Heart Recycled Paper Note Cards Review and Giveaway

*** Giveaway Now Closed***

Winner # 8 rubynreba

If you know me you know I love recycled products a lot, especially hand crafted recycled products. The Heart Recycled Paper Note Cards, from Etsy seller sparklytrash, are no exception. I've been inspired to craft more myself.


First impressions: The first thought that popped into my head when I opened up the envelope the cards came in was, Cute!  I received five cards, but the set actually only comes with 4.  So, I appreciate the extra gift. There are no envelopes included with the set, but they fit into a standard sized envelope and I don’t think they really need envelopes.


Inspired? I was inspired by the simplicity of these handmade cards. What a great eco-conscious craft! While looking at them and how they're made I realized how much my girls would love these cards. I thought about all their friends and how much they would like them too.

I thought the cards are perfect for handing out during a kid’s valentine school or girls scout party. They are perfect for a teacher or someone like a Girl Scout leader to place in a party goodie bag. I’d love to get  a card like this from my husband and children (with organic chocolates and a planted rose bush). I think they would also be a great product for a fundraiser. They could even be used as invitations. They are great for everyday use too. For example, I could grab a few of these cards; write a sweet, I love you. Have a great day at school, note on the inside of each card and then slip them into my kids’ lunchboxes or backpacks. I know they'd love and appreciate it. 


How eco-friendly are these cards? The cards are hand cut out of heavy weight brown paper grocery bags. In addition sparklytrash notes on her product description that, “This set features my hand printed hearts with each in a different shade of purple and pink. To make the prints I cut the design into recycled styrofoam trays and use only water-based block printing ink. This ensures that your cards are eco-conscious from start to finish!” (sparklytrash).   


To be honest though, I don’t know that I would pay the price for the cards. I think they are adorable and quite useful, but the price is a little steep for my frugal thinking. However, I would consider making a purchase if the set was a stack of 10 cards for $4. I would buy 4 sets, 2 for my daughters’ school valentine school parties and 2 sets would be for their Girls Scout Valentine parties.


The Giveaway: The giveaway: Sparklytrash is offering a set of her recycled pair of purple soda can earrings. Take a look at them here. The giveaway deadline is Feb. 28th, 2011. To win visit sparklytrash’s store. Then leave me a comment letting me know what product you are interested in. You can get extra entries for following us through GFC or Subscribing via email. Make sure to let me know in the comments. I will choose the winner using Random.org. Please make sure your email is on your profile or leave it in your comment. If you win and I cannot contact you then the prize goes to the next person. Please respond within 48 hours.

Disclosure: I received the Heart Recycled Paper Note Cards for free for review from sparklytrash. My opinions are my own.

Kisses For My Valentine Flat Cards Review and Giveaway

CLOSED

Winner # 7 Marci J

Etsy shop owner Jodi Passwaters (rethinkink) has a lot of eco-friendly and homemade crafts at her store, including valentine cards. Late last month she sent me a set of Valentine cards to review. She is also giving a set away.

In the box: I received a set of 4 "Kisses for my valentine" flat note cards with matching envelopes carefully wrapped and stuffed in wide envelope sealed by a rethink ink logo sticker. By the way I love the simple, but lovely design of the rethink ink logo. The set is valued at $7.50.

 The cards are blank on the back providing plenty of space for personal messages. The text on the cards read just like they do online, "Kisses for my valentine". The cards look professionally made, presentable and they also look like they do online, except the colors are more vibrant in person. The ready to give a kiss dog on the front of the cards makes the cards appealing to a variety of people including: animal lovers and kids.

Green facts: The cards are made of 100% pcw (post consumer waste) recycled paper. They are also made using renewable green-e certified wind energy and are FSC certified.

According to rethinkink's store site, "All items are digitally printed with flat printing. Each piece is a one of a kind, created just for you with great care. I cut, fold, score, assemble, design and package each piece by hand in my home studio. All designs are my own original hand drawn illustrations, digitally printed, and designed with the environment in mind. My goal is to be environmentally responsible while letting you show your style and personality. Rethink ink's designs are printed on smooth 100% pcw recycled papers that are created using renewable green-e certified wind energy and are FSC certified".

The giveaway: Get the set I got. There isn't much time though. The giveaway deadline is Feb. 7th, 2011. To win visit rethinkink. Then leave me a comment letting me know what product you are interested in. You can get extra entries for following us through GFC or Subscribing via email. Make sure to let me know in the comments. I will choose the winner using Random.org. Please make sure your email is on your profile or leave it in your comment. If you win and I cannot contact you then the prize goes to the next person. Please respond within 48 hours.

 Disclosure: I received the Kisses For My Valentine Flat Cards for free for review from rethink ink. My opinions are my own.

GoPicnic Kids Fun Food Care Package Review and Giveaway is

 *now closed*

The GoPicnic Kids Fun Food Care Package Giveaway winner is Jennifer W
CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment. Keep an eye out for future eco-friendly product reviews and giveaways. Remember to please make sure it is easy for me to contact you or I wont be able to let you know you are the winner and the next person in line will get the prize. Either have an email on your profile or leave it on the comment.

GoPicnic Kids Fun Food Care Package Review and Giveaway

I pack lunch for my kids. I’m also often on the go. So, I’m always looking for healthier snack alternative, other than the obvious, but very nutritious and tasty fruits and vegetables. GoPicnic sent me a care package to taste and review and I was more than happy to use my taste buds for a good review.

What’s in the box? I received the GoPicnic Kids Fun Food Care Package which includes:
· Old Wisconsin Turkey Snack Bites, 6 oz
· Original Popchips, 3 oz
· Surf Sweets Gummy Bears, 2-0.9 oz packs
· Mrs. May’s Sunflower Crunch, 5 oz
· Enjoy Life Very Berry Chewy on the go Bars, 5 oz
It usually comes with a box of
· GoPicnic Turkey Pepperoni + Crackers, 2.99 oz
Instead it came with a box of Turkey Stick + Crunch (Turkey stick, B-que flavored Pop Chips, dried apricots, Naja blend snack, and an organic chocolate square) instead.

First impressions: Food! Pop Chips? A large bag of Pop Chips! I’ve always wanted to try Pop Chips. So, I did. What a tasty and crispy bag of chips. My intention was to not share with my husband, but he looked at me with his puppy eyes and I gave in and let him have a few chips. He said, “These are really good!”

He liked them so much he waited until I was distracted and snatched a few more. I agree they were very good. I gave the turkey bites and the gummy bears to my kids and they asked for some more the next day. The sunflower crunch was delicious. I wanted more after I finished it. I’d love to have some of this stuff in bulk. The Berry Chewy Bars was a little dry but other than that had a great flavor and texture to it. I wanted more of this too.

In the TS+C box I enjoyed a turkey stick of my own. I’ve never had a turkey stick before. I would have liked it to be a bit chewier, but other than that it had a very good flavor. The small bag of b-que Pop Chips was tasty. The apricots were not my favorite. Apricots to me should be sweet (naturally). The Naja blend snack had a unique taste. It took my taste buds a little while to get use to it, but then I really enjoyed it. The organic chocolate was also not my favorite, but it wasn’t bad either. I love chocolate.

All the snacks were healthier alternatives to what is on the market today. Many of the snacks came in eco-friendly packaging. They were all convenient to carry and perfect for on the go, kids lunches, or afternoon snacks. The prices are not too bad either.

To buy visit Amazon.com and if you subscribe and save you save 15%. It cost a little bit more to buy GoPicnic from Amazon.com than from the GoPicnic website, but because Amazon offers free shipping with Subscribe and Save and Go Picnic doesn’t (unless you order $99 worth) it actually evens out.

Product Description provided by :
A great new GoPicnic Pack, Kids’ Fun Food features six tasty gluten-free treats made just for kids! A great introduction to fun new kids foods or a thoughtful way to say you care. Great for summer camps, birthdays, back-to-school or just to say ‘thinking of you!’ Enjoy: Old Wisconsin Turkey Bites, savory nuggets of lean turkey (6 oz) * Popchips all-natural potato chips (3 oz) * Surf Sweets Gummy Bears, all-natural gummies made with organic fruit juices and fortified with Vitamin C (2 packs, 0.9 oz each) * Mrs. May’s Sunflower Crunch, crunchy bite-size nuggets of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and organic cane juice (5 oz) * Enjoy Life Very Berry Bars, certified gluten-free bars fortified with vitamins (pack of 6, 1 oz bars) *GoPicnic Turkey Pepperoni + Cheese ready-to-eat meal: Bridgford Turkey Pepperoni Slices, Crunchmaster Multi-seed Crackers, Copper Cowbell Asiago Cheese Spread, Mariani Dried Cranberries & Pineapple, and Brown & Haley Almond Roca Buttercrunch Toffee (2.99 oz). All food items require no refrigeration until the individual item packaging is opened. Try this and GoPicnic’s other seven fun and tasty care packages on Amazon.com!


The giveaway: Get the care package I got. To win visit GoPicnic. Then leave me a comment letting me know what product you are interested in. You can get extra entries for following us through GFC or Subscribing via email. Make sure to let me know in the comments. Deadline: This giveaway will end on Jan. 31, 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. The giveaway is for residents of the US and Canada. Please make sure your email is on your profile or leave it in your comment. If you win and I cannot contact you then the prize goes to the next person. Please respond within 48 hours.

Disclosure: I received the GoPicnic care package for free for review from GoPicnic. My opinions are my own.

Preserves Tableware from Green Ostrich Review and Giveaway

I’ve long been a fan of Preserve toothbrushes. I started buying them for my family about 2 years ago. So, Green Ostrich, an eco-friendly online store, gave me the opportunity to test and review a pack of Preserves Tableware, I was delighted to give them a try. 

In the box: The item I received is called the Preserve Recycled Plastic Apple Green Tableware Pack. It contains 4 cups (16 oz), 4 plates (9.5 in), and 4 bowls (16oz).

First impression: This is an attractive eco-friendly tableware pack in a fun and friendly green color. The light weight pack is perfect to use out on a picnic, during a birthday party, at girls scout meetings, family reunion and so on.  The set, made in the USA with 100% recycled plastic, is very sturdy. It will not break or bend with a heavy plate of food. The plastic is also BPA free and melamine free. The whole set is dishwasher safe.

The bowls and plates have nice grip-lip  I really like. It make the dishes  a lot easier to hold when food on the plate is hot hot hot! The grip-lip is also a great feature to have for kids (kids hands are always slippery) or for anyone that might have arthritis or other hand ailments.

The fact that the dishes are textured to conceal knife marks is another great feature, but it only works if you use plastic knives. Sharp knife scratches will show through the texture. I made sure to find out :).

What I love! I can return the tableware when it becomes too old or too worn. Preserve recycles them again. If you don’t know how old your tableware is  the date of manufacture is printed on the bottom of the dishes.

Searching for a green gift? Visit Green Ostrich where you can find plenty of green gifts, including this and other Preserve products.  

Coupon offer: Use the code “GIRLY”. Entering the code during the checkout process earn 5% off any purchase between now and January 31, 2011. 

Fan the Green Ostrich Facebook page. 

The giveaway: Get the same tableware pack I got. To win visit Green Ostrich. Then leave me a comment letting me know what product you are interested in. You can get extra entries for following us through GFC or Subscribing via email. Make sure to let me know in the comments. Deadline: This giveaway will end on Jan. 31, 2011. I will choose the winner using Random.org. The giveaway is for residents of the US and Canada. Please make sure your email is on your profile or leave it in your comment. If you win and I cannot contact you then the prize goes to the next person. Please respond within 48 hours. 

Disclosure: I received Preserve Tableware free for review from Green Ostrich. My opinions are my own.