The wines are from Boisset Family Estates and include…

Fog Mountain 2006 Merlot: Dark ruby color. Aromas of raspberry jam. Mouth-filling black cherry, dusty chocolate, and blackberry flavors finish soft with ripe plum notes.

Louis Bernard 2007 Bonus Passus Côtes du Rhône: Ruby red color. Red berry fruit flavors, lush mouthfeel, lovely balance, and a long finish. Great on its own or with barbeque! Blend: 80% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre.

Yellow Jersey 2007 Pinot Noir 2007: Yellow Jersey Pinot Noir is a bright, fruity red wine from the South of France. Deep ruby red. Blackcurrant aromas add complexity and finesse. Soft tannins and perfect fruit balance, with a silky finish. Perfect with grilled fish or veal.

Today, all of the Boisset Family Estates throughout France, Canada, and California are certified organic or are on the path to achieving certification. All of these wines have other eco-perks, including PET recyclable bottles which offer a 50% lower carbon footprint than traditional glass and are lightweight and unbreakable.The trio comes in a 100% recycled and recyclable gift box.

Additionally, 10% of this product’s retail price goes to the EarthEra Renewable Energy Trust and the carbon footprint of shipping this trip is balanced by EarthEra. Bonus; the Eco Wine Trio is a gift steal at just $30.

[image via Wine.com]

Post from: Blisstree

Wine.com Debuts Eco Wine Trio

NOT GREEN #1: Artificial trees you use for just a few years. Not only is this a waste of money, but resources too. Most artificial trees are made of some sort of plastic and imported from China, hitting you with a double ding (plastic and emissions).

NOT GREEN #2:  A Christmas tree from a non-local farm that’s been driven miles to get to your area – local is better.

NOT MUCH GREENER: Artificial trees you use for years and years. If you get a longer life out of your fake tree, it’s much better than the above situation, but not by much. For one, you’ve still got a tree made with toxic plastic material, and for two, almost no recycling centers will take these so it’s ending up in the landfill for sure.

GREENISH: Buy a Christmas tree from a local farm where they plant and harvest in a renewal cycle annually. I.e. they plant in the spring, harvest in the fall, and always have new trees growing. Give yourself one more point if you locate a local (NOT shipped in) organic Christmas tree. Give yourself another point if you recycle your tree after Christmas. Both these acts pump GREENISH up to MORE GREEN.

PRETTY DARN GREEN: Get a living Christmas tree from a local nursery and after the holidays, and thaw, plant it in your yard or in the community.

GREENEST: No tree OR decorate a standing tree on your property OR make a homemade tree out of recycled paper or other goods OR go with something ultra unique like the Eco Christmas tree by Buro North.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Plan for the greenest Christmas tree

Today a gift for the kids – Block Puzzles from Mudpuppy.

These block puzzles are ultra cute, as you can see from the Forest Friends Block Puzzle shown above, and feature fun designs by various popular artists. Each puzzle is made up of nine thick 2-inch cubes that can be used as building blocks or your child can form six different puzzle pictures with the set. Change the picture by turning blocks around. Each puzzle comes with a sturdy box with sliding drawer.

As far as eco-perks, the puzzle greyboard contains 90% recycled paper and the packaging contains 70% recycled paper. All designs are printed with non-toxic, soy-based inks. Plus, at just $14, these are eco-puzzles you can afford. The perfect gift for little tykes.

PS – many amazing designs available! Check these Block Puzzles out at Mudpuppy.

Post from: Blisstree

Green Gift – Recycled Block Puzzles

If you’re new to Declutter It, you may have missed me talking about this amazing book. If so, read, Organize Now! Possibly the Only Organizing Book You Need…

Trust me, I’ve read scads of organizing books, and many are good, even great, but this book you will love. If your goal is to get neat and tidy this year, check out my review of this book.

Next up, we’ll return to our regularly scheduled bathroom make-over.

Post from: Blisstree

An Organized Reminder

First of all, yes, the book really is this cute. I love the style and bright color. Face it, if you need to get organized, the last thing you need is to lose your darn guidebook. You won’t lose this one.

Basic facts about Organize Now!: 

• Organize Now! Is pratical without being dull. Not simply a how-to, there are loads of action steps included.
• The action steps and advice given are for short projects. This is cool, because when you’re first trying to get organized, a HUGE project seems, well, huge. Small steps are best for organizing newbies and that’s what this book dishes up.
• Besides smaller action steps there are also some great long-term goals included, but they totally won’t overwhelm you.
• I was actually kind of impressed that Jennifer found so many things to organize. This book covers the basics, such as bill paying systems, kids toys, and home spaces, but then went on to cover some completely non-typical organizing topics, like organizing your holiday, pregnancy, and how to organize after a loss. Many of these topics you don’t see in other books.

How the book is set up:

Hardback but spiral bound so it opens flat – perfect because it allows you to follow the tips, check them off, and take notes.

The book is broken into 7 major headings. Under each heading are smaller projects that go with the major heading. Example:

Then each smaller heading, for example, Organize Your Home Office, is broken down into four pages – an intro to the project, the weeks goals in a checkoff list format, helpful tips, and a very cool stay organized page that offers ideas for keeping your office organized at various intervals (once a month, every 3-6 months, once a year). There’s also a spot for personal notes.

Here are some image examples, so you can see the format (PS yeah they’re a little fuzzy, but I’m a blogger, not a photographer – sadly):

Visually – this is hands down the prettiest organizing book I’ve ever seen. Each section has it’s own special colors and design. This is part of the intro – look at the flowers!

And each chapter has a different fun paper design:

Overall book review score: 

PLUS

I’m giving this book six out of five stars. Why…

• Mainly because it actually kept me interested and I read a lot of organizing books, so keeping me interested in a new one, well, tough job. I think the visual appeal had a lot to do with that.
• This is the perfect book for folks new to organizing. I’d probably go so far to say, that this might be the only book you’d need.
• There were no surprises; each chapter was organized just like the last.
• There was no annoying hook. So many decluttering and organizing books have some oddball hook, motto, or slang that peppers the entire text (which is SO annoying). This was no nonsense, simple, get it done organizing advice.
• Lastly, it’s a great deal – (under $11 at Amazon) you can’t beat it.

Get the book, get organized, and stay organized – you can thank me later. Get the book, Organize Now!

Visit Jennifer’s site and blog

[images via my little old camera and Jennifer's site]

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Holiday Gift Guide: Organize Now! Possibly the Only Organizing Book You Need…