The Green and Chic blog has been though a variety of changes since I started it almost two years ago.  During the first several months of its existence, it no ads – just a bunch of  links. Eventually I added a long list of affiliate links and banners to jazz things up a bit. A few weeks later, I took most of the affiliate banners out to cut down on the clutter, and added several AdSense banners and links.  Months later, I took most of the AdSense ads out and added more Green and Chic related links and banners.

Though the AdSense ads are a minimum now, I wonder if its even a good idea to even have third party ads on the blog.  I wonder if it would distract from the blog it self and Green and Chic, since this is an extension of the web store.

I know its ultimately up to me, but I am curious as to what you think.

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The winner of the EcoSMART Home Pest Control giveaway is R. Schulz at comment number 25! The winner will be notified via email.

I would like to thank everyone who entered, blogged, Tweeted, emailed friends, subscribed and browsed the EcoSMART website.

Please check back for more giveaways in the near future!

Tax season is in full swing and I am slowing climbing out of the sea of paperwork and bookkeeping.  Its a good thing that someone else is going to file for me this year!   Its hard to imagine doing it all.

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Though I have tried to “opt out” of junk mail, certain magazines and catalogues, I still get my fair share of junk in the mail.  I Hate Junk Mail – 10 Uses for Unwanted Junk Mail gives you a few creative ideas for your junk mail. Blog: dk Mommy Spot

10 Surprising Ways You’re Killing the Earth Without Even Knowing It by Carolyn Friedman goes into just that. From not eating farm raised fish, to not ignoring home inspections, she outlines a few changes we all can make in our day-to-day lives.  Blog:  Becoming a Radiologist

Before I started Green and Chic, I was told time and again that it was going to fail.   Though I have had thoughts of giving up Stop Thinking You Are Going To Fail Just Because Someone Says You Should really helps put things into prospective.  Blog: My Wife Quit Her Job

Giveaways

EarthLust Review and Giveaway - Win a BPA free, eco-friendly stainless steel water bottle  from Simply Stacie blog. Giveaway ends on March 4, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST.

Giveaway – Tropical Traditions Teeth Cleaner Set by Sweeps4Bloggers. This delicious coconut oil based teeth cleaner is free from artificial flavors and foaming agents.  Giveaway ends on March 8, 2010 at 8pm PST.

Seventh Generation Review and Giveaway Seventh Generation is offering one Free and Clear Cleaning Starter Kit. Giveaway ends on March 10, 2010.

EcoSMART is the leader in safe, eco-friendly pesticides, from organic ant killer to organic insect repellent.  These natural pesticides are formulated with plant and tree essential oils making them safe for the home, children, pets and the environment.

The EcoSmart formations are designed to repel, knock down and kill a variety of pests including cockroaches, ants, dust mites, flies, wasps, spiders, crickets, and fleas. Their blend of natural plant oils are just as effective as any synthetic chemicals, without toxins or harmful residues.

The Giveaway

On Wednesday, March 3rd, one Green and Chic reader will receive one Safe Home Value  Bundle.  This bundle includes:

• Ant and Roach Killer (14 oz can)
• Home Pest Control (24 oz spray bottle)
• Flying Insect Killer (14 oz can)
• Insect Repellent (6 oz bottle)

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome Baby Bucket

One of my faviorte bath and body lines I have at Green and Chic is Naturity. Though I mostly use the bath line, (no little ones here) the babyhood line deserves special recognition.

In December 2009, Naturity announced that its entire Organic Babyhood product line (Baby Massage Oil, Diaper Balm, and Baby Powder) received a “zero” toxicity rating-the best possible rating for a product in the Skin Deep database.

Organic Diaper Balm

The ingredients in the Naturitiy baby line all are free from additives and chemicals. They are made with the freshest organic ingredients, which means they are grown without chemicals, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers. All products are also free from chemical preservatives such as parabens, and free from artificial perfumes, fragrances, colors, 100% natural and at least 99% certified organic.

Organic Baby Massage Oil

Naturity also believe in using eco-friendly packaging. For this reason, they chose glass and  metal containers for their products rather than plastic.

From now until the end of the month, get 10% off any order at Green and Chic, by entering TENOFF at checkout.

So far, the year started with a bang, and time is going by faster than I can count the days.  Its a beautiful today because unlike in other parts of the country, the weather has been very mild (50’s) and sunny… in Portland!  I actually had to break out the sunglasses if you could believe it!  I hope it stays that way, at least for another day or so.

Did you know you can recycle your old bras instead of tossing them?  Ecouterre tells you why and how in Recycling Old Bras, Eco-Fashion Dire Straits, Faux Fur Pas

Its amazing how much food we as a nation trow away.  David of  The Good Human talk about the Environmental Implications Of The Food We Throw Away

Do you want to know how to How To Boost Your Metabolism In 3 Minutes 29 Seconds? My favorite fitness blogger, Kat of Body Incredible will tell you how! Trust me, you will not be disappointed – (wink wink!)

Is it realistic to have a home office space this clean?  Is yours?  Maybe at the end of the day after you clear off your desk and throw everything in a box, I suppose.  A Showcase of Minimalist Workstations by Web Designer Depot leaves me a little disoriented.

Win a Dandelion Earth tote bag from Focus Organic: Giveaway! Dandelion Organic Cotton ‘Keep it Green’ Tote Bag. Giveaway ends February 20th.

Vegan Leather Handbag with Pleated Pleather

I am proud to officially launch Cherry Berry Handbags at Green and Chic!

I fell in love with Cherry Berry when I won a handbag from a giveaway hosted at  Be Blushless blog (which is also an eco-friendly wedding dress shop, by the way!)  I was first introduced to vegan leather handbags and accessories when I became an owner of my first Matt & Nat vegan leather purse several months prior. My initial fear was that “vegan leather” would look and feel too much like plastic, and it would be a compromise on quality.

Cherry Berry (and Matt & Nat) handbags is far from “cheap”.  The  materials on my “Vegan Leather Croc Handbag“ doesn’t look or feel much different than any of my leather purses.  When I first took the brown handbag out of the cloth sack, I actually had to smell it to make sure it wasn’t leather!  In terms of quality and durability, I know  it will stand the test of time – something that is very important to me when “investing” in a bag or purse.

When you order a handbag from Green and Chic, shipping is aromatically free!

Learn more about the brand, check out the handbag collection at greenandchic.com, and let me know your thoughts!

Cloth napkins I recently made

Envelope I made from a paper grocery bag

Over the past year, I have done a pretty good job reducing the use of plastic in my day-to-day life. There are a few areas I need to work on, like the use of plastic produce bags at the grocery stores and farmers markets, but overall, I’ve done better than I have in years past.

For 2010, I decided to make an effort to cut back on the amount of paper I use .  I am usually mindful of my paper usage when it comes to eliminating unnecessary magazine and catalog subscriptions, junk mail, grocery stores bags, and reducing office and shipping paper. My use of miscellaneous paper products like napkins and facial tissue can be excessive at times, though I only buy 100% recycled paper products.  In an effort to reduce the amount of paper I use, I started using cloth napkins at the dinner table and handkerchiefs instead of facial tissue. I normally only use cloth napkins when I have guests, but whats stopping me from using them everyday?  Thankfully, I haven’t purchased a roll of paper towels in months, so that’s also a good start!

Have you made an effort to reduce the amount of paper and/or plastic in your life? Do you have any other ideas aside from what I mentioned?

I am happy to introduce a new promotion at Green and Chic:

Get $5.00 off purchases of $30.00 or more (before shipping and tax) with Google Checkout.*

Though this only applies to purchases using Google Checkout, this is good for any and every product I carry at Green and Chic, including the new Cherry Berry vegan handbag line (which I will soon blog about).  No codes required, just click “Google Checkout” in your shopping cart and the discount will be automatically applied.

*Limit 1 per person. No resale. Offer available until Monday, May 31, 2010 1:00:00 PM PDT

This is my first “link love” post of 2010 and I admit, I haven’t been doing many of these posts over the past…six months.  I recently found a few ‘must read and save’ links to start the new year off on the right foot.

Blogging (what else?)

If you have a blog, what are your blogging goals for 2010? Barbara Swafford with Blogging Without a Blog poses the question in her post: Looking Forward

If you have an eCommerce business, do you really need to blog?  This article: Do I Really Need a Blog For an eCommerce Business by Nate Moller of Thou Shall Blog gives you the answer you’re looking for.

Are you having a hard time just getting started with writing/blogging? Joanna with Confident Writing gave us a list of resources to help us get started (or continue) in 10 Posts to Help with Getting Started.

Fashion, crafts and green living

Though I try to avoid buying anything, if possible, I still love browsing online stores and boutiques. Top 10 Online Eco-Boutiques by Ecosalon kept me occupied for a while.

I’m currently on a sewing binge and Fab Fabrics: 2009 Retrospective by Crafting a Green World gave me additional ideas and inspiration for 2010.

Just Say No to Plastic - We all know just how toxic and destructive plastic is.  The problem its everywhere and its sometimes easy to forget that we should avoid it.  Lisa Sharp asks, “what are you doing to reduce plastic this year?” and offers a few suggestions.

Happy Hump Day!