Please welcome our newest contributor, the talented and renowned, Jasmin Malik Chua.

Like crumpled, sepia-toned photographs, Periwinklebloom‘s exquisite collection of handsewn children’s clothes hearken to an earlier, simpler time. They’re made in small batches from 100 percent organic cotton or reclaimed vintage linens, then embellished with vintage notions for an extra dash of hand-me-down charm.

Don’t be fooled by the classic, unfussy silhouettes, however; these togs embody scrupulous craftsmanship, with details like lettuce edging, fabric-lined bell cuffs, and contrast stitching. And the washed-out hues (gray, flax, ecru), occasionally punctuated by bold stripes of color, only add to their antiquarian charisma.

Designer Tyler Stallings was inspired by tactile design, the use of whitespace in Japanese forms, and vintage American ephemera—and it shows in these heirloom pieces, whether it’s a roomy flannel pinafore with a bubble hem, a nubby sherpa capelet with an oversize vintage button, or a pair of pointelle drawstring trunks.

• Obama Takes Aim at Climate-Warming Car Emissions – reuters
• Related: How Will Automakers Adapt to Mileage Standards – npr
• They tacked this crap on the credit card control bill.  Bill Allows Loaded Guns in National Parks – msnbc
• Future Air-Fueled Battery Could Store 10 Times More Power – cnet news
• Is this critical scientific research – or just more reality tv?  Tornado Hunters Roam the Plains – usa today
• I’ve been known to do this too..(photo) Spider Cat Climbs Walls – ananova
• Call the producers at Planet Green. I just got a concept for a segment of “Bill Nye The Science Guy”  Glass Water Bowl and Sun Start Fire at Wash.Home – myway

CoveringsETC is the innovative manufacturer of the ECOverings line of floor, wall and countertop materials created from recycled and reclaimed materials.

The company’s BIO-GLASS product, created from recycled glass (above) has received Cradle to Cradle certification.

ECOvering’s new line, BIO-LUMINUM (below R), uses recycled airplane parts to create sleek looking tile with an industrial flavor.

The alloys that lend structural strength to aircraft parts make the parts impossible to recycle by traditional processes.  CoveringsETC melts the aluminum into blocks that are then cut into slices much like (more…)

Hammocks may conjure up visions of tropical, white-sand beaches and palm trees, but nothing beats the convenience of having one in your own backyard, where you can while away a lazy summer day with a good book followed by a long nap. You’ll certainly rest easy in a hammock made of eco-friendly, natural fabrics, such as this one available through GreenFeet. (more…)

UPDATE:  Thanks to all for entering this Great Green Giveaway.  It’s official — congratulations to our 3 lucky winners:  Dan, Carol and Madeline.  Stay cool, and enjoy this summer. This giveaway is kaput, but check out our latest one, (see side bar: Giveaways).

Summer’s around the corner — time to dust off that barbecue grill, patio furniture and deck.  This Great Green Giveaway, sponsored by our friends at Eco Mist Solutions, will get your outdoor entertaining off to a clean, green start.

The three products in this giveaway are Eco Mist’s new BBQ Grill Cleaner, Deck Wash and Patio Furniture Cleaner.  Like the other Eco Mist Products, they are 100 percent toxin and residue free but are unbelievably effective.  Eco Mist develops unique plant-based cleaning products, utilizing a variety of renewable resources and ingredients.

three giveaways, all of which will include:

• BBQ Grill Cleaner
• Deck Wash
• Patio Furniture
• Basket

The approximate or suggested retail value is $30 per giveaway.

To Enter This Drawing, Simply:
Visit Eco Mist Solutions. Then enter a comment on this post telling us how Eco Mist’s products can enhance your green lifestyle.  Don’t try to find these products – they’re so new they’re not yet on the Eco Mist Website.

Add the following address to your email address book:
m at AlternativeConsumer.com. (*one entry per person)

Entries must be received by 8p, EST on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. (free shipping, USA and Canada)

Three lucky winners will be selected in our Random Drawing, and notified by email on Tuesday, May 26. Winners have 24 hours to claim their prize, or offer is null and void. Winners’ names will also be included on this post.

*EXTRA CREDIT
If you have your own blog, you can post about the giveaway with a link back to this giveaway post. To make sure we know, you can come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
If you Twitter, you can tweet about the giveaway, and leave a comment linking to the status.

Also receive an additional entry by signing up to receive our RSS feed via email/Feedburner (see right side bar) or by following us on Twitter.  good luck!

Sad but true, I’m too careless with my specs to fork over mondo bucks for prescription sunglasses.  But the affordable and cool-looking eco sun-readers from ICU Eyewear caught my eye, so I had to give them a try.

Always struggling to read while trying to relax at the beach, I used to layer my eyewear — prescription specs followed by sunglasses, really.  Now, reading while lounging in the sun just got a whole lot better.  Available as full frame magnifiers, bi-focals or two-tone readers, there are plenty of choices. So, what makes these off-the-shelf sun-readers eco friendly?  They’re made from recycled or reclaimed materials.

ICU’s line of eco frames comes either with or without sun protection, and in a nice array of styles: cat-eye, oval and rectangle. (more…)

• Trim some fat off your carbon footprint by stuffing less raw material in your mouth.  Eat less beef – those cattle pump out methane and the process of raising cattle and livestock is an energy intensive endeavor.  Don’t eat foods shipped to your local grocery store from Bimini, Guam or some other exotic locale.  A lot of fossil fuel is burned getting that kiwi into your belly.  A thinner, more compact ‘you’ will also take up less space, (more…)

• Toyota Cranks Up Heat on Honda With New Prius – reuters
• No need to get 1.4 billion people any randier…China Demolishes Yet-to-Open Sex Park – aol news
• All part of the Disney machine’s mega-marketing plan…Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus Help Launch Disney’s Friends for Change Effort – ecorazzi
• What about the packaging from all those computers Silicon Valley ships…Styrofoam Ban Grows in Cali – enn/earth 911
• Nature’s way. Dolphins Seen Trying to Kill Calf – bbc
• Happy driving.  Wi-Fi Hits the Highway – cs monitor

The work displayed at this weekend’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javits Convention Center ranged from sublime, dead-on eco-design to tragically corpulent excess…we came, we saw, we were alternately overwhelmed and underwhelmed…’til we and and our camera ran out of gas. Here are some pix.

Note: there were great pieces made of reclaimed wood, re-constituted felt, recycled paper, coins and mason jars, automated kitty litter boxes and in the blur of activity, a giant Japanese design exhibit, of which I have no recollection.

We’ll feature some of the designer’s we loved in individual posts in the very near future.

more eco furniture featured on altCon