Archive for the ‘Sustainable Business’ Category

A Few Holiday Gift Guides For Last Minute Eco Shopping

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Happy Holidays!   Hopefully you are enjoying the festive side of winter and also finding some time to relax!  Here at Artterro, we’ve been positively bustling in the shipping department, sending out hundreds of our kits to stores and people all over the country.  We love thinking of how many kids will be unwrapping one of our kits this season.

Artterro Handmade Paper Christmas Trees

If, like us, you’re not quite done with your holiday shopping, hopefully this selection of unique and green gift guides and online stores will be helpful!  Most of these focus on meaningful and sustainable gifts you can feel good about giving.

Gift Guides

Under $25

Simple Kids makes it easy to find affordable toys, games, arts & crafts, music and handmade gifts for kids.

For the DIY Crafter

The Soap Deli News blog has some wonderful ideas for gifts you can make yourself and kits to inspire DIY ingenuity in others.

Unique Gifts for Kids

Hazelnut Kids‘ round-up of educational, handmade and creative gifts for kids of all ages will surprise you with the sheer number of natural options they have in stock.  They make it easy to find the special, handcrafted gift you need.

Carolina Parent has a very eclectic list of hip, in-demand toys, games and gear for 2012.

Plenty of Options for Tweens

The Good Stuff Guide has a very helpful handful of ideas for those hard-to-shop-for tweens on your list.  There are still plenty of options after they outgrow dolls, cars and legos.

USA Love List: more great ideas for tweens, and every item is made in the USA!

Local Guides With Inspired Suggestions

Radish Magazine of Minnesota focused on gifts that give back, so you can support cancer research at the Mayo Clinic or work-training programs for people with special needs at Goodwill Industries.  Their finds come from local stores but include links to buy online.

Our local Madison Willy Street Co-op always picks fun, functional gifts with a wonderful story behind them.  Your own local food co-op might also be a great resource for eco-friendly options from small companies and fair trade producers.

Wonderful Web Stores

Artterro of course!

EcoMom

Hazelnut Kids

Abe’s Market

Fat Brain Toys

Moolka

Cow & Lizard

Paper, Scissors, Stone

Bumblebee Toys

Lavish & Lime (CA)

EkoBear (CA)

Easy Ways to Fill Your Summer With Creativity!

Thursday, June 21st, 2012

Are you kids home from school and in need of engaging activities?  Or maybe you home school and want to add a little extra creativity to your summer days?  Art projects are the perfect way to fill up long, sunny days on the deck, rainy days indoors, or vacations on the road.

Projects that can go from indoors to outdoors are ideal.   One fabulous summer project for little ones is to make fairy houses and bug habitats out of natural materials.  You can start inside by sketching a design and making a list of materials, or just improvise while you look around the backyard or a nearby park.  Then pick a location where you can imagine fairies nesting or bugs working, and make them a house with natural found items.  Here’s a paper version of a bug habitat we made with our Wool Felt Bug Kit and some other supplies (imagine what you could make with branches, stones and leaves!):

Inspiration for your bug habitat!

Our Bubble Wands Kit is another great example.  You can design and make the bubble wands inside or out, and then play with them outside for hours.

Bubble Wand Kits

Image via Magic Cabin

Art journaling is a great way to keep the creativity flowing all summer.  You can set a goal of one page a day, and throw it in a purse or tote bag to bring it along on vacations and long car rides.

The Perfectly Portable Art Journal Kit

Art journaling is great for all ages, and doesn’t require a big investment in materials.  The Artterro Art Journal Kit makes it especially easy to get started, with helpful tips and inspiring examples included.

Exploring Their Art Journal Kits

We love to decorate our gardens in the summer!  Whether you have a small patio garden or a flourishing urban farm, your already-delightful garden will be even more beautiful with some garden art.  We put copper wire and glass beads in our Garden Art Kit, which are perfect for reflecting light and adding visual interest to a potted plant.  You can also make decorative plant labels out of recycled materials and collect stones to make small garden paths.

Add some art to a potted plant!

What are some of your favorite creative summer activities?

NY Gift Fair: Finding Our Niche

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

One of the coolest things about the New York International Gift Fair is how it promotes sustainable ideals and innovative products.  We were thrilled to have our Art Journal Kit and Wool Felt Bug Kit selected for the SustainAbility: Design for a Better World display, which meant being eligible for one of the exclusive Eco-Choice Awards.

SustainAbility Display

Only about half of the applicants were chosen for the display, so we felt incredibly honored to be included!

Here’s the bug habitat we made to show off our Wool Felt Bug Kit.

Art Bug Habitat

We also tried for the Best New Product with our Art Journal Kits.  Here they are in the Baby & Child display:

Although we didn’t take home any awards this time, it felt great to be recognized for our values along with our product design, and we left the gift fair feeling like we had connected with just the like-minded retailers we’ve been looking for.

We wrote orders for eco-boutiques on the hunt for sustainable, sophisticated gifts, museum stores looking for the next generation of arts and crafts for their art-loving customers and eclectic gift shops that are responding positively to consumer demand for US-made products.

Our Eco Art Kits were just what these buyers were looking for!  People told us over and over that they were grateful we were there.  We are proud to partner with so many stores that share our values.  Here are just a few of our newest retail partners:

The Guggenheim Museum

Fair Indigo

Contemporary Jewish Museum

greendesign

Green Ink

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture

We can’t wait to reach a whole new audience through these great accounts.

As always, if you have a favorite local store that you think should stock our kits, please tell the manager!  Or tell us and we’ll contact them for you.  Word-of-mouth is the best advertising for a small, sustainable business like ours!

NY Gift Fair: Booth Transformation!

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

We had an absolutely amazing time at the New York International Gift Fair!  Our shipping department is bustling, and will be for months, thanks to our wonderful new accounts.  We were blown away by the glowing reviews and delighted responses we got from store owners and buyers everyday.  Thank you NYC!

Happy Artterro Owners, Forrest & Jen.

Designing our booth is always an especially fun trade show challenge–how do you catch the eye of busy, overwhelmed buyers and press people on the hunt for the hottest new products and trends of 2012?  We decided to highlight our beautiful materials with some handmade art of our own.  Our booth went from this:

The empty booth

To this:

Halfway there…

To (finally!) this:

Finished Booth!

Here are some close-ups on the homemade flag banner, paper crane mobile and various shadow boxes full of Artterro art:

A book in our gallery.

Paper Crane Mobile

Paper Flag Banner

Owls, flowers, spiders and more…

Bright & Cheerful

Stay tuned!  More New York excitement to come, including our debut in the SustainAbility showcase and the Best New Product competition!

Announcing the Green Kids Holiday Party!

Friday, November 4th, 2011

UPDATE! Party date has been changed to Wednesday Nov. 16th.

Are you already stressed about shopping for the holidays this year?  Never fear, sustainable small businesses are here!

Artterro has partnered with several other unique, green and all around great companies to bring you the Green Kids Holiday Party!  Just head over to our Facebook page and RSVP to attend on Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 11-4pm CST.  Once you’re there, join in the conversation–your comments count as official entries.  We’ll be giving you lots of details on the prizes throughout the next week, below are just a few, so check back frequently!

1 Grand Prize:
Package worth over $300 of gifts from our participating companies

How to Enter:

1. RSVP to attend the Green Kids Holiday Party

2. Get to know all the participating companies via their websites and Facebook pages. “Likes” are highly encouraged, but not required.

3. Starting at 11:00 AM CST on Wednesday, Nov. 16, come over to the event page to join the party! We’ll be sharing ideas and inspiration for making your holiday season green, affordable and memorable, and we’d love to hear your ideas too! Each comment counts as an official entry, so let us know what you think!

4. Winners will be randomly drawn at 5:00 p.m. on the 16th and announced on the event page.

Rules:
Open to Continental U.S. residents 18 and older. Comment on event page on Nov. 16 from 11-4pm CST is the official entry


GRAND PRIZE INCLUDES:

Artterro:: www.artterro.com
www.facebook.com/artterro

With our line of 12 eco art kits, Artterro brings art into people’s lives by offering inspiring materials, operating a sustainable business and providing friends and families a fun and worthwhile experience to share.

Art Dolls Kit: Craft 4 fun dolls to design, dress and treasure! Art Journal Kit: (choose 2 colors) Learn fun doodling, drawing and collage techniques with inspiring materials.Wire & Bead Kit: Twist & bend amazing sculptures! Shape colorful wire & adorn with beads.

Celebrate Green:: http://www.celebrategreen.net/
www.facebook.com/celebrategreen

We’re a mother-daughter team, Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson who write, speak and spread the word that eco-friendly holidays and celebrations are easy, fun and affordable.

Celebrate Green!: Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family" Providing practical, fun ways to introduce eco-friendly ideas into celebrations throughout the year, this handbook gives families the means to launch green entertaining.

Glob:: http://globiton.com/
https://www.facebook.com/globpaints
Makers of natural non-toxic paints with vegetable, fruit, and flower pigments.  From the garden to the studio, GLOB paints naturally inspire.
Paint pigments come in packets in the jars. Fill jar with water and the desired amount of paint pigment. Blends and thickens as you shake. It’s that easy!
Each jar makes 2-4 oz of paint. A little goes a long way!
BOX OF 4 COLORS, 2 OZ JARS:
4 VIBRANT BOTANICAL COLORS: Lemon Verbena, Blueberry,
Pomegranate, Basil
GLOB arts and crafts products are sourced from natural, recyclable and biodegradable materials.
GLOB specializes in botanically crafted paints made from fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices with natural ingredients and organic extracts.
Six sustainable bamboo brushes.
2 flat (6.5″), 2 fine tip (6.5″) and 2 small stubby brushes (4.5″) with an aluminum ferrule and cruelty-free bristles. The soft brushes are great for arts, crafts, and cosmetic use.
Handmade seed papers made from 100% natural, biodegradable & recycled fibers, seeds & plant material. Printed with vegetable and soy inks.

Kidzaw: http://kidzaw.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kidzaw/160167827376266

Kidzaw’s Master Kitz product line is a fun and engaging way to expose children to the great master painters and art history.

Master Kitz for Van Gogh's Starry Night and Klimt's The Tree of Life include all the tools your child needs to create their own masterpiece along with learning materials to deepen their understanding of the Impressionism movement and mosaics. Prize package includes 2 of each kit.

Mama K’s Play Clay:: http://mama-ks.com/
www.facebook.com/MamaKs

A wholesome, all-natural addition to play time, Mama K’s Play Clay is a kid-safe clay with subtle aromatherapy oils to soothe the mind.

The complete set of 7 aromatic play clays, plus a maple roller and 3 cutters.

Peeps Eyewear:: www.peepseyewear.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peeps-Eyewear/129044560444242

Peeps Eyewear is on a mission to help provide an empowering first glasses experience for children who GET to wear glasses and increase awareness of the importance of early childhood vision health.
The Princess Peeps package is equipped with the book, “Princesses Wear Glasses,” and a fun, age appropriate princess dress-up cloak and crown.

YumButter: www.yumbutter.com
www.facebook.com/yumbutter

Yumbutter is a delicious and utterly unique line of peanut butters that was created out of one man’s passion for “nutrition, responsible business, and helping others.”

Five 1 lb. jars of Yumbutter, including Asian Jazz, Cranberry & Coconutty, Dark Chocolate Delishe, On the Rocks and Straight Up...yum!

Zoe B Organics:: www.zoeborganic.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Zoë-b-Organic/129197130464852

Zoë b Organic is all about BPA-free, sustainable, organic products for babies and kids.

Keep baby happily asleep in the stroller, in the car, or on the plane - thanks to the unique, fold-down mask that blocks out light. Designed with safety in mind...this hat is breathable, super soft, 100% organic cotton

The world's only dishwasher-safe dishes made from corn. •No BPA or phthalates •Made from corn, not petroleum •Made in USA Set include 1 bowl, 1 plate and 1 tumbler.

• Made with 100% natural rubber from the tree Hevea Brasiliensis. • No BPA, PVC, phthalates, chemical softeners, or artificial coloring. • Uniquely hygienic, one-piece design, with no joints or cracks where dirt and bacteria can accumulate. • Made in Italy—by a family business manufacturing rubber baby products for 3 generations (see video). •Allergen-free. (The protein that on rare occasions can provoke a latex allergy is completely eliminated during production.) • Larger shield touches the nose, comforting baby and more closely simulating breastfeeding. • Softer than silicone—unlike conventional pacifiers, won’t leave marks on baby’s face. • Conforms to pacifier-safety requirements as determined by European standard EN 1400 and CPSIA.

Natursutten teething rings are filled with purified sterilized water, free of any chemicals. The rings themselves are made from EVAtane (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), a material also used for medical products, free of BPA-A, phthalates and any chemical softeners. This product bears the EN 71 EU European standard, an EU norm concerned with safety in child use and care articles and conforms to CPSIA. Made in Germany.

And much more from the companies listed below!
The Amazing Participating Businesses:

The grand prize worth over $500 will include items from all of these companies!

Artterro: www.artterro.com
www.facebook.com/artterro

With our line of 12 eco art kits, Artterro brings art into people’s lives by offering inspiring materials, operating a sustainable business and providing friends and families a fun and worthwhile experience to share.

Celebrate Green: http://www.celebrategreen.net/
www.facebook.com/celebrategreen

We’re a mother-daughter team, Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson who write, speak and spread the word that eco-friendly holidays and celebrations are easy, fun and affordable.

Glob: http://globiton.com/
https://www.facebook.com/globpaints

Makers of natural non-toxic paints with vegetable, fruit, and flower pigments.  From the garden to the studio, GLOB paints naturally inspire.

Kidzaw: http://kidzaw.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kidzaw/160167827376266

Kidzaw’s Master Kitz product line is a fun and engaging way to expose children to the great master painters and art history.

LuSa Organics: www.lusaorganics.com/
www.facebook.com/pages/LuSa-Organics/57253869608

Handmade, organic, damn fine body care – joyfully made in Viroqua, Wisconsin.

Mama K’s Play Clay: http://mama-ks.com/
www.facebook.com/MamaKs

A wholesome, all-natural addition to play time, Mama K’s Play Clay is a kid-safe clay with subtle aromatherapy oils to soothe the mind.

O’Bon: www.myobon.com/
www.facebook.com/obonusa

A collection of beautiful, eco-friendly art and stationery products such as pencils, journals and erasers.

Peeps Eyewear: www.peepseyewear.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peeps-Eyewear/129044560444242

Peeps Eyewear is on a mission to help provide an empowering first glasses experience for children who GET to wear glasses and increase awareness of the importance of early childhood vision health.

Scrap Kins: www.thescrapkins.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ScrapKins

The Scrap Kins is an NYC-based Creativity program for kids based on the adventures of a group of monsters that live in a recycling center and build their world out of the things we throw away.

Yumbutter: http://www.yumbutter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/yumbutter

Delicious and unique nut butters, with flavors like Asian Jazz and Dark Chocolate Delishe.  For ever jar purchased, a serving of Yumbutter is sent to kids in need.

Zoe B Organics: www.zoeborganic.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Zoë-b-Organic/129197130464852

Zoë b Organic is all about BPA-free, sustainable, organic products for babies and kids.

Inspiring Girls to Dream Big!

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

We hosted some delightful visitors this week.  Two of Forrest’s neighbors, Destiny and Claire, took two days out of their busy schedules to be volunteer entrepreneurs at Artterro.

Our ambitious and enterprising volunteers.

They learned the ins and outs of running a small business: taking orders, packaging and shipping product, making samples for store displays and, since this is the 21st century, blogging!  We armed them with a camera and notepad, and as you’ll see, they took great behind-the-scene shots and made some very interesting observations.  Without further ado, I present this entry from our guest bloggers, Destiny and Claire.

Writing and editing this post.

At the Artterro headquarters there are lots of hardworking people, making an effort to sell good products to you.

Hard workers

Shipping

They have lots of unique strategies for packing and shipping art kits to different stores.

The awesome kits in their boxes.

They use all natural products, including wood, glass, shell, bone, and seed beads.

Wonderful, natural beads.

Each of Artterro’s art kits has a basic design, but lots of different ways to switch it up and be creative yourself.  There are lot of different ways to express your creativity in art with Artterro’s art kits.  You can make something for your garden, with a garden art kit, or make a neat pattern in your jeans with natural felt.

Natural Felt

You could even add a nice colorful touch to your car by designing something  from a creativity kit to hang from the mirror.  Artterro sends their costumers samples with their orders, so that people in the stores can see how to make it.

Different Samples

More possibilities

A big thank you to Destiny and Claire for visiting our office, helping us make some beautiful samples and sharing their inspiring ideas.  We hope they had so much fun they’ll start their own businesses someday.   We also hope to invite many more girls to explore our office in the future.  The next generation of women needs to know that owning a business is a fun and creative challenge well within their reach.

Tell us in the comments if you have any ideas on how to encourage entrepreneurship in young women.  Let’s make it happen!

Bringing Art into the Community

Friday, August 5th, 2011

We’ve been having lots of fun on the road this summer, offering a free art project at all sorts of community events like the Chicago Green Festival and the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair.  It’s a great opportunity to connect with our customers and see how people of all ages and backgrounds respond to our products.  Kids light up when they see all the colorful papers and beads, and dig in without needing any instructions.  Their parents often sit down and join them, with assurance from us that it’s “not just for kids!”

Bookmarks

Bookmark Art

Our fans prove time and again that when you start with beautiful materials, like our handmade papers…

Handmade Paper

Showing off our 100% recycled, handmade paper!

…you’ll end up with something lovely!  Here’s a colorful collage bookmark complete with threaded border:

Flower Collage Bookmark

Flower Collage Bookmark

This is definitely the most beautiful, sparkly chicken we’ve ever seen on one of our bookmarks.  Look how the artist used our textured paper to make different kinds of feathers:

Artterro Chicken Bookmark

Pretty Chicken

These young ladies spent the better part of a day at our table, proving that our kits appeal to a wide range of ages:

Artterro Fans

Artterro Fans at the Energy Fair.

Check out the detailing on this artist’s tree and river collage bookmark:

Tree & River Collage Bookmark

Tree & River Collage Bookmark

Just beautiful.  Every time we pack up to leave another fun festival or fair, we leave with renewed purpose, excited to bring creativity and open-ended art to as many people as we can!

I hope you can make it to one of our frequent community events to make something beautiful yourself!  Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to find out where we’ll be next!  Our growing company relies on word of mouth to reach new customers, so your support truly helps us bring more art and creativity to the world.  Thanks for being a part of our success!

Eco-Supplier Spotlight: Shizen Design Handmade Papers

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

If you’ve tried our Creativity, Bookmaking and/or Art Dolls Kits, you’ve probably been struck by the beautifully-designed, vibrant paper they feature.

Shizen Design Handmade Papers

Wondering where we found such unique, high-quality paper (and what exactly makes it eco-friendly)?  Here’s the secret:

Shizen Design Handmade Papers

Shizen (which means “nature” in Japanese) imports all the paper in our kits.  But this is no ordinary paper!

Shizen Design Artisan

Shizen’s paper is handmade by artisans in India and Thailand.

Paper Making

It’s entirely composed of scraps from the Indian Garment Industry, making it 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper.

Pouring Paint

The paper-making process is completely pollution-free.

Paper Making

A fantastic husband-and-wife team owns the company.  Neil and Shelly do an amazing job working with their contacts abroad to bring this paper to the US, and Shelly designs all the glorious patterns herself.

Shizen Paper

Thanks for helping to make our kits so beautiful, Shizen Design!

Bookmaking Kit

Artterro Wins Eileen Fisher Business Grant!

Friday, February 11th, 2011

We are thrilled to announce that Artterro has been chosen as a recipient of the 2010 Eileen Fisher Women Entrepreneur Grant!

Eileen Fisher Inc. only gives out a handful of these awards each year, with the goal of nurturing and energizing women-owned small businesses.  It’s one of the many ways the company gives back to entrepreneurs and communities, with a special focus on women and leadership.

These were the requirements to enter: “The business must be innovative, 100% women owned and produce products or provide services that foster environmental and economical health in the community.”   Artterro definitely fit the bill, and we’re so glad we applied!  This generous grant will help us produce exciting new packaging and products, and offer us the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a world-class company up close when Jen and Forrest visit their New York headquarters in May.  We’ll showcase our kits at a mini tradeshow with the other winners and get to know the people that make Eileen Fisher great.

This is a huge honor for all of us here at Artterro.  Thank you, Eileen Fisher!

Artterro’s Second Debut at Toy Fair

Friday, February 11th, 2011

It’s that time of year again…Artterro is going to Toy Fair!  There’s a lot to be excited about as we set out for New York City and settle in at booth #6361.

For the past few months, our office in Madison has been positively bustling with activity, designing and assembling our brand new, smart eco packaging.  We wanted to showcase our kits in an inviting, attractive way, stay true to our sustainable values and answer a question we often hear from our customers: “What do I do with this art once I’m done?”  What we came up with is a beautiful, 100% recycled cardboard box that doubles as a fun bonus project—a frame that you can personalize and use to show off your finished artwork.  We produced the boxes with Green Bay Packaging and printed glossy paper bands with Green Solutions Printing.  We’re so proud of how they turned out.  You’ll be able to see it for yourself on our website next week, so be sure to check back!

We also could not be more excited to announce two new titles to our growing line of eco art kits.  The Wool Felt Bug Kit has all the felt shapes, fancy ribbons, sequins and beads you need to make creepy-crawly bugs, fuzzy caterpillars and fluttering butterflies.

Wool Felt Bugs
Wool Felt Bugs

We had a blast making the little bug friends in these photos.

Wool Felt Bugs
Bug Friends!

The Creativity Party Pack offers a unique opportunity for students, friends and families to get creative together in larger groups.  We’ve included enough materials for eight people to enjoy, so pick one up for your next birthday party or craft night!

Creativity
A sampler of Party Pack supplies.

We hope to reach a much larger audience at Toy Fair this year, not just with our high-quality products, but also with our message.  Our new motto is “Wake Up Your Creativity!”  We believe everyone is born creative, and anyone can be an artist.  Stop by our booth (#6361) to hear more, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.