Grown Ups

Brenda writes…

I have been saving this store as my Xmas gift to you, our readers on TGF.  Cool Green Attitude are a fab site that caters for the whole family and starting today they have started their January sale which is valid until the 31st January 2009.  With prices being slashed by upto 50%.  They are also offering you free Postage and Packaging for all orders over £75 in the UK.

Cool Green Attitude was inspired by 3 mums who have developed and created a unique organic and sustainable clothing range for children and adults that are more than just something to wear, but also something to think about.

All products are certified by the Soil Association in the UK, and produced under GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard).
They only use 100% certified organic cotton or 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton in all of their products. Continued

Erica writes …

Since having my baby boy my hands have been very dry and sometimes rough, so I have become much keener on buying good handcream than before.   Trilogy Rose hand cream targets a range of hand problems including my dry rough hands, but also ageing skin, damaged cuticles and brittle nails.

It contains a range of botanical including marshmallow and calendula to soften and smooth dry skin plus horsetail to help deal with problem nails.  It contains a base of evening primose, rosehip, jojoba and almond oils with rose oil to provide the scent.

Available from Love Lula for £14.65.

Brenda writes…

Here are a few ethical christmas gift choices that would make your friends and family very happy this christmas.

Mini Spa Bag

Bellingham Soap Company make gorgeous soaps and bath goodies, which are made from entirely natural products.  This gift bag is made from sustainable jute bag, which includes 1 creamy soap and 1 fabulous fizz bath.  You have a choice of 3.  Price £10.

Green Glass Recycled Glasses - Sol Bottles

Ethical Superstore, a favourite here at TGF, has these cool glasses on sale.  They come in a pack of two and are made from recycled empty Sol bottles.  They stand at 23cm tall and hold approximately 330ml.  Perfect gift for the hubby, who has everything.  Price £11.74.

Enlaira Recycled Glass Vase

Biome Lifestyle, have this stunning looking eco-friendly vase for sale.  Which has pink butterflies on a black background.  Made from 100% post-consumer recycled glass, which is sea-freighted in from Spain.  Dimensions are 38 x 25cm.  Price £70.

Brenda writes…

Here are a selection of xmas goodies for you to choose from, from Green Rewards.

FSC Fairtrade Cheeseboard

Made from a selection of FSC certified stunning Brazilian woods, this would make a stunning board to display your organic cheese selection over the festive period. Size is 22 x 22cm. Price £24.

Pure EVOKE 1s DAB radio

This a one of the 3rd generation Pure DAB radios. It uses less power consumption in operation and standby than others, it is made using recycled and sustainable sources, comes with the minimum packaging, has preset stations, and an auxillary input for an iPod. Price £97.50.

Pants to Poverty ‘Santa Pants’ Boxer

Pants to Poverty want to rid the world of “bad pants”. There pants are made from organic and fairtrade cotton. These are perfect for the man in your life to wear on Christmas Day as a bit of fun. Available in small, medium or large. Now with 20% off, was £9.75 now £7.80.

Sue writes…

I have lots of female friends and relatives to buy gifts for this Christmas and have been looking for some unusual pieces of jewellery for them. Cebra Online have a fantastic selection, all of which are fair-trade and absolutely gorgeous.

My favourite gift set is this stunning Mandala Necklace and Earrings Set from Brazil. The set costs £15 and consists of a pair of earrings and dangling pendant made from antique gold-plated enamel, with crystal and glass beads.

I was also looking for a more subtle necklace and found this beautiful Fairtrade Porcupine Quill necklace, perfect for my mum. The necklace is made from porcupine quills and hematites. The porcupine ’shoots’ out its quills when under attack from predators, and these quills are collected from the wild and made into this beautiful jewellery by the Kokskraal Handcrafts, a job creation project for Xhosa women. The necklace costs £20 and a matching bracelet and pair of earrings are also available.

Brenda writes…

Here a few more ideas, coming from Natural Collection for xmas gifts, if you are still in the market for buying gifts this year.

NaturaLeigh Classical Organic Lavender Collection Gift Bag

Coming in a classical gift bag, is this divinely scented organic lavender bubble bath and two hand-crafted NaturaLeigh soaps.  Price £10.72.

Retro Snowflake Jumper

Available in either a Charcoal or Grey colour.  It is available in one size only and has to be handwashed.  It has a pure wool outer layer and a polyester fill fleece lining.  Price £39.10.

Medium Fair Trade Balinese Mosaic Dishes

These gorgeous decorative only Mosaic Dishes, would look stunning on your dining table.  They are 30cm in diameter, available in a choice of two colours - red/brown or turquoise/gold.  Price £14.63.

Brenda writes…

The Green Familia are proud to be members of Ethical Junction, a fabulous place for companies that are ethically minded, whether it be organic or fair-trade driven, this is a one stop website that has members from all walks of the green ethical living.

They have a website/shop, called Get Ethical, that showcases members goodies, which makes it a must visit site for all those who love to buy green/ethical/fair-trade/organic goodies.

Here are a few of the goodies available to buy this xmas from Get Ethical.

Bamboo Eco-Plunk

This is a great eco version of the old favourite kids game - Ker Plunk!  Suitable for age 4 years+.  It is made from Bamboo, which is a fantastic renewable resource and great for the environment.  It has recently been featured in Junior and Prima Magazine.  Price £19.

Solar Powered Business Bag

This cool bag, could solve your problems what to give the man in your life.  It has the power to recharge the necessary equipment, including:  mobile phones, blackberries, mp3 or mp4 players, digital cameras/camcorders etc.  It is also spacious enough for him to store his laptop.  Price £45.

Frankincense & Christmas Jewel Soap Set

This cute looking gift would be ideal for any female in your life.  It comprises of two natural handmade soaps, which are presented in a pretty chiffon bag, which is fabulously presented.  Price £9.

Erica writes…

The Maclaren Beginning Travel Bag’s name sounds like it should be something very practical to use with your buggy, but I was delighted to find out that it’s a very special pampering pack. I was sent one to review and I was very interested to try out this new product range from a trusted baby brand.

Why would you want to buy this product? Packaged in a natural coloured wipe clean bag with five bottle loops to hold your products and an internal zipped pocket, it would make a lovely gift for an expectant mother or simply be a great way to treat yourself while pregnant and have some beautiful natural baby toiletries to use after the birth.

There are 6 products in the travel bag - three for mum and three for baby. They are 100ml Connecting Massage Oil for Mother; 100ml Alleviating Leg Lotion for Mother; 100ml Balancing Facial Mist for Mother; 100g Absorbing Dusting Powder for Baby; 100ml Comforting Room Mist for Baby; and 100g Protecting Nappy Change Balm for Baby.

What are the products like to use?

After a long and tiring day, I tested the mum to be products and found them very soothing and relaxing. I particularly liked the Connecting Massage Oil and Balancing Facial Mist. The massage oil was warming, relaxing and moisturising, without being too oily or sticky. A spray of facial mist left me feeling relaxed and refreshed, but it wasn’t too bracing and you could use before sleeping. The Alleviating Leg Lotion soothed and moisturised my legs, but didn’t seem to have a huge impact on the aching of my limbs. All the products have a lovely aroma and are very easy and pleasant to use.

I tested the baby products on my little boy. The Comforting Room Mist was lovely to use. It filled the room with a pleasant, homely and comforting scent which seemed to help calm my son in the run up to bedtime or naptime. Maclaren suggest using it when travelling to help your child adjust to unfamiliar surroundings and I think this could be helpful. I’ve never used any sort of powder on my son before, but the Absorbing Dusting Powder has converted me. It’s a really quick and easy way of getting all those crevices dry and it leaves his skin silky smooth. I also like the Protecting Nappy Change Balm which I used successfully on mild nappy rash and a facial dribble rash.

All the products are made from natural ingredients and use organic essential oils. Also, they have been dermatologically tested on sensitive skin.

Any negatives? The carrying case that the products come in, is a slight letdown from the outside as it is fairly dull to look at. Inside it has very clean lines which have a calming, but pleasant look and the bottles and tubes have very simple and elegant styling.

Available to buy from Maclaren for £34.26 here.

Brenda writes…

Here are my top 6 “Green” discount codes for you and your family/friends to share this December.

Olli & Lime - 25% off, code BG01, ends on the 26/12/08

Ethical Superstore - 10% off on spends over £25, code TGF10, ends on the 31/12/08

Dam Tam - 10% off, code BAMBINO, no end date

Biome Lifestyle - 10% off, code ILOVEXMAS08, ends on the 19/12/08

Bibaloo - 10% off, code Bambino, ends on the 20/12/08

Noolibird - 10% off, code 1234, ends on the 31/01/09

Brenda writes…

Here are a few of the best sales around at the moment.  If you know of anymore, please get in touch with us via the contact page.

Sones - Have on sale their Tunic Tops and Frill Bootlegs, just perfect for this time of year.  Both are available in sizes 18-24 months to 4-5 years.  The tunic tops are available in berry pink and denim blue and the frill bootlegs are available in purple/mink.  Both reduced to £8.50.

Arabella Miller - Have on sale their funky ladybird baby t-shirts. Available in sizes 6 - 24 months.  Now reduced to £9.99.

Natural Nursery - Have a great sale on babies and childrens organic clothes.  Available for both boys and girls and available in sizes from newborn to 4 years.

Buy Organics - Have a brilliant special offers page, which includes sweat shirts from the Tatty Bumpkin range and organic herbs to name a couple, all at reduced prices.

Ethical Superstore - This is your one stop eco-friendly superstore.  It has a special offers page, which includes products from the following departments: groceries, fashion, electrical appliances, beauty and many more, all at reduced prices.