Archive for 2009

Canadian Natural Mama – Every Little Bit Green Christmas~ Review

Monday, November 16th, 2009

canadiannaturalmamareviews
By Tara Albas, Natural Green Mama

I have just discovered a wonderful eco-conscious online shop~ and just in time for all of my holiday shopping! Every Little Bit is a great place to shop for all your green gifts this year. They have a pages and pages dedicated to Green Christmas ideas. They have clever green stocking stuffers, gorgeous Christmas ornaments, and lovely and unique toys for all ages. Every Little Bit also carries eco-conscious greeting cards and gift wrapping supplies. This shop really does have every little bit that you need to be green.

Besides a huge array of gift ideas and toys, Every Little Bit carries many wonderful eco-conscious and green living products. I especially love their litter-less lunch ideas, gorgeous organic clothing, diapers, skin and hair care products, personal care products, and green office supplies. They even have natural pet care products, which as an animal lover I know can be hard to find. Every Little Bit also has a great selection of natural cleaners from trusted brands. I honestly cant think of anything that they don’t have, Every Little Bit is a one stop shop for all your green needs. (more…)

10 tips for a Natural Noël

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Yes, we know the term “natural” is not the best to use, but we liked the alliteration.

Celebrate this Christmas season by reducing your environmental impact. Whether you seek out eco-friendly gifts and decorations or choose to serve an earth-conscious meal to friends and family, there are many ways to cut waste and fulfil the dream of a green Christmas. Start small and over the years, you’ll be able to cultivate traditions that honour the earth as well as your guests.Eco-Xmas Ball

1. Consume less.
That is the easiest way to green your Christmas and your life the rest of the year. Sounds weird coming from a company selling things but it’s the truth. Eliminate the unnecessary purchases. Only buy gifts that count. We all have people in our lives who we can cut off the gift list and it doesn’t hurt any feelings; spend time with them instead, share an event, instead of a gift. The landfill, and your pocketbook will thank you. Or perhaps think about a charitable donation. And for when you do want to buy gifts, consider the eco-footprint of the products you choose. (more…)

Eco-friendly Cleaning

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

We came across this great tip list on the site Come Clean Naturally – a Vancouver based cleaning service.  Everyday ingredients to clean all your everyday “stuff”.  Every Little Bit carries several lines of cleaning products, but we wanted to share this list with you too!  Thanks to the team at Come Clean Naturally for letting us use this informative resource.

Eco-friendly cleaning ingredients

Every Little Bit Cleaning

  • Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate): a non-toxic, all-purpose cleaner. Cleans, removes stains, deodorizes, and softens fabrics.
  • Borax (sodium borate): a natural mineral that kills bacteria and mold. As an alternative to bleach, it deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. Note that borax can be toxic to children and pets: keep these and other toxic products out of their reach, and inform other household members of the whereabouts and purpose of any borax and boric acid in the house.
  • Pure soap (Castile) and vegetable oil-based soaps: cleans everything, and biodegrades completely!
  • Cornstarch: starches clothes, absorbs oil and grease.
  • Herbs and essential oils: for disinfecting and fragrance.
  • Lavender and Tee Tree oils: natural antiseptics which fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
  • Lemon juice: cuts through grease and removes perspiration and other stains from clothing. This is a good bleach alternative. (more…)

Meaghan Relkie – Mom of the Month – West Coast Moms

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

West Coast Moms - Meaghan Relkie, Every Little Bit, Mom of the Month
Meaghan Relkie

Co-founder & Vice-President, Product Strategy, Every Little Bit Eco-Shop Ltd.

Growing up, I was never one of those girls who dreamed of getting married and having children; in fact it didn’t cross my mind much at all. Not that I didn’t think I would or wouldn’t, but rather I just didn’t really think about it at all. I had a vision that family was just something that happened naturally and I was more focused on my professional success; I think I was taking my family for granted even before I had one.

Although I enjoyed work immensely, and worked hard at university – completing two bachelors degrees in both English and Psychology – I felt a void in my life that didn’t seem to be filled by career or educational success.

Then I met Ray; we had a fast romance…from friendship to dating to marriage. We hadn’t really decided on children; we figured we might some day but we were busy working hard, travelling and just enjoying ourselves. He wasoct_09_meaghan addicted to his job and I was done schooling and moved on to a variety of social activities. I began volunteering for an amazing organization (Soroptimist) jumping right in as Treasurer and then President for two years, I was training for and running in marathons every chance I got and I was becoming increasingly interested and active in environmental issues, all the while slowly changing the way my husband and I were treating the planet. (more…)

Sweet Pea in a Pod – Droolicious Review

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Babble

By Elizabeth Leach, Droolicious & Babble.com

Sweet Pea Glass Bottles and Pea Pod Covers are absolutely adorable. I love the baby in the pea pod logo! Of course, more importantly, glass bottles are better for baby because they are BPA free. The brightly colored neoprene bottle cover protects the bottle from breaking and helps keep the milk warm. The colors of the covers are more than just attractive. The creators of Sweet Pea Thumb_Bottle_Cover_PinkBottles wanted the bottles to be easy to find when lost under the crib or car seat. Smart!

Sweet Pea Glass Bottles (9 oz) are $8.95 and Pea Pod Bottle Covers (9 oz) are $7.95. Pea Pod Bottles are also available in 5 oz for $7.95 and Covers for $6.95. Both sizes are at Every Little Bit.

Addicted to Bubbles

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Addicted to BubblesI admit it… I was addicted to bubbles.  I’ve long had the connection that bubbles mean clean.  Like Pavlov’s dog knows that a bell means food, I know that bubbles mean clean…looks like the dog and I were both wrong.  Just like it was not the bell that brought the food, it is not the bubbles that provide the clean.  In the end, it actually looks like the bubbles are working against us.

We have been trained to think that soaps need to bubble.  Bubble baths, suds of dishes, a foaming shampoo…no questions asked, soaps should bubble.  But why?  Sure, the bubbles are pretty, they fill the sink, they feel good in our hair and the kids sure like to play in them, but where do they come from and do we really need them?  Looking into the ingredients of my old favourite bubbling cleaners I find that we are better off being bubble free.

The most common ingredient found in hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, shaving creams and even toothpaste that offer us that irresistible lather is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).  However, in higher concentrations, SLS is also used in industrial products, including engine degreasers, floor cleaners, and car wash soaps.  Admittedly, the concentrations in our household products are considerably lower, but it still begs the question, do I want to wash my hair and my car with the same ingredients?  (My car is not that fancy.)

So let’s look at the benefits of SLS.  (more…)

More than a Puzzle: It’s Educational Art

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

BabbleBy Catherine Hale at Babble/Droolicious

Looking for an innovative toy with a creative twist for your youngster? Take a look at this cool toys that’s non-toxic, educational, fun and different.

This 5 layer puzzle from Beleduc is called the Caterpillar To Butterfly Layer Puzzle. It teaches your child about the life cycle of a butterfly, from larvae to full grown. Each layer of the puzzle shows a different stage of development and each level is a puzzle of its own with two to ten pieces per level. Think of it as brain food for young minds!

You can buy this puzzle at EveryLittleBit for $24.95.

View original article at Babble

Visit Every Little Bit at the Bellies to Babies Celebration

Monday, September 14th, 2009

BelliestoBabiesSunday, September 27th, 2009 – 11am to 4pm

Croatian Cultural Center – 3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver BC

Admission is by donation to Basics for Babies.

This is a great event for new, expectant and experienced moms.  Pop by Booth #6 to see whats hip, happening and healthy for families trying to go “green”.  See a variety of educational speakers, win great prizes and check out alot of neat vendors with kid-friendly products.

Vote Now for Every Little Bit to be Canada’s top Mom Entrepreneurs!

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Vote for Every Little Bit

 

For Immediate Release

 

Vote Now for Every Little Bit to be Canada’s top Mom Entrepreneurs!
Every Little Bit is entered to win $15,500 and needs your votes to win.

 Port Moody, BC, August 24, 2009 – Every Little Bit has put their name into the ring to win The SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award, a readers’ choice contest designed to find Canada’s top Mom Entrepreneurs. The winners will be announced in the fall, and will be rewarded with a $15,500 prize  designed to help take the business to the next level. To vote for Every Little Bit, click on this URL (http://momentrepreneuraward.ca/MomBio.aspx?momID=405). 

Every Little Bit is an online store featuring everyday-use, eco-friendly products ranging from personal care items to organic cotton clothing to household necessities and toys. They carry a blend of sustainably made, yet stylish products. With detailed product descriptions, including a specific eco-rating for each product, Every Little Bit helps the more mainstream consumer start shopping “green”, without sacrificing style. The founders strongly believe that “every little bit” does indeed count.  

(more…)

Every Little Bit – 1st Canadian retailer of redspottedpurple

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Redspottedpurple creatures have arrived! A very odd, but sweetly unique “stuffy” that resembles the first drawings of my pre-schooler.  I must admit I was a bit sceptical when I first saw the marketing literature, but I was won over by the creatures themselves, the ethical company philosophy and by my kids’ reactions.  

With their misshapen bodies, odd colors, irregular legs and arms, and strange little snouts, the redspottedpurple creatures are loveable little oddballs.  I swear I’ve got a few sketchbooks from Amy (my 4 year old)  that have remarkably similar creatures with huge heads and skinny little stick legs and goofy smiles.  And Kieran, my 2 year old, took one look at the creatures, particularly the fellow named Fluf, and went into uber-loving mode.  “Its okay, lil guy, I give you hug now, want come for cookie?  I make you happy”.  

redspottedpurpleFluf and his pals are either made of Turkish organic cotton or Peruvian Alpaca Wool and are incredibly soft, with a high “squeezability” factor.   At $39.95 for one of the redspottedpurples, they not an inexpensive stuffy, but I suspect they will be one of the few that get toted everywhere for a long time by the wee person (or adult) who’s the lucky beneficiary. 

 Plus, when you consider that each redspottedpurple creature is hand-crafted by a home-based artisan in a developing country who is paid a fair wage – enabling many of their families to rise above the poverty line – that forty bucks doesn’t seem so unreasonable. 

 Redspottedpurple is an independent Dutch design label committed to eco-friendly materials and a philosophy of ethical business and social responsibility. 

Every Little Bit is pleased to be the first Canadian retailer of the unique redspottedpurple creatures.  Check Fluf and the gang out in Every Little Bit’s toy section.

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