SPARQ Home is a company dedicated to using recycled goods to produce kitchen products that are energy efficient and eco-friendly.  While operating their soapstone countertop business, Steve Chavez and Justin English became aware of the amount of leftover soapstone material they were sending to the landfills.  This was not something they wanted to continue so they decided to repurpose the leftovers. Since they had worked with the product before, they knew that soapstone was a great material and Read more [...]

Corkcicle in an ingenious way to keep your wine at just the right drinking temperature.  No more drippy ice buckets that sometimes cost an arm and a leg and always take up space when you’re not using them.   Yippy! When wine is opened and placed in an ice bucket, it can become too chilled/cold after just 45 minutes.   If you open your wine and just place it on the counter for your guests to enjoy, within 45 minutes, the wine will be too warm. What’s the answer?     A Corkcicle!   Read more [...]

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a series of books that touch subjects that are near and dear to many of us.  Whether it be a book focused on Teens, Caregivers, Mothers, Grandparents or a variety of other topics, you can count on heart warming and tear generating stories catching and holding your attention. Chicken Soup for the Soul books started in 1993 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, and are meant to be healthy for our soul just as chicken soup is credited with being healthy for our bodies. Dr. Read more [...]

Natural Vitality believes that with the decline in the American diet, supplements are now a necessity for a healthy lifestyle. Americans generally lack vital nutrients that help us maintain active lifestyles so we turn to caffeine and sugar-loaded beverages for quick pick-me-ups.  Then a few hours later, we crash and repeat the process. Natural Vitality has designed supplements that help us nourish our bodies so we can live a happy and healthy life. For my review, I received a generous collection Read more [...]

I have eczema on my hands; traditional soaps, lotion and baby wipes really irritate my skin causing it to dry, crack, bleed, and blister. I REALLY have to be careful when I try a new product. My Mom recently brought me a sample of lotion and soap that someone gave her at a store; these products were “going to help” my skin. Just the thought of trying something new made my hands hurt. I left the sample on my dresser for about two weeks. Then one day when I as cleaning I tossed the samples into Read more [...]

Roux Maison is proud of their southern roots and eco-friendly laundry products. They create products using ingredients designed to be gentle AND help us save money. Roux Maison believes that if we use high quality, chemical free soaps on our treasured pieces today, then we “create tomorrow’s heirlooms.” Most laundry detergents contain chemicals that can be harmful to your skin, the fibers in the items you are washing and the environment. Toxic chemicals will breakdown and weaken the fibers Read more [...]

No matter how fancy toys get or how advanced the technology, sometimes simple really is better. Thinking back to when I was a child, some of my most fun and educational toys were blocks. You can do so much with blocks, obviously you can use them for building but you can also use them to help children picture and solve math problems. My Daughters (3 years and 5 years old) are both really starting to enjoy math equations. Often we will use blocks to help them visualize the problem and then work through Read more [...]

JC Toys has been designing dolls and doll accessories with superior quality and exceptional details for over 30 years. Whether you are a first time doll owner or an avid collector, JC Toys is sure to have a doll for you. JC Toys dolls are so life-like; it will have you doing a double-take. Each doll has a unique and charming personality. Designers have captured newborn innocents and have mimicked their gentle features. From each individual hair on the dolls head all the way down to their adorable Read more [...]

At Yala, they design “clothes you really live your life in.”  Yala products are created to fit perfectly on all of your adventures whether it's a trip to the supermarket or a large expedition; they will comfort you with each step. In addition to clothing for the whole family, Yala also offers bedding and travel gear. Yala’s Bamboo Dreams clothing and bedding has been Oeko-Tex certified. This means it has been inspected for harmful substances. Bamboo Dreams uses low impact dyes free from Read more [...]

I just found a fun Women’s clothing company called Aventura. Aventura is a family-owned company that is based in Sierra Nevada. One of the things that really impressed me about Aventura is their attention to the details when they design their clothing; it is both comfortable and attractive. In 2001 Aventura president John Kirsch developed a passion for bettering the environment. He found that in using organic and sustainable fabrics, they could continue making beautiful clothing while lessoning Read more [...]