Etsy

Have you heard of Etsy? It's an online marketplace for people across the world to sell their handmade wares. Which, by nature, makes it just a little bit more ecofriendly than most mass-produced items. ecochick's done a little search work for you and found some of the coolest Etsy ecofriendly stuff - all made in Canada.

Montreal's Organic Quilt Company makes amazing, beautiful handmade baby quilts, made with naturally-dyed, chemical-free organically-grown cottons, pre-washed in chlorine/phosphate free laundry soap so they're ready to go. With quilts, blankets and burping cloths in a variety of styles and colours, you will definitely find something that works for you or as a gift. These are the kind of blankets that kids would have as a keepsake their entire lives.

Inkyspider makes a selection of textiles out of organic cotton, hemp, and other materials out of her Britich Columbia base. They are naturally handscreened with funky, earthy designs, with products ranging from baby and kids' tees, to adult clothes, to napkins to cushion covers to neat reusable gift bags (a great way to avoid using non-recyclable wrapping paper!) and plenty more.

SudsMuffin (which is possibly the best name I have ever heard for a company, ever) makes lots of handmade soaps from their base in Saint John, New Brunswick. One of their soaps, called Buzz and Munch, is made with local goat's milk, honey, and ground oatmeal. They also "infuse every batch of soap [they] make with raw, wild-crafted peacesilk, harvested from abandoned cocoons." I have no idea what this means, but it sounds amazing. A gigantic bar of Buzz and Munch costs $6 and can be cut into smaller bars for use everywhere.

ecochick's Nova Scotia roots were stirred into a frenzy of nostalgia visiting this store: Seaglass Designs, based in Dartmouth. I can't describe this stuff any more eloquently than they can:

Sea glass, also known as beach glass or mermaid's tears, is nature's answer to bottles, china and pottery carelessly thrown into the sea many years ago. The glass is tumbled on the ocean floor, smoothed by the waves and sand until it washes up on shore, waiting to be found by a lucky passerby.

This lucky passerby then takes the pieces she finds and works them into beautiful and unique jewelry creations, like the whimsical Tequila Lime piece shown above.

There's plenty more - simply head to Etsy and search for eco, green, recycled, organic and Canada. Enjoy!