Category Archives: Find of the Day
Friday Freebies – Free Kindle Books
Thought I’d start the (almost) weekend off with a bang and announce two of our books that are FREE today on Amazon as part of the Select program. Earlier in the week, I let Memories For Sale, SKIN, and Reflections of Motherhood go free for a day and the response was great!
That prompted me to go ahead and pull the ebook Still Life Paintings from Smashwords and B&N so that I could put the story collection into the program as well. So, today and tomorrow (Jan. 13th and 14th) only, Still Life Paintings is free for download on Amazon. It’s my hope that offering the book for free will encourage more reviews. The book has gotten great reviews, but what it needs now is more volume. Crossing Fingers!
Also, since I screwed up the previous freebie for Reflections on Motherhood (supposed to be free for two days, but the special only ran for one day) I’ve decided to go ahead and run another One-day-only freebie today (Jan 13th) for Reflections as well.
As usual, I’m blogging about the freebies, and I plan on posting on FB and Twitter, but I could always use the help spreading the word!
I Should Be Writing (a new form of procrastination!)
So I’ve developed another method to avoiding all that I should be doing. It’s addictive. It’s amazing. It let’s you snag all your favorite things from around the net and organize them into cute little pin boards for your viewing pleasure. It lets you gather idea for the upcoming holidays, remodeling jobs, organization, fashion, or whatever else interests you.
What am I talking about? Why, Pinterest of course! You can see my profile here 
If I could figure out how to grab a screen shot of it, I’d post one here just to show you how Fab it is.
My little Mock-Up will have to do:
But I’m burning daylight here and I’ve got 1,235, 998 projects calling my name. Ciao’
Scarf Season
The time to swathe our heads and necks to protect from the biting cold is definatley upon us. And my current stock of scarves is lacking in warmth and quirkiness….so I began the ritual browsing. And low and behold, I found several scarfaliscious scarves over at Orginal Good.
I couldn’t make up my mind, so of course I got all three. Now I’ll be as snug as a… well, you know… a Fashionably Quirky Gurl!
All of these are fair-trade. All of these are hand-made. The back one is even alpaca! I feel better knowing I’ve got more scarves on the way to balance out my wardrobe. And who knows, if the temperature keeps dropping, I might need to wear them all at once! (If you want them for yourself, just click the pic to get to Original Good’s site)
Compostable Cups, For the Busy Green Mom
Anybody that either:
A) Has children who seem to make the number of dishes in your sink quadruple
B) Hates doing dishes
C) Currently buys plastic cups for whatever reason
..Needs to read the blog I just posted on One Quirky Gurl. I found these great fully biodegrable and Compostable (my garden will love these!) cups. Less dishes to wash, without the guilt of clogging the landfills. Same cost as grocery store plastic cups. Its a win-win, really. I only wish I had thought if it
Greener Reading
I just put up a post over at my other blog One Quirky Gurl regarding my newest way to read, which is great for the environment, saves me tons of cash and gives me time to read instead of wasting my time driving to the bookstore or digging through the library for something, anything that I haven’t read yet. It’s the Kindle, and electronic reading device from Amazon.
Here’s a teaser from my blog:
I’m a self-proclaimed bibliophile. Of course, I don’t have to proclaim it, one just need to see my house– baskets, bookshelves and cardboard boxes full of box nestled in various corners of my humble abode speak volumes on my Literal addiction all on their own. And like any addiction, loving to read does have it’s down falls…Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised in the least when Oprah recently was quoted as saying how much she loved the Kindle device. But I had to smile, because I loved it first
Giving. Its the New Getting.
(eCo)nscious Market is a self-proclaimed “For-Benefit” online commerce site based in Boulder, Colorado. They tout that their products are the finest ecologically and socially responsible products available, and the company donates a minimum of 10% of every purchase to a non-profit organizations. The even go so far as to let the buyer “hand-pick” the program that receives the donation funded by their purchase.
A sampling of organizations that are listed on the eConscious Market include:
-Urban Sprouts: uses school gardens to help youth engage in school, eat better, and connect with the environment and each other.
-The Jane Goodall Institutes works to protect chimpanzees and their habitats, supports community-centered development projects in ecologically-significant areas, and engages youth in making a positive difference.
-The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.
-Global Culture of Women Project, Celebrating the global voice of women ~ a beautiful revolution.
-Bead for Life, eradicates extreme poverty by creating bridges – Ugandan women make jewelry out of recycled paper and Americans open their homes and hearts to buy and sell the beads.
And that’s just a tidbit of the charities benefiting every time someone shops. And the best part of it all? You won’t feel bad for shopping, and the merchandise on this site is amazing.
I fell in love with sooo many things here, that if it weren’t for the money of mine making its way to charity right now, I just might be feeling the lightness in my wallet
Like:
This Large Stingray cuff, made of 100% recycled materials.
Or this Vy & Elle Portfolio crafted from Recycled billboards.
Or their cool line of 100% recycled notebooks. I AM a sucker for office supplies, I know.
So if you have a few minutes and are feeling charitable– buy yourself a gift that gives to others too!
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A Spot of Good Scarf
A Spot of Good Scarf
$29.95 WG301105-005
These cozy scarves really hit the spot! Each piece is crafted in Nepal by artisans of Sana Hastakala, an organization started by UNICEF that helps underprivileged artisans through business and community development projects. Empowering artisans to support their families and learn valuable skills – that’s good you could spot from a world away!
* 8.5 x 81 (in.)
* Wool and Felt
* Hand Wash
* Fair trade and Unique
* Handcrafted in Nepal
For more from World of Good:
Every Litter Bit Helps Journal
Every Litter Bit Helps Journal
$17.95 WG501126-005
These beautiful journals are handmade by a family in the village of Tegallalang, Bali who have mastered the craft of turning nature’s litter into art. The family collects leaves, twigs and dried fruit from their garden to create the covers and make the recycled paper using a kitchen blender.
* 8.25 x 7 x 0.75 (in.)
* Waru and Kapu Kapu Leaves with
* Recycled Paper
* Fair trade and Unique
* Handcrafted in Indonesia
For more from World of Good:
Joyfull Goods Multistrand Necklace
Joy-Full Goods Multistrand Necklace
$24.95 WG101650-005
Adorn yourself in good cheer with these multi-strand beaded treasures! Each piece is handmade by artisans of Tara Projects, a fair trade organization on the outskirts of Delhi, India. Tara Projects creates employment and educational opportunities for local artisans, and is a leader in the movement against child labor. Now that’s something to be joyful about!
* 18.75 (in.)
* 2.25″ Extender
* Glass Beads, Brass Chain, Wire
* and Clasp
* Fair trade and Unique
* Handcrafted in India
For More from World of Good:
Off Topic, But Still Cool and Green
While this technically isn’t handmade, I stumbled upon it and liked the idea. Its the Eco button, and it reminds you to power down your computer to save energy and some greenbacks.
Its a USB plug in device that you just tap (like those funny/ irritating office supply button :that was easy:) when you’re stepping away from your desk to put the computer into power saving mode. See how much you’re saving too! check out the Eco Button
Earn Your Stripes Tote
- 14.5 x 13.75 x 5 (in.)
- Strap Length: 21″, Strap Height: 10″
- 100% AZO-Free Cotton Outer
- Nylon Lining
- Fair trade and Unique
- Handcrafted in Guatemala
Move up the ranks with this great cotton bag. Handmade in Guatemala by artisans working in cooperatives and small workshops, this bag is distributed by CreArte, a group that promotes and sells traditional crafts to help their makers have a better life.
For more from World of Good:
Hip to Be Square Messenger Bag
Now $16.47 Was $24.95 WG207410-050
- 11.75 x 12 x 4.5 (in.)
- Strap adjustable to 56″
- Jute
- Dry Clean Only
- Fair trade and Unique
- Handcrafted in India
Brought to you in partnership with Freeset, these bags enable women in Calcutta’s red-light district to get off the streets and make a sustainable living. Freeset also offers its employees interest-free loans, medical care, childcare and retirement plans. Now it really is hip to be square!
See more from World of Good:
Sinless Sequins Coin Purse
$14.95 WG201013-020
- 5 x 3.5 (in.)
- Sequins and Satin
- Fair trade and Unique
- Handcrafted in India
Building a better future bead by bead, these pouches are hand-embroidered by a group of Muslim women at Tara Projects, a fair trade organization outside Delhi that creates economic opportunities for local artisans and is a leading voice in the movement opposing the use of child labor.
See more at their website:
