cotton

February 16, 2011

Pretty Paperie & Printed Delight from Night Owl Paper Goods

When it comes to most things, I general advocate going paperless. Bills and bank statements are more timely and easier to track via email, and you can even get faxes without paper these days. On the other hand, nothing says “Thank You” or “I Love You” like a beautiful card printed on paper with a handwritten note. Of the few things I have kept from my teenage years, sweet cards from my then-boyfriend, now-husband are among my most cherished. And if I received any of these cards, notebooks, calendars or other goodies from Night Owl Paper Goods, I’m pretty sure I’d cherish them for a long time to come.

What makes many of Night Owl’s designs special is that they aren’t printed on paper at all — rather on sustainably harvested birch (wood). This makes for some of the most beautiful cards and invitations I’ve seen in a long time. Can you imagine sending out wooden wedding invitations? That’s the kind of thing people keep and show off for generations. The designs that aren’t printed on wood use some combination of recycled paper and cotton paper made from fibers reclaimed from the textile industry.

And did I mention that Night Owl’s illustrations and designs are gorgeous? Many feature whimsical illustrations of cute animals, but there are also sophisticated wedding suites (including save the dates, invitations, menus and all the other wedding day bells and whistles) and romantic cards that will make you fall in love all over again.

I’m officially smitten.

Why It’s Green:

Stationery is printed on sustainably harvested birch, recycled paper or reclaimed cotton

Price: $4-18/ea.

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August 5, 2009

Preview Kate Quinn Organics’ New Women’s Line

I have been admiring Kate Quinn Organics’ line of organic children’s clothing almost as long as I’ve known enough to actually want to dress my daughter in eco-friendly clothes. A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to get a kimono top for my daughter for just $7 on sale. Trust me when I tell you that’s a steal, and I would have paid full price for the top any day.

So when I read via Fig + Sage (one of my favorite green blogs) that Kate Quinn has officially debuted their women’s line, I was ecstatic! All of the pieces in the collection are simple, but stylish, as I’ve come to expect from Kate Quinn. Most of the pieces could be accurately described as casual chic or business casual. Among my favorites: the corduroy wide leg trouser and runched dress.

I’m also happy to see that the sizing goes all the way up to XL. Suffice it to say I am “well-endowed,” and designer lines that only go up to medium or large just don’t do it for me…at least not yet (I’ve lost 40 lbs. so far and counting). Now it just remains to be seen whether the XL is true to size or still made for smaller women.

These preview pieces are currently available for sale, but the quantities are limited. The full collection won’t officially debut until the fall.

Why It’s Green:

Made of sustainable fabrics like organic cotton and modal
Made in the U.S.

Pricing: $38-128

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August 3, 2009

Sweetest Little Soaps Around: Nostalgia Organics (+Giveaway)

I have confessed more than once that I’m still a little bit of a shopaholic. Lately, I have tried to turn my obsession away from cheaply made purses to greener goods that I actually need and will use. So where has my attention fallen? To handmade, natural soaps. Much to my delight, there are dozens of individuals and companies that are making them. One soapmaker I found even uses a bike-powered mixer to create their soaps. But none have captured my attention and adoration quite like Nostalgia Organics. As a graphic designer by trade, sometimes, all it takes is beautiful packaging to catch my eye. But in this case, what’s inside that packaging is what really got my attention.

Nostalgia soaps are all handmade with the finest organic ingredients, including lemongrass, lavender, oatmeal, dill, grapefruit and more. The ingredients read more like a grocery shopping list than a soap label, and that’s a good thing. Someone once said to me that she doesn’t buy personal care products unless they are made up by ingredients she would eat. Even with those strict limitations, Nostalgia passes with flying colors.

To my delight, they sent me four soaps to use and review, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The soaps smell absolutely divine, and the thick bars build up to a beautiful lather. But unlike many bar soaps, they don’t leave my skin dry at all. In fact, my skin feels soft and smooth after each use.

As for the packaging, Nostalgia’s is worth mentioning. There are two available types of packaging: soaps in paper labels and in cloth sacks. The soap sacks are made of organic cotton, and each print is designed in-house and printed in the U.S. Further, the paper label that is wrapped around the sack is printed with vegetable-based inks on recycled paper. That label unfolds to a reusable craft or sewing pattern that can be used to repurpose your soap sack into cute crafts like pincushions or tiny plush puppies. I haven’t gotten around to making my strawberry pincushion yet, but I’ll definitely give it a try. If you’d prefer not to receive a sack, you can get soaps that are wrapped only in recycled paper labels that are, of course, recyclable.

It appears the environment, health and safety were considered in every step of the creative process at Nostagia Organics, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this great company with you. In fact, I plan on purchasing a bunch of their soaps to use as gifts and to keep my own supply plentiful. I’ve been telling people about them everywhere I go.

Why It’s Green:

Handmade in the U.S.
Made only with natural and organic ingredients and essential oils
Packaging is printed with water-based inks on recycled paper and/or organic cotton

Price: $8/ea. for soaps in paper label, $10/ea. for soap sacks
(review)

Want to Win?

Nostalgia Organics has generously offered to give away 4 soaps to one lucky reader of Green & Gorgeous: 2 in paper labels and 2 in soap sacks. All you have to do to enter is visit the Nostalgia Organics site. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me something you liked or learned about the company. It could be one of their products or a fact about the company. Anything you want.

Want more chances to win? Do any of the following after you complete the first entry method to receive additional entries. PLEASE leave a separate comment for each entry:

Subscribe to Green & Gorgeous via email or RSS. Email subscribers MUST confirm their subscription for their entry to be valid. Leave a comment letting me know that you subscribed.
Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
Stumble any page at Green & Gorgeous, and leave a link to your StumbleUpon profile so I can verify your entry.
Blog about Green & Gorgeous and leave a link to your blog post here
Fave this blog on Technorati and leave a comment with your user name.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 10, 2009, to enter. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

Bonus!

If you don’t want to cross your fingers hoping you’ll win and you want to buy some soaps from Nostalgia right now, use coupon code “SweetGreens” to get 20% off your entire order. Exp. 8/15/09.

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