the smell of spring is in the air

Okay, so I got everything set up to take photos because I wanted to share some new things I've been working on, and I discovered that our digital camera is missing. I looked all throughout the house with no luck. I was just about to call Joe before I remembered that he took it with him this morning so after work he can go and take photos of his 1970 Dodge Challenger (a gift from his dad) that he's currently having restored. So I will be back soon with photos and more ramblings! If you have the chance or time, get out and enjoy the day! I can't believe how gorgeous it is outside right now. I've got the windows open and there's a nice breeze that is scented with the smell of blossoms from the crabapple tree near our house! p.s. That photo above is my little haul that I got a few weeks ago in Minneapolis at their annual Textile Center Garage Sale. Definitely an event to check out if you're in the area and a fabric lover, hoarder, whatever. Most of those pieces are 2 yards+ and I only paid $11 for all of it.

The Method Verdict

I put both of the Method products I received this week to the test (the kids 3 in 1 shampoo, conditioner and body wash in fuzzy peach and the baby hair + body wash in rice milk + mallow). The experience can be summed up in two words: Yum! Yum! The Peach Kids 3 in 1: How can you not love a product that you can not only use to wash and condition your hair but also to scrub your body? If you love peaches you will love the smell of this. I like this product a lot. I can see myself using this in those times where I need to shower in a hurry, or when I want to smell lovely peaches. The only issue I had with it was figuring out how to get it open. There's a round plastic piece that you are supposed to "lift and pull" off the bottom which then leaves an opening for you to just squeeze out the product. I suggest twisting the little plastic feet off the bottom for an easier grip on the tab. The Baby Hair + Body Wash It's unfortunate I don't yet have a baby to test this on, but I can't complain about using it on myself because the smell is divine! I don't know if it's that hint of marshmallow smell or what but it smells so good I wanted to eat it. I didn't give this product the full test and only used it on my hands and part of my forearms, but it left them silky smooth with a lovely after smell. The packing on this product is pretty genius too. At first I thought the funny green dome was rather wasteful but it actually has a hole for your finger and is meant to be used as a cup to rinse off the baby! If any of you try out any of the other products I'd love to hear about why you love them. I know I sound like a Method freak, but I guess I am. I love their products and I'm fortunate that they send me free stuff to try out. If you're interested in getting free stuff from them hop on over to their website and sign up to be an advocate.

Feeling the Method love

In honor of Earth Day and my love for Method (I am an advocate after all), I thought I would share about some fantastic things they have going on right now. Last week they sent me a free copy of their new book above and I have to say while part of it talks about all the nasty things in our homes (not only in the cleaning products we use but other things like our paint and carpets), part of it is also really really depressing and overwhelming. There's so many things in our homes that have nasty stuff in them, and there's no way to change every single thing at once even though you'll want to. I've been a user of Method products since they hit the shelves at Target, but I don't use their products for all of my cleaning. This book has convinced me to switch, not necessarily to all of their products, but to using 100% biodegradable and earth friendly products for any kind of cleaning. Whether it's store bought or something as simple as mixing up some baking soda and vinegar, it's definitely better for all of us in the long run. Their book is not only about what we use to clean, but also the way we live in our homes and the choices we make when buying new goods. Did you know that items like "wrinkle free" clothes and bed sheets often release formaldehyde? Or that the fabric softener or dryer sheets you use to keep your clothes "fresh" probably contains beef fat? Gross huh? Overall, I think even though it is depressing it's important to learn these things so we can make the decisions we can afford to in an effort to detox our homes and the environment. On a happier note, Method also released their new line of baby and kid products today. I got a box in the mail this week that had a couple full size samples and some coupons inside. I'm planning on testing out the products tonight so I'll post a full report tomorrow and maybe do a little giveaway for the coupons (they're for a free baby or kid product up to $4.99!) if there are any lurkers out there who are interested. One last note, because I can't make this post all about Method, have you seen the new RuMe bags for sale over at Delight? These are probably the best reusable bags I've seen yet. I know I can easily stitch up my own but sometimes you just need something that's a little sturdier. I've been carrying around my Danny Seo bag for months now but I'm finding that sometimes I need more than just one bag while I'm out, and something that folds up a little smaller. I bought a set of Envirosax when they came out but ended up giving them away as a birthday present so I'm really excited to try these out. If you're as smitten as I am, try using promotional code DCDELIGHT from the Daily Candy Deals email a few weeks ago. It still worked for me when I ordered this afternoon and it'll get you 30% off!

Life is a flow of love

Spring is finally starting to bloom in Iowa! This past weekend I took a trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul to visit family and head to the Minneapolis Textile Center's annual fabric garage sale. The fabric sale was crazy, not only with the amount of fabric that was available to dig through, but in the number of people that lined up in the cold before the doors opened. Despite having to squeeze through aisles that were too narrow, I still managed to score some great finds. I also found a few great fabrics at thrift stores and one fabric shop that was going out of business. I'll share my finds here as soon as I get them washed up. My mug above was a small find from the local university surplus sale today. I found my tea fortune very fitting for Downshifting Week coming up next week. Not only is Downshifting Week about finding ways to live a little greener, but taking time to slow down and enjoy life. I know that I, like many others, easily get wrapped up in work or other projects and don't take the time to slow down and enjoy what I'm doing, or even take time to drop whatever I'm doing and spend some quality time with loved ones. I hope you too will be inspired to spend next week living lightly among your nearest and dearest!

*cough*hack*cough*

Our lazy Sunday was spent with Joe watching multiple episodes of The Wire while I took lots of photos and did some updating in the Etsy shop. I'm planning on adding a few items each day to get the stock up in there since our regular website is not yet in a functioning state. I'm off to grab some more tea and head to bed as we're both coughing sickies around here. I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

playing catch up

Last weekend was our 7th (!!) Craft Saturday event and it ended up being a huge success. It was wonderful to see so many familiar and so many new faces come through. It's really starting to feel like there's a small crafty community in Des Moines. So exciting! This whole week has been spent playing catch up. It's amazing how far behind you can get when you're glued to your sewing machine all day for a couple weeks. So many emails to catch up on, blogs to read and errands to run. My poor feet have gotten the run around too (in a good way) as I surprisingly made it to the gym 3 times this week and it's not even Friday yet. I'm hoping our weather will finally turn to spring one of these days. We had a couple warm days this week, but today has been filled with rain, snow, sleet and more rain. I'm ready for warm weather so I can finally wear my new shoes around town. Warm weather also means the start of garage sale season, which I couldn't be more excited about but I'm sure Joe is dreading!

Hearts to you!

I hope you all had a wonderful and sweet day!