Sites in the Spotlight

OK, I am actually doing two sites in the spotlight this week. RecycleYourWedding.com which is a new site like eBay devoted to wedding items. And the other is BridalGems.org devoted to selling gently used wedding gowns, other formal wear and jewelry.

These are two great green sites for brides past and brides to be to check out. Brides past can unload unused or gently used items from their wedding and brides to be can get fabulous deals.

Calling All Green Brides

OK, I'm not having much luck finding any upcoming green weddings. So, are there any green brides out there who would like to share some photos from their green weddings? These photos may appear on my blog, on a possible upcoming website and in several publications showcasing green weddings.

I would really appreciate any and all green wedding photos you may have to share. Email me at everythinggreenweddings at yahoo.com

Calling all Green Brides in Genesee County

Are there any brides out there in Genesee County Michigan or close by that have a green wedding coming up this summer? I'm working on some articles and a few of my publishers would like photos of actual green weddings.

I live in Flint and with gas prices I don't plan to do a lot of traveling but if there are any green weddings coming up in the area I'd love to snap a few photos.

Please email me if anyone is interested. everythinggreenweddings at yahoo.com

I would really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Bird House Article and How To at Plenty Magazine

I have an article and how-to for buidling birdhouses out of scrapwood up at Plenty Magazine, it even includes several photos of birdhouses that my husband and I have made.

Check it out here: DIY Rustic Bird Houses at PlentyMag.com

Back to My Green Blog

I have been sick for about a week now plus it's MAY. May is super busy for me. My two youngest have birthdays this month along with my husband's birthday and Mother's Day. Add to that the needs of my garden and May is a super busy month.

I hope to get all my links up soon. I have like 3 pages of green wedding and green living links I want to add here but I need to get them all organized by category and added accordingly. Soon I hope, plus I hope to start having a Site in the Spotlight at least once a week.

Any vendors, businesses, and wedding gurus out there that want to be featured let me know at everythinggreenweddings@yahoo.com

Oh, guess what I found? Another green wedding planning book coming out in December. Uhmph! No, I'm not going to be catty. There's enough room in the world, not to mention enough brides in the world for many wedding planning books, even green ones. It just kind of irritates me that it is coming out the same month. I can't find who the publisher is, I wonder if it is an independent. I would think if it was a big name it would be listed.

Oh, well maybe I will email the author and find out. Her book sounds good, a lot like mine in fact plus she has a site and a blog. Her site looks pretty good too. Damn it!

I'm not getting a site. I'm html deficient (plus I barely have time to post here let alone build a whole site) and I'm not forking over my $$$ to have one made. If my publisher wants one they can set it up. Maybe after my next book I'll get my own personal Wenona site built to showcase all my work and my books.

Site in the Spotlight - Earthly Affair: Earth Friendly Invitations

Earthly Affair is a fabulous company that not only offers "green" invitations but they practice a lot of eco-responsibility as well. They carbon offset, donate to charity, compost and recycle everything that they can. That's super green. Plus they offer unique, elegant and stylish invitations.

Earthly Affair offers two great earth friendly papers for their invitations: "One is a 100% pcw, which means it uses no new trees and averts waste from landfills. The second is a cotton paper, FSC certified for responsible forest management and consists of partially recycled content." Even their envelopes and printing practices are earth friendly.

Jennifer Stambolsky has created a great green company.

Free Tote Bag for Taking a Quiz

My friend Tammy sent me this link for a quiz from Earthbound Farms Organics. Fill it out and you could win a free reusable shopping tote.

I love reusable tote bags. I'm collecting quite a few because the problem I usually have at the store is that I don't have enough bags. I go shopping once a week for five people and three cats. That adds up to a lot of groceries. I usually don't have enough reusable totes for everything. I try to take plastic bags with me that I've collected from stores (I try not to throw them out until they have been used to the end of their life span) but still sometimes don't have enough. So I keep picking up cheap and free bags wherever I can.

Oh, on a different note, Kroger now has a bin for recycling plastic bags as soon as you walk into their store (at least the one in Flushing does, not sure about the rest) so totally cool. Now I have a place to take all the ripped up and holey bags that aren't going to be used for anything else. Usually I stuff them in a box and save them for wrapping up breakables for shipping or storage.

Anyway make sure you take the quiz to get your free tote. The offer expires 4/30.

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! It's a beautiful day here in Michigan so I plan to get outside and enjoy it as much as possible. No staying stuck in front of the computer today.

Earth Day, Everyone's Celebrating This Year

I think it is amazing that Earth Day is being celebrated like a major holiday this year. Never before have I seen so many things about Earth Day everywhere, in the papers, in the news, local celebrations both public and private, and the stores...the stores are really going all out this year promoting green products.

It's about time it caught on, it only took almost 40 years. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 but Senator Gaylord Nelson started being very concerned with environmental issues in1962. Over the next several years he was working with environmental topics then in 1969 the idea for Earth Day came to him. Read more about it here: http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html

I remember I first heard about Earth Day in the 80's when I was a kid. I thought it was so cool I wanted to have a big party, but no one else knew what Earth Day was or bothered to celebrate it here in the Rust Belt. That's the way it has been here. But now even the Rust Belt is going green.

Today's Flint Journal featured no less than 3 stories with a green angle including one about businesses going green, one about Earth day and things everyone can do to make a difference and one about local Earth Day celebrations that were held over the weekend.

Anyway I am so thrilled to read about all the local stuff for Earth Day going on here in Flint. I think it is way past time. And even though it is going extremely commercial, all the businesses are hopping on the green bandwagon, you know I guess it is the outcome that counts. The ends justifies the means. Anyway you look at it it makes it easier for everyone to go green and live green.

Home Depot now carries all kinds of organic stuff for my garden including my Miracle Grow which now comes in an organic formula. Yea! Plus, this is the best, Home Depot now has no VOC paint. I've been waiting and searching and complaining at the local Home Depot for awhile now and finally they have it. About time. I need to paint my bedroom and didn't want to have to order online or drive all over trying to find no VOC paint when Home Depot is right around the corner from my house.

Along with Meijer who's having a huge Earth Day thing next Saturday, April the 26th. They are showcasing all kinds of new green products, giving out free samples and having drawing and prizes. I'll be there checking it out.

I will also be hauling my old electronics up to the Best Buy on Miller Rd Saturday. I've been holding onto a couple broken TVs cause I didn't know what to do with them. Couldn't just send them to the trash. On Saturday the 26th Best Buy is holding an electronics recycling collection from 10 am to 4pm. They'll be taking cellphones, TVs, VCRs, video game consoles, and other small electronics and appliances under 100 lbs. Woo Hoo I can finally clear out some of my junk that's been piling up.

So for those environmental enthusiasts that think everything is becoming too commercial and too green washed, don't despair too much. It's for the greater good. Everyone can be a greenie now. Come on, it's what you've been working for right? Raising awareness, promoting recycling and conservation...

I know, I know...I snort and guffaw at some of the companies that are promoting green and the ways that some are going out of their way to be green but just think at least you have some entertainment.

Enjoy Earth Day (or Earth Week, or two Earth Weeks, even Earth month as some are promoting it now) your way. I'll be planting flowers and maybe a tree. I'm not sure. (The power company has issues with trees in my yard, they cut down all of them that even came close to the power lines.) Maybe I'll look for some dwarf trees or bushes that won't get big enough to touch the lines.

Oh well, I was rambling again. Back to the point. Enjoy Earth Day, celebrate your way.

Green Books for Green Living

In honor of Earth Day I have created a list of some of my favorite green living and green wedding books. Yes, I've included my own. :-)

Site in the Spotlight- VinoGlo

Don't send your wine bottles to the trash or recycler yet! Repurpose them by turning them into a romantic oil lamp by using VinoGlo products.

What is VinoGlo?

"A VinoGlo is an insert, with a wick, that fits into the opening of a glass bottle and converts it into a beautiful romantic oil lamp. Our VinoGlos create do-it-yourself wine bottle lamps, and they can be used with any glass bottle, too. "

"Capture the romance, keep that special bottle and always remember that special day or evening. The VinoGlo may be used in your favorite glass bottle. As a wine bottle accessory or for any of the following, a water bottle, a champagne, olive oil, or a decorator bottle may be used. "

I think this is a totally "green" product because it converts one thing into something else that is useful.

Turn off the lights and light up a romantic oil lamp. I wonder if eco-friendly oil can be used like hemp or olive? I'll have to check that out.

But I think this is a great product. If you have your wedding reception in an area that allows open flame candles or lamps you could consider using your repurposed bottles into oil lamps as fabulous green centerpieces.

Not only does VinoGlo have the wick but they have the glass flame protector (hurricane thing that goes over the bottle and around the wick), they have oil, and they have bases so you don't have to worry about the lamp tipping over. You can buy products seperately or as a kit.

Guest on Colleen's Blog on Friday

Quick update, I'll be over at Colleen Gleason's blog on Friday the 18th. Before I wasn't sure. Make sure you stop by and check it out.

Guest Blogger on Author Colleen Gleason's Blog

Coming up this week, Tuesday I think, I will be guest blogging on Colleen Gleason's Blog while she's out of town.

Colleen is a fellow Michigan writer and the author of The Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Very cool series of books. The main character, Victoria, is a regency period vampire hunter. She's been described as Jane Austen meets Buffy. I'm a big vampire fan so I love these books.



So if you get a chance stop over at Colleen's blog and see what I have to say about Earth Day and green weddings, I'll even be posting a few tips and ideas for having a green wedding along with some shameless book promotion for The Everything Green Wedding Book.

So don't forget to stop by, read my post and check out The Gardella Vampire Chronicles.

Quick Update and Hello

This week I've been busy typing away, submitting queries and working on projects while my kids are on Spring Break.

Have I got much done? Yes and no. I've gotten some writing done but not as much as I wanted to. So I've worked on other stuff, spring cleaning and what not.

I couldn't concentrate on writing with all the yelling, screaming and giggling going on so I started planning my garden and some craft projects that I want to do. I'm excited to get out in the dirt and start digging soon. I just wish the Michigan weather would cooperate.

Oh, I haven't blogged all week...how was everyone's Earth Hour? I shut all my stuff off for as long as I could. I shut down and even unplugged everything I could except for my fridge and my DVR (had stuff set to record :-)) It was nice, so quiet and dark.

Too bad my husband had to work, it was just me and my two youngest. We had fun though.

I really have to do that more often, though I'll probably wait until summer when it is warmer and much easier to do cause it did get kinda cold since I went all out and turned the heat off too.

Earth Hour

This Saturday March 29th from 8-9 PM is Earth Hour. Join the millions of people that have pledged to turn off their lights, turn off the TV and shut down the computer for at least one hour.

Enjoy this quiet hour of darkness alone or make it a party with friends and family or turn it into a romantic interlude with that special someone. Nothing says romance like (soy) candlelight.

Site in the Spotlight- InviteSite.com

The InviteSite.com is a great place to get eco-friendly invitations and other paper products for your green wedding. They have a nice selection of recycled paper, handmade, and tree-free invitations. They even have DIY kits. That I really love. You get everything you need to make your own invitations.

Check out their green wedding blog too, very cool. http://www.green-weddings.com/

Get Fresh with Sara Snow

Has anyone watched Get Fresh with Sara Snow? I found the episodes on Fit TV but I think they are on other Discovery channels as well. She offers great green tips and ideas.

I just watched the Green Wedding episode. It was great but WOW $$$. I don't know how it works when you are on a TV show but I think the network and vendors came out of pocket for some stuff because if the couple had to pay for all that green extravagance I know it was expensive.

The massive amount of flowers that were used from Organic Bouquet would have cost a small fortune by themselves. Then they gave away organic cotton robes as favors to all their guests. Please, who can afford $50 + per person for favors and they probably had around 100 guests or more.

It was a great way to showcase the possibilities that a green wedding can be elegant and extravagant but unless you're a rich celebrity the stuff they showcased is out of most couple's budgets.

Resale Stores and Antique Shops

I spent this past Saturday visiting resale stores, antique shops and thrift stores in my area. While I didn't find any great treasures I did see a few wedding related items.

At the craft/antique mall at I-75 and Mt. Morris Rd there were two different vintage wedding gowns. One was short, like a sheath dress. I didn't get a real good look at it but I'm estimating it was any time from the 20's to the 50's. Another one was long and lacy with the high neck lace collar, Victorian style though I don't know if it was authentic Victorian or Vintage 70's when the high neck styles were back in for awhile.

I also spyed several tiaras, veils and headpieces, some gorgeous vintage jewelry, a couple old cake toppers and some other stuff that could be used in a vintage theme wedding.

The antique mall, R&J Needful Things, on Pierson Rd in Flushing didn't have much wedding stuff but they had plenty of cool antiques and vintage items that could easily be incorporated into a vintage wedding.

If you would like lots of ideas on how to have a vintage wedding and use vintage items for decorations, favors and more order a copy of The Everything Green Wedding Book where you'll find plenty of vintage wedding advice and some DIY ideas.

Meijer and their eco-friendly home supplies

This week's Meijer ad (for all those in and around Michigan that have Meijer stores) has a whole page devoted to eco-freindly home supplies: organic cotton sheets, towels, wash cloths, bamboo pillows and window shades and recycled rubber floor mats.

I was surprised that they are really jumping on the green bandwagon, but that's good. Now that major retailers are adding green products you can shop where you normally do and get everything you need at the same time, at the same place without having to order online and pay for shipping and handling. Very cool and very green.

And for all those couples getting married and looking to go green, Meijer does have a wedding registry that you can add all those green items to.

The Everything Green Wedding Book - Pre Order

I just happened to Google my name today to make a list of sites that my articles appear on and I found The Everything Green Wedding Book is already listed at sites like Amazon for Pre-order.

How cool is that? I just sent the book off to my editor. The available release date is listed as December 17, 2008. Click the link and you can pre-order yours right now.


The Everything Green Wedding Book: Plan an elegant, affordable, earthfriendly wedding (Everything Series)