Earth Day Spotlight: For the kids

This week to celebrate the upcoming Earth Day on April 22nd we are sharing daily round ups of eco-friendly, Connecticut made products. Our little ones deserve the best products free of harmful chemicals.

Think Globally, Shop Locally!

Eco-friendly finds for the kids:

"While all of our toys are made with child safe materials, our puppy pull toys go one step further and are strained with coffee and finished with our own blend of organic beeswax and organic jojoba oil." - Vivienne and Vinny owners of The Toy Box by Vinny

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"All natural, handmade products including 100% natural Baby soap, Calendula Lavender baby balm, hand knit cotton washcloth & natural wooden soap deck." - available at Treefort Naturals

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"The teether is made of solid maple and sealed with organic beeswax and olive oil, the ears come off so they can be washed. This is a greener alternative to plastics, and it will last for years and years" - Kristen owner of Milo and Molly

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"The Happy Snacker is a stand up on its own, generously sized reusable snack bag. The outside is made of sturdy duck canvas or organic cotton prints, and the inside liner is made of food safe ripstop nylon. The Happy Snacker features an end to end hook and loop closure to keep snacks fresh- and pull tabs made from re-purposed vintage grosgrain ribbon from France." - Carrie owner of Mister and His Sister

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"Many of my items are made from organic or upcycled fabric. These fabrics are not only super soft, they use far fewer resources to produce than conventional or synthetic fabrics. Tinymack clothing is also made to be worn and loved and passed on from child to child -- which further reduces its environmental impact. Love for the earth and love for little ones is what we're all about." - Kaci owner of Tinymack

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"Starting with a repurposed mint tin, I add full pans of handmade watercolor paint and a color guide. After that, I paint the top of each tin. The watercolor paints are handmade using quality ingredients including local honey." - available at Sprinkles of Color

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Stop by tomorrow for the next eco-friendly roundup!

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Written by Alonda Baird-Juhasz, owner of Designer Dwellings, who believes in adding color to life. An avid DIYer, sparkle-loving, all things fabulous addict, her shop features bright and fun home decor accessories and gifts. When not in the shop you can find her interior decorating or visual styling events and photo shoots.

Earth Friendly Spotlight: Bath and Body

This week to celebrate the upcoming Earth Day on April 22nd we are sharing daily round ups of eco-friendly, Connecticut made products. Today we have organic and natural finds for happy and healthy skin.

Think Globally, Shop Locally!

Eco-friendly Bath and Body finds:

"Solid lotion bar...all the good stuff of a moisturizing lotion minus the water and preservatives...plus you can ditch the plastic lotion bottles." Jess owner of Treefort Naturals

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"This soap was handmade using the cold process method. Contains NO animal products and no preservatives. The soap will arrived wrapped in 100% recycled banana fiber paper and fully labeled." available at Nutmeg Naturals

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"Pure, organic olive oil soap, nothing extra added. Extra gentle." - Erin owner of Pure Naked Soap

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"Handmade lip balms, scrubs, salves, and solid perfumes produced with only simple minimal ingredients." - Scott owner of Little Bee

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"All natural goat milk soaps , hand & body butters" - Nancy owner of Lyric Hill Farm

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"Handmade soaps, lotions, sugar scrubs & lip balms made with fair-trade butters, organic oils and essential oil. Family & friends are the only animals we test on." - Laura owner of Olive My Skin

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Stop by tomorrow for the next eco-friendly round up!

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Written by Alonda Baird-Juhasz, owner of Designer Dwellings, who believes in adding color to life. An avid DIYer, sparkle-loving, all things fabulous addict, her shop features bright and fun home decor accessories and gifts. When not in the shop you can find her interior decorating or visual styling events and photo shoots.

Earth Friendly Spotlight: House and Home

As makers we take great care in selecting our materials. For many that means finding local sources, organic or sustainable products. This week to celebrate the upcoming Earth Day on April 22nd we are sharing daily round ups of eco-friendly, Connecticut made products.

Think Globally, Shop Locally!

Eco-friendly House and Home finds:

"100% linen tea towels, hand stenciled with water based fabric paint. I use 100% linen because it's made from the flax plant. Flax is a natural fiber making flax linen recyclable and biodegradable. It's also incredibly strong and lasts for decades." - Cyn owner of RiverDog Prints

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"Add sparkle and shine to your glass and mirrors without filling your home with toxic chemicals. Available in many fresh scents, our glass cleaner is made from just a handful of simply ingredients and essential oils. Contains NO synthetic fragrances, no detergents, no SLS, no colorants, no unpronounceable ingredients." - Jen owner of Nutmeg Naturals

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"Goat milk soap detergent made from all natural sustain-ably grown ingredients including our own raw goat milk and organically grown herbs and flowers. Eco-friendly, all natural laundry detergent in refillable tins of all US made ingredients and and packaging." - Nancy owner of Lyric Hill Farm

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"Ditch the dryer sheets and soften your clothes naturally! Eco friendly wool dryer balls made with locally sourced, ethically raise wool, embellished with grey fiber donated by our herd of alpaca. No detergents, fragrances or chemicals - and all with a zero carbon footprint." - Lori owner of Flatland Alpaca

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"A clothesline is naturally solar powered! Line drying ensure fresh smelling clothes and linens." - Vanessa owner of Queen Vanna Creations

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"We hand-pour all of our candles using high quality soy wax (a sustainable) grown in the U.S., phthalate-free fine fragrances and zero dyes or bleaching additives. Also, each tumbler is adorned with a bamboo coaster that can be re-purposed alongside the glass after burning. Our site has super easy step-by-step tutorial of how to clean the glasses as well as a ton (I mean a ton) of suggestions on how to re-use the glass/coaster combo!" - Randi & Yolanda owners of Rayne Home Decor

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"At the Burnt Shop we're all about renewable and recyclable wood and glass. With care, my pieces will last for generations. Using glass water bottle is a stylish, great tasting, eco-friendly alternative to all those plastic bottles!" - Denise owner of The Burnt Shop

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"Beautify the outside of your home while helping save the bees at the same time. Our Gardener's Bouquet combines a beautiful art-themed pack of  pollinator-friendly flower seeds from the Hudson Valley Seed Library, with a colorful pair of  gardening gloves, and a 3 oz tin of our all natural hand & body salve with your choice of scent." - Scott owner of Little Bee

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Stop by tomorrow for the next eco-friendly round up!

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Written by Alonda Baird-Juhasz, owner of Designer Dwellings, who believes in adding color to life. An avid DIYer, sparkle-loving, all things fabulous addict, her shop features bright and fun home decor accessories and gifts. When not in the shop you can find her interior decorating or visual styling events and photo shoots.

Mystic Spirit Week with Mystic Knotwork

Photo by Mystic Aquarium

Mystic Knotwork is running a free class at the Mystic Aquarium during Mystic Spirit Week. Visit them in the reptile/encounter room to learn to tie nautical knots and make survival bracelets.  For more information about #MysticSpiritWeek, see the graphic below and visit Mystic Aquarium's site!

Tickets available here

Market Night at Hello! Artisan Shop and Studio

Give the gift of a perpetual calendar in many pretty styles from Queenvanna Creations.

Hello! Artisan Shop and Studio is hosting a Market Night on Friday, April 15 from 6 to 9pm in their shop at 928 Hopmeadow Street, Suite #2, Simsbury, CT.

Headbands for women, teens and girls, in so many beautiful fabrics from Milo and Molly.

Three member shops of The Nutmeg Collective, Milo and Molly, Queenvanna Creations, and RiverDog Prints, joined together to create Hello!  They have been busy creating new products and designs this winter and want to celebrate spring with you. There will be a large selection of handmade gifts for Moms, teachers, friends, or yourself. Come enjoy shopping and some refreshments - they would love to see you there!

Wrap your Mother's Day gifts with RiverDog Prints Spring Flowers Petite Wrap.

Hello! Artisan Shop and Studio is located in the Simsbury Town Shops to the left of Rooster's, on top of Little City Pizza. Look for the door marked "Professional Offices" and come say Hello!

Wednesday Words

Art Print by I Screen You Screen

Shop Spotlight: Little Bee of Connecticut

Meet Scott Priore of Little Bee of Connecticut out of Southbury, Connecticut.

"My wife and I have resided in Southbury, CT with our 11 year old daughter since 2003. We love to go skiing, relaxing by a warm campfire, and traveling the world. When not beekeeping I work as a packaging engineer for a consumer goods company.

To be honest, the idea of starting a small business scared me. What did I know about starting a business? It's been 18 months since we launched and with support from friends and groups like the Nutmeg Collective, we continue to grow and look toward the future.

We like to describe our products as "Unique & Affordable Gifts From The Hive" and have selected items to produce such as hand rolled candles and solid perfumes that are not commonly found. Everything is handmade in small batches by our family and only include simple, minimal ingredients.

My journey to becoming a beekeeper started in 2012 with a trip to a Farmer’s Market in Rhinebeck, New York. My daughter and I approached an observation hive in one of the booths. While she was trying to find the queen bee, I had a conversation with the local beekeeper about how he got started. A few books on the subject, along with beekeeping classes taught through Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury, CT, and I was ready for my first two hives. Fast forward several years later and a simple hobby has spiraled into 10 hives and the creation of Little Bee of Connecticut.

The name “Little Bee” was a part of our family long before beekeeping was. It has been our daughter’s nickname since she was a toddler. Her Winnie the Pooh toy would say “Little Bee likes to go, go, go…” as she chased it across the floor. When our first hives were in place she took an immediate interest in the management of them and naming the business after her just seemed natural."

Find more of Scott's products on his website

or connect with him on Facebook and Instagram.

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