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Shop Small Gift Guide 2018

November 24, 2018 by Erika

Good golly, how in the world is November almost over?!  I still have things about the Bent Arrow Challenge I want to write about!  Ugh!  Oh well, since time has decided that it will continue on whether I'm behind or not, I guess I need to just roll with it.

As you know, I'm super passionate about local and small businesses.  I truly believe that we as Christians have a responsibility to shop small and local whenever we can.  By buying from "the little guy" we help someone live out what their God-given passions are and we get to build community.  When the small shop owner isn't worried about how in the world she's going to feed her family, she's going to be a lot more open to joining you Sunday morning instead of putting in extra hours just to make ends meet.

That being said, for Small Business Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite small and local shops.

Stitch & Timber

Stitch & Timber is owned by my college BF, Malia.  When I asked her to share about her business she said, "I have always loved cross stitching and wanted to share my work...I decided to see if any would sell.  Low and behold they do, slowly but surely!"  Malia creates modern finished cross stitch and paper goods for today's home.  I have several of her pieces, including a custom made "Green is the New Black" reusable produce bag (check my IG to see it).

You can find Malia's work on Instagram here and her shop on Etsy here.  Use code FULLSIMP10 at checkout for 10% off orders of $15 or more!

The Mustard Seed Marketplace

This is a relatively new shop to me, but I fell in love with it immediately!  The Mustard Seed Marketplace partners with over 30 artisan groups in 18 countries to create a marketplace for artisans locally + globally!  They carry a curated collection of Fair Trade + Locally Made + Give Back Brands.  And they have something for just about everyone on your list stocking items like jewelry, apparel, home décor, accessories and more!

My kind of shop!  And it is located in northern Indiana!

You can shop The Mustard Seed Marketplace here and follow them over on Instagram here.  You can use the code SHOPSMALL for 10% through 12/31!

I asked for the black Slub Tee for Christmas...so fingers crossed it shows up under the tree!

Freckled Hen Farmhouse

Y'all know I love Freckled Hen Farmhouse!  I cannot get enough of their cute, yet practical farmhouse décor!  Natalie is also awesome to follow over on Instagram.

You can find the Freckled Hen Farmhouse over on Instagram here or on their website here.

Chalk Full of Design

Another small business that I love is Chalk Full of Design.  Last year I got the kids chalkboards from here as their "something to read" gift instead of books and they love them.  We also have the games pack that we keep in the van to pull out any time we are going somewhere with a long wait time instead of always shoving tablets or phones in front of them (which we do still do occasionally).  This year I got Kate her own personalized board so that she could have one like her big brother and sister.

If you need a laugh, follow Lindsay on Instagram here and watch her stories.  I love her!  You can shop her site here and she's currently running a sale of 15% off with code CFDHOLIDAY2018 until Monday!

Aleks Handmade

The last shop I'm going to share with you is another Indiana shop.  Aleks Handmade makes handmade dolls...even custom orders!  We have three dolls from Aleks and I cannot say enough about the quality.  They are soft and no little plastic pieces to worry about coming off.  Plus, they give back in a BIG way!  With their Dolls for Smiles program, they donate one doll for every doll purchased to the orphanage they are working with that quarter.  You have to go see the video of these children playing with dolls that look like them!  It is amazing.

You can shop Aleks Handmade here and follow them on Instagram here.

In full disclosure, I shopped Amazon too this year.  I get it.  But if everyone took the time and money to buy one or two gifts this season from a small or local business, think about what that could do for our communities!  Spending a little more for a gift that is handmade and/or fairly made is even better.  Make 2018 the year you buy less but better gifts for under your tree.

Merry Christmas!

 

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: My Full Life, Reviews Tagged With: #buybetternotmore, Christmas, farmhouse decor, gift guide, Indiana, shop local, shop small, Small Business Saturday, support local

Tips for Waste Less Grocery Shopping When You Don’t Live Near a Bulk Food Store

February 13, 2017 by Erika

One thing that I've noticed while working on this Contentment Challenge is how much less trash and recycling we have.  I'm actually kind of shocked at how much less...  This has led me to wonder how we could reduce even more of our waste.  While we will probably never become wasteless, I do want to become a family that wastes less. (See what I did there? LOL!)

The Biggest Hurdle

One of the biggest hurdles for us to become wasteless is the fact that we do not live near a grocery with a bulk food section like Kroger or Whole Foods.  The nearest is probably 45 minutes away.  The time and gas for that drive are not feasible for us on a weekly basis.  So, I will still shop my regular grocery and the closer Walmart most of the time, only going to a bulk section once or twice a month to stock up on pantry essentials like flour, grains, beans and spices.

The Solutions

Even with most of my shopping being done at a regular grocery, I have come up with a few ideas to help us transition to a lifestyle where we are wasting less on packaging.

Make it Homemade

I've started to make a lot of items from scratch.  I make baguettes, noodles, mayonnaise, fries, and whipped cream from scratch always now.  But there is so much more that I would like to try.  Why not make a cake from scratch instead of using a box mix?  Making homemade pasta could be a fun family or date night.  I love making homemade pizza with my canned pizza sauce on Friday nights too.  Making homemade can take longer, but if you start small and choose one thing to master at a time, you could make a big difference in your grocery bill and your waste.

Grow Your Own

I realize that not everyone has a yard where they can grow most of their own food.  However, everyone can grow something.  Even if you live in a tiny apartment you can grow your own herbs.  A lot of herbs at the grocery come in those little plastic containers, so growing your own would prevent that waste.  You don't even have to start your own seeds if you don't want.  Buy a plant that is already started!  Tomatoes and peppers are some other plants that do well in containers.  I love this idea below from Better Homes & Gardens for growing your own lettuces or spinach!

Shop Your Farmers Market

Buy what you can from your local farmers market.  Not only will this give you better quality food in most cases and help your local economy, there is less waste from most farmers market vendors.  However, some still use those plastic produce bags.  Which leads me to my next solution.

Buy Reusable Produce Bags (Or Don't Use Any)

Because I'm working on the Contentment Challenge and can't buy anything new right now, I've been just forgoing produce bags all together.  Cashiers don't really love me when I'm checking out with oranges all over the conveyor belt, but so what.  For some veggies, like celery, not having bags doesn't really matter, but because I do buy things like loose apples and oranges, I plan on buying a few reusable produce bags once the challenge is over.  I really like these from Amazon.  They're even biodegradable!

Bring Your Bag (Or Basket)

Our local grocery doesn't provide bags, actually.  You either bring your own or you can buy some at checkout for ten cents each.  We always take our own, most of which were free from various fairs or events.  However, I do love my market basket from Freckled Hen Farmhouse for shopping, and I can't wait to use it at the farmers market this coming season.  If you want something a little cuter than a free bag with advertising on it, take a look at Etsy.  I really love this bag from Magnolia Roots.  Or the one below that from The Oysters Pearl.

Shop the Outer Perimeter

We've all been told to shop the perimeter because that is where the majority of the real, whole foods can be found.  But the perimeter is also where you can find less packaging (mostly) as well.  A lot of your processed foods come in boxes with even more wrappers and plastic on the inside.  Not only will you have less trash shopping this way, but your waistline will probably thank you too.

Replace Disposable Items with Reusable

A few disposable things that I'm contemplating replacing with reusable items are:

  • Coffee filters:  I could get a reusable one on Amazon for less than $4.
  • Plastic Wrap:  We've already started replacing some of the plastic wrap we use with these reusable Bee's Wraps and I love them!  Hopefully I can make some of our own when we harvest our beeswax.
  • Napkins: During the Contentment Challenge I've really tried to "elevate" dinner.  I think its important to make the everyday special too, and not doing so can sometimes lead to discontent.  I've started putting food into serving dishes (normally saved for company) instead of just the pans.  We listen to records on my record player.  I think that cloth napkins would be great to continue the mood that I want to set, which is that dinner with my family is important.  Plus, we already switched color-coded was rags for the kids instead of paper towels.  Just doing that has significantly decreased the amount of paper towel we use.

Do you have any other tips or tricks that you use around the house to decrease your waste?  I'd love to know!  Just leave me a note in the comments below!

Disclaimer:  Erika Bault is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: My Full Life Tagged With: #buybetternotmore, bulk shopping, contentment challenge, Freckled Hen Farmhouse, grocery shopping, reusable, simple living, waste free, wasteless, weck jars, zero waste

Hand-Picked Peach: The Root Collective Espe Boots

January 6, 2017 by Erika

I have to share with you all one of my favorite Christmas presents!  My husband got me a pair of The Root Collective Espe Boots!  These are AMAZING!!!

The first reason is because of the look.  I mean, how cute are they?  Each pair is made with real leather and fabric hand-woven by a cooperative of women. Plus, since they're black and brown, I can wear them with just about anything in my wardrobe.  I had been in need of a bootie that was flat and not heeled to run errands in.  I'm not doing the grocery run in heeled boots, so that basically left me with just my Keds or Hunter Boots for these colder temps.  I feel like such a stylish mom when I wear these Espe Boots!

The second reason that these boots are amazing is because, while I get to look cute, my purchase helps change lives.  All shoes are handmade by Otto and a group of men in his small shop.  Otto uses the opportunity to minister to these men, some of whom are convicts with few job prospects beyond going back to gang life, and to help them support their families with safe and noble employment.

We're all used to the prices of fast fashion where working conditions are unsafe and workers are underpaid.  But when we take a stand and buy items that are handcrafted by artisans that make dignity a priority, we use our dollars for good.  We vote for safety, for dignity, and kindness.

Adding these boots to your own capsule wardrobe may not feel like you're changing the world, but as I've mentioned before, if we all make an effort to purchase from ethical sources even half the time, think of the message that would send to the fashion industry.  Think of what we could do if we all decided to buy less and buy better!

Head over to The Root Collective and watch some of their videos to find out more about their mission.

Disclaimer: The above post contains my referral link.

Erika
Influence Network
Food Lovers Devotional

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Filed Under: Other Reviews Tagged With: #buybetternotmore, #Ottomademyshoes, booties, capsule wardrobe, ethical fashion, ethical style, signature style, slow fashion, style, The Root Collective

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