Green Beans & Cake

Coco eco

Check out the new eco-chic magazine called, "Coco eco."

• Article fromgreenloop.com about Coco Eco

• The magazine:  Coco Eco

Anyone going to subscribe to this?

My latest obsession

Chocolate -- It's my obsession. In many respects, understanding chocolate is as complicated and fascinating as understanding wine. I'm a little short on time right now (I should be replying to the 20 e-mails in my inbox) -- more to come later about my chocolate addiction.

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you about a eco-minded chocolate company called "Theo." I've tried their Coconut Curry Chocolate bar and Vanilla Chai bar. I know the flavors sound sort of bizarre, but trust me, both chocolate bars tasted great.

 

Do you "Baggu"?

.

Love it.

"Oh, that's soooo eco-chic"

There's something about the word eco-chic that I like. It just feels good to say it. I was talking to my fav local boutique shop owner the other day, and described the reusable bags at greenloop.com as "eco-chic." I was surprised that he hadn't heard the word before -- he did live in Tribeca after all. (Ahh...from NY to OK...what a trip!)

Anyway, I found a company called EcoChic Inc. Love the bags.

Where to start?

I really do love all of the choices out there for reusable shopping bags. However, the pseudo-artist side of me wants to make my own shopping bag. I have a lot of ideas...my problem? Well, uh..., it's my "crafting" skills. You see, I tend to be more visionary when it comes to things I could make on my own. I think of an idea - and my ideas don't always materialize the way I want them to. This problem goes waaayy back -- circa 8th grade home-ec. I remember it vividly. I had a fantastic idea for a pillow. I got started on it...my whip stitch (or whatever I was supposed to be doing) didn't quite work. Even though I thought my pillow design was unique and creative, my teacher didn't agree. Sadly, my pillow disappeared. (Teacher, I know you did it!!!)

Now, years later I want to design my own reusable shopping bag. Any advice for the "crafty-impaired" prep??

My wannabe green thumb

It all started out so well. I wanted to grow my own "grape" tomatoes. For the first few weeks, my tomatoes flourished. I had 20 in total. When my tomatoes were "big" enough to go outside, they reacted positively to the new environment. Then...I went to Arizona and didn't water them. Here are the survivors.

I decided that I might have more of a chance as a gardener with artificial plants. hehe [Not to mention that the last time I brought in flowers from my garden, I had an outbreak of ants) I recycled three of my Izze soda bottles (so cute!) and put some colorful fake daisies in them. I accessorized the faux soil with brightly colored ribbon (lime green, orange, striped, polka dots).

 

Dear SIGG,

I want a customized SIGG bottle! I have really enjoyed my SIGG bottle...very chic. SIGGs have become so popular that you can't buy one on the SIGG website.

Check out these designs...

(from In the Loop)

There's also an eco-friendly website called Ideal Bite that has cute SIGG bottles.

 

Choco-art

Maybe I have too much spare time on my hands. haha The wrappers of the eco-conscious chocolate bars I buy are so pretty. I decided to make a collage of my current favs.

The chocolate brands include: Dagoba, Divine, 3400 Phinney, and Green & Black's

My latest fabulous chocolate finds...

In the most recent edition of Conde Nast magazine, there was an article about a chocolatier named John Scharffenberger. He currently has a line of chocolates available at Whole Foods - but his chocolates have a unique story. Scharffenberger not only finds the best cacao beans, but his company also treats local farmers fairly. The chocolate making process at Scharffen Berger is meticulous, thoughtful, and quality-minded.

I bought a limited edition Venezuelan dark chocolate called Cuyagua. I haven't tried it yet, but it smells fantastic.

 

In addition to buying Scharffen Berger chocolate, I also bought two chocolate bars from a company called Shaman Chocolates. This company is fair trade certified. As an added ethical bonus, Shaman Chocolates uses all profits from their chocolate to support the Huichol Indians.

Supporting my local economy

Uh, as in my personal local economy. My mom bought Biscuit (my dog) the cutest travel doggie bowl from Target. Thought I'd share.