DIY Winnie the Pooh Keychains

Making your own do-it-yourself Winnie the Pooh hard plastic key chain charm is a great project that parents and their kids can do together. When finished, you’ll have a rigid, transparent, waterproof plastic charm of Pooh that you can use as a key chain, Christmas ornament, as a part of a hanging mobile, luggage tag, necklace or earring pendants or anything else your imagination can dream up.

Here’s what you’ll need:

A large piece of clear #6 plastic (polystyrene)

Fine tip permanent marker (black)

Color permanent markers (Yellow and red for Pooh Bear)

Scissors Continue reading “DIY Winnie the Pooh Keychains”

Yea Mon – Jamaican Cuisine

The cuisine of Jamaica is definitely unique and quite flavourful, bringing with it a blend of the island’s local harvest and spice. The island’s food is represented by Jamaica’s motto, “Out of Many, One People”. Jamaican inhabitants have come from around the globe, including the British, Dutch, French, Spanish, East Indian, West African, Portuguese and Chinese, who brought with them their own unique cooking techniques, flavours, and spices, blending them with the island’s bountiful harvest.

The original inhabitants of Jamaica were the Arawak Indians, who died out after the arrival of the Spanish in 1509, due to disease and overwork. The Spanish then began importing slaves from Africa to replace their workforce. The Spanish brought with them their own culinary influence. As well, many Spanish Jews also arrived during the Spanish rule and contributed their influences to Jamaica’s cuisine, such as a dish still popular today, escovitch fish. Continue reading “Yea Mon – Jamaican Cuisine”

New Trends in Organic Farming

The growing popularity of Homeopathy in Europe has been well documented with statistics and recent newspaper articles that have raked unnecessary controversies only adds to its relevance. Not just the British royals but commoners from countries such as Italy, France, Greece, Spain not to forget Germany, the cradle of Homeopathy are flocking to this form of alternative medicine in droves.

Now the European commission has put its stamp of approval on Homeopathy by issuing guidelines for organic farmers in Britain to treat their livestock with Homeopathic remedies. Its directive specifically states that it is a general necessity for production of all organic livestock that homeopathic and herbal products shall be used over normal usage of chemically formulated allopathic veterinary treatment that commonly manifest as antibiotics in the market Continue reading “New Trends in Organic Farming”

How EPS or Styrofoam Shipping Coolers Are Used In Meat and Seafood Cold Chain Shipping

Cold Chain Shipping in the meat and seafood industry (especially with mail order products) is the logistical process of packaging and delivering goods so that they arrive properly fresh or frozen at their destination, preventing spoilage, customer dissatisfaction, and profit loss. Many businesses rely on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam Coolers and EPS Foam Shippers (often called Styrofoam Shipping Coolers or Styrofoam Shipping Boxes) as a means to meet the demanding thermal protection requirements for temperature-sensitive products and at the same time boosting potential profits by lowering the costs of container packaging. Here, we discuss what’s involved in using these space-age materials for basic business delivery needs.

Common Combinations of Cold Chain Shipping Supplies

Mail order packaging and general expedited shipping involving meat and seafood has evolved into a very standardized, efficient, cost-effective, profit-maximizing logistical process. For many businesses, that system of moving goods means using a well-tested arrangement of supplies proven to get the job done effectively. Among those are… Continue reading “How EPS or Styrofoam Shipping Coolers Are Used In Meat and Seafood Cold Chain Shipping”

Decorating Jars for Your Holiday Gifts

Use paint, labels, stencils, decoupage, and embellishments to make your jars look special. Match gifts and jar decorations to the person receiving the gift. Then attach a matching gift card to your jar.

Use glass canning jars, glass bottles, old-fashioned wire bail jars, recycled jars, antique jars, or plastic storage jars. Jars must have tight fitting lids.

Sterilize Jars for Food Gifts

The jars you use to package food gifts should be glass and sterilized before use.

Check all jars for chips and cracks. If chipped or cracked, don’t use for food. Use new lids.
Wash with hot, soapy water; then rinse.
To sterilize jars, place on a rack in a large pot and cover with water. Let water come to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from boiling water and let dry. Jars and lids can also be sterilized in your dishwasher.

Continue reading “Decorating Jars for Your Holiday Gifts”

A Guide to Fair Trade, Organic Chocolate Companies

Knowing Fair Trade and Certified Organic chocolate companies

Today, there are more fair trade chocolate companies and brands specializing in organic chocolate ingredients than ever. Whether you’re looking for chocolate gifts for a special occasion or a quick snack for the road, your eco-shopping trip will be much less hassle today that it would have been even five years ago.

So breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that you no longer have to struggle over where to buy earth friendly chocolate products. We’ve collected a long list of the highest quality, most ethically-sound, and most popular chocolate companies and organic chocolate brands. Give them a gander, share them with your friends, and above all, celebrate your choice to live a greener, more socially-aware life!

Alter Eco Continue reading “A Guide to Fair Trade, Organic Chocolate Companies”

Cotton Yarn Vs Acrylic for Crochet Dishcloths and Scrubbers

In general, I prefer to use cotton yarn when crocheting dishcloths and scrubbies. This is primarily because cotton is natural, soft and durable. However, over the years, I’ve had many crocheters tell me that they prefer to use acrylic for washcloths and scrubbies. So really, it boils down to personal preference; but in this article I’m going to go over several reasons why you might want to choose one over the other.

Cotton Pros:

Natural. As already mentioned, cotton material is natural. To be honest I don’t know if this makes a difference or not, but it does put my mind at ease when making scrubbies for fruits and vegetables. With that said, I try to stick with the white or off-white yarn as you don’t want any colorful dyes leaching out into your food either.

Scrubbing Action. Cotton is soft for the face, yet it makes an effective scrubber for dishes and pots and pans. Continue reading “Cotton Yarn Vs Acrylic for Crochet Dishcloths and Scrubbers”

Natural Soap Colorants

There are many options when it comes to coloring your homemade soap. Artificial colorants are often more vibrant than natural colorants, but many people like the idea of using all-natural ingredients in their soap.

There are also safety concerns with some artificial colorants, and they can have some unanticipated effects on the final soap product. If you decide to use natural colorants for your soap, there are endless possibilities to choose from, and you can give your soap almost any hue you desire.

Many of the natural materials you can use to color soap can be found in your kitchen, or local supermarket, and many are already used to color food and drug products.

These dyes can easily be extracted from fruits, vegetables, spices and even your morning coffee. Continue reading “Natural Soap Colorants”

Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair

Bring Elegance to the Table with Indian Suppliers of Houseware

The Indian manufacturers of housewares are creating magnificent artistry on serving or cooking utensils for thousands of years. The ancient artwork continues to be carved on modern earthen or copper pots. The intricately designed silver utensils and cutlery symbolize aristocracy. Meanwhile, the stainless steel products are known for their versatility and durability. It was not possible for the Indian homeowners to avail these housewares under one roof, until the handicrafts gift fair of India bought forth an effective solution to this problem. These gift-fairs display collections of exclusive housewares from different states of India.

Earthen Housewares

The earthen housewares have been present in Indian culture since the birth of Indus civilization. The designer earthen housewares may be different from their ancient predecessors. These utensils embody the same usefulness. These utensils ensure perfect cooking due to their moisture and heat retention features. The aroma of earth seeps into the food preparation and increases its flavor. The Kulhad adds earthen aroma to tea. The Matki keeps the water cool and add earthen sweetness to the stored water. Continue reading “Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair”

How to Make Your Own Paper (From Your Old Jeans)

Have you ever wished there was some use for your old, stained, mangled jeans? They’re too thrashed to donate to charity or even to make a decent pair of cutoffs, but you hate to send them to the landfill. You could cut them into squares for a quilt, but if you’re being honest, you’ll probably never get around to making it and the fabric will just take up space in your closet for the next five years. There is, however, an excellent way to recycle your old jeans and make them into a new and useful product: by turning them into paper. All that’s really required for paper-making is fibers of some sort, so the hardest part of using your jeans is going to be separating out the fibers.

1. To begin the process of breaking down the fabric, cut it into approximately 1-inch squares (no need to be precise). Remove the seams or anything else that is double-layered since it will be too tough to work with. Ditto on any metal parts. Continue reading “How to Make Your Own Paper (From Your Old Jeans)”