Valentines Day: Arts and Craft Plates

Ok...I have totally been in an Arts and Crafts mode over the last few months and one of my New Year's Resolutions is to spend more time on my creative side (avoiding the ever growing stack of work papers on my desk)...we had handmade gift tags for Christmas, melted shaped crayons and cinnamon caramels as gifts, paper snowflake decorations and beautiful Christmas cookies decorated by my niece (she might have eaten more of the decoration than actually went on the cookies once she discovered it was edible). Now, I am not big into Valentines only because I think Hallmark invented this holiday...however, I am in love with these plates and think this is a great project for the kids with a few plates from the Salvation Army (which is around the corned from Spotlight where the pens are sold)...I found this over at CraftBlog which is kind of a Net-a-Porter for crafties...totally chic and simple...I am even thinking my white mugs could do with a bit of redesign. xxx

babycakes: Kid's Lunchbox Heaven

babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery

Ok...here in Australia it is the start of the new school year...this year has been a totally stressful start to the year...perhaps it is my third starting Kindy and adjusting to the idea that I will never have another child in pre-school... or just the sheer organizational requirements of getting three kids out the door, in uniform, with book bags, homework folders, sunblock, hair ribbons, etc. by 7:45...or, maybe it is just wishing I was back in Wyoming (where we spent most of January) skiing and looking at Elk...my bright spot?....babycakes cookbook - seriously. You do not know how many 'healthy' recipes I have tried for snacks only to have my kids look at me in horror (most of them did taste pretty awful)...then, my sister (thanks Mel) sent this to me from America...it is full of vegan, gluten-free and (mostly) sugar-free recipes from New York's very cool babycakes bakery (Natalie Portman LOVES it)...Anyway, Martha Stewart can eat her heart out...the recipes are divine...here is what my kids (and me) are snacking on this week:

Carrot Cupcakes from babycakes
3 cups gluten-free flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2/3 Cup Coconut Oil
1 Cup Agave Nectar
1 Cup Rice Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1/2 cut Hot Water
3 Cups Shredded Carrots

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add all wet ingredients except for hot water and stir until a thick batter is formed. Add the hot water and continue stirring till smooth. Using a spatula, fold in carrots till evenly distributed.

Fill muffin cups almost to the top. Bake for 25 minutes (cupcakes will bounce back when pressed). Let sit for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. EAT. xxx

Handmade Kids' Christmas Presents: billy boy & mia

I am so excited...I just received this gorgeous creature (Posie Pretty) in the mail from billy boy & mia (the Christmas Tree is my addition). She is handmade using vintage fabrics and is one-of-a-kind...she is a special Christmas present for a little poppet...according to the green book, if every child received just one alternative-to-plastic toy we could save almost 25 million pounds of plastic and enough energy to bake thirty-one million Christmas cakes...cute and saving the world...what could be a better present?

Beautiful and Green Christmas Tags

Ok...I have to admit it, I am a bit of a wrapping snob...I am one of those people that refuse to have their presents wrapped at the store, I always have a theme for my Christmas wrap and I never, ever throw out a ribbon or bauble...while the obvious green answer to wrapping is not to wrap, it would take all the fun out of Christmas morning...so, here are a few kinder options for the Earth this Christmas.

I bought these beautiful hand made tags at RubyVictoria at Made It...(Made It is Australia's answer to Etsy and if full of beautiful handmade gifts....)



And...how cute are these Pocket Carnival cards??? Best of all, they are printed on 100% recycled cardstock...

And...I love the nostalgic feel to these Red Letter Studio tags which comes in a pack with three different designs...

Finally, the greenest of all and my favourite...who could go past a beautiful handmade card from my little L.... (photographed with the vintage lace I bought for Christmas Ribbon this year). xxx

A Little Green Stiletto Christmas

I seriously love Christmas...growing up with a Swedish Mom (hi Mom!), Christmas was a month long celebration that included advent calendars (the old fashioned ones, not the ones with cheap chocolate), Santa Lucia Day (the Queen of Lights), endless hours of baking special breads (saffron buns were the favourite), wrapping home-made candies, decorating two Christmas trees and unpacking boxes of wondrous decorations collected over the years. Santa would have been proud...But there is no hiding from the fact that Christmas is not great for the environment...mounds of wrapping, too many plastic toys, excessive (and often wasted) food...followed by out-of-control spending at the sales...Bah Humbug...not...this Christmas we are going to have a magical Little Green Stiletto Christmas in our house...stay tuned.xxx

Photo Credit: Peter Greenberg. Photo from Santa Lucia Day.

Peppermint Magazine - Issue #4

So excited...Peppermint Magazine's (Australia's only eco fashion magazine's) 4th issue arrived in the mail today...kids are asleep, husband is out, have finished reading my work papers for tomorrow, can't make my book club next week so I don't have to speed read the book on my bedside table...so it is just me, a glass of local white wine, my new soy candle and Peppermint...total bliss...xxx

P.S Can you believe Christmas is around the corner?...How many of your friends would love a subscription to Peppermint in their stocking?

P.P.S. Check out the A-List Eco section by Peppermint Patty (that's me!)

1 Million Women

One of the things I am most proud of is being an Ambassador for the 1 Million Women campaign. The 1 Million Women campaign's goal is to inspire Australian women to take action on climate change by cutting 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Natalie Issacs, the founder and CEO, is one of those people who you meet and instantly fall in love with for all their energy and passion (and of course she is totally gorgeous as well as green)...The website has one of the best tools to help you figure out where and how to save 1 tonne of green house gas (1 tonne is not a lot...it is probably about 5% savings of your household emissions)...there are so many divinely easy ideas...I promise it is so much easier to lose 1 tonne of carbon than 1 kilo off your hips... In less than 6 months, 12,ooo women have already signed up! Yeah! So...help the cause...click here and join and show Australia that Women can save the world...xxx

PS My friend Anouk at Moon Group did the amazing campaign...

Happy Belated Birthday to Little Green Stilettos!

It is true...we are one! Little Green Stiletto's Birthday was last week and in typical fashion, I missed it (this is from the woman who forgets her wedding anniversary)...oh well...better late than never and what better way to celebrate with a pink cupcake (my weakness)....xxx

Meat Free Mondays

Meat Free Mondays is a UK-based campaign to encourage people to go meat free once a week to help reduce their impact on climate change (did you know 18% of Greenhouse gas is caused by livestock production and consumption). It's biggest supporters are Paul and Stella McCartney who have started a Support Meat Free Monday website (is there anything she doesn't do!). I just love this idea...so simple and they make it so easy with lots of wonderful recipes (many from Linda McCartney herself)...as some of you know I have made my attempts at complete vegetarianism but have found being a flexitarian (don't you love this term!), a much better option. So, while I eat a 80% plant-based diet, I like the flexibility of the occasional meat (especially when at a dinner party). So, on the eve of Vegetarianism month, why not take the challenge and go Meat Free on Mondays with me? I thought I would try and post a new recipe every Monday to help us along...let me know if you have any favourites...xxx