Sheryl Crow; Do as I Say, Not What I do!

Look at what I came across recently!
Cute little Go Green buttons on the supposedly eco-conscious Sheryl Crow's website.

Looks pretty good, right? I thought so too until I looked a little harder. Seems Sheryl is more about the talk than the walk.
I actually thought about buying a tank top from Sheryl's merch page but when I clicked on the pic for more info fully expecting to see a hemp content or at the very least some organic cotton, all I saw displayed was 100% cotton. Yep, regular cotton. I guess the status quo is okay for the one square advocating Sheryl to flog to her fans. Is it really all about the mighty dollar? There are so many options for more sustainable promo tees, I thought that Sheryl would have used the opportunity to let her fans also be fans of Mother Nature at the same time and have a green option for a tee.

I even wrote a little inquiry to her merch company to see what they had to say about it but a response doesn't look promising. Seems they only treat comments or concerns attached to an order number with any seriousness as they "might not be able to respond to inquiries without an order number".

As I looked further into Sheryl's promo offerings I was even more disappointed as I saw they are using (*gasp...!) poly-cotton blends!!!! for some of the shirts. The horror! I have a good mind to change the code on that cute little green button up there and point it to a green site that actually offers great green goods made from hemp. But then, that would be totally unethical of me wouldn't it?

What I did on Earth Day

The celebration aspect of Earth Day seems to have been taken to a new level of - dare I say it - consumerism this year. Treehugger did a post on the subject, likening Earth Day to the new Christmas for the Green and I have to say that I agree with the comparison. Every where I look lately eco-this or greener-that is in the headlines. While this would be great if it was just an issue in it's own right, it is usually attached to some kind of special offer, to buy something.

In my own little silent boycott I tried to stay away from all of that, even canceling the big Earth Day Sale Event I had planned for my own online shop. I just can't justify flogging something just because it is Earth Day. We should be going green every day, not just on Earth Day and by that I mean using less, which ultimately equates to buying less.

I only bought the necessary groceries on my list today. Since the store was giving away cute little evergreen trees, I graciously accepted one to plant at home with the kids in honour of the Earth. And no, I didn't need a bag for it either because I always bring my own.

Counting Down the Days - Earth Day Looms

Just over a week away now, there is much talk about Earth Day this year it seems.
It will be nice to see some of the initiatives that the blogosphere provides to keep the eco-momentum on the rise and in the headlines.

What are you doing for Earth Day?

The EP!C Announcement

There is some big news that has been brewing around these parts and here is my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT;

I am exhibiting my children's wear label at EP!C in Vancouver next weekend!
This is a big to-do as the numbers are huge for this event. They expect upwards of 20,000 people to come through the doors to see the show and the best part is, they are mostly all my target market! The demographic is right for my hemp children's clothes as the Ethical Progressive Informed Consumer is who I want to be seeing my designs.

I even have some extra exposure thanks to Fashion High as they have so kindly organized some fashion shows for FH members to participate in. All in all it is going to be an action packed weekend and what better timing than right before Earth Day to check out some sustainable goods for greenies.

I enjoyed the EP!C show last year as a panelist but this year is taking it to a new level for me. I love it when a plan comes together!

So, it's Girl Guide Cookie Season Again.

So it's Girl Guide Cookie time again, that dreaded season that now comes twice a year, much to the detriment of many a waistline.

Yep, Girl Guide Cookie drive is on in fifth gear already. I say that because this go around the "old school" kind of cookies are up for grabs and it seems that they are going like hotcakes. Our Brownie Unit is almost all out of the cookies that we had ordered and not everyone is even close to pleasing all of the customers.

It helps the girls so much because they really do learn a lot being involved in Girl Guides at any level. Funds go towards camping and other resources that are important in the Guiding movement. So buy those cookies everyone and get'em while they are hot!

The Yoga Mat Bag

This was an Etsy Alchemy project that I finished up yesterday. I've been having some issues with my internet connection and what a process getting it figured out. After 40 minutes on the phone with tech support it is finally up and running again so I get to post my pictures!

Back to the yoga bag, this was a first for me. No pattern, just measurements and some key desires from the client and the rest was up to me. I think it turned out well and if I were a yogini I would want one of these for myself.



There are a few little extra details that really make this a special item; a cute little pocket for ID and some cash, a strap at the top for hanging it up and inside is my signature keychain loop for hooking up the keys to.

I have been wanting to try making a hemp yoga mat bag for a while and this was the perfect opportunity. I have to say that my fear and loathing of zippers was diminished only slightly. This was the first zipper I tackled in about two years because I just can't stand doing them. I found this easier because the zipper was so long where I have only used short ones before so I will definitely be making more of these.

WE are all soooo Screwed.

I was having a fairly decent day until I read this article over at Mother Jones.
Sometimes I wonder why I try to live a green life at all when disaster seems to be looming just over the horizon. Maybe I should just jump into the handbasket along with the rest of the masses and enjoy the ride.

I Just Have to Share...

I came across this on another blog, don't ask me how I landed there, something about SEO stuff for bloggers where Mark Lancaster commented and all I can say is.................................................
OKAY, I can't even begin to describe this scenario so you just have to go there yourself and see the YouTube clip he posted. (I'd post it here but I haven't figured out how to do that yet....)

Anywho, don't take my word for it, just go there. It's kind of like a train wreck. You don't want to see it but you just can't stop looking. And the worst part of the whole scene is that I don't know if the original Amy Winehouse is the more unappealing or this "impersonator" that Mark has so nicely shared with us. So now I share it with you so you can be the judge.

And here, I have been lamenting for a few days about finding good content to post on this little blog. (Yes, I know, the term "good content" is relative....)

Indie Love Spring Gift Guide 2008

Check it out right HERE! And aren't those graphics just a HOOT?!!!

The fabulous Kristen runs the Indie Love blog (and is also a fantastic line of bee-u-T-ful jewels as you can see at Coquito Designs) puts up a seasonal gift guide and the Spring '08 guide is now up for your viewing pleasure.

Note that of course this post really is all about me, as I have a small spot with some info in there as well.


Well, okay I guess it can't be just all about me. When you check out the Gift Guide, you have GOT to look at the featured artist who is right below my spot. Amazing stuff from Cambria of Cambria's Creations. What a sense of colour and design! Can you believe she is only 12 years old! And that's no April Fool's joke either.

On the other hand, I will apologize for the excessive use of linkage in this post which is quite laughable. Sorry about that folks!

I Found a Great Online Selling Option

Some of you who have been keeping up with my online-goings-on might recall my exploration into the vast arena of online shopping cart providers. I have posted about different options in the past and here I have found one more that deserves a mention.


Ashop Commerce is a great provider of shopping cart software with many extras to enhance your ecommerce software experience. They offer free store design with many versatile templates for an attractive shop set up. The pricing structure is varied to address the diverse needs of those of us in the market for shopping cart options. If you check out their shopping cart software you will notice they really do cover all aspects of selling online for merchants.

As a bonus, I noticed that they also offer SEO techniques within the shopping cart software which is something I think all online merchants find challenging. What more could we ask for in a complete online selling solution? They even have a free 10 DAY trial offer that doesn't even require a credit card! I think I might just be their next customer.