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Fabric Gift Wraps by Fabricwrapper, Greener Choice to Wrapping Paper

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:18:35 +0000

Fabricwrapper gift wrap for all occasions. Check out my Giveway below!

How would you like a gift wrap that makes your gift the fairest of them all? And to boot, makes Kermit one happy frog? Give up? No, Miss Piggy is not the answer. Fabric gift wraps and bags by Fabricwrapper! Read on to discover why you will love Fabricwrapper as much as I do, and win a fabric gift wrap in the contests listed below.

Why Switch from Paper to Fabric?

Why should you switch to products offered by Fabricwrapper? Two reasons. The environment and the look. In my opinion, a fabric gift wrap is so much more chic than a gift wrapped in paper wrap. Plus, giving a fabric wrapped gift is like giving two gifts in one. Your recipient can reuse that bag over and over again or give it away.

Secondly, you know how I feel about paper gift wrap and its effect on the environment. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, our trash increases by twenty-five percent! Translated, that means an humongous amount of trash being buried in landfills. Worse yet, four million tons of our trash during the holidays is wrapping paper . That is downright disgusting. The products offered by Fabricwrapper give you an option to not only be greener, but give a stylish gift as well.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, all the fabric gift wraps are washable and made in the USA.

Anna, you got me so excited. I broke out into a cold sweat. Tell me more about their products.

I feel like Monty Hall here. Fabricwrapper offers three different fabric gift wrap products. Carol Merrill, show us what is behind door number 1.

Bags for Anything.

Fabricwrapper Gift Bag.

(The Crowd Oohs and Ahhs)

Want a quick and easy solution to wrap you gifts? Slide your gift into one of these cute fabric bags. Fabricwrapper offers different size bags in a multitude of colors and themes which will fit your wine bottles to toy gifts. The features of the above festive bag are as follows:

7” x 13”
2” complimentary fabric encasing
35 inches of 5/8″ ribbon
Wraps anything from wine bottles to dog bones; this bag will fit anything tall and slim. Barbies, vases, wool socks, hot sauce, olive oil, rolled T-shirts, wallets, etc.
Priced at $5.99.

Carol, door number 2 please.

Fabricwrappers

Fabricwrapper gift wrapper with attached ribbon

(The Crowd starts clapping wildly.)

I love these fabricwrappers. I haven’t seen anything else like this on the internet. The fabric is reversible and has an attached satin ribbon that you pull through a button hole on the bottom to make a beautiful bow. They come in various sizes and colors just like the bags. Great for wrapping books, DVD, gift certificates, and more. The fabricwrapper listed above has the following features:

11.5” x 23”

Reversible Fabricwrapper for wrapping presents

Reversible. (See the two colors above? In the picture one side is green and the other is a Christmas tree theme?)
34 inches of 5/8″ ribbon on each side
Priced at $6.99

How do you wrap a gift with one of that fabricwrapper? I thought you would ask. So, I made a video to showcase ~~my hands~~, um the fabricwrapper for you all to see. Watch my below video of

Ode to Furoshiki

Fabricwrappers' Ode to Furoshiki.

Vanna, turn the letter. Wait a minute. Wrong show. Carol? (The crowd claps but isn’t sure of what a Furoshiki really is.)

Rest assured, an Ode to Furoshiki is one of the most versatile fabric gift wraps that I know. You can wrap a box, books, and even wine glasses in so many different ways. Like all the other Fabricwrapper products, they come in different colors. The one above has the following features:

30” x 34″
Wraps almost anything… In or out of a box.
See wrap instructions for examples. This is the most standard size Furoshiki. (Or you can watch a bona fide klutz like me

One wish I do have for the Fabricwrapper is that they use more organic or recycled cotton fabrics. However, founder, Steph Lancaster explained that “[w]e do have an organic line but they are all listed in our clearance section. We had to wash all of them and since the material is so sensitive it changed the appearance.” I know how green minded this Company is and I bet in the future they will endeavor to have more organic products.

Oh Happy Day. A Giveaway!

Polka dot all occasion fabricwrapper

I love giveaways. Don’t you? Fabricwrapper, in keeping with the holiday spirit, is offering Green Talk readers the above pictured medium every occasion fabricwrapper. Steph tells me the above fabricwrapper is the Company’s most popular general occasion fabricwrapper!

Rules, Rules, Rules.

Want to enter, here are the rules:
- You must be over 18 and live in the US.
- Leave me a comment here telling me about why you would love to win this fabricwrapper. If you don’t have a specific reason, just say so.
- To double your chances consider joining my free Newsletter email list or subscribe to my RSS feed. Both subscriptions are listed on the upper right hand column. Be sure to come back and leave a separate additional comment to tell me which one you joined. If you are already a member, just say so.
- To triple your chances of winning, tweet about this contest and come back and leave a separate additional comment of the url (weblink) of your twitter comment.
- To “fourple” your chances, consider joining Green Talk’s Facebook Fan Page! Again, leave a comment that you joined with your Facebook name.
- You must enter by Monday, December 27, 2010 6 PM EST time to win. Winners will be chosen at random on December 28, 2010 . Good Luck everyone!
Disclaimer: I was given products from Fabricwrapper for free to give my honest opinon. No pay to play here. Just the wrap. Also, we value your privacy and your email will not be shared with anyone.

Photos courtesy of Fabricwrapper.com

Music on videos:

Kids then Age by Fireproof_Babies is licensed under a Sampling Plus.

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Greener Holiday Greeting Cards, Bows, Etc. Trimmings without the Trash.

Anna@Green Talk — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:41:04 +0000

Happy Holidays Greeting Card Make on Reclaimed Paperboard

I recently guest posted over on Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen about how to green your wrapping paper options. Why? With Over 4 million tons of wrapping paper and shopping bags used during the holidays along with ribbons, bows, tissue paper, and cardboard box, I wasn’t surprised to learn Americans throw away 25% more trash from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

I listed numerous options from the a simple ribbon around a white box to making your own gift wraps. But in order to keep the article concise, I decided to break the article up into two parts: greener wrapping paper options on Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen blog and all the rest of your gift wrapping trimming here from bows to greeting cards.

Just Stop laughing.

You all must be thinking there is no way she wrote a short article for Maria. Brevity is not Anna’s strong suit. Oh by the way, know it alls, I still have plenty to say for this green bows to greeting cards article. I don’t want you to feel deprived.

Holiday Greeting Cards

According to a 2007 Washington Post article, Hallmark estimated that over 2.2 billions cards would be sent during the holiday season. How many do you figure end up in the trash? So, here are some greener suggestions:

Send post-consumer recycled content holiday greeting cards. Conservatree.com has a long list of vendors to choose from.
Send greeting cards online from such online venues as Hallmark, American Greetings, and others.
Like sending the greeting cards with pictures? Consider sending them through Pingg and Paperless Post.
Want to take greeting cards to the next level? This is one of my favorite suggestions. Consider sending a video montage. All you have to do is upload your photos on Animoto and their program does the rest. Your video will look like you’ve spent hours creating it. (It will be our little secret.)
Consider buying ReGreet cards where your recipients can resend your card to someone else.
Make your own cards from making paper. Great family project.

Instead of trashing or recycling the holiday greeting cards, consider the following:

Reuse them for next year. Just strike out your name and insert your friend’s name!
Cut them up and use the cards as gift tags for the next year.
Send them to St Jude’s Ranch for Children so that the cards can be used to create new cards. This program helps the children learn entrepreneurial skills. You can purchase the new cards online. Note, you can send cards all year round.
Use the cards for scrapbooking and children’s art projects.

Gift Tags:

With every gift comes a gift tag. Here are some more greener options to show off your holiday gifts.

Um, last year’s gift cards!
Cut up old Cereal boxes and decorate the back with Christmas ornaments. (Someone I know even uses the cereal boxes for her business cards.)
Give Seeded gift tags. (Just plant those gift tags!)

Bows and Ribbon:

With packages comes bows and ribbons. Consider the following greener options:

Although it might be too late for this year, consider saving ribbons from all the other gifts you receive during the year. Then you have a whole pile of used ribbons.
Use recycled content ribbon. You can purchase a variety of eco-friendly ribbon here. In addition, Creamy City Ribbon offers organic and recycled cotton ribbon by request. (Ordinarily they sell cotton ribbon.)
Make your own bows out of old magazines. This project is great to share with your kids.
Make your bows out of chips bags. I absolutely love this idea!
Buy an up-cycled bow made out of sheet music.
Use Hemp twine, recycled paper ribbon, or Raffia fiber to give your gifts that Earthly look.

Tape:

I don’t know about you, but I cannot wrap a gift without using alot of tape. However, tape on the wrapping paper makes it unrecyclable. So, here are some greener ideas:

Consider wrapping your gifts without tapes.
Don’t use wrapping paper and simply tie any of the Ribbon suggestions above around a plan white box.
If you do get a wrapped gift, take off the tape and then recycle (if you can) or reuse the paper. By the way, wrapping paper makes great backdrops to framed pictures.

Alternatives to the Cardboard box:

Consider choosing one of the below greener suggestions rather than using the cardboard box for your holiday gift:

Thrift shops have a wonderful assortment of pans, trays, glasses, and ceramic bowls. Use old plates and ceramic bowls as gift holders full of goodies.
Keep old cardboard boxes from this year’s gifts. Reuse them next year.

Don’t forget to green your tissue paper as well. Consider seeded tissue paper from companies such as Little Kay Garden.

What Are Your Suggestion?

Now, not to brag, but the above are some pretty creative suggestions. But I also pride myself for having some of the most creative readers. So, spill on how you green your gift wrapping options with all the frills. Upload pictures or videos to Green Talk’s Facebook Fan Page or to the Forum.

Photo by Kim Love of The Lovelihood.Similar Posts:

Giiv, Texting for Greener Gift Giving

Anna@Green Talk — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:12:18 +0000

I love Giiv’s message of texting with benefit. Naughty undertones, but really cleverly wrapped into a green gift giving idea. Hmm. Forget about the old way of getting a gift…the old paper card, wrapping paper, and the plastic gift card, not to mention your traveling carbon footprint to obtain the gift. Now with Giiv, all you have to do is simply text them a gift! Pretty Green, huh?

I know. Explain. Explain. I will break it down for you.

Sign up for a free account on Giiv,
Go to the gift cards on the site or access the same via Giiv via iPhone app
Enter your recipient’s mobile number
Include a note

And instant gift! That simple especially if you are one of those people who forget to buy presents until the last moment.

As of this date, Giiv features about 10 different businesses to choose from such as Barnes and Noble, Global Giving, TOMS Shoes, and Amazon. See here for the list. I suspect as this concept grows lots of companies will be jumping on the bandwagon. Our cell phones have become an extention of our bodies.

So what happens when you get a Giiv code? Redeem it at your local store or online venue. It is that simple.

Readers, what do you think of this concept?

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18 Ways to Cure the Unwanted Gift Blues

Anna@Green Talk — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:56:11 +0000

Photo by permission of Kasia

It’s bright and shiny and often carries an equally bright ribbon. You open the box and you start to sweat when you look into the box. It can only be described as (shuddering…) the UNWANTED Gift. Maybe it is two sizes too big. Perhaps it looks like it has been sitting in someone’s closet just waiting to be given to another person. (Yes, you are in the presence of a “re-gifter.” You know who you are.) Maybe, it is something you simply do not like.

Didn’t you hear growing up, “it is the gift that counts?” Well, until you get the Aunt Millie special, that saying takes on a new meaning. Here are 18 ways to leave your Unwanted Gift (If you want to sing Paul Simon’s song, “Fifty Ways to leave your Lover,” then just go right ahead as you read this list. I don’t care if you can carry a tune.)

Swap those unwanted DVDs, books, or CDs, Reid! Check out Swaptree, the multi-media swapping site. See my other article for other book, CD, and DVD swapping sites.

Swap everything even the garden hose, Rose. Super swap at SwopLot. Not into the impersonalized idea of online swapping? Get close and personal at your local SwopMeet.

Got unwanted game, Lane? Swap it at GameSwap.

Barter harder, George at Barter Place . Offer to barter or sell your unwanted lovelies.

Do the Swap Thing, Ling. There are over 3 million items ready for you to swap listed on the site. You can even find your very own swap circle. Who loves you?

Don’t like that shade of make-up or mascara, Sarah? Swap it and other skincare products at Makeup Alley. While you are there, join their forum and converse with beauty product lovers. There is even a green thread for us eco lovers.

Have a yard sale, Gail! At your next yard sale, create a table of all your unwanted gifts. Let each person who spends over $25 get to choose a gift of their choice. One caveat. Make sure the gift givers do not come to your yard sale! (Thanks to Woman’s Day for this tip.)

Leave the gift, Biff! Put the gift near your mailbox or house with a note to say “free” or “take it if you want it.” It will be gone by the day’s end. (Another Woman’s Day tip!)

Show me the money, Honey. Sell it on EBay or Craigslist. Selling on craigslist is free.

Give it away, Ray on Freecycle. Another free service where one person’s trash, is another person’s treasure!

Clothes item too big or too small, Paul? Did not like the sweater or shirt you received? Swap it at My Fashion Swap.(For Green Talk UK readers,check out more swap shops here.)

Consign away the blues, Lou. Check here for a consignment shop near you.

Donate it to a charity, Harriet! Consider giving the gift to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. For more information on other charities that accept donations, check here.

Give some heart, Bart. Give the gift to someone who you know will like it. You can offer it to your friends, co-workers, neighbors, or cleaning women. Just explain that you are offering the gift because you thought they might like it.

Don’t get antsy, Nancy. Simply exchange it. I always obtain a gift receipt when I purchase something for someone else. There are plenty of picky people like me in the world.

Remake it, Jake. Practice the 3 Rs, Repurpose, Reuse, and Re-do. Make something else out of the gift, shorten it, or use it for something other than what was intended.

Not sure if re-gifting is okay, Renee? According to Louise Fox, director of Protocol Solutions and The Etiquette Ladies, there is a proper way to re-gift. Although she says this practice is still unacceptable, upon rare occasions you can re-gift when certain criteria are met. Follow the rules, gentlemen and ladies.

What ideas do you have to rid your closet of unwanted gifts?

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Trend Hunter Magazine’s Top EcoTastic Gifts

Anna@Green Talk — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:31:29 +0000

Watch this short Trend Hunter Magazine’s video of an outstanding group of ecoterrific gifts ranging from lamps made out of garbage or tampons (I know, eww), underwear made out of aluminum cans to cardboard taxidermy even PETA would approve. Now you can enjoy an animal head in your family room without feeling guilty.

For more information about the individual products featured in the video, head over to the article, “About the Video” by Jeremy Gutsche, chief Trend Hunter. Not all of the products featured in the video can be purchased; however, they could be replicated. So, get busy creating your own piece of art.

Let me know your favorite product. Mine is definately the Stuart Haygarth’s Chandelier . Gotta have it.

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Organic Chocolates Never Tasted So Good

Anna@Green Talk — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 02:11:16 +0000

Photo of Green and Black’s Dark Chocolate and Wine Collection

While I was at the New York Chocolate Show, I was feeling a lot like Charlie, the main character of the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as he toured the Wonka Chocolate Factory. Although the Show did not have Oompa-Loompas or Everlasting Gobstoppers, it featured some amazing and diverse chocolate makers sure to please everyone’s palate.

This article is part II of my series on organic chocolate companies at the Show. In my first article, “Organic Chocolate, a Little Taste of Heaven,” I featured Christopher Michael Artisan Chocolates, Toffee Taboo (Sendall Chocolates), Berkshire Bark, and Francois Pralus. All these companies had different approaches to their chocolate confections, which added to the fun of the Show. This article features some more delicious chocolate makers. So, let’s go sampling.

Insane Chocolate

As I approached TCHO’s booth, I heard a young woman say, “this chocolate is insane.” I laughed to myself saying she probably gave TCHO the highest compliment one could give. After tasting some of the dark chocolate pieces, I would have to agree, TCHO’s chocolate was really good.

TCHO makes dark chocolate with 70% cacao content in such flavors as “Chocolatey,” “Fruity,” “Nutty,” “Floral,” “Earthy,” and “Citrus.” The cacao beans for the Citrus, Fruity, and Nutty chocolates are certified organic. In addition, the beans in Fruity and Nutty are fair trade as well.

The Company’s concept is to choose your chocolate based on flavor, not percentage of cacao as evidenced by the above flavor wheel. For more information about the flavor of each bar, check “Our Chocolate.”

This Company has a unique story no different than its name. For all of you start-up and marketing lovers, watch the above video on how TCHO created their chocolate company. Simply put, TCHO is the marriage of Silicon Valley technology, beta testing to find the right taste for their chocolate, good old business sense to find the right raw materials, and branding their product.

I asked several chocolate lovers their favorites as they nibbled the chocolate samples. Most liked the nutty chocolate. When I tasted this chocolate I did not discern a nutty flavor. Perhaps, I ate too much chocolate before or my palate is not that refined to pick up the subtle taste of roasted nuts. I found it dry but rich.

A variety of TCHO chocolates can be purchased online. A package of 2 sixty gram bars costs $12.

First Fair Trade, Organic Bean to Bar US Chocolate Factory

Seattle based Theo Chocolate is one of the first organic, fair trade chocolates made in the US. With a motto chocolate grows on trees, this Company takes to heart the triple bottom line, planet, people, and profits. They use only pure, sustainably grown ingredients and are sourced locally when possible. Partnering with their growers has ensured that the growers receive a living wage and access to education for their families. Other green practices include powering their factory using green energy sources, using sustainable packaging and printing methods, and educating the public about social and environmental accountability during their 7 day a week public tours of their factory.

Theo 3 ounce origin bars are made of dark chocolate with a range of cacao content from 65% to 91%. All origin bars are vegan and soy-free. If you love adventurous chocolate bars, consider the 3400 Phinney 2 ounce Milk or Dark Chocolate Flavored Bars, with such combinations of fig, fennel, and almond dark chocolate, coconut, curry and milk chocolate, chai spices and milk chocolate, and others. For those who love sampling different flavors, the Theo Confections might be right for you.

In addition, the Company has teamed up with Jane Goodall, a leader in the environmental movement for over 40 years, to contribute a portion of the proceed from the sale its Theo Jane Goodall bars to benefit cocoa farmers, promote conservation of the rain forest, and contribute to the Jane Goodall Institute’s efforts to save the chimpanzees, to name a few. The cacao content for each of the bars is 70% for the dark chocolate and 45% for the milk chocolate.

While I was at the booth, munching away, I asked the Theo people, which bar was the best selling. They replied the Theo Venezuela 91% cacao bar. Personally, I was not enamored with it since it was too bitter for me. Blame it on my love of frosted flakes as a kid, but I liked the Theo Blended-Cocoa Ghana-Panama-Ecuador Dark Chocolate Bar with a cacao content of 75%.

All bars can be purchased online or locate a store near you. A 2 ounce 3400 Phinney Bar cost $3.25 and a 3 ounce Origin Bar costs $5.00.

An Organic Chocolate Buddha for that Serene Enlightened Feeling

As we were leaving the show, I spotted the above chocolate Buddha at Oliver Kita‘s booth. I stopped to admire him despite my children yelling at me that they had enough chocolate for one day. (I know. Isn’t it amazing that they said they had enough chocolate for the day?)

So, I turned to the woman at the booth and said, “is he organic?” Surprisingly, she said yes and said that Oliver Kita makes a variety of organic, fair trade chocolates. Well, she got my attention despite the fact I wanted to nibble on Buddha’s toes.

The Company makes their chocolates in New York’s Hudson Valley with chocolate from the Rhone Valley in France. They are preservative free, contain non-GMO ingredients, and packaged in either recycled or recyclable materials.

Oliver Kita is known for his masterful combination of chocolate and exotic fruits and flavors from around the world. His organic creations include an organic chocolate and peanut butter Buddha ($22.75), assorted box of 72% cacao bon bons ($40), 70% cacao dark chocolate bar ($5.50), and organic cocoa pods ($20).

The organic products can be purchased online.

The Olde Organic Chocolate Staple

When I think of organic chocolate, I think of Green and Black. This UK Company has been creating organic chocolate products since the early 1990s. Its name is quite literal to its creed. The green part of the name, of course, relates to being organic and the black part of the name relates to the dark chocolate which is almost the color black. Their beans hail from hundreds of small farmers in Belize and Dominican Republic with their Maya Gold® products earning fair trade status.

Green and Black products include bars available in 1.5 ounce and 3.5 ounce in many different flavors including milk chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, toffee, almond, and dark chocolate to name a few. A 3.5 ounce bar found at my local health food store costs $3.89.

For those who wish to share bite size chocolate nuggets, the Green and Black dark or milk chocolate Bags would fit the bill. For bakers, the Company offers a Baking bar or Fair Trade Cocoa Powder as well as a 100 page chocolate recipe book. In addition, the Company offers hot chocolate mix and organic ice cream.

I tried both their Milk Chocolate (which contains 34% cacao) and Bittersweet 70% cacao Dark Chocolate bars. Ever since I have discovered the richness of dark chocolate, milk chocolate does not taste as good to me. I prefer the rich dark chocolate bar.

After sampling a dozen chocolate pieces, I was pretty sick to my stomach, but a happy sick to my stomach. What I love about dark chocolate is that you only need a little nibble to satisfy your chocolate cravings. In the case of all the organic chocolate companies that I visited at the Show, all of their dark chocolates were rich and deeply satisfying. Want to treat yourself to organic chocolate, consider any of the companies listed in this article or “Organic Chocolate, a Little Taste of Heaven.”

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Organic Chocolate, a Little Taste of Heaven

Anna@Green Talk — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:56:37 +0000

What is the 8^th wonder of the world? Chocolate, no doubt. At the 11th annual New York Chocolate Show, I was a pig in mud being around hundreds of some of best chocolate makers, all in the same room, giving out free samples of the best chocolate I ever tasted.

My husband has always wanted to go to this show thinking it would be fun for the kids to sample a variety of chocolate. Like father like son, they love chocolate. Who doesn’t?

Benefits of Chocolate

According to an article by the University of Michigan Integrated Medicine, there are health benefits associated with eating dark chocolate. Some of the benefits are as follows:

Contains flavonoids called procyanidins & epicatechins; flavonoids are part of a group of antioxidants known as polyphenols and are found in a variety of foods including tea, red wine, and various fruits and vegetables
Decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol oxidation
Reduces the risk of blood clots
Increases blood flow in arteries
May lower high blood pressure
May improve mood and pleasure by boosting serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain “

Now I know why chocolate makes me so happy! I would be remiss if I did not mention there are health concerns such as kidney stones, migraine headaches, and caffeine issues associates with eating chocolate. With any food, moderation is the key.

Welcome to the Chocolate Show

Here we were amongst all of these fabulous chocolate vendors giving out free samples. I bypassed the brownie booth and pushed myself beyond the peanut butter and chocolate booth so that I could concentrated on the organic vendors for Green Talk. (Do you see the sacrifices I make in the name of being green?)

Not all of the chocolate listed below are 100% organic but are making strives in local sourcing and/or using organic ingredients.

A Foodie’s Chocolate

Christopher Michael with one of his delicious chocolates

Owner and Chef, Christopher Michael describes himself as a savory chef and a definite foodie when it comes to creating his Christopher Michael Artisan Chocolates. He uses locally sourced herbs, such as rosemary and mint, and fresh cream and butter from a local certified organic dairy. The oranges and citrus in his chocolates are from the family orchard. Even his single origin beans from Venezuela are fair trade.

Michael told me that he sources beans from Venezuela because the flavor is second to none. It contains 61% cacao. However, the beans are not certified organic, but according to Michael, they are grown without pesticides.

Two of the chocolates that he seems to be most proud of were his Rosemary/Caramel and Spicy Pomegranate/Lime. Ordinarily I would not have associated rosemary with chocolate and turned my nose up at him when he suggested that I try it. After he insisted, I tried it, and was pleasantly surprised how refreshing it tasted. It really added a terrific flavor to the chocolate. The pomegranate/lime chocolate had a real kick to it which was unusual, but worked well together.

With such combinations as Hawaii infused ginger and dark chocolate (Hawaiian Ginger), spicy chipotle peppers and honey in a dark chocolate ganache (Chipotle and Honey), and a layer of pecans marzipan on top of a cinnamon ganache (Pecan Cinnamon), how can you not want to be adventurous? Michael created 29 different types of artistic bonbons for everyone’s pallet. Assortments of 12 chocolates ($24) and 24 chocolates ($42) can be ordered online.

Michael’s creations were my favorite in the show because I loved his concept of mixing herbs or other food with chocolate.

Sinfully Sweet and Salty Create a Winning Combo

Bob Sendall with his Toffee Tabboo

Toffee Tabboo is a mixture of Belgian dark chocolate topped with organic cashews and almonds that have been coated in a toffee mixture with white chocolate drizzled overtop.

Founder, Bob Sendall, the chef extraordinaire of All in Good Taste Productions, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania started serving Toffee Tabboo at the end of his events twelve years ago. In 2004, Sendall Chocolates was founded.

I enjoyed the combination of the sweet and salty taste. Toffee Tabboo is offered in various size boxes and can be purchased on the Company’s website or at selected stores. A 4 ounce box of Tabboo is $11.00.

The Husband Award

One of the founders at Berkshire Bark

Berkshire Bark’s chocolate was my husband’s favorite. The Company sells five different barks:

Midnight Harvest (Belgian dark chocolate with roasted nuts, dried cranberries, and fresh zest), Tropical Heat (Belgium dark chocolate and tropical fruits, macadamia nuts, Chile powder, and cayenne pepper), Mocha Buzz (Belgian milk chocolate, roasted almonds, caramel, Cocoa nibs, and crushed espresso beans, Pretzellogical (Belgian dark and milk chocolate, pretzels, peanut butter, and caramel), White Lightening (Belgian white chocolate, roasted cashews, ginger, lemon zest, and sea salt) and Jumpin’ Java (Belgian dark chocolate, roasted almonds, espresso toffee, caramelized chocolate nibs, and crushed coffee beans)

Midnight Harvest was my favorite, but my husband loved each one of the barks.

The Bark is made in the Berkshires without any preservatives. According to the Company, many of the small farmers they source from grow organically, but do not have the certification. However, the Company obtains its ingredients as much as possible from local sources. The beans come from Barrington Coffee Roasters, a local vendor, and the cream and butter used in the caramel comes from a Jersey farm, one of the founders, David, used to work at. They zest all of their citrus fruit by hand, and roast all of their nuts themselves. In addition, none of their dried fruits contain sulfites.

The bark comes in 2.8 ounce bars at $6 a bar. Bars can be purchased online or at selected retailers.

Making Chocolate the Old Fashion Way

Francois Pralus is one the three remaining French bean to bar chocolate makers. He makes his own chocolate rather than uses ready-coated chocolate. He is known as an expert in discerning the finest beans and the best characteristics of each bean. As one of the women at the booth explained to me, he lets the beans speak for themselves.

The Pyramide Biologique is comprised of 5 different 75% cacao single origin bars, which are AB organic certified. The Pyramide includes Ghana (bold taste with wonderful spice. Woodsy and peppery,) Equateur (strong hint of fig and citrus,) Republic of Domnicaine, Tanzanie (sweet), and Madagascar (fruity) The Pyramide can be purchased online for $29.38. (See both Chef.com and Chocolate Trading Company for more thorough descriptions of the bars.) Single bars can be purchased on this UK site.

My favorite bar (although not organic) was the Pralus Papouasie Dark Chocolate made out of 75% cacao. It was rich and had a distinctive taste.

For chocolate purists, the Company offers a 100% cacao bar without any sugar. I thought the pure chocolate bar was dry and tasteless. What was it missing? Sugar, of course. The American diet staple.

There were so many wonderful chocolate companies at the show that I have broken this article down into two parts. See “Organic Chocolates Never Tasted So Good,” for more organic chocolate choices.

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Tis the Season For a Greener Wrapping Paper Fundraiser?

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:43:19 +0000

It is that time of year when the fundraisers roll out for the schools since Christmas is right around the corner. How many of your schools offer the old wrapping paper fundraiser?

Yawn. I know another wrapping paper fundraiser.

This year I received my timely Innisbrook holiday fundraiser with a new twist. A Recycle, Reuse, and Conserve money collection Envelope (see picture above) with a nifty caption of

“Did you know this envelope is made from recycled Paper? There are a lot of ways you can help keep our world green?”

I read the envelope and started to shake my head, with disbelief. How could a product fundraiser company give me advice to go green when they were asking me to buy more paper products? With catchy phrases of “Don’t just Recycle-Reuse!” and “Unscramble these words to see what trees do for us,” I became incensed.

That’s it, my militant green-self exclaimed. I am going to write about this blatant green washing with the “be green” envelope and the not so green products. I figured the catalog would be full of beautiful wrapping paper, that is made from wood pulp, that ultimately finds its way to the trash in the same amount of time or less than it took to wrap the gift. Hopefully, it is being recycled (without the tape…)

Wrapping paper just seems kind of wasteful to me. (Been there done that with the wrapping paper. See my article on wrapping Holiday Gifts.)

Look at the Catalog Before Screaming Greenwashing

The next day, my inner logical voice said, “you know, you ought to look at the catalog before you fire away one of your posts on the blog.” Well, I am glad that I listened, since otherwise, I would not have seen the many options for recycle content wrapping paper.

So, I went to check out their website as well. Their green efforts include that their standard paper is printed on premium recycled paper and their inks are 100% water based. And their catalog is printed on recycled paper as well. Hmmm …This is a good start.

However, none of the food items in the catalog were remotely green. From Krispy Kreme rich coffee to Helen Grace chocolates, nothing smelled of fair trade, organic, but simply brown.

But to placate us green types, page 4 listed the “Sensible Solutions,” which includes a lunch tote, recycle tips, a porcelain cup and saucer, and of course, the “I am going green shopping tote.” Everyone seems to have their own brand of “I am not a plastic bag” tote.

Taking the Green High Road

As I was getting worked up, I stopped and told my inner Green Crusader to park the Prius and take a breather. Should I look at this fundraiser as a step in the right direction and encourage this company to add in fair trade coffee and chocolate items to their catalog rather than total dismiss it and call it green placating? (There is a new term for you. You heard it first on Green Talk.)

Should I commend them for adding recycled wrapping paper to their list of products, and make a suggestion about including fabric bags as well?

It is kind of like the Clorox scenario where they make bleach as well as Green Works, the Company’s eco-friendly cleaning products. Do you decide not to buy Green Works because it is made by Clorox or are you glad they are producing products that are making green more mainstream?

I decided to take the high road and called the Company to discuss my suggestions.

Wrapping Paper is a very easy fundraiser since many people are not going to take the time to use their funny pages, magazines, or their kids’ artwork to be used as gift wrap. In the end, the school receives up to fifty percent of the monies raised.

Please don’t get me wrong about supporting local school organizations. I just have a problem buying things I don’t need. In the past, I just gave a cash donation to the PTA instead. In this case, all of the money I gave went directly to the school.

I have encouraged my PTA to put a line item at the bottom of each fundraiser, saying all cash donations are welcome, but that has not happened yet.

In a prior post, I outlined some wonderful Eco-Fundraisers and my readers provided me with other choices as well. I encourage everyone to read this article, and add to it as well.

Join the Conversation

What type of fundraiser has been most successful at your school or organization? It does not have to be green, but a green option would be great. Ideas are welcomed too.

Has your organization had gift wrapping fundraisers and are they successful? Do you like this idea?
Would you buy the eco-products from a fundraising catalog, and ignore the fact that most of the products are not eco-friendly?
Would you buy an eco-product from a Company even though they are still producing products that have questionable environmental practices? (ie Clorox.)

Let me know your thoughts.

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