Well, that was 5 years ago. The phase has never ended.

We started out by donating all our food, cleaning supplies, and she even gave up her coveted MAC make up. (That was when I knew she was serious.) Our pantry was filled with whole wheat, legumes, quinoa and all the fresh fruit and veggies we could eat. I didn’t understand why Kamille was going to such an extreme to live organically. I tried to understand but I didn’t get it. One thing I did get was a hard time from my co-worker for smelling bad on a hot summer day. He asked me if I was out of deodorant and wanted his new stick. I told him yes because I didn’t want to explain to him that my Old Spice had been replaced by Pit Putty made by Bubble and Bee.

Kamille continued to set goals so we could “reduce our footprint. We replaced all our light bulbs and put a cozy warm blanket around the water heater. I knew she was passionate about this, I continued to support her. One day she got teary as she read an article to me about The Great Garbage Patch. I thought she was over the edge and might need psychiatric help.

Two years into our new lifestyle I noticed Kamille was clipping coupons for some Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers. I asked her teasingly if she was going to put our future child in organic diapers. She answered, “thats why I started changing our lifestyle a few years ago. I don’t want to bring a child into a world full of toxins and chemicals. My intention has always been to bring our child into a lifestyle of conscious living. I want to set an example to the people around us to take control of the life they are living and products they are purchasing.”

That’s when the light bulb went on for me!!!

Now that we have a beautiful little girl, Berklie. I can see how the changes we made 5 years ago have impacted our current lifestyle. Living organically isn’t weird like I first thought. It is living life to a higher standard. I am proud to support companies that have the same outlook as I do. Thats why I buy organic. The guys at work still give me a hard time about our lifestyle but its all out of fun and positive intentions.

One topic I won’t get into is our compost bin. Lets just say, “Its still a work in progress!”

My favorite idea:

1.Flick through some old newspapers and mags to find fun and quirky tittles and phrases. Cut them out and keep them in a bowl.

2.When you’re ready to go, fold a piece of inexpensive card stock in half glue your chosen phrase to the front. You can stick on separate words, but I think phrases are better as the single words can look a bit like a ransom note! Note that the February edition of most magazines, will have a bunch of love-related phrases to use.

Another idea:

Cut out a bunch of heart shapes from your newspaper and either make cute little streamers/garlands, or stick them in patterns to the front of the card. You could also use a hold punch to create hundreds of newspaper “dots” and arrange them in heart-shaped patterns, or inside a cut-out heart. The newspaper looks fabulous on red card stock.

Kids: My daughter’s favorite homemade card activity is to spend hours tearing up old brightly colored magazine pages, and them putting the pieces together to create a beautiful design. This is perfect for their Valentine’s cards – start tearing now, so they can get their main cards underway!

With Valentine’s coming up. it might be the perfect opportunity to have a fresh look at your undies and see if you might need any replacements or additions. For me, lingerie has to be above all, comfy – if not, I just won’t wear it. It also needs to be well-made so it’ll survive more than a few washes. If my underwear is made without causing any harm to the planet – all the better! Here are my fave’s:

Who Made Your Pants: We adore this British company who create all their undies from recycled remnants from the lingerie industry. Very cool indeed.

Luva Huva (pronounced lover-huva), is again a Brit company who have a line of the most adorable baby doll sets that we’ve ever seen. Created from exquisite eco-friendly fabrics, Luva Huva lingerie is soft & sexy.

Eberjey Eco Collection: The eco-collection from Eberjey is made from silky-soft bamoo and the designs are so delicately pretty that you’ll want them all. We especially love the ivory Teddy (pictured left).

Only Hearts: This is another beautiful line of delicate underwear. Each piece is so well-made, that washed correctly, it will last for years. We love their organic cotton collection.

On The Inside (Etsy) – We love the organic cotton and bamboo bralette and panty sets at On The Inside.

Etsy: Sustainable, handmade and custom made to order – all at a very reasonable price! What more could a girl on a lingerie hunt want? You can get really specific with Brook about what you want and her colors and designs are so sweet! (pictured right).

Pact: If Boy Shorts and cute simple panties are more your thing, then look no further than Pact. Spread the love their with their Heart’s Boy Short made from organic cotton and and elastane. This is a seriously ethical and eco-conscious brand that we love.

Your delighted 3 friends will win one of the following Arcona Prizes – so not only do they get the pleasure of a free yummy weekly recipes, but they also are in with a good chance of getting a bottle of one of the best natural products out there.


ARCONA Peptide Eye Serum
ARCONA Magic Green Ice
ARCONA Wine Hydrating Mask

Here’s how to enter: Complete the form below and enter at least three of your friends’ email addresses. It’s a good idea to let them know they’ll be getting an email from us inviting them to subscribe to the Gorgeously Green weekly newsletter – for you to be eligible to win, at least three of your friends must sign up.

Important: They must enter your email address in the “Referred By” field when they subscribe, so that we know that you referred them.

You can invite as many friends as you like, but only the first three to sign up will be eligible for the awesome prize. We’ll be choosing one referring subscriber, along their first three new subscriber friends, at random. Good luck!

NOT A SUBSCRIBER YET? CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE, SO THAT YOU CAN BE ELIGIBLE TO REFER FRIENDS AND WIN!

And congratulations to Ileana – the winner of last month’s Juice Beauty Giveaway!

2tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

10 drops rose essential oil

5 drops ylang ylang essential oil

10 drops lemon essential oil

15 drops geranium essential oil

I highly recommend purchasing your oils from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Heat the coconut oil, until it’s melted. Pour it in to a small glass jar or pot and add the essential oils. Mix with a wooden stick or a teaspoon. The coconut oil will set and slightly harden when cool. Just before use, sit the jar in a cup of hot water to soften.

Note: Your essential oils will keep for up to two years and you can use them for lots of other recipes too – including the Lover’s Bath:

Run a hot bath and add 3 drops of Rose essential oil and 4 drops of Ylang Ylang.

Touch

To help increase my focus and ground my energy I use acupuncture points on my ears to calm me down and refocus my energy.  Close your eyes and gently tug your earlobes downwards, then out, then back, and finally take the top of your ears and gently pull them up towards the sky.  Make sure to take some deep breaths and be aware of how your energy changes. Tugging on your ears may sound [and look!] funny, but people have used these points for hundreds of years and it works!

Taste

When we are tired, the body is programmed to crave sugary and fatty foods.  Try to resist these cravings and chew on some peppermint instead!  Peppermint and spearmint are two natural herbs that are known to improve alertness, concentration, and memory.  I make my own natural breathmint drops by adding a couple of drops of peppermint and spearmint into an eye-dropper jar with water or a natural oil. Just a couple drops leaves my tastes buds refreshed and my brain alert.

Smell

Lemongrass is an amazing herb that helps to improve energy and increase mental stamina.  I make my own lemongrass ‘perfume’ by putting lemongrass essential oil onto a natural cotton pad and adding a little almond oil.  I keep a few of these in a cute little tin and when I’m feeling tired, I dab the cotton pad on my wrists and neck and take in the refreshing lemon smell! Instantly uplifting!

To make your own natural energy boosting products, you can find many essential oils at most health food stores or online. Make sure to take your time to find scents that you enjoy and experiment with different scents at different times of the day… Your nose will thank you!

Written by:  Sara Lynn

Founder, Well World

www.Well-World.com

You will need:

1 small 16-ounce  sprayer

Cheap Vodka

Distilled Water

Bergamot Essential Oil

Coriander Essential Oil

Simply fill your sprayer with 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup of vodka. Add 30 drops of both essential oils.

If you go with a smaller 8-ounce bottle, just half all the ingredients.