Spring Greening: Gifts That Keep On Giving!

Spring Greening by elbonner featuring Patagonia

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack...Ok, I was never really gone, but lets just say that the months between Christmas and Easter are typically my lowest point of inspiration, motivation, and overall happiness. I had absolutely nothing to talk about because nothing was going on! It was cold, the weather was awful, every day that was decent was rainy, and it wasn't even worth waking up some of those days. Hopefully, those days are behind us now as the northern hemisphere is gearing up for summer! Along with this changing of the seasons, I'm trying to change my relationship with some things, most of all: STUFF. I have entirely too much stuff and I am constantly bombarded with the urge to accumulate more stuff. I'm starting to see that life goes on without stuff and if you're going to get stuff, get really good stuff. And so we come to this post; guess what? It's about stuff, but it's stuff you won't have to replace for a long time, and stuff that doesn't accumulate and create a stuff problem for the earth. So, bear with me and take a gander at some stuff that could save you and the earth!

Klean Kanteen Vacuum Insulated Bottle and Tumbler: It's a well-stated fact that plastic water bottles are the root of all evil. Baby seals eat them, they seep their chemicals in our groundwater, and will probably create some sort of mecha-Hitler robot demon that will devour the earth in a fiery rage. That may be an exaggeration, but at this point in time, there is no reason to keep purchasing bottled water. These bottles and cups from Klean Kanteen are the perfect solution. They are stainless steel so they won't rust, vacuum insulated so cold things stay cold and hot things stay hot. I left my bottle in my car overnight with ice I had put in that bottle that morning (about 9 hours after I lazily left it in the car). When I opened the bottle the next morning (another 16 hours later) to take a drink, THERE WAS STILL ICE IN IT. And the same goes for the tumbler: want a cold margarita to remain cold without succumb  to the disgusting heat dissipating from your sweaty hands? Done! Want a drinking glass that wont break when your drunken friends can't seem to just not drop things? Get a 4-pack of their steel pint glasses and give that industrial touch to your favorite beverage! Using your own cup saves paper, plastic, and germs from other peoples grubby hands!

PlanetWise Reusable Bags: On the topic of reusable things, ditch your plastic sandwich bags! Get rid of your plastic produce bags and snack baggies! They just go in the trash and cleaning flimsy plastic bags is super annoying. These can be washed in the washing machine and used over and over again. They come in a bunch of sizes for every food item and will save you money and drawer space!

Patagonia Reversable Malama Bikini and Synchilla Snap-T Fleece Pullover: Why did I put clothes on this list? I thought you were getting rid of excess stuff, Emily, YOU HYPOCRITE! Calm yourself! These garments are different! Not only does Patagonia make durable, awesome stuff, but they have an even greater incentive. If your Patagonia gear gets a tear, a strap comes loose, or a zipper isn't so zippy anymore, You can send your stuff to their garment repair facility and they will fix your stuff for you, therefore lessening your need for more stuff! These pieces are also made from 80% recycled bottles, so you're doing your part , but barely trying! It's like you saving 10,000 plastic bottles from polluting the baby otters by wearing a fleece! I like a company with a message and commitment to conservation, and Patagonia fits the bill.

Avasol spf 30 Sunscreen Stick: Sunscreens are known to be laden with chemicals, and I made the effort to stay away from chemical sunscreens long ago. This sunscreen stick is fricking awesome. It's tinted (two colors: tan and dark), the tan is just light enough to match my fair skin and it covers almost like a foundation. In fact, I've been using it as a foundation for the past few weeks! No itchiness, no breakouts, this sunscreen is all natural, made with plant oils and butter and a zinc-based spf, this stuff save you time with it's convenient stick form and the planet by being ocean safe and packaged in biodegradable cardboard. Keep from killing off coral and a nasty sunburn by using a sea-safe sunscreen like Avasol! No stinging or running into your eyes; this stuff is a skin saver!

Toms "Every Mother Counts" Canvas Backpack: Toms is one of those companies who is built on giving. Luckily, the products they make are durable, stylish, and helpful to someone other than yourself. These new bags by Toms benefit women in developing countries that have limited to non-existent prenatal care and ensure their babies get the best start in life. If you like healthy, productive babies and really stinking cute bags, give these a looksie!

Yowzers, that was a lot of words! But it had to be done, the writing bug is crawling its way back into my brain to lay its eggs  only to burst forth the warmer it gets! I love to shop, but I need to get better about where my money goes. Purchases like the one above at least give me some sort of inkling that I'm making the right decision. If you're faced with a gift dilemma or want something for yourself that will stay with you forever, give these items a try and make a new friend for life! Stay golden!

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At Home and Across The Pond: Soap and Glory Favorites!

Soap & Glory Favorite by elbonner featuring fabric home decor

Do you ever forget about something you used to love, come back to it, and wonder why you ever left? I had that happen when I was on my trip to England. I always venture into a Boots Chemist/Pharmacy while I'm there so I can pick up stuff like body lotion and deodorant and just like all the other time, I dawdled around the aisles looking for something new (I always want to try new things). Long ago, I used to buy Soap and Glory products from Boots like it was going out of style. It was new, fun, and not available at home. Boots was then purchased or merged with Target and Soap and Glory came to the states, and unfortunately the whole mystique I had built up in my mind around Soap and Glory was gone. It's like I forgot about all the awesome stuff they had! Not only that, Target stopped carrying it and they switched over to Sephora which meant one thing, waaaay more pricey. 
The good about spending time away from something you used to love is that it makes it all the more exciting when you see it again in a whole new light! When I went into Boots a few weeks ago I saw that the shelf or two of Soap and Glory of the past turned into a big display of all sorts of new products and scents! It was like seeing an old friend and having that feeling where everything felt just like it did when you first found them and it's comfortable, but fun and new at the same time!
The UK product line is MUCH more extensive than what is available in America, which bums me out because they have the most wonderful scents going on across the pond. In the states, we can only find a fraction of what's available back in England, including cosmetics, a ton of great skin care, and some amazing scented body products. I've listed my US and UK favorites here for you!

USA
Sugar Crush Body Wash- Smells like a vanilla lime milkshake. It takes everything in me not to eat this stuff or spread it on top of an ice cream cake; like a Key Lime pie for your body! You only need like 2-3 pumps on a body pouf and you're wrapped in a delicious, non-drying foam that makes even the earliest of showers better.

Sugar Crush Body Scrub- Not oily, which is a huge must if you don't want to fall and break your hip in the bathtub. Same great fragrance as the body wash and you really can't go wrong with a good sugar scrub and S&G are great when it comes to scrubs.

Sugar Crush Body Butter- Soap and Glory are known for their body butters and for good reason: THEY'RE FREAKING AMAZING! Their signature butter formula is made even better by, you guessed it, the sweet limey vanilla scent that makes you consider eating it out of the jar. 

The Righteous Butter Lotion- Nicely scented body lotion that is high on moisture and low on greasiness. I cannot stand putting on lotion to begin with and I'm really bad about putting it on because I HATE feeling greasy afterwards. This stuff soaks in right away and lasts a long time. The scent can be a little strong, but I love how well it moisturizes so I sort of look past it and if anyone complains they can really and truly suck it.

All US Products Available at Sephora

UK

Orangeasm Body Scrub- Smells like all the citruses thrown together and I couldn't be happier. Citrus is a great shower scent because it wakes you up and puts you in a good mood. I am kicking myself for not bringing back 50 jars of this stuff in my suitcase and on my person. It's like smuggling level awesome. If you're in the UK, go to Boots, pop open a jar, have a sniff, and have a big ol' Orangeasm right in the store!

Peaches and Clean Facial Cleanser- Great cleanser for removing makeup whilst being gentle. It's getting closer to winter in the UK and a gentle cleanser is a must for those with dry and sensitive skin. Really wish more of the skincare was available over here in the states!

Orangeasm Body Wash- Smells like the scrub, but you can justify using it every day! It comes in a giant bottle and is a great waker-upper!

Smoothie Star Body Milk- Please bring this to America, Soap and Glory. This lotion smells like you're immersed in the most delicious bowl of honey-filled oatmeal. Soap and Glory does lotions really well and this lotion soaks in immediately and keeps dryness away all day long!

All UK Products Available at Boots

If you're looking for something new to try or you're rediscovering an old friend, go out and give Soap and Glory a go! They make excellent Christmas gift sets and now is the time (even though it's not even Halloween!) you'll start seeing them in stores. Give yourself some TLC and get scented!

Renegades of Funk: Homemade Deodorant

I am a sweater and you better believe. I'll sweat because of anything: putting on lotion, sitting in a chair, carrying groceries, watching a tense movie, taking too hot of a shower. It really doesn't matter what season or what climate I'm in, I'm probably going to be sweating, which has led me to try about every goddamn deodorant under the sun. In the past, I was desperate to find the strongest, beefiest, sweat-annihilating deodorant known to man. It could have made me grow hair on the soles of my feet, but as long as it kept me from having any sort of moisture under my arms, I was prepared to try it. After a while of using store-bought and prescription strength antiperspirants, I noticed something. When I wore these ridiculous antiperspirants, I was sweating profusely everywhere else, and to tell you the truth, the stuff I was using wasn't doing that great of a job. I took a leap of faith, a shunned antiperspirant deodorant all together and took to using crystal deodorant, which was good for keeping me from being smelly. I like crystal deodorant, and if you want a deodorant totally free of antiperspirants, then I highly recommend it. But I needed a little more assurance, and that's when I discovered the magic formula. I found out that if you mix coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder, and a few essential oils, that you got a pretty damn good deodorant out of that. Now, I am sharing the secret with you!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Baking Soda

1/4 cup Arrowroot Powder

5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Your Favorite Scented Essential Oils (I used lemon, bergamot ,and ginger oils)

Step 1.) Melt your coconut oil in a double broiler, or as I use, a pot with an inch of water in the bottom with a glass bowl fitted over-top. Turn on medium heat and let the oil melt down. The coconut oil melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit so it won't take long, in fact, you could melt it halfway and let the residual heat do the rest.

2.) Once your oil is melted, add your baking soda and arrowroot powder

3.) Stir the mixture until it's smooth with no lumps or bumps and remove the bowl from the heat. *IMPORTANT* You need to allow the mixture to cool before adding your oils. Putting essential oils in something that it too hot will destroy all the good stuff in the essential oils! So don't be impatient, or if you are impatient, put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

4.) Once your oils have cooled either on a counter or in the fridge,it's time to add your favorite fragrances. I added 7 drops of lemon oil, 4 drops of bergamot oil, and 3 drops of ginger oil.It ended up smelling like a lemon ginger cookie and it's freaking amazing! Use your favorite scent combo, or just use one!

5.) Transfer your mixture to a clean container, allow mixture to further cool and solidify, and you're finished! Your very own, homemade deodorant that cost you almost nothing that should last you as long, if not longer, than your traditional stick. To apply, just scoop about a half a teaspoons worth of the mixture and rub into your underarms until the oil gently melts into the skin.

I hope you try this cool and stupid-easy recipe that will free you from the shackles of commercial deodorant. Get a little more natural and play around with your favorite scents! One of my favorite places to get essentials oils is From Nature With Love, they've got a ton and also carry arrowroot powder and cute jars for packaging! Have a good weekend everyone!

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The Things They Carried: What's In My Bag!

Who cares, right? You would think so, but people friggin' love these types of things. I know I watch YouTube videos of people showing me what's in their purse. It's a weird, voyeuristic view into the mundane things we chose to carry with us at all times that are eerily similar, but oh-so different! I had a sexy beach photo shoot with the contents of my bag today which was only destroyed three times by the wind. Here's the end result!

The Bag

Vegan Slouchy Tote- Free People

The Contents (L-R)

 iPhone with case from Society6

A Book (currently The Code by Shaun Thompson)

Cameron Hawaii Aloha mini clutch

People Towel reusable napkin

Fossil wallet

Rio change purse I got from Macy's last year

Yu-Be skin cream

Clinique Chubby stick

Shea Butter stick

Sun Bum Pink Guava spf30 lip balm

Burts Bees Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm

Bigelow "I Love Lemon" tea bags

Keys

Samudra + Brooklyn Hawaii "Pupukea" clutch

If you couldn't tell, my bag seems to be made up on lots of little bags inside of one bag in a vain attempt at organization. I love my bag, though. It holds everything and would be great for school/work. It's big enough to hold a laptop or a change of clothes and it even reverses to a beautiful royal blue color once summer rolls around! I like using the Samudra clutch when I don't feel like carrying a big bag and want something a little more festive!

Well, those are the secrets of my purse. I hope that interesting in any way. If not, I have certainly wasted my time and yours. Anywho, it's nice out so I'm out of here! Adios!

Absolute Last Minute Gifts: Edibles and DIY!!

If you are still sitting on your ass, stressing about all the shopping you didn't get to do, there are still some things that can be done that will produce gifts that won't look rushed or impersonal. You may even be able to use things around the house, or be able to pick these items up at your local grocery, drug store, or Dollar Store. You really can make a DIY gift that won't disappoint like all those macaroni necklaces your mom threw away decades ago. Here are some Pinterest ideas that people will actually want!

1. Paint-Dipped Bamboo Utensils

This is a pretty cool present for the chef in your family, for new homeowners, college kids, or someone who needs to learn how to feed themselves. Bamboo utensils like the ones above can be bought at your local grocery or dollar store. Just tape off where you want the paint line to end and either use some old house paint or use left over spray paint. Customize to match the utensils to the recipients kitchen. Super cute and easy!

2. Homemade Art Work

Pinterest

Pinterest

It doesn't get much easier than getting a cheap canvas at a local art store, taping off some shapes and painting the whole canvas. Once you lift up the masking tape, you'll be left with some cool, modern-looking, geometric art that can be color-customized to fit your friend of family members home decor. The bottom piece is a canvas that was painted one color, then half was painted over with another and just dry-brushed over the mid-line to create a cool softer edge. I think both projects look really cool and I even have my own tape-off art up in various places in my house. All it needs in the end is a signature!

3. Holiday Food Treats

Photo: Closet Cooking

Photo: Food52

Food is always a crowd pleaser. No matter how much someone tells you they don't want sweets around the holidays, they're just one shitty January workday away from wanting to eat their feelings with reckless abandon! Stick to the basics to make sure it'll go down well. My FVAORITE COOKIES EVER are Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies and my favorite non-cookie holiday item is peppermint bark. Both are stupid easy to make and will either make a good gift for a foodie friend or acts as a good last-minute filer gift when you feel like you haven't gotten enough for a certain someone. Put it in a cool reusable tin and you've given a gift that keeps on giving!

4. Homemade Bath Products

Photo: Hey Gorgeous

Photo: idlewife

Bath products don't need to be fancy brand in order to be a good gift. Most people will be blown away and think you're some sort of evil genius if you can handcraft them some sort or bath product. The easiest ones to make a body scrubs and bath fizzies. Body Scrubs only need a few ingredients: Sugar/salt, essential oil of your choice, heavier carrier oil, and a jar. THAT'S IT. Bath fizzies really only need Epsom salts, cornstrarch, baking soda, essential oil and a mold. Click HERE for a good bath fizzy recipe that made the cute little disks above and here are a few of my own body scrub recipes to impress your friends!

Margarita Salt Scrub:

1 1/2 Cup Fine Sea Salt 

1 1/2 tsp. Lime essential oil

3-4 Tablespoons Grapeseed oil*

Warm Lemon Sugar Scrub

1 1/2 Cup Fine Brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp Lemon essential oil

2 Tsp Lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

3-4 Tablespoons grapeseed oil*

I use grapeseed oil because it is light, unscented, and can be found at the grocery store. Sweet almond oil is also a good choice, but steer clear from heavier and scented oils like Olive or vegetable/canola. Avocado would be acceptable too.

 * If you want a sudsy scrub and not an oily one, replace the grapeseed oil with unscented castile soap (Like Dr. Bronner's)

Adjust the grapeseed oil/castile soap to get the desired consistency!

5. Friendship Bracelets

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Photo: Henry Happened

You know you cranked out thousands of bracelets at summer camp, so why not jump back on the bandwagon in your time of deep desperation. Friendship/diy-esque bracelets are all the rage now, so capitalize on your craftiness and make your friends some cool jewelry if you're stuck with little resources. Visit your local craft store or repurpose an old fake pearl necklace you haven't worn since your sorority formal and make some cool stackable bracelets. Hemp and black/freshwater pearl bracelets look cool an beachy; you can even use thick cords and hex nuts braided together to make a cool metal- accented piece. The possibilities are endless!

Well I hope this helps some of you super late shoppers that don't feel like killing themeselves at the mall all day tomorrow, or just worrying about the sincerity of your gifts. Homemade stuff may sound lame, but you put your time, creativity, and hard-earned cash into to hand-make a special gift for a special person. Enjoy and get crafty!

Saving Face: Osea Skin Care

If it isn't obvious that I worship anything that comes from the ocean by now, you're blind, illiterate, or just incredibly unobservant. I am always trying to find things that blend the ocean with my everyday life, even if it's the stuff I put on my face. I have always loved seaweed infused skin care products, but as of late, the ones I had been trying just weren't doing it for me. I was worried that, like the Bonnie Raitt song, I can't make you love me, seaweed, if you don't. That was until I found out about a little company called Osea. 

Based and made in Malibu, California, all of their products revolve around highly nourishing organic seaweed that we already know, has a veritable buttload of minerals and moisturizing benefits. I needed a new moisturizer and was reluctant to change from my favorite Juara moisturizer, but the $49 price tag was a little steep at the time. After some researching, I found the Osea Atmosphere Protection Cream which is moisturizing, but lightweight enough to keep me from feeling oily and gross. It was also cheaper than my current moisturizer which is always a bonus!

When I placed my order, I was given the choice of different kinds of free samples with my order. I was fully expecting to get one dinky foil packet with barely enough to cover my forehead, but I was surprised with three decent sized face-mask samples!

I have so far only tried the red algae mask that is supposed to help dehydrated yet acne prone skin and it definitely felt really nice. The white algae mask is geared towards those with dry skin and rosacea, which is something I'm going to save until it gets really cold and my skin really needs it. The black algae mask is supposed to be a great exfoliator and good for repairing sun damage. It's never too late in the season for sun damage control, so I will be trying this one day when I need to just relax, nap, and wake up to a beautiful face! 

So far, the Atmosphere Protection Cream has been super awesome. I haven't had any weird breakouts, the herbal smell is really nice to put on, and I'm not oily throughout the day. My skin get incredibly dry during the winter, so I'm interested to see how well it does once it gets colder. I think it will do a good job, seaweed is a great moisture keeper and holds onto everything that it can. If you want an all-natural, vegan, and earth friendly company to get some goodies from, check out Osea and feel closer to the ocean!!

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Autumn Wants: More Summer!!

Autumn Wants: More Summer!! by elbonner featuring a brown purse

Sometimes you just want to be straight forward with what you want. For me, this is one of those days. I spent a lovely weekend outside, in swimming pools, running beachy trails, and soaking up the last precious days of summer and all I can say is I'm not ready for it to end! The ocean is my ultimate love and the winter time makes it cold, gray, and hard to deal with. I'll still make a few trips to just sit and eat a sandwich between running errands, but all I want to do is jump in. Even with a wetsuit on, these nips could chisel diamonds on a winter beach trip. To replace one vice with another, I've made a little collage of stuff I want that seems as though designed by the big man himself to keep summer going on a little longer.

Raen Optics "Lenox" Sunglasses: Yes, I already have Wayfarers, but these are just so cool! They are a lot chunkier than traditional Wayfarers which is what I'm feeling at the moment. A vintage shape, with some modern heft!

Penny Skateboards Pastel Collection: Yes, I'm fully into adulthood and yes, I still want to cruise down the street like a Venice beach rat! I mean, just look at that thing! Too cute to pass up. If I wasn't such a chicken, I'd buy that bad boy and skate everywhere my almost 30 year-old heart desired!

Baggu Surf Sling: I NEED this thing. My arm is just long enough for my tiny, fat fingers to grip the edge of my fat longboard for dear life whilst simultaneously walking it to my car and giving my carpal tunnel. This sling would make it waaaaaay easier for me to get from point A to point Beach.

Rip Curl Beach Glass Sweater: If I'm going to have to wear sweaters, at least let is look like this! Viva la ombre!!

Free People Dreamweaver Crossbody: For when I get into my overly tribal-printed, super fringy stage of fall, this bag would really complete the look!

VOYA Lazy Days: It's Irish seaweed, cut right off the coast of Sligo, freeze dried within a few hours, and packaged into the coolest bath treatment known to man. This literal netted bag of seaweed is meant to rehydrate in a tub of hot water which you then submerge yourself in for a silky smooth, mineral-rich bath of awesomeness. It can be used at least three times as long as you let it dry out between uses. If you crave the sea, but can't stand the cold water, opt for a little seaweed fun in you own tub!

Toms Tiger Print Classics: After watching Katy Perry's Roar video, I saw these shoes and immediately wanted them. Animal prints work so well with almost any outfit or print and I love tiger stripes because they are pretty rare (move over, leopard!). 

Surf 80's by Jeff Divine: Sometimes, it's just nice to sit and look at pretty pictures, especially if you're having a hardcore, neon-encrusted beach craving. I love looking at picture books like this whilst curled up on the sofa with my softest blankey during a rainy day so I can escape the 57 degree hell I know is just outside my window.

I hope you liked the list of crap I want at the moment. Maybe it's similar to some crap that you want at the moment, let us revel in the crap that we want! Happy week-beginning!!

Fall Goals!

Fall Goals by elbonner featuring rms beauty

Even though it absolutely destroys my soul that summer is almost over, I am still finding ways to cope with another loss of my favorite season. All the college kids are back and they're ALL at the gym and they're ALL hogging the squat racks (had to get that out of the way) and since I'm going to have to work out before work, I'm going to need to find ways to fill my evenings. I have come up with a small, but reasonable list of goals I want to accomplish/work towards this fall so I don't get SAD and kill myself:

1. Surf More! Cooler weather is no reason to stay out of the water! I have my wetsuit (even though it's 10 years old) and I've washed the spider babies out of it from lack of summer wear and it's ready to go! If I'm really lucky, someone will take pitty on me and bestow upon me a Matuse (pretty please!) or a Nineplus wetsuit to make my fall/winter surfing bearable!

2. Work It Out: Well, I'm trying to, but the bros at the gym are all up in my shit! Oh well, this just means I need to get more creative with my workouts and try some new things. Getting in the pool will help with my surfing for sure and give me some water time when it's a little cold for the beach. Some cute new workout stuff might motivate me to have a bikini body all year-round and help shave off some of the "ThanksChristmas" pounds I always put on!

 

 3. Get Organized!: I have so much shit strewn all over the house it blows my mind. I really do try and go through this stuff as much as I can, but I am a very sentimental person when it comes to my stuff. I get attached to everything. I have decided that if I want to keep things, they need to have a place that is out of sight, or cleverly hidden. Being organized just makes everything flow easier and who doesn't like being able to find things on the regular! So baskets will be purchased and space bags will be used. I'm finally going to get organized!

Photo: Apartment Therapy

4. Get A Hobby!: Nothing makes the hellish winter more standable than an all-engrossing indoor activity that you actually like. I am DYING to learn how to sew and since I'll have cold, rainy, Saturdays with my mom I can get her to show me the ropes! I really want to try my hand at designing my own bathing suits once I get started. I also want to be more crafty when it comes to decorating my apartment. I don't need someone elses art when I can make my own! I've scoured Pinterest and have found so many cool things to do; even paint-dipped sticks seem like a cool idea! I'm willing to try anything to kill the boredom! I've also been formulating and contemplating making my own skincare products with the end result of maybe selling them on Etsy. Once I get my formulas perfect and some more raw materials, I plan on expanding to make all sorts of fun, beachy stuff to sell to the masses! There's so much I want to do and Fall seems like a good time to start!

If you're mega-bummed about the impending death of the years greatest season, don't wallow in your own sadness, get to work on something fun! If you want to be hot by next summer, get to stepping now. Want to perfect your after-sun cream before next years first sun burn? Start experimenting! Want to enter a race in the spring? Run dammit! Happy back to school/relentless cycle of work, everyone!