inspiring gifts for grads

Is there someone special in your life who has just graduated from high school, college, or beyond?

At Modern-twist we love gifts that eschew the traditional. And we always love local and eco-friendly.

Here are some fun ideas for the recent grads in your life:

The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College from Chronicle Books. An entertaining and even helpful guide for a young person staking out a claim in the halls of academia for the first time.

Already out of college? Is the honoree moving on to a more adult living space? Help your grad prepare to cook for him/herself (or for a first-time dinner party) with The First Real Kitchen Cookbook, also from Chronicle Books.

Jewelry lover on the list? Try a personalized necklace from Etsy. We love the “On to the Next Chapter” charm.

Hungry grads love chocolates from TCHO. (And so do we!) Delicious. Handcrafted. Fair Trade. Produced locally in the Bay Area.

Not sure? Is the honoree a long-lost cousin you don’t know very well? Keep it simple with a gift card from an eco-friendly source, such as Whole Foods or REI.

And we would be remiss if we neglected to remind you of our favorite gifts. Set someone up in a new apartment or home with Modern-twist placemats!

 

cool off with homemade popsicles

It’s summertime and the living is easy! The kids clamor for treats but parents want something that can at least pretend to be healthy.

Popsicles are a tasty solution, but we like to do it up right by making our frozen treats from scratch.

Homemade Mango Pops. Yum!

It’s cheap. It’s delicious. And we know we aren’t getting any high-fructose-trans-fat-filled mystery ingredients.

So grab a BPA-free popsicle mold, like this adorable rocket-shaped mold from Williams-Sonoma, and get busy with a few starter recipes!

Chronicle Books offers a mouthwatering collection of recipes for homemade popsicles in a beautiful book called Perfect Pops. They are sure to have you drooling into your freezer. Check out their blog for free recipes for Mexican Chocolate and Balsamic Strawberry pops.

Balsamic Strawberry Pops -- Courtesy Chronicle Books.

Our friends at the eco-friendly website, Inhabitots, also put together a tantalizing list of 30 Homemade Popsicle Recipes that are healthy and kid-friendly. We are partial to the more unique varieties, like avocado and sweet potato. (Trust us, they are delicious!)

Or make up your own recipe! If you have a personal favorite, please share in the comments!

Blackberry Pops. Delicious!

 

eco-friendly family getaways

Summer vacations often feel like a must for busy families who need a break. But where to go when you also care about helping our planet? Here are a couple of our favorite suggestions for green family getaways…

Costanoa Coastal Lodge in Pescadero. If you live in the Bay Area, like us, or if you are looking for an eco-friendly destination by the Pacific, check out Costanoa Lodge and Camp. There is a farm-to-table restaurant right on the grounds, and beautiful Zen clean showers and fireplaces in the lodges. Or you can get rustic and pitch a tent. This seaside location is friendly for all ranges of budges and is within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean.

The view from beautiful Costanoa

 

Back to Nature at Yosemite. This classic vacation destination allows kids to experience more than an eyeful of the wonders of nature, while leaving a green vacation footprint. Yosemite offers hybrid buses to tote families around, eco-friendly lodging, recycling, and many environmental education programs. If Yosemite is not convenient for your clan, check out the National Parks site for many other green camping and vacation options.

Urban Getaway in Portland. Does your family need a city-getaway? Check out Portland, Oregon, where urban travel doesn’t mean hurting the planet. With top recycling and bicycle commuting rates, Portland is one of the greenest cities on the continent. Take advantage of sustainable tourist attractions and locally sourced food while toting your kids around a beautiful city.

Need more options for eco-friendly family travel? Here are a few great resources to get your family travelling green:

Responsible Vacation. For the family that travels internationally (and with a large budget) and wants to keep an environmentally-sound conscience.  This site is has thousands of recommendations for green travel destinations around the world.

If you already know your destination and you are looking for an eco-friendly place to stay, Eco Green Hotel helps to narrow down the search for accommodations with LED design and green business practices.

Yes, we know it’s a trendy buzzword, but the greenest (and cheapest) vacation your family can take is a Staycation. If your budget is tight and your carbon footprint feels heavy, some time off in your own city can be fun for everyone.  Shut off the computers, take time off of work and regular kids’ activities. Pitch a tent in the yard or check into a local hotel for the weekend and have fun exploring your hometown.

Happy eco-friendly vacationing!

 

 

modern-twist and dwellstudio: a special sale for you

Summer is near and it’s a great time to partner with our friends at DwellStudio for a seasonal sale! We are thrilled to share that we are offering 25% off all of our chic placements that feature DwellStudio designs.

Dwell is known for its vibrant modern textile designs, which fit in perfectly with the Modern-twist aesthetic. We love partnering with such a design powerhouse, and we love offering a discount to our M-t customers.

Stock up now for those summertime dinner parties. Can’t you just see a gorgeous fruit salad in a bright citrus bowl perched on one of these beauties?

One of our eco-chic Kidz Placemats from DwellStudio.

The DwellStudio Kidz Boxes, that come with non-toxic eco-friendly washable markers, also make great birthday gifts. We recommend stockpiling a few of them to have on hand for upcoming birthday parties and those unexpected gift-giving moments that pop up in the lives of parents.

This special sale ends very soon. So what are you waiting for? Take a peek at the placemats and choose your favorite before we run out!

Happy summer and happy savings from Modern-twist and DwellStudio.

 

m-t baby (and kiddo) of the month

It’s time again for our Modern-twist baby of the month! Last month we featured a pair of adorable twins, and this time around we couldn’t resist going for doubles again with a brother-sister duo.

Little Emma is 3-years-old and her brother, Kai, is a healthy 10-month-old. Their mom, Holly, is a learning services coach and writer. They all live in San Francisco with daddy, Alan. We touched base with Holly about managing the needs of little ones as an eco-chic mama.

Emma and Kai with the M-t "Fun on the Golden Gate" Kidz Placemat.

What are your kids’ favorite foods?

Watermelon, Banana, Avocado, Yogurt, Pesto pasta, Salmon, Broccoli, (and chocolate, cherry, oatmeal cookies my daughter and I make).

How do you keep a baby and a preschooler eating healthy while managing a career and the demands of family life?

I have learned to love my hand-blender. I make soups (barley, lentil, tomato-rice), chicken and vegetables, and blend part of it up for the baby so I can serve it to both kids. I try to cook a big batch of something once or twice a week so I can freeze some. I cook up fruit (pear, apple, banana, mango) that’s going soft to make tasty blends for the baby (haven’t convinced the preschooler that she’d like it on yogurt – she would!). I’m a big convert to grocery delivery services these days. Instacart delivers Trader Joe’s!

How do you incorporate green living into your family choices?

My daughter loves to run the tap water and play. I recently explained that we can’t waste water because we need to leave some for the trees and plants – she now repeats that when she’s washing her hands and she even turns the tap on to a slow trickle rather than a gushing torrent. We recycle, and compost. We try to borrow baby gear from friends and pass on gear to others. For a while we did compostable diapers. My husband is also a fan of biking to work a few days a week so we’re not driving two cars around town. And I recently read that using a grocery delivery service is very ‘green’. Although writing this is making me think we can do more…

What is your favorite eco-living tip for other moms or dads?

Reach out to friends and family to share/borrow baby gear, clothes, furniture, strollers. There’s so much that you only need for a short time. And make trips to the library a regular thing. Both my kids love to go – we make a trip every Tuesday. It keeps our reading fresh without us having to buy a lot of new books. Also a hand blender is a great tool for making baby food. You’ll use less packaging and fuel (trips to the grocery or delivery) if you just blend up your own batch of pear, broccoli.

Your weekend favorite family fun activity?

We love the California Academy of Sciences. We have a membership and we go at least once a month – sometimes more. It’s great for both kids and I think little ones really like to get to know a space – and gain a sense of mastery over it. So we let the preschooler set the agenda. Some days we spend 15 minutes with the penguins and some days we skip it and spend 30 minutes in the playroom – it’s up to her. And thank you SF foodie-culture for the amazing cafe. That’s my favorite part – spring rolls for lunch. Then home for loooong afternoon naps.