Impact Tip - Jump into spring!

It's getting nicer and nicer around Chicago, thank goodness! A great way to make an impact is with your time. This spring, see if you can find some time to help out local stewardship groups in beautifying Chicagoland! I am going on Sunday to help plant and weed a meadow to encourage native flowers to grow and get rid of pesky exotics at Nichols Park Wildflower Meadow (1355 E. 53rd St.)! I am really looking forward to being outside again and working in the field.

If anyone wants to join me, send me an email or call me and I can give you more info. Or check out this site and chose your own date and time to go out and help. This is also a great activity to do as a couple or a family, make a day of it!

I will show some pictures of my experience next week, please feel free to share yours with me as well!

Impact Tip - Wind-powered letterpress eco-invites!

Thank you Christina for sending in this great tip! I love to share info my readers find and this is really cool! Bella Figura is an eco-friendly invitation company that uses wind-power letter press and tree-less paper for their invites. They are beautiful and very stylish!

A little about them..."In our Central New York print shop, we create unique letterpress wedding invitations the old-fashioned way, using vintage cast-iron presses, the best paper, time, patience, perfection, and a whole lot of love. Because we want to make the world a better place, we're a wind-powered, carbon neutral, and eco-friendly letterpress shop, and we donate 1% of sales to environmental causes. We print our custom wedding invitations only on 100% cotton (tree-free) paper that's made exclusively for us in a historic European paper mill. Our letterpress wedding invitation designs, our commitment to the planet, and our expert and attentive service have garnered us a national and international following."

Photos courtesy of Bella Figura

Vendor Spotlight - Katherine Anne Confections

This week I had the pleasure of meeting Katherine of Katherine Anne Confections. She makes delicious caramels and truffles from local and organic ingredients wherever possible. She also uses fair trade, recyclable and biodegradable containers made from tree-free paper for her special treats. You can find more information here on where to get these great confections at local retailers!

She also does wedding favors which are pictured below. They come in an assortment of beautifully crafted tree-free paper boxes that are reusable and are hand crafted to match your colors and style. There are several paper's to chose from to make your box.

Don't they look delicious!

These are a sample of the favors

Impact Tip - What to throw and not have to throw away!

I have seen a lot of really cute ideas out there that make really fun pictures for that all special announcement of the couple just after the wedding. Of course bubbles and streamers and flowers are great but can be costly and leave lots of unwanted waste...so consider this new idea!

This came to me from a bride that is planning her green wedding in May, some of you may remember her, Stephenie, she was EXTREMELY close to winning my green wedding contest and lucky for me, I get to shoot her wedding too!

She is tossing lavender buds which I think is such a fun idea! Not only are they biodegradable and harmless to animals, they also release a fresh scent of spring as they are stepped on as people say their congrats and hellos! I just loved this idea so I had to share. She got them here!

I can't wait for a fun shot like these with this unique and green idea! Way to go Stephenie!

Vendor Spotlight - Bleeding Heart Bakery

This morning I stopped by the Bleeding Heart Bakery in Roscoe Village. They have a great shop that specializes in organic baked goods and specialty cakes. They definitely have their own style and they will work with you to create your own unique design. Michelle wasn't there but I talked with John a bit and he was very helpful and really nice.

I would definitely recommend that you consider them while shopping for a wedding cake or just needing to satisfy your sweet tooth. While I was there, there were a variety of needs being met from a morning coffee stop to a 2 yr old group snack stop. Wedding cake needs are by appointment.

Their mission is simple: "to create edgy yet beautiful pastry that provokes thought and emotion and is above all, superior in taste and always organic."

The following photos are a small example of their creativity, make an appt to see what Michelle can do for you.

Impact Tip - Planning a shower?

So I have heard that April is THE month to have a wedding shower and that means the planning must be underway! This idea came to me as a spin off of my own green baby shower that is scheduled for April :) I found some great information at Green Living Ideas as well as some things my mom and sister are doing for my shower that can be easily modified to weddings instead of baby.

Here are some ideas to customize your wedding shower to reflect your eco-friendly lifestyle.

- Use evite invitations, you can customize them and save the paper and shipping. For those invitees that don't have email access, send them an invitation printed on recycled paper.

- Avoid all that plastic decor and create a more cozy feel by just adding some organic flowers around the home and on the tables. Try Whole Foods or order from Organic Bouquet.

- Use cloth napkins, silverware, and dishes that you own or collect from a friend. If you have to use disposables try bamboo from Branch or bagasse made from sugar from Eco-Wise.

Here's a photo of each courtesy of Branch's site.



- Food is such an important part of any eco-event. Choose organic and free trade food from your local organic grocer to serve to your guests. If you are planning on ordering a cake, try the Bleeding Heart Bakery, they have some really unique cakes!

- For gifts, ask your guests to bring their gifts in reused grocery bags that the new couple can use for their groceries or wrap it in old newspaper or paper grocery bags.

- For favors, give your guests something they can consume (my favorite type :) like organic chocolate, coffee and teas.

- Pick out a nice thank you card made from recycled paper to thank your guests!

Then send me some photos and I will put them on the blog :) Have fun!

Testimony...impact tips are making a difference!

I was excited to see a post on the blog the other day that recognized our efforts and even made a difference in how this girl thinks about being more eco-friendly. Here is her quote...

"Kristina you come up with such great ideas. You've inspired me to start thinking more ecologically! Where do you find all these great things?"

Thanks Christina! And to answer your question, I am just searching all the time for new ideas and they are not my own, but I am happy to be a resource that brings them together for people in Chicago. I have many websites that I browse regularly that help me find great tips including Ideal Bite, Protovert, eco-chic weddings, The Green Bride Guide, Everything Green Weddings, and more...

Contact me anytime you are looking for something special or have found a tip you want to share and I will post about it!