Artist of the Month: Michelle Sasscer, Babus Toys

The following post is by Michelle Sasscer, owner of Babus Toys, Herban Lifestyle’s April 2014 Artist of the Month.

Women have traditionally learned their crafts from their mothers and other family elders, and Michelle Sasscer is no exception – her mother taught her how to knit, albeit over the phone, 3,000 miles away, while Michelle was laid up with a broken leg in a 3rd floor flat in San Francisco.  It was very slow going at first, and she timidly moved from basic stitch swatches to washcloths to eventually scarves.  After a multi-year hiatus, she returned to the craft in earnest in 2011, relishing the opportunity to nestle into an easy chair with gorgeous yarns and new patterns.

But it wasn’t until 2006 that she learned about felting, and when she finally started to experiment with the technique, she was immediately, completely hooked.  Something about the smooth, fuzzy, warm wool texture and apparent magic of all of those stitches melding into one thick solid material, was irresistible.  And not coincidentally, this all came about while she was making toys and decorations for her newborn son, Nicholas (who was nicknamed “The Babus”, in utero, just like his daddy had been).  The moment she saw Nicky’s reaction to his first set of felted wool teething rings, Babus Toys was born, at least in her mind.  Many years later, Michelle has created toys and treasures for babies as well as children of all ages.  Using choice, sustainably produced yarns from Michigan and Peru, as well as an organic line from Australia/US, Michelle makes every piece by her own design and with her own hands, from that original Gnot teething ring to nesting finger puppet sets, to mermaid dolls, even ornaments (once she even made a bride and groom squid couple as a wedding cake topper). Oh, and her mom Ruth is still helping her out, doing yeoman’s work as a supplemental knitter.  Michelle works out of her home in downtown Silver Spring, MD.

Babus Toys can also be found in Michelle’s Etsy store, on Facebook, and at Eastern Market in Washington DC.

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Artist of the Month: Soyini George, YiniBini Baby

The following post is by Soyini George, owner of YiniBini Baby, Herban Lifestyle’s March 2014 Artist of the Month.

When Soyini George was a little girl living in Guyana, South America, her mother used to take her to visit her Great Aunt Jean. Aunt Jean was a vibrant conversationalist, often waving her scissors about as she pinned and gathered the fabric to make the most pretty dresses. It was here that Soyini learned about the love of handmade. Aunt Jean’s husband, Uncle Reggie had an award-winning, colorful garden, that all of the bees seemed to fight over. These special memories serve as an inspiration for Soyini’s line, Yinibini Baby, adorable handmade clothing and accessories for little ones.

The Yinibini Baby collection comprises of dresses, onesies, booties, bibs, burp cloths and more! Pieces are made out of cotton, organic cotton or cotton blended fabrics. Her original illustrations are based off of childhood stories and memories. Soyini went through a rapid growth spurt as a child, and so became much taller than her classmates. This was the inspiration behind the “Too Tall Birdie and Friends” illustration that can be found on onesies and the Organic Reversible Bib.

Soyini’s Yinibini Baby collection of organic cotton onesies, organic bibs and booties will be at the Herban Lifestyle store for the month of March. Stop on by to get cuteness for the baby in your life!

For more information about Yinibini Baby, visit http://www.yinibinibaby.com.

Team EcoEtsy’s Handmade for Earth Day Auction!

The details have been announced for Team EcoEtsy’s Handmade for Earth Day Silent Auction. The auction, which runs from April 19th to May 3rd, will feature t-shirt bags filled with eco-goodies that the talented Team EcoEtsy members have donated. There are six bags up for auction, each filled with over $100 worth of eco-goodies, representing the following themes: Baby, Health and Beauty, Home, Paper Goods, Fashion and Jewelry.

The proceeds from the auction will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund. For a full list of the items being auctioned and auction details, please visit the Team EcoEtsy website.

The auction will begin on Monday, April 19, 2010 and end on Monday, May 2, 2010. Winners will be announced on Monday, May 3, 2010.

A Couple of Baby Bath Product Recipes

As promised, here are a couple of baby bath product recipes that you can make in your own home!

Oatmeal Isn’t Just for Breakfast Bath:

Put 1 cup of oatmeal in a blender or food processor, and pulverize until it is a fine powder. Place in a muslin bag, or a square of cheesecloth tied with a string or rubber band. Place in baby’s bath water. This is makes a nice everyday skin-soothing bath.

Homemade Baby Wipes:

2 drops tea tree essential oil*
2 drops lavender essential oil*
2 cups distilled water
1 vitamin E capsule

Mix the essential oils in the water in a spray bottle. Cut open the vitamin E capsule and squeeze the contents into the oil/water mixture. Mix well. To use, simply spritz onto a soft cloth (like these biodegradable unmoistened wipes), and use as you would a commercial wipe. Please note: because there are no preservatives in this mixture, keep refrigerated and use within one week. The tea tree oil and lavender are natural anti-bacterials, but it will not keep forever.

* Use organic essential oils, whenever possible. You can find pure essential oils at Whole Foods, or online at stores like Mountain Rose Herbs. Make sure to never use fragrance oils, only pure essential oils in any products that you make for your baby. Fragrance oils can contain up to 200 different ingredients. Common side-affects can include headaches, dizziness, rash, violent coughing, vomiting, skin irritation.

Baby With the Bath Water

The following post is by guest blogger, Julia Guarino

It is always good to consider the safety of body care product ingredients, but it is especially as when choosing the right products for your baby. With a baby’s delicate skin, the word “gentle” appeals to many parents, but the process used to make common chemical ingredients more “gentle” in fact produces a byproduct that is a known carcinogen. This byproduct, called 1,4-dioxane, is banned from cosmetics and body products in the European Union, and though not considered cause for concern in small amounts, it is present in an alarming number of baby products meant for daily use; the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found detectible amounts in 32 out of 48 products they tested this year. To avoid 1,4-dioxane, watch for these common ingredients: PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics also tested the baby products for the presence of Formaldehyde, which is released by some common preservatives like Quaternium-15 over time when they are stored in a container. Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen, can be absorbed through the skin, and causes skin reactions in some individuals. This iffy – and frankly pretty creepy – contaminate was found in 23 out of 28 baby products tested for it. Seventeen out of 28 were found to have both Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. If you’d like to learn more, you can take a look at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetic’s report, “No More Toxic Tub.”

 This may leave you feeling somewhat overwhelmed; after all, if these ingredients are present in almost all of the products you normally buy, how can you avoid exposing your baby – and yourself – to these potentially dangerous ingredients? One excellent resource is the Environmental Working Group’s “Parent’s Buying Guide,” which rates the safety level of products based on the European Union’s cosmetics standards and other published safety data. The database contains thousands of entries, and can help parents pick safe and natural products for themselves, too!

Herban Lifestyle offers a line of truly natural baby products, made from organic and natural ingredients. Come back tomorrow for a couple of recipes for baby products that you can make in your own kitchen!

Infant Massage Makes Babies Happy

Ongoing research by Tiffany Field, PhD, of the University of Miami School of Medicine, has shown that massage is effective in reducing stress, depression, anxiety, pain and in boosting the immune system. Field believes that massage accomplishes these various healthful effects by prompting the body to release serotonin and decrease the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol decreases, stress is reduced and immune cells are stimulated. 

Herban Lifestyle Baby™’s new baby oil is perfect for giving your baby a massage. It is made from organic oil, lightly scented with pure organic essential oils. As one of our customers said, “We used the baby oil on [our baby] James. He was a happy little clam after bath time!”

For more information on the benefits of infant massage and local resources for learning infant, visit the Infant Massage USA website.

And this month, Great Soul Wellness Studio in Baltimore is offering free infant massage classes on Saturdays from 10:00am-11:00am. For more information, please visit their blog.

Note: Portions of this article originally appeared in my other blog, Becoming Your StellarSelf.

My New Product Has Been Named!

Herban Lifestyle's New Baby Products

Last Friday, my contest to name my new baby oil came to a close. And I promised to announce a winner today. So, congratulations to Jana Bridgman for her winning entry, “Organic Lullaby”! Jana will be receiving a set of the new Herban Lifestyle Baby™ product line, as well as a large Herban Lifestyle™ Gift Set.

Thank you to all of you who entered. I appreciate your creative input in this process! I have to say that it was difficult to choose! 

And a big thanks also goes out to two Jennifers, authors of the  Mom*entum Resources and Adventures in Momland blogs for spreading the word about my contest!

Please Help Me Name That Product!

Herban Lifestyle Gift Set

Over the last few months, I’ve received many requests for truly natural baby products. So, I’ve been working on some formulas and have almost all of the names figured out. However, I have hit a roadblock when it comes to naming my new baby oil. I am trying to come up with a fun, descriptive name, but just can’t seem to find the right one. So, I am calling on you to help me out.

The baby oil is made from all organic ingredients, and is lightly scented with lavender essential oil. I would like a name that is playful, fun, and, if possible, a play on the title of a song or book.

If you would like to help me with the project, just email me at info [!at] herbanlifestyle.com with your name and product name idea(s). Entries will be accepted until 11:59 EST on Friday, April 3rd. I will announce the winning name on Friday, April 10th (you must be 18 years of age or older to enter). The author of the winning entry will receive a complete set of my new baby products plus a large Herban Lifestyle Gift Set. 

Thank you, in advance, for your help!

eco-friendly fabric arts in blue

 

Etsy Organic Team Treasury

I’ve been an Etsy seller since August 2008. Early on, I learned about the coveted Etsy Treasuries, which are collections of images curated by Etsy sellers. It’s a way to display your favorite items, play with colors and textures, promote your Etsy team, or just express your creativity. And if your treasury is popular enough, it may be chosen for the front page of Etsy.

The thing about Treasuries is, they only become available every once in a while. In hearing about other Etsians’ experiences in creating them, the words “pounce,” “snag” and “grab” are frequently used. Often those who have successfully snagged a treasury talk about spending hours waiting for an opening to come up.

While I loved the idea of creating a collection of items, curating my own mini museum display, as it were, the process sounded like a real drag. So I avoided even attempting it. 

However, this afternoon I knew I would be near my computer, and thought I would give it a try. I read a Storque blog article that gave step-by-step instructions, and I followed it to the word. It worked!

I have chosen, as my theme, “blue is the new green: eco-friendly fabric arts in blue,” featuring a sampling of the gorgeous knit and sewn items created by the Etsy Organic Team, of which I am a member. Here is the link to my first-ever treasury. Enjoy!