Green and Chic has had a pretty hit or miss presence on Facebook over the past year. It seems like a small, insignificant  thing, but I am now committed to keeping my page updated.

I will post Green and Chic product updates, sales and Facebook only coupon codes.  Join us today!

Sophia Lindsay of SoLi Design Studios is the brains and muscle behind the new design, layout and feel. My vision was to have a more user friendly web store while keeping the same eCommerce platform (which makes my life easier).

Though the site is always a work in progress and never “complete”, I am very happy with the new design. Its been almost a year since the launch of Green and Chic and I have been itching for a new look for months. Its almost like keeping the same wardrobe or hairstyle for over a decade, and you’re craving for a change as you grow as a person and your life changes.

Sophia was my personal shopper, esthetician, and hair stylist. When looking for someone to design or redesign your website, its very much like looking for someone to help you put together your wardrobe. You are searching for someone with experience, that has a good eye, knows the definition of practicality and can work within your budget.

During the process, Sophia always laid out exactly what she wanted to do, the reasons why and asked for my input before making a move. Whenever I had questions (and I had tons), she was very patient with me. I was able to see every update and change she made to the test site as they occurred. Her scheduling and billing process was seamless and easy to understand.

Over the past couple of years, I realized how difficult to find a web designer that fits some of qualities we look for. I’m glad my search is over.

This blog is next!

SoLi Design Studios

In an effort to get to know my readers a little better, I opted to write a short survey. I promise its short, painless and will only take a few minutes. At the end of the survey, you will have the option of entering to win a $20 gift certificate to the Green and Chic store.

Click Here to take survey

Thank you for your time!

The survey will close October 22nd.

I am also in the process of making changes to the Green and Chic website.  I will switch web servers, ecommerce platform and the overall look, feel and layout.  In the next few days, I will post a Green and Chic Blog reader survey to get an idea of what my readers like, dislike, want and need here at Green and Chic.  Stay tuned!

Vered of MomGrind
Vered was one of the first people to post a comment on the original and short lived WordPress.com hosted Green and Chic blog.  I didn’t really know much about blogging at the time so my strategy was and still is to emulate the bloggers who are doing well at it and Vered is one of them.

Vered writes about various subject matters, some controversial, some that will make you laugh, cry, angry or somewhere  in between.  Some of my favorite posts includes In defense of the nine to five grind and Blog Monetization: Why is it such a big problem?

Kim Woodbridge of Antisocial Development
To me, Antisocial Development is the ultimate WordPress user guide. Posts such as 3 WordPress 2.7 Auto-Upgrade Issues have seen me through some rough times. If you still don’t have a self-hosted blog and ready to cross over to the dark side of  having your blog on your own domain, stop by Antisocial Development.

Three most popular posts

Besides the giveaways I host such as the TWIST Natural Cleaning Products, there are a few early posts that are still getting a lot of attention.

Petroleum jelly possible cancer risk

Nine ways to avoid household toxins

“I have a headache!” -  A word about perfumes

Again, I would like to thank all of my supporters that have seen me though this past year.  Here’s to another year and beyond!

]]> http://www.greenandchic.com/blog/about/where-did-the-time-go-belated-birthday-for-green-and-chic/feed/ 9 http://www.greenandchic.com/blog/about/tagged/ http://www.greenandchic.com/blog/about/tagged/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:26:27 +0000 Carla Rose http://greenandchic.com/blog/?p=685

Photo credit: Goodnight Photography

Before a few weeks ago, I had no idea what “tagged” meant, but Ross from Will it Change You? decided to honor me with it. I’m not used to talking about myself on this blog much, so this is a bit of a change for me.

(Lets see…six things about me…)

1.  I have a tattoo on my right ear.  Its something I decide to get three years ago (my first and only tattoo) almost on a whim.  Despite what my mother would say if she knew it was real, I haven’t regretted it, and I actually forget that I have it most of the time – unless I see someone staring at me.

2. I feel like I’m the only Bay Area (San Francisco) native! I don’t think I actually know anyone other than my older brother who is actually from here.  Anyone else?

3.  This is my first blog. At least my first blog that lasted longer than three months. Before this past spring, I never thought I would be blogging.  I was never much of a writer so this is a big change for me.

4. I have worked for over a dozen companies in almost twelve years.  Why?  Besides being laid off about four times, I get bored in my jobs very easily.  I have been at my current job for just a little over a year and I’m already ready to leave!  I always want something new to do, see, learn, explore, people to meet and so on.  My mother has been at her job/organization for almost 39 years and I don’t know how she does it.  She’s been an RN for almost 25 of those years – the ultimate recession proof occupation, so that helps.

5. Hobbies. In the past ten years, I have taken piano lessons, violin lessons,  sang in a professional classical chorus, took a painting class, posed as an art model, dabbled in photography, learned how to knit, improved my sewing skills, ran a 5K, took snowboarding lessons, took up indoor rock climbing, learned how to make soap, and started a website and blog.

6.  I have a paralyzing fear of spiders.  Its a true phobia given I have no rhyme or reason to be this fearful of them. I don’t fear bites, getting tangled up in a web or anything like that.  Its the mere fact that its a spider that that I start to exert physical symptoms of a phobia.  I even fear the actual web of a spider which is a separate from the spider phobia.   Other critters don’t bother me – I don’t even have a fear of snakes but don’t put me in the same room with a spider, even a tiny one.

To continue this tagging game:

1. LINK TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU
2. POST THE RULES ON YOUR BLOG
3. WRITE SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
4. TAG SIX PEOPLE AT THE END OF YOUR POST AND LINK TO THEM
5. LET EACH PERSON KNOW THEY ARE TAGGED AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR BLOG
6. LET THE TAGGER KNOW WHEN YOUR ENTRY IS UP
7. DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN (not actually a rule)

Thuy with Green Grown and Sexy
Simple Mom
Lovelyn with The Art of Balanced Living
Jim with Blueprint to Financial Prosperity

My apologies if you already been through this!  I couldnt exactly find six people to tag.  Everyone else I know have been tagged so far (I think).

For the first time in I don’t know how long, I had a little downtime while stuck in a hotel in the Portland area due to unusual weather over the weekend.  I had some time to think about my website and the blog that’s attached to it.  I pondered what this blog means to me, my readers and where do I see it going.

When I first started this website and blog, I had no idea where it would take me. My goal was to have an online store; or at least try my hand at it for a bit to see how it would work out long-term.  When I was told by numerous people that blogging would help promote Green and Chic, I started to think twice about the whole thing since I never blogged before, or read blogs for that matter!

In this journey, I discovered that writing about Green and Chic will not and (for me) should not be just about my store and products.  I think that would be very boring for my readers – and myself for that matter!  Over the past few months, this blog has morphed into writing about my journey into a more sustainable lifestyle and sharing what I learn with others.  I don’t claim to be an expert in the subject of green eco living, but like so many people, its an area that I enjoy learning about.

I had a chance to revisit the goals of my blog and what it means to me.  I’m glad its more than just selling products from my website, affiliates, PPC, and other ways to monetize the blog.  While those things are great and necessary for survival, I want it to be more than just making money online (which wasn’t the original goal of this blog ironically).

I would also  like to take this time to thank all of my readers: the commenters, blog rollers and the silent readers.  There are so many people I would like to thank who has assisted me in my blogging journey, but I know I will leave many people out.

If you blog, has your blog changed, improved and/or grown since your first post? Where do you see it going in the near and distant future? I know these are broad questions, but I would like to get a variety of responses regardless of your niche.

Happy Holidays!

I never thought I’d say this, but I am burn out on “green”.  Not the lifestyle or movement;  I guess I am sick of the word being used and overused everywhere you look.  If you glance over my previous posts, you will find that I myself use the word “green” quite a bit.  I guess part of why I am tired of the word green in this context is because of the issue of greewashing.

“Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations which attempt to appear that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.^” - Wikipedia

In short, Greenwashing is the exploitation of the ecological and environmental conscious movement and lifestyle.  Greewashing has been a known issue over twenty years, but but it seems that the problem has increased over the past few years.

What is green?  Besides LEED Certification for green building standards or a similar organization that has oversight over green labels, what makes a company or product green?

For me, since I am in the business of marketing and selling “green” personal care products, I have to make sure that my business and personal conduct/lifestyle reflects my message.  I have to make sure that my products, the vendors I work with, and the way I run my business cannot contradict the message I’m trying to convey.

For the next several  posts, I will refrain from using the word “green”  unless its in the context of the color green or any quotes that I use.  Of course my domain name will remain the same, and I wont change the Green and Chic website, but for the purpose of this blog, it will not be used – at least for a while.  Why? I guess its  an experiment to see if I can use alternative language and words to get the message across.

What does green and greenwash/greenwashing mean to you?  How can we avoid falling prey to it?

What do you think of this ad and website?

After a great deal of trial and error, I decided to revamp the website at Green and Chic to give it a new look and feel.  Its finally done (with a matching blog to boot).

Shescribes is currently hosting a Green and Chic giveaway posted on November 11th.  The giveaway is for a tube of Deep Steep Honeydew and Spearmint Body Butter.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 11:59 PM.

I am also offering free shipping at Green and Chic with the code FREESHIPPING (enter at checkout) until December 3rd.

Sometime in the next 1-2 weeks after the site is completed, I will be having a  special promotion offering free shipping for orders of any amount. To keep updated for this and other promotions, sign up for our newsletter below.

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