The Earth Says Hello. Nature patterns and images to inspire you.

Below is my own collage of earthy-inspired images, all taken when the hubby and I visited Chattanooga, TN a couple of years ago. There are so many beautiful colors, textures, and patterns in nature. Use it as inspiration to find your own distinct color palette for your event or wedding.

Alkemie Jewelry

Pretty...
Pretty...
Alkemie...
All jewelry made with 100% reclaimed metals. (found on Made By Girl)

Healthy Monday: Stay Hydrated!

photo by Julie Lynn Ivens

As an Atlanta native, I am a big fan of Coca-Cola. I drink it rarely because, let's face it, 39 grams of sugar and the questionably bubbly contents cannot be that good for you. (I don't go for Diet Coke because I'm more concerned about fake sugar than real sugar.) As the temperature rises though, the body needs to stay hydrated and the best way to do that is to reach for the water, not the soda. Keep a big container of it at your desk so you can consistently take small sips throughout the day. Not a big fan of plain water? Add some lemons or tea. While both contain sugar, lemonade and sweet tea contain mostly water and will also help you stay hydrated.

Are you a soda addict or do you have a favorite drink that helps keep you hydrated?

For the Registry: Eco-Friendly Bowls

Something to add to the registry, perhaps!? You'd be surprised as to how much personality a simple bowl can add to a kitchen island or bland tabletop. My husband and I searched forever before settling on this handmade ceramic one, found at a local gallery. The ones above though are actually upcycled (I love that word) from old vinyl records. Not sure how this gal does it, but the intricate painting technique on the organic design is really quite unique! Purchase at Eye Pop Art on Makers Market.

Recycled Inspiration: Make Online recently held a "Save Our Oceans" contest where people were encouraged to submit upcycled plastic projects. Check out some of the submissions!

At Home: How To Clone Your Herbs at Re-Nest.

Thank You! Many thanks to Faberuna for showcasing Earthly Affair!

DIY: Something Old, Something New gives a great linky post on how to do your own vintage hairstyle.

Inspiration: Rustic imagery at Ginny Branch.

Simple, Crafty Way to Turn a Can Into A Vase

Okay, I know this isn't a hibiscus flower, but I thought I'd share the tale anyway. When I was in the fourth grade we were all asked to bring a flower to class. Any flower at all. I brought a hibiscus and then was sadly disappointed when it promptly wilted the next day. Apparently they don't grace us with their beauty for too long, but they have a beautiful, exotic look. Here's a sweet, simple, and crafty way to display your flowers at your wedding, home, beach house (Ha! If you have a beach house, can I come over?). This can was made into a hanging vase! Find more details at Sweet Paul.

Generating Green

GreeNow is a pretty neat concept. They rent out 100% BioDiesel generators, as well as a comprehensive recycling program, which allows you to turn your event into a more environmentally friendly one. They currently serve New York State and surrounding areas.

Real Eco-Wedding Venue: Boston

Today we're taking a break from the regular Healthy Monday posts and instead I'd like to share with you a beautiful, eco-friendly venue based in Boston!

Boston, Boston, Boston! I love Boston! I only had the opportunity to travel their once as a teenager, but I remember my Quincy market trip vividly. There is a certain vibe that enraptures the whole city and if I could live somewhere else besides my lovely Atlanta, Boston would be it. I came across this unique venue at the Earthy Delights blog, where I was drawn in by big, beautiful windows. In my opinion, you can just never have enough windows and the loft style venue, Artists for Humanity EpiCenter, an LEED Platinum Certified building, has got them a plenty. Natural light provides the human spirit with feelings of warm and fuzzies. No joke!

Take the sustainability tour of the EpiCenter!

Sunny Yellow Inspiration

Yellow is such a perfect, summer color. Is it just me or does it seem especially uplifting?

Clockwise: Organic Cotton Cami Dress, Yellow Tomatoes, Cupcakes - Ohio Wedding at Style Me Pretty,
Hand Sewn Yellow Flower Skinny Headband

Happy weekend everyone!


Real Wedding Inspiration: A Choo Wedding at Design Sponge - One of the most original weddings I've ever seen with lots of handmade details.

Real Wedding Inspiration: Lovely inspiration from the green wedding planners, Emerald Green Weddings.

Edibles: Raspberry Chablis Gelee at Manifest: Vegan

Gathering Inspiration Through Photos

The internet is a fantastic place to gather free and unique inspiration for your own wedding or event. Research color palettes, get menu ideas, examine decorative floral examples, the possibilities of endless. One of the best places to peruse interesting images is Flickr. And did you know you can create your own "faves" folder? I've got one here, which you are welcome to look through. Not surprisingly, I have a flair for the vintage and a love of neutral and bold colors alike. What do your favorite photos say about you?

Top Photo: Reya, Bottom Left: Reya, Bottom Right: Gordana AM

Gin & Butterflies

Self taught jewelry artist, Cheyenne Weil, designs pieces for her own Etsy shop Gin & Butterflies. Her work is really unique, interesting, and believe it or not, some of it could totally work as an engagement ring. But just as interesting as her jewelry is Cheyenne herself!

FREEBIE NOTE: Tell Cheyenne you found her site through the Earth Friendly Weddings blog and she'll give you free shipping! Yippeee!

Rosie The Riveter

In her third year of college, Cheyenne dropped out of school to travel the U.S. with her boyfriend, now husband. They stopped in Austin, TX, to make some money for a few months, where Cheyenne got a job working with a custom jeweler. And voila, a little hobby was born!

Poppy Ring

Cheyenne's hobby eventually turned into a full fledged business. She uses only conflict free diamonds (yay!), works out of a low-tech studio handmaking many of her tools, recycles packaging materials, and sources her metals from environmentally friendly companies like Hoover and Strong.

Forest of Trees

Cheyenne also spent time traveling Mexico and Central American on a small sailboat for two years! Talk about low impact living. No refrigeration, hauling all their water, using mostly the wind to get around, and catching what you eat!

Luscious Tahitian Mounting, Palladium Pearl Mounting, Sea Tendril Mounting

Thank you, Cheyenne for sharing your story, as well as your jewelry with us!

FREEBIE NOTE: Tell Cheyenne you found her site through the Earth Friendly Weddings blog and she'll give you free shipping! Yippeee!

Personalized, Vintage Style Signs

Vintage brides listen up! Here is a super cute way to add a little personalized style to your wedding!

Custom painted signs from Three Potato Four! Each sign is painted on an aluminum composite material and then slightly weathered to give it a vintage look. It's eco-friendly aspect probably only lies in the fact that you would never throw it away, but that's not so bad, is it?

Healthy Monday. Bring On The Heat: Sunscreen Safety

Photo credit: Atomic Cheesecake

I'm pretty pasty. As I gather my summer shorts, skirts, and tank tops, I realize that a long winter of hibernation has allowed me to accumulate an oh-so-attractive ghostly glow. While I don't love the fact that I am about as tan as an albino lobster, I do realize that, one, I have less risk of becoming a victim of melanoma skin cancer and two, anything I can do to fend off those dreaded age spots and wrinkles just a little bit longer is a good thing in my book. (Too much sun essentially ruins the elasticity of your skin, which is why you sometimes see those old ladies looking like orange leather.)

This doesn't mean you should lock yourself in your basement, surround yourself with black lights, and only appear when the moon shines (unless of course you're a vampire, then it's okay). But you should slather on the sunscreen when you plan to be outside for a while.

Unfortunately, recent claims suggest some of the ingredients in sunscreen are unsafe and ineffective. Eek! Here is the lowdown on what's good and what's not.

- The safest choice is zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. It's the dorky whitish stuff that your grandpa probably wears on his nose, but hey, it works! And it works well by physically blocking UVA/UVB rays, unlike chemical sunscreens which simply absorb them.

- Look for sunscreens with 2%-3% avobenzone and 10% octocrylene. Still evil, but a little less than the other crap (see below). Avobenzone soaks up UVA/UVB rays, but it's potentially unsafe as it's absorbed into the skin and half of it breaks down within one hour. To add stability, manufacturers add octocrylene, which weakens the sunscreen but at least it prevents degradation.

- Stay away from the hormone disrupter, Oxybenzone. Unfortunately, this is a common ingredient in sunscreens, but it's also a hormone disrupter and up to 9% of it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

- What about natural sunscreens? A potentially viable alternative, but unfortunately there is no governing entity to ensure they are safe and/or effective. According to Lifescript.com, the EWG does have a list of recommended natural sunscreens: Badger, Soleo Organics, UV Natural, California Baby and Jason Natural Cosmetics.

Need more help? Check out the Environmental Working Group's Fourth Annual Sunscreen Guide.

Resource: Lifescript.com

Friday

As I told you earlier in the week, my husband and I took a short trip to Savannah. Georgia. We'll go ahead and call it a babymoon, even though that's not what it was originally intended to be. I was a bit concerned about traveling during my third trimester (34 weeks and counting!), especially since Savannah is really a walking city, but the exercise turned out to be a good thing and we truly had an enjoyable time. Savannah is an absolutely beautiful place, full of history, beautiful architechture, art galore (it's home to SCAD), and good 'ole Southern charm! And it's a favorite of lovers - I saw THREE weddings while I was there! Below are some of my personal photos, but check out this beautiful Savannah wedding on Style Me Pretty.

Me in front of a painting of Bird Girl (remember Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) at the Firefly Cafe.

Musings at Soho South Cafe.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Enjoy this week's list!

Finances: How much to spend on a wedding gift.

Inspiration: Pop Art details on Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Edibles: Perfect for Summer - Strawberry Ginger Honeyed Yogurt!

Expert Knowledge: Having a Back Up (Heat) Plan! Planning...Forever gives us the deets.

The TOMS Wedge.

TOMS! A favorite of earth friendly and people friendly alike is now offering a wedge. Not a lettuce wedge! A shoe wedge! (Oh, bad joke - sorry.) They come in a great array of colors and I can easily see these being paired with a simple summer bridesmaid's dress. And just as with all TOMS shoes, for every pair bought, a pair goes to a child in need.

Ditching the Double Envelopes

Will you be incorporating the "something borrowed, something blue" wedding mantra, eating frozen wedding cake on your one year anniversary, getting married in a place of worship? Some traditions remain true - rings stay on the left ring finger - while others are happily kicked to the curb - brides opting to have a best man instead of a maid of honor.

Pinwheel Invitation

Since Earthly Affair is an earth friendly invitation provider, there is one tradition we don't adhere to: providing double envelopes. Have we lost customers because of this? Possibly. Most customers are understanding and happy to save the paper, but it can present a bit of an addressing issue.

Let me back up though and explain why double envelopes exist. Way back when - I'm guessing in the 17th and 18th century - the elite of society would have envelopes delivered to them in two envelopes. Mail got dirty back then. So the butler would open up the first envelope and present the actual, inner envelope to the residents of the home.

Wish Invitation

Obviously, if you don't have a butler and your mail doesn't arrive via a man on horseback, you probably don't need an outer envelope. You can bypass any addressing issues by just addressing the one invitation envelope the same as an inner envelope. For instance, you can write "Mr. Smith and Guest" on the one outer envelope. If Mr. Smith scoffs, then you can put him at a table in the back. :)

Hot, Summer Wedding? Add Thirst Quenching Watermelon!

Thank you for your patience during my absence. The hubby and I took a short break to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is such a lovely place, I'll be sharing pictures soon!


My husband swears that pickled watermelon is delicious! I'm not so sure, but I suppose I'd be willing to try it if someone presented it to me. Pickled or not, watermelon is a really tasty summer snack, especially when it's hot, hot, hot! Summer wedding? Opt for some light, refreshing, thirst quenching treats utilizing watermelon. And it's totally in season. Use Local Harvest to find a produce farm near you or ask your caterer to seek out local and/or organic watermelon growers.

Photo credit and links to recipes:
Left Image: A Watermelon Cup, WhatWe'reEating.com
Top Right: Watermelon and Peaches Dessert, LatinaStyle.com
Bottom Right: Watermelon Kabobs, WomansDay.com

RePost: Caramel Covered Apples

Sorry, no Friday List today. I'm currently on a little hiatus, so enjoy this repost from 2007. Wow! I've been doing this blogging thing for a long time!

MMmmm....apples... I don't even like caramel covered apples that much, but these pictures make me crave them! Although long considered a favorite food staple of the state fair, along with the funnel cake...(mmm...funnel cakes....sorry for the Homer Simpson vibe going on here, but I really love sweets), the caramel covered apple is also quite the crowd hit at weddings.

So why not let these treats take the cake at your wedding? Literally! With a little creativity and imagination, you can easily forgo the wedding cake and offer up yummy organic caramel covered apples instead, purchased locally if possible. Or if you're willing to brave the work yourself, ask your wedding party to help you make them. Ehow.com has the low down on how to create the basic caramel covered apple, in case you're like me and have no idea. If you like the idea, but feel apples instead of a cake is a big no-no, then check out Martha Stewart's incredibly easy and incredibly cute mini candied apples.

Photo's were all found on Flickr. Credits in Order from Top to Bottom: disneymike, sadalit, iheartbabyjr, and jamesjyu.

Reusable Packaging for those Out Of Town Guest Bags

Last week's post about eco-friendly packaging for out-of-town guest bags was a hot button for some of you. One commenter felt the entire concept was completely unnecessary and another felt re-usable bags were a better option than recycled paper ones. I still stick by my belief that out-of-town bags are a wonderful way to say thank you to your guests, but what you put in them, and how eco-friendly you decide to make it, is up to you. Should you go with the re-usable bag, there is a plethora of them available - some stylish, some utilitarian, some charming. Below are some of my favorites found on Etsy.

Clockwise: Farfalla Gialla, Shop Jess Because, Man In The Moon Herbs

A Morning Wedding + Eco-Friendly Venue

Since my pregnancy began, I've never had any real cravings, but I have noticed an increased interest in doughnuts. I only gave in once - I got a jelly filled doughnut at the grocery store and it was a bit anti-climactic, but I still find myself gravitating towards them. That's why I was instantly intrigued by this morning wedding, held at the eco-friendly Washington venue , Treehouse Point, which featured doughnut centerpieces! Typically considered a redneck choice of decor, this couple shows that they can work and can look tasty and pretty at the same time. Yum! See more at Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom.

Photography: Ben Blood Photography

DIY Flower Baskets

This guy says making these things is easy, but I'm not sure I believe him. I know my flower basket would not come out nearly that pretty, but you have to admit it's one neat and eco-friendly idea! Grab some old magazine covers, cut them into strips, and voila! (Well, "voila" after lots of weaving and gluing.) Perfect as table decor or to give to the flower girl! See more, including instructions, at Made By Joel.