VOTE: The Best Green Gift for Christmas 2011

The Best Green Gift for Christmas 2011 is in your hands! You've sent us your recommendations. We've collected them below and now the choice is up to you - vote for your favourite! Tell us which is your favourite in a comment below or send us an email at customerservice@lavishandlime.com with 'Best Green Gift' in the subject line. Alternatively, you can visit our Lavish & Lime Facebook page and 'Like' your favourite gift there. We'll tally up the votes to determine the absolute Best Green Gift for Christmas 2011, as recommended by you. The person who suggests the winning gift wins a $25 gift certificate at lavishandlime.com - so go on, encourage your friends to vote for your gift and you could win $25 to help with your holiday shopping! In the case where more than one person has recommended a gift and that gift wins, a random draw will take place by Lavish & Lime to determine the winner. Voting closes at midnight PST, December 5th. The winner will be announced later the next day. And we know how hard it can be to choose just one, so feel free to vote for more than one favourite - vote now!

Lavish & Lime Announces Eco Art Contest Winners

After much deliberation here at Lavish & Lime and beyond, we're pleased to announce the winners of our Earth Day 2011 Eco Art Contest.

First, a big thank you to all entrants for taking the time to participate in this contest. We were impressed with all entries received and all your efforts in creating with recycled materials deserve to be commended. Coming up with just three winners was decidedly difficult.

Thank you also to our judges, Juno-nominated green music duo Bobs & Lolo, nationally eco-aware Babyvibe.ca and one of Canada's premier artists Cori Creed whose work is presently showing in Vancouver, San Francisco and New York. Your participation was greatly appreciated.

We'd also like to thank everyone who gave their input online regarding our finalists.

The results
Our runners up entries are Caged Intelligence by Judie S. aka Colourful Canary and Hamm by Caryn S. and her son.

Our overall Eco Art Contest winner is Callum F. with his piece entitled Albert.

The judging process wasn't easy, as judges Bobs & Lolo explain with their experience. "It was a tough choice for us, and we definitely feel that all submissions/artists deserve recognition for their creations," said Bobs & Lolo. "We do feel that our first choice - Albert - clearly represents 'getting creative with your recycling' particularly with materials that are traditionally difficult to recycle. It was fun to see a creative use of an old CD! Hamm and Caged Intelligence need to be equally commended for their efforts."

Winner
Artist: Callum F. Title: Albert Materials: Recycled spool, CD, metal caps, rubber tubes, plastic springs, ceramic hand, ceramic shoes, felt

Runner Up
Artist: Judie S. aka Colourful Canary Title: Caged Intelligence Materials: Pencil, recycled office paper, reclaimed fencepost wood & wire, and natural materials (organic cornstarch, organic gelatin & organic powdered herbs) to represent the filthy conditions of factory caged birds. The portraits are renderings of actual beautiful intelligent birds.

Runner Up
Artist: Caryn S. Title: Hamm (after the pig from Toy Story) Materials: Old plastic mayo jar for body, 4 bumps off of an egg carton for legs, newspaper strips and flour for homemade paper mache, pink felt for ears, pink pipe cleaner for tail, red and white art foam for eyes and tongue, pink paint.

Thanks again to everyone who participated and congratulations to our winners!

Looking to live life a little greener and healthier? Lavish & Lime is a great place to start. We have hundreds of unusual gifts and everyday eco finds all good for you and the planet too. If you have any thoughts or ideas about greener living, please leave a comment below - we'd love to hear from you!

Eco Art Contest Finalists: Pick your Favourite

We've whittled down the entries received for our Lavish & Lime Eco Art Contest to five finalists. Which do you like best?

Entrants across Canada were asked to get creative with their recycling and send us a photo. Below are our top five picks of all the works of art we received.

We'd love to hear your thoughts before we send the final three on to our judging panel which includes Juno-nominated green music duo Bobs & Lolo, editor of Canada's eco-aware Babyvibe.ca, founder of national family site WeeWelcome.ca and one of Canada's premier artists Cori Creed whose work is presently showing in Vancouver, San Francisco and New York. The judges will determine our grand prize and runners up winners. These will be announced on or before May 31st.

Leave a comment below telling us which is your favourite by Monday, May 23rd!

Finalist #1
Artist: Crystal H. Title: Untitled Materials: Water bottles and decaying flowers

Finalist #2
Artist: Judy S. aka Colourful Canary Title: Caged Intelligence Materials: Pencil, recycled office paper, reclaimed fencepost wood & wire, and natural materials (organic cornstarch, organic gelatin & organic powdered herbs) to represent the filthy conditions of factory caged birds. The portraits are renderings of actual beautiful intelligent birds.

Finalist #3
Artist: Callum F. Title: Albert Materials: Recycled spool, CD, metal caps, rubber tubes, plastic springs, ceramic hand, ceramic shoes, felt

Finalist #4
Artist: Caryn S. Title: Hamm (after the pig from Toy Story) Materials: Old plastic mayo jar for body, 4 bumps off of an egg carton for legs, newspaper strips and flour for homemade paper mache, pink felt for ears, pink pipe cleaner for tail, red and white art foam for eyes and tounge, pink paint.

Finalist #5

Artist: Maureen A. Title: Sunflowers Materials: Back of old shed, old spray paint

Looking to live life a little greener and healthier? Lavish & Lime is a great place to start. We have hundreds of unusual gifts and everyday eco finds all good for you and the planet too. If you have any thoughts or ideas about the Eco Art Contest entries above, please leave a comment below - we'd love to hear from you!

Mother's Day Greenest Mom Giveaway

Calling all kids of eco-minded Moms! We know your Mom thinks about you, but does she think about the planet too? Is she green - in a good, planet-friendly way? If so, enter to win our Mother's Day Greenest Mom Giveaway and you could win your Mom a $50 green shopping spree at eco boutique Lavish & Lime.

Tell us your Mom's name (first name with last initial is great), where she lives, along with a few words about what she does to be green, ie. what kinds of things she does for the good of our planet. Post your entry below -- please include your email address so we can contact you if you win -- or email your entry to us at customerservice@lavishandlime.com.

If you wanted to include a photo -- that would be great too!

Deadline for entries is noon Thursday, May 5th.

Our plan is to post finalists on Facebook that afternoon and ask your thoughts about who should be named the winner. At noon on Friday, May 6th we'll take all likes and comments into consideration and will notify the winner that same afternoon of May 6th via email. The final judging will be done by The Lavish & Lime Team. The aim is to have an emailed gift certificate in the winner's hands in time to give to Mom on Mother's Day.

Good luck winning one for Mom!


The Small Print:
No purchase necessary.

Entries must feature a mom over the age of 18.

All entries become the exclusive property of Lavish & Lime and will not be acknowledged or returned. By entering this competition you agree to allow Lavish & Lime to use your entry, including any words and photos, freely for marketing purposes on the internet and elsewhere, including but not limited to our blog, website, newsletter and Facebook page.

Contest is open to legal residents of Canada and the US. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsors’ suppliers are ineligible. All federal, provincial, state and local laws, rules and regulations apply.

For green living ideas, learn about non-toxic and eco-friendly alternatives at eco boutique Lavish & Lime. If you have thoughts about your Mom's green habits and would like to post them here, feel free! We always love hearing about people living a greener, healthier life.

Get Lucky this Earth Day with Lavish & Lime

Feeling lucky? This Earth Day we've teamed up with a few of our favourite Canadian blogs and sites to offer you loads of chances to win eco-friendly products and Lavish & Lime gift certificates -- all aimed at helping you live a greener, healthier life.

Post by Louise

Earth Day is a great time to rethink the simple things we do every day. Reduce the amount of plastic we're using, turn off that tap when we're brushing our teeth, don't pour grease down the drain... so many little things we can do that together can make a difference to the well being of our planet - and us.

In celebration of Earth Day, we're sponsoring a number of giveaways around the net -- we've put together a round up below. Go ahead and enter, it's the only way you can win -- and let us help you go green!

Natural Mama: Win a $50 gift certificate for Lavish & Lime

Glimpse Reviews: Win a Bamboo Grow Pot of your Choice

My Wee View: Win a $50 gift certificate for Lavish & Lime

True Cuddles: Win 1 of 3 Envirosax 5-Pack Pouches

Today's Parent: Win a $75 gift certificate for Lavish & Lime

Weewelcome.ca: Win an Envirosax 5-Pack Pouch

Good luck and Happy Earth Day to you!

For more green living ideas, visit our eco boutique Lavish & Lime where you'll learn about non-toxic and eco-friendly alternatives that are good for you and the planet too. If you have any thoughts or ideas about Earth Day, please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you!

Valentines Giveaway: Win a Hopscotch Kids Natural Nail Polish + Remover

We love seeing little divas all decked out but what we really love is when they glam it up with natural products that we know won't cause them harm. Our girls love Hopscotch Kids Natural Nail Polish (so do we) and with our Valentines Day 2011 Giveaway - we hope you do too!

Our Hopscotch Kids Water Colors nail polish is completely water-based and produced with none of the harmful toxic chemicals found in most nail polishes. There is no formaldehyde, phthalates or fd&c (toxic colouring). This safe nail polish does not result in yellowing or drying of the nails, there's no awful 'chemical smell' to deal with and it is 100% biodegradable. The more you use it, the more it actually conditions and nourishes nails.

Choose from nine different Hopscotch Kids Nail Colors with great names, including Red Rover, Ice Cream Soda Pop, Bubble Gum in a Dish, Teddy Bear, and Peter Pumpkin Eater.

We believe in giving gifts that we think kids will actually use, not abandon immediately after opening. One of our best Valentine's gifts for kids along this line would be a Hopscotch Kids Natural Nail Polish plus a Hopscotch Natural Nail Polish Remover - we're certain these great Valentine's gifts would make any little Valentine swoon.

HOW TO WIN A HOPSCOTCH NAIL POLISH OF YOUR CHOICE - for Valentine's Day
Leave a comment below telling us which colour of Hopscotch Kids Natural Safe Natural Polish you'd like to win, why and you might just win it PLUS a Hopscotch polish remover ($25 value)! Please include your email address so we can contact you if you win. Random draw will be on February 8th so we can ship the prize in time for February 14th.

Extra entries: join us on our Lavish & Lime Facebook page and tell us below for two extra entries.

Good luck!

This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only.

Hopscotch Kids Water Colors Safe Natural Nail Polish is available at Lavish & Lime. For adults, check out our Scotch Naturals Watercolors Nail Polish, from the makers of Hopscotch. For more greener living ideas, please come by and browse our eco boutique at www.lavishandlime.com.

Win an Eco Kids Craft Kit of your Choice

We love Christmas gifts but one thing we dread is all the packaging - especially the packaging on gifts for kids. That's why we got really excited when we came across our new line of US-made eco-friendly craft kits for kids.

The focus is on top quality, eco-friendly crafting materials - not extravagant packaging. In fact, these kids craft kits come in a simple, reusable ziplock plastic bag. It's the contents of the bag that will take any crafty kid's breath away. Gorgeous glass beads, super soft felt doll cutouts and jewellery pieces, handmade paper and more!

Choose from six different kids craft kits:

• doll making
• felt jewellery
• book making
• wire & bead art
• bubble wand making
• creativity kit with a little of everything and lots of idea suggestions.

HOW TO WIN A KIDS CRAFT KIT OF YOUR CHOICE - for Christmas
Leave a comment below telling us which eco-friendly kids craft kit you'd like, why and you might just win it! Please include your email address so we can contact you if you win. Draw will be on December 15th so we can ship the prize in time for Christmas.

Extra entries: join us on our Facebook page and to tell us below for two extra extries.

Good luck!

All of the eco-friendly kids craft kits above are available at Lavish & Lime. For more greener living ideas, please come by and browse our eco boutique at www.lavishandlime.com.