2014 Spring Green Scene Mom Award Winners

The Green Scene Mom Awards honor cutting edge children's products that promote Eco-friendly lifestyles, sustainable living, and creative innovation. We are very excited to announce the 2014 Spring Winners!

	Baby Butz Cream Baby Butz Cream heals, restores, and moisturizes with the help of all natural ingredients. Free from preservatives, perfumes, chemicals, and alcohol, Baby Butz Cream was developed by a mom searching for a natural solution for her own child. Award Details »
	Yummi Pouch Minis Yummi Pouch was created by a husband and wife team. Inspired by their daughter, they designed Yummi Pouches to help parents meet their children's fundamental need of good nutrition while making the feeding process simple, eco-friendly, and cost-effective. Award Details »
	FunBites Cutter FunBites is a simple kitchen tool that allows you to cut sandwiches and fruit into fun shapes for little fingers. FunBites was designed by a mom who was inspired by her own daughters to create kid-friendly snacks with one easy cutter. Award Details »
	San Diego Bebe Eco-Nursing Pillow San Diego Bebe was designed by San Diego native Sandy Clark, a passionate breastfeeding advocate, entrepreneur and mother of twins. Clark was inspired to design a product that would help resolve the issue of privacy while nursing. Award Details »
	Simple Nature Natural Face & Body Lotion Simple Nature Natural Face & Body Lotion features delightful all-natural ingredients without sacrificing any comforts. This amazing product is perfect for luxuriously pampering dry skin after doing lots of dishes, diaper changes, and other labors of love. Award Details »
	Wristy Buddy Teething Wristband Wristy Buddy was designed by a mother and a teacher who was searching for a teething solution for her own son. Wristy Buddy proved to be very successful and is now available for other parents who are struggling to help their teething infants find relief. Award Details »
	Simple Nature Natural Shampoo & Body Wash Simple Nature Natural Shampoo and Body Wash is luxurious, smells delicious, and provides a refreshing finish to any hygiene routine. This product was developed by a mom who wanted to create a natural solution for her own family. Award Details »
	Toofeze Teether Toofeze was created by a mother and daughter who were inspired to develop and bring to market a sensible baby teething ring that really works. The pair is dedicated to helping soothe the pain of teething babies, thereby easing the stress of their caregivers. Award Details »
	Buttons Cloth Diapers Buttons Cloth Diapers were born at home. Designed by a husband and wife team, Buttons Diapers are easy to use and affordable for everyone — the way it should be. Buttons Diapers believes in keeping life simple, even when it comes to diapering. Award Details »
	Baby Buddy Natural Bath Sponge This natural bath sponge is made from organic material found off the coast of Florida. Instead of scratchy synthetic materials, this sponge features soft sea wool fibers that clean and lather to create a spa-like experience for your baby. Award Details »

To learn more about the Green Scene Mom Awards, please visit greenscenemom.com/awards.

You Don't Know Jack!

I am a bulk buying Costco addict and if you are anything like me your cabinets are full of giant bottles of everything. Bulk items, although cheaper and really useful, aren't always the prettiest. If you have ever set one of those gigantic bottles of dish soap on your counter you know what I mean!

Most of you, and I did this too, go buy a smaller bottle at the store to refill and keep on the counter. This works, but it's just another ugly thing on the counter and I really wanted something fun and functional. So when we ended up with a nice empty bottle of Jack Daniel's I couldn't pass up the chance to put it to use.

All you need is a funnel and a clean bottle and you have a creative and attractive way to store and use your soap. The best part, and what makes this so useful, is that liquor bottles are designed to gage the flow of liquid out while pulling air in. So one quick 'glug' of the bottle and you have the perfect amount of soap to do dishes!

Oh and one last thing that makes this extra fun . . . all the people that will wander across your kitchen to stare at and ask about the odd bottle of BLUE Jack Daniel's!

Nautical Spring with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores

Nautical designs are trending this Spring and we partnered up with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores to create a fun new Nautical feel for our bathroom remodel. You can find out what is trendy this spring and get crafty ideas on the Jo‐Ann spring inspiration website. Jo-Ann is making spring crafting easy during National Craft Month with a coupon for $5 off $25 purchase or more.

I ended up finding some great baskets for storage (50% off), macrame cording, mini-tote bags (on clearance), and star fish. Everything in the photo, including two baskets was under $40.

My first project uses the macrame cord. I tied several monkey fist sailor knots in 32" sections of cording. Looks much harder than it is. Just follow these simple step-by-step directions I found on Animated Knots. I tied about 10 of these to use in a few different places in the bathroom. I hung one on each end of the towel bar, looped one around the cabinet pull, two more as little handles on the baskets for under the sink, and used a few more as decorative hangers (you'll see those at work in a minute).

My next project was to make some decorative soap storage using the mini-tote bags. I used some glitter stain spray and a seashell to create a worn beach look on the bag. You could use any kind of sprayable paint, this kind is make for paper so it will wash off. To get the extra shell detail lines just flip the seashell over as soon as you spray and roll is around in the blank spot.

I only made one bag for now but I found a couple places it looked cute so I'm going to make more with different shell prints. The one on the sink is paired with a candle and a pillar jar full of shells and could be used to hold a handful of decorative soaps. The one on the shower door was hung with the monkey knot from early and holds a spare bar of soap.

The above review is part of the Jo-­‐Ann Fabric And Craft Stores® National Craft Month campaign. I received compensation for this review; however, the views and opinions expressed are purely my own.