Celebrate World Veg Day with EtsyVeg Tomorrow!

World Vegetarian Day & the kickoff of Vegetarian Month is tomorrow, Thursday, October 1st! EtsyVeg is celebrating with special sales and a collective sharing of vegetarian and vegan recipes on the web. Join us by tuning in tomorrow for a list of team members who will be sharing crafty cooking by posting their fave original recipes on their blogs or websites. And check out veg artisans honoring the day with special sales in their shops! Handmade savings & yummy veg food- don't miss it!

Stay tuned for all-around veggie fun!

Etsy Finds: Sparta Soaps

Recently, I completed a trade (the Lost Mitten Etsy Shop is trade-friendly!) with the fabulous Sparta Soaps on Etsy. We (my fiance and I) have been happy with many different bath & body products that we've tried out on Etsy, but Sparta Soaps is definitely among the best! We have three different bars of soap: Oceanography, Ruby Red Grapefruit, and Espresso Coffee.

Since we just got the soaps, we have only had the opportunity to try one of them. The first one that we decided to use was the Oceanography soap. First, it smells amazing! A perfect soap to use first thing in the morning with uplifting and awakening scents of lemon eucalyptus. The dark color of the soap (pictured above) is attributed to generous amounts of Dead Sea Mud, Sea Clay and Dead Sea Clay. It also contains Sea Salt and Kelp.

The soap lathers up really nice and washes away really nicely, too - it doesn't leave any kind of residue on your skin after your shower. It also left my skin feeling soft and moisturized throughout the day! This could be due to the fact that Sparta Soaps uses lots of olive oil as the base for all of their soaps. The soaps are described as natural and uncomplicated, made using modern techniques and simple ingredients.

If you're looking to treat yourself to some handmade goodies, be sure to check out Sparta Soaps. Would also make great stocking stuffers for Christmas presents!

Speaking of Christmas presents, I've already started to shop for mine! I'm trying to make this Christmas as much of a "handmade Christmas" as possible by picking up various handmade goods at Etsy.com. Unfortunately, I can't list them here (yet) since the recipients of the gifts might read the blog post, but I will post after Christmas. I'm not sure if I'm the only one getting an early start on Christmas shopping, but I can't wait until I'm all finished by mid-October and won't have to enter a mall or worry about the holidays at all!

Amazing Half Red / Half Green Apple

This apple is amazing - no Photoshopping, here! It is a half red, half green apple that was found growing in the UK. The odds of this happening are more than a million to one and it was caused by a very unique and rare genetic mutation. I have posted the article below, originally from Telegraph UK.

[via Green Earth Journey]

The fruit's striking colouring is thought to be caused by a random genetic mutation at odds of more than a million to one.

The apple has caused such a stir in the village of Colaton Raleigh, Devon, that Mr Morrish is inundated with neighbours queuing up to take pictures of it.

Mr Morrish, 72, who has been harvesting the apples from trees in his garden for 45 years, said: "It's truly amazing.

"It looks as if a green apple and a red apple has been cut in half and stuck together."

He said that he was out picking a few apples for his sister-in-law when he spotted the fruit hanging from a bough.

Mr Morrish, a retired painter and decorator, added: "I couldn't believe my eyes. The red and green split through the stem is totally perfect – as if I've painted it.

"It's a genuine one-off and none of us have ever seen an apple like it before."

Experts believe that the odds of finding an apple with such a perfect line between the green and the red are more than a million to one.

In such cases, the red side usually tastes sweeter than the green side – because it has seen more sunshine during its growth.

John Breach, chairman of the British Independent Fruit Growers Association, told the Daily Mail: "I've never seen this happen before to a golden delicious. It is extremely rare. It is an extreme mutation.

"There has been the occasional case of this type reported. If there was a whole branch of apples with the same colouring then fruit experts would get even more excited."

Jim Arbury, fruit superintendent at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, said it was probably the "result of a random genetic mutation".

"This is known as a chimera where one of the first two cells has developed differently giving rise to one half of the apple being different," he said.

"It is unlikely to be a stable mutation but it is worth checking next year to see if it recurs. There are instances of some striped apples and pears where the mutation remains stable including one striped pear in the collection at Wisley called Pysanka."

Have You Hugged Your Veggies Today?

That's right - today (September 25th, 2009) is International Hug a Vegetarian Day! As a lifelong vegetarian (and trying my best to become Vegan), I expect hugs, people! :) I send virtual hugs out to all fellow vegetarians and vegans out there across the web! ****HUG**** ! Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday and you have a great weekend!

Featured Etsy Blogger for September: Designs by Vanessa

This month's featured Etsy Blogger is Designs by Vanessa - congratulations! She creates some beautiful jewelry and paper goods that would make a great gift, or would be great to keep for yourself!

Pictured above is the Charming Chickadee Necklace, which to steal from the title, is quite charming! From the description, "Delicate faceted rondelles of aqua quartz are hand linked to a unique brass filigree. It is hung on a sturdy antiqued brass chain, and finished off with an antique brass lobster clasp." This is a very delicate and beautiful necklace that would go great with just about any outfit!

Be sure to visit her shop and while you're at it, check out Designs by Vanessa's blog!

Etsy Bloggers Carnival: Show us your Face!

I thought this was a really fun idea for this week Etsy Bloggers' blog carnival - show us your face! Well, I have posted a few photos on here of myself before, but here I am again! This would be a great opportunity to introduce myself to any new readers, or anyone who is interested in learning a little more about me!

This picture is about a year and a half old, so my hair is quite a bit longer now ;) My name is Lauren and I am 27 years old. I am happily engaged to the love of my life, Paul. My work is inspired by some of my favorite things...I love to play video games, in particular some of the older video games on the Nintendo from my childhood, so I craft a lot of video game-themed items. I also love to knit - I find it to be one of the most relaxing things! So, I also make some knit goods, including knit wear and Nintendo DS knitted cases.

I love animals, especially cats. I have been a vegetarian for my entire life. I love to take good care of myself through nutrition and exercise, including regular trips to the gym and doing yoga. Traveling is also one of my favorite things - I also keep a travel blog and a travel photo album online. I haven't done that much traveling so far, but I hope to someday travel the world!

I hope that you've enjoyed a tiny window into my world - I look forward to reading the other posts within this blog carnival to learn a little bit more about my fellow Etsy Bloggers!

Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week - Joslin Jewels

Pictured above are the Nice Kitty Earrings from the Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week, Joslin Jewels. They are "hand-wrought sterling silver hoops adorned with dangling faceted cubes of lustrous tiger eye." These earrings are beautiful!

You will find some gorgeous jewelry at Joslin Jewels, including many intricate wire-wrapped pieces. The creator, Sheridan Joslin, has been creating these beautiful wearable pieces of art for over 10 years now. You can also check out her blog and her twitter page.

She also has a special offer to her customers: Until 9/27/09: Buy one or more items over $25.00 and choose one item worth up to $25.00 for FREE! Simply enter "etsytwitter" and the name of the item you would like to receive for free in the Notes to Seller box during Etsy checkout.

[via Etsy Twitter Team Blog]

Tree Project Update - My Seeds are Growing

A couple of months ago, I posted about the Tree Project at the Horticultural Society of New York City. Second or third generation seeds from trees that grew in Hiroshima after the time of the atomic bombs (Hibaku, or A-bombed trees) were being sent all around the world for us to grow as part of an exhibition.

I received some Chinaberry seeds in the mail and planted them. Within a couple of weeks, I was starting to see some signs of life! Now, the seeds have transformed into a cute little plant. I'm going to keep taking care of it and will post updates every couple of months, on this blog and for the Horticultural Society's exhibition in December 2009, where they will display the plants that have grown and photos of people holding their plants from all over the world.

Who Needs Starbucks? Make a Homemade Vanilla Latte

Who needs Starbucks?! I do love my grande vanilla soy latte, but I've found a reasonable substitute that can be made quickly and easily at home! Not only is this a tasty recipe, but it will surely save tons of $$$. Plus, I can choose to use my own organic soy milk, don't have to worry about wasting a paper cup/plastic lid, and don't have to drive to the Starbucks to purchase one, so this is a much "greener" option as well!

I made this using soy milk (Vegan / lactose-free version), but you can use regular milk as well. I don't have an espresso maker or espresso beans, so I just used regular coffee beans but made the coffee twice as strong.

1. Brew 3/4 cup of coffee - twice as strong.
2. While you are brewing the coffee, heat 1 1/4 cups of soy milk in the microwave for 3 minutes or until hot.
3. Pour the coffee, heated soy milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tbsp sugar into a blender and blend until it looks frothy. Blending the ingredients together will help to create that frothy and foamy texture. Pour into a mug and enjoy!

Stratford Garlic Festival

This past weekend (on Saturday, September 12th), we had a little day trip out to the Stratford Garlic Festival in the town of Stratford, Ontario. This festival is basically just what it sounds like - a festival devoted completely to garlic, and to unite those who love garlic! I love cooking with garlic...so I was easily sold on the idea of going to this! It was also a beautiful day outside for a Fall Festival (although it still felt like summer!) and a great day to go for a drive.

First...I needed some coffee! So I took a photo of myself and Paul driving towards Stratford with the precious soy latte :) Paul doesn't drink coffee so he got some sort of blended vanilla cream drink. Yum!



I apologize for not taking more photos at the Garlic Festival - I completely forgot until we were about to leave! There were many vendors at the festival, selling various garlic products. There were also some small local businesses that were selling sauces, jams, and all sorts of different food items. You were able to try samples of pretty much any food item that a vendor had for sale! There were also cooking demonstrations, live music, and much more. At one point, we were approached by a festive old gentleman in a pea-green cape that wanted to sell us some garlic shooters as a fundraiser - we weren't really in the mood for drinking, but a fun idea! Everyone was having a great time at the Stratford Fairgrounds!

We ended up picking up some garlic dill pickles (from a Mennonite vendor), some garlic butter, a curry masala spice blend (with garlic!), and a garlic roaster.

I have a very funny story to share - when I moved in with Paul, I brought a brand new ceramic garlic roaster in the shape of a head of garlic. After moving in, the garlic roaster completely disappeared to never be found! Over three years pass, and we find the exact same garlic roaster at this garlic festival and are so happy to have found another one! When we arrive back at the house, we walk into the kitchen and there is a garlic roaster sitting right out on the kitchen counter. Paul says "Wow, you unpacked that really quickly!" and I say, "No, no...you are carrying the bag with the garlic roaster in it that we just bought!" As it turns out, my fiance's father was looking for something in the cupboards and found our original garlic roaster that disappeared over three years ago all the way at the back of the shelf and brought it out for us! I could never find it because I'm so short (5'3") and I could never see it! So, now we have two brand new garlic roasters that are completely identical....figures that the day we replace a lost item, that is the day that it turns up!

All in all, it was a fantastic day! Unfortunately, this festival only runs once a year, so if you find yourself in southern Ontario and you're looking for something fun to do next September, be sure to check it out! A must-see for those who love garlic!

Super Cute Gigantic Rubber Duckie!

Hello everyone! I apologize for not having updated in over a week! Usually, I am used to updating this blog every day, or at least every other day, but I have been so busy with regular life / social life / work / Etsy shop / Japanese language night class lately that I have been a bit too busy to update! I have plenty of things to share, so I hope to update this blog again on a more regular basis!

In the meantime, please enjoy these giant rubber duckie photos! Created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, this 9.5m tall by 11m long rubber duck has been spotted in Europe, Japan, and Brazil. Also, check out the Youtube video!

[via Cute Overload]

Organic Farmer's Market Finds!

The next best thing to growing your own vegetables is finding some fresh veggies at the local farmer's market. I've quickly become a farmer's market addict, seeking out the fresh foods that our local farmers have to offer.

This morning, I went to the Brantford Farmer's Market because I found out that a local organic farmer, Heart's Content Organic Farmstead has a booth there on Saturdays. From their booth, I picked up the following veggies and fruits (pictured above): kale, carrots, arugula, and ground cherries. I didn't think to take this picture until after I started cleaning and cutting the carrots, so I was able to purchase way more carrots than are seen here in the picture - also, I already cut off a lot of the leafy tops. Everything is so fresh and yummy, and definitely not genetically modified or treated with chemicals!

On Thursday, Paul and I visited the Dundas Farmer's Market (wow, I went to two different markets in one week!) and picked up tons of fresh, organic produce from Plan B Organic Farms, as well as some other local vendors. We got some corn, sweet potatoes, green beans, potatoes, and some fresh salsa and vegan tamales. I was also very happy to see a vegan bakery there - I got some super yummy cookies!

We have so many great lunches and dinners all planned out to use all of the new vegetables! Yum!