Stock Up For Summer

Hi ABRGS’ers -  Megan here at the shop on this gorgeous Mothers’ Day.  Hope you are having a good one!

Since yesterday was the first day it actually felt like summer, John and I decided to get our Park Slope backyard into shape. John is pictured above not only hard at work but wearing an old school ABRGS shirt (Spread Love It’s the Brooklyn Way!). Now that our yard is all cleaned up though we need a few things to make it BBQ-ready. At the top of the list are Amazon Lights incense sticks and garden candles which are made of Andiroba, Citronella, Rosemary & Thyme and are a fantastic way to keep mosquitoes away. The incense sticks come in a pack of 12 with each stick burning 2.5 hours and the candle comes in a cute tin and burns for 28 hours. They are a safe and natural way to repel bugs and are made by a free trade community in Brazil. Come into the store and stock up! Amazon Lights Incense Sticks – $16.00, and Garden Candle – $14.00.

Spring is Sprouting!

Seed Bombs are made from a mixture of clay, compost, and seeds, and grow into beautiful clusters of flowers, vegetables, or herbs. They’re a fun way to plant in your own garden or “guerrilla-style” in an urban environment. Beyond making our environment more beautiful, Seed Bombs are made using sustainable products and socially responsible labor. They’re are hand-rolled by formerly homeless and economically-disadvantaged people. Check out the full selection of seed varieties, including a sling shot for flinging your Seed Bombs! If you’re a local, come see our cool vending machine to purchase individual Seed Bombs–just $.50 each!!

Happy St. Pats! Happy Spring!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! And Happy Spring (it feels like the warm weather is here to stay)!! We are celebrating both with our adorable HALF PINT GARDEN! Maybe you are more into cooking some greens than drinking some green beer? Or want a little of both? The cute Half Pint Garden is an herb growing kit cleverly wrapped in a milk carton-like package. The kit includes a square, white ceramic container , peat pellets and three packs of herb seeds (basil, mint and thyme).  Just remove package, add water to the peat pellets and sow the seeds. Place on a window sill and watch nature at work! Half Pint Garden- $15.

EARTH BLOCKS- coming soon! Featured in New York Mag’s Shop-a-Matic Cool New Spring Finds….

New York Magazine asked us what some of our FAVORITE new finds are for Spring and we immediately said, EARTH BLOCKS!!! These cool, lego-like blocks are made from all natural, organic materials- such as Tree Bark (as in the example above). Made from a composite of sawdust, bark, coffee bean skin, and green tea, these are a cool, green, and great-smelling alternative to plastic blocks. 50 blocks to a set. These will arrive April 6th, pre-order now… Earth Blocks Tree Bark, Earth Blocks Sawdust, Earth Blocks Coffee Bean, Earth Blocks Green Tea- $32 each.

MULTI PURPOSE, ALL NATURAL Cleaning Products- made in Brooklyn!

We recently got in these wonderfully all natural, multi-purpose cleaning products and I have to gush about how fabulous they are. I started with the soap, above, which replaced 3 cleaners I had next to my kitchen sink: Dish cleaning liquid, Hand Soap and a separate “free & clear” baby bottle cleaner. They were all stressing out my beautifully clean sink (thank you, Fly Lady!) and so I am soo glad to now have one, all purpose soap which is elegantly displayed in Haven’s Pump Dispenser ( I debated between the Spout Dispenser & this one, but for my lifestyle I went with the pump- but it’s a tough call)-

Next up was the All Purpose (part of the appeal of all of Haven’s products) Cleaner. It works well, smells nice (lemon & mint) and makes me feel good knowing I can clean Coco’s High Chair Tray with it too- since it’s all natural. All contents are listed on our website, but as an example here are the ingredients in the All Purpose Cleaner, above: Distilled Witch Hazel, Organic Castile Soap (Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive and Jojoba), Organic Aloe Vera, Vegetable Glycerine, Organic Essential Oil Blend (Lemon, Lemongrass & Peppermint), Grapefruit Seed Extract.

I am getting this one today to dive into my bathroom (along with our enamel scrub pads)- SCRUB. This product is the  ultimate multi-tasker, it’s a non-scratching powder that can clean bathrooms, scour dishes, deodorize fabrics and even be dissolved for use as a vegetable wash. Woah. I thought I could do many things at once…

Polish does just what is says– this cleaning and conditioning spray traps dust and adds luster to a variety of surfaces. From wood furniture to stainless steel smudges to your car’s interior, POLISH is a hard-working cleanser and conditioner that keeps everything looking shiny and new.

And Air Linen Spray- with the purifying scent of organic lavender- is a must in our house (btw the Big Gorilla working from home, Diaper Pail odors, you name it…). All Haven products are handcrafted from raw or minimally processed ingredients in Brooklyn, in small batches and are sold in large sizes for easy cleaning and refilling. Make your home a HAVEN home!

Soap- $26, Hand Pump Dispenser & Spout Dispenser- $25 each, SCRUB- $12, Polish- $14, Air & Linen Spray- $20 (all BIG sizes).

The Great Lunch Challenge of 2011 by Megan

Earlier this month, with the advent of fall I  embarked on the Great Lunch Challenge of 2011 in which I am packing own lunch every week day – both to be healthier and to save money.  With this commitment came the problem of figuring out how to transport my lunch.  Since I often bring leftovers I need something that can go in the microwave and most conventional plastic isn’t supposed to, and given all the recent brouhaha over its toxicity I wanted something fully BPA-free.  Also, isn’t it the worst to actually bring a lunch and then realize you forgot a fork?

Enter the Bento Box!  This fantastic container can go in both the microwave and dishwasher, is BPA-free, and has a handy matching fork that attaches to the outside.  Also, there’s a removable divider in case you want to separate dishes and a sauce holder (perfect for when I had a salad for lunch on Wednesday).  Does it get any better than this?

Bento Box - Orange, $19.95

Vapur: The Anti Water Bottle

How cool are these? Water bottles (actually called the Anti Water Bottles since they are actually not bottles!) that fold up when you are done with them. Yup, just roll them up and reuse them. Makes for easy storage (clip the carabiner to your bag)– keep one in your gym bag, pop one in your tote– wherever/whenever. 18 oz. capacity. And of course BPA- free. Vapur Anti Bottle- Orange, Green, Blue, Grey and Pink- $9.95 each.

Lunch Time!!!!

Lunchbots, $14.95-$19.95

For those of you a bit too mature for a sandwich box that looks like a sandwich, we have a somewhat more “elevated” way to transport your lunch. Lunchbots!! These babies are 100% stainless steel, so there’s no worry of chemicals leaching into your food, not to mention they’re a dream to clean. They’re also certified lead-free and dishwasher safe! With a variety of sizes (Uno, Duo, Eco, Pico), you’ll always have the right Bot for your lunch!

Preserve Your Summer–and the Environment!

10" Plates, $9.95

Well summer is winding down. Kids are heading back to school, and we’re all looking forward to jacket and boot weather. But there’s still time left for the joys of summer: picnics and trips to the beach! And for those occasions we introduce Preserve Plates and Cutlery! I hate to buy disposable plates because I feel like I’m destroying the environment (remember that commercial with the crying Indian?). But who wants to lug ceramic plates to the beach? Preserve products are made in the USA from 100% recycled materials (mostly take-out containers). And unlike most plastic plates they are completely reusable and dishwasher safe! That’s right, you can use them again and again before they wear out, and then recycle them again! So save the guilty conscience for that second serving of strawberry shortcake.

7" Plates, $6.95

Cutlery, $8.95

Cutlery, $8.95

New S’Well Water Bottles are in!!

S'Well 25 oz Water Bottle in Blue and Silver, $40

And bigger than ever! We are watter bottle junkies here (as well as Japanese Quince junkies, and Pantone junkies, etc.). It’s probably wrong to love inanimate objects as much as we do here, but I can live with that. And the S’Well water bottles aren’t just beautifully designed and fantastically functional (on a side note, a customer recently told me she left her S’Well bottle in a hot car all day, but the water remained cool and refreshing!) but also benefit a worthy cause. 10% of profits go to WaterAid, which provides clean drinking water to the world’s poorest countries.

But you’ve heard all of this before! Why are we telling you again? Because now the swell S’Well bottle comes in a larger 25 oz size for when you need a bit more room. That’s right, 25 oz.,  or 750 ml., or a full bottle of wine, making it the perfect way to keep your wine cool for a summer picnic!!