HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HEYDESIGNS IS HAVING A BLACK FRIDAY - CYBER MONDAY SALE GOING ON NOW! 10% OFF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE, ENTER HEYBLACKFRIDAY AT CHECKOUT

HAPPY SHOPPING!!

Eeek!!

Bark and Wine Event

Bark and Wine was a fundraising event that was hosted by the La Plata County Humane Society in Durango, CO.  All of the money raised is going to go to building the kitties a new kitty area in their no-kill shelter.  My boyfriend and I volunteered and were the bartenders for the evening.  They had a silent auction with lots of great, local donations.  I donated one of my adjustable hemp dog collars to the event.  It was put in a super cute gift basket full of pet goodies.  It turns out the Humane Society raised more money with this event than their other events combined! over $20,000!  How awesome is that! I am so glad the kitties will have a nice, new area to hang out in until they find their new homes. Below are three pics of my donated collar and the link to the pictures from the event: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=443687761026&set=a.443687666026.246391.155879206026#!/photo.php?fbid=443688796026&set=a.443687666026.246391.155879206026&pid=5927256&id=155879206026

EtsyVeg Spooktacular Event

Come Haunting with the Etsyveg Team October 27th-November 2nd, 2010! EtsyVeg kicks off the EtsyVeg Spooktacular today, with creepy savings and a frightfully fantastic shopper giveaway!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1146/5109898304_51ec71a93d.jpg ">http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1146/5109898304_51ec71a93d.jpg " />


SPOOKTACULAR SAVINGS
EtsyVeg's vegan and vegetarian artisans are celebrating Halloween with special treats abound, from discounts to free shipping to free gifts! Shop the participating shops listed below to save big!
* http://aktie9.etsy.com/ ">3 AM Art Productions- BOGO on all art prints/photography

* http://auclairdelalune.etsy.com/ ">Au clair de la lune

* http://blackbirdandpeacock.etsy.com/ ">Blackbird and Peacock

* http://cricketscreations.etsy.com/ ">Crickets Creations Handknit Scarves- $5 off anything tagged "Halloween"

* http://gardeniasgarb.etsy.com/ ">Gardenia's Garb- 10% off any item tagged "Halloween"

* http://jenoconnell.etsy.com/ ">Jen O'Connell Paintings and Original Artwork- free shipping

* http://jfillustrations.etsy.com/ ">JFIllustrations- free shipping

* http://kimbascritters.etsy.com/ ">Kimbas Critters

* http://lalujewelry.etsy.com/ ">Lalu Jewelry- 15% off

* http://mapleashandoak.etsy.com/ ">Maple Ash and Oak- 15% off

* http://magglepie.etsy.com/ ">M's Knits and Things- 15% off all scarves

* http://mumbot.etsy,com/ ">Mumbot Shop

* http://palafoxstudio23.etsy.com/ ">Palafox Studio 23- free shipping

* http://silentlotus.etsy.com/ ">SilentLotus Creations- 15% off entire shop, plus free shipping over $25 and free gift over $40

* http://starfirewire.etsy.com/ ">Starfirewire- Free Shipping and Free gift

GHOULISH GIVEAWAY

As part of our ghostly event, EtsyVeg is hosting a giveaway in which lucky shoppers will receive scarily fabulous handmade prizes from our ghostly talented artisans! All shoppers who make purchases from EtsyVeg member shops participating in the Spooktacular (see list above) are invited to comment on the http://etsyveg.blogspot.com/2010/10/etsyveg-spooktacular-starts-today... ">EtsyVeg Blog. Include the link to the item(s) you purchased and your Etsy shop name or email address so we can contact you if you're name is drawn, and you will be entered to win an http://etsyveg.blogspot.com/2010/10/come-haunting-with-etsyveg-team.html ">incredible prizes ( a random number generator will be used to choose winners). Winners will be announced on November 3rd!


Extra Entries: Earn one entry for every shop from the list above that you purchase from (please comment separately for each shop)!

Throughout the Spooktacular, check the blog daily for updates, featured artisans and their screamingly awesome handmade creations, and more! Please email us with questions at etsy...@gmail.com . And Happy Halloween!

October is Non-GMO month

GMO... GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. GMOs are created "when DNA from one species is injected into another species, creating combinations of plants, animals, and bacteria that don't occur in nature or through traditional cross-breeding methods...More than 75 percent of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified. Canola, sugar beets, cotton, papaya, zucchini, and yellow summer squash carry the risk of being genetically modified as well. Milk, meat, and eggs have a high risk of GMO contamination due to genetically modified feed".(1)

The you tube video that I have linked below gives easy to understand examples of GMOs. One example that is used in the video is how scientists genetically modified a tomato with an Arctic flounder to create a tomato that is frost resistant.

GMOs are in 70% of processed foods and in tons of other foods that are in your grocery store. The scary thing is by law companies do not have to label their products as containing GMOs. When you purchase meat, that animal was most likely given a feed diet which is very high in corn. That corn is 75% likely to be genetically modified. The same thing with milk, genetically modified feed plus the dairy cows get extra doses of genetically modified hormones.

Soybeans are a big staple in some people's lives who choose not to eat animal products and they are one of the most genetically modified plants. This is were checking your labels becomes important. If a product contains no genetically modified ingredients it will say so on the label: NO GMOs. Also if the product is organic it will not contain any GMOs.

The non-GMO project puts out a shopping guide that lists ingredients in our foods that are genetically modified. This is what the guide says about sugar: If a non-organic product made in North America lists "sugar" as an ingredient (and NOT pure cane sugar), then it is almost certainly a combination of sugar from both sugar cane and GM sugar beets.
Some other GM ingredients from their long list:
baking powder, condensed milk, corn syrup, gluten, soy milk. tempeh, starch, vitamins B12 & E

"The American Academy of Environmental Medicine reported that "Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food", including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system."(2)

What we can do as consumers is check our labels, buy organic when possible and let the people in charge know that as a consumer you want GMOs labeled on foods. Another important thing as a consumer is to educate yourself and others on these matters.

Some great articles that I highly recommend checking out are:
*Organic Valleys article "GMO? Just say no: A precautionary tale
http://www.organicvalley.coop/community/beyond-the-plate/no-gmo/page1/
*The non-GMO shopping guide
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/
*You tube video mentioned above
*Food Inc.  - Great Documentary that I highly recommend






(1) "Taste for life Balanced Health" Oct. 2010 pg. 7
(2) non-gmo shopping tips from the non-gmo shopping guide

Muts in the Mountains

The Durango, CO Humane Society has a really great program for the doggies.  Every month volunteers meet at the shelter and everyone is assigned a dog.  We all than take the dogs for a hike through the mountains.  I think this is so great, its a way for the dogs to get out and about and socialize.  There stuck in cages for the majority of the day so this is a great way for them to burn some energy!  Mace and I did it this past month and we will definitely be doing it again.  We had a blast! It was a pretty hardcore hike too, I was sore the day after.  Our 2 dogs were Otis and Elly.  Otis was a 2 year old mutt and Elly was a 6 month old black lab.  They were surrendered in the shelter together.  I hope that they find good homes soon!!

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Newly Painted Kitchen Pics

My newly painted kitchen... went from boring white and blue to Glidden's "Fresh Gaucamole" and blue.  I love avocados, as I have said before and this paint just had my name written all over it.  I love the new look, its so bright and cheery now.  Here are before and after pictures.

My Studio

It has been so nice to finally have a space all to myself for my studio!! I haven't had one since we left Florida in December and even then I had to share the space with my boyfriend. I have already stuffed my studio full of all my stuff (why do I have so much stuff?) and at the moment my ferret, Pancake is rummaging through everything. We moved in a little over a month ago and then had to wait for the movers to bring all our things. I finally have gotten everything in here and some what organized. The past few days it has been a little on the messy side because, I have been in here a lot working on my fall and winter jewelry line for my etsy store and craft fairs. Here are a few pics of my space, the empty studio, the full studio and my ferret, Pancake.

Dry hair remedies

So a lot of women that I know have a problem with dry hair... I do too. I have done 2 basic things for a few years to try to control this issue. First, I don't wash my hair everyday, unless I really need to and second, when I do wash my hair I put the conditioner in and than put a shower cap on and continue with my shower. I then rinse my hair right before getting out. I have also herd that doing a final rinse with cold water at the end closes the hair follicle and creates shinier hair, but I have never really noticed a difference on this one. Sometimes our hair needs a super conditioning treatment so here are 2 natural ones that I have found.

This recipe from "Homemade how to make hundreds of everyday products fast, fresh and more naturally" by Reader's Digest
says to use 1/2 ripe avocado and 1/4 cup of coconut milk, or as needed
Mash the avocado and mix in the coconut milk until it forms a thick gel-like substance.
Apply to clean hair and comb through. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and than rinse.

The second recipe also calls for an avocado but this time mixed with mayonnaise. See the link below. I love avocados!

DIY Organic Hair Remedies: Deep Conditioning Mask - Planet Green

All Natural....Aluminum Free Deoderant Recipe

So me trying to find the perfect deodorant came about in 2 ways, first my boyfriend kept having allergic reactions to every deodorant he tried, even natural ones! His underarms would turn bright red, get chapped, peel and were pretty painful. Secondly, I'm from Florida and it can get pretty hot in Florida so I needed something that would work! Also, if you do some research on antiperspirants and deodorants you will find tons of information about how aluminum is really harmful for your body. It has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and possibly breast cancer. Your underarms are a super sensitive part of your body and by putting deodorant/antiperspirant on, all those chemicals are absorbed by your lymph nodes and carried through your bloodstream. Yuck!
I came across the blog: Bonzai Aphrodite about a year ago and she often lists some great DIY, natural recipes, and one happened to be for deodorant. I think it wasn't until March that I finally got sick of my boyfriend trying every deodorant and still having problems so I thought I would give her natural, homemade recipe a shot. I made it and love it!! My boyfriend has no more problems with his underarms! We both went camping one weekend and we didn't reapply the deodorant the whole trip (over 48hrs) and we still did not smell! I recommend this recipe to everybody. I have made some for my friends and family and they all love it as well. It smells great and keeps you smelling great! It actually amazes me how well it works. It doesn't say in her recipe but definitely purchase the baking soda and corn starch from a health food store, I think regular baking soda has aluminum in it. So anyways here is the link to the recipe: http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2009/08/natural-homemade-deodorant/

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you!

Conscious cosmetic, beauty product consumer

The Environmental Working Group, http://www.ewg.org/ is a great website that I discovered a few months ago. They have a lot of really great links and tons of information on the environment, food and beauty to name a few. They have a great link from their website that takes you to a cosmetic safety database, http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ where you can put in almost any beauty, cosmetic product and it will rate on a scale of 0-10. 10 being the most toxic, 0 being the least. It then breaks all of the ingredients down and says why that particular ingredient is toxic or not and what the side effects could be. When I found this site I think I put in every product I owned and I learned a lot. Some of the products that I was using were bad and some conduct animal testing :( It has definitely made me a more conscious consumer.
There is tons of information that is becoming more prevalent about the issue of toxins in your products. The Huffington Post also did a great article "Toxic chemicals in beauty and household products" check it out as well.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/22/toxic-chemicals-in-beauty_n_639418.html?ref=fb&src=sp

I never really thought that blogging would be something that I wanted to do, but lately I have really gotten into a few blogs and websites and they have been an inspiration for my own.
One day at the library I picked up this book, "The Gorgeously Green Diet" by Sophie Uliano and I was captivated with the information that I was reading. I read the whole book in about two weeks. I would highly recommend it to anybody, it has information about food, vitamins, health, exercise, products and even some tasty recipes and an eating plan. She also has her own website- http://www.gorgeouslygreen.com/
that is updated often with great tips and information on it. I went on today and found this great video about Hydrogen Peroxide. I love finding new uses for such common house hold items, especially when they make your life simpler and easier.

http://vimeo.com/6634312