Gently Used and One of a Kind - new products!

Gently Used Clothing alert!! We just spent a heap of time putting up 50+ gently used items! Already quite a few have sold, so come check it out soon! We also put a few new items on our One of a Kind page -- the early bird gets the worm! http://www.hannasdream.com

Looking for an adorable organic summer dress?

We are going to be posting here quite often to cut down on the number of emails we send out to our big ol' customer list. Check often to be the first to know about new shipments, new posts to our gently used page (and let me tell you, our used clothing sells so fast, you will want to be the first to know!), and for occasional opinion polls on new clothing we are looking at purchasing for our store and pre-order clothing.

Today, we have a gorgeous dress that we are offering up for pre-order! This dress is made by Maria's Organic Babies, a brand new company out of Italy. Let me tell you, I am so impressed by this dress! Made of a sturdy 100% organic woven cotton in the cutest polka dot print. Here's the best part -- the sizing is amazing! There are two button holes on the back (on the strap that holds the halter together) to allow for a perfect fit. The smocking is also great...no gaps at all. AND, just wash and hang to dry - NO ironing (yippee!)

Here is our 5 1/2 year old, Grace, wearing the 5/6y. Super cute and a perfect fit with tons of length (I would probably even size down to the 4/5y since it is so long - but it does not gap at all!)

Now, here is Sarah, our almost 8 year old in the SAME exact dress! The 5/6y fits her just perfectly too, and the length is still great! By the way, Sarah usually wears ONLY jersey cotton dresses and is very, very picky about fabrics. She has never worn a smocked dress before, nor has she ever been interested in anything that is not soft jersy cotton -- and guess what? She LOVES this dress! That is amazing to me, but I guess you would have to live with her day in and day out to know how amazing that is.

You could easily get 2-3 summers out of this dress...

I am going to be placing an order for some of these dresses on Monday, June 2. If you are interested in ordering one, please email us at info@hannasdream.com by Sunday evening the 1st. Let us know the size you would like (6-12m, 12-18m, 18-24m, 2-3y, 3-4y, 4-5y, or 5-6y). The cost is $52, and we will cover the shipping to you! No need to pay until the dresses arrive - just contact us soon to reserve one! We expect delivery just a couple of weeks after the order is placed (so you should have the dress by late June).

Earth Day Drawing & Tips

Well, it is about time! We decided that we should enter the blog world, to facilitate our communication with our customers (what a great way to quickly share news of sales and new products!) and share our family news. I have no clue what I am doing though, so hang onto your seats!

We held an earth day drawing last month (congrats to the 3 winners!) and folks sent in some great earth saving tips that we wanted to share. Hopefully you can catch a new idea (or be renewed in old ideas that have gone by the wayside!)

I make sure to pass on my children's used clothing to people who can very much use them. I also very much enjoy going to used clothing stores/consignment shops where I LOVE finding a great steal on an item for my kids that would cost a bundle of money if purchased new!

Use cloth diapers; buy used/recycled clothing; clean with borax, vinegar, baking soda and water; use the library!; grow your own vegetables and fruits.

We are trying really hard lately to take our own bags to the grocery store. I love the feeling that we are not just hoarding all those lovely paper sacks but using them over and over. We have many nice paper ones because I haven't been able to throw them away for years so even though they aren't fabric, we are not contributing to trash.

I like to walk to the grocery store. The shopping cart is much larger than the basket under the stroller, so I have to think about each item, "Do I really need this?" Plus, it's good exercise.

One of my favorite enviromental tips is to make sure you print on both sides of your printer paper so you save trees and money! There are lots of other things I can think of... buy local organic food, supporting local farmers is a big one! And lessen your footprint by riding public transportation-metro!

Use those coffee grounds to perk up your garden and house plants!

I have 2 toddlers that get dirty all the time, so instead of using wet wipes like some of my friends, I purchased inexpensive packs of washcloths- to use either on the go or at home. Pre wet is more convenient on the go, but there is usually a source of water even out and about. I just dislike the idea of all those little wipes in our landfills!

COMPOSTING! Turning food "trash" into rich food for the garden!

About a year ago we eliminated papertowels from our kitchen completely. I now take clothing that's too worn or stained to donate, and cut it up into rags that we keep in the kitchen to use in place of paper towels, then I just
throw them in with the laundry and we reuse them. We're also extremely
concientious of the amount of driving we do. We plan everything in advance and run all of our errands at once to minimize our gas consuption.

We are installing wood flooring in our entire upstairs. At a fraction of the
cost, we will be recycling wood from someone elses house into our own
environmentally (or nearly) friendly home. It's a beautiful maple (complete with a few marks from the previous owner) and will not only save our environment from more off-gassing but also our trees!

My favorite thing right now is Freecycle. I know that it requires the use of
electricity and a computer, but I think it is so great that people, who have
things that aren't ready for a landfill, can send an email out and have
someone pick it up and fulfill a need that they have. I have been able to
pass on a few things, and have been able to acquire some things as well that I needed.

I also love "pay it forward" (I think that's the term). We have received alot
of nice clothes from people that have really helped us with our family
expenses. So, when I have clothes that are outgrown and in good condition, I have a few people that I can help out - so maybe they can put money towards something else.

I use containers to store leftovers (etc.) in - instead of plastic baggies -
whenever I can. When I must use the baggies, I wash them out and reuse
them.

Walk to school! So easy to do and great exercise, too.