Eco-Chic Expo Blooms on May Day in Seattle

Extra! Extra! There's exciting news from Seattle’s sustainability community. This May 1^st marks the first Eco-Chic Expo: an interactive green lifestyle event at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center.

Co-founded by Satsuma Designs and two other eco-chic companies, Tread Light Gifts and mamaswap.com, the event is sure to be a great May Day full of tips, tricks and products to live a little greener the event.

Eco-Chic Expo is free to the public and will feature products, services and demos some of Seattle’s leading sustainable lifestyle companies from every part of life: design, home, fashion, food, baby, beauty, and more.

Come join us in May!

$20 or Less to a Great, Green Nursery: Pull One Over On 'Em

One way to sweeten or spice up any nursery decor is so simple, it gets over looked. I'm talking about drawer pulls or nobs on baby's dresser or toy chest. Now before you run to baby's room and start unscrewing those tired and scratched nobs to toss, scan your art supply bin for a few colors of craft paint (non toxic!) and grab sketch pad and pen(cil). Get ready to update your drawer pulls into a custom look just for your little bundle.

Consider spelling baby's name, giving life to your favorite pregnancy doodle or writing baby's first words on individual, updated nobs.

Or search the garage for some thick gauge rope/twine and turn baby's dresser into one fit for the high seas.

And if you want some more inspiration to brighten baby's abode, check out these ADORABLE hand-painted nobs from SweetMixCreations.

Photo courtesy of SweetMixCreations

Create and Eco-Luxe Nursery for $20 or Less

It's not much of a brainstorm, but I'm always thinking about ways to share some easy, yet savvy and affordable sustainable design ideas. At Satsuma Designs we create all natural gifts and gear for baby and home in organic materials. We focus on soft goods - bamboo baby bedding, organic cotton burp cloths, bamboo hats, onesies and more, but we know as well as any parent that cute bedding is NOTHING without a great bed to complement. Likewise a green nursery doesn't have to look like you appropriated garage overflow to baby's room.

With a few updates, each for less than $20, we'll help you create a one of a kind, superb looking nursery that will please even your toughest critic, baby, of course! So, stay tuned for this series that I hope you, dear reader, will enjoy and put to good use.

NEVER Sleep Train Again!

No more 'cry it out'. Want to know how? I thought so.

Bamboo Velour Crib Sheets, of course!

Satsuma Designs has just launched one our newest products for the eco-luxe enthusiast. We know it's a splurge, but this crib sheet, which fits all standard and deep crib mattresses with and without piddle pads is DURABLE, naturally antibacterial, CRAZY soft, absorbent (possibly a moot benefit now that tears are in the past), and easy to clean.

Sweet dreams!

Late last week I had the good fortune to participate in a panel discussion about sustainable textiles at the ITAA annual conference. The ITAA is the International Textile and Apparel Association. Its membership includes academics, administrators, researchers and other interested parties committed to outreach in textile and fashion eduction and industry.

On the panel I represented Satsuma Designs and small business using sustainable resources in a commercial application, O Ecotextiles was there to share incredible date on green textiles for interiors and the Sustainable Style Foundation (SSF) was in the house too. Rebecca Luke from SSF helped moderate the panel that touched on the entire life cycle of 'green' textiles. I came away really appreciating SSF's mantra that even a little green step, is a step in the right direction.

As they say at SSF "look fabulous, live well, do good". More on SSF to come!

Happy Life Through Pie

I discovered last night that pie making is an art, a science, easy and a total joy!

As one of two students at Kate McDermott's Art of the Pie class I learned the classic method for making probably the world's most excellent pie - according to my husband and many others. We floured, rolled, sprinkled, poured and cored our way to happy tummies. Kate's Heritage Organic Apple pie recipe combines a variety of seasonal apples that each has its own sugar and 'bite' profile, which makes each taste of the pie a discovery.

I need to check in with Kate on whether I can share her recipe to spiritual and emotional enlightenment. So stay tuned and eat up!

My pie and ticket to a dozen roses, or something nice above. Photo courtesy of Kate McDermott.

If the weather outside is frightful...

My favorite and greenest mode of transport is walking. I like it because I feel better for it, breathing fresh air makes me happy and I get to keep the car parked on the curb. But as a Seattleite I face the now almost daily drip, drip, shower, squall, drip of our overcast and soupy skies.

I thought it might be helpful to pull together a short checklist of Must Haves to keep you and the kiddos on your pegs (and in the stroller) in spite of inclement weather.

- Stroller hood - doesn't have to be a fancy rain guard, consider jury-rigging an old folding umbrella to the side of the stroller. You'll look thrifty and hip. Others will wonder if that's some great new, but retro mommy-gear. Check out Portland's Shedrain!

- Raincoat with hood or raincoat without hood and hip waterproof hat. And consider making your own up cycled rain slicker from old plastic bags. Found this wicked site that can help you do it - Craftzine.com.

- Boots - check out Hunter Wellies made of 100% recycled material. This pair benefits the earth! Try swapping for a pair on MamaSwap or other barter/consign site.

- All weather blanket for babes. check out Tuffo and WooBee all weather blankets from Rain or Shine Kids (love this company name!)

- To-go cup of Joe and you're ready to rock and roll!

C-U-LTR, Gotta Bounce!

Not a Cadillac, more like a tricked out Prius, is one way to describe Bloom Baby's Bouncer Lounger. This bouncy chair screams sidecars and cosmos, from a bottle, bien sur.

It's made of a patented material called stylewood, which basically sums it up. Offered in an excellent array of trend-forward colors, Bloom has upped the standard on baby soothing techniques. My guess is 20 minutes in this and baby is happily dreaming.

Check it out at Best Baby Organics where you can save 15% store wide through 10/30/09 while they're gearing up for the holiday season.

No goods or services provided for this review. Photo courtesy of Best Baby Organics/Bloom Baby

Stopping The Madness: Holiday Card Consumption Dilemna Solved

I know. It's only October, so why is it normal, necessary or healthy to be planning the family holiday card? It's not, but as a busy lady, I get a big dose of 'I'm in control!' from planning stuff like this.

Part of my angst for the entire project comes from the dozens of cards I'll send and receive. I love all the greetings and seeing the beautiful little faces of friends' kids, but that's a lot of paper, stamps and adhesive in the mix and I like to conserve.

To calm my scrooge-like tendencies, I'm considering Green Field Paper Company's Grow-A-Note holiday card selection. These customizable, totally eco-friendly cards can be planted in the spring to grow a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. The cards and envelopes are made of post-consumer recycled materials, but you're on your own with the stamps! And, they're running a promotion, up to 15% off orders. ($1.24/card with envelope on bulk orders).

Happy Holidays?!

Photo courtesy of Green Field Paper Co.

No Labor Day: Easy Peasy Back to School Prep

Summer is setting as school and work schedules loom ahead. Take the next few days to relax and rejuvenate by planning favorite family outings. Whether fun means hitting the backyard or park with the kids, cooking a new and sustainably sourced meal, or soaking up the last few chapters of the summer read don't sacrifice the lull before the proverbial storm.

And if planning for the transition to fall gives some satisfaction plan to sketch out goals for greening up your lifestyle. September is a great time to tackle a checklist to sort, purge, donate, recycle and organize space and attitudes.

Consider tackling the following Back to School Green Family Checklist:

- Sort, clean and recycle outdoor toys that may have seen intense use these last few months. Get the kids help sort into three categories: Active, Store, Donate. Clean up all three categories with a good scrub down (watch water usage!) and box into totes or bag up for the recycling center. Be sure to Sharpie mark the Store bins for easy retrieval next Memorial Day.

- Compile school supplies at the Home Store by hitting the family junk drawer and mom/dad's office first. Challenge the family to fulfill teacher's supply list with items you already have to save cash and consumption. Highlighters, pencils, erasers, ruler, calculator, notebooks, loose leaf paper, folders, binders, crayons, markers (washable), and more could be just a drawer away.

- Fall into fashion by sorting closets. Add some flare to old combinations with new accessories instead of all new apparel. Check out FamilyFun Magazine's great way to re purpose old sweaters by felting them into updated cuffs, bracelets, headbands and more.

- Make a Green lunch routine. Cut out waste during school lunch by getting kids involved in menu planning and packing. Take the chance to talk about recycling and cutting back on waste. Discuss ways to conserve. Consider a bento-style lunch box instead of baggies. Talk about menus to ensure that what gets packed, gets eaten.

And when you've sorted, cleaned, organized and purged let your trash become some one's treasure. For donation and recycling options take your bounty to your local charity or consider a recycle/free-cycle option in your area such as Swap Mamas, a nifty exchange for all kinds of bartering.

Go Back to School with a Green Goodbyn

I think there could be entire blogs dedicated to greening up lunchtime. Perhaps there are, but I'm too lazy to Google it right now. Enter, Seattle-based Goodbyn, a company that has created an incredibly stylish (kid-stylish) bento-style lunch box that's very eco-responsible. It's the first product from byndoo, a design braintrust developing healthy kid products.

According to the Goodbyn site, they've spent over a year researching best practices for design, production and more and have launched a lunchbox to meet needs the of kids and care givers alike.

For $34.95 you get a high quality lunch box with trays and top for any lunch combo imaginable. What's more is the cool custom art that each Goodbyn Kid can create with three sheets of stickers. And the whole thing is dishwasher safe (remember to only run full loads).

They also have a school fund raising program that gives almost 15% of the purchase price to your school. Consider looking into customizing stickers for your own school.

Neat (and tidy)!

Photo from Goodbyn

Leftover Mexican Magic: Quesadilla Redux

Enjoying leftovers is a great way to 'green' your eating. Whether it's repurposing Monday night's dinner into Tuesday's lunch or doggie bagging it out of your favorite neighborhood haunt, having tasty vittles ready to reheat and eat is easy and yes, renewable.

But what to do with those delicacies that taste MUCH better than they look after a day in the fridge, a la quesadillas or pizza. It may be hard to imagine leftover quesadillas making it into the rotation, but if you're like me, you love a BIG veggie, meat and cheese filled tortilla that may be too much for one meal.

So wrap it up and refrigerate and when you're ready to nibble it again, simply pan fry it without any oil or butter for 5 to 10 minutes and you're back on the beaches of Baja!

Muy delicioso!