Please use reusable bags!

Why oh why do I still see so many people leaving the stores with plastic bags? Reusable bags are easy, convenient, and so much better for the world.

These are the best bags for grocery shopping I have the Pastel String bags and Stephen has the Neutral ones. 5 bags with a stuff sack to keep them all in they are perfect to keep in the car for all your shopping needs. I like the short handles best.

For produce I love my mesh bags I bought from here. They are the perfect size and they store in their own stuff sack which I have attached to my string bags stuff sack. They are see through and durable but could be considered on the small size. A couple of extra large ones would be a good idea to complete the set.

I also love to buy from the bulk section, no wasted packaging. For my bulk purchases I have these wonderful bags. They hold anything I need.

I have 2 of these that I love for throwing in my purse when I go into any store.

The bags above are just a few of the thousands of options you have in reusable bags. The trick is to really think about what you will use them for and buy accordingly. Here are 2 great places to start your search for reusable bags.

reusablebags.com

Etsy.com

Revamp of Purely Natural

Purely Natural is going to be revamped! I have had a hard time deciding what to do with this blog I am hoping that starting fresh will motivate me to write more. I want Purely Natural to be an area where I can post about all the natural and organic things we do in our family. Hopefully by explaining what we do, how we do it, and why we do it I will be able to inspire others to do the same. Also for all my friends and family who know I am an eco-friendly nut but are not sure why this blog should help explain my reasoning behind my madness.

I love to learn about how others run their life and why they do the things they do, it is amazing what you can learn from someone else. So read, comment, and ask questions. The more you actually discuss the realities of day to day life the more you learn about yourself and those around you.

Eco Friendly Gifts

I have done a few posts on green toys. We have a lot of them around our house, our favorite companies are Plan, Sprig, Anamalz, and Green Toys. Some of these toys are made from natural renewable materials and others are made of recycled materials, both of which are wonderful for kids and the environment. Although the first thing we usually think of when we need a gift for someone is to go down to Target and buy something. When trying to be eco-friendly running down to Target to get a present does not usually work. Unfortuantly even thought there are a lot of wonderful eco fiendly toys out there not a lot of them make it into the big chain stores. There are alternatives to buying a toy when a gift is needed some of these alternatives can actually be less expensive and greener then buying any toy. Here I put together a list of the different kids of eco friendly gifts for friends and family.

1. Items made from natural materials
2. Items made from recycled materials
3. Items that the recipient needs and that you know will be used such as: books, clothes, shoes, new cookware, paper- I know it does not sound all that fancy or fun but for some people a usable item is a wonderful gift. When ever we read a book or put on the cool shoes someone bought the kids we think of the person who gave them and how special they are.
4. Items handmade by the giver especially for the recipient. If you have a talent then use it.
5. Special playdates or trips- some ideas could be an afternoon at the park with a special picnic lunch, a morning at the movies with popcorn of course, or a trip to the zoo..something special that both the recipient and the gift giver can enjoy together.

More felt toys

I wanted a felt dragon for the kids to play with. I looked at felt dragons but nothing was what I wanted plus I did not want to spend $20-$30 on it. I already had a felting needle so I thought I would get some wool and try making one myself. For $1.99 in wool and 5 hours of work I made this little guy. I must say I was quite impressed with my work. He turned out incredibly cute and the kids love him. Exactly what I wanted!

Felted Toys

I only like to give natural gifts that are either meaningful or useful. I think that just buying something because you do not know what else to get is wasteful. I would rather get nothing then something I do not need or want. I guess that is just the environmentalist in me.

A year ago I purchased a needle felted Peter Rabbit for my grandmother. She likes Beatrix Potter and always gave us Beatrix Potter items when we were little. Needle felting is a process of taking natural wool and shaping it with a needle until it is dense and compact. The other day my son said that Grum (my grandmother) needed a Benjamin Bunny to go with her Peter Rabbit. Of course I was more then happy to oblige, teaching him the wonderful feeling of giving is something I strive to do. Kelley at Little Elfs Toy Shop does such wonderful work that I wanted to let others know about her. Check out her shop full of great natural toys. I just love Etsy!

Check out Little Elfs Toy Shop for more items like these.

Lunch Box

I spent today looking for an eco-friendly lunch box for the kids. I am thinking with our new schedual it would be best for me to pack them a lunch on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because we are usually out until lunch time. If I had something to easily pack a lunch for them in it would make my outings much easier. We already have a few things like our Klean Kanteens, some wrap-n-mats, and some other fabric sandwich wraps from Etsy. I love all of these things but I wanted a cohesive set that I can use to make lunches. I really like the Bento Box idea but I was not keen on plastic. From the reviews I read I do not think my kids could use it effectively, not to mention all the pieces I know that they would end up lost.


Today though I found this from Planetbox.



I am loving it and can not wait to get one for each of my kids.Basicaly it is a one piece Bento Box. The magnet are super cute as well (I just love the rainbow one).


I am hoping that they will last the kids a long time maybe even through elemtary school. They have a 5 year warranty on them which when you look at it it is only $12 a year if spread out over 5 years. Plus they are likely to last longer then that. It even has a carrying case that will fit our Kleen Kanteens. I just wish they had more colors to choose from in the carrying case.

Goals For 2010

Goals for 2009
1. Try the everlasting vanilla
2. Work on the garden to produce enough veggies that I do not have to buy them any more.
3. Give eco friendly gifts
4. Make reusable fabric gift wrap
5. Change the cats litter to something better for the environment
6. Buy only what I need and donate everything we do not use.
7. Give my kids eco friendly birthday parties.