Arm Yourself for Fashion

So sorry for the lack of posts......I have so many excuses. One, I have been sick for a month. I'm still sick, but I'm working from bed just to keep you informed of the latest eco fashions. Two, I was snowed in for two weeks. That shouldn't have been an issue since I work from bed, but it was a major distraction. Three, I have developed a full-blown addiction to FaceBook. Anyway, eco fashion....

My current obsession: arm warmers. They look cool, they're perfect with a short-sleeved tee when it's really long-sleeve tee weather, and the feel snuggly (and sexy, depending on the style) on my arms. Knit Mitts are made just a few hours up the road from Fancy Green headquarters by Texture Clothing -- they come in tons of fun colors and in men's and women's sizes. My slinky black arm warmers are made by Foat Desisgn, a Minneapolis-based company that salvages used materials and recycles them into all sorts of fancy garments.

Check them out.


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Elf Yourself

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

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Recycle Inkjet Cartridges

There's nothing worse than having my inkjet cartridge poop out on me in the middle of printing my final manuscript. I want to throw it into the garbage in anger. Then I get mad at myself for not keeping 3 or 4 on hand, but I can't do that because I hate buying in bulk. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll die, and my tiny condo closets will be filled with rolls of toilet paper, inkjet cartridges from all the printers I had to get rid of because they didn't work so I never even opened the cartridges, all the inkjet cartridges for my current printer, and dozens of bars of Dr. Bronner's soap. And can I trust my survivors to use these items? Yes, if my friends find me. No way if the people in my building find me -- they'll just toss it all in the garbage. I could never rest in peace knowing that my death contributed to my local landfill (or worse, my garbage gets transported to an out of state landfill).

So, back on topic. I hate when that happens. So does my boyfriend because when we have to circle the Office Depot store five times before we can find a place to park, I yell at him for telling me how to drive. Then I pull over and yell at him some more.

Anyway, long story short -- don't just toss your spent cartridges. Visit our web site to find where you can drop them off or mail them in to be recycled. If you have more ideas than we do, please share!

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Beanie La Femme, part deux

Not too long ago, I wrote about my favorite beanie, Beanie La Femme, made my Indigenous Designs. I've been wearing mine around all day, every day. On walks, to the store, out with friends. (I save my second BLF for BLF club meetings.) I've been spreading the BLF love to my friends on Facebook, too, and have started new chapters of my BLF club in South Dakota and Minnesota. Get yours now, send me a photo, and I'll post it here. Hurry, they may run out soon.

Check out the site for reviews of more beanies and hats.....we're posting more every two weeks!

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What's Your Water Footprint?

So just how much water do you waste? We don't have an endless supply, you know!

I read in Body & Soul that "according to the Food & Water Watch, the average American uses 1,190.5 gallons of water a day." A DAY. We all need to stop that. Drink your 8 glasses for health, then find some better ways to clean. For starters, get a front loading, Energy Star rated washing machine. I have a small, European model that uses almost no water and about 1/2 the electricity of a top loader. It also spins my clothes almost dry so that I can simply hang them on a line in my basement or on a folding rack in my living room. Line drying saves energy and prolongs the life of your clothes. Also, don't run a load unless it's full.

Another good idea -- collect rain water with a rain barrel. Use that water to water plants and to wash your car (I use just a drop of Dr. Bronner's soap in a bucket--it's biodegradable).

What else... go to H20 Conserve for more water-saving tips. Every drop counts.

Keep track of U.S. stream flows at http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/

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Beanie La Femme

For those of you who haven't yet read our fancy green reviews.....I'd like to introduce you to Beanie La Femme. Say it a few times: "Beanie La Femme, Beanie La Femme, Beanie La Femme." Doesn't it sound cool? Doesn't it feel good in your mouth to say it? Doesn't is sound like the type of very fancy lid a very fancy lady like you would wear?

I fell in love with mine from the moment I saw the photo in the catalog. Also, because I have a small, cute head, I knew it would look great on me. It's elegant and sassy and stealthy and appropriate for any occasion. Plus, made out of organic cotton and tencel by Indigenous Designs, a fair trade apparel manufacturer based in CA.

My friends and I love BLF so much that we formed a club. We have chapters in two states, WA and MN. I wear mine every day. For hiding bad hair, for power walks, for hanging out with my new BF, for watching movies. I'm wearing one right now as I type. The black one--because it's my badass beanie. My street beanie. I save the ruby colored Beanie La Femme for formal situations and for BLF meetings and events. BLF is perfect for mourning, celebrating, visiting museums, keeping your ears warm, etc.

In the spirit of being both fancy and green, I think you should check out BLF, and apply to be in my club. Read the review on our main site, contact us with a nice message we can forward to the company, then order one!!! They're hard to find online, but if you visit the manufacturer's site and can't find one, call them and order one. Tell them Erika from Fancy Green sent you. I've included a few photos, but I'm looking puffy and old today -- not the best model for this fabulosa hat.



P.S. I also love my flower hat. Check our site for more info.
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Goodbye, Paul

Weird coincidence....so, I knew that Paul Newman was ill, but wasn't really thinking about him on Thursday night when I returned home from my vacation and had to go to the store late at night to get food. I picked up a few organic bananas, then wandered toward the snack aisles. I never buy cookies, but spotted a bag of Newman's Own Organics Alphabet Cookies (PN's daughter's company). They're wheat-free, dairy-free, and chocolate!!! And delicious. I ate the entire bag in about ten minutes. Now I've just read an article about his death yesterday from cancer. So I like to think of my late night cookie binge as my own little tribute to an incredible person who donated $200 million dollars to charitable organizations during his lifetime. Nice work!

So, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, why not have a Newman retrospective. Rent Cool Hand Luke, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the Hustler, etc -- and make sure you have plenty of Alphabet Cookies, a nice salad topped with his dressing, maybe some chips with his salsa. You can even get your dog some organic dog food. Read more about Paul and his charitable work.


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Coming in October

Hello! I've been on vacation, but I'm back and excited as ever to get all green and fancy. We've been wear testing a variety of eco items for our October issue of Fancy Green, including: an organic cotton top from Mountain Hardwear, organic cotton knee socks from Rock n Socks, some very fancy eco fabric capri pants from Ailin, cute purple hemp pants from Sunia Natural Fibers, recycled (and recyclable) food storage containers from Preserve, natural face care product from Dr. Hauschka, a yoga skort by Beckons Organics, and more.....

Check the site after October 1 for new reviews.....

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