Eco Watches

I'm not much of a watch wearer but when I saw these I was converted. These are the cutest watches I've seen in a while and the bonus is THEY ARE ECO-FRIENDLY!!! These Sprout Watches are made out of Biodegradable Corn Resin (the case is also made of the same material), Natural Mother-Of-Pearl dial, Diamond accent, Mineral Crytal Lens and a Mercury Free Battery. http://www.sproutwatches.com/

And even better is the price....these watches range from $60-65.

So if you are trying to decide what to spend that Christmas money you got yesterday on I would suggest adding one of these to the top of your list!


Sprout Women's ST5018MPWT Eco-Friendly Diamond Zebra Dial White Corn Resin Bracelet Watch



Sprout Women's ST5007JMBK Eco-Friendly Diamond Dial Black Corn Resin Bracelet Watch

This cute pink one can be found at Nordstrom.

		Eco-Friendliness The small size Sprout® watch is 80% eco-friendly (by weight) The large size Sprout® watch is 86% eco-friendly (by weight)
		Compliance All Sprout® watches are in compliance with the CPSIA and are lead and phthalate free. The corn resin we use is in full compliance with the American ASTM D6400 as well as the European EN13432 standards for compostable material.
		Materials
		Corn Resin The shelf life of corn resin is similar to synthetic plastics. It will not break down during regular wear and use. In a compost environment, corn resin is 99% biodegradable to carbon dioxide and water within 365 days. Since it’s made from corn, it comes from a renewable resource. Conventional plastics use an estimated 200,000 barrels of oil a day in the United States alone but because corn resin is bio-based, it therefore uses no oil resources in production
		Organic Cotton The majority of cotton is grown with toxic chemicals. Conventional cotton requires the use of enormous amounts of pesticides - 25% of all insecticides and 10% of all pesticides - which have a huge environmental impact. It is one of the most environmentally damaging crops to grow, as about 84 million pounds of pesticides are sprayed on US cotton crops alone in one year. Some of these chemicals are considered to be the most toxic chemicals in the world. Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment and is grown without the use of toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
		Bamboo Bamboo is considered eco-friendly based on its properties as 1) a natural (nonsynthetic) fiber, 2) a quick-growth plant (it's in the grass family) that sequesters greenhouse gases, and 3) a renewable plant that can grow back after its three to five year harvesting period. It largely doesn't need chemicals, pesticides, or fertilizers to grow.
		Mineral Crystal Most lenses in the medium price range of watches are made from plexiglass, a type of synthetic plastic. Sprout® lenses are made from Mineral crystal which is a type of glass made from sand. It can technically be recycled.
		Mercury Free Battery Mercury is actually a neurotoxin, which is harmful to both animals and humans. Exposure to even small amounts of mercury over a long period may cause negative health effects including damage to the brain, kidney, lungs and a developing baby. Sprout® watches use only Mercury Free batteries.
		Recycled Fibers Sprout® packaging is made from at least 80% post consumer fibers. It is both recycled and recyclable.

**All info above is from their website directly: http://www.sproutwatches.com/eco_facts.asp

Batiks by Abby

Growing up in Breckenridge, Colorado with Abby Paffrath we spent much of our childhood together outside enjoying nature. She always had an amazing creative streak that I am so glad to say she has developed into an awe inspiring knack for making beautiful batik artwork. I have an original of hers that I enjoy every single day! These days living in NYC this piece of artwork a great reminder for me of who I am and where I came from. It's easy to forget these things in our daily grind of life and I'm so thankful that we have art and artists like Abby who help bring us back to remember what really is important in life.

 

Brown Blur by Abby Paffrath

 



  

Mountain Blue Bird by Abby Paffrath

Clean Clean Water by Abby Paffrath







 Abby has always been inspired by the outdoors in her lifelong quest through the arts. She has a Fine Arts education from University of Montana, but her real love of the dyed batik began when she enrolled in a cultural arts program in Bali, Indonesia. Batik is a wax resist dye technique used to create images and patterns on fabric; it is traditionally used in ceremonies and rituals by the Balinese peoples. Abby now resides in Jackson Hole Wyoming where she is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Teton Mountain Range.

Interested to know more about Abby Paffrath? Check out her website at: http://www.abbypaffrath.com/

Thought of You

I love how this Sketch Movie makes me feel...wow visual and performance art in one!!


Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Supergreens- A Key to Better Health

The New Biology of Innerlight, Inc

Our bodies were designed to be healthy, slender, and Energetic.
We were intended to have smooth, supple skin and a quick alert mind.
Instead we are overweight — tired and sluggish. Why?

Robert O. Young, Ph.D. and the author of "The pH Miracle” explains his theories through “The New Biology”. The New Biology, most simply stated, is that the over-acidification of the body is the single underlying cause of all disease. Dr. Young has found that when the body is in healthy alkaline balance, germs are unable to get a foothold.

www.innerlightinc.com/kelli

Think of your body as a fish tank...

Imagine the cells in your body are fish and they are swimming in the fluids of your body. Most of us are polluting our fish tanks (bodies) with junk food, smoking, over consumption of acid-forming foods, and any number of transgressions which compromise the delicate balance of our internal alkaline fluids.

Some of us have fish tanks (bodies) that are barely able to support life, yet we somehow manage to struggle from day to day, building more severe imbalances. Indeed, the entire metabolic process

 depends on a balanced internal alkaline environment. A chronically over-acidic pH corrodes body tissue, slowly eating into the 60,000 miles of veins and arteries like acid eating into marble. If left unchecked, it will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain. In summary, over-acidification interferes with life itself leading to all sickness, disease and unhealthy conditions such as obesity.

Alkalize and Energize beginning with SuperGreens™ & Prime pH!

SuperGreens™ Powder contains a powerful blend of organically-grown grasses, sprouted grains, green vegetables and leaves which infuse the body with more than 125 easily absorbed vitamins, minerals and amino acids. SuperGreens™ are also super concentrated in a 20:1 ratio to immediately go to work eliminating acid wastes from the body.

Prime pH is an oxygen catalyst in the bloodstream. This formulation has been shown to have an alkalizing, neutralizing, oxygenating and pH balancing effect on the body.

You remember what it was like...
Itching to get going at dawn. Running at full speed the rest of the day.
Napping not because you felt like it, but because Mom made you.
As a kid, your energy never seemed to quit. So what happened?

People everywhere tell the same story. As they’ve “grown up,” they’ve grown out of their youthful effervescence. But why?

The human body is designed to perform for decades. It comes down to a matter of internal energy – not only within our bodies, but within our individual cells. Cells robbed of the nutrients they crave fail to perform at their peak level. Their functionality diminishes and they begin to shrivel due to lack of food, light, and oxygen.

www.innerlightinc.com/kelli

The Trouble with Diet

The truth is, the closer a food’s state is to when it obtained the sun’s energy, the more energy that food retains. Fresh wheat sprouts have a high level of natural energy – but when the same mature plants are dried, ground, processed, and bleached into flour, they lose a tremendous amount of their nutrients. And think about it – what type of food does our society eat more of – processed or fresh?

The Trouble with Dieting

It’s not that we don’t try to make up for our lack of nutrients. The market is full of vitamin supplements, but they don’t completely solve the problem.
Vitamin pills, too, are far removed from a nutrient’s natural source of energy. They’ve been chemically formulated, processed, and compressed into hard, white tablets that contain virtually no electrical charge. So when these vitamin pills pass through the system, the body must not only work to break up the hard pills, it struggles to absorb nutrients with an electrical charge much lower than its own. In fact, most dietitians believe that as little as 3% – and only as much as 15% – of a typical supplement’s nutrients are absorbed before it passes out of the body.

www.innerlightinc.com/kelli

Why is InnerLight Different?

InnerLight supplements, however, literally bring new energy to each cell directly. It’s a big idea that begins with the tiniest of particles called colloids. Since colloids are so small, it is easy for our cells to absorb vitamins and minerals introduced at this size. InnerLight begins by breaking basic nutrient elements into billions of colloidal particles. Then, unlike any other supplement provider, InnerLight ensures these colloids remain individually separated through a proprietary process that is called Micro-Ionization™. Perhaps the most striking difference about InnerLight products is their living energy, which actually attracts the colloids to your cells where they can be instantly utilized. Functionality is rejuvenated. Your cells – and you – can feel that maybe the energy you knew as a kid isn’t so long gone after all.

www.innerlightinc.com/kelli



Eco Snowboards

If you are looking for that new snowboard this season for youself or that favorite guy or girl in your life check out these amazing snowboards from Arbor at http://www.arborcollective.com/.  

These guys not only produce high performance product but they have also designed some truely beautiful and sustainable sports gear from snowboards to skateboards and apparel. Teaming up with many different artists to create these boards Arbor is truely bringing art and sport together in a way that I really appreciate!

This gorgous board called "Push" is made with eco materials such as bamboo and recycled steel. Every board in the Arbor line is built with an ultra thin protective top foil made using 30% caster bean based bio-plastic and Arbor’s principle all-mountain core, built from 100% FSC certified, sustainably produced poplar.

The art collaboration on this board was done with Blaine Fontana who was born in Seattle, Washington and raised on Bainbridge Island (a small artistic community west of the city). http://www.blainefontana.com/

Thanks Arbor for giving us a green option for our favorite toys!!

Frey Organic Wine

Besides fashion, food and friends one of my passions is WINE.  I love wine....who doesn't?

We'll I guess there are plenty of people out there that don't but maybe it's because they haven't taken the time to realize how romantic it can be. I mean it's a love story from the earth to your mouth. It's like a romance novel with all of the sexy details of the region and land it comes from. Now why would you want to go and dump a bunch of chemicals on something so beautiful? It boggles my mind...so it makes me very happy that there are more and more options of  local Organic and Biodynamic Wines to choose from out there.

One of my favorites is the 2009 Pinot Nior from Frey.

Not only is this wine great with spicy food (like the Wild Rice Mexican recipe I posted below) but the owners of this winery have a fabulous love story about themselves and how this family owned organic winery in California came to be.

"Paul Sr. and Beba Frey grew up a few blocks apart in the gritty Brooklyn, New York of the 1930's and 40's. Paul relished his summer escapes to the Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania. And Beba found bliss each summer on a Catskill Mountains dairy farm. Each vowed to escape the city permanently. They later met and married in medical school. While their family grew, they longed for a life closer to nature and finally settled down in Northern California in the early 1960's on their ranch in Redwood Valley, Mendocino County. The 12 children grew up instilled with love and respect for the natural environment, and picked up gardening, farming, and agricultural skills, as their parents had dreamed."

Read more at their website: http://www.freywine.com/history.html where you can also buy wine to be shipped to you. They can ship to most states but if they can't ship to yours I'm sure you can find it at one of your local wine stores you just do a search at: http://www.freywine.com/near-you.html

Wild Rice Mexicana

I'm not much of a cook to be honest but this is something that even I can make and I LOVE!
Perfect to bring to that holiday pot luck if you are looking for something different to share with your loved ones. This recipe is not only yummy but it's raw, vegetarian, healthy and beautiful to look at.
(I recommend using all organic produce if you can find it)

Main Ingredients:
4 cups of wild rice (soaked or sprouted...if you don't have time to do this the rice can be cooked)
6 scallions, finely chopped
3/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups vine ripened tomato, diced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped

Place rice, scallions, cilantro, tomato, red/green peppers and oregano in mixing bowl. Stir all ingredients together. Mix will with your hands (that will also infuse the food with your pure love).  Cover and set aside while you make the dressing.

Dressing Ingredients:
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (soaked for up to 3 hours)
3/4 cup ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons light miso paste (yellow or white...either will work)
1 clove of garlic (more if you like garlic as much as I do!)
1 tablespoon chile powder (more if you like it hot!)
3/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
5 tablespoons organic olive oil
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. Place ALL ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend until you have a smooth paste.
3. Pour over wild rice, stir everything together evenly and let it marinate for a few hours or serve immediately.

Suggestions for Serving:
1. In a bowl at a potluck for individuals to serve themselves.
Add a side of sliced avocados or put them on top

2. As the main dish on a bed of greens topped with sliced avocado

3. As a side dish to your main entree (again...be sure to accompany with the avocado)

Yes....I love avocado!

Free Trade Art: Perfect Holiday Cards

It's that time of year again when we start sending and recieving all of those holiday cards. You'll put them up on your fridge or wall for the next month or so and then what? Put them in the recycle bin or store them away to never be seen again?

Check out these beautiful free trade cards at http://www.dolmafairtrade.com/stationery/cards/.

This collection of fair trade greeting cards combine beautiful designs with eco-friendly tree-free paper. They are handmade in Nepal by artisans whose lives are improved by fair trade. Not only are they awsome cards but I'll be putting these little pieces of artwork in frames on my walls to keep for a long time!

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to my Blog!
I will be sharing information on many different subjects...it will range from Fashion to Health...it will probably relate to sustainability and/or abundance in our lives.

Whatever it is that's speaking to me at the moment I will share. Please join in and share your thoughts and ideas--learning is life and I want to learn as much as I can in the lifetime. We're here to support and teach one another what it means to be the best beings we can be!

Looking forward to sharing with all of you,
Kelli