Category: Gift ideas

Big Day Tomorrow! Grab your hat, your shoes AND your bag and come on down!

Festival Fete, Cranston, RI 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM (Rain date June 12th)
Festival Fete, Cranston, RI 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM (Rain date June 12th) Fun Fact Friday...

It would be a good idea to bring a bag(s) for your “goodies” that you find at the fair… or… How Many Times Can A Piece Of Paper Be Recycled?

Sometime we might think of recycling paper as a real answer for our paper waste problems. It saves trees and that’s supposed to be a good thing right? So how many times can a piece of paper be recycled? Can paper be recycled infinitely?

According to the EPA: “No, every time paper is recycled, the fibers get shorter. After being recycled five to seven times, the fibers become too short to bond into new paper. New fibers are added to replace the unusable fiber that wash out of the pulp during the recycling process. A single sheet of paper may contain new fibers as well as fibers that have already been recycled several times.”
Src: epa.gov

If you’re interested in saving trees you also have the option to reduce your paper usage, not just recycle.  Read more about Reducing, Reusing and Recycling in So You Think Recycling Is A Joke?

“Produce mesh bags are the new reusable shopping totes, but why buy when you can make your own for next to nothing? Delia Randall of Delia Creates shows us how to recycle an old T-shirt—you know, the one with all the moth holes and mystery stains—into an adorable veggie carrier. “I’m not the most green person,” she tells Ecouterre. “But I do believe in taking care of our earth, and I think the point is to try. The more I try to repurpose old materials and cut down on waste, the easier it gets to be more eco-minded. And every effort counts, even if just a little bit.” Did we mention these bags are off-the-charts cute, too?” Read, see and get directions. How fun!

OnLine Shopping for Botanical Beauties and Beasties!

OnLine Shop! Hurrah!!!!

We are thrilled to announce our ONLINE store!  http://botanicalbb.myshopify.com/collections/
 I am sure there are “glitches” – some of our shop we love (happy) and some we are still working on (pops.) Please let us know if you encounter any problems with it, suggestions of ways we can make it better, or just a comment on whatever you would like to tell us.
Our payment options are PayPal, Google CheckOut and Money Orders.

QUICK ONLINE SHOPPING STATISTICS: A few straight facts for a quick reference.

  • 80% of individuals aged 32-44 buy products on the internet.
  • 72% of people aged 55-64 and 71% of 18-32 year olds also purchase things through the internet.
  • With all age groups combined and overall 71% of all U.S. adults shop online.
  • 91% email, 81% research, 68% make travel reservations and 32% read blogs.

What do all these statistics tell us? The internet is growing, adapting, and becoming our main source of almost everything we do. .*This article is based off of the research done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

A few Questions and Answers/Concers you may have.
Question: People say they worry about web security.
Our Answer: Shopify (the folks that are hosting our online shop)  provides SSL security for all checkout pages for customer security. Our Shopify store has an industry standard 128 Bit SSL encrypted checkout to protect private data. Shopify ensures that your customers’ information and your order data is hidden from prying eyes both during and after transactions.

Question: 62% of consumers with web-connected mobile devices are buying goods via mobile. (Published Monday, August 2, 2010 7:00 am by Alec Williams, Marketing Specialist) Can I purchase with my mobile device at The Botanicals store?     http://botanicalbb.myshopify.com/collections/
Answer: Yes! We Let customers purchase from anywhere with mobile checkout. Our (Shopify’s) checkout process is optimized for mobile devices to provide your customers with the power to purchase on the go. Mobile checkout includes all of the features in our regular browser-based checkout, including the option to use multiple payment gateways and secure transaction processing to protect customer data. Industry-standard 128 bit SSL encryption protects your business and customers data.

It is only 2 days away! Grab your shopping bag and walking shoes.

Garden City Center Art Festival
Garden City Center Art Festival (rain date June 12)

The Botanical Beauties and Beasties are getting ready…We are stocked and ready to go! Come see the full line of recycled  paper cards, eco memo pads, magnets, mugs, bookmarks, framed prints, and Leak-free BPA & phthalate free Water Bottles. Can’t wait to see you there. It promises to be a “rocking good day!”

Festival Fete festivals will be one-of-a-kind with an extraordinary collection of over 100 Contemporary American Craft artists, strolling entertainment, a farmers market, and children’s crafts and entertainment. In addition,the festival will feature an opportunity for festival attendees to express themselves and experience the thrill of creativity with a specially designed community art project. Festival Fete shows are not just another art festival but a local art happening!

Don’t worry: Be happy: Garden City Center Art Festival will have a variety of easy parking available surrounding the art festive!

For an interactive brochure- a list of all the vendors, all the entertainment, and all the food…  http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=70784

Local Farmers Markets

“Farmers’ markets are one of the oldest forms of direct marketing by small farmers. From the traditional “mercados” in the Peruvian Andes to the unique street markets in Asia, growers all over the world gather weekly to sell their produce directly to the public. In the last decade they have become a favorite marketing method for many farmers throughout the United States, and a weekly ritual for many shoppers.

In a farmers’ market, a group of farmers sell their products once or twice a week at a designated public place like a park or parking lot. Some farmers’ markets have live entertainment. Shopping at a farmers’ market is a great way to meet local farmers and get fresh, flavorful produce.”

To find the local Markets near you the folks at Local Harvest whose tag line is real food, real farmers, real community, have a national map for your connivence. http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/.

Some of us are lucky enough to live near a Whole Foods Market, a whole store filled with real food from real people!  They are also so very kind and support their own Farm Markets at some of the stores. Naturally that brings me to remind you that the Botanical Beauties and Beasties are at Garden City Whole Foods on Tuesdays – you can see up close and in person all the beautiful greeting cards, memo pads, and other products we have. Don’t forget June 19th is Fathers Day – we have special Daddio Fathers Day Card! Have a cool Dad? Have a gardening Dad? Have a Dad that likes to smile? This just may be the card for him! Come on down to see it in person. Mention you read about in this blog and receive a free gift from Felix (who is featured on the card.)