Fabulous Eco-Friendly Find

I came across an Eco-friendly crafter whilst on twitter Saturday who blew me away with her eye catching and beautifully coloured designs. I loved her work so much that I had to buy this necklace and bracelet that very same day! Melissa of Sew Sweet Stitches uses recycled felt and vintage buttons to create some of her amazing designs. I only have one problem now...who to give it to!!!  Do I give it to my Mum (whom I love dearly), my Nana (who is still into fashion at 92), my best friend  (who loves unique one of a kind treasures (or keep it for myself!). I would love to share Melissa's story and give one lucky person the chance to win the bracelet shown below or to work with Melissa on a custom made bracelet.

"I first began using felt to make hair clips for my little girl. Whenever she wore them we got lots of compliments, which gave me the idea of selling them online. Soon I was using the embroidered flowers on other projects like coffee cup cozies, which has become my most popular item. Lately I've been exploring other creative uses for felt, such as jewelry and accessories.

There are many kinds of felt available, but the kind I mostly use is made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. It's called Eco-fi. While Eco-fi doesn't feel quite the same as wool felt, it has many advantages. It's washable, inexpensive, and of course helpful to the environment. According to Eco-fi's manufacturer, it takes 700 years for plastic bottles to begin decomposing. Over 56 million plastic bottles have already been made into fiber this year alone. The bottles are washed and stripped of labels, then crushed into flakes. The flakes are melted and the plastic fibers are extracted, then processed into many kinds of fabric to be used for carpet, clothing, and home furnishings"
  
I absolutely love that Melissa has taken a recycled product and made beautiful jewelry from it. You can also email her direct for more information on any of her products @ sewsweetstitches_on_etsy@yahoo.com. If you would love to own a one of a kind piece from her collection here is how you can enter:
 

You must become a public follower on Google Friend Connect on my blog to enter this giveaway
If you are already a follower just let me know.

There are so many ways to enter!! you can do some or all of the below. Please leave a seperate comment of each additional entry:

 

Entries:

1. Tweet about this giveaway up to 3 x a day. Don't forget to leave a link to your tweet. Feel free to tweet this "I love #eco friendly products & want to win a one of a kind bracelet @maxwelldesigns #giveaway ends 11/03" (1 entry)

2. Go to Sew Sweet Stitches on Etsy and come back here to tell me which of Melissa's products you love the most and why (1 entry)

3. Tell the next person you see they look amazing today (1 entry)

4. Blog about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to my site and leave the URL where you blogged in your comment (2 entries)

5. Link to me and grab my button for your blog or webpage (5 entries)

6. Follow @maxwelldesigns on twitter (1 entry)

7. Sign up for my blog newsletter (2 entry)

8. Follow @SweetStitches on twitter (1 entry)
9. Vote for me at Top Baby Blogs - just click on this link. Vote as many times as you like. (1 entry per vote)
10. Do one eco-friendly act today - make sure you come back and tell me what you did (1 entry)

 

 

This is not a paid post, I purchased this giveaway personally as I wanted to be able to share Melissa's gorgeous products with you. Melissa very kindly agreed to share her story and create a custom made bracelet if you choose this option rather than the one featured. All photographs are the property of Melissa.

Be sure to include your email address in EACH comment so I can contact you if you win. To prevent bots from picking up your email address and sending you spam, please enter your email address like this: "maxwelldesigns at hotmail dot com")

This Giveaway will end on March11th @ 12 noon (Pacific time). A random comment will be chosen. The winning comment will be verified at that time, so if you said you follow the blog in your comment and I don't find you in the follow list, we will choose another winner. The winner will be contacted by email the following morning and will have 48 hours to reply with their name and shipping address. If a response is not received within 48 hours the winner will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be selected. Sorry, no exceptions. Open to Canadian & American residents only

Good Luck

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If you would be interested in a Organic Cotton Baby/Toddler Sling from Maxwell Designs as a giveaway leave a comment telling me so - If I get enough comments then I will run one

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Crocs Away

I have never been a huge crocs fan on adults - I don't know what it is but they just look strange - but on kids they look extremely adorable!! Maybe its because toddlers/babies/teenagers can get away with wearing virtually anything and can look super cute in the process. I bought Maxwell a pair and jazzed them up with some jibbitz to make them more unique - lots of Toronto Maple Leafs and Thomas The Train's. He is still just curious about them although he has attempted to wear them around the house on occasion.

Anyway I was researching "10 things you didn't know you could recycle" and guess what popped up on the list - Crocs!! I was so surprised (maybe I have been living under a rock this whole time and everyone else knew!). Apparently "a new program (by the) Crocs company (is recycling) .. beloved shoes that will be given to someone (for free!) in an impoverished country".

According to SQUIDOO "As of the start of 2008, the Soles United program has .. already given away more than 1 million shoes!
If you or your family are Croc's wearers here are 3 easy steps to making sure you (and someone else) can love and enjoy your Croc's to their full potential (curtesy of SQUIDD)

 WEAR - You've already got this step down, I'm sure. Wear your Crocs, enjoy your Crocs, decide you need more Crocs. But at some point, the tread on the bottom starts to smooth out and the tops begin to look a little scruffy. It's time for a new pair
SHARE - Rather than toss your Crocs so they fill the landfill, drop them off a Crocs retailer, authorized donation center or ship them back to Soles United. (Hey another great benefit of the light weight of a pair of Crocs - it won't cost much to ship!)
RECYCLE - Once Soles United receives your shoes, they'll be sorted, cleaned, ground up and turned into new Soles United footwear. These shoes are made out of 20 percent recycled proprietary Croslite material and have the Crocs recycle logo imprinted on the top
DONATE - Once the Soles United shoes are made, they're boxed up and shipped out (with help from Brother's Brother Foundation and Feed the Children) to organizations that can make sure the shoes reach those who need them"

Needless to say I think I will be changing my mind about Croc's and taking a fresh look at their latest trends - and if I really can't get to grips with them - I know someone will!

Check with your local Crocs retailer to see if they're an official drop-off point.

Or mail your worn-out Crocs shoes to:
Crocs Recycling - West, 3375 Enterprise Avenue, Bloomington, CA 92316
Crocs Recycling - East, 1500 Commodity Blvd, Lockbourne, OH 43137

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New Additions to Maxwell Designs

I am pleased to announce some very exciting new additions now available at Maxwell Designs:

As well as the many colours of eco-friendly hemp I have in stock (Black, taupe, blue, green and natural) I now have Certified Organic brown canvas available as a fabric option in the Diaper Bags. Produced from environmentally friendly materials and fabrication methods using sustainable fibers and low impact dyeing methods.

I am also adding a new style of rectangle ring for the adjustable shoulder strap. PRE-ORDERS NOW BEING TAKEN. Visit my website to order today @ Maxwell Designs I am also adding some more exciting fabric choices like these ones shown here.

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Maxwell Designs Products

                Did you know....

Maxwell Designs not only makes the best Eco-friendly Diaper Bags on the market (now with adjustable straps! numerous pockets and an insulated bottle holder), we also make Baby/Toddler Slings in Organic Cotton. One size fits all, nurse discreetly, use from birth - 2yrs +. Our Travel Change Pads can be used anywhere you need to change your baby, the sofa, the car, the bed, even the change table! and they are machine washable. We also make baby clothing and we offer gift wrapping for all your products. Custom bags are our speciality! I can match your bag sling and change pad with your favourite fabric choice. Be sure to check out my website for more details.

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Winner of RiNGLEY Teething Toy

And the winner of the RiNGLEY Natural Teething Toy Giveaway is:

Congratulations to: Heidi J #35 I follow you on twitter

Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize.

If you didn't win this time, dont' worry we have some more amazing giveaways over the next few months so keep entering and visiting!

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What we did today!

 

Here is a little insight in to my amazing family. We live in Terrace, B.C and usually at this time of year we are elbow deep in snow - but not this year. There is literally no snow on the ground, the sun shines virtually everyday, its warm (although the wind chill does make it a lot colder than it appears) and my boys are getting cuter by the day!

Here is my youngest, Shia and Maxwell with his friend Emma who came over for a hug awwww!

It was a great morning playing in the park!

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My first Celebrity Gifting!!

Let me be a little indulgent for a moment please...

I am so excited to show you the gifts that I sent to Jenna Elfman for her new little boy. Now I know what you are thinking "don't celebrities get enough free stuff?" and on the whole I would tend to agree with you but once in a while a person comes along who you like, you watch their shows, they have children the same age as yours - on some level you connect. This is why I choose Jenna. I had seen her on Letterman recently talking about her oldest son and his train set he got for Christmas and how excited he was - I totally got what she meant as we had bought Maxwell a train set too. She is also one celebrity who cares about our environment and that should be celebrated no matter who you are. Doesn't every mom deserve a gift?

Congratulations Jenna on your up and coming new baby boy!

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Is feedback a good thing or something to be feared??

Well I think it can go both ways - it depends if you are open and receptive to feedback and on how it is delivered. When I started out making my bags I had no real idea what my future customers really wanted in a diaper bag. To start with I didn't have as many pockets as I do now. Then it was only 2 on the inside, no bottle holder and my fabric choice was great but not the quality I was ultimatley looking for. Starting out I used a poly/cotton blend and whilst it had the thickness I was looking for it just didn't measure up to the durability and quality of the hemp I now use.

By listening to my customers, the cloth diaper community and my retailers I was able to change my original design and add features customers felt were important, more pockets, insulated bottle holder, splashes of colour rather than all over. My latest feedback from my retailer Huckleberry Baby Shop in Nanaimo, B.C was that an adjustable strap would appeal to more people.

I thought about this one long and hard as I had resisted adding any metal or plastic into the bag in order to keep its eco-friendly integrity. After talking this over with a very good friend of mine she pointed out that as long as I choose a metal that was eco-friendly it was a much better option than plastic.

So, at this point I am very happy with where I am at, although I am sure that might change if my current and future customers/retailers give me more feedback :-)

Colour of hemp available currently: black, taupe, blue, natural and green

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Just want to let you know whats coming up:

Thanks to some of my specialty retailers and friends in the blog world I have the privilage of being able to giveaway some eco-friendly products which I know you will LOVE xxx

FEB         Wool Soakers by Bramble Bean

 MARCH        Cloth Diapers and more by Otter Babies

MARCH      Blog redesign plus extras by Aqua Poppy Designs

APRIL    Eco-friendly hemp diaper bag by yours truly Maxwell Designs

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Funny - or just ranting??

I haven't written anything for a couple of posts so I thought I would just throw in this little nugget! Having 2 boys is very tiring (as I am sure some of you know) so when all the housework is done, all Maxwell Designs orders are done - basically when there is a little bit of time to relax I occasionally like to have a nap (don't we all?). So when Sunday rolled around I was very excited to be able to have some time to myself to rest - this is what my husband did with his relaxing time!

That's right!!! he organised his tool box!!

I mean who has time for that???

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Canada Eh!

Its Olympic fever here in Canada, in fact the Olympic Torch recently visited my home town of Terrace, B.C. Canada (a huge Thank You to Teghan LeBlond, for her wonderful Olympic Photos!)

To celebrate all things Canadian one of my retailers, Tara @ The Happy Tree Co. has kindly given me a fantasic product to giveaway which is 100% Canadian made and eco-friendly.

A RiNGLEY Natural Teething Toy

- Made of 100% Certified Organic Cotton and natural untreated maple wood
- Maple wood is one of the strongest, safest types of wood for children to have in their mouths (will not splinter).

-RiNGLEY provides two very different textures that enable children to satisfy their teething needs.

-RiNGLEY provides babies and toddlers with two safe and efficient textures that enable children to satisfy their teething needs

- Terry cloth is used for the body of the toy

- Made free of dyes and without harmful chemicals
- Use wet or dry. Ages 0+

-ASTM toy safety standards
-Retails for around $16
- Handmade in Canada

To enter to win this amazing product you must first complete the MANDATORY ENTRY - email happytree@telus.net and put in the subject line "RiNGLEY Teething Toy @MaxwellDesigns" - you can copy and paste if you wish (be sure to include your email address in EACH comment so I can contact you if you win. To prevent bots from picking up your email address and sending you spam, please enter your email address like this: "maxwelldesigns at hotmail dot com")

If you really want to win you can earn an additional 10 entries by doing the following (Please leave a seperate comment for each entry and INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL IN EACH COMMENT!):

Link to us & "grab my button" in the right-hand column and post it somewhere on your blog or websites home page. (2 entries)

Follow Maxwell Designs Blog (3 entries) WHO DOESN'T WANT MORE FOLLOWERS ??

Follow @maxwelldesigns on Twitter (1 entry)

Write about this giveaway on your blog and leave the URL (2 entries)

Tweet tweet tweet about this giveaway - you must include the following "I want to win a Ringley Teething Toy @maxwelldesigns" (1 entry)

You can also become a Fan on Facebook of The Happy Tree Co - (1 entry)

This Giveaway will end on Febuary 19th @ 12 noon (Pacific time). A random comment will be chosen. The winning comment will be verified at that time, so if you said you follow the blog in your comment and we don't find you in the follow list, we will choose another winner. The winner will be contacted by email the following morning and will have 48 hours to reply with their name and shipping address. If a response is not received within 48 hours the winner will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be selected. Sorry, no exceptions. Open to Canadian & American residents only.

GOOD LUCK!

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Phase one of our Grand Competition has now ended

Thank you so much for all your entries

I have been overwhelmed at the response and so have decided to draw 2 runner up prizes as well (not sure what they will be yet but they will be good!)

I will be picking a winner later today so make sure you check your emails..

And the winners are:

1st
Little Miss Emmy Lou
2nd
annathanmagz
3rd
ecofriendlyandfrugal

(drawn via Random.org)

*if everyone could please check their emails to see what their prize is and if you were one of the ones who got a $10 G.C

I have another awesome competition starting on Friday to celebrate the olympics so check back then

Thank you again everyone :-)

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What did I do before playdates! (ode to Friends)

(this is only my opinion by the way, but if you agree, somewhat agree or totally disagree I would love to hear from you)

I LOVE my neighbours and friends, and heres why....

Having 2 toddlers and being a SAHM is hard enough on any Mum, (I grew up in England so forgive me for not using the term Mom, its force of habit) but to do it without the help and support of family close by can be very draining on our partners and our relationship we have with them.

We moved to Terrace over 3 years ago not knowing anyone - Terrace for those who don't know is about 2hrs flying time from Vancouver, Canada, near Alaska. Anyway my partner started his new job and I was 4 months pregnant with our first son Maxwell. I started my business to keep busy and then the rest of the time I walked to coffee shops and wrote lots and lots of letters to friends and family, I watched movies, I cleaned the house - anything to keep me busy and not realise how lonely I was.

After Maxwell was born I felt even more isolated as we only had 1 car at the time and we lived quite far from the town centre and didn't know our neighbours - I had no-one around to ask questions or get advice from, or get a break...

Anyway getting back to my original focus, we moved just over a year ago and I now have the BEST NEIGHBOURS! I am quite shy when it comes to meeting new people but I made the effort to get to know Jannine, my neighbour who directly faces our house first. Jannine is a hoot (read very funny), especially when I can see her playing her Wii system in her living room - very amusing for me anyway! About 4 months ago we had a new neighbour move in - Shauna - who had a 3 yr old girl (who is the sweetest little girl you can imagine) and a 7 month old baby boy (adorable!).

Voila! we got to know each other and started having play dates. But oh how its grown!!! there are now 5 of us lovely ladies who get together every week with our collective - 9! yes I said 9 children and its a life saver. Now I know where the term "it takes a village to raise a child" comes from. Just being able to sit down and vent or ask advice is such a relief.



But it seems to have taken a new direction today - Shauna was up until well after 11pm making muffins for the playdate!!! And just to top it off she didnt think they were up to our "standards" so she was up again at 6.30am to bake a fresh batch!!! I have to say that they tasted delicious!!! but the bar is set very high now and I would hate to be the next in line to host the playdate...(can it be at Jannines house next??? :-)
Jannine, Shauna, Chris & Colleen - see you at next weeks playdate :-) Who's bringing the muffins?

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So its competition time @ Maxwell Designs

This is a multi-tiered competition in that all the gifts 'go together'

This is phase 1

• Phase 1 - win a Travel Change Pad & Cotton Onesie from Maxwell Designs (Feb)
• Phase 2 - in association with Otter Babies & Ditching Disposables 2 - win an awesome array of items! (more to follow) (March)
• Phase 3 - win a Maxwell Designs Eco-Friendly Diaper Bag to put all your goodies in.... (March/April)
• I may also throw in a few surprises too along the way

So how do I enter I hear you ask...well here is how

FIRST you must complete the MANDATORY ENTRY - Go to the Maxwell Designs website and tell me what other products you are interested in. (Be sure to include your email address in EACH comment so I can contact you if you win. To prevent bots from picking up your email address and sending you spam, please enter your email address like this: "maxwelldesigns at hotmail dot com")

After completing the mandatory entry above, you can get additional entries by doing any or all of these tasks (INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL IN EACH COMMENT!):

• Follow @maxwelldesigns on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you are a follower (1 entry)
• Follow Maxwell Designs Blog leaving a comment telling me you are a follower (1 entry)


• Tweet about this giveaway you must include the following: I want to WIN a Travel Change Pad & Onesie from @maxwelldesigns http://ow.ly/13udE. Be sure to include your twitter ID with a permalink. Each tweet is (2 entries). Limited 2 tweets per day. (Copy & Paste as it is, to prevent errors in your tweet). If you get a 'Duplicate Post' notice from Twitter just add the RT to the beginning.) You may tweet twice daily
• Blog about this giveaway before Febuary 10th to get 3 entries and leave a comment with the link. (3 entries)(You must blog 'About' the giveaway on your blog and include links back to this blog. For each of the three entries you must comment that you have blogged about this review & giveaway and include the URL of the post on your blog)


• Link to us & "grab my button" in the right-hand column and post it somewhere on your blog or websites home page. Then copy the exact page address from your browser window and post that in the comment box. Note: If it takes me more than about 30 seconds to find it on your blog it will not count, please don't put it on a hidden page or on one of those really long scrolling blog rolls (2 entries)


• Follow publicly by using Google Friend Connect (1 entry) Then come back here and post that you follow my blog.
• You can also become a Fan on Facebook and leave a comment (1 entry)
• Subscribe to our newsletter on Facebook (1 entry)

1st Phase Competition runs from Febuary 3rd 2010 - Febuary 10th 2010

This Giveaway will end on Febuary 10th @ 12 noon (Pacific time). A random comment will be chosen. The winning comment will be verified at that time, so if you said you follow the blog in your comment and we don't find you in the follow list, we will choose another winner. The winner will be contacted by email the following morning and will have 48 hours to reply with their name and shipping address. If a response is not received within 48 hours the winner will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be selected. Sorry, no exceptions.
GOOD LUCK!

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