shak-shuka

Potty Time (Caca)Cabane

It's with great delight and a touch of sadness that our daughter is now potty trained (on her biodegradable BecoPotty of course ;-). Pride and liberation for her from the confines of bulky, uncomfortable diapers, and a bit of sadness for her mama who now has to accept one of the first stages that her baby is, well, not a baby anymore. Attempting to swallow my pain, when I look at her beaming with pride on her potty I feel nothing but pride and happiness for her. And then, I am told (that's the nice way of saying "yelled at") to look away as she does her "business".

Imagine my delight when I was breezing through Minor Details, and saw the Ma Cacabane, one of the funniest, and most appropriate things for our daughter. Meant to be a stylish porta-potty/mini-toilet/bit-of-privacy for the little ones when using the "facilities", I couldn't imagine a child who wouldn't love this idea. I can also imagine after the child graduates to a "big" potty, that they can use this (recycled cardboard) Ma Cacabane as a tent for adventures, or recycle it as something else (a surfboard when flat? a painting canvas?). Of course the logistics of modern life mean that this great invention wouldn't make it into most homes because of the space factor. But let me tell you, I love this concept so much I'm thinking it would fit our new house perfectly, and who knows, maybe even being stocked at Shak-Shuka?!

"Acqua e Sapone" Face

In Italy they have a saying for girls who have that fresh-face look - "acqua e sapone". I just adore that saying, and wish it referred to me more often. I love the idea of having a squeaky clean look that even if it's a bit innocent and sweet for me in reality, it gives me a sense of simplicity and innocence.

Even though I'm not that close to "acqua e sapone", I do however have a pretty simple regimen every morning and night that uses acqua (water) and sapone (soap): Weleda's Almond Cleansing Lotion. I love the smell of almonds (even though it reminds me of cherries?!), and the cleansing lotion is super gentle for my sensitive skin, and really does help remove eye make-up (one less product to buy to remove eye make-up). Surely you've heard of Weleda if you have ever visited a health food shop or "natural" store, as they are one of the biggest brands around, with a wide range of hair, face, bath and body care products based on biodynamic agriculture. Best of all, the last time I was picking up some Almond Cleansing Lotion, it is now a carbon-neutral product. That made me stock up and really want to support the great products and work Weleda is doing. The only glitch I find with the Almond Cleansing Lotion is it's in a (recyclable!) aluminum tube, which makes it nearly impossible to get all of it out, but if you have one of these handy-dandy Tube Wringers (also great for Dr. Hauschka products which come in the same kind of tubes), then it's a 100% eco product!

Poof! the Magic Poof

So it looks like things are moving full steam ahead for the new La Casa Shuka. Yay! It will be wonderful to spread our wings in a new larger house that's more fitting of us and, well, all our things! Naturally every night when I go to sleep, I have a mental picture of how everything's going to look - wall decorations, furniture, rugs - the whole lot.

This week's obsession: the living room. We already have a couch, which we are debating whether or not we should retire (after 4 years of being subjected to St Bernard lovin') but the rest of the furniture is a bit of a conundrum. Our main goal is to have very few, great pieces instead of filling it up with many (less expensive) pieces which tend to cloud the view we had envisioned for the room. For the living room, I'm thinking greys, warm, low-tables and chairs - minimalistic chic but comfortable. You can imagine my delight when I discovered this poof which resembles one of the scarves I have in my super-scarf-stash. A fantastic crocheted poof made from handwoven wool by artisans in the Philippines under fair trade working conditions. Swoon! I'm in love! Luckily I found the poof first here in town (at Depot Rotterdam) but if you can't make it here then you can get it from the online shop Le Souk. I love their idea of putting a tray on top of the poof to make it into a side table - great for when we have our housewarming party!

Rag-a-Muffin Rug

In my constant quest to mentally interior decorate our new apartment before we even step foot in the place (or have the keys), one of the things that my dreams usually miss are rugs. The apartment is much much larger than our current one, and the rugs that we have now, well, let's just say it might be best to turn them into doggy mats.

The only issue is that rugs are usually painfully expensive, and given what we do to rugs (smells, stains and otherwise) I thought a durable and inexpensive rug would be best. The only problem with that is that cheap rugs tend to look even cheaper than they really are and don't scream "decor" like I'd like them to. So, low and behold, when times are tough, it's best to call on your own resources - and resources we have! I recently found this great tutorial for making your own Flokati rug via the fabulous Lil'Magoolie blog. The tutorial was created by a mama-to-be, working on it with her own mother while her baby was busy being baked in the (not-so-easy-bake) oven. I love how candid she is in the fact that even though the rug is insanely cheap to make (scrap tees anyone?!) it is incredibly time consuming. But just like all my other major craft projects, the best ones do seem to take more time, and the end result is so, so, so worth it. Maybe you're not in the mood to make a full dining-room sized rug, but you could start with a doormat and work your way up. I'll post pics when I finish ours!

Superadorable, Supereco, Supernana

Just like any other parent, we favor things. Hopefully not people or our children, but things that we bought for our baby, that just somehow seem to be cuter, better, smarter, nicer. When Baby Shuka was born, there were a few items that I would reach for again and again, giving her no choice but to love what she was given!

Two of those items were from a superb brand named Supernana. We had (and still have) a small rattle with a wooden teething ring and bell that was so sweet and simple, I think that I spent just as much time playing with it as she did. The other was a pair of the most delicious ankle-strap mary-jane style slippers for her little feet. They were probably the only pair of "shoes" that I ever bought that she ever wore. All of Supernana's products are made from natural felt, and recently they have been accredited by the Fair Wear Foundation meaning they guarantee fair trade working conditions. To make it even sweeter (and greener), most of the items are from Oeko-tex certified wool felt, so that you surely won't worry when baby shoves his/her foot in his/her mouth wearing one of the slippers. It's been a long time coming, but we're glad to now say that we are stockists of Supernana's eco-friendly wool felt items, and the collection is growing with Ladybug Rattles, Grandpa Slippers, and the cutest Rabbit Musical Boxes!

Swiss Lingerie Treasure

Since clearly this week I will spend reminiscing about all the great things we saw, ate, (bought) and did during our vacation, I thought I'd share another gem. I'm lucky that I've been able to travel enough, and know the origin of many of the brands that I buy, so that when/if I get lucky enough to pass through that country, I can stock up on the local products and avoid being gouged with the price hike at home.

One of my favorite things in Switzerland has to be Hanro lingerie. I was first introduced to this line about a decade or so ago (when I was 8 of course....) and have been a devoted fan ever since. Hanro uses only natural materials in their underwear and loungewear, and each piece is a classic style that will literally last for ages. I have all of the original pieces I bought that same decade ago! Although Hanro underwear isn't cheap, it's a serious investment and a million times superior to the "average" underwear. Plus I really believe that the items breathe really well, meaning I can actually wear the wool camisoles I have from them in the summer! Only thing to watch out for with Hanro is their sizing is a bit strange, so make sure you try before you buy. You won't regret it - consider it your own little Swiss treasure!

Marvis-lous Toothpaste

We're back! Did you miss us (web)universe?! Although we missed writing and sharing eco-info, it was nice to take a well-deserved break. Everybody's got to re-charge their batteries sometime! This summer we were fortunate enough to get away to Italy, where I lived for a few years many many years ago. It was great to take my own family to places where I used to go with friends to shop, eat and just aimlessly walk for hours (which all ended in a search of gelato, of course). In fact, it must run in the family as Baby Shak-Shuka ate ice cream at least once a day. No joke!

Since today is my obsession of the week, it would have to be one of my coveted items that I always stock up on when I go to Italy: Marvis toothpaste. Based on an "antique" (sounds weird if you're talking toothpaste, but it works!) formula, this toothpaste brings the minty freshness like none other. I can't deny that one of the main reasons that I love Marvis toothpastes is the gorgeous apothecary-worthy packaging. In fact, since being at home, I don't even mind having all the tubes that I bought laying around the bathroom (thanks to Baby Shak-Shuka!). Best of all, this time around I discovered that Marvis comes in more flavors than I remember: there's Classic Mint, Jasmin Mint, Paradise Fruit, Aquatic and Ginger Mint. One flavor for (almost) every day of the week, and they please the mouth as much as the eyes......ah, now that's refreshing!

Ice Cream Magic! Shell Recipe

The other day we were walking by an ice cream parlor that had the hardened candy shell that used to dazzle us as kids. I used to love watching that chilly ice cream cone get dipped in the (questionable, no doubt) mystery mix of candy-shell goodness only to watch it harden up and create a mystifying delight. Still to this day it hypnotizes me, and I was almost tempted to give my daughter one to see the results. Lucky enough for me her mother is a nosy-ninny on the web and happened to find an AMAZING and dairy-free recipe for the ice cream mystery shell! I thought I couldn't believe that it could be true, then I tried it (I highly recommend using flavorless coconut oil unless you want a taste of the tropics - might be good, just not my thing). Thank you to Instructables for taking me back to my youth, minus about 100 artificial E-numbers I'm still attempting to process!

Check out Instructables Homemade Magic Shell Recipe here! It will MAKE your summer!

Whip Your House into Shape

HOORAY! Today we are celebrating our 300th post, and also the anticipation that an apartment we are bidding on will soon be ours! Fingers crossed! Needless to say, all this home-obsession has led me down the road of the "fun stuff" (because, really - are mortgages, interest rates and life insurance really "fun"?) - aka, interior decorating. I may not be an interior designer, but I definitely know when I see something I like.

And like I do! Perusing some of my favorite eco home websites, I stumbled upon this beauty of a rug. Well, it's not a traditional rug, but more a modern eco interpretation of it: UK designer Ting uses re-purposed materials, such as old, discarded belts, and weaves them into new products like this Vintage Belt Floor Mat that I found at Branch Home. I think of it as a cross between superbly supple flooring and a dirt-resistant rug (great for kiddos and doggies). Although I am not usually so gung-ho about the use of leather, I highly support the use of recycled leather, so that nothing goes to waste. I also see that Ting has a slew of other things for the home such as cushions, poofs, and even a hammock! Not sure if I'm at the hammock stage of my obsession with this new apartment, but I'm sure I'll get there....

Let's (Crayon) Roll! Tutorial

I discovered the delightfully crafty site Say Yes to Hoboken when they wrote about one of our products and I had to check out who they were. Every post full of inspiration, and one of them left me hyper with excitement. Even though I don't have that much time to sew any more, but I have seen so many "crayon rolls" (a handy-dandy little thing to keep the crayons organized) that I thought to myself: "these cannot be that hard to make". And low and behold I found Say Yes to Hoboken's answer to my crafty prayers.

Not only is their Crayon Roll tutorial easy enough to follow, but the images are so wonderful that even if you don't have a child that can even use crayons, you'll find one to give the Crayon Roll to. Best of all, the author used remnant fabrics from her stash, which is exactly the type of green-behavior we cheer for around here. Back-to-school time will be here before we know it, so let's (crayon) roll!

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Congratulations to Rea for winning last week's Mama+Me Giveaway! Thank you to all who entered this fabulous giveaway...there will be more to come!