"Crampy," cute little remedy for pesky cramps

Meet your new best friend!

Men, before you turn away. I don't see why "Crampy" couldn't help any sort of cramp. ;)

When I look for a home remedy, I look for three things: cheap, earth friendly, and simple. Cute is always just a perk. "Crampy" is all of the above.

Crampy is a combination of wive tales and science.

Crampy is cuddled on my tummy as we speak. I already love him. My roommate even walked by and saw the lump under my sweater and asked, "Is that bunny in your tummy?" Crampy is obviously already an accepted apart of our family.

He is so easy to make. 1. Find a old sock with no pair (recycling check). 2. Fill him/her with uncooked rice (healthy check). 3. Tie him/her up (crafty check). 4. Draw a face. Give a name. (creative check). 5. Place on tummy or other cramping area.

The relief was almost immediate for me. I hope this works for you just as well.

Break up and move on!

It's time to break up with plastic water bottles. Sorry, Zerphyrills, Aquafina, and Evain, it's not us...it's you.

You are costly and bad to the environment. You are ripping me off! How come jugs of water are 60 cents and bottles are 1.25 $? It's too late for apologies, we need to move on.

If you're anything like me, a break up from those tiny plasticy bottles is a tough one. I am really bad at drinking enough liquids. I am also very picky about the taste of my water. I'd buy plastic bottles because I didn't like the taste of tap water. I knew it was horrible for the environment and expensive...but I thought I had no other option.

Until, I met the new guy ;). There is now a water bottle with a built in filter! The filter lasts for 300 refills and the whole thing was under 10$. The tap water in my city tastes awful, but the filter makes it taste like bottled water! The bottle is cute and trendy and very affordable. It is also convenient that I can get tasty clean water from any fountain or tap! It is defiantly worthy of some Earthylove.

There are tons of brands. I've seen them at whole foods and other supermarkets. I got mine from my campus book store. There is no excuse, you have to get one!

Say "bye bye" to the gold digging trashy bottles you are dating now. Say "hello" to the the new guy, he's going to spoil you and trend lightly on the earth. ow owww

Leather Indulgences for the Animal-Friendly Folk

Car interiors, jackets, bags and shoes. Let's face it, luxury things come in leather.

However, leather is bad for the environment and even more brutal on our fuzzy little friends. It takes toxic chemicals, lots of energy, and lots of killing to make leather. Plus, the blog is all about loving the earth AND saving money. And leather is not cheap. at all.

What if I said purchasing leather can be lovey to the earth AND to your wallet.

Buy second-hand! Recycling is the best way to love on the earth.

However, if you can't stand the thought of wearing animal hide, that's totally rad. You're awesome!

However, I look at it as supporting recycling, not supporting killing. Set an example by using second-hand leathers, so that others will follow in your lead. And leather making will come to an end!

If you don't know, I'm participating in a thrifty challenge by only buying vintage/second hand clothes (read blog below). While embarking on that adventure, I found the coolest ballet flats. They look/feel exactly like real ballet shoes. The cashier even asked me if they were real! They are so adorable and go perfectly with a ballet type dress I just bought (also second-hand). The nude pinkish color goes with anything from my dresses to my skinny jeans. I even pair them with tights, for a real ballet feel. I'm in love.

They totally remind me of carry bradshaw in the opening credits of sex and city (hence, the fab picture)!

They are made of leather AND never have been worn. But they were 7 dollars and second-hand. I can't wait for people to ask me where I got them. I'm proud to say I'm wearing a recycled shoe.

Plus, finding such a cute shoe in my perfect price (and a very perfect price)? It was so much more fun, than just buying it from a fancy department store! Treasure hunting for the win!

Naturally Whiter Teeth

This is something I remember my dad doing, when I was kid. Using baking soda to whiten his teeth. A lot of people mix baking soda into a paste (just add water) and brush their teeth with that (look at the picture).

However, that can be really extreme. It's definitely too strong for my teeth. So I found a really nice happy medium. Every other day, I brush my teeth with baking soda in the morning. The rest of the week, I brush with normal toothpaste. I mix it in with my normal tooth paste. It tastes and feels better than 100% baking soda.

Baking soda is vegan and affordable. You can most likely find it already in your household and it beats paying 30-50 dollars on whitening strips or 100-200 dollars on laser teeth whitening.

This is not recommended for people who have any type of glue in their mouths: fake teeth, braces, permanent retainers, etc.

My teeth haven't been very white ever since I got braces off. I can already tell it's made a huge change. The very first use showed a difference. I can't wait to see the progress after a few weeks. Affordable! Vegan! Uh hello? Totally earthylove worthy!

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. -Phyllis Diller

Soaking and Soaping

Did you know your skin is the largest organ you own? I mean, you always knew it was important. You watch for pimples, cuts, scars, freckles, and wrinkles. If your skin looks good, you look good. So, what are you soaking into it?

1. Go into your bathroom
2. Look into the mirror
3. Notice how beautiful you are.
4. Head towards the shower
5. Pick up your body wash/soap
6. Find the ingredients
7. Now, try to pronounce them.

Uhm, scary. What on earth is BENZALDEHYDE? And why am I rubbing it into my skin. Toxins, Chemicals, and Poison..oh my!

Take a look at this website, and tell me this doesn't freak you out! http://www.ourlittleplace.com/chemicals.html

• "BENZALDEHYDE (in: perfume, cologne, hairspray, laundry bleach, deodorants, detergent, vaseline lotion, shaving cream, shampoo, bar soap, dishwasher detergent)

  Narcotic. Sensitizer. "Local anesthetic, CNS depressant"... "irritation to the mouth, throat, eyes, skin, lungs, and GI tract, causing nausea and abdominal pain." "May cause kidney damage." "Do not use with contact lenses.""

Go organic! I just bought the best smelling soap in the world. It was 2 dollars at whole foods. I love it and I can't wait to soap up! It doesn't have any scary ingredients and it makes my skin, nose, and brain so happy! It will also make your heart happy, because you aren't hurting the planet. It's cheap and natural. Very earthylove worthy. Don't knock it till you try it.

Update: Since I was a kid, I have always gotten these little red dots on my arms. Totally embarrassing, totally annoying. I have also known other girls who have these little dots on their arms too.

I always know a soap works, when it can get rid of the dots! Dove got rid of them. But dove is just not organic! I was so nervous, that the organic soap wouldn't do the same trick. But I was oh so wrong! They are gone! Thank Goodness! This is how, I know, It is a good soap. I give it an A+!

Be flirty with Vegan-ism!

I am not a Vegan. I repeat: I am not a Vegan. However, It's a goal that I would really like to work towards one day.

I just got my copy of the "the kind diet" by Alicia Silverstone. I had the amazing honor of hearing her speak at my school. She is amazing and beautiful! Such an amazing role model. I can't wait to finish this book! My roommate and I are taking turns from it, it is literally blowing my mind! My favorite part is all the recipes. They're are some amazing AMAZING recipes in this book. So healthy and SO SO natural. I can't wait to try them all out!

I highly recommenced checking this book out. Alicia is hilarious, cute and down to earth. I'm not a vegan, but I'm what Alicia calls a "flirt." I'm just flirting with the idea and practices. One tiny step that will make a huge difference.

"I don't feel like a dream girl, but I think it's really nice. I guess a part of me wishes I got that sort of attention in my real life. Because in my real life, I'm this weird, dorky girl who just hangs out with her dog." - Alicia Silverstone

Quick update: I am now a Vegan. hehe. This is where it all started. Don't worry this book is not brainwashy, it will not trick you. Going Vegan was totally up to me! I'll post a blog soon about how it's changed EVERYTHING. But until then, enjoy this blog!

Avocado Hair Treatment

My recipes/remedies don't usually have measurements. Because I think it's important for you to use what you have, and just "make the rest up!" After this remedy my hair was softer, shiner and felt more conditioned. My roommate experienced "thicker hair," which is awesome because she complains about thin hair. She was able to tie up her hair in a bun with one hair-tye, when usually she needs to twist it around twice!

All you need:

• Mayonnaise (it's bad for you! so yay for getting rid of it!)
• 1/2 of an Avocado (eat the other half! eating them is good for your hair too! YUM.)
• Egg
• Towel

1. Make enough to cover your entire hair with. For one person, you really only need half of an avocado and one egg.
2. Mush it into your hair, make sure you really massage it into every piece. Have fun feeling the mushiness!
3. Then wrap it up in a warm wet towel. Wait 15 minutes!
4. Then wash it all out! Wash with your usual shampoo! And your normal conditioner. But use icy cold water to wash out your conditioner.

Enjoy your new hair! I loved this remedy. My hair is usually really tangly, and this conditioned it so well. I would love to be able to do this every week!

The hair is the richest ornament of women. ~Martin Luther