Winter Fairy Houses

With unusually warm Winter days over the weekend, the kids were playing with their friends in the back yard. Left to their own devices, they let their imaginations soar and before I knew it, they had created some amazing little Winter Fairy Houses.

They cut down 2 sunflowers that were left in the garden and completely on their own, with no adult interference, spent an hour or 2 making the perfect little homes for the Garden Winter Fairies.

Once they were done, they came inside and asked me if they could sew some clothes for the fairies. I gave them some fabric which they cut up, then I helped them sew little skirts. Then they made little blankets and pillows.

I am truly amazed with what kids will come up with when left on their own in a natural setting. It goes to show that the best toys on Earth are Earth itself!

Winter Fairy Houses

Feature Friday: Reusable Lunch with the Blue Avocado Insulated Tote

It seems we are always living life on the go. We are rushing from one place to another and forget to take time to just relax and have a healthy lunch. Whether you take a lunch to work, school, or a break at the park, it is important to have reusable items to prevent the waste associated with a disposable sack lunch.

We have been huge fans of the SnackTaxi Reusable Sandwich Bags and Reusable Organic Cotton Lunch Bags but we get a lot of questions about how to keep things cool and insulated when on the run. We now have the solution to this problem. Blue Avocado (who makes the cutest reusable shopping bags) now has insulated sandwich bags and insulated totes.

Blue Avocado is a small business started in Austin, TX by some fabulous momprenuers and each bag is not only reusable but is made from 50% recycled material. The bags will keep items hot or cold for hours and are easy to wipe clean. The tote bag is perfect for lunch, picnics, or shopping plus the designs are so cute and stylish.

Yesterday I stopped at a local spot by the lake to eat my lunch between appointments. I had my Blue Avocado lunch tote, insulated sandwich bags, SnackTaxis, To-Go Ware Sidekick, a bamboo utensil set, and my Hip Mountain Mama stainless steel water bottle. It was a nice refreshing break, I created zero waste, and my clean up was very easy.

Be sure to check out some of these awesome products and work towards your own 100% reusable lunch.

Feature Friday: Reusable Lunch with the Blue Avocado Insulated Tote

What is your story?

As an online store we actually have very little direct contact with our customers. 99% of the time our customers place an order and we ship it out with just a quick personal email. But once in a while we have a customer who wants to place an order over the phone or they contact us with questions about a product.

The other day I took a call from an older lady who wanted to place an order over the phone. Our conversation was only a few minutes but she told me that she was placing an order for our insulated sandwich bags because her husband was in a nursing home and she goes there every day to spend time with him. She needed a way to keep her lunch and snack cool all day while she was visiting her husband.

We tend to think our customers are all a certain type of person. People have called us a 'Hippie' store or think we serve a small niche of tree huggers. In reality we are shipping products to all 50 states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Our customers are mothers, grandmothers, single women, college aged women, and even men.

The thing we all have in common is a desire to use the best beautiful, natural, handmade, fair trade, and reusable products while supporting small business. Hip Mountain Mama really is all about a natural attitude for any altitude.

So what is your story?
We'd love to hear from more of our customers. If you'd like to share your story about being a Hip Mountain Mama send an email to andy@hipmountainmama.com. We are also putting together a video about what a Hip Mountain Mama is. We'd love to have you send us a 5 second video of you saying "I'm a Hip Mountain Mama" or "I'm a Hip Mountain Mama because...". We would like videos to feature you in a city, on the beach, at a park, in an office, in the mountains, or wherever but be creative. If you have any questions contact me at andy@hipmountainmama.com.

We are looking forward to hearing your story.

~Andy

What is your story?

A moment to breathe

This blog has been a little neglected lately. We've been running 100 miles per hour with the business, raising two active little ones, and trying to find time in the day for ourselves. There is so much going on in everyday life. Sometimes it is important to stop and be grateful for everything we have.

I hope you are finding the time in your life to stop, breathe, and be grateful.

A moment to breathe

Feature Friday: Applique Coin Purses

For this weeks feature, I wanted to feature something fun, inexpensive, eco friendly and useful! These applique coin purses meet and exceed all of these requirements! The appliques are so cute and fun and personalize your coin purse making it a one of a kind item. At only $6.99 these make a great inexpensive unique gift to a friend or yourself. What makes them eco friendly, you ask? They are handmade with material from old clothing that was headed for the landfill! And lastly, these really are useful! Use them for your IPod, cell phone, cash, business cards, ID and credit card, band aids and other first aid items, eye drops, chapstick...and the list goes on!

Another cool feature with this coin purse is the little secret pocket inside. There is velcro along one side that when opened gives you a nice size little pocket. Have something you want to hide? Well, stick it in there!

These little coin purses really will make you smile while giving you something useful. They are handmade, fair trade, eco friendly, and just so darn cute!

As our Feature Friday special, we are offering our Applique Multi Use Pouches at a discounted price for 1 week only.

Enjoy!

Feature Friday: Applique Coin Purses

Kids Loving Nature

One of my favorite parts about this blog is using it to write about our outdoor family adventures. It is so fun to document these fun times and look back on what we have done. My husband, Andy, also enjoys writing about nature, outdoor adventures, and getting your kids to enjoy the great outdoors. Over the past couple of years we have received several emails from folks asking for tips on taking kids camping, hiking, snowshoeing, etc.

We don't feel like we are experts on the matter, but we do have a lot of experience in taking our kids along with us on outdoor excursions. There have been major melt downs and disasters along the way, but we have worked hard to fine tune things and have a lot of information to offer others.

For these reasons, Andy has decided to start his own blog that is totally dedicated to Kids Loving Nature (the name of his blog). He will be writing articles offering ideas, tips, and inspiration on teaching your children to discover, learn, and love nature. I am already really enjoying his articles and I think you will also. You can find his blog at Kids Loving Nature, his facebook page here, and twitter account here

Enjoy!

Kids Loving Nature

Do What Makes You Happy!

With the start of each new year there is shortly another birthday that I celebrate. It is usually never a big deal, but this year (in my mind) is sort of a big one. Yes, it is only a number...but the older I get the more I realize I need to live the life I love and only do things that make me happy. Spending time with friends and family that make me happy, doing a job that makes me happy, engaging in activities that make me happy, etc, etc. I used to think this attitude was selfish...but I have come to realize that I can be no good to anyone in my life unless I am happy myself.

So...one of the things on my '35 Things I Want to Learn or Do' list is to take up the guitar. I played around with it in my early 20's, but I haven't picked up a guitar in at least 10 years. My oldest daughter came to me a few weeks ago telling me she wanted to learn an instrument. After some talk she settled on the guitar. I was thrilled with this decision as I knew in my heart that this would be something we could learn together.

This weekend we headed to our local music store and picked out a couple of guitars. (Mine is a birthday present and my daughter did chores to earn the money to pay for hers). We sat down immediately and both learned a few chords...together. We were both just gitty to be learning something new and to be doing it together!



Whether my daughter stays interested in the guitar for 20 years or 20 days, this will be something we have done together and will cherish it forever. It is hard to realize when you are in the middle of great moments that they will become moments you will never forget...however, I have a feeling we are in the middle of great moments around here that will be talked about for many years to come!

Do What Makes You Happy!

Feature Friday: Reuse It!

There has been a major shift in our Country over the past several years towards disposable products. Diapers, towels, bags, straws, lunch sacks, feminine products, napkins, plates, silverware, and the list goes on and on! Now, I can, somewhat understand the premise behind all of this, convenience! And, yes, these disposable items have made our lives easier in one way or another...but, at what cost?

The time, money, and resources used to create these disposable items is astounding and is wrecking havoc on our precious Earth. And, now that we have all of these items (and their packaging) piling high in the grocery stores, people are going to buy and use them. So, what's the problem with this? The problem is that we are using them and throwing them away. Our trash cans are filled with disposable items that don't just vanish into thin air...they stay on our Earth until they break down which can take several hundreds of years. Our Earth has no trash can...the Earth is our trash can!

If we look back a few hundreds years, we will see that people were not using such disposable items. People used and reused things. Things that are becoming popular today are not new inventions...they are items that our parents and grandparents used. Cloth diapers, rags for kitchen clean up, cloth napkins, etc. etc. And, why are they becoming so popular with this new generation? Because we realize the negative impact disposables have had on our environment!

It is my mission in 2011, through our One Small Change Project, to eliminate as many disposable items in my household as possible. And not only eliminate them myself, but to bring these items to you by carrying them in our shop, Hip Mountain Mama. We have always been passionate about and carried reusable items in our shop, however, I recently added a new section called Reusable to make it easier for you to find them.

For January my family has switched from disposable straws to reusable glass straws. You can find these, as well as Market Supplies, Reusable Lunch items, and so much more in our newly created Reusable Section. We plan to spend the year searching for the best reusable products to bring to you! If you have any ideas for us, we would love your input...simply email me with your thoughts at suzy@hipmountainmama.com.

For 1 week only we are offering 10% off our entire Reusable Section. We want you to start seeing and feeling the effects of reusing! Use the code "reuse" at check out to receive your discount!

Feature Friday: Reuse It!

Dying Play Silks With Kool-Aid

As promised in an earlier post this week, Eco Friendly Play Silk Party, I am hear today to give you a tutorial on dying play silks using Kool-Aid. It is really easy and so much fun! You will need to do this with your children.

Supplies:

Undyed Play Silks (you can purchase them from Dharma Trading Co.)

2-4 packets of kool-aid per play silk

Large pot

Mason jars (or whatever kind of glass jars you have around the house)

Spoon

Vinegar

Water

How to:

1. Soak the play silks in warm water with a splash of vinegar for 10 minutes

2. Fill up each mason jar halfway with hot water, a splash of vinegar, and 2-4 packets of the kool-aid (the more packets you use the darker the color will turn out) and stir or shake with mason jar lid on.

3. Put a few inches of water in the large pot and place on stove bringing the water to a simmer.

4. Place 1 play silk in each jar and squish it around with a spoon or stick

5. Place the mason jars in the simmering water and keep on there until the dye is absorbed into the silk. Keep squishing around for even dying, or just leave alone to achieve a tie dye effect. It usually takes 10-15 minutes for the dye to absorb...you will know it is all absorbed when the water turns clear or milky white.

6. Remove from heat and rinse the silks with cold water and hang to dry.

Enjoy!

Dying Play Silks With Kool-Aid

Eco Friendly Play Silk Party

My youngest daughter turned four this weekend and although it is always bittersweet when one of my girls turns another year older, it is also a wonderful time to celebrate her life and just have a good time. Lately I have been getting tired of big house parties where I let the girls invite anyone and everyone...maybe it's my age or maybe it's that at my last house party my youngest broke her arm and left me very stressed, but either way, I am done with the madness. This year I told Sienna she could invite 3 friends over for pizza and cake...she informed me that she also wanted her 3 friends' older siblings to come so her older sister could have friends to play with. So, in true fashion, we didn't just invite Sienna's friends, but we invited our 3 favorite families over to celebrate. We wanted to have an eco friendly celebration with limited waste and came up with the idea for a play silk party. Here is how our eco friendly play silk party played out...

Everyone showed up on time which was wonderful! I gathered the 8 children into the kitchen and asked them if they knew what a play silk was. Some of them did and some of them didn't. So I went on to explain that a play silk is a piece of silk material that can be used for dressing up, building forts, throwing around, dancing with, or many other things. Then I showed them a white un dyed play silk and told the kids we would be dying the silks. The kids each picked what color they wanted and we turned these plain white silks into beautiful and colorful play silks (check back later in the week for a tutorial on how to dye play silks using kool aid).

Then the kids went on their way to the play room to play. I put out a basket of play silks in the middle of the floor in the hopes that they would find them and start to experience the wonder of these simple little items. My hopes were fulfilled when I peeked in after a few minutes and they were fully engaged in play silk play. They used them in so many fun ways including covering one person up from head to toe then having the adults guess who was under the silks, putting some music on and throwing them around, and my favorite, putting them on their heads and walking around hunched over with sticks pretending to be old men and women.

At the end of the night each child got to take home their silk as well as a music CD that I had made. The night was a hit and the smaller group of people made for a much lower stress party for me. After the last guest left, I walked around the house smiling to myself as I noticed all the play silks scattered throughout the house.

I mentioned earlier I wanted this to be an eco friendly party and I was so happy with how little waste was produced from this party. Below is a list of things we did, and you can too, to have your own eco friendly party

1. Forgo the decorations. I was tempted to buy balloons, but didn't and no one missed them.

2. Make your own cake. As you can see my cake wasn't fancy and that was fine with everyone. I did use a gluten free cake mix which came in minimal packaging

3. If you are going to give out party favors, give out something that will last and can be used and forget about the small plastic toys. Check out my blog post here for more ideas on eco friendly goodie bags.

4. All the presents at this party were wrapped in reusable items including a pillow case, a piece of fabric, and a reusable bag. If you are close with the party guests you could mention to them you are having a low waste party and to please wrap using something reusable.

5. Forget about the paper plates and plastic silverware. Having a smaller party really allowed me to just use my every day plates and silverware...no need for plastic or paper anything.

6. No juice boxes needed. The kids were served water and there were no complaints

7. Email invitations. Again with the small party I was able to just call or email the guests and invite them.

If you have other ideas, please feel free to add them in the comments!

Eco Friendly Play Silk Party

Feature Friday: Fair Trade Coats

This is our first Winter season to carry coats in our shop and we have just fallen in love with our small, but cute selection. We are very much in the heart of winter here in Colorado and I have enjoyed wearing our Fleece Shawl around the house and our Long Fleece Coat on Winter walks.

All of our coats are fair trade and very high quality. By supporting fair trade we are helping families in other countries to improve on their quality of life.

For 1 week only we have marked down our entire selection of coats. There is no need for a coupon code, just head on over to our shop and take advantage of the deals!

Feature Friday: Fair Trade Coats

Sisterhood Review: Aromatherapy Candle

Ahhhh...do you feel energized and spontaneous? If not, try one of these candles ;)

I chose this Spontaneity-themed aromatherapy candle for my latest Hip Mountain Mama review because sometimes I suffer from the want-to-stay-in-my-fuzzy-slippers syndrome. I am a homebody at heart, so some healthy motivators are always welcome.

Grapefruit and petitgrain scented, and made with essential oils, this candle has a really crisp fresh smell that did indeed creative a dynamic mood in the room. It burns well and comes in minimal packaging, which I appreciate.

That's my kitchen window, glowing with spontaneity! I lit this candle while I prepared for a spur of the moment roadtrip over Christmas, and I quite enjoyed the citrusy, bright smell.





I'd also like to try the others scents: Serenity and Insight!

~Leslie

**Leslie is a part of our Hip Mountain Sisterhood review team. She blogs at Pixiepine about vegan eats, books, green living, hula hooping, bicycle stuff, thrifting, and family adventures.

FYI...we are discontinuing these candles and they are on sale right now if you would like to grab one or two!

http://www.hipmountainmama.com/vecoarca.html or http://www.hipmountainmama.com/arnavecoarca.html

Sisterhood Review: Aromatherapy Candle

What I Got For Christmas

Andy and I don't get too crazy on giving each other gifts for Christmas. Although we do enjoy gift giving and receiving, it is more about spending time with family and having fun with the kids. This year I got Andy a Gorillapod , a book, and a How I Met Your Mother DVD (his favorite show). Andy decided to take a trip to our Hip Mountain Mama warehouse to purchase my gifts...and why not, he knows I like everything in there, so he really couldn't go wrong!



First I opened this lovely Meditation Pillow. Meditation has become a large part of our lives lately so this was a very welcomed and treasured gift.

Next I opened this awesome long fleece coat that I had been coveting for a while. I have never owned a long coat and I don't think I will ever settle for anything shorter! It keeps me so cozy warm, it is super soft, and I love the cute elf hood!


Lastly I opened a lotus tank top. This top is really beautiful and Andy just knew it would quickly become one of my favorites. I have been wearing it this winter a lot so far over a long sleeve white shirt and jeans. This is definitely my new favorite top!


All of these items are hand made, fair trade, and quality made. It feels so good to support these things that we so deeply believe in. Cute clothes + fair trade = win win all around!

Did you get some fun goodies for Christmas or other holidays you celebrate this time of year?

What I Got For Christmas

Inside Out: A Creative Journey to Self Discovery

If you have been on this blogging journey with me for a while, you have undoubtedly heard me mention a certain E Course on more than 1 occasion. My reasons for telling you about this E Course is not because the creator of the course is an amazing, inspiring, talented, sincere, and kind lady (although she is all of this and more), it is because this course has changed my life in many ways. The first time I took Inside Out (1 year ago), it was my first time doing any kind of on line course or any kind of course at all since College. I didn't know what to expect, but jumped in anyway with an open mind. I will be honest with you, though, I was a bit nervous about the creative aspect of the course...I imagined I would be taking this course with really great artists and I just wouldn't measure up...but this wasn't the case at all. It is a creative journey, and we are all creative in our own ways to our own degrees and wherever you are is just perfect for this course. Whether you like to paint, draw, sew, knit, play the guitar, or none of these...this class is perfect for you...it's perfect for everyone!

The course involves a lot of self discovery through journalling, guided meditations and so much more. In this course you will:

*discover more about your true self
*set powerful intentions for your life
*define the work you love
*learn relaxation techniques
*gain clarity and feel more creative
*play with paint, doodle, and collage
*embrace the artist in you
(we all have one!)
*turn a blank journal into your vibrant life guidebook

So, have I convinced you yet? It is a 4 week course that can be taken at your own pace! Take a week off, do it all on the weekend, or follow along each day if you like. There is a facebook group created for each class, so if you wish you can get to know the other participants and chat!

This is all I can tell you for now, but I really hope that some of you will join me! This will be my third time to take the course and each time it has gotten me closer to living the life that truly makes me happy!

Shannon is offering a special deal for all of you! If you register between now and Wednesday at midnight central, you will receive $10.00 off the registration fee! Just follow this special link to receive your discount
http://web.me.com/livefreely/freespiritknits/hip_mtn_mama_special.html

I hope to see you there on Jan 17th!

Inside Out: A Creative Journey to Self Discovery