Sweet Organics and Naturals
Happy Earth Day!
To celebrate earth day anyone reading this blog can save $5 off any purchase of $25 or more at with the coupon code:SweetOrganicsandNaturals.com earth08
In addition 5% of your purchase will be helping local animal welfare agencies!
Feel free to share this coupon code with anyone you like!
Offer good through May 1, 2008
Things That Make You Say Fab
Ultra chic and Eco-Friendly Home Accessories
These industrial strength pieces by designer Tammy Roy, were created in part, or entirely of reclaimed steel and celebrate a raw, eco-inspired look. They are as tactile and beautiful as they are strong and unique-reflecting the spirit of the maker.
Available at Sweet Organics and Naturals
Ultra chic and Eco-Friendly Home Accessories
These industrial strength pieces by designer Tammy Roy, were created in part, or entirely of reclaimed steel and celebrate a raw, eco-inspired look. They are as tactile and beautiful as they are strong and unique-reflecting the spirit of the maker.
Available at Sweet Organics and Naturals
Co-op America
Sweet Organics and Naturals
has just been approved by
The Beauty of Lokta
Announcing the start of Sweet Organics and Naturals Lokta Gift Wrap line!
A paper that is exquisite, strong, sustainable and beautiful!
So far we have many colors of wrapping paper, a gift bag & 3 colors of lokta paper ribbon in our gift wrap line!
In addition to the gift wrap we also have lokta computer paper & envelopes that are sure to impress potential bosses or clients.
Now a bit of lokta paper information:
Lokta Paper
Lokta paper is made from the Lokta bush or Daphne bush that grows Himalayan mountain region at 6,500 to 10,000 feet. There are many different species of Daphne but only five of them are really suitable for making paper. The paper is handmade in the mountains of Nepal from the inner bark of this bush. Popular as the most exquisite and versatile papers on the planet, Lokta handmade paper has four deckled edges and is a very strong fiber.That all sounds great, but what makes Lokta paper so eco-friendly?
· Lokta paper is handmade and sun dried, so there are no machines putting C02 or other emission into our air.
· It is made from a bush that grows quickly and needs to be pruned to the ground every 3- 4 years to grow stronger. Without this pruned it will wither and die. The root base grown during this period of regeneration keeps the soil more stable and helps protect rural Nepalese villages from mudslides during the monsoon season.
· The bush grows in the shade, so bushes grown for commercial purposes don’t require that the forests are cut down to farm them. It can be grown in tiers so that the plants will be ready to prune in different years.
· It is grown without chemicals and requires no bleaches or other chemical processing.
· While only the skin of the Lokta bush is needed to produce the paper. The artisans dry the remaining stalk of the bush in the sun so that they can use it for fuel to cook with. Therefore the entire plant is used and there is no waste.
· The paper is colored with either azo free dyes or organic dyes such as indigo, tree barks, flower etc.
· The strength of the paper makes it easy to reuse and the beauty of it makes you want to.
Using Lokta paper is not only good for the environment, but it helps the rural people of the Nepalese of the Himalayan mountain region. Not only does the root growth help protect their villages, but paper making is their only source of income.
Lokta is a wonderful alternative paper source that is oh so versatile!
Lokta wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbon, computer paper and envelopes are available at my online boutique
Soap Nuts are the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree (Sapindus mukorrosi), similar to the lychee. A long time ago, local folks in the South East Asia figured out that when the nuts get wet, they release saponin, a natural cleaner, making them great for washing clothes! Soap Nuts are the only household cleaner made exclusively from Nature, by Nature.
A single soapberry tree produces hundreds of kilos of nuts per year! Soap Nuts fall to the ground in Indian and Indonesian forests where they are collected by folks who have used the nuts for centuries.
Ayurveda, the primary form of healing and framework for wellness in India, is based in a holistic approach to healing. Rooted in early Vedic culture, Ayurveda translates to “the science of life” and deals with management of healthy living. Ayurveda provides a template for wellness in the body, as it relates to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony of a person within their environment.
The Soapberry tree (Sapindus spp.) sends its roots back as far as the time of Buddha. The fruit of the tree, called Soap “Nuts” are a model offering from the ancient healing modalities to our modern lifestyles in the realms of cleanliness, aesthetics and medicine. Although Soap Nuts have been used in India for generations and in Europe for decades, it’s uses are as new to the United States as MP3s. Prized for its handsomeness, the leaves of the Chinese Soapberry tree are paripinnate and crowd at the end of the branches. On the branch ends, the “drupes” or berries hang in pairs or triplets. The fruits are green and smooth when fresh, and when dried become a light brown with silky wrinkles. The trunk is straight and cylindrical; the bark is dark to pale yellow with vertical fissures spanning the length. They can rise to as tall as 25 meters and as wide as 5 meters, the leaves forming a thick umbrella shaped canopy embedded with green flowers. For this reason, they are often planted along boulevards in the way we plant magnolias in the US.
The fruits of this special soapy tree, when peeled from their inner seed, are primarily used as a cleanser. The leathery fruit skins release saponin and become a magnificent detergent when immersed in water. In ancient India these fruits, known in Hindi as reetha, were used for soap and hair wash powders, used by jewelers for shining ornaments of gold and silver and used in the laundering of fine silks and wools.
In Vedic culture reetha is indicated in dravya-suddhi (physical and spiritual purification) for cleansing blankets. As a measure of hygiene and purity, Indian Pilgrim Ships required passengers to carry Soap Nuts onboard.
Today, you can easily purify yourself by using Soap Nuts in your washing machine. Just close 2-4 Soap Nuts into a small cloth bag and add it to the clothes in your wash. Soap Nuts naturally soften and add body to your fabrics, are safe for wool and silk, and keep your colors looking bright. You can also make a concentrated liquid soap by boiling or soaking the fruits.
Soap Nut powder is indicated in Ayurveda as the third in the family of extremely beneficial fruits, along with shikakai and trifla. All three are used extensively in Ayurveda for the treatment of scalp issues such as hair loss, dandruff, and to alleviate parasites such as lice. (You can use a solution of Soap Nuts in the garden to repel pests as persistent as aphids.) In modern India, Soap Nuts are an essential ingredient in hair care products to increase luster and softness of hair. The Soapberry is among the most important trees for beautification in tropical Asia, aesthetics being an important factor in Ayurveda. Used topically, Soap Nuts are used to eliminate freckles, fine lines, chemical stains and cracks in the skin. They are also used traditionally to treat mild to moderate skin complaints such as eczema and psoriasis. Soap Nuts are safe for people with sensitive skin, even people who suffer allergic reactions to store bought “sensitive skin” cleansers.
Soap Nuts are even safe enough to use as toothpaste and as a fruit and vegetable wash. A ten-minute soak in a solution of Soap Nuts removes 95% of the surface pesticides and chemical residues on fresh produce. Soap Nuts are also useful in the kitchen as a food-safe cleaner for countertops, appliances, and sinks.
In India the list of uses for reetha is impressive, claiming over 20 medicinal preparations, which alter the fruit to make it either 100% digestible or emetic. Reetha fruit is so rich in iron it is considered a hemolytic and is used often to treat anemia. When prepared by an Ayurvedic doctor it can treat chlorosis and epilepsy. It is also used as an expectorant for severe lung congestion, and can help to promote blood circulation in patients with low blood pressure. Reetha is a sedative to the uterus and is used to ease childbirth. It can also be prepared as a digestive aid, an anti-venom, or to treat diarrhea, cholera and paralysis.
Clinical trials have just finished on the use of Sapindus mukorossi as a spermicide (replacing Nonoxynal-9, which has shown to lead to widespread sexually transmitted infections.) Recent studies by Chinese researchers show that the saponins in Soap Nuts inhibit tumor cell growth in humans. Indian researchers show that a solution made from the fruit of Sapindus trifoliaus decreases behaviors associated with migraines in mice. Early Vedic medical texts describe thick solutions made by crushing and adding water to reetha fruit that were used regularly to pacify folks suffering from chronic viral infections and headaches. There is also evidence it was used to treat hysteria.
Certainly, preparations need not be so complex.
For example, you can easily create this traditional Ayurvedic recipe for a relaxing bath:
1 c. raw honey
10 drops lavender oil
1/4 c. papaya leaves
1/4 c. neem leaves (Azadirachta indica)
3 T. reetha (soap nut) powder (cracked soap nut shells)
3 T. shikakai powder (Fruit for the Hair)
2 t. kastrui manjal (Curcuma aromatica)
2 t. sandalwood powder
Blend herbs by hand with mortar and pestle and pour into bath with honey and oil.
I have personally tried these & while it does need an extra boost for those roll in the mud kid clothes. My ordinarily soiled laundry comes clean and is softer than it ever has been with the use of a fabric softener! ~Artist Profile: Jodi and Dan~
A vegan run company, Jodi and Dan of This Is It! Creations makes eclectic, handmade gifts, including photo albums, journals, greeting cards, and jewelry. Their products are designed to help you reflect, appreciate each moment, and remember what’s important in life: peace, love, beauty, and fun! While all of the paper they use is not made in US, their studio is located in Northern California, USA.Their motto, “freedom from the ordinary ~ freedom for the animals,” applies to our creations and their lives. To make a difference while doing something they love, they currently donate 5% of profits to animal welfare groups.
Because it’s important to protect our planet, their paper comes from environmentally friendly, sustainable sources. Each of their paper products includes a card explaining the origins of the paper, and what makes it eco friendly. Their greeting card paper is also 100% recycled!
They use handmade environmentally friendly paper from all over the world.
~Lokta Paper
~Banana Paper
~Mulberry Paper
~Mango Paper
Why do they use handmade paper? Besides the fact that it beautiful…
On average, a person uses more than 750 pounds of paper each year, which is the equivalent of nine big trees. More than half of the wood used by humans goes into various paper products, including boxes, napkins, disposable dishes, gift wrap, etc. These products rarely contain recycled fiber, and most of them are made of freshly cut trees. Each year many of the world’s biologically rich forests are disappearing at an alarming rate and the cause is the expansion of industrial tree plantations, which supply pulp to meet worldwide demands for paper products.
With demand for paper expected to double in the coming years and the impact this will have on the world’s forests, the search for alternative sources of paper pulp has become very important. It takes 60% less energy to manufacture paper from recycled stock than from virgin materials. Production of a ton of normal paper needs 20 trees and 7,000 more gallons of water than a ton of 100% recycled paper. Moreover, chemicals like chlorine are used in the bleaching process of these papers that releases chemical dioxin and other toxins, which pollutes our air, soil and water. Sometimes 1000-year old trees are sliced up and shredded into chips, shipped across the entire world, only to be chemically pulverized, bleached, and flattened to satiate the world’s ever-increasing appetite for paper products.
Their cards, journals and photo albums have to be touched to be fully appreciated. The beauty of how the textures come together is amazing! They are so beautiful, they can be framed and hung on the wall to be admired by all!
Buy one for yourself, a loved one or a client. You’ll make a statement with your discerned taste, care for the environment and consideration of the recipenient!
Their work available at Sweet Organics and Naturals!
Om Journal Create Calm Inside Photo Album
You can make a difference! You can buy recycled and environmentally friendly paper products! Thank you so much for supporting us and the planet by buying our eco-friendly products! A page where I will be posting information about, as well as new additions to my online store. ~Artist Profile…Reclaim Artist – Laura Bergman~
Laura of Bottled Up Designs, a mother of two young children, has lived in the Pennsylvania Amish Country her whole life. An avid glass and bottle collector she has spent many years digging through the endless glass and old bottle dumps scattered throughout the wooded habitats and rural farmlands near her home. During her many of her outings, she was disturbed when she would see baby deer laying in the broken pieces of glass, foxes and squirrels running across them and birds landing on the broken pieces while searching for food. She decided she needed to find a way to reused the smaller pieces not wanted by other collectors.
After meticulous cleaning to return the luster and sparkle to the glass, it is then carefully filed and smoothed to remove any sharp edges. Hand drilled then dressed up with beautifully hand shaped sterling silver finishing’s to create a truly unique piece of jewelry.
How is she different?
She has found a way to hand replicate a process that gives similar looking pieces we each can enjoy while still having a unique handmade piece.
Each piece is beautiful and has the bonus of preserving history and protecting the environment!
Be the envy of your friends…own a piece of environmental history!
http://sweetorganicsandnaturals.com/haea.html
Sweet Organics and Naturals…20% off New Years Sale
~New Years Sale!~*All Books, Holiday Cards and Holiday Wrap on sale!*
20% off! I got new books in for my store today. Take a look we have quite a few topics to choose from. Last day for guarenteed Christmas delivery is tomorrow 12/18.
http://sweetorganicsandnaturals.com/noyoso.html Yippee! Yippee, yippee, yippee! I’m so excited that my recycled jewelry shipment arrived 2 days early! It’s so beautiful! It’s hard for me to imagine how people are able to hand craft such lovely things. She has definitely found her true calling. Well…off to add the new books I ordered to my store. http://sweetorganicsandnaturals.com/jewelry.html Sweet Organics and Naturals
Sometimes it’s amazing where life takes you…
i often awake with a strong urge to suddenly do something.
Whether it’s to call a friend i haven’t spoken to in years or
buy a new home, i’ve learned to follow these urges.
i’ve missed writing my poetry to share, but i’ve been busy
following one of those urges.
It’s something i never thought i’d be doing, but things are
just falling into place and snowballing into a real business!
i feel electrified with excitement and hope, but still nervous.
i’ve been crazy busy trying to get everything set up, but hopefully
everything will be worth it.
It’s not open for business yet, but everyone can come take a look
to see what i’ve been doing. i’m opening an online store on Monday
November 26 called Sweet Organics and Naturals! Where we pamper
ourselves and others while protecting our planet.
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