Conservation and art take wing together this weekend at the 39th annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, for a three-day extravaganza celebrating the Chesapeake Bay's wildlife and outdoors heritage.

Starting Friday, Nov. 13, there'll be antique and contemporary decoys to view (and buy), plus paintings, photos and other arts and crafts, fly-fishing and retriever dog demonstrations as well as goose- and duck-calling contests. Besides the arts and crafts, there'll be food and music, plus outdoor gear for shoppers.

The event has raised more than $5 million in donations for wildlife conservation projects. Besides the good cause, it's quite a scene. Festivities begin at 10 a.m., and admission is $10 for all three days, with kids under $12 free.

For tickets or information, go here or call 410-822-4567.

(2004 Associated Press photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Buy local, Chesapeake Bay, Events, Shopping, Tips
        

Local artist Emily Li Mandri describes her designs as in your face. “There’s nothing subtle about them. They’re meant to make a statement. An art statement,” she says. Known around town as Natty Paint, Emily’s line of hand painted, silkscreened shirts and hoodies has been going strong for almost two years now. She sells at craft shows, local boutiques, and has done a healthy handful of commissions for places like Shine Collective and Bikram Yoga.

When Emily launched Natty Paint, she did it with an eye towards being eco-conscious; using water-based inks and products from American Apparel. Now she’s taken it a step further by producing a vintage line of silkscreened vests, sweaters, dresses, and sweatshirts. And while we may all agree that shopping at thrift stores, consignment shops, and vintage boutiques is inherently more sustainable than buying new, rebuilding a forgotten item into a fresh and wearable piece is indeed an impressive statement in and of itself.

Want your own one-of-a-kind Natty Paint work of art? Visit Emily's web site or, buy online at her Etsy shop.

Images courtesy of the artist

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events, Fashion, Shopping
        

You may or may not be familiar with local crafter Jennifer Strunge’s Cotton Monsters. Each of her soft, sculptural creatures is a work of art in and of itself, made from recycled clothing and linens.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Jennifer attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her Cotton Monster line evolved from a series she did of handmade quilts with eyes and soft creatures from recycled blankets and bedding.

Nowadays, Jennifer is a one-woman operation who makes monsters daily – without a pattern! When she’s not sewing, she works as an associate artist for the Black Cherry Puppet Theater.

To read more about Jennifer and her undeniably adorable monsters, visit her web site.

Images courtesy of Jennifer Strunge.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: DIY, Products, Shopping
        

Kelsey Donegan (known formally as Ms. Donegan by her Furman L. Templeton Elementary School students) is the heart and hands behind Spouting Oxygen, a collection of “forgotten items” that have been “brought back to life in small packages of handmade goodness.” Kelsey’s journals, sketchbooks, clutches, and bags are one-of-a-kind and made with recycled and/or salvaged materials. Kelsey also authors the blog Charm City Art Room, where she writes about her experiences as an elementary school art teacher, and maintains her web site www.sproutingoxygen.com where she highlights current promotions (like her scrap paper matchbooks that are free with any purchase) and offers customers the option for custom order books. Seems to me that altogether, Sprouting Oxygen is one great big package of handmade goodness. Wouldn’t you agree?

Images courtesy of the artist.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Shopping
        

Custom Pet Portrait by Fuzzy Mug, Supernatural Wrap Skirt by The Garbologist's Wife, Cascading Hydrangea Petals Necklace by Tigerlilly Shop.

While you’re in the mindset of buying local, don’t forget to check out one of the best links to local crafters – the Shop Local feature on Etsy. Shop Local contains 10 pages of the most recently updated Etsy shops from crafters in and around Baltimore.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Shopping
        

Phosphate-free dishwasher detergents may help restore the Chesapeake Bay, but there could be a price to pay -- dirtier dishes.

Maryland is one of 14 states that are banning sales of dishwasher detergents containing phosphates next July, and Congress is considering extending the ban nationwide.  State lawmakers are yanking phosphate dishwasher detergents from store shelves to protect the environment -- the phosphorus in standard detergents spurs growths of algae, which can suck the oxygen out of water that fish need to survive.  And the bay is choking on an overdose of nutrients, including phosphorus.

But some consumers have complained that the new phosphate-free detergents don't get their dishes as clean as the old standbys.  In Spokane, Washington, where phosphate products were banned last year, some housewives becames so upset with their dirty dishes that they began driving across the state line to Idaho to buy the outlawed dirt-fighting blends.

Now comes Consumer Reports to say the greener dishwasher detergents generally don't work as well as the phosphate soaps.  "In our tough tests, five of seven phosphate-free dishwasher detergents left lots of baked-on food," the magazine reports in its August issue.  The rankings are available only to subscribers, but you can read the magazine's general comments on dishwasher detergents, with mentions of some individual products, here.

Continue reading "Green, but not so clean" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

I visited Damariscotta, Maine, this weekend. It's a small coastal town where the green living culture is alive and well. Around here, folks seem to believe firmly in supporting local agriculture and local artists. It seems that everyone has a wonderful awareness of what the earth has to offer them. The shops are difficult to resist as they are full of organic treats, local art, recycled and handmade goods. After the local 4th of July parade on Saturday, I went browsing down the main street and happened upon Milo in Maine, a company based in Portland that produces handmade shirts for men, women, kids and babies. I couldn't resist purchasing one of their silver jellyfish tees, which is printed on the softest organic cotton I've ever worn.
And, to accompany my new T-shirt, I splurged on a Sea Bag tote made from recyled sails. Each one is designed and inspired from a sail and has hand-spliced rope handles. They are also machine washable and incredibly durable. I guess I just wanted to brag a little about my weekend and also share my excitement over discovering such a lively and prolific craft culture here in Maine. If you have a chance this summer or maybe even in the fall, take a breather from Baltimore and make your way up to Damariscotta. I promise that you'll love it.

Photo courtesy of Milo in Maine

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Shopping
        

“I’m here to help you save money (and the planet) for all steps of the shopping process,” proclaims local crafter Glow Girl. Her collection of functional and eco-friendly carry-alls includes tote bags, coupon organizers and sandwich snack baggies - all made from eco-friendly, vintage and/or upcycled fabrics. I’ve never been one to organize my coupons (or my snacks) but if I had a beautifully crafted baggie with an easy-to-use Velcro closure, I would most certainly try. Glow Girls’ carry-alls are affordable, adorable, water resistant and machine washable. Brilliant!

(Image courtesy of Glow Girl)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

I recently purchased a new laptop and have since been looking for the ideal carrying case. I’ve gone to all the usual places but have yet to find something extraordinary - until today. While browsing the “Shop Local” section of Etsy, I happened upon Baltimore crafter La Budde, who specializes in making very hip and eco-friendly laptop cases out of upcycled coffee bags. Each one is detailed with colorful fabric piping and comes lined two protective layers of poly batting. Also, they’re affordable at $35 a pop, and for a few extra bucks, she’ll throw in a shoulder strap and/or battery case. Perfect!

(Images courtesy of La Budde)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Products, Shopping
        

Priscilla Woolworth is reviving the five and dime retail concept created by her family who founded the F.W. Woolworth stores. This month, she launched PriscillaWoolworth, an online general store for green conscious consumers.

Woolworth says she selects all products, ensuring quality and that they're verifiably eco-responsible. Visit the online store at www.priscillawoolworth.com.

(Source: Signature Green Public Relations)

(Image courtesy of priscillawoolworth.com)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Shopping
        

Baltimoreans aren't as green as San Franciscans or Washingtonians when it comes to buying cars, but we seem to be at least as environmentally (or cost-) conscious as Los Angelenos.

That's the upshot of a new report by a marketing arm of the Nielsen public-opinion outfit.

San Francisco leads the nation in buying green, Nielsen reports, with households there 60 percent more likely than Americans as a whole to purchase hybrids or high-mileage cars, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Fit or Mini Cooper. Second and third places go to the Washington and New York City areas, which are 44 percent and 31 percent more likely to buy fuel-sippers.

Baltimore comes in tied for 9th with Los Angeles, 22 percent more inclined toward greener new vehicles than the national average. All but one of the top 10 green-car cities are on the coasts, Chicago being the exception.

The biggest gas guzzlers tend to be found in the South and Midwest, according to Nielsen, with households in Greenwood-Greenville, Miss. only about half as likely as the national average to buy one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles.

Detroit, interestingly enough, didn't make either the bottom or top 10.

To see the entire list, go here.

With gas prices going up again - and pols in Washington debating climate change - are you more or less likely to buy a hybrid or high-mileage car the next time you go windshield shopping?

(2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I spent some time with a friend’s baby earlier this week. I’m not around babies very often and quickly realized that I had little on hand to keep her occupied. I finally settled on Tupperware containers and a shoe box, which pleased her to no end. Still, it would have been nice to have some genuine baby toys around. Of course, maybe it doesn’t matter to them as much as it does to us adults. Nonetheless, I did a little research and found some adorable “green” baby toys that are far superior to plastic containers (at least in my opinion). These darling animals are made from recycled wool sweaters and stuffed with shredded recycled polyester. Each critter is one-of-a-kind and go for between $21-$26 at eco-artware.com.

And, if you’re feeling ambitious or have some old sweaters you’d like to get rid of, check out this great tutorial by Kayte Terry on how to make your own bunny softie.

(Images courtesy of Craftzine and Eco-Artware)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: DIY, Products, Shopping
        

(Image courtesy of Nest)

While running some errands out in Columbia yesterday, I drove into Clarksville to swing by Nest, which is one of my favorite environmentally friendly boutiques in Maryland. If you’ve never been, Nest (Natural Elements Selected Thoughtfully) is located in the Clarksville Shopping Center just off of Route 108. They are part of the “Conscious Corner” of the center, which also includes Roots Market, Great Sage, and Bark.

Nest stocks a gorgeous selection of well-made products, many of which are one-of-a-kind. Their mission is to encourage positive change on an individual, local and global level by offering products that support independent artists, fair-trade importing, organic farming and recycling, and by promoting a healthy and conscious lifestyle. Read more about Nest on their web site, or take a drive out to Clarksville and see it for yourself.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Shopping