Earth Day is coming up soon (April 22 to be exact)!  In honor of Earth Day, I am devoting this post to eco-style.   Have you noticed the words “sustainable & style” are being used together more and more by fashion editors and media?   Up and coming designers everywhere are premiering their eco-conscience designs; one hot trend is accessories made from recycled materials.  Recycling materials and transforming them into fashion accessories is a win-win situation.  As a consumer, you are helping the environment when you support businesses that manufacture clothing and accessories made from recycled materials. How are you helping?  Many of the materials filling the landfills will remain there for thousands of years.  Recycling reduces the demand for raw materials; thus preserving our precious natural resources.   It reduces air and water pollution along with energy usage.

The consumer is rewarded by acquiring a quality product that is unique and well made.  Products made from recycled materials are often handcrafted and manufactured by a fair trade organization that provides a fair wage and favorable working conditions for their workers.  Celebrities and fashion elite are spotted everywhere donning everything from bags made from recycled juice boxes, plastic bags or rubber tires to earrings made from old mason jars and Clorox bottles. As more and more of us are beginning to follow the green movement, designers are creating fantastic well crafted pieces fashion consumers will enjoy for generations to come.  And keeping our difficult economic situation in mind, I have found some beautiful pieces for a reasonable price.

Here are some good accessory finds from some of my favorite online retail shops:

Vy & Elle Bags- Made from PVC Vinyl (Recycled Vinyl Billboards) These colorful bags are chic and durable.  Thousands of billboards with advertisements made of PVC vinyl go up each day.  When these billboards are no longer needed, they are discarded into landfills where they create toxic pollution. Upset by this wasteful practice, Nicola Freegard and Robin Janson founded Vy & Elle in 2002 in order to transform this landfill-bound material into durable and vibrant products. The strength of PVC vinyl makes it an ideal material for reuse
Read more…

Gift Shopping at the Grocery Store? photo courtesy of ralphbijker

In our super busy lives full of family and work obligations, sometimes the inevitable happens– we forget a special event. Whether it be a birthday, baby shower, house warming or anniversary celebration there is no need to panic. Thoughtful, special, and affordable gifts are as close as your neighborhood grocery store. Here are a few options for finding last-minute gifts at the grocery store.
Flowers

Grocery store flowers can be just as pretty as the ones at the fancy florist. Pick up a few bunches of flowers. You can even ask if they’ll combine them and wrap them in coordinating tissue paper. Use the complimentary flower cards to write a sweet message about how you hope the flowers will brighten their special day or their new home– whatever the occasion may be.

Beauty Products

Put together a little gift bag full of bath time favorites. Try to steer clear of the more utilitarian products (like, say, Irish Spring or Dial) and find slightly higher end grocery store products. Grab some nail files, polish and a bath puff to complete the package.

Go Ethnic

Put together an ethnic-themed gift. Grab a strainer and throw in some pasta, sauce and a loaf of fresh bread for an Italian-themed present. Or do something similar with Mexican food essentials like tortillas, cheese, and salsa.

Sweets

Everybody loves sweets! Fill a baking pan with treat-making essentials like sprinkles, frosting, and cookie cutters.

Think Organic

The organic craze is everywhere these days. Just about every grocery store sells reusable grocery store bags. Fill one of these with organic and earth-friendly food. Your store likely has a special aisle stocked especially with these items.

Coffee

And who doesn’t love coffee? You don’t have to go to a pricey coffee shop to get some good beans. Peruse the coffee aisle for a nice roast, throw in a coffee mug and maybe even some coffee flavoring and you’ve got a great little present thanks to your neighborhood grocery store!

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If you have any other ideas, please let us know. Leave a message!

If you write for any specific amount of time – whether it’s for a few hours or an entire day – you know that long-term sitting is not good. Being trapped in your chair does nothing for your circulation not too mention your butt. Sure, you can get up to stretch or you can take a break and go for a run or even go to the gym, but the fact remains that eventually you will return to your seat and once again take on the attributes of a large pear.

Sit. Peddle. Get healthy! photo courtesy of www.HealthHaven.com

I have wrangled with this dilemma for years with limited success. But I think I came across a good solution: The Healthhaven.com Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike.

This motorized mini-bike is just what it sounds like: a small peddling platform that conveniently sits under your desk or if you’re on the couch with your laptop it can be placed in front of you. You put your feet in the peddles, turn it on and your off and running…er…make that peddling.

The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike was originally developed as a circulation/exercise enhancer for the elderly and for those in need of rehabilitation of movement. Because it comes with a remote-control speed gradient, the user is going through the motions of peddling without overdoing his or her exertion. That same principle works fine for me: I don’t need to be peddling so hard that it distracts me from what I’m doing, yet I enjoy the fact that my legs are moving. After a while I’m not even thinking about it and the next thing I know I’ve cycled for a half an hour or more.

The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike by healthhaven.com comes with a remote control, has a 20 minute timer and a speed adjustment and I gotta tell you — I feel a whole lot better because of it. I’m not nearly as concerned with muscle development or endurance – I can concentrate on those areas when I’m in the gym. I’m just happy I’ve found another way to keep my heart pumping, so by the time I’m into my 5 article of the day I’m not feeling like a sack of potatoes.

The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike comes with a 15 minute timer switch, a multi-function LCD display which displays scan, time, count, and calories. The bike’s quiet DC motor drive system will not interrupt your concentration while working at your desk. And last but not least – it’s lightweight and sports a compact body. The handheld speed control is easy to operate and offers adjustable speeds.

Anyone who reads my blog knows how much I like a good joke. But your health is no laughing matter. The Sunny Health & Fitness Motorized Mini Bike offers a smart alternative for healthy living at a low, low price. And besides that, it works.

And THAT’S no laughing matter!

Looking for a children’s book with a lot of heart and teaches children to follow their dreams? Then Archibald’s Swiss Cheese Mountain is the book you are looking for.

Archibald Mouse

Archibald is a little mouse who teaches children how to reach their big dreams, just like he does to overcome his obstacles to reach his big cheese! Archibald lives with his family in Mr. Hochmeyer’s General Store. Archibald learns everything from his mother, so when he goes to Mr. Hochmeyer’s General Store for the first time on his own, he remembers his mother’s wisdom and has to practice all the things he was taught on his own. It is a story about life, wanting to do things on your own, and the discovery of your surroundings.

Archibald’s Swiss Cheese Mountain is a fun story with wonderful and enchanting illustrations. Archibald is a great role model for kids and adults alike. Archibald mouse shows us that new adventures can be exciting and a little scary sometimes, but with practice and a little confidence, you can achieve your dreams of Swiss Cheese Mountain!

Award Winning Book

• Winner of the Best Children’s Book at the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival
• New Product Winner from Dr. Toy’s 2008 Best Picks
• Best Art Cover 2008 from YouPublish.com
• Must-Read Books 2008 from Atlantic Parent

A portion of the proceeds goes to two children charities, Feed the Children and Variety: The Children’s Charity.

How to Get Archibald’s Swiss Cheese Mountain

To get Archibald’s Swiss Cheese Mountain, please visit the website. An autographed first edition is available for a limited time, so get your copy today!

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Tell me what you think of Archibald’s Swiss Cheese Mountain. Please leave any comments you have.

S P O N S O R E D   R E V I E W

Today I’d like to introduce a new and absolutely brilliant service available online: Tigerbow.com

Send gifts via e-mail. Photo courtesy of Tigerbow.com

Description of Service
Tigerbow.com is all about sending gifts via e-mail! They make it very convenient for you. You can even send the gifts to someone whose physical address you don’t know and let them decide where the gift should arrive!  Just give Tigerbow the e-mail address or the Facebook profile of the recipient and they’ll do the rest.

The recipient has the option of accepting or refusing the gift. What if your gift is not accepted? Well, in this case, you are not being charged. You are only charged if your gift is accepted and sent out. How cool is that?

The service is similar to PayPal in the sense that your address (your bank account in PayPal’s case) is not revealed. Another good thing to know is that the receiver’s address is not revealed either… so let’s say you met someone on Facebook and he or she is sending you a gift via e-mail using Tigerbow. When you accept the gift, your address is only given to Tigerbow who is not sharing it with anyone but the shipping company. 

At the moment, Tigerbow gifts are available within the USA.

Tigerbow on Facebook. photo courtesy of Tigerbow.com

Gifts available at Tigerbow.com

Some of the most popular gifts you can purchase at Tigerbow.com are gorgeous bouquets, funny greeting cards, delicious Godiva chocolate assortments, books and movies of all kinds.

For current gift selections and more info, please visit Tigerbow.com.

I haven’t had the chance to test this service yet but I am willing to. So if you really enjoyed this post and are in a “gift giving” mood, here is my Facebook profile:
 

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Disclaimer: The info above is for your convenience. If you visit these links, it is your responsibility to review their terms, conditions and policies. Read our Terms of Use.

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If you have tried Tigerbow, please leave a message and share the love!

Shopaholic. photo courtesy of SassyPanda

Whether you’re a longtime fan of 1HappyCorner.com or you’ve stumbled on us for the first time, chances are you like to shop. Whether your passion is buying gifts for yourself or others, there is always the temptation to spend too much, buy too much and just shop too much. It happened to 25-year-old Rebecca Bloomwood, the star of the hit movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. She found herself struggling with an addiction to buy and her passion was designer everything– handbags, scarves and dresses. Eventually Rebecca found herself underneath a pile of credit card debt. Here are a few tips that will help you continue to be the great gift-giver you are without becoming a shopaholic.

1. Set a Limit. It’s important to know how much you want to spend before stepping foot in the mall or beginning your online hunt. Whether it’s $10 or $100, figure out what fits into your budget and stick to it.

2. Remember your Mission. Are you shopping for a baby gift for your co-worker? Or a wedding present for your cousin? When  you’re shopping with a purpose, remember your mission. Don’t stray from the plan. Chances are the baby doesn’t need anything from Coach and your cousin probably isn’t registered at Nine West.

3. Not Everyone Needs a Gift. There are many times in life that call for celebrations, special treats and perfectly wrapped packages. But there are some that do not. Use your best judgement and decide when a sweetly written card will do rather than an extravagant gift.

4. Be Honest. If you’re trying to hide your shopping habits from your spouse or find yourself sneaking to the mall, you may have a problem. Be honest and open about your spending.

S P O N S O R E D  P O S T

Searching for that perfect Romantic Valentine’s Day Gift that will be remembered and cherished forever where quality and elegance are important? Well hold on, I have found a wonderful website for you that accomplishes that and much more. Timeless Message (www.timelessmessage.com) is a fresh new website I found that has wonderfully romantic gifts. The Message in a Bottle gift that they offer is just superb. Sending a message in a bottle is a very romantic new gift idea for anyone on for any special occasion not just a romantic one although it is genuinely the most romantic gift I have ever seen and there is a message in a bottle for every budget which is important today.

You can send a message in a bottle for Valentine’s Day, an Anniversary, Birthday, Graduation, Mother’s Day Father’s Day, Christmas and of course for no particular reason at all. I sent one to my spouse for Christmas and I could not have chosen anything more meaningful or that would become more cherished. It was just simply awesome. I sent one to my mom on her birthday and she called me crying with overwhelming emotion. I think that pretty much gives you an idea of just how personalized, sentimental and touching this is.

See “Message in a Bottle” Collection and Timeless Teddy Bears! Visit TimelessMessage.com!

We mentioned Timelessmessage.com in our 2009 Valentine’s Gift guide (Part 2).

Make Sure He's Listening in on Your Conversation. photo courtesy of Xenia Antune

You don’t want to sound pushy or unromantic– but you really want a very specific leather Coach wallet. Or cream cashmere scarf– not white, not buttercup, cream! So how do you make sure your loved one gets you the gift you really want?? Here are a few tips for dropping the right hints.

Casual Conversation

Maybe it’s during dinner or maybe it’s while you’re window shopping at the mall– either way make sure you drop your hint in casual conversation. Don’t make it too obvious. Try something like, “oh the clasp on my wallet broke! I could really use a new one. My friend Mary got this great leather Coach wallet that I just love!”

Phone Calls

Call up a friend while your loved one is in hearing range. Tell your friend about the purse, perfume or pair of earrings you saw that you absolutely loved. Hopefully this time he’ll be listening in on your conversation.

Use Technology

If you want to be a little more obvious (and let’s face it– some guys need you to be!) try Hintdropper.com. The site lets you create a profile, adding gifts that you would love to receive for your birthday, Christmas, or just because. Then you can send the link to all of your friends– that makes it less obvious to the one person you really want to drop the hint to!

Make a List

Make a wish list and leave it in a place where your loved one will “accidentally” find it. Of course, they may wonder why a grown adult made a wish list in the first place so make sure you come up with a good story just in case you are asked.

Plant Hints

Is there an advertisement in a magazine for something you love? Leave the magazine open to that page and set it on a counter or table that he’s sure to see. He may just think you left the magazine there on accident, or he may pick up on your hint!

Enlist a Friend

Get a friend to give your sweetheart some gift “suggestions.” But of course, everything mentioned will have been already decided on by the both of you. If your loved one still doesn’t get the right gift, well then, next time just ask for a gift card.

We featured The Ultimate Green Store in our 2009 Valentine’s Gift Guide.

This Valentine’s Day, when you show your love for that special person in your life, show some love for the planet, too. No need to sacrifice luxury, style or the cool factor. Here are some eco-friendly gift ideas from The Ultimate Green Store:

Solio. photo courtesy of theultimategreenstore.com

Love Solar Style: Make sure romantic moments can always be captured and that you’ll always be able to reach your Valentine. A favorite gift for him or her, Solio portable solar chargers and Voltaic solar bags will enable you to charge your small portable devices such as cell phones and cameras off the grid and on the go so you never have to worry about running out of juice. The solar bags come in a variety of styles including, daypacks, backpacks and messenger bags.
Read more…