Here in New Orleans, pest control is a big problem, and while there are plenty of bug sprays on the market, most are full of scary chemicals.  EcoSMART is an organic line of bug sprays that are safe around children and pets.

I’ve seen some other natural mosquito repellents (the kind you spray on yourself when you go outdoors), which EcoSMART does offer, but before checking out their website, I had yet to see any eco-friendly alternatives to household bug sprays for roaches, ants, wasps and spiders. I read their page about how these repellents work, and the science behind it is actually really interesting.

They offered to send a sample of their Ant and Roach Killer to one lucky reader to test it out.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post by midnight on Friday, December 12, 2008 (Central Standard Time - go here to figure out what time that is where you are). The winner will be chosen at random from the comments and notified via e-mail.

Please, please, if you’re the winner you have to let me know how it works for you!  I’d love to have a non-toxic way to deal with roaches.  Now if only they could come up with a greener way to deal with Formosan termites… Yuck.

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This just in… The lovely and amazing Paraphernalia just launched a competition to help her come up with the stories behind the lovely ladies of her new Victoriana Collection.

All you have to do is write a short back-story (a paragraph or so) for one or more of these fair ladies, and if she picks your story, you’ll win a $30 gift voucher for each story that is chosen. The winning stories will also be featured in the product descriptions and press releases of the collection (with full credits and links back to you)! All you need to do is leave a comment on her blog, her Flickr, or e-mail her at bonmots [AT] paraphernalia.nu. She’s only accepting stories until Saturday, December 6, 2008 so hurry hurry!

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I recently got to try out some awesome lip balm samples from Anti-Body (that’s short for “anti-poverty, beautiful body”). They sent me their peppermint lip balm, which I’m always a sucker for. It’s no wonder why this balm is one of their best-sellers. It’s full of nothing but ingredients you actually know and can pronounce, including fair trade shea butter and fair trade coconut oil.

I’d been hooked on the C.G. Bigelow mentha lip balm before, but upon second glance, there’s a lot of ingredients in that balm with long, chemical sounding names that I’m not really sure what they are. And though the Anti-Body balm doesn’t have quite the tingly pepperminty kick of the C.G. Bigelow balm, I’ve found it’s left my lips feeling a lot softer for a lot longer.

I made my boyfriend try out the chocolate hazelnut balm from their Nutcracker Sweet set, and I’ve gotta admit that when I kissed it off of him, it was pretty tasty stuff. My friend Gwen from Sigh Co. Graphics tested the sugar plum flavor for me and she really enjoyed it as well.

Every Anti-Body product features one or more fair trade ingredients, and as more fair trade ingredients come onto the market, their goal is manufacture 100% fair trade body care products. All of their products currently feature recyclable packaging (with most of it being made from recycled materials), they are free from parabens and are never tested on animals.

While you’re busy scoring all those Cyber Monday shopping deals, check out Anti-Body’s online store and use the coupon code MissMalaprop for 10% off your total order, good now through December 31st, 2008.

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Thanksgiving weekend means lots of sales, as we all know. If you’re like me, you probably want to stay as far away from the mall as possible this weekend, but doing so doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on all the great deals.

This weekend you can celebrate Holiday EtsyFest with about 200 Etsy artists, who will be offering all sorts of different discounts and deals. All you need to do to find participating shops is visit Etsy.com and search using “EtsyFest” or check the Holiday EtsyFest blog between Thursday, November 27 and Monday, December 1 to shop with special discounts only available during those 5 days. Each participating Etsy store will have their own sales & discounts going on, which should be clearly marked in the Shop Announcement at the top of their shops.

We-Care.com offers a program where online shoppers can devote a portion of their purchases to a charity, school or association of their choice.  There are over 700 merchants participating in this program, including Target.com, Amazon.com, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sears, FAO Schwarz, Zappos.com, Nike, The Body Shop and Brookstone.  So if there’s something that you absolutely can’t buy local or handmade this holiday season, this is a great way to make your major retailer purchases count towards something you care about.  You can either log on to We-Care.com, select your favorite cause and then go shop at the merchant’s site through the links at We-Care.com, or there is also a secure browser plug-in that you can download and use when you visit a participating merchant.

If you’re looking for holiday cards, gift tags or invitations, there’s a big sale this weekend at fin + roe and their sister store, shades of violet from Friday, November 28 until Sunday, November 30.  Just use the code blackfriday at either site to receive 20% off your order.  fin + roe offers  up custom designed correspondence, while shades of violet stocks even more holiday cards, gift tags, and greetings.

Kir DeVries is getting in on the Black Friday action by offering 15% off of orders over $75 (use promocode save15) and 20% off of orders over $100 (use code save20).  There are so many great gift ideas here, it would be easy to pick up gifts for just about everyone on your list and easily rack up a $100 total!  These reusable lunch kits designed by Shinzi Katoh would make fab gifts for kids and co-workers alike, or check out the clearance section for more great deals.

Over at Nimli’s green boutique, get 25% off store wide on Monday, December 1 only - just use coupon code CYBERMONDAY08.  Also, starting Friday, November 28 until Sunday, December 7, they will be running an accessories sale with up to 70% off on some items.

Branch is also having a 2 day only “Friends & Family Sale” this weekend, where you can save 20% on just about everything in the store (furniture and items already on sale are excluded).  Just shop their selection of cool sustainable housewares and gifts on Saturday and Sunday, November 29-30 and enter the code branchfriend at checkout.

If you’re in the San Francisco area, drop by Clary Sage Organics with your unwanted coats on Thursday, December 4 from 6-8pm for their Green Giving For All Seasons event.  The donations of coats will benefit the One Warm Coat non-profit group and they’ll also get you a 20% discount on the Clary Sage Yoga Collection.  If you’re not in SF, you can still shop the collection online.

If you know of any great sales on handmade goodies or green gifts this holiday weekend that I missed, leave ‘em in the comments for everyone to check out!

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Geez, there are just so many amazing new shops stocking eco-friendly fashions, handmade gifts and fair trade goods that I’m having trouble keeping up with them all!  It is nice though that this is starting to feel a little more like the norm than a passing trend.

Equita is a Pittsburgh based company with both a webshop and a brick & mortar boutique stocking the best in ethical fashion, organic body care and sustainable home decor.  They are one of only a few American companies currently carrying FIN, a Norwegian brand whose Fall/Winter collection features non-violent silk which is grown in the wild, and handpicked and handspun by artisans.  One of their pieces is this gorgeous zippered dress.  Equita also carries other well-known eco-labels such as Edun, Loomstate and Del Forte.

Camilla Boutique is another eco-friendly shop located in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood. Founded by Camilla Ares after she became disillusioned with the unsustainable practices plaguing much of the fashion industry, Camilla Boutique stocks green clothing and accessories, as well as goods for kids and the home. Camilla also offers an online store, so that that individuals who can’t make it to Brooklyn will still have a chance to buy beautiful eco-friendly clothes.

If you’re shopping for eco-conscious and socially responsible Hanukkah gifts this season, check out the Spertus Shop at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.  They’ve got some really great products, like these wooden crocodile-shaped menorahs, which are handmade and finished with non-toxic milk paint by special needs adults in Israel.

And for those of you up north, be sure to try goodEGG industries and their eclectic mix of gift ideas, all handmade by Canadian artists. This shop was founded in May 2008 by two Toronto-based craft bloggers: Laural of Thimble, and Jen of the Toronto Craft Alert, who I had the pleasure of meeting during Craft Congress 2007. Their shop has a curated selection of fabulous products, such as this awesome moose antler ring.

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I stumbled across these gorgeous textile necklaces on Etsy last week and can’t stop looking at them. They’re made from 100% wool and thread by Lucia N Nieves Cortés of SNoU Jewelry. Aren’t they beautiful?

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Wow. Sometimes I really do think I have one of the coolest jobs ever. This morning, in just a matter of minutes, I was carrying two different letters: one written & signed by Abraham Lincoln and the other by Louis Armstrong. Earlier this week I helped transport one of Dizzy Gillespie’s trumpets. I’ve also carried Louis Armstrong’s first cornet and worked with original Audubon prints, antique weapons and medical instruments. Seriously - amazing.

While I’m on the topic of work, if you’re in or near New Orleans, you should really check out some of the Prospect 1 exhibits around town, including the ones at the Old U.S. Mint. I’m absolutely in love with the work of a few artists there, especially El Anatsui and Fred Tomaselli.

El Anatsui is an artist from Ghana who now lives and works in Nigeria, and he creates these amazing abstract tapestries from recycled found objects like metal foil, copper wire, and bottle caps, as well as other natural materials. These pieces are huge and they look almost like quilts from far away, but up close they’re even more stunning.

Fred Tomaselli’s pieces made me think of my friend Rachelle from greenKangaroo, because they both work with resin but in completely different ways. (Rachelle… you’ve got to check these pieces out in person!) His pieces really need to be appreciated from up close, because there is just so much amazing detail. The three pieces now at the Mint were created in response to Hurricane Katrina, and feature a variety of mixed media (images from books and magazines, leaves, and prescription pills) layered onto large wood panels and encased in resin. I could look at these pieces all day and never cease to be fascinated.

If you’re in NOLA, do yourself a favor and check out some of the Prospect 1 exhibits all around town. I’m planning to go see more over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Does anyone have any recommendations for Prospect 1 venues that are not to be missed?

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the new Cinnabar collection at Trashy Diva -
Even though I don’t work at Trashy Diva anymore, I do still work only a few blocks from their French Quarter stores, and every time I pass the window lately I find myself drooling over the new dress styles, particularly the Kimono dress in the Cinnabar print.  So beautiful!

LOOKBOOK.nu & streetstyl.es -
I’ve become a little addicted to LOOKBOOK.nu during the last week or so.  I’ve always loved street fashion & personal style sites, and I remember a time when it was hard to find many good ones online.  Now there are too many for me to keep up with!  Which is why the people at streetstyl.es created that site as a place to pull images from some of the best street style sites on the web.

Neil Patrick Harris -
It’s really too bad he’s gay, because he’s my new boyfriend (he just doesn’t know it yet). I finally got around to watching Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog last night, after I’d been meaning to for months. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s really worth a gander. You can watch it for free on Hulu, and it will only take up about 45 minutes of your time. (It’s also broken into three 15 minute acts, if you don’t want to watch it all at once.) I don’t know what took me so long… it was so good!

the Moth podcast & the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminars podcast -
I just recently discovered the Moth podcast, and I’ve been a huge fan of the Stanford lectures for awhile, but I’ve started listening to them regularly again. Some thoughts from the most recent Stanford lecture by Tom Kelley of IDEO:

- treat life as an experiment. be willing to fail.
- be child-like. look at things with fresh eyes.
- take time to daydream.

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Delight.com has this exclusive set of 4 ECOBAGS Reusable Produce Bags for only $15.50.  I’ve been meaning to get or make some bags for carrying produce at the grocery store, and I think these lightweight and sturdy bags would be perfect.  Actually, I think these bags would be a great inexpensive gift idea for friends or family who have expressed an interest in wanting to go green.

Delight.com has lots of really fabulous gift ideas, including many eco-friendly options.  I really like that you can shop the site by price (including items under $15), so it’s great for picking out unique gifts any time of the year.  Plus, a new product is added to the site every single day, so there’s always something new to check out.

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Tonic, a new online shopping destination that partners with non-profits working in the areas of the environment, education, poverty and social welfare, just launched a new line of tote bags featuring exclusive designs by British designer Luella Bartley.  Proceeds from each design benefit a different charitable organization, and the designs are available on cotton canvas tote bags, which fold and zip up for compact storage and portability.

I particularly like the stag design, which provides one soccer ball to school children in Kenya with each purchase.  Each soccer ball is made by Alive & Kicking UK to be durable and repairable so it can hold up in harsh climates, and each one carries a message about HIV/AIDS and malaria, which teachers can use to engage children about risks to their health.  Their goal is to sell 2,500 tees in order to provide 2,500 soccer balls to these kids.

I also really like the Education tee, which is part of Tonic’s “Every T Counts” initiative.  It features an exclusive design by American actor and designer Tara Subkoff, and is printed on a t-shirt made from 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton.  A purchase of this tee will provide safety, nutrition and education to kids who otherwise face a life on the street in India.

I really love what Tonic is doing.  On average they donate 40% of the revenue of each sale directly to the related cause, and they work hard to make sure their products are created in a sustainable, fair trade manner.  They try to use as much of their revenue for doing good as possible, so they don’t spend much on marketing.  So if you’re a fan of Tonic like I am, tell your friends and help spread the word!

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I love these earrings made from recycled vintage glass by Stevie of Truche, a Chicago-based jewelry line. Each piece of glass is hand cut and sanded so that there are no sharp edges.

I just think these are so simple yet really unique and interesting at the same time. They would be great for everyday wear, yet still totally eye-catching. There are also some beautiful pendants made from vintage glass at Truche as well.

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I’m really loving the work of Hayley Lau, the founder and designer of heidi and seek ethical clothing. Hayley creates one-of-a-kind women’s clothing using reclaimed materials - even the buttons and lace and most of the thread that she uses is second-hand.

Hayley is working to help raise awareness and provide an alternative to mass-produced, sweatshop made clothing through both her own clothing line and her fantastic blog. (I couldn’t stop reading it… she’s right on the same page as me with so many things.)

Hayley is based in Melbourne, Australia and her work is available at a number of different venues (listed on her website), each one carrying different one-of-a-kind pieces. U.S. shoppers should check out her Etsy shop, where I found this fabulous top.

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