Mike Urban welds the most enchanting dinosaur sculptures for the yard or garden from bits of metal. Reclaimed scraps from tractors, shovels and other implements give the dinosaurs even more charm.

Mike Urban

Amour Vert is manufacturing entirely in the USA, strengthening and supporting local community and lowering the carbon footprint of their products. Their designs use sustainable production processes for their natural and organic fabrics to keep chemicals off of your skin and out of the soil.

Lovely looking coats and jackets for both women and men from eco clothing company Vaute Couture. All jackets are make with vegan fabrics and support living wages for production staff. The live was created by Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart an animal and environmental activist.

Fin Oslo organic clothing line.

This super modern doll house by Finnish Designer Jenni Jurrinen is a wonderful open ended play option for kids.

Swapping food, either casually among neighbors or in an organized group, is reviving a barter-and-trade system for food that went away with the introduction of the modern grocery store, when Americans stopped worrying about growing, trading or stocking up on enough food to make it through the year.

As everyone grew accustomed to shopping for prepackaged foods made in factories, we lost the art of acquiring things to eat from people we know. But recently more people are growing, making and preserving foods, drinks, and goods that they once bought from a store and are rediscovering the benefits of trading goods locally, building community. Swaps are a wonderful opportunity to meet others who are interested in gardening, food preservation, beekeeping, and other sustainable, DIY activities. It’s like trick-or-treating for adults.

There are some of these swap groups right here in Colorado. The Mile High Swappers meet in Denver/Boulder and Fort Collins once a month. No money is exchanged, just think of it as a DIY potluck party! Participants bring at least 3-5 items to swap, but they don’t all have to be the same thing. Other groups in the state are in Colorado Springs with two versions the Pikes Peak Community Cupboard and Bear Roots Urban Homesteading. The Pueblo version is Homestyle Swap Meet. These free community events support local agriculture and encourage turning your backyard into a working mini farm of sorts to create  “swapable” items.  Every  community should have one of these locavore haunts! I now know where to take my pickles, jams, fruits and herbs!!

If you’d like to find a food swap in your area, check out the fabulous Food Swap Network!!!

Example of items to bring for bartering:

•Fresh produce, fruit, sprouts, and herbs from your garden.
•Backyard/Farm fresh eggs, cheese, baked goods, savory snacks, honey
•Preserved, pickled, fermented items, vegetarian soups, stocks
•Homemade condiments, dips, spreads, and toppings
•Handmade soaps, lip balms, lotions, and other beauty products
•Crochet/knitted items, handmade jewelry, handmade cards, etc
•Useful garden tools, household and camping/backpacking items
•Homemade flavored salts, spice blends, seasonings
•Seeds, seedlings, compost, soil
•Homemade soda pop, fruit juices, drink mixes

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We have just completed the 2nd Annual Firefly Handmade Holiday Market here in Boulder! This year it will took place at the BMoCA, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. As organizers, we were thrilled to have such a beautiful building for the market to occur in. It was filled to the brim with gift options and cheerful holiday grins. As always there was an art area for the kiddos and yummy food and drinks (gluten free cupcakes from Swell)!! The DIY gift wrapping station was a huge hit! We hope to see you at our next market in Chautauqua in April!

The amazing chandelier is made by Andrew of AfterGlow Studio

]]> http://hautenature.com/firefly-handmade-holiday-market-2011/feed/ 1 http://hautenature.com/happy-hallows-eve/ http://hautenature.com/happy-hallows-eve/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:00:15 +0000 admin http://hautenature.com/?p=7088

Happy Halloween everyone!

This Halloween I am kind of obsessed with mythological half human, half animal themes….

I like the idea of dressing as a animal human hybrid or ambimorph. Here is a little hybrid mythology to read.

Satyr: half human half goat

Minotaur: half human half bull

Horus: half human half bird

Anubis: half human half jackal

Dracena: half human half snake

others are: naiad, faun, werewolf, cyclops, harpies, siren, triton, nagas, dogons.

Here are some other great ideas for homemade costumes-day of dead, mummy and heidi klum as skingirl ala Bodyworlds. Every great dane should be a fairy.

Everything in nature moves to a pattern of the spiral, why not harness this within our designs. This is exactly what Jay Harmon is doing with fans- biomimicry of the spiral. Watch the video and more at Fast Company.