Crochet Bracelet in May 2012 Bay Fashion Magazine!

I am super excited because one of my crochet bracelets was worn by a model in this months May 2012 Bay Fashion Magazine!

My bracelet worn by a model on page 78 of May 2012 Bay Fashion Magazine!

 

Here are some close ups of my bracelet. These bracelets are handmade by crocheting wire! At Rock Affair Jewelry I try to use the most ethical supplies that I can... recycled wire and fair trade beads! 

If you want a crochet bracelet like this I would be so happy to make one for you just request a custom item & tell me the colors you would like =)

Recently I branched out a bit and just made this custom order bright 2 finger ring! I think it turned out very well for a prototype & I know what to adjustments to make on the next 2 finger ring to make it even better..

 

Father's Day Gift ideas from Etsy

With Father's Day just around the corner it is time to start thinking about what we want to get the special Dad's, Grandfather's, & other important men in our life. Here are 5 gift ideas that will honor the men and still be a little more earth friendly because they are all  handmade from some fabulous Etsy crafters...

1. A handmade card... What dad wouldn't love to receive such a unique card. Add in a letter telling him how special he is to you to really give him a gift he will treasure. Make this gift even more special by embracing your crafty side and making a card yourself!

Fathers Day Painted Egg Card by LittleOkins

2. Something to drink from....... from a handmade pottery coffee mug to a personalized beer stein  any dad would love drinking from such a special cup. Pair the cup with his favorite grind or brew for a gift he will love.

 

Rustic Dad Mug  by MaidofClay

Etched Pint Glass by ScissorMill

3. Personalized iPhone Case.... Your dad will love to answer his phone when he gets chance to see his loved ones everytime his phone rings. Make this gift extra special by adding an iTunes store gift certificate so he can add his favorite tunes to his phone.

Personalized iPhone Case by ToGildTheLily

4. Gourmet Grilling Herbs & Branding Iron..... Is your dad a BBQ guru? If so he will love to receive some herbs and spices to make his reciepes come to life. Add in a branding iron with his initials to eve eryone will know which steaks (or veggies)  he cooked. To make this gift extra special add in a certificate to whole foods where he can get some fantastic free range meat or organic veggies to throw on the grill.

Naturally Grown BBQ herbs by spiceoflifeak

Branding Iron Letter N by ReedsBlacksmithShop

5. Natural Soaps & Lotions.... If your dad is the type that would appreciate his own products just for him in the bath then here is a set created just for men that he would love.  From soap to aftershave he will have everything he needs to look his best.

Fathers Day Jet Setter Kit by SamsNatural

Fathers Day Blue Collar Kit by SamsNatural 

Colored Jeans....

Colored  Jeans are a trend that is everywhere right now! You can't miss them......... So why not try out this trend and be a little more eco-conscious at the same time....

These brightly colored skinnies from are from Reuse Jeans & are made with 78 % recycled cotton which allows for staying on trend while being sustainable!

The Perfect Soap Dish...................

A while back I switch from using liquid hand soap & body wash over to bar soaps due to the eco advantage of bar soap.  There were many reasons for the switch bar soap has less packaging, less chemicals, less waste, less cost, is often made locally etc. etc. You can read more about that here or here. Also a nice bar of soap is just looks prettier too, especially when it has designs stamped into it!

But...... I had always bought soap dishes in the past as part of a bathroom set (like the sets they sell at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond.) These sets were chosen for their colors and patterns and at no time did I ever consider the functionality of the soap dish when purchasing. So I needed up with this..... cute but not so functional or sustainable =( .... (The soap pictured below I got in my last conscious box has a loofah in it amazing!!)

For a while I was OK.... but I was getting really tired of the soap never drying out, getting gooey and leaving a thick residue behind in the soap dish.  I tried putting those oblong glass marbles you put into a flower vase into the dish for to allow the soap to drain and dry however they just stuck to the soap. Eventually, I got so fed up with all of this that I bought a cute metal branch dish at  Cost Plus World Market. However the dish let the soap drain right onto my counter-top (causing more cleaning) and corroded horridly in less than 3 months. I would show you a pic but I tossed this dish ASAP after getting a new one...OK so metal was out and my soap dish needed to have a base.....

They my wonderful Fiance found me the perfect dish. The dish he got me was stone ( no metal to corrode), had deep ridges in it (allowing the soap to dry and drain) and a removable base (preventing dirty counter tops and ease of cleaning!) The perfect soap dish .........

Below are some cute & functional soap dishes I found for sale on the internet...if you can find a place that sells some fair trade it would be even better!

An incredibly simple yet effective video on how to use a paper towel properly! 

Imagine the amount of trees that could be saved and waste reduced if everyone was able to cut down their paper towel usage to just one towel each time they visited the restroom. 

Highly recommend you try this!

Allure's Pangea organic sample giveaway (expires 9/30/09)

If you haven't tried Pangea Organic's line of lotions, soaps, and facewashes this is your chance!!! Allure is having a giveaway for a free sample pack of what they are calling their "Skin Care Discovery Kit" just follow this link here https://secure.allure.com/magazine/sweeps/pangea/entry/long/ and fill out a little survey & the kit is on it's way to you.

Pangea Organic's is one of my favorite organic lines of bodycare producuts. brand I use their soaps and their lotions. Everything smells great and I love that you can plant their packaging! How neat is that =) I have yet to try their face care products so I am excited for this sample kit (I usually buy Pangea at Cost Plus World Market & they just have the soaps and lotions near me).

Allure also has a kit that is valued at over 100$$ of full size face care products on sale for 50$$ when you use a code they give you at the end of your survey (Allure0909 if I remember correctly). I ordered this kit so review of their face washes & facial masks to come =D. I listed the contents of the kit & their prices below! Super excited.......


Egyptian Calendula & Blood Orange Facial Cleanser* - $28 SRP
Egyptian Geranium With Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Facial Scrub* - $32 SRP
Japanese Matcha Tea With Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask* - $40 SRP
Italian Red Mandarin With Rose Lip Balm* - $12 SRP
Turkish Rose & White Tea Eye Cream - $55 SRP

Icky Business... the cat box

So this post is just downright icky & that I absolutley HATE to deal with!!! The cat box. Ewwwww! But I love my kitties so having one is not optional. So in the spirit of going green I am blogging about it.

About a month or so after getting my chico bags and putting them to some good use I ran into a big problem. I used to use all those plastic bags that I would bring home from the grocery store for the daily scooping of the cat box. However... the supply had run short. I had no more bags left. Yeahh for the chico bag use..... Boo for cleaning the cat box. I had to BUY! bags....

So I decided to do a little research on greening the cat box and found out that the average cat box is not very eco-friendly. Apparently by sealing all that litter in regular plastic bags it never degrades and the actual litter itself is not very good for the environment. I used the petco store brand litter ( you know the one you can refill yourself) and thought I was pretty green because I reused the same plastic container each time... not so much.

Apparently that clay litter is strip mined in a very damaging process to the earth. This means that acres of land that could be used for other purposes are having their top layer stripped off to get to the diatomaceous earth”, (sodium bentonite) clay layer beneath the top layer of the soil. While the clay itself is natural, the land that it is stripped from is destroyed in the process. Also, have you noticed that when you pour your cat litter into the box there is a cloud of dust? This dust is not so great for you or your kitty. These dust particles are silica derivatives of the "bentonite" molecules in the clay. Guess what? They are carcinogenic!

So what are some better options out there for you & your kitty? Luckily there are quite a few good brands of natural options that will biodegrade over time. Swheat Scoop is made from wheat. Feline pine is made from waste of the lumber industry (I like the feline pine SCOOP not the pellets**), Worlds Best Cat litter made from corn. I have tried all of these and my 2 kittys have made a firm decision that what they want is the Swheat Scoop. They will use the feline pine scoop and the Worlds Best Cat litter, but when given a choice between a litter box full of those or the swheat scoop they always go for the Swheat Scoop. I have found all of these 3 options to absorb & clump well, and have good odor control.


IF you decide that you want to switch your kitties over to a natural cat litter be sure to do it slowly. Cats don't like change too much. First place a 1" layer of your new cat litter in the box then on top of that place a 2" layer of your old cat litter. As your cat uses the box she will mix the two litters together and begin to get used to the new litter. The next time you change out the cat box place a 2" layer of the new litter and a 1" layer of the old litter on top. Again kitty will mix everything together and get used to the new textures & smells. Finally on your next litter change you can only use the new litter. This process should take several weeks and help kitty get adjusted to her new green litter.



Now what about litter box liners & the scooping bags??? I don't personally use litter box liners but a lot of people do. Luckily BioBag has a great biodegradable option. I also use BioBag's large dog poop bags to scoop into. This way the litter is not sealed inside of plastic and both the bag, the waste, and the litter will all naturally biodegrade. **



A couple important side notes:

** I just want to mention DO NOT COMPOST your cat litter or FLUSH your cat litter down the toilet (even if the brand says you can, toximplasmosis cannot be filtered out of the water) Cats can carry a micro-org called Toxiplasmosis that can cause sickness in humans and birth defects in babies. An indoor cat is unlikely to have this but just to be safe do not flush or compost cat waste.


**I haven't tried the feline pine pellets option (the original) because my cats try to dig to china to cover up after themselves & pellets just wouldn't cut it for them. They needed a sandy option. The house cat evolved in an sand environment and the closer the litter option is to sand the more success you will have with your cat adapting to a new litter. They like the feel of fine granules on their paws.