New from Envirosax Bags: Sesame Street Faves

Who doesn't like Sesame Street? From Oscar the Grouch to Cookie Monster and now fairy-in-training Abby, favourite kids show Sesame Street has something for everyone – even adults. The latest reusable shopping bags from Envirosax featuring favourite Sesame Street characters are perfect for anyone who wants to take a retro eco walk down memory lane. The bright colours and cartoon-like graphics combined with the practical benefits of these handy Envirosax bags: lightweight, water resistant, holds 44 lbs., no toxic chemicals, reinforced seams, folds down to the size of a piece of sushi, make Sesame Street a hit with adults too! Ideal for shopping, our funky Sesame Street Envirosax bags are good for carrying pretty much anything from sports gear to books to picnics and more. For an economical option, check out our Envirosax Sesame Street 5-pack pouch.

Green Hits the Big Screen in Sex and the City 2

A bag made from recycled candy wrappers made it onto the set and into the hands of Samantha Jones (played by Canadian actress Kim Cattrall) in the recently released Sex and the City 2.

Naturally the bag appeared in a shopping scene. It's called the Silver Mega and retails at US$178.

Want to buy one? Let us know and we'll see about bringing it into Canada for you. Contact us at customerservice@lavishandlime.com.

For more greener living ideas, visit Canada's online eco boutique Lavish & Lime. Have a thought about this bag or Sex and the City 2? Please leave a comment below - we'd love to hear from you!

Today's Deal: Laptop Sleeve

Our Daily Deal today is ideal for anyone who uses their laptop on the go.

Sleek and streamlined, this laptop case not only features a striking pattern, but it's made of neoprene - the wetsuit material - providing a protective cushioned covering for transport.

We've reduced the price by 40% and only while stocks last. Simply click below for more information and to purchase.

Today's Daily Deal is...

Neoprene Laptop Sleeve
Was: $48
Now: $28.80
SAVE 40%

BUY NOW
Made of extra-thick durable neoprene, this laptop case cushions and protects your laptop for maximum protection and safely slides in and out of your briefcase or luggage with ease. Perfect for business travelers and urban nomads alike. Best of all, slide it in and as it conforms to the size of your computer, its unique bone shape creates an instant built-in bumper system for extra protection. Lays flat when not in use. Fits 14"-15.4" wide laptop. The hourglass shape and stretchy material allows this sleeve to fit a range of models and shapes. Machine washable. Stain resistant. Features a lime green interior. Made by leading tote manufacturer Built NY.
Also available in white with rainbow dots design.

For more great deals during our winter sale, check out our sale shop at Lavish & Lime. And be sure to check back here again for tomorrow's Daily Deal.

Today's Deal: Urban Messenger Bag

Our Daily Deal today is all about that indispensable black bag.

Sleek and streamlined, this bag is great for everyday use and easily makes it through the evening plus is packed with practicality.

We've reduced the price by 50% only while stocks last. Simply click below for more information and to purchase.

Today's Daily Deal is...

Urban Messenger Bag
Was: $130
Now: $65
SAVE 50%

BUY NOW
This ultra-chic messenger bag with stylish front flap buckle detail is a classic city essential in a sleek, contemporary style. Looks and feels like genuine leather. Only you will know it's made of high end, biodegradable PU leather, an alternative animal-friendly fabrication created using environmentally sound processes. Adjustable shoulder strap and high quality hardware. Zippered main compartment under the flap for extra security. Matching briefcase/laptop bag available.

For more great deals during our winter sale, check out our sale shop at Lavish & Lime. And be sure to check back here again for tomorrow's Daily Deal.

Today's Deal: Vines Bowling Bag

Our Daily Deal today features one of our most popular products.

The unique shape of our bowling bag - with its long shoulder straps - makes it ideal for carrying workout gear, the essentials for an overnighter or pretty much anything you can think of!

For today only we've reduced the price by 30%, and only while stocks last. Simply click below for more information and to purchase.

Today's Daily Deal is...

Vines Bowling Bag
Was: $41
Now: $29.40
SAVE 30%

BUY NOW
The perfect workout bag in a lovely blue/brown design. Fit everything you need for yoga or the gym into this striking retro-shaped bag with long over-the-shoulder handles. Perfect as a sturdy daytime carrier or for overnight travel. A stylish alternative to that tired gym bag or knapsack. Inner zippered pocket and outer end pocket help keep you organized.

For more great deals during our winter sale, check out our sale shop at Lavish & Lime. And be sure to check back here again for tomorrow's Daily Deal.

5 Reasons to Wear a Scarf Now

Here, in no particular order, are our top five reasons why we think people should be wearing scarves right now.

1. Aside from clutches, scarves have been pegged the 'in' accessory for the 08/09 winter season. You do want to be 'in', don't you?

2. Hey, it's still really cold out there! Especially with the incessant fog here in Vancouver. Keep warm and ward off those chills.

3. Everyone else is doing it - read celebrities - even style icon David Beckham or our Becks as we so fondly like to think of him.

4. If you're pregnant, a big colourful scarf is great for drawing attention from your growing bump and encouraging people to actually focus on your face when you're speaking to them.

5. It's a great way to update your winter coat without breaking the bank! Add a splash of colour or a striking stripey pattern - a little goes a long way on neutral coloured outer wear, especially since you've been wearing it now for a couple of months and you're nearing the home stretch.

Oh, and here's one more reason to wear a scarf:
6. They're on sale at Lavish & Lime now from just $14! Choose from a selection of bamboo, oversized mohair-esque and colourful stripey scarves all reduced by 30%.

For more great deals, check out our Winter Sale at Lavish & Lime, on now until January 31st.

Today's Deal: Cow Fleece Socks

Our Daily Deal today is a timely must-have because let's face it - it's still cold out there!

Funk up your feet with these anything but boring socks. Great for indoors and out - and they're made in Canada.

Kit out the whole family - we have sizes from XS kids to XL adults!

For today only we've reduced the price by 40%, and only while stocks last. Simply click below for more information and to purchase.

Today's Daily Deal is...

Cow Fleece Socks
Was: $18/$16 (adult/kid sizes)
Now: $10.80/$9.60
SAVE 40%

BUY NOW
The contour fit makes these super soft socks just as good for keeping warm in shoes and boots outdoors as they are for cozying up inside. Fleece wicks moisture away from your skin and dries quickly. Flat lock seams ensure no rubbing or chafing. Stay up without cutting off circulation. Make great bed socks. Wear well with no fading, shrinking and they won't mat or pill. Hypoallergenic. Anti-skid sole on kids' sizes ONLY. Match with shoe sizes here.

For more great deals during our winter sale, check out our sale shop at Lavish & Lime. And be sure to check back here again for tomorrow's Daily Deal.

Today's Deal: The Clutch Bag

Practical chic is what today's Daily Deal is all about.

A smooth, sleek handy-sized clutch - big enough for the essentials but not too big that it becomes a burden. Great for a night on the town, nipping out to the shops or just about anywhere.

Plus, and this is a big plus, it's handmade in Canada - no foreign sweat shops.

Hurry, it's on at an amazing 40% OFF for today only, and only while stocks last. Simply click below to purchase.

Today's Daily Deal is...

Astrosatchel Clutch
Was: $36
Now: $21.60
SAVE 40%

BUY NOW
Deep jewel tone hues are in and so is this sleek and simple clutch. Handmade in Vancouver by Astrosatchel with eco-friendly, top quality naugahyde vinyl from the USA, this clutch features a sturdy zip closure and two front snap pockets, plus a handy wrist strap for extra security. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Available in purple, burgundy, teal and must-have grey.

For more great deals during our winter sale, check out our sale shop at Lavish & Lime. And be sure to check back here again for tomorrow's Daily Deal.

Today's Deal: Blue Multi-Stripe Scarf

Our sitewide Winter Sale at Lavish & Lime starts today and to make things a little more interesting, we've decided to feature a Daily Deal.

Each day of the Sale we'll be offering a different product at a huge discount for that day only, while stocks last.

So check back here often at The Lime Post, because the price of that one great product you've had your eye on might be slashed by half or more. Click on the Daily Deal item featured, and you'll go straight through to the product page where you can purchase it, before it's gone.

Today's Daily Deal is...

Blue Multi-Stripe Scarf
Was $32
Today Only: $16
SAVE 50%

BUY NOW
Add a splash of stripey colour to your winter coat with this super soft scarf. Blues and greens are combined with browns, greys and white making this scarf work for both him and her. Made of 100% acrylic with a free flowing fringe. Machine wash.

For more great deals during our Winter Sale, check out our Sale Shop at Lavish & Lime.

Designer Interview: Vinyl can be Eco-Friendly with Astrosatchel

Vinyl can be eco-friendly? you ask. Yes actually, says Janna Hurtzig, the creator behind Vancouver's own design gem, Astrosatchel. Our gorgeous line of Astrosatchel shoulder totes, clutches and change purses are an example of green living and good looking going hand in hand. Read on as Janna explains...

What was your inspiration behind the creation of the original Astrosatchel shoulder tote? How did you come up with the name?

I started making Astrosatchel bags in 1998 because I couldn't find a bag that I liked that was made in Canada. Initially I wanted to use astro-turf, but I couldn't find anything soft enough, so I settled on vinyl. I liked that it was durable and bright, yet water proof - perfect for Vancouver. The name was easy: the bags were going to be fun, with a space age feel to them, so I thought Astro was a good place to start, and Satchel because I was making bags.

Why did you choose to work with naugahyde vinyl? What is the manufacturing process the bags go through?

I started using the Naugahyde vinyl because of the choices of colours available, and because I could reorder it as needed. I didn't want to use fabrics that I wasn't sure I could get again, in case the products really took off, which they did!!

When we make the bags in our studio, we start by hand cutting the individual pieces for the bag, which we sew together using industrial sewing machines. The applique images are cut from any scraps left over from when we cut the bags--- hardly anything goes to waste. We don't use any adhesives in our process. Our bags are lined with nylon, which adds additional strength to the bag a well as finishing the bag off nicely. We use velcro closures as these are easy to adjust and are relatively fail-safe.

I think as a designer it is important to create things that are aesthetically pleasing, but are also highly functional, with a lot of thought given to the end use. We sew everything to last, which is almost the anti-thesis these days in manufacturing.

I like simplicity in design--- quite often products are made with lots of bells and whistles, but the time goes into making the bells and whistles, not what they are attached to. My bags are made to be versatile and durable, items that you use for years rather than for a season and then it's on to something else.

Most manufacturing processes are highly mechanised: items are stamped out on presses in huge quantities, while we only cut what we need, which eliminates over production...... most manufacturing focuses on making quantity in a short period of time, while we focus on quality first and foremost.

If naugahyde vinyl is man made, how can your bags be considered eco-friendly?

The Naugahyde brand of vinyl is a man made fabric, but I see eco aspects to it: the vinyl is union made in the United States, which is better than overseas-made goods as it reduces the amount of traveling the fabric does, and there is better environmental law in the US as opposed to, say, China, where many textiles are coming from these days, including eco-friendly ones. I like to know that the person who made my fabric was fairly paid for their work as well.

As the fabric I use is durable, it will not require replacement as often as lesser quality vinyl, which can crack in cold temperatures: Naugahyde is fine for colder places such as Edmonton and Winnipeg. I think the durability aspect is a huge consideration--- why buy products that won't hold up to use: just as much energy goes into their production as items that will last a long time. Lower quality vinyl has given all vinyl a bad reputation, but the Naugahyde I'm using is upholstery grade, heavy duty stuff.

When I tell people I use vinyl, the assume that it's because "leather is so expensive", which is not my reason at all.

Mostly, the vinyl is a replacement for leather - even if people are eating the meat portion of the animal, the leather is a byproduct of an environmentally hazardous industry. While leather is initially a 'natural product', by the time it is chemically treated for use, it isn't natural anymore, and the environmental impacts of the leather industry are huge: animals require land, water, feed (more land, more water), and transport, while creating huge amounts of carbon dioxide gas (both by the animal itself, and from transport), and waste products (poop) that enter the environment and create problems, like contamination to drinking water.

There is no animal cruelty involved with Naugahyde vinyl, so while it's not a natural fabric, I sleep easier at night knowing that when people buy my products, they are buying a cruelty free item: no animal cruelty, or sweatshop labour.

An added bonus is that the vinyl is already waterproof: there's no need to spray it down with waterproofing spray, as you would with a leather bag: more chemicals.

I personally think that we need to rethink a lot of how we live day to day: choosing to purchase better quality items with years of use in them as opposed to cheaper items that end up in the trash...... every product gets thrown away eventually, but if we are consuming fewer products in the first place, that's a good start.

Thanks for the insight Janna! View our collection of Janna's stunning Astrosatchel bags at Lavish & Lime.

Green Gift Guide: Top 10 Eco-Chic Gifts for Christmas

Green is definitely the new white this holiday season.

Think eco-friendly and feel good about the gifts you give. Plus they don't have to be boring, or beige. Bright colours and innovative designs mean this Christmas going green never looked so good.

Here's our guide to the top 10 eco-friendly gift picks for her, him and the little ones for a green Christmas.

1) Market Tote 3-Pack: for Her
Why a great green choice? Cuts down on plastic bag use and helps reduce the landfill. Made in Canada so minimal carbon footprint.

Fashion meets function with this stylish grocery tote. Made of 100% cotton with a comfortable webbed handle, it holds up to 3X more than the average plastic shopping bag and includes an interior elastic band for storing a bottle upright. $40

2) Recycled Rectangle Necklace: for Her
Why a great green choice? Handcrafted in Canada using recycled, re-melted, and recombined sterling silver components.

This unique rectangular pendant can easily be worn two ways - horizontally for a wide angle look or turned to the vertical. The rectangle hangs from a delicate, double chain that loops around the sides of the pendant. $52

3) Discs of Life Reclaimed Wood Necklace: for Her
Why a great green choice? Handcrafted from recycled African ebony hardwood. Made in Canada so a minimal carbon footprint.

This chic silver string of five eco-friendly wooden shapes is certain to make a lasting impression. 32" length $92

4) Bamboo Nightshirt: for Her
Why a great green choice? Bamboo is considered nature’s most sustainable and naturally regenerative resource. Bamboo fabric is softer than the softest cotton on the market today and is grown without fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides and is biodegradable. This nightshirt is made with non-toxic and AZO free dyes.

A super soft option for comfy nightwear that also looks and feels great as a long shirt with jeans. Short sleeve, rounded neck, falls above the knee. 95% viscose from bamboo, 5% spandex. S,M,L in black and cielo blue available $49

5) Purple Clutch: for Her
Why a great green choice? Handmade in Canada using high quality naugahyde vinyl from the USA - free of solvents and ozone depleting chemicals - a hard wearing alternative to animal leather and all the resources used to raise animals.

Purple is the colour of the season and this clutch is it. Two snap pockets, sturdy zip and easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth. $36

6) Wooden Pirate Ship: for Kids
Why a great green choice? Made from replenishable rubber wood which is preservative free and processed naturally. No harmful additives or coloring are used and all paints are tested for safety. Made by PlanToys which practices the “Three R’s” of green living: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Their manufacturing processes are designed to reduce waste and save energy.

This wonderful pirate ship includes a one-eyed black beard and a dastardly crew of four, with lifeboat and hungry croc. Age 3 years + $55

7) Bug Balance Game: for Kids Why a great green choice? Made from replenishable rubberwood which is preservative free and processed naturally. No harmful additives or coloring are used and all paints are tested for safety. Also made by PlanToys®.

Roll the dice and catch the bugs and then place them on the tree to see how long they can stay on for. The tree is 10.6" high. Age 3+ $25

8) Soda Can Robot Kit: for Kids
Why a great green choice? Gives kids a hands-on education about the value of recycling everyday objects.

Build, recycle and create a unique robot that is as much a science project as it is a toy. The robug emits a buzzing sound like a real bug and moves across the floor. Great fun from a recycled can (not included). Crank and wind energy kits also available. Ages 8+

9) Mini Crank Lantern: for Him
Why a great green choice? Offers a real alternative to grid electricity or fossil fuels. Made by Freeplay Energy, who through its non-profit Freeplay Foundation has distributed more than 160,000 Lifeline radios since 2003 in Africa and beyond, conservatively reaching six million listeners and making Freeplay the world leader in transferring wind-up technology to those least able to access the information and education that could help lift them out of poverty.

Reputedly the best self sufficient rechargeable lantern on the market. When you wind for power, the self-charge mechanism converts over 74% of your kinetic energy into stored electricity. The task light is ideal for reading at night, and an effective flashlight for walking around the campground. $32

10) Mohair Throw: for Anyone who Likes to Be Warm
Why a great green choice? Recycled yarn samples have been used to create the fringe.

A colourful, multi-texture rainbow fringe accents this stunning, lightweight mohair mix throw. The robin's egg blue colour adds an instant touch of elegant coziness to any room. Also available in white snow, dark grey and chocolate brown. 70"x53" $160

These and other eco-chic gifts are available at Vancouver-based online boutique Lavish & Lime. We ship across Canada and offer a $5 gift wrapping service plus gift enclosure cards with a personal handwritten message - for free.