There’s a wave of nostalgia going around and being shared all over the internet. Among others there is the “My Mom, the Style Icon” blog (I wrote about it here), where you can submit way-back-when photos of your mom in stylish retro garb. And we’ve seen the endearing now & then pictures of best buddies in high school yearbooks. Now Ze Frank is giving everyone a platform to submit their before and after photos: the Young Me, Now Me website.

I can’t believe the effort some people went through to replicate the scene.

Read the full story »

Note from the Succulent Wife: I am thrilled to present you with this first in a series of articles by Kym Tolson, Certified Hypnotherapist (among other things!). Even though I’ve experienced hypnotherapy with success on a number of occasions, it has always very mysterious to me and, I’m guessing perhaps to you too. So, after meeting Kym on 1000Markets where she has a shop, I thought I would invite her to share her thoughts and insights to help us demystify the subject. Enjoy and please share your thoughts.

By Kym Tolson, Guest Author

Did you know that you are hypnotized on a daily basis? Have you gotten to work only to realize you don’t actually recall driving there? Have you ever been watching television and realized five minutes later that your significant other has been talking to you? Have you ever completely zoned out during a meeting? All of these are examples of a naturally occurring state of relaxation that is also known as hypnosis. Hypnosis is a natural state of deep relaxation where the subconscious mind is more susceptible to suggestion. Today, I hope to demystify the hypnotic state of mind and bring awareness to the wonderful healing that comes from using hypnosis to transform your life.

If someone is unfamiliar with hypnosis, I’m usually asked some variation of “Will you make me cluck like a chicken?”  Most people think they will be under the control of the hypnotherapist if they try hypnosis. The truth is a person will only do what they want to do in the hypnotic state. When a person is hypnotized, they are always aware of what’s going on around them.  They remain in control of everything they say and do. We have all seen stage hypnotists that make people cluck like a chicken. The secret is that a stage hypnotist chooses people that seem more likely to want to “perform” on stage.

The next question is always “does it work?” The short answer is “YES”. Hypnosis allows a person

Read the full story »

This “toy” or, shall we say craft, line got our attention because we thought it was the perfect manifestation of the combined ideals of teaching creativity and environmental awareness. The Castaway Kits are the invention of the Trash for Teaching (T4T) group. They collect all sorts of manufacturing cast-off materials that were destined for the landfill. Things like cardboard cones and tubes and die-cut chips and fabric scraps… All with various colors, shapes and textures. What a great way to inspire imagination and to enforce spatial development while also teaching our kids that fun & play does not need to always come in a big glossy box from the big glossy store.

“Our primary mission is to encourage creative learning through our unconventional materials while diverting waste from the landfill. Trash for Teaching is dedicated to the environmental awareness in education thought creative reuse. We are building a bridge that connects the excessive waste in manufacturing and the lack of material in education.”

If you live in Los Angeles (where T4T participates in the arts education program in local school districts) you can actually visit the Warehouse to purchase “Trash” materials by the pound, or organize a local “Green” birthday party or other event. Lucky you. However, if you don’t live in L.A., you’ll be happy to know that you can order any of the pre-assembled Castaway Kits online here.

Everything is clean and safe and absolutely too much fun for children ages 4 and up. Perfect unusual gift idea for the unusual youngster too .

So simple, yet we needed Whitelines® paper to show us how the paper we’ve been writing on all these years is actually… distracting. We never thought about it this way, but the dark lines + the dark ink that we write with fight for attention on the white paper. Whitelines “re-engineered” the paper so that it becomes white lines on a toned paper. See?

With the “old” way, the clashes of the ink on the dark lines reduce our concentration. This “interference” doesn’t happen with Whitelines which also boasts of other benefits of using their paper: it produces less glare in strong light (I’m reminded of the moments when I couldn’t see my kids’ written homework as we sat at the brightly lit kitchen table). It seems that this is also of great help to people with dyslexia as well, as Whitepaper removes a lot of the “noise” on the page.

I know what you’re thinking now… What about the dark paper, doesn’t that take a bunch of ink to print? They explain it this way: “The amount of ink used to create the background tint is comparable to the amount of ink used to create ordinary black or grey lines on white paper; imagine that you take a line and “smear” it out to become tint instead.” PLUS, this Swedish company produces its paper in an ultra-modern paper production plant, in Sweden, which re-uses the Carbon Dioxide in a closed-loop system so there are no CO2 emissions. And that plant has been chlorine free since 1993.

Read about how the paper came to be here.
Read more about Whitelines environmental responsibility here.
Their paper comes in all sizes of notebooks. Go here to view a list of US retailers or buy online through Amazon.com.

Oh, and don’t you love their slogan “Supporting Your Ideas”? Great product.

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor

Don’t you just hate those reusable water bottles that have such a small opening on top that makes them so hard to clean? Plus, when you drink from it there is a nasty metallic taste to the water. Well! I just discovered these stainless steel water bottles from Good Life Gear that I just love! The reason that they are so great is that you can screw off the entire top to effectively clean the bottle. Plus you can actually put ice in it (it’s the little things, you know…)!!! The bottles also have a cover for the mouthpiece that keeps it protected from dirt and germs.

I must add that I feel a little turned off by my SIGG bottle ever since the company disclosed that the inside epoxy lining contained BPA.  Although they have changed the lining to be BPA-free, the company was not terribly forthcoming.  You could send in your old bottle (you had to pay for the postage) to get a new one, but still…

So now, I am thrilled to have found a better bottle where both the top and the spout are made from BPA free, food grade quality, FDA specified polypropylene, so when you drink from it you not only know that they are safe but you don’t get the metallic taste.

The Good Life Gear bottles come in various sizes, including kids’ sizes with great designs and colors.  They cost between $12.95 to $15.95 and you can find them at your local Home Depot store (not sold online but do let us know if you them them on the web).

We are so much more “aware” consumers nowadays and we want to know what – exactly what – we are putting in our mouths, on our skin, in our homes. Is it healthy? Is it safe? Is it sustainable? Thanks to the GoodGuide, we can now verify this information on over 70,000 food, toy, personal care and household items.

While still in beta mode, the GoodGuide already “provides the world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home.” It analyzes and rates food, personal care products, household cleaners and toys. For example, Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm rates a 8.6 out of 10, which averages its 10 points for Health, 7.9 on Environment and 7.8 on the Society ratings (you can read about the ratings and methodology here).

Having this information allows us to make buying decision based on factors that are important

Read the full story »

Know someone who’s not so lucky with her amorous relationships? That wants to forget all about Valentine’s Day and instead vent a little? Or a lot. Here’s a cute gift line for those who live with many of the “didn’t put the cover back on the toothpaste” type of annoyances.

The Would It Kill Him® line features the edgy yet vulnerable Miranda June character. She is Laura Brucato’s creation and artistic outlet, used to unleash frustrations gained during a series of unfortunate romantic relationships. Actually, Miranda is very much Laura’s alter ego. Miranda is the one who fully expresses the extent of her emotions, thoughts and frustrations… concerning men, in this case.

Though Miranda originates from a place of disgruntlement, she takes us to a place of humor, where her spunky little character expresses what we are so often thinking: Would it kill him to put his clothes in the laundry basket, not on the floor next to it? To not forget my birthday? To look at me when I’m talking? To put down the toilet seat? To tell me that he loves me? To take me out once in a while?

The list goes on and on, with one would-it-kill-him saying after another to illustrate whatever shortcoming the schmuck-of-the-moment might be exhibiting. T-shirts, mugs, greetings, magnets, bags… if you can’t say it, Miranda June has no problems expressing it for you. To note: Miranda, the oh so stylish one, is represented in a new illustration for each would-it-kill-him scenario, and each of these is identified by a series number. Perfect for collectors. Though I can only hope that collected Mirandas do not, in any case, constitute a collective representation of jerk-of-a-boyfriend experiences!

Personally, mine would be limited to “Would it kill him to ever start the dishwasher?”

You can find the whole Would It Kill Him collection here on Zazzle.