Spotlight: Creative - Soy Crayons!

Natural Soy Rock Crayons by Clementine Art

I was in Whole Foods this morning getting my usual coffee and croissant and came across the most wonderful creative art supply. Natural soy crayons!

Clementine Art's tag line, "non-toxic is just the beginning" is right, it is just the beginning. We're always teaching our kids that natural is the way to go for most everything and this extents to art supplies as well. I picked up the Soy Crayon Rocks on the double and brought them home to test out. My kids love them. The shape is fascinating to them. To date, they've only had crayons that looked like the standard writing utensil kind and they are so curious how little rocks can have colour.

Soy crayons by Clementine Art

Clementine Art products are sourced responsibly and made in the USA. They're all non-toxic and safe. They are definitely setting a higher standard for health and safety in kids' products.

Going on Clementine Art's site, they also have natural modeling dough, paint and markers! I spoke with Megan at Clementine Art and she tells me the paint and markers will be shipping December 15th, 2009, so we are definitely stocking up on these and the rest of their great products for stocking stuffers and gifts for all our little friends.

Natural Paint by Clementine Art

Modeling dough by Clementine Art

To read more about Clementine Art's values and see their products visit their site at clementineart.com. Their great products can be found in Whole Foods nationwide.

[photo: Clementine Art]

[tags: soy crayons, natural paint, natural modeling dough, clementine art, eco friendly crayons, wholefoods]

Eating on the Go

Ring Cutlery Set by GSI Outdoors

Eastern Mountain Sports is one of our favorite shops. We're not avid hikers, or bikers, or skiiers or climbers but our family has it's share of 'pro' equipment. The kids and I love EMS because they always have these really cool gadgets, most everything is so streamlined and sleek.

On our last trip to the shop for beach shorts (for me), I saw this cutlery set by GSI Outdoors. It's basically a fork, spoon and knife all kept together with a plastic ring. Sometimes it's just handy to have a set for the kids, keeps eating with their hands to a minimum. The two best things about this set? It's BPA-free and it's kept together so no losing a fork here or a spoon there. I keep their sets in a handkerchief, which sometimes doubles as a lunch napkin.

Not only are these cool, it's an eco-friendly way to eat on the go than using disposable flatware.

[Tags: Eastern Mountain Sports, GSI Outdoors, ring cutlery set, camping utensils, eco-friendly, BPA-free]


[photo credit: Smuppy Kids, GSI Outdoors]

[It's a Party] Part 1: Favor ideas

My kids' birthdays are coming up fast and furious. We have a mid September and a mid November and it's time to start the planning. I have been thinking about their party for months but haven't come up with anything solid. Maybe I should work less in a straight line: party theme, venue, invitations, decoration, food, favors and more in the way my brain normally thinks: invitations, favors, decoration, food, venue and lastly the theme... While researching I found these totally beautiful totally eco friendly reusable gift bags from Living Ethos...

These would be wonderful for the kids' favor bags. They could reuse them for little toys, snacks, etc. I am inspired! I love the eco-friendly aspect of reusable anything, especially with these being so stylish and modern, it's right up my alley!

Check out the sewing and trim details on these bags, I know how to sew and these are real time consuming details that are well thought out, big thumbs up, Living Ethos!

Dig It Fabric Gift Wrap by Living Ethos

All styles on their site are available in four sizes ranging from the smallest 3 x 3 x 2 inches to the largest at 15 by 11 by 13. You can order a set of four in the four sizes or just order one. 

Flora and Fauna Fabric Gift Wrap by Living Ethos 

Pocket Full of Posies Fabric Gift Wrap by Living Ethos

[Tags: Living Ethos, Fabric Gift Wrap, Fabric Party Favor Bags, Eco Friendly Gift Wrap, Birthday Party Favors]

[photo credit: Livingethos.com]

[Spotlight: Eco-Friendly] Gift Wrapping without Paper

I first met Jenn a few years ago at the National Stationery Show in NYC. She was our booth neighbor across the aisle. Instantly I was smitten with her illustrations. They were bold and gentle and beautiful all at the same time. It was also the first time I've seen her product launch Furochic(TM) What is this? Furochic is a modern take on the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth idea furoshiki. It's a great idea because it promotes caring for the environment and reducing waste (each year millions of tons of paper and plastic gift wrap are dumped into landfills). I'm talking about furoshiki for wrapping gifts, it can also be used to create handbags, little baby slings for your child's stuffed animal, or even used as a hankie. Check out Jenn's reuse page on her site for more ways to reuse her awesome and stylish Furochic gift wrap.

Wrapagami by Jenn Playford

Check out Wrapagami for more fun and great ways to wrap all sorts of things. For those of you who are not in Canada, the book is available in most book stores in the US. Be sure to support your local booksellers! Below are more images from Jenn's book:

Wrapping up baby bottles in this fashion and then putting it in the diaper bag is stylish and would probably keep warm formula warm for a while.

Great way to wrap up flowers for a hostess gift at your next dinner party.

This one is my favorite. Kasie, who is 4, is very much into taking care of her little stuffed animals and this is perfect for her to tote along her little 'babies'. Come September when Kasie starts Pre-K4, I'll be sending her off to class with furoshiki wrapped snacks. Maybe this will inspire her friends to do the same.

Order yourself some Furochic and check out the techniques page on the site and you can instantly learn how to wrap Furochic style.

[photos: Jenn Playford, Furochic]

Spotlight: Eco Friendly Paints Part 2

Mythic Paint, Stronger, safer, smarter paint®

After our first posting about eco friendly paints, Sam Lueder from Mythic Paint contacted us to tell us about their wonderful line of paints, which is manufactured in the only zero emissions paint facility in the country.

Mythic Paint first and foremost is eco friendly, it is the world's first high performance, zero-toxin, zero-VOC (volatile organic compunds) paint. Did you know that up to 50 percent of the toxic gases and carcinogens from traditional paints can still linger around in your living space even after six years after application? Yikes. I am sure most if not all parents out there will want to avoid anything toxic coming near their children. Our kids have pretty bad food and environmental allergies so it is very important we choose something as non toxic as possible for the room they are in almost everyday.

Don't think for a moment that since they're eco friendly and non toxic that the colours are less than cool and stylish. Mythic Paint has over 1200 colours and they can match anything from grandma's vintage blue handkerchief to a stone found at the beach.

David Bromstad Color Collection - Kid's Room Edition

We're going to be painting the kids' playroom so it is also a super durable paint - crayon marks and scuffs can be wiped with any biodegradable detergent (what is a biodegradable detergent? It means that over time, the detergent will degrade into inert ingredients thereby making it safer for the environment.) and a soft cloth. I love low maintenance so this sounds excellent to me.

The paint should be here in the next two weeks, I better box up the toys and prep the walls.

I am looking forward to getting this room started!

Spotlight: Eco Friendly Paints

Benjamin Moore Natura Paint

We're in the first stages of planning a redo for our kids' playroom. Fresh coat of paint, some new shelving for their toys and art supplies and maybe a piece or two of furniture to spruce it up a bit.

In doing research for eco friendly paints, I came across a new line of paint from Benjamin Moore. The newest addition to their line is Natura Paint. Natura is a premium interior waterbased paint with zero VOC (volatile organic compounds). Natura, in independent third party testing, has the lowest VOC emissions of any national brand of paint tested. It is also an almost odorless formula that dries fast and has an unlimited colour selection Benjamin Moore is famous for.

I will be documenting the process of our little interior decorating job on our site. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be painless, it's the first time we're doing the job ourselves!

For further information on Natura Paint and the rest of Benjamin Moore's great products, please visit their site at http://www.benjaminmoore.com

[photo credit: Benjamin Moore]

[Spotlight: Eco] Reusable tarp bags + give away

We made these cute tarp bags to give away at one of our trade shows last year. We have some left over and the kids have been taking them to put their toys and books in. They're great for little lunch bags too. The tote dimensions are 12 by 14 inches, have grosgrain ribbon for handles, and we letterpressed the label on chipboard and sewed everything together.

First 10 readers to send me an email to smuppykids@9spotmonk.com will receive one! Please include your name and address. We'll let you know via email when it's in the mail!