Giveaway Winner: My Natural Bamboo Collection

The random number generator has chosen #23, Lisa, as  the winner of the My Natural Collection Bamboo Panda winner.  Lisa said:

Lisa said...

I just saw these at B&N the other day. I bought their coloring books! Fun giveaway!

APRIL 14, 2009 12:26 PM 

A big thanks to everyone who entered!!!

My Natural Bamboo Collection: Review and Giveaway!

I was recently given the opportunity to review this lovely stuffed toy from miYim Organic Toys new line, My Natural Bamboo Collection.  As you may have guessed from the name, these are stuff animals made from bamboo.  More on bamboo in a minute, but first things first. 

Whenever a product arrives on my doorstep the first thing I look at is how it is packaged.  This packaging fell far short of optimal.  It arrived in a box a good amount larger than the actual item and the toy was in a plastic bag inside the box.  So now I have a plastic bag and big box to reuse.  

The good news is that's where the negatives end.  I received the panda toy, but there are also a frog, elephant, and monkey.  They are all available exclusively at Barnes and Noble for only  $14.99 each.  I think this panda is just adorable.  He strikes the perfect balance between playful pal and classic toy.  He is incredibly soft and cuddleable (sure it's a word) but not in a too furry kind of way, which frankly I don't care for.  He is in the perfect sitting position for easily resting on a shelf or bed and is the perfect size, not too small to be significant but not too big to carry around everywhere.

My boys wanted to snatch this up the moment I opened the box.  The bad news for them and great news for you is that we are trying to donate toys and downsize right now.  So we are giving away our My Natural Bamboo Collection Panda!

All you have to do to win is leave a comment here!  

For additional entries (one for each bullet, please leave a comment for each):

• Follow or subscribe to Green Gracious
  
• Grab the Green Gracious button (left-hand side)
  
• Tweet about this giveaway
  
• Become a fan of Green Gracious on Facebook
  
• Follow Green Gracious on Twitter

The contest will run Monday, April 12th through Wednesday, April 22nd.  Thanks for entering!

Giveaway winner and A NEW LOOK!

We have a winner for the Shaklee Spring Cleaning giveaway.  The randomly chosen winner (be random.org) is #4,  

Michaela said...
I also already Twitter follow you @michaelakrause

MARCH 22, 2009 10:01 AM

Congratulations Michaela!

In other exciting news, check out the new look!!! What do you think? Be honest, it won't hurt my feelings. This lovely look was provided by Pink Armchair Designs. I won it in a contest and I am trying it out. I would really appreciate hearing your feedback.

Shaklee Spring Cleaning Giveaway!

Yay!  I told you a giveaway was coming and here it is!  I wanted to give something away in honor of our Spring Cleaning week to keep you all motivated to clean green.  And Shaklee might well be one of the best ways to do that!

Some of you may have heard of Shaklee.  The company has been around forever and Oprah adores their Basic H and even gave it away as one of her favorite things.  I first heard about Shaklee on a plane in August when I sat next to Shaklee distributer Marilyn Alvey.  She was flying back from a Shaklee convention and shared her passion for the products and the company with me.  She is so excited about this company and their continuous fight to make the most earth-friendly, people-friendly products possible.  

And because she believes in the company and the products SO much, she wants one of you to win a Shaklee Cleaning Gift Pack!  It is a $30 value and will include:

• A 16 ounce bottle of Basic H2
  
• 3 spray bottles for mixing Basic H2
  
• A microfiber window cleaning cloth
  
• A microfiber cleaning cloth
  

To win all you you have to do is visit Marilyn's Shaklee page and comment back here on something from Shaklee you would love to try.  U.S. Addresses only please.  For extra entries (please leave a comment for each):

• Follow or subscribe to Green Gracious
  
• Follow Green Gracious on Twitter
  
• Tweet about the contest
  
• Become a fan of our Facebook page
  
• FIVE extra entries if you purchase anything from Marilyn's Shaklee page
  

The contest will run from Sunday, March 22nd through Thursday March 26th.  Thanks for entering and continuing the commitment to clean green!

Spring Fling Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to the randomly chosen winner, Ginny.  Thanks to everyone who participated and make sure you check in later this week for the Spring cleaning giveaway.  

Surprise! Spring Fling Giveaway!

Ok, there's bad news and good news. If you are tuning in looking for 10 uses Tuesday, it is postponed a week. That's the bad news, in case you had trouble distinguishing. The good news is that today is the Spring Fling Giveaway!!! Which means...FREE STUFF!

The ladies over at SITS are having a Spring Fling Giveaway carnival and I am participating. I am really digging this carnival because they are encouraging people to give away things they already have around, which is great for the green. So, the details....

You have the chance to win this Lovely Little One package pictured above. It consists of all items that I did not buy new but which were never or barely used. This full size ducky blanket:

This giraffe height tracker. The leaves move along the velcro on the side.

This baby book, completely blank.

And this full size lion towel with hood.

All of this can be yours (no matter where in the world you live) just by leaving a comment (please include your email if not on your profile). The giveaway will run from Tuesday, March 10th until Wednesday, March 18th.

For additional entries (please leave a comment for each additional entry):

• Become a follower of Green Gracious
  
• Subscribe to Green Gracious via feed or email
  
• Follow me on Twitter
  
• Tweet about the giveaway
  
• Become a fan of Green Gracious on Facebook
  

Thanks for visiting and thanks for entering!

Good Stuff Ladies

Have y'all discovered Fig + Sage yet?  If you haven't, let me introduce you.  These are two lovely sisters who blog about all things organic (green) beauty and style and do it with, well, style.  I really love their site and can rely on them for a good recommendation for just about anything beauty related.   

The reason I am telling you about Fig + Sage now is because those lovely ladies are giving away $200 worth of Skin and Body Care from Shē Essential Beauty.  That's a whole lot of Mama E lovin' goodness I don't want you to miss out on.  So run, don't walk over there and register.  I know I am!

Winter Blues Giveaway Winner!

I want to thank everyone who entered the Winter Blues Giveaway!  And without further ado...

***The randomly chosen winner is #17, Lori who wrote:
The With Love India Vol 2 envelopes were really pretty. Thanks for the chance!****

Thanks again for entering!  I will be having at least one giveaway in March as well so please be sure to keep reading and share with your friends.  I truly love this little community we are creating!

Winter Blues Giveaway!!!

YAY!  The time has come for the first giveaway at Green Gracious!  This giveaway is kindly sponsored by Jess at Umlauf and open to any person with a US mailing address.  I asked Jess to tell us a little bit about why handmade treasures are not only special and important in keeping crafty artisans at work, but a great environmental option for people wanting beautiful and useful things.  I think she put it perfectly when she said:

Receiving a handmade gift is really special. As sentimental as this may sound, there is a certain energy that flows from, say, a set of handbuilt bowls. You look at the texture carved into them, the glaze, the shape, and immediately are able to connect it with the ceramicist who put her time and heart into them. It's an experience in direct opposition to going to Target and plonking down some cash for factory-made bowls.

I'm in constant awe of the wares I see on www.etsy.com, and since I opened shop there last year, I've made a conscious effort to buy handmade more often. Many artisans and craftspeople place a priority on producing items that are friendlier to the earth than mass-produced items. They choose to upcycle and reuse materials that might have otherwise ended up in a landfill; they use vintage fabrics; their packaging is recycled. The mindset here is to, as much as possible, make beautiful clothing or wood products or paintings using materials that are already out in the world. By doing so, they lessen their dependence on factory-manufactured materials and take advantage of the existing abundance of goods.

When you buy handmade, you buy stock in human creativity. You're helping to support not only the maker's family, but also the community to which they belong. You're also most likely lessening your own carbon footprint. You're making an important choice to NOT put money into the pockets of a multi-million dollar corporation.

And for all those reasons and more, Jess is giving away this gorgeous handmade neck-warmer.

In order to win please pop over to Jess's shop, come back here, and post a comment on your favorite item she offers.  If you email address is not easily accessible, please leave it in your comment.

For additional entries (one for each of the following, please leave a comment for each):

• Follow or subscribe to Green Gracious
  
• Follow me on Twitter
  
• Blog about this contest
  
• Tweet this contest
  
• Become a fan on Facebook

The contest will run from February 16 through February 22nd and the winner will be announced February 23rd.  Thank you for entering!  Have a great day!