’m your girl. Thank you for supporting me on this journey. Hey- Let’s normalize second hand.
It is that time of year where we are frantically trying to think of creative, thoughtful gifts for our loved ones. However, for many out there, money is tighter this year than usual. One way that you can be environmentally minded and budget conscious is to give second hand. This year I have been attempting to utilize Facebook Marketplace, my local Buy Nothing group on Facebook, as well as the Friends of the Library book store to source gifts for friends and family. If you’ve never heard of the Buy Nothing Project- it truly is something special. These private groups are located on Facebook. The group is a micro-local gift economy between real life neighbors in which you can post items to give away, lend, share, or even ask for. To join you must provide your cross streets to ensure “you give where you live”. It is a great way to strengthen our communities through gratitude and giving. There is no buying, selling or trading...simply gifting or asking. Your participation in the buy nothing community may be the the reason someone gets a Christmas or Hanukkah present this year. I scored some AWESOME Trolls for Ruby this year, and have gifted many toys and household items that we no longer have room for in our home. Also big shout out to the mom’s in my life that constantly are handing down toys, baby gear and clothes to my girls. And while we're at it, let's normalize regifting too ok? No shame in that game, as long as its thoughtful and well suited for that person! How do you utilize second hand? 12/13/2020 0 Comments Holiday Craft Round Up. If you follow mom bloggers on instagram then you know the pressure to be “crafty” is real. The truth is, I love crafting and some days are filled with making. And then there are some days when the baby is napping I put on my favorite covid-friendly babysitter for Ruby, AKA Daniel Tiger, so I can do laundry, clean up, take a shower or *GASP* have some time to myself! No shame in hitting up PBS kids so you can take a moment to recharge. For those days where you’re feeling crafty I wanted to post a round up of some easy holiday crafts that are very low prep. Stovetop Potpourri- My crafty gal pal Jane shared this one with me and it was the perfect craft to do with my 3.5 year old daughter. You need cranberries, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, and fresh rosemary. Combine ingredients in jars. Bam...instant gift. We brought them to our neighbors. Let your recipients know that they need to add water (and fresh oranges if they’d like) and simmer this on the stovetop for a cozy, hygge holiday aroma. Don't forget to make one for yourself! Salt Dough Ornaments- 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup cold water. That’s it. I put down parchment, rolled out the dough and we used cookie cutters to make ornaments. Then pressed a wild rice blend into them while they were still wet. Don't forget to poke a hole for the string! You can also wait for them to dry and paint them if you’d like! Dried Orange Garlands. Slice em, put em on a drying rack in and pop em in the oven at 220 for 2-3 hours. Turn 2-3 times and keep checking periodically. String em….voila you’re done!
And, if all else fails, do a Target pick up of a Gingerbread House kit. It comes with everything you need, and is always a sticky, splendid time. Enjoy your making! |
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