All Natural Easter

What better time to think about Easter than when the temperature is below 0 and you are expecting 12 inches of snow?

I know I will be using the All-Natural Easter Egg I make and I will pick up some organic eggs from my friends Trish and Jeremy at Cycle Farm. The little guy loves to ploosh the eggs into the colored baths and watch them change. We also found these fun little stands to make egg people that I put on my Pinterest and I will list ALL of my Favorite Free Printables in another post soon. I like to be able to look in one place for everything.



I know that we will pull our well loved and often re-used plastic easter eggs (I can't bear to throw them away and I don't know if they are recyclable) out of storage. I am considering having the little guy help me make a door wreath out of them this year. Probably something like this.

I am so excited that there are tons of great GF/CF candies available this year and can't wait to create a really awesome Easter basket. I already picked up a sticker create-a-face book with chicks and bunnies and bees from Target and I can't wait to try making GF/CF Surf Sweets Organic fruit juice jelly bean cupcakes.

Recycled Valentine Heart Crayons

January winters in South Dakota mean only one thing COLD GREY DAYS and time spent dreaming of spring.  Spring promises warmth and growth and wild flowers in all their colors, and of course Valentine's Day!  As bright green shoots and tiny daffodils begin popping up at the edge of my imagination I wonder what we'll do this year for my sons Valentine's Day cards and I come back to an idea.

I had been toying around with and an item you've probably found dozens of times on Pinterest (Recycled Heart Shaped Crayons).  I think one of the original posts for this craft includes a sweet little card printable and tutorial that can be found over at thelongthread.
So we decide to try melted crayon Valentine's this year and I can verify this craft experience was a HUGE hit, at least for my little guy. My son loved everything about this,

Step 1: peel the crayons
(loves peeling stickers so wrappers are almost the same thing)
Step 2: break the crayons into little bits
(need I say more)
Step 3: place all the little bits into the heart shapes in the mold
(just like the organizing exercises at school)
Step 4: Mom puts the mold in the oven at 250 for 15 minutes.

These were so fun we made tons of them.  My only problem is I HATE the fact that these are made with Chemicals and Petroleum (yep, your house will have that gross SMELL like crayons) but  lots of times when I get the urge to try something like this it reminds me why I make the choice to go natural with my products.
Hey we did have fun doing this and that is what he will remember.

Summer means Sidewalk Chalk

With the end of school and a break in the constant rain fresh in mind, I have been busy designing something I think we will really love and use this summer. . .

All Natural - Petroleum Free - Chemical Free - Nibble Safe - Plant Based - Sidewalk Chalk - Paint and Pendants  !!!

Now I know that if you love and regularly check Pinterest the way I do you have seen some Cheap DIY "sidewalk chalk" and "chalk paint" pins.

Here is what I have found :

1. Tempera Paint or Traditional Petroleum Based Food coloring + Plaster of Paris = Pinterest "Chalk"

2. Corn Starch + Water = Pinterest "Chalk Paint"

I guarantee that my Chalk does NOT contain : Tempera, Plaster of Paris or Petroleum Food Colors.

Did you know that according to the USDA website last updated in July 12 2012 with data obtained by the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in the June Agricultural Survey for 2000 through 2012., 88% of the corn grown in the United States is GMO.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us
If you would like to find out more please look for yourself. The data I found summarized the adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant crops since their introduction in 1996. While the USDA does not collect this data. Estimates were produced by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and can be found in the report, Global Status of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2012.

Why I Only use All Natural Color & Essential Oils

 

We absorb up to 60%:

By Ananda Mahony

“We absorb up to 60% of what we apply to our skin” is an often cited factoid but is it actually true? Well I came across this research to show strong evidence that we do in fact absorb quite a bit of what is applied.
For example rates of skin absorption of contaminants in public drinking water were studied by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. The study found that the skin absorbed an average of 64% of the total contaminant dosage. Underarm and gentilia absorb up to 100%:
In another study the face was found to be 2-6x more permeable than other body surfaces such as the torso. And, the underarms and genitalia to be even more permeable. In fact, the underarms and genitalia showed up to a 100% absorption estimate (Kasting, 2005).
The studies showed that absorption rate varies depending on the compound. Some examples include, caffeine, which is absorbed by the skin at 48% while DDT is absorbed at 10%.
Alarmingly fragrance ingredients, showed a 100% absorption rate (Robinson et al, 2000).
So there is basis to this information and in some cases, research implications are worrisome, particularly in regard to phthalates which are found in artificial fragrances.

In any case regardless of actual percentage rates, it makes sense to know the ingredients in products that touch our skin so we know what we are absorbing.  As I am sure you all know my bias, you will understand that I think the obvious choice is to immediately cut out artificial preservatives, fragrances and color compounds that are either suspected or confirmed to be harmful to us.

Natural Dye Adventures

This is a Great Blog my friend Trish from Cycle Farm spotted. If you have ever wondered about what chemical dyes do to the environment and all of us this mp3 is incredibly educational.
Natural Dye mp3
If you would like to find out more about this  Blog and the attention they are bringing to Artificial Dyes in our clothing go to.  http://www.fibershed.com/2011/09/14/1564/

My Dip into Blogging

March 2013 I took the plunge as MrsCsGlutenFree and started my Blog!!!  So, Happy Easter to all my friends, family and customers. With the recent success of my All Natural Easter Egg Dye on Etsy. I have been visiting the Post Office a lot more often than usual, 

MrsCsGlutenFree Natural Egg Dye

and while I was there I had a really nice conversation with the Postal Clerk. She asked about my products and about All Natural food coloring instead of using Artificial colors.  

Fruit & Veggie based Egg Dye

After some thought and a little work setting up this blog, I think this will be the best way to offer more room to go in depth discussing thoughts, ideas and articles on healthy living and healthy creating.