Sustainable & Ethical Gift Guide: For The Decor Obsessed

by Caroline | Dec 3, 2020 | Mindful Home, Shop Posts, Sustainability

As someone who is a bit decor obsessed at the moment, but also mindful of making sustainable and ethical purchases I though I would put together a sustainable & ethical gift guide for the decor obsessed, like me, but who also want to shift toward buying more sustainable and ethical products.

All of the brands I have included in this guide either use sustainable materials in their products, eco friendly processes for manufacturing/distribution, or has a strong ethical component to their brand. I’ve curated this list to include items from Pottery Barn, Parachute, and Accompany. You can read all about their ethical and sustainable practices in the links I’ve provided here.

Sustainable Gift Ideas For The One

Who Loves to Decorate

Just a friendly reminder the items I have linked here are affiliate links that I use to help support the time I dedicate to researching and writing for you all. This is NOT a sponsored post and I was not gifted any of these items. I only share products here that I either use myself, or hope to purchase one day because I either LOVE what the brand stands for or find the product conducive to living well and sustainably. This is no extra expense to you, just a way for brands to say “thanks, Caroline!” when I send my readers their way. You can read more about it in my affiliate disclaimer.

My Favorite Sustainably Sourced Holiday Decorations

by Caroline | Nov 3, 2020 | Mindful Home, Sustainability

Whether you are a “it’s November 1st, time to break out the Christmas Decorations!” or strictly “Not until after Thanksgiving thankyouverymuch” the holidays are fast approaching. This year I’m looking to be more sustainable in all that I do, so naturally this holiday season I’m on the hunt for sustainably sourced holiday decorations.

Normally I’ve been a wait until after Thanksgiving kind of gal for my Christmas decorations. But since it’s 2020, there’s a pandemic, a crazy election, and life just doesn’t seem normal, I’m ready to jump to the holidays right now.

I’ve rounded up some adorable AND sustainably sourced holiday decorations that are sitting in my cart as we speak (re: as I type). All these items are so cute and I feel good knowing they were all sustainably sourced. All of these can be found at Pottery Barn, and you can read more about their sustainable initiatives here. *Also I should note this is NOT a sponsored post and Pottery Barn did NOT pay me to write this. I just like sharing where I see sustainability becoming more accessable to the masses.

In a nutshell here’s what Pottery Barn is doing to be more sustainably minded and responsible with their products:

repairing, refurbishing, and sanitizing returned and/or damaged items so that they can be resold and diverted out of landfills.
partnering with The Better Cotton Initiative to improve cotton farming globally and using responsibly sourced cotton in their items (88% currently, 100% by 2021)
avoiding harmful chemicals in creating their GREENGUARD Gold-certified furniture.
Using plastic water bottles to craft
products like recycled-material rugs (10 million water bottles to be exact).
Using responsibly sourced wood for furniture making (42% currently, 50% by 2021).
Focus on fair trade which helps to empower communities and workers.

My Favorite Sustainably Sourced Holiday Decorations This Year Are…

If you are going for a more minimalist and earthy look for your holiday decorations here are some beautiful, but not in your face decor.

Of course, there are those of us who love the traditional look with lots of plaid, red, and green. These are for you!

Just a friendly reminder the items I have linked here are affiliate links that I use to help support the time I dedicate to researching and writing for you all. I only share products here that I either use myself, or hope to purchase one day because I either LOVE what the brand stands for or find the product conducive to living well. This is no extra expense to you, just a way for brands to say “thanks, Caroline!” when I send my readers their way. You can read more about it in my affiliate disclaimer.

The Look for Less: Affordable Serena & Lily Living Room Lookalikes From Wayfair

by Caroline | Aug 8, 2020 | Mindful Home

Serena & Lily on the left at $1298.00, Wayfair on the right at $239.99.

Shop Serena & Lily

Shop Wayfair

5 Non Toxic Organic Nail Polish Brands You Can Find on Amazon

by Caroline | Apr 13, 2020 | Mindful Home, Sustainability

Note: This post may contain affiliate links which allow me to make a small commission from products you purchase through my links. To learn how this works see my affiliate disclaimer.

Since it may be some time before we’re allowed to go back to a salon let’s talk safer nail polish. It’s alarming to learn about all the toxic chemicals in our nailpolish (well all of our products actually). I take a very reasonable approach to cleaning up my skin, hair, and body products becuase it’s hard to completely avoid all bad ingredients. Even if we make some swaps here and there it’s better than nothing.

Not only are you saving your skin from irritants and chemicals, but by purchasing from brands committed to saftey you signal to that brand and others that there is a market for safer products. The more we do that, the more safer our daily products will be come. It’s voting with your dollars. Being mindful of where my money goes has taken on more importance from me lately because it holds with it so much power.

So I’ve rounded up 5 affordable and accessable nailpolish brands that you can get right from Amazon.

Karma Organic

The line of polish, as well as the Karma Organic Spa focus on clean and safe components. All the non-toxic polishes are free from the big three, toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP, as well as a completely organic nail polish remover, derived from soy.

Ella + Mila

Ella + Mila nail colors contain no Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP), Xylene or Camphor, making it a 7 chemical free product.

Cirque Colors

All Cirque Colors products are non-toxic, vegan & cruelty-free. Designed and handmade in Brooklyn, NY.

Butter London

Their products are formulated without formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, toluene, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, Xylene and TPHP. And bonus for the vegans here, it’s cruelty free!

Zoya

Zoya does not use any Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) which is an ingredient that could potentially have dangerous effects on developmental growth and reproduction, Formaldehyde, which according to the National Cancer Institute is a possible carcinogen, Toluene which is a hazardous chemical found in petroleum that could also be toxic with prolonged exposure, Formaldehyde Resin and Camphor.

DIY Holiday Decor: Simple Dried Orange Garland

by Caroline | Dec 12, 2019 | Mindful Home

I’m loving the look of the simple dried orange garland for my holiday decor this season. Not only is it a refreshing change from the red and green color scheme but it brings a new energy to an otherwise dreary time of year. It’s also a very sustainable decoration since oranges and twine are compostable!

As much as I love DIY projects I’m not the first one to jump into a complicated craft at the end of a long work day. I don’t keep many crafting supplies at home (but like, who really does?) and I can never come up with cute ideas. This is just reality for us busy gals out there.

When I saw this on Pinterest, however, I thought this was maybe one I couldn’t screw up. The big selling point was I didn’t need to go to a craft store to make it happen.

A dried orange garland is probably the easiest craft you can find. I’ll walk you though what I did step by step, I promise you can do it and it will be gorgeous!

What you need: 2 oranges, a cookie sheet, parchment paper, twine or a very thin string.

Step 1: Get about 2 oranges and slice them thin *about 1/4 of an inch*

Step 2: Place them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven on a low heat setting such as 200 degrees fahrenheit. *remember you’re not baking so it’s hard to screw up if you vary the temp a bit*

Step 3: Wait. This is the hardest, but they will need at least 3 hours in the oven. As long as they are not burning you can leave them in for a while.

Step 4: Once you take the orange slices out of the oven and let them cool off use a pencil or a pen to poke two holes on either side of the orange and string your twine (or string of choice through) the holes. Knot off the edges an hang anywhere you like!

Give your Phone a Minimalist Makeover

by Caroline | Jan 1, 2019 | Mindful Home

If 2018 taught me anything it’s that I am way too dependent on technology and increasingly addicted to mindless scrolling through all social media and news outlets…and I wonder WHY I feel overwhelmed most of the time.

At the end of 2018 I took stock of what was draining my energy and joy the most and it’s definitely my relationship with my phone (and the subsequent domino effect of social media and constantly being connected). So I knew it was time for a healthy and loving shift in the way I interact with technology. This is something we ALL could do in the new year to simplify our lives and lessen the overwhelm.

1. Change your background.

Giving your phone a new look for the new year starts with a new background. I like putting sayings and motivational quotes against simple yet inspiring images. Pictures of nature or where there is a lot of white space are my main “go-to” backgrounds of choice. Recently, picking a word for the new year has been really popular, so I decided to make some backgrounds that I can switch up that contain words that I want to embody during the new year

P.S. If you want these wallpapers for yourself head over to my instagram @caroline.snow.wellness I will be posting them on 1/1/19 and will have them saved in my highlights!

2. Clear your home screen.

Clearing away the clutter from the very first thing you see when you open your phone is like a breath of fresh air. We all need more SPACE in all aspects of our lives and this is the perfect place to do it, given how many times a day we all lookout our phones. On the bottom of my screen I have the 3 apps I use most (that are NOT social media or work related). My home screen now looks like this…

3. Organize your apps into folders.

This is helpful for several reasons. One is because it’s just easier to find things, duh, #organizationforthewin! But also, going back to the idea of space, there’s less for you to be looking at. Less to be distracted by, and less apps to sort through before you find what you’re looking for.

I also find that when apps are in folders it’s just one more “step” to go through which may be helpful when you’re mindlessly opening apps like Facebook, Gmail, and Instagram, and you’re like “wait…how did I get here?” It requires a bit more effort and it gives your brain a chance to think “wait do I really want to open this app?”

And while you’re at it, ditch any apps that you don’t use or don’t bring you any sort of joy. You can live with a lot less than you think.

4. Set Boundaries around your phone and app usage

There is a new (or at least new to me) function on iPhone (I know there is a similar version on android) that lets you set boundaries around how much time you spend on certain apps.

Go to Settings >Screen Time

Here are some cool things you can do…

Downtime: Allows you to set “off hours” for certain apps. You can choose when to start and end your Downtime. I set mine to start at 9:00 PM so I’m not temped to scroll mindlessly when I’m trying to fall asleep, and end at 8 AM, so I’m not scrolling Instagram or checking my email the very first thing when I wake up (which has been my routine for the past few years).

*You also have the option under Always Allowed, to set apps that don’t shut off during Downtime such as text, phone, alarm, and other necessities.*

App Limits: Lets you set a timer for how long you want to be allowed to use each app per day. I only use this for my social media apps, and I have it set for 30 minutes a day for weekdays and an hour for weekends. This allows me to create time boundaries and post or scroll more intentionally without wasting hours and hours of my time.

Besides your phone, here are some other ways you can simplify your digital life to start the new year off with a clean slate:

Clear out your downloads folder on your desktop or laptop.

Organize files on your desktop or laptop.

Delete or archive anything you don’t need anymore.

Organize your Google Docs.

Clear out pictures from your desktop or iCloud storage.

Keep your phone charger somewhere other than your night stand.

Sustainable & Ethical Gift Guide: For The Decor Obsessed

Sustainable Gift Ideas For The One

Who Loves to Decorate

My Favorite Sustainably Sourced Holiday Decorations

My Favorite Sustainably Sourced Holiday Decorations This Year Are…

If you are going for a more minimalist and earthy look for your holiday decorations here are some beautiful, but not in your face decor.

Of course, there are those of us who love the traditional look with lots of plaid, red, and green. These are for you!

The Look for Less: Affordable Serena & Lily Living Room Lookalikes From Wayfair

Here is the Serena & Lily inspiration room

Rugs

Table Lamps

Floor Lamps

Throw Pillows

Coffee Tables

Rattan Accent Chairs

White Couch

Marble & Gold Side Table

5 Non Toxic Organic Nail Polish Brands You Can Find on Amazon

Karma Organic

Ella + Mila

Cirque Colors

Butter London

Zoya

DIY Holiday Decor: Simple Dried Orange Garland

Give your Phone a Minimalist Makeover

1. Change your background.

2. Clear your home screen.

3. Organize your apps into folders.

4. Set Boundaries around your phone and app usage

Besides your phone, here are some other ways you can simplify your digital life to start the new year off with a clean slate:

What are you doing to clear your digital clutter in 2019?

More posts to inspire you…

Guided Meditations to Transition into Fall

New Self Care Routines to Adopt For Fall

Eco Friendly Gift Guide for Kids

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