Winner of the Air Plant Terrarium

Congrats, Shanna-you won the Air Plant Terrarium Kit! Expect an email soon.

 

Mulled Wine – The Perfect Holiday Drink for Parties

If you are having a party this Holiday and haven’t tried mulled wine, you must try this recipe. It is a definite crowd pleaser and makes your house smell super yummy; last week I heard it called “Christmas in a glass”.  You will need some dry red wine such as Merlot or Burgundy, Whole Foods sells a Merlot for $5.

• 1 cheese cloth
• 3 bottles dry red wine
• 4 cups water
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 2 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 12 whole cloves
• 15 cardamom pods
• 9 peppercorns
• 2 star anise
• 1 cup of brandy (for an extra kick)
• 1 cup cranberries

Bring your water and sugar to a boil ’till it is all dissolved. Turn heat down to low. Put your spices in the cheesecloth and tie to make a little spice bag. Let steep for about 10-15 minutes. Thinly slice lemons and oranges, add them and the cranberries to the mixture. Add wine and brandy. If your wine isn’t spicy enough at this point, continue to steep longer. The longer you leave the spices in the pot, the more flavorful it’ll be.

NOTE: Keep the heat low or all the alcohol will burn out.

Amy Butler Holiday Patterns

Amy Butler is a company that sells beautifully printed fabrics. They have posted some great patterns for handmade projects for this holiday including gift sashes, reversible napkins with rings and a felt stocking. The gift sashes are super cute, the person receiving the gift can even use it as a hair tie during the year. BTW all of these patterns are free, just download off the website.

Air Plant Terrarium Kit Giveaway!

Air Plant Terrarium Kit

Welcome to Ecologique’s first giveaway! I am excited to feature Abbey McKenna Succulent Designs.  One reader will win one of Abbey’s cool Air Plant Terrarium Kits. The kit contains a glass container, air plants, reindeer moss, cord and a few items to decorate with.

Keep it for yourself or give it to a friend as a gift.

To enter, just leave a comment below or on the Facebook post. I will announce the winner on Dec. 13th.

Winner must live in the US

SproutRobot

Enter your zip code and SproutRobot tells you what to plant. The calendar is free, you can sign up for a membership and they will send you seeds in the mail when it is time to start growing them. This is a great Holiday present…affordable too, memberships start at $19.99 a year.

Art and Stuffed Animals from Childrens’ Drawings

Smart, and super creative…these businesses take drawings from a child and translate them into another form of art. The Monster Engine paints a more realistic version and Softiemaker transforms the drawings into stuffed animals.

The Monster Engine

Softiemaker

25% Discount for Plum Baby Clothes

Plum has offered readers of Ecologique a 25% discount on their first order of baby clothes! This company is so fantastic, you will choose clothing from brands like Positively Organic, Baby Soy, Winter Water Factory, Angel Dear and My O Baby which are shipped to your door for as low as $33/month. Clothing is always in “impeccable” condition…they will never have any holes or stains. When your child outgrows them or a month goes by, simply ship the clothes back in the provided return envelope and get your new order.

This is a great gift idea to an eco-minded mother!

To receive the discount, click on this like www.plumgear.com/blogger, discount will be shown at checkout. Offer expires 12/31/1011.

Urban Farm Bike Tour 2011

We went on the Urban Farm Bike Tour yesterday and had a ton of fun. I think we biked about 10 miles and visited Springdale, Boggy Creek, HausBar, Urban Roots, Rain Lily farms and Festival Beach, Blackshear and Hyde Park community gardens.

We ate some fantastic food….Chef Sonya Cote of  East Side Show Room was there serving some of her delicious winter squash soup (wish I had the recipe for that!).  Whole Foods had some amazing pumpkin bars of which I thought about all day, hopefully I can catch the man who made them at the store and get the recipe. The chef from Mansion at Judges Hill prepared a winter slaw – he made a gluten and dairy free sample just for me.

Overall it was great day and totally worth the $30 even though it was raining. Proceeds go to help support Urban Roots. 

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Christmas Tree Mobile

The author/creator of NotMartha.org wanted a tree but needed the floorspace, so she thought of this Christmas tree mobile. I think it is fantastic. She gives a detailed how to and says it is pretty easy to do.

Hiding a Christmas Tree Stand

I haven’t had a Christmas tree in a few years. I will this year partly because of my strong attraction to shiny things and to stringed lights. I am not sure which kind of tree I’ll be purchasing…definitely live, maybe potted.

Since my tree will be either live or potted, I’ll need to hide the stand or pot. I have a skirt, but I’d like to use something else. I think this metal tub is the perfect way to do it. A whiskey barrel would do the trick, too. I found the photo on a blog called 2805.

Here is another from Canadian House and Home