Save 40% in our Sale Shop - Starts Today!

While we normally like to wait until after Remembrance Day to talk about Christmas, we realize that many of you are already checking your lists and thinking about what to buy - whether for loved ones overseas or those closer to home.

So we've decided to kick off the festive shopping season in our Sale Shop with 40% OFF absolutely everything. It's our Super Sale Shop Sale - for 3 days only. Use code SALESHOP40 to save until midnight, November 12th.

This sale is a great opportunity to stock up on Christmas gifts - for everyone. For him, we've got lovely leather flasks, Moleskine notebooks and silver cufflinks. For her, there's some gorgeous jewelry - including oversized silver rings - and super soft mohair-esque scarves. For little ones choose from a range of toys from German toymaker Sigikid and great baby keepsake gifts.

Just please keep in mind quantities are limited so if you do spot something, don't wait too long to pop it in your cart!

Hope to see you saving soon at Lavish & Lime!

Goodbyn Lunch Box: the ultimate in waste-free lunches

This is it. We've found the ultimate waste-free lunch kit. Our new Goodbyn Lunch Box is one of the most innovative products we've seen that helps reduce landfill waste - plus it's totally kid-safe.

With each student creating roughly 66 lbs. of lunch waste per year, according to the Recycling Council of Ontario, packing school - and work - lunches with minimal waste is becoming increasingly important. Waste-free lunch days are already happening in lots of schools but why not try to make everyday as waste-free as possible? If each of us focus on our own lunches, together we can surely all make a difference.

The Goodbyn lunch box is a great place to start. Six compartments - to keep foods and food smells separate - and one big lid. It's similar in concept to an airline meal as everything has its place, but this completely non-toxic and recyclable food container comes with a BPA-free water bottle plus three sheets of stickers for personalization - and fun! It's easy for kids to open and close and is dishwasher safe. And you can choose from 4 colours: orange, green, pink and blue.

A. easy-to-open ears kid-tested intuitively-designed animal ears make for easy opening.	E. side containers great for dips, sauces, vegetables, crackers, nuts, berries, or dried fruit.
B. built-in handle easy for both kids and parents to carry.	F. 8.5-ounce bottle eliminates need for juice boxes.
C. top container perfect for leftovers, apples, oranges, even a banana!	G. sticker set each goodbyn comes with three sheets of stickers so the kids can make each lunchbox their own!
D. bottom container fits stacked sandwich halves, bagel, pasta salad, chips, yogurt or cereal.

In Canada, the Goodbyn Lunch Box is available at Vancouver-based online eco boutique, Lavish & Lime. If you have any thoughts or ideas about the Goodbyn or waste-free lunches in general, please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you!

WIN 1 of 3 Cleanwell Natural Hand Sanitizers!

We want to help you fight germs naturally, so we're giving away a bottle of our Cleanwell Natural Hand Sanitizer to three lucky winners.

To enter, simply become a fan on our Facebook page and leave a comment on our wall telling us what you're doing to fight the flu.

We'll be drawing for three winning fans on November 18th. Enter now!

Good luck!

Cleanwell Natural Hand Sanitizers are available for purchase at Vancouver-based online eco boutique Lavish & Lime.

The Latest on H1N1 from Abroad

We're all for getting information and different perspectives from a variety of sources. If you'd like to learn what people are being told about H1N1 beyond our borders keep reading. If Canada is your focus, visit fightflu.ca.

Learn what the National Health Service (NHS) is saying about H1N1 in the UK, what the Danish Ministry of Health is telling the people of Denmark and from down under, read what the Australian government has to say about H1N1. For an American perspective, find out the latest from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) by clicking on the graphic below.

The 'get more tips' slide show below is full of great visual reminders.

H1N1 (Swine Flu)

Visit eco boutique Lavish & Lime for information about effective natural hand sanitizers - a safe option for kids instead of alcohol-based cleaners. If you have any thoughts or ideas about H1N1 and fighting germs, please post a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.

10 Ways to Fight Flu Naturally

If you're not wholly on board with getting the H1N1 vaccine or are simply waiting your turn, there are steps you can take to help prevent you and your family from getting the flu.

The indisputable #1 way to prevent sickness is to wash your hands with soap and warm water frequently. Find out more about when you should wash your hands here. It's recommended that you wash your hands as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday.

In the absence of a sink, the next best thing to keep hands clean is to use a hand sanitizer. Schools are now asking parents to send their kids to school with a bottle of hand cleaner. The problem here in BC is concern over kids misusing alcohol hand sanitizer. With alcohol hand cleaners containing more than 60% alcohol and that usually being 120 proof, it's no wonder there's some concern over kids ingesting or experimenting with it. Alcohol also dries the skin and stings when it comes into contact with cuts and abrasions.

A great option for fighting germs when you're on the go is a natural hand sanitizer. Cleanwell natural hand sanitizers are lab proven to kill 99.99% germs on contact - and they're free of harsh chemicals, including alcohol. Plus they come in a chic and handy little spray bottle with a no-mess flip top cap - great for your purse, pocket, backpack or desk.

After clean hands, boosting your immunity is perhaps the best thing you can do to fight flu naturally. Here are nine ways we've come across to do this that people are talking about.

2. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (or Listerine if you don't trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation and is a good, inexpensive preventative method.

3. Swab your nostrils with salt water. Blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is helps bring down the viral population.

4. Drink warm liquids. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

5. Eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables.

6. Take a Vitamin C supplement - because most of us don't eat enough Vitamin C-rich foods - and now that the clocks have gone back and we're getting less daylight, this should be supplemented by Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. Zinc also helps with absorption of Vitamin C.

7. Take immune-booster Oil of Oregano (liquid) under your tongue or diluted with a little water.

8. Get lots of sleep. Adults should be getting 7-8 hours and growing kids 10-12.

9. Keep your hands away from your face. Don't touch your eyes, put your fingers in your mouth, etc.

10. Reduce sugar intake. Sugar can have the effect of suppressing your immune system. (Good luck with this one after all that trick or treating yesterday!).

For more information about H1N1, visit fightflu.ca.

You can purchase Cleanwell natural hand sanitizer at eco boutique Lavish & Lime. Buy a 6-pack and save $3. If you have any thoughts or ideas about fighting germs naturally, please leave a comment below. We've love to hear from you!