Squarespace Blog / "organic"
Wordless Wednesday - Me wordless? Not so much...
So, I know today is supposed to be "Wordless Wednesday" But there is WAY to much to shout about... For starters.. Mommy The Kids have a play date at Chuck E Cheese today.... Thats pretty much awesomeness... Gotta love social time!
I went to the Gym today... feeling pretty good... trying to get my fat ass back in shape, regain my girlish figure.... "tighten up"a bit...
BEst news of all? I just snagged two @BarleyandBirch t-shirts for only $10 each!!!!! You MUST go to this site... Its pretty much the awesomest ever and i MUST figure out how to be apart of this... but for now, im there to shop!! Its called The Mini Social... go set up an account, and then you have access to all of these insane 3 day sales... Barley & Birch shirts are usually around $27 each and right now they are just $10. Limited time & limited selection... so hurry hurry hurry!
I snagged up these to in a 6t to stash away for their next size... seeing as by the time this last order shows up i will have....... 8 4t shirts i believe? Yeah... its an obsession... can't go wrong with organic, eco friendly goodness with adorableness screened on the front. Win-Win. So yeah! HURRY! They will go fast!! Remember, just click here and set up an account at The Mini Social... and then click barley and birch... you can shop from all the other sales too with one shopping cart... oh and Pili you should totally snag some for R cuz they ship overseas!
Read more →
I went to the Gym today... feeling pretty good... trying to get my fat ass back in shape, regain my girlish figure.... "tighten up"a bit...
BEst news of all? I just snagged two @BarleyandBirch t-shirts for only $10 each!!!!! You MUST go to this site... Its pretty much the awesomest ever and i MUST figure out how to be apart of this... but for now, im there to shop!! Its called The Mini Social... go set up an account, and then you have access to all of these insane 3 day sales... Barley & Birch shirts are usually around $27 each and right now they are just $10. Limited time & limited selection... so hurry hurry hurry!
I snagged up these to in a 6t to stash away for their next size... seeing as by the time this last order shows up i will have....... 8 4t shirts i believe? Yeah... its an obsession... can't go wrong with organic, eco friendly goodness with adorableness screened on the front. Win-Win. So yeah! HURRY! They will go fast!! Remember, just click here and set up an account at The Mini Social... and then click barley and birch... you can shop from all the other sales too with one shopping cart... oh and Pili you should totally snag some for R cuz they ship overseas!
Favorites Friday: Diet? What diet?
I was sitting here drinking my green tea... snacking on some carrots & hummus... and all I can think about are the Vintage Confections Red Velvet truffles... *dies* so I thought that this week MUST be on all the yummy desserts on etsy... and for the next hour while I put this together ill be thinking, diet? What diet!? and drooling over all this yummi-ness...
#1: Vintage Confections: Red Velvet Cake truffles (sadly, she isn't shipping chocolate this summer, but check out all her other year round goodies!!!)
#2: TheChocolateSprinkle: Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies (MUST try these!!!)
#3: BlissBrownies: Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Chip Brownies (*drool* hubby would kill for these)
#4: DivineCupcake: Organic & Vegan Mocha Cupcake Mix (yes. I said Organic AND Vegan... MUST TRY!!)
#5: FriendlyCreations: PeanutButter Explosion Cup (is this what heaven looks like? Also available in VEGAN form!!!)
#6: Nikid: Belgian White Chocolate Organic Dried Cranberries and Almond (I think I could eat this, pretending its healthy since its organic & lots of fruit... so its like... guilt free... right?? just say yes.)
#7: SinnersSaintsSweets: Double Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pretzel (yummmm... get in my belly.)
#8: Calabasascandyco: Organic Coffee Truffles (buzzzzz, can i start each morning with this?)
#9: ASugarAffair: Cookies N Cream Chocolate (Zaq loveeeeeeees Oreo bark)
Read more →
#1: Vintage Confections: Red Velvet Cake truffles (sadly, she isn't shipping chocolate this summer, but check out all her other year round goodies!!!)
#2: TheChocolateSprinkle: Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies (MUST try these!!!)
#3: BlissBrownies: Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Chip Brownies (*drool* hubby would kill for these)
#4: DivineCupcake: Organic & Vegan Mocha Cupcake Mix (yes. I said Organic AND Vegan... MUST TRY!!)
#5: FriendlyCreations: PeanutButter Explosion Cup (is this what heaven looks like? Also available in VEGAN form!!!)
#6: Nikid: Belgian White Chocolate Organic Dried Cranberries and Almond (I think I could eat this, pretending its healthy since its organic & lots of fruit... so its like... guilt free... right?? just say yes.)
#7: SinnersSaintsSweets: Double Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pretzel (yummmm... get in my belly.)
#8: Calabasascandyco: Organic Coffee Truffles (buzzzzz, can i start each morning with this?)
#9: ASugarAffair: Cookies N Cream Chocolate (Zaq loveeeeeeees Oreo bark)
Swinger Sunday - Sometimes being GREEN sucks!
I was so excited to be asked to guest blog for Amber! Well, until I had to think about what to write, that is. RockerByeBaby is all cool and edgy and Amber has cool and edgy friends that do cool things.
I’m just a treehugging law school geek! I have no kids and nothing fun to write about!
But then I just asked myself “What is something you wanted to blog about but can’t on your blog?” And then it hit me: I wanted to write about why being ethical and green really sucks sometimes. So, what follows is the bitter rantings of a pretty square business owner. (: Sort of punky and rockery right?
So--- sometimes being ethical and green all the time sucks!
I own a business that really hangs its hat on being the greenest brand out there. We source organic US-grown cotton to make garments made in the US that are then dyed naturally and printed with waterbased inks. I, personally, have collaborated on some technology that makes our garments easily the most eco-friendly out there. We have our garments sewn by co-ops owned by refugees that are supporting their large families on their work with us. We never cut a single corner on greenness or social responsibility.
Yes, this all sounds great and I sleep easier at night and I love looking people in the eye when I truthfully tell them our supply chain and all that.
BUT what these standards do to my stress levels SUCKS. And sometimes I just want to VENT about it
Jodie, our designer, is a genius. She makes cool stuff. And so she sends me a design I love and I am like “YES!” and then send it to our printer and we can’t get the colors right because of the ec-friendly inks we use. So that is scrapped. Or Jodie and I will want to create a certain product but the co-op that does our work doesn’t have the machinery to handle it. So its scrapped, too. And we want to dye shirts but crunched up bugs and plants can only dye so many colors. So lots of color ideas are scrapped.
Our costs are super high because we are 100% USA made. We donate way over 30% of our profits. We basically donate whatever we have in our bank account. I do this because I feel obligated. I have a business that has a bank account, so I should be helping these people. We grow so so slowly because our margin is small and that margin goes to other people. I’ve never taken a cent from the business personally.
So we go to trade shows and these brands that put the “Organic” sticker on their booth have one garment made from like “organic bamboo” (which is very rare and therefore likely isn’t even organic and bamboo is like... as ecofriendly and polyester, oh, but I digress) and they are dyed in a shade of blue I know uses heavy metals and they are printed with white (which ALWAYS is done using plastic or a toxic wax) and they are acting like they are saving the planet. And I ask where they are made and they smile and say “China and India of course!” THEN because they have the organic stockers and are super cute and have low prices buyers flock to them. And THEN most buyers look at our pieces, that due to legitimate eco- and socio-constraints are more plain and expensive and the buyers think “Pfft.... no way.”
That SUCKS, right?
So on the weekends, as I chat with friends that are also in the kids industry, I realize how different our lifestyles are. They make blankets and clothing abroad for about $4 each, and wholesale for $40 and retail for $80. They are making draws from their business of over 100k a year and are very well dressed and groomed. They spend their day chatting and designing and paying a large staff and getting massages and going to expensive lunches. I spend my day in dirty jeans with a 8 year old t-shirt getting calls from our sewers that all their kids have the flu and they won’t be in all week and our stuff will be a few weeks late. And then calling retailers to explain. And dealing with sales smaller than similar brands due to our high pricepoint. And dealing with our school in Haiti that has barebones structural support and cash reserves to continue due to the additional people being fed by the rice and beans it stocks. And stressing about the slow progress of our new website because we have no money in our bank account (see previous sentence.) And stressing about how we will pay for our Fall catolog to be printed if I need to send our school in El Salvador a check. And figuring out how to pay Jodie her weight in gold (her worth, basically.) And digging out cans and bottles from public garbage cans to take home and recycle because, well, why did someone throw them in there in the first place?
Being green and ethical SUCKS! It makes me work my ass off all day long just to keep the business moving and grooving and for what? So some kids in Haiti can go to school? So some kids in Texas won’t have to drink water with pesticides? Oh. Uh. Actually, YES. So I calm down and buckle down and keep doing it.
But sometimes I just need to VENT! So thank you for listening.
Hi guys - its me... i know I mention pretty much, well, all the time... how much i love Kyle... she always amazes me... and this right here... this post is exactly why i wanted to start the Swinger Sunday... a chance for people to vent... spill it all here... get it all off their chest... Kyle asked me if this was too "bitchy" haha... I read it, and said nope, not bitchy at all... thats Kyle. Always working her ass off... Never getting a break... and I now see... not even taking any profits for her hard work. Giving SO much more than she gets... This girl deserves a medal. She is easily the most self-less person i know... every time I think im having a bad day, kyle and I rant on gmail... we usually have a 10 minute "bitch" fest where we freak out about what ridicules thing is going on in the stores... take a deep breath, and move on... But every time, i leave feeling better having had talked to her. Kyle, your amazing. I love you girlie!
Read more →
I’m just a treehugging law school geek! I have no kids and nothing fun to write about!
But then I just asked myself “What is something you wanted to blog about but can’t on your blog?” And then it hit me: I wanted to write about why being ethical and green really sucks sometimes. So, what follows is the bitter rantings of a pretty square business owner. (: Sort of punky and rockery right?
So--- sometimes being ethical and green all the time sucks!
I own a business that really hangs its hat on being the greenest brand out there. We source organic US-grown cotton to make garments made in the US that are then dyed naturally and printed with waterbased inks. I, personally, have collaborated on some technology that makes our garments easily the most eco-friendly out there. We have our garments sewn by co-ops owned by refugees that are supporting their large families on their work with us. We never cut a single corner on greenness or social responsibility.
Yes, this all sounds great and I sleep easier at night and I love looking people in the eye when I truthfully tell them our supply chain and all that.
BUT what these standards do to my stress levels SUCKS. And sometimes I just want to VENT about it
Jodie, our designer, is a genius. She makes cool stuff. And so she sends me a design I love and I am like “YES!” and then send it to our printer and we can’t get the colors right because of the ec-friendly inks we use. So that is scrapped. Or Jodie and I will want to create a certain product but the co-op that does our work doesn’t have the machinery to handle it. So its scrapped, too. And we want to dye shirts but crunched up bugs and plants can only dye so many colors. So lots of color ideas are scrapped.
Our costs are super high because we are 100% USA made. We donate way over 30% of our profits. We basically donate whatever we have in our bank account. I do this because I feel obligated. I have a business that has a bank account, so I should be helping these people. We grow so so slowly because our margin is small and that margin goes to other people. I’ve never taken a cent from the business personally.
So we go to trade shows and these brands that put the “Organic” sticker on their booth have one garment made from like “organic bamboo” (which is very rare and therefore likely isn’t even organic and bamboo is like... as ecofriendly and polyester, oh, but I digress) and they are dyed in a shade of blue I know uses heavy metals and they are printed with white (which ALWAYS is done using plastic or a toxic wax) and they are acting like they are saving the planet. And I ask where they are made and they smile and say “China and India of course!” THEN because they have the organic stockers and are super cute and have low prices buyers flock to them. And THEN most buyers look at our pieces, that due to legitimate eco- and socio-constraints are more plain and expensive and the buyers think “Pfft.... no way.”
That SUCKS, right?
So on the weekends, as I chat with friends that are also in the kids industry, I realize how different our lifestyles are. They make blankets and clothing abroad for about $4 each, and wholesale for $40 and retail for $80. They are making draws from their business of over 100k a year and are very well dressed and groomed. They spend their day chatting and designing and paying a large staff and getting massages and going to expensive lunches. I spend my day in dirty jeans with a 8 year old t-shirt getting calls from our sewers that all their kids have the flu and they won’t be in all week and our stuff will be a few weeks late. And then calling retailers to explain. And dealing with sales smaller than similar brands due to our high pricepoint. And dealing with our school in Haiti that has barebones structural support and cash reserves to continue due to the additional people being fed by the rice and beans it stocks. And stressing about the slow progress of our new website because we have no money in our bank account (see previous sentence.) And stressing about how we will pay for our Fall catolog to be printed if I need to send our school in El Salvador a check. And figuring out how to pay Jodie her weight in gold (her worth, basically.) And digging out cans and bottles from public garbage cans to take home and recycle because, well, why did someone throw them in there in the first place?
Being green and ethical SUCKS! It makes me work my ass off all day long just to keep the business moving and grooving and for what? So some kids in Haiti can go to school? So some kids in Texas won’t have to drink water with pesticides? Oh. Uh. Actually, YES. So I calm down and buckle down and keep doing it.
But sometimes I just need to VENT! So thank you for listening.
Hi guys - its me... i know I mention pretty much, well, all the time... how much i love Kyle... she always amazes me... and this right here... this post is exactly why i wanted to start the Swinger Sunday... a chance for people to vent... spill it all here... get it all off their chest... Kyle asked me if this was too "bitchy" haha... I read it, and said nope, not bitchy at all... thats Kyle. Always working her ass off... Never getting a break... and I now see... not even taking any profits for her hard work. Giving SO much more than she gets... This girl deserves a medal. She is easily the most self-less person i know... every time I think im having a bad day, kyle and I rant on gmail... we usually have a 10 minute "bitch" fest where we freak out about what ridicules thing is going on in the stores... take a deep breath, and move on... But every time, i leave feeling better having had talked to her. Kyle, your amazing. I love you girlie!
Wordless Wednesday Eco @ the park
it's no secret that we lovvvve barley and birch... I snapped this photo with my iPhone yesterday at the park and just love it. Zaverys flowing hair... Adorable shirt...and running through the air, lol ... Pretty awesome shot if I must say so myself :)
Read more →
Favorites Friday: Be a loser!
Zaq and I are on a work out kick... were were finally getting back in shape after the wedding... then came honeymoon... packing... moving... settling... and BAM! extra 20 pounds... ouch.... :( So its time to get our butts in gear... be a "loser" with us!! Hes been going to the gym every morning before work... we wake up at 5am, have coffee & Special K... then both start our work outs... this weeks favorites friday is glimpse into our tired, sore, hungry, chubby world, lol... enjoy!
#1: BellaPoshPillows - "Microwavable Spa Pillow Heat Therapy Neck Wrap - Hearts and Skull Flannel" MY MUSCLES NEEED THIS!
#2: TeasandPestries - "This is an Oolong tea known to promote weight loss!! This tea is a fabulous start to the day and an even better 'pick me up' after lunch. I add lemon grass and hibiscus for nice subtle undertone flavors." I bought some Organic Slim Life tea at the store, but had I known it was on etsy I would have gotten it here! Ill be back for a refil :)
#3: ChangeYourLife - 30 weight loss hypnosis Program... NICE! I totally need this, lol
#4: Sacredvibes - "Triphala is an ayurvedic herb that has been used for hundreds of years. It maintains healthy cholesterol levels,supports proper weight management,maintains healthy digestion and absorption and removes deep-seated toxins from the tissues. Our triphala/guggulu is 100% organic."
#5: Ahpeele - *just died and went to yoga heaven... I love yoga, i really do... and it just got a WHOLE lot cooler :) "These fitness pants are nice. They'll work with your curves, have a slightly flared leg opening. two-piece waistband help to minimize the back view. Preshrunk and laundered 87% cotton 13% spandex, 8.0 ounce."
#6: Itsmeowornever - "These organic lemon pop energy squares will make not only fill you with energy but make your mouth pop with delight! Packed with real lemon flavor, organic dates, raisins, sunflower seeds, and apricots. Packed with nutrition and taste these bars are perfect anytime you crave a snack." Its healthy, awesome snacks like this that make it easier to survive a "diet"...
#7: AlterEcoClothing - "DIY Ripped Tattered Two Layer Skulls Stars ORGANIC PANTS" As always... leave it to the uber hottie Bianca to keep me motivated to lose weight, lol Perfect goal is to get into her sexy yoga pants! Get your mind outta the gutter, duh, i mean, Wear them!!
#8: ItsMeowOrNever - "Treat yourself to our awesome berry mix. Packed with strawberries, sour cherries, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries, blueberries, and bing cherries. This is definitely one mix you do not want to miss." I just HAD to use them again... Im falling in love with all their heathy snack options!!
#9: NatureBaby - could this be ANY cuter!? "Baby's Yoga Mat 100 percent recycled" Izzaq always does yoga with me and wants to be on the mat... i bet he would LOVE this!
**If any of you wonderful featured sellers would like to host a review & giveaway here at the blog leave a comment or send me an email to rockerbyebaby@gmail.com We would LOVE to try your products!!!***
Read more →
#1: BellaPoshPillows - "Microwavable Spa Pillow Heat Therapy Neck Wrap - Hearts and Skull Flannel" MY MUSCLES NEEED THIS!
#2: TeasandPestries - "This is an Oolong tea known to promote weight loss!! This tea is a fabulous start to the day and an even better 'pick me up' after lunch. I add lemon grass and hibiscus for nice subtle undertone flavors." I bought some Organic Slim Life tea at the store, but had I known it was on etsy I would have gotten it here! Ill be back for a refil :)
#3: ChangeYourLife - 30 weight loss hypnosis Program... NICE! I totally need this, lol
#4: Sacredvibes - "Triphala is an ayurvedic herb that has been used for hundreds of years. It maintains healthy cholesterol levels,supports proper weight management,maintains healthy digestion and absorption and removes deep-seated toxins from the tissues. Our triphala/guggulu is 100% organic."
#5: Ahpeele - *just died and went to yoga heaven... I love yoga, i really do... and it just got a WHOLE lot cooler :) "These fitness pants are nice. They'll work with your curves, have a slightly flared leg opening. two-piece waistband help to minimize the back view. Preshrunk and laundered 87% cotton 13% spandex, 8.0 ounce."
#6: Itsmeowornever - "These organic lemon pop energy squares will make not only fill you with energy but make your mouth pop with delight! Packed with real lemon flavor, organic dates, raisins, sunflower seeds, and apricots. Packed with nutrition and taste these bars are perfect anytime you crave a snack." Its healthy, awesome snacks like this that make it easier to survive a "diet"...
#7: AlterEcoClothing - "DIY Ripped Tattered Two Layer Skulls Stars ORGANIC PANTS" As always... leave it to the uber hottie Bianca to keep me motivated to lose weight, lol Perfect goal is to get into her sexy yoga pants! Get your mind outta the gutter, duh, i mean, Wear them!!
#8: ItsMeowOrNever - "Treat yourself to our awesome
#9: NatureBaby - could this be ANY cuter!? "Baby's Yoga Mat 100 percent recycled" Izzaq always does yoga with me and wants to be on the mat... i bet he would LOVE this!
**If any of you wonderful featured sellers would like to host a review & giveaway here at the blog leave a comment or send me an email to rockerbyebaby@gmail.com We would LOVE to try your products!!!***
