The bracelets are in!

More epilepsy news! I just got the new shipment of "Epilepsy isn't waterproof" bracelets, so now I have them in small, medium, and large. I'm going to give a little over half away at the next epilepsy walk on April 19th, but I'm setting some aside for website orders. So.... put your order in now before I run out again! lol.

Correction - and it's a good thing!

So someone corrected me! It's a Team Captain meeting on March 28, not the actual event. Sharon's Ride.Run.Walk is actually on April 19, which is great for two reasons! One, I think I will be able to make it. Two, it's close to the day Marieke left us, April 30. I like to plan special Marieke-centered events around this time of year, especially if they can raise awareness to epilepsy-related deaths. So this is good news.

I've had a couple orders for bracelets recently, and a donation towards a new batch, so I went ahead and ordered 100 small, 100 medium, and 100 large, and I'll give away 50 of each at the walk. I'm looking forward to it!

It's that time again...

So I just realized that another epilepsy walk is coming up at the end of the month. Unfortunately, on the same day as my piano recital, but I'm sure I will figure it all out. You know my goal... hand out "epilepsy isn't waterproof" bracelets at the walks, twice a year. I just thought this one was in May, not March! The last one was... I think. Anyway, here's the problem. I have about 50 bracelets left (I just sold 22 to someone in Thailand!). Not enough to give out, at least if I want to have any left for online orders, to off-set the cost. Besides, I want to give out at LEAST 100. So I contacted my supplier. Unfortunately, because I have much less spare change this year than I did last year, the cost seems out of my reach. $430 to get 100 small, 100 medium, and 100 large. I'm starting to ask family members if they can pitch in, but no one seems to have anything to spare, so far. So, because this cause is important to me, and I'd really like to have some bracelets to give out, I thought I'd just put it out there - if you think this cause is important, and you would like to lend a hand in educating parents and children about the dangers of water to those with epilepsy, please consider donating to the "bracelet fund." You can email me first, or just donate through the link below. The good thing about helping out Ozville is that you know it's going straight to benefit the people with epilepsy. Nothing has to go to "administration" or other costs associated with a big foundation. It's just me, trying to spread the word. Let's get bracelets on those little wrists!

Staple-less stapler, oh my!

First, I have to say, I've been trying to post this for the past couple days, but have been having trouble with Blogger. I think the internet is broken. But finally, it's working! So.... here goes. 

This is the most awesome stapler EVER. At least from my point of view, as an actor. I always want to make it easy for the receiver to recycle my headshot and resume (if they don't need it), but staples are a hassle to pull out, so I'm sure they end up in the trash bin instead. Plus, I know that staples can catch on things, or make a pile of headshots a little lob-sided. Little things, I know. But anyway, this stapler is awesome. I will never have to worry about running out of staples in the middle of attaching headshots to resumes. Anything I staple can be put through a shredder, or recycled... I'm having so much fun with this thing! Granted, it can only do a fewsheets at a time, so you'll still need a regular stapler for your 10-page report, but this thing... is definitely one of the coolest little inventions I've seen. There seem to be a few versions. This is the one I got:

From www.uncommongoods.com. It comes in a set of two, a blue one and a green one, for $12, plus shipping . Looks like you can get the same ones in different colours at www.thinkgeek.com as well, for $5.99 each.

Now that I decided to make a post about these things, I'm seeing all these other staple-less staplers that I like, too! Check these out. Little doggie and kitty staplers:

You can find them at www.thinkgeek.com, for $7.99 each. I think these are great for kids! You don't have to worry about them stapling themselves, or eating staples or stepping on staples... Brilliant, I say. 

I like the look of this one. It looks a lot like a normal little stapler. I'm kind of wishing this is the one I got. 

You can find this one at www.naturalcollection.com for £5.82 . Yes, it's in pounds, and therefore a bit more expensive than the other ones for us Americans. But it's so cute!!

If you want something that looks sleeker, and maybe looks a little better on an office desk, check out this one:

That photo doesn't look right, for some reason, but that's the way it downloaded. Oh well. You can see it here: www.jbox.com. This is a more expensive one, at $36, but it is pretty cool looking... Seems to be a Japanese model, and can stitch together 7 pieces of paper. The others only claim to do about 4 sheets. 

You can also find a couple different styles and colours at Amazon.com (which I normally check first for things I want to buy, but for some reason didn't, and now I'm afraid I might end up buying more staplers, cause they're all so coooool!).

I'm just crazy about mine. I'm "stapling" everything I can get my hands on. I do have to say, there are two downsides that might make you keep your regular stapler on hand. One, it doesn't do many sheets, and two, if you goof up, and say, staple things together upside-down, it's a little more obvious than if you had stapled them and redone it. But I still recommend them! 

Eco-sleep

I love to sleep. But with all the crap they use to make bedsheets and pillows and mattresses... ugg. Sometimes it's hard to have a good night's sleep when you know you're inhaling these things and letting them touch your skin. Now, I know there are organic mattresses out there, but if you're like me, you can't afford them! But you can sleep a little healthier even without a new, non-toxic mattress.

Pillows:
You can actually find some organic cotton pillows at Bed Bath & Beyond! Yep, the place that sends you 20% coupons every day. And they're filled with recycled fiber made from water bottles. How cool is that? I'm staring at the plastic bag they come in, and even the bag is biodegradable. The pillows are about $20 each, and pretty comfy. Check it out...

Mattress Topper:
If you can't afford a new mattress, how about an organic mattress topper? Personally, I love my Natura topper. They're sold on many websites, including TheCleanBedroom.com and the official site, Naturaworld.com. So now you've got a nice, soft, organic layer between you and your toxic mattress! Of course, you'll probably want-

Sheets:
Under the Canopy offers a nice selection of organic cotton sheets (and other bedding, towels, etc). West Elm also offers organic sheets (and it looks like there's a sale right now!).

Sleep tight!

Awww, I really WAS missed!

Time has just slipped away from me! Been busy with a lot of things lately. I haven't forgotten about ozville though! I represented at the Epilepsy Freedom Walk this past weekend, and 180 bracelets found arms. Yay! So the goal is to bring at least 300 to the next even in the spring. So.... I have to sell the remaining bracelets to earn some money to buy more! Come on, spread the word!

Anyway, I received an email from someone who has been reading my blog and wondered when I'd be back to update. They shared a cool website with me called Embodies. I like the way she described it:

This store is committed to promoting an eco lifestyle, inside and out. The owner does one-on-one sessions with people who have been injured, have muscular disorders, or just want to keep healthy. She does pilates, acutonics (sound healing), and gyrotonics. Then, she provides people with healthy options for the outsides of their bodies, with eco clothing and accessories.

I'm checking out the website now. Looks like they have a nice selection of cute clothes, and shoes! The shoes are a bit expensive for me, but they are tempting.

I've been bookmarking a lot of good stuff in my green magazines lately, so I'll try to come back and share with you again soon. Thanks for reading! ;-)

Long Time No See!

Wow, time flies. Did you miss me?
Yeah, I thought so.
OK, today, two things. One, Kiva has updated their system, and now instead of waiting for the entire loan to be repaid, you'll receive money as soon as the person you loaned it to makes a payment, so you can re-loan it right away! I just got about $60 of my loans credited to me, so instead of waiting, I'm going to go find another person to loan to!
Next up, razors, by Preserve.
How many of us use those disposable razors all the time? I know I do. For some reason I just don't like the electric ones. Anyway, I always feel bad about throwing them away, but now there’s an alternative – recycle!
Preserve’s triple blade razor handle is made from 100% recycled plastic, including 65% of recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. and is completely recyclable (in communities in with #5 plastics recycling or with Recycline's postage-paid mailer, available at stores of from Recycline). Even the package is made from renewable wood sources and is reusable as a travel case. And there’s no animal testing, either. Each razor comes with a spare blade, and when you need more, you can buy a pack of 4 triple blade cartridges. The razor handle comes in 6 different colours.
While we’re talking about Preserve, I might as well say that I’ve been using their toothbrush, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s really no-frills – no crazy gum massagers or anything, but hey, it’s completely recyclable and comes in 6 different colours! Again made from mainly Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups, you can send the toothbrush back in the postage-paid envelope to be turned into plastic lumber. Don’t worry- they’ve got a testing program to make sure that “our cleansed and reprocessed plastics have the same infinitesimal readings of foreign elements as virgin plastics.”
I can’t remember how much they cost, but I believe the razor is about $7.99, and the replacement blades are of equal or lesser value. The toothbrush wasn’t expensive at all, in fact I believe it was only around $3. I purchased mine at Whole Foods, but you can find them again, online at places like Amazon.com.
Razors on Amazon
Toothbrushes on Amazon
I’ll be on the look-out for a good toothpaste to recommend to go with your new toothbrush. :-D