Lullaby Organics Jammy Sale and Review

Don't you just love the feeling of a new set of snuggly warm jammies? And there are few things more adorable that kids all jammied up and ready for bed.

Which is why I was really excited to work with Erin from Lullaby Organics to showcase some of the awesome organic cotton jammies she has in her shop (many of which are on sale through the end of March!)

The set she sent for my little man is this adorable set of dinosaur jammies by Frugi. Not only are they organic cotton, which I love, but they are super adorable, too!  My little guy had a blast running around in them.

Because organic cotton is not treated with all the harsh chemicals that keep conventional cotton from shrinking, there is some shrinkage that's going to happen but the Frugi jammies are cut generously in order to accommodate. No need to buy a size up! The bum is also cut in a way that will fit both cloth and regular diapers (score!).

Why should you check out the Organic Cotton Jammies at Lullaby Organics?

• They're adorable! Lullaby Organics has different jammy styles and prints available for kids of all ages and sizes. (Check the selection out here)
• Organic cotton means less icky chemicals near your kiddo AND less icky chemicals in our enviroment. (want to read more about why organic cotton is better, go to the Frugi site here)
• These jammies are durable. The pajamas from Frugi that K is wearing are really well made and I can tell they will last for way longer than he will fit in them. I know Erin personally selects all the items for sale in the Lullaby Organics shop so you can trust anything she's selling will stand up to her high quality standards.
• Stake out your faves to get ready for the sale! Some of her PJs are on sale now but the biggest sale is going to land in April. Stake out your faves now so when the sale drops, you can swoop in and buy your faves for a great price!

We love our new Frugi jammies and I'm sure you'll love all the awesome organic products for sale at Lullaby Organics (they sell way more than pajamas PLUS they have a sale section that has some things for a downright steal). Check them out today just in time to stock up are great kid gear and toys that will last for Easter!

I have received compensation including free product from Lullaby Organics for posting this review and linking to their site. All opinions expressed in the review are 100% mine. I was not paid to give the Frugi pajamas or Lullaby Organics a positive review. They earned my praise by being awesome.

Healthy Easter Treats: How to Make Cheddar Bunny "Carrots"

Aside from all the plastic junk that accumulates around the holidays, the other thing that makes this green mom  crazy, is that Americans are conditioned to always celebrate holidays with large quantities of sugar. Candy candy everywhere! So if you aren't filling your little bunnies' easter eggs with candy, what do you put in their basket or bring as treats to class parties?

Creative Carissa's Favorite Healthy Easter Options

• Make your own playdough
• Books  (I just bought brand new Dr. Seuss books at Goodwill for $1 each)
• Socks
• Non-Toxic Nail Polish like Piggy Paint
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Healthy Snacks 
• Cheddar bunny carrots!

What you need
These carrots are super simple and were made with things I already had on hand. You will need:

• Annie's Cheddar Bunny crackers
• Plastic baggies **see my note below about plastic bags**
• Scissors
• Green Yarn or ribbon

**An important note about plastic bags**

Beware of the triangle shaped party bags often sold in the seasonal section of department stores as the plastics used often contain questionable ingredients like BPA. Instead, purchase baggies made for food that are explicitly labeled to be PVC, BPA and phthalate free. I personally use the bags from Whole Food's 365 brand as they are 100% polyethelene and free of these questionable ingredients.

Step 1: Fill the bag
Open a bag and pour in about 1/2 cup of crackers.

Step 2: Check for "carrotiness"

Make sure your bag is filled to the right level to make you happy with its carroty shape. Add more crackers if needed.

Step 3: Trim the top
Trim the top zipper edge off the bag.

Step 4: Tie the top
Pull out a length of about 2 yards of yarn. Keep folding the length in half until you have a large loop about 6 inches in length. Tie it around the top of the crackers.

Step 5: Make it pretty
Slide your scissors in the ends of the yarn loops and trim them to make a cute little tuft of fringe.

Step 7: Repeat
Keep going until you have all the little carrots you need. If you are bringing these to a class party or group event, be sure to keep or photocopy the ingredients list from the box so anyone worried about food allergies can check them out before enjoying.

If you have a favorite non-toxic or non-sugary Easter idea, I'd love to hear about it! Please feel free to share in the comments.

Green Your Easter: Grow Your Own Easter Grass

It's getting to be that time of year again. When our cultural traditions threaten to make every plastic-averse parent tremble in fear. When toxic chemicals combine with sugar to make our children run around in a weird haze. It's time for...EASTER!

Ok, so maybe it's not that dramatic.

But I hate unnecessary plastic and I feel like Easter "grass" is the epitome of unnecessary plastic. It's not pretty, lacks any kind of real purpose, is not recyclable and it gets tracked all over your house before getting dumped in the trashcan. Last year, we started a tradition of growing our own Easter grass and I love it!

Three Reasons to Grow Your Own Easter Grass...

1. It costs less. I paid $0.30 for enough wheat berries to grow 2-3 large baskets worth of grass. That's $0.15 per basket instead of $1 or more for each basket's worth of plastic shreds. That's an 85% savings! 
2. It's a fun activity to do with your kids before Easter. (plus Easter Bunny believers will love leaving it out as a fresh snack for their favorite cottontail)
   
3. No waste. You can compost your leftovers.

Look for wheat or rye berries in the bulk foods section of your local grocery or natural foods store.

What You'll Need: 

• A basket or other container (I used a small plastic storage tub I got at the Dollar Store)
• Approx 1/2 cup or wheat or rye berries per basket
• Water
• Small amount of potting soil
• Approx 7 days of growing time

Get Started!

Step 1: Get your basket or tub ready
If you are using a woven basket, line the bottom with a piece of foil or plastic wrap to protect the basket from the dirt and water. Roll up the edges to create a lip to hold in any excess moisture. I'm re-using a small plastic storage tub so I didn't need to line mine.

Step 2: Spread in some dirt
Spread out a thin layer of potting soil in the bottom of your container. Make sure that is is thoroughly damp.

Step 3: Generously scatter the berries
Generously sprinkle the rye or wheat berries across the top of the damp soil.

Step 4: Sprinkle with water.
Sprinkle the berries with water. I used a sippy cup which had the non-spill stopper removed. If you don't have a sippy cup, you can use a spray bottle or sprinkle the water with your hand.

Step 5: Put in a warm place and wait
For first few days I kept my basket on top of my fridge where it was warm (the plants don't need sun until they start looking like plants). On day four I moved the basket to a sunny window during the day and kept it warm at night. Make sure to keep sprinkling water on the seeds once or twice a day to keep the growing plants happy.

It's really quite amazing how quickly this stuff grows! If you're homeschooling, you can use this as a fun way to incorporate science and math (measuring!) into your curriculum, too.

After six or seven days, you should have some pretty hearty growth:

Please note: Do not be alarmed if the basket looks a bit sparse because you can still see the seeds when you look straight down into it even after about a week:

Once you add basket filler (it doesn't take much!), it shifts the grass around and you will have adorable tufts of living grass peeking up from between your eggs and other baskety gifts. This is the same "sparse" looking basket five minute later:

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This project is so easy and fun that I hope I've encouraged you to start your own Easter grass growing tradition, too!

Linking to:

* Made by You Monday * Brassy Apple *

Beautiful Spring Wreaths

It's official: Spring is on it's way! Yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far where I live in Northwest Oregon. We've been graced with sunny, dry weather and I just can't wait for the danger of frost to pass so I can get my garden going.

Since it's not quite time to get some spring color in the ground, I wanted to feature some of my favorite front door spring door bling from around the blogosphere. Hopefully they will inspire you to make something fabulous and colorful for your own abode!

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Spring Wreath from Under the Sycamore

I love this beautiful wreath wrapped in yarn and moss and sprinkled with beautiful butterflies. Visit her site to get the full tutorial.

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Mossy Spring Wreath from The Magic Onions

Moss is a theme I love for spring decor - especially since I'm surrounded by it as the weather warms up here. Keep moss where it belongs...on your front door (instead of in your yard!). Click the link above to visit the full tutorial.

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A Quick and Colorful Wreath from Kiki Creates

If you're in an upcycling mood, turn some fabric and sewing scraps into cute flowers and leaves to make this bright Spring wreath. Kiki doesn't have a tutorial for her wreath but she's got some great close up shots on the blog so be sure to visit to check it out!

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My Spring Wreath

Last year I made this spring wreath from some dollar store sprigs and a grapevine wreath. I can't wait to take it out of storage and hang it on my door!

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If I featured your project, please feel free to grab a button if you'd like:

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Can't get enough wreaths? I pin my favorite Wreaths year round on my Pinterest Wreaths board. 

If you've got a fabulous wreath you've made, leave a link in the comments. I'd love to pin you, too!

SodaStream Review and GIVEAWAY!

The entry window for this drawing is closed. Congrats to lucky winner: commenter #19, CT!

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I am a soda addict. And while Cherry Coke Zero is my current fave, I just flat out love soda. I swear it's the bubbles. I can go back and forth between sodas with or without caffeine with no withdrawal symptoms. But if I switch to just water or iced tea I miss the dance of carbonation on my tongue.

This is a bummer for a few reasons:

1. Sodas are known for containing some not-so-healthy ingredients. GMO-laden high frustose corn syrup among them.
   
   
2. Most soda bottlers use cans or bottles that contain hormone-disrupting BPA. Yuck.
   
   
3. Soda is not budget friendly. Even less so if you live in a state (like I do) that requires a mandatory deposit on beverage containers....a "deposit" that you don't get back if you utilize curbside recycling. Boo.

It's enough to make you give up soda entirely. Except for that addiction bit I mentioned earlier.

These are just some of the reasons why I was really excited to be able to try out an at home soda maker from SodaStream. AND I also get to share the at home soda love with you because SodaStream is going to give a Fountain Jet Starter Kit away to one lucky Carissa's Creativity Space reader!

This post is brought to you by SodaStream USA. I received compensation including free product for this post. All opinions expressed are 100% honest and 100% mine.

So let's get started...

Before I partnered up with SodaStream to do this review and giveaway, I had actually been considering getting an at home carbonator for about three years. No joke. Three. Years. What held me back? A few things. And if you're thinking about an at-home soda maker, I know these thing might be holding you back, too, so let's address those up front:

I wasn't sure if the flavors would be any good

In addition to being sent the carbonator, SodaStream generously sent me 10 soda flavors as well as a three pack of MyWater flavor essences. And I have to tell you: I liked most of them. Their Cola Free flavor (a knock off of Coke Zero) was spot on....and like I said: Coke Zero is one of my fave beverages so I'm kind of picky on that front. The Diet Cranberry Raspberry and the Diet Pink Grapefruit were my two non-cola favorites. I also liked drinking the soda water plain with a lemon and lime wedge and just a kiss of simple syrup. Dr. Pepper fans will want to know, though, that their Dr. Pepper knock off, which they call "Dr. Pete", isn't bad but it doesn't taste like Dr. Pepper. Conclusion? There are plenty of tasty flavors available. If you're a die-hard Dr. Pepper fan, though, skip Dr. Pete.

I wasn't sure about how the carbonator refills would work

One thing I had worried about was what I would do once I ran out of CO2. Would I have to drop a lot of money at a specialty store? Pay a lot for UPS shipping? Luckily, none of that was the case. When we finished off our first bottle of CO2, I used SodaStream's retailer finder to find a store near me that would enchange my carbonator cylinder. I found about 5 stores within a 5 mile radius of my house and popped into a local Bed, Bath and Beyond to trade in my old carbonator for a new one for a little less than $15. Conclusion? Trading in my cylinder for a new one was super duper easy.

I wasn't sure if I'd actually save money

Not being sure how far the flavors would stretch and how much soda each cylinder made, I wasn't sure if this gizmo would even save me money. But now that I've got one (and have already worked through my first CO2 cylinder and a couple bottles of flavor), I've got the inside scoop. The soda maker I have, takes a 60L cylinder, which will make about 60 liters of carbonated water. My replacement cylinder was $15 (so $0.25 per liter). So if you just drink club soda, you'll save about $0.75 per liter (before bottle deposit). If you want to add SodaStream flavors, you'll pay $0.41 per liter for flavoring if you don't opt for the more expensive Sparkling Naturals line. If you've been drinking 2 liter bottles of soda, this will pretty much match regular store prices. Of course, you can make your own soda flavorings like Ginger Syrup or Lemon Lime Soda for even less. Don't forget that you won't have to pay your bottle deposit anymore, too!

What else do I love about SodaStream?

• Because I reuse the bottles that come with the maker, there's no more lost money on bottle "deposits" ("deposits" in quotes because while I could return the bottles to get my nickel back, it's a huge hassle. I just curbside recycle them, which means my "deposit" turns into a five cent donation to the state)
• It has a small footprint - it does not take up much space at all on my counter. It doesn't need access to electricity, either. Really, I can put it anywhere!
• Making soda in small batches keeps it fizzy longer. No more half-drunk bottles of flat soda from the store.
• I can make my own flavors to have 100% control over what goes into my body.
• My son loves (and frequently requests) plain "bubble water". Anything that makes food more fun for a toddler is a plus in my book!
• The bottles are BPA and phthalate free (most cans of soda contain BPA so this is a great alternative).
• None of SodaStream's flavors contain High Fructose Corn Syrup or Aspartame. 
• My favorite SodaStream flavors were: Cola Free, Diet Pink Grapefruit, Diet Cranberry Raspberry, Diet Green Tea Pomegranate Peach. 

Any down sides?

Overall, I am really happy with my soda maker. There are, however, a few things that I'd love to see improve:

• I wish SodaStream made glass bottles that worked with my model. SodaStream does have two models that use glass bottles, Penguin and Crystal, but their bottles are not compatible with the less expensive soda makers like the one I have.
• Because the bottles are plastic, they need some extra special love. You should never put them in the dishwasher, use detergent or a bottle brush on them. Scratches (as from a bottle brush), heat and detergent will make the plastic start to break down. Because of this, you should not drink straight from the bottles and should always pour into a glass or drinking container first. Once you've finished drinking a bottle of soda, simply rinse it with water and fill it with tap water. Keep the bottle with tap water in the fridge until you're ready to carbonate.
• While I love that the Sparkling Naturals line of flavorings contains no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives, the caps on the bottles are messy and the syrup does not dissolve into the  carbonated water as easily and the standard flavors. At the very least a re-design of the bottle would make these more user friendly.
• I would love if they expanded their energy drink flavors to have more than just a Red Bull knock off. Maybe a Monster or RockStar flavor? Double brownie points if it's the pink RockStar flavor.

Even though there are a few points that SodaStream has room to improve on, overall I am delighted with my soda machine and see it continuing to get plenty of mileage in my house.  And now....

You Can Win One, Too!!

What's Up for Grabs:

A Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit including:
- Fountain Jet in the winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white)
- 1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years
- Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda
- Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors
- 3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what kind of soda you would want to try to make first (official SodaStream flavor or otherwise) if you win.
(make sure to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. I'd hate for you to miss out on your prize because I couldn't reach you)

Get Bonus Entries

You can also earn up to seven bonus entries for doing any or all of the following. After you do each one, leave a separate comment letting me know which thing you did to earn your bonus entry. 
Don't forget your e-mail so I have a way to contact you if you're a lucky winner!

• LIKE Carissa's Creativity Space on Facebook (or tell me if you already do)
• SUBSCRIBE to Carissa's Creativity Space via e-mail or with Feedburner (or let me know if you already do)
• FOLLOW ME @CreativeCarissa on Twitter (or tell me if you already do)
• FOLLOW Carissa's Creativity Space with Google Friend Connect (that's the box that has the "join this site" button on the right side of any blog page underneath "My Fabulous Followers") or tell me if you already do.
• FOLLOW ME on Pinterest (or tell me if you already do)
• LIKE  SodaStream on Facebook (or tell me if you already do)
• FOLLOW  @SodaStreamUSA on Twitter 

Other Contest Details and "Small Print"
This is a sweepstakes style giveaway. No purchase is necessary. Odds of winning are based on number of entries. Sweepstakes entry period is 7:40am (PST) on February 29, 2012 through 11:59pm (PST) March 7, 2012. Each person may enter a maximum of eight times and win only once. One winner will be chosen at random using random.org. Winner will be notified via e-mail provided in comments on March 8, 2012. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to e-mail with a valid US mailing address to which the prize pack will be sent. If winner does not respond in time, an alternate winner will be chosen, also by using random.org. Dollar value of prize pack is approximately $99.95. Entrants must be above 18 years of age and have a United States of America mailing address. I have received compensation from SodaStream for posting this review and hosting this sweepstakes. All opinions expressed in the review are 100% mine.

Morning Sunrise Smoothie

I love love love fresh juices and smoothies. They are a fun, delicious way to get more vitamins and nutrition into your diet. Kids love smoothies, too! Kids think they are getting a fancy dessert but mom knows they are loading up on good for you nutrition.

This is the smoothie recipe I have been making a few times a week now and my son loves it just as much as I do.  It's especially high in vitamins A and C and has less than 150 calories

I have a juicer that I use to make the fresh carrot and ginger juice. If you don't have a juicer, you could use packaged organic carrot juice from the store.

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Morning Sunrise Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients 

• 8-10 organic carrots (or approx 12 ounces packaged Organic carrot juice)
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1 orange, peeled and white center parts removed
• 1 cup chopped peaches (fresh or frozen)
• 1 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 6 ounces greek yogurt
• Ice cubes

1) Juice the organic carrots and ginger.

2) Add the carrot/ginger juice (or 12 ounces packaged carrot juice), orange segments, chopped peaches, banana and greek yogurt to a blender. Pulse on high until frozen parts are broken up. Blend on high until well blended and liquifed.

3) Add ice cubes until smoothie reaches desired consistency.

(Makes approximately 4 servings)

Nutrition information is approximate and may vary based on the freshness and brand of your ingredients
Nutrition information calculated at: Calorie Count

How to Make a DIY Play Kitchen Part 3: How to Make the Sink, Countertop and Stove

I know you all missed our DIY Play Kitchen goodness over Valentines Day. But we are almost done! Today we are going to learn how to install the countertop / stove area. that includes the sink, faucet, stove and countertop material.

(joining us late? That's ok. Get started with the first post here)

Things You'll Need:

• Countertop material (laminate, faux granite contact paper or paint)
• Stainless steel bowl
• Sink faucet
• Hole Saw
• Jig Saw
• Liquid Nails 
• Caulk
• Clamps or heavy objects
• 1 (6 count) package of 1.5 inch wood circles
• 3 large wood circles
• Wood discs
• 2 thin birch dowels
• Grey paint
• Glack paint
• Clear craft glue
• Multi-hook rack (I got mine at Dollar Tree)

Let's Get Started!


Countertop
If using laminate or contact paper, measure your work surface and cut your material to size.

Cut a hole for the sink (whether you do this before or after gluing down the material will be best decided by the kind of material you use. I cut mine out before.) and glue down your counter using liquid nails following the instructions on the package. Add backsplash edging if desired.

The cans are weighing it down while the glue sets. Liquid nails takes about 24 hours to set, so jump ahead and work on making your stove burners and knobs.

Stove Knobs
Bust out your bag of 6 small wood disks:

Cut two of the six discs in half:

Use wood glue to glue a half circle on top of one of the full circles. Repeat until you have four knobs.

Once the wood glue is set, paint the knobs black

Burners
Paint the large wood circles grey. I used these wood soccer ball plaques that I got on clearance and just flipped them over:

Cut your dowels into approximately 2 inch pieces and paint them black along with the knobs you just made above.

Once the paint is dry, glue the grey circles down to the stove area and then glue the dowels down on top with the craft glue.

You can glue down the knobs, or if you want them to turn, you can attach them with screws.

Let all that dry and then wait until tomorrow (gotta let the liquid nails set for 24 hours remember?)

Caulk
Caulk around the edges of the countertop material if you used laminate like I did. If you used contact paper or paint, skip this step.

(sorry...no pictures of this part.)

Faucet
Now that your liquid nails is cured, we can move on to drilling our holes for the faucet.

I used a real kitchen faucet that I got from free cycle so it had the hard ware sticking out from the bottom of it. I used a 1.25 inch hole saw to cut 3 holes. Then I dropped it in like a regular faucet and at attached it with the screws from underneath.

Sink and Hooks
Drop in the the bowl for the sink. I didn't glue mine down in case we decide to play with real water and then we can pick it up and dump it out. You can glue your down with liquid nails if you'd like.

Attach the bar with hooks above the sink and hang your utensils on it.


Sit back and enjoy your handiwork because you're almost done!

This post is part of a mini-series on how to make your own play kitchen from a re-purposed piece of furniture. The beginning of the series with photos of the finished play kitchen and links to all subsequent posts lives here.