Thanks for the blog mention and for the sweet Tweet, Oilcloth.com!

We were among the throngs shopping last-minute at Target for packaged valentines to give to her pre-school classmates.   And there, among the tattoo-, magnet- and candy-adorned miniature cards,  I found these eco-friendly, plantable  “Paper Blooms” valentines by Paper Magic.

Each little valentine has a slot where you stick a small, pot-shaped piece of red handmade, plant-able paper. The paper contains tiny annual and perennial seeds that bloom when planted – how sweet is that? 

The recipient can plant the paper and in a week or two, sprouts will appear!  My daughter and I had a lot of fun assembling the valentines (easy to do), and the concept was thrilling both to me and to her!

Planting directions are included on the back of each card, along with a place to put your “to” and “from” and a sentiment from your child.  All the sweetheart needs is a small pot and a little soil and your valentine can be transformed into a live plant (as opposed to a short-lived gift eventually destined for the trash).  Plus, both your child and the giftee will have been given the opportunity to appreciate the joy of giving, receiving and growing a living thing.

And, Paper Magic goes one step further with these Paper Blooms cards (quoted from their labeling) - the “cards are printed on recycyled paper with vegetable-based ink.  Their paper is purchased from Cascades, who saves 47 million trees each year and runs their factory on biogas energy.”  The company also “prints their boxes on recycled stock and has been for 20 plus years!”

Eco-friendly and oh-so-sweet!  Time to go plant our valentine…

Turns out, Jute is kind of a pain in the rear to cut, work with and sew. It’s a natural fiber, which is great for a variety of reasons, but it sure does shred a lot when you cut it. There are little “Jutelings” all over my house and the shredded tiny bits fly around and get stuck in my clothes while I sew. Itchy. But, I thought it looked kind of artsy all cut up in my trash bin.

Since all of the Chalkydoodles products are already re-usable, and therefore, a great choice for those interested in conserving natural resources, it seems like a natural fit to offer an organic material as one of our fabric options.

Here’s the result – which I really love. Look for them in the Chalkydoodles shop!

Here are a few facts about Jute from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jute

Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, family Tiliaceae.

Jute is one of the cheapest natural fibres and is second only to cotton in amount produced and variety of uses.

But, the more I think about it, my products are promoting at a very basic level the idea of REUSE. You know, buy something, use it again and again rather than buying something you can only use one time or for only one function. With this economy, who isn’t into making the most of your investments?

Since I started selling my items on Etsy, I’ve really been prompted to think about my “shopping habits” – about what I’m buying (why I’m buying it) and who I’m buying it from. We all know that our “stuff” can quickly become overwhelming, so of course we choose our purchases carefully.

In fact, I read somewhere recently that every time you purchase an item, you are taking on a new responsibility. If that’s the case, I definitely need to, as my five-year-old would say, “Have a Think” before purchasing anything, because the LAST thing I need these days is one more responsibility. I think you may know where I’m coming from, right Moms?

So, yes, I realize that something as small as my little concept only helps out a bit. You might buy a chalk mat to entertain your child rather than purchasing multiple copies of coloring books. Or, you might use a wipeable oilcloth tablecloth or splat mat for your party rather than using a throw-away one. Baby steps, at best.

But, who would have thought that something as simple as CHALK could make you sit and “Have a Think” for a minute about when you purchase items, where you choose to buy them, how you use them and IF you can can REUSE them? Now, we’re getting somewhere.

You keep thinking. I’m going to get my chalk…