Share your love with us here.

In need of a few Valentine’s Day ideas?

For your kids —

Create a stamp out of an apple and have them make cards for Daddy or for their friends. (I was actually planning on making this for my husband, but when the outcome turned out a little kid-crafty, I’m not so sure.)

For your friends —

Buy this amazing Emily Hearn EP conveniently entitled “Paper Hearts.” Or how about buy your girlfriends lipstick or even send a text telling them why you love them?

For your spouse —

A free house cleaning? A dinner out? A movie night planned at home? A love letter?

Get creative today and let this day be about other people, not about your expectations. In the words of Jah (I’ve been listening to too much Bob Marley lately…haha), “If you only love and give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!”

Happy Valentine’s Day! We appreciate your love and support of Utopia Invitations!

I’m not a mother, but I have a running list of green baby products that I’d love to have one day. Has anyone tried these? I’d love to know what you’ve used, what you love and what you hate.

Not all of these are sold at KD’s Treehouse, but if they don’t have it, they have a similar brand that came recommended by moms. The co-owner, Kris, said that they actually took a poll from mothers before choosing certain items to stock.

Here are a few items on my list —

#1 – Adorable hemp baby shoes. Completely unnecessary but how cute!

*Made from certified organic cotton, hemp, recycled elastic and used tires!

#2 – Glass baby bottles.

*No leaching chemicals to worry about from this non-plastic bottle. The silicone sleeve is 100% non-toxic and prevents the bottle from breaking.

#3 – BumGenius Cloth Diapers.

*You can easily spend $3000+ on disposable diapers until a baby is two but I hear purchasing 18 of these one-size-fits-all, adjustable BumGenius cloth diapers will last you until they’re potty trained. Eighteen only costs $400!

#4 – A stroller that works for newborns to big kids.

*This isn’t exactly eco-friendly, but it is green. Bad joke? Hey, I figure if it can be used for years, it’s reusable right?

#5 – Utopia baby announcements. (Of course!) Check out the ones we made for baby Brody.

What’s on your mom-to-be wishlist? Do any of these seem ridiculous to you? For you pro-moms, what’s worked for you?

My husband showed me an article in Outside, an active-lifestyle/adventure-travel magazine. One of the editors had been challenged to a 28-day lifestyle change following Dr. Alejandro Junger’s diet Clean. I was very interested in this since I’ve been wanting to “clean” up my diet for 2011. All the coffee, diary and chocolate that had somehow creeped into it was sucking the energy away from my day-to-day life, messing with my digestive system and turning me into an addict.

I flipped through a lot of the pages from Clean on Amazon and looked up a list of recipes from the book on Gwyneth Paltrow’s blog, GOOP. (Love this blog, by the way.)

And this morning, I decided to take on a modified version of the challenge myself, in hopes of increasing my energy, getting better sleep at night and feeling better overall. I’m also curious to see if I can’t kick some of the back pain I experience from working in front of a computer all day.

Here’s what I’ve eaten today —
Room temperature, filtered water with squeezed lemon before breakfast.
Caffeine free herbal tea.
Blueberry, organic soy milk*, spinach, cocoa flavored whey protein smoothie. (Surprisingly so delicious).
Cantaloupe slices as a snack.
This huge, colorful salad for lunch and a side of humus.

(I ended up eating half of this raw and sauteed the rest on the stove until the spinach was soft. I love hot meals and couldn’t resist, but from what I’ve read of Junger’s diet, he allows for hot meals at lunch so I’m in the clear.)
For dinner, I’ll have another smoothie along with Udo’s Omega 3, 6, 9 oil blend capsules that I have had at breakfast and lunch too. The blend is made of flax, sunflower, sesame, coconut, evening primrose, rice germ and bran oils.

I hope I can keep this up so that I’m able to report back with my results. Day 1 down (almost), 27 to go!

Cinelle Barnes is the bridal show organizer and an inspiring fashionista. She owns BACON Handmade Neckwear, which will be one of the vendors too! Aren’t her and her husband cute?

“Our aim [for Atelier] is to cater to both types of couples: the bride and groom who want to go all-out with the indie, artsy theme, and/or the more traditional couple who just wants to add a tad bit of flair, personality or unconventionality to their wedding,” said Cinelle.

The bridal show will be held at Hotel Indigo from noon-5p.m. Among meeting fabulous artists, designers, crafters, bakers, foodies, environment enthusiasts and lifestyle stylists, guests will see DIY demos by Swoon Events and fashion shows by BLVD magazine.

Because vendors were hand-selected, couples who attend Atelier can be sure that they’ll find ways to make their big day unique and personal. Personally, I’m planning on being inspired from the other vendors too.

Interested in meeting all of the vendors? Click here.

We will be revealing some more fun events that we have planned this new year soon!

Utopia Invitations wishes you a very happy holiday season and we look forward to sharing what’s to come for us in 2011 so stay tuned…

photo by Jonathan Sharpe

Two weeks ago Utopia Invitations attended Ignite!, an inspiring business conference where local business owners shared their success stories.

It coincided with Global Entrepreneurship Week, an international movement where entrepreneurs gather to generate new ideas. It’s a week where innovation, imagination and creativity meet and the Ignite! Conference generated all three of these for us.

photo by Jonathan Sharpe

Just check out the speaker lineup —

* Alexander Abrashkin, Founder & CEO, iTekka
* Judy Davis, Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
* Steve Hall, President and Chief Executive Officer, Duck Creek Technologies
* Kelly Truesdale, Chief Operating Officer, SysEDA
* Larry Hembree (see picture below, oh yes he did.), Executive Director, Nickelodeon Theatre

photo by Jonathan Sharpe

* Doreen Sullivan, President & Creator, Post No Bills
* Jim Stritzinger, Vice President of Sales, Immedion
* Ray Tanner, Head Baseball Coach, USC
* The Williams Sisters, (Tiffanie, Twana, and Victoria), Co-Founders, DriveSafe and Founders, Smart Teens Drive Safe Foundation, New Recording Artist G-Wiz

It’s encouraging to hear that Columbia has something good going on; small town locals and more recent residents alike have been doing innovative things in business because of an idea that they ran with.

Is there a business idea that’s been in the back of your mind? Without trying to sound too much like a fortune cookie, it might be time to make your idea a reality.

Join us tonight from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. for Ladies Night Out at the Columbia Museum of Art where we’ll be selling holiday and hostess gifts, and accessories for you and your home. Enjoy hor d’oeuvres from M Cafe, dessert from Cupcake, beauty products from Pout, dancing and the newest art exhibit.

In honor of Ladies Night Out celebrating fashion this year (which coincides with the art exhibit…you’ll have to see for yourself to find out how), we’ll also be selling barrette’s inspired by our yo yo cards.

The Shop Tart Giveaway
We’ll be giving away small sets of our coasters, printed by a vintage letterpress. Coasters are printed on heavy 100% cotton paper, which makes them 100% treeless. :)

Stop in for some fun!

Not for ourselves, but for you soon-to-be-bride-to-be’s (is that a real thing?), guys who plan on proposing soon or any of you engaged couples needing wedding bands.

Unforgettable Fine Jewelry is more of a boutique than your typical jewelry store and has been the recent rave of many local couples.

“A box from Unforgettable brings me the same excitement as a box from Tiffany’s!” – Monica Ryskamp Ray

“I almost didn’t go into [the] store for fear of high prices. They were lower than anywhere else.” – Stephen Parrish

Wow. These testimonials definitely had us curious, so we dropped by to visit first hand (you like the pun?).

What to expect if you’re going ring shopping?
- a no-pressure environment
- the ability to try on as many rings as you need without feeling like you’re being annoying
- to learn about the 4 C’s: color, clarity, cut and carat
- to find something that works for you and your budget

They’ll even design your dream ring if they don’t have what you’re looking for.

It’s not a must to shop in person, since they have an online store, but who wouldn’t want to? They offer great programs: The Perfect Proposal, which assists guys in planning this important day so brides have a story to tell and The Academy, which offers classes on different topics such as jewelry care, what to look for when purchasing a diamond, etc.

Unforgettable Fine Jewelry, located on Devine Street in Columbia, SC, is different from other jewelry stores. Their focus is on teaching clients and building relationships. Stop in and see for yourself.

Their Next Event
Join them for an Unforgettable Ladies Night trunk show at Za’s Brick Oven Pizza on Devine Street, November 17, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Click here for more information.

Until then, drop by anytime and peruse like we did. Or purchase something sparkly. This bracelet would look fabulous worn to Ladies Night Out tomorrow night!

Happy shopping!

Our new Wedding Wednesdays series is an effort to ease the stress of wedding planning for our brides (and grooms) by offering unique ideas, money-saving tips, awesome vendors, featured weddings and more. Check back soon or click here to view our entire series.

Earlier this month, Utopia Invitations met up with Kala Pullen, Columbia resident and recent graduate of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in Asheville where a typical classroom looked like this:

We decided have lunch at Café Strudel and we were lucky enough to get a sunny little table looking onto the Gervais Street bridge and the Columbia skyline.

Surrounded by local artwork, Kala described to us her passion for natural healing and the ways in which she stays healthy during the colder seasons.

Kala had quite a charming little childhood, growing up in an old schoolhouse in Winnsboro, South Carolina.

“It wasn’t your typical childhood. My sister and I use to press flowers together and play in our playhouse. My siblings and I would camp out in our tent and we would have bonfires,” Kala said.

When Kala was 16 her mom gave her the book, Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Healing Herbs and Spices

“It opened a whole new world for me,” Kala said.

She started working at Rosewood Market and now works in the Supplements Department. It was there that she decided to attend the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine to find out more about natural healing and nutrition.

“It was a five weekend program spaced out five months. We foraged, learned about herbs and their medicinal properties, identified trees, learned how to make different natural medicines, etc.,” she said.

So what does she do to stay healthy during colder months? She takes Elderberry Syrup, which she makes herself.

“Elderberries are really a wonder of nature. They’re full of antioxidants and nutrients, during Fall and Winter is the best time to harvest them. But you can also use dried elderberries to make a medicinal syrup. Because elderberries are full of nutrients such as vitamin C, it can help to boosts the immune system, helping to prevent or shorten a flu or cold.”

Make your own Elderberry Syrup: (or visit Rosewood Market and find something similar already made.)
1/2 cup elderberries
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp. rosehips, whole
2 cups water, distilled or purified
1 1/4 tbsp. ginger, minced or grated
5 cloves
1/2 tbsp. cardamom pods, crushed
1 cup honey
1/2 oz. elderflowers (1 tbsp.)

In a small to medium saucepan, combine water, elderberries, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, rosehips and cardamom. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until reduced by 1/2. Turn off heat. Add elderflowers. Cover and let infuse for 10 minutes. Strain. Add honey. Mix until dissolved. Let cool. Bottle and refrigerate.

Interesting note: Her boyfriend, Paul Grant, is the founder of Freshly Grown Farms, a small farm in Columbia that offers greenhouse and organically grown produce. Freshly Grown Farms supplies produce for local businesses including Motor Supply, Tombo, Terra, Rosso, Ristorante Divino, Gervais and Vine, MoMo’s and Rosewood Market and Deli. We think they must make the cutest couple ever.

Written collaboratively by owner Lauren Landers and Karina Salehi, creative writer and friend.

I have loved this for a few reasons: I don’t lose brain cells when cleaning, it saves lots of money and when I have kids one day I won’t have to worry with them getting into chemicals.*

Here’s a great unbiased article on using Vinegar vs. Chlorine Bleach. It suggests using chlorine as a last resort and tells you the pros and cons of both.

We wanted to share our cleaning product secrets, so here are the recipes that work for us:

Laundry Detergent:
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
1 cup finely grated bar soap (we use Ivory)
Make sure the soap is in very small pieces, which makes it easier to dissolve. We’ve found that breaking up the pieces and mixing it into the borax and washing soda with our fingers helps with dissolving. And, of course, adding it to the water before your laundry helps too.

Fabric Softener:
Just add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the wash. It softens fabrics naturally and surprisingly doesn’t leave an odor. You can always toss a clean, water dampened washcloth in your dryer with a few drops of lavender essential oil.

Tub and Tile Cleaner:
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup peroxide
a few drops of peppermint oil
The peroxide is mild and diluted enough to be non-toxic and it still acts as a kind of bleach.

Window Cleaner:
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
teaspoon liquid dish detergent
We’ve found that turning the bottle upside down and then right side up before use gently mixes the ingredients. If it starts leaving streaks, do this and viola!

For cleaning bathtubs, toilets and just about anything, baking soda and white distilled vinegar do wonders (especially if done on a weekly basis). We have yet to find a good homemade dishwashing detergent recipe. Email us if you know of one that works.

*Large amounts of anything can be dangerous so, of course, I still plan on keeping these out of reach when little ones enter the picture.

Need more help around the house?
Check out this local cleaning lady who makes her own natural cleaning products too. Her rates start at $70 per 2-hour visit. You may have seen her before at the All Locals’ Farmers Market.