Art of Green

Toxins and VOC's are Everywhere

2011-08-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

More incredible toxic news. I found this in The Green Book. "You can avoid harmful toxins, air-polluting chemicals, and petroleum solvents by purchasing varnishes, stains, and finishes that contain low or no volatile organic compounds (VOC'S). VOC' are main contributors to smog, and the amount saved by choosing a few gallons of low-VOC coating is roughly the amount of VOC you'd save if you avoided driving your car for an entire year. If half of all wood flooring installed per year were coated with low-VOC products, the effect would be equivalent to eliminating the annual VOC emissions from nearly two hundred thousand cars."

ESF Shows Messy Art Can Be Fun and Safe

2011-07-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Picked up by our local paper, the class I have been teaching at First 5 in Moorpark, Ca. shows just how safe and creative we are and how expressive our children can be. All parents should worry about toxins entering the bodies of their children. ESF has made sure that this should not be a worry for parents, children or artists who use our products. Here is the link to the online newspaper article, http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jul/21/kids-get-messy-in-moorpark-art-class/. We are really excited that we can be recognized for such an accomplishment. VOC's, lead, heavy metals, BPA's are everywhere. We have taken the time and research to rid the entire paint line of these. And made in the USA is a true bonus.

The messiest of art and the safest for children.

Toxins in Our Bodies

2011-06-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

The media's recent major focus on sunscreen and how it fails to do what it claims to do and the resulting effect of these toxins going into the skin of an individual to be absorbed into the blood stream and then into the organs of the body make a great point for anything that touches our skin and is then absorbed into the body. We at Earth Safe Finishes have been hammering on this point for some time...attempting to explain the potential dangers of companies who claim to have 'non toxic' products but do not have the proof to back them up. The following article by Seth Godin brings home the point of materialism and profit vs. what is ultimately best for the consumer/individual. It is important to remember that there are good and great companies fighting for the individual, ethical companies that are doing just that...fighting for the right thing to do....we hope you believe that we are one of them.

The ethics of sunscreen
Here's a perfect test case for thinking about consumer marketing and ethics. (I'm more interested in the structure of the problem than I am in sunscreen in particular). The question is: should a company do whatever it can to make a short-term profit, or should it work to do the right thing?
Sunscreen has no purpose other than to avoid both a burn and skin cancer. It doesn't bring social status, the joy of application or any placebo benefits with it. It either delivers a medical benefit or it doesn't.
For a decade, sunscreen marketers have been arguing with the FDA about labeling and formulation rules. Largely, they've been pushing for less regulation, particularly in labeling. While this is going on, more than 80,000 people have died of skin cancer in the US.
There are plenty of ways to rationalize false marketing claims (hey, at least they'll use something...) but it's pretty clear that marketers have done little to educate the public about what's going on (did you know that 95% of the radiation that hits us is cancer-causing and skin-aging UVA, the kind that SPF has no relevance to?)
New regulations were recently announced, though it's not surprising that many think the regs were watered down as a result of lobbying.
It turns out that in the US, sunscreens have been extraordinarily over-hyped, with variations being called 'waterproof, 'full spectrum' and 'effective' without being any of these. You need to use a lot more, and a lot more often, than the labels currently indicate. Marketers would prefer a magic bullet, as it's easier to sell, but sunscreen doesn't work that way. It's not easy to make an effective sunscreen, and so competitors with lesser products have hyped them with false or irrelevant claims. (SPF 120 anyone?)
Here are the two questions that occur to me:
How can consumers look at this example and not believe that the regulation of marketing claims is the only way to insulate consumers from short-term selfish marketers in search of market share, marketers who will shade the truth, even if it kills some customers?
and
Why aren't ethical marketers (of any product) eager to have clear and well-defined regulations, creating a set of honest definitions so that they can actually do what they set out to do--make a difference and make a living at the same time? If you're busy competing against people willing to cut corners, I'd think you'd want the rules to be really aggressive, clear and obvious.

Make Art a Safe Journey

2011-06-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

As parents and grandparents do we wonder about the quality and safety of the paint and paint products that our children are using? Our children have an unbelievable amount of creativity within each one of them. Allowing this creativity to flow out and manifest itself on paper or canvas or wood or whatever medium that child shows interest in is a gift we can give them. But....is that paint that the child is painting with, inhaling and putting on their skin to be absorbed into the body.....is that safe, VOC free paint, toxin free paint? Earth Safe Finishes makes this kind of paint...we are here to help the health and safety of adults all the way down to children...our future. Think about what we are allowing these children to use, where it is made and who do we trust. Make ART a safe journey.

We Are Right on Track

2011-04-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

National Art Materials Trade Association (NAMTA) just concluded its 2011 convention in Phoenix on Friday. We were there, our first booth at this show. WOW! It was an amazing experience. The feeling that all of us in the booth got from the attendees at this show is that Earth Safe Finishes is getting the attention it deserves. Comments included, "no smell from an epoxy,how is that possible?", "small concentrated containers that you can add water to to make color, genius", "how perfect for schools and government". These people "get it". We saw artists demonstrating products wearing respirators....do you think they gave them to the people walking down the aisles?? And here we are, clean, pure, toxin free and so easy to use. I am so proud to be affiliated with ESF...try it, I guarantee you will like it!!!

2011-02-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

We are excited to show you our new video on Earthsafe Finishes products. Sit back and enjoy!

Softball Season

2011-02-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

Lucky us in California. Spring is here already. We are really very fortunate in many ways. So, in the mode of repurposing and recycling basically anything and everything that we encounter Jessica has taken on the softball helmet. It was old and chipped but still fits. How about airbrushing, she says. Never tried it with ESF products, so a challenge. Below is the helmut basecoated with Perfect Paint, Carbolize Violet Colorant added in. Then airbrushed with a mixture of Sealer and Colorant. She used white Colorant to to give some opacity. And finally topcoated with Eco Epoxy with glitter added to it.....a new helmut.....fit for a dynamite princess player. Safe, toxin free, non chipping, no VOC's, easy cleanup.

The airbrush experiment was a total success. I bet this helmut will bring many home runs!!!!!

WHAT'S NEW AT ESF

2011-01-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

What's new at ESF

We have been really busy this new year formulating for newproducts and reformulating as new technology becomes available.

Color Theory Kit

With our newly upgraded no VOC acrylic base we can easily add, blend and makeour own colors by simply adding a drop of a Colorant color. The base is fine art quality, has opacity but not enough to take away from making a true color, especially those hard to get perfect reds and blacks. Mix and match for primary, secondary and tertiary colors. The new kit includes a how to booklet giving the reticent artist no reason to be intimidated at all. Dig in and have fun.

Colorants Revised

As we are keeping up with our high quality image of having the best products in the industry we have revamped our Colorant colors and are now using the color specific name that they come from. There are still the blends for those that would rather not mix colors themselves. Also, we have added some new colors to our list. The Colorants are now divided into 3 categories, each with a different price point depending on organic or inorganic pigments and other ingredients that tend to make certain colors more expensive than others. The bargain of getting so much color for such a small price is still there, however. Strong and lightfast and capable of doing so much.

Eco Epoxy

This incredible resin is surpassing all expectations. It is proving very mar resistant when brushed on the floor. It is maintaining its water repellant natureon tiles in the shower. As an adhesive even metal to metal will form a tight bond with this epoxy. Add to this the safety and health benefits and we have an incredible product.

We will be at CHA in less than 2 weeks, booth #1912 in the Art Materials section at the LA Convention Center. Our workshops are sold out and there are many demos of Earth Safe Finishes on the show floor. Added to this is a new organization that we are involved in for the show. Rubber Stamp Concepts, ScraPerfect, Makin’s Clay, Earth Safe Finishes, The Robin’s Nest, Magenta Rubber Stamps, The Crafter’s Workshop, Benny Morgan, and Brooke Int. have created Independent Manufacturers Partners (IMP), a loosely affiliated group of CHA manufacturer members who will be cooperatively promote their products at the Los Angeles show.

Amy Roszak, IMP creator and owner of ScraPerfect explained, “Just as products are used together, I thought that a manufacturer-collaboration would be a more effective way to promote our products. Our products are always used in conjunction with products from other manufacturers. Working together reminded me of a jigsaw puzzle, and the idea became a reality.”

The operation works like this: There are IMP gift baskets consisting of manufacturers' products valued at approximately $900 each. To be eligible for the prize drawings, each retailer must register at any participating IMP booth and pick up a blank puzzle board, then visit the other IMP booths to learn about the companies’ offerings and get another piece of the puzzle and place it on the puzzle board. The completed puzzle and an entry blank will then be turned in at any of the IMP booths.

There will be several additional ways for retailers to earn bonus entry tickets as well.

The IMP concept embraces diversity with members crossing international borders and multiple show floor categories; with long established companies and new exhibitors; and with products from consumables such as paper, glue, clay, and paint to tools, stamps, stencils, storage systems, and tutorial DVDs.

ScraPerfect will also host a Designer Gallery where 11 designers will be creating projects made from the combination of the IMP products. Projects can be viewed ahead of time, along with the Gallery Schedule. “We have a cadre of top notch designers ready to accept the challenge,” says Candice Windham, designer coordinator.

In addition, retailers who cannot attend the show have an opportunity to win a comparable gift basket. Scrapbook Dimensions will host a contest at www.scrapbookdimensions.com. Answers to the contest questions can be found by watching online videos from the trade show.

IMP will advertise the promotion in the CHA Show Guide. The IMP members' booth numbers: Rubber Stamp Concepts, #247 ... ScraPerfect, #458 ... Makin’s Clay, #935 ... Earth Safe Finishes, #1912 ... The Robin’s Nest, #2360 ... Magenta Rubber Stamps, #2652 ... The Crafter’s Workshop, #2755 ... Benny Morgan, #5017.

So stay tuned....we are on the move!!!!!

A Time for Celebration

2010-12-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

     What an incredible year it has been for Earth Safe Finishes. We have been honored by cities, counties, the State of California and the U.S. government for the pursuit and accomplishment of creating green products and making them in the United States...... products that are the safest, easiest to use and the most versatile of any in the world, lifesafe we are calling them. We are honored by these awards.
     We are thrilled by the product development, new products and even greater technology that has occurred this year.
     Our dreams for healthy, happy, creative individuals using Earth Safe Finishes are being realized.
Thank you to our great visionary team of designers and consultants who explore the potential together, who brainstorm such incredible ideas and push the limits of possibilities. Together we are creating healthy and safe products for a changing world.
     This link is to a very short video I came across this morning, http://www.thedashmovie.com/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-WS-_-12.22.10-_-DASHMovie. For me, the video says it all.
     This is a true time for celebration. Wishing you all peace and happiness this holiday season and for strength to cope with our changing world.

Green is Just Common Sense

2010-11-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes ideas just come out of nowhere and in thinking and rethinking they just make sense and you need to get it out, write it down.
Sometimes it is also dificult to know where to begin so I will just start. My question is how did we get to have such materialistic obsessions in our lives? How did the theory of obsolesence become so mainstream? There was a time many eons ago when watching every penny counted for something, putting something away for a rainy day was mainstream and if you really wanted to buy something you saved until you had the money for it. I always laughed when my father told stories about walking to school in the snow, no heavy jacket, holes in his shoes. But looking back times were really hard and although it may have been an exaggeration there was truth..When we were growing up there were no credit cards and no fast food. But it was OK. And I always told myself that I would never talk about the "good ol days" like my parents did. But look at me now.
We saved everything, we recycled, we reused. We were green and didn't know it. It was a way of life. I remember wanting to paint and the only thing to paint were tin cans...It was OK, I could still be creative. There were dangers then that were unknown, asbestos, lead, really bad things but they were in things that people didn't know about ...ignorance at that time. There was abundance too...time, playing baseball in the street, family. We worked together and had fun together.
We were green...we watched water usage carefully and electricity usage because it was the right thing to do. We walked where we wanted to go even though it was far. We ate healthy food, or meat and potatoes as my parents were transplanted midWesterners. We learned to appreciate what we had.
What happened? Abundance, materialism, labor moving out of the country where it is cheaper....... more materialism...a disposable society, throw away rather than fix or recycle. No more green.
I read that we have used up 30% of our resources in the last 30 years. A scary thought for sure. Where are we going? This country was founded on independence and individualism. WE, as individuals, can take that back. WE need to reevaluate, as individuals. WE can do it, we can make a difference.
WE do not need to rely on our government to fix it. WE can take back our lives, our individuality, our sense of purpose. WE are a global society but still individuals.
Reusing, repurposing, saving......being "green" is just common sense.

What Possessed Me?

2010-10-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have this urge to explain or reexplain our mission here at Earth Safe Finishes. Perhaps it is because of the upcoming election and the importance of voting to continue and expand the emphasis on the environment. Perhaps it is because what we are doing here at Earth Safe Finishes is so real, so down to earth, so non political,so heartfelt and so right for all of us and for our planet. Or perhaps it is because I was able to view my granddaughters' Reflections watercolor paintings at school and was bursting with pride knowing that they were painted with the safest paint in the world. Probably a combination of all of these reasons, actually.

Are we motivated by greed and making a "killing"? From the beginning our intentions have been pure. I have always wanted to be able to mix paint colors myself...if I didn't have a color I needed I wanted to be able to make it rather than run to the store and buy yet another color. There was nothing made like this. I wanted to be able to paint without odors, headaches or feeling sick with the after effects of painting. There was nothing like this made. So the product line started and expanded with the idea of highest quality of products and safest, VOC free, heavy metal free, BPA free. Since we are a state of the art technologically based company we work with the newest products as they are developed.

Who develops these phenomenally great products? I am so proud to say that we are fortunate to have the absolute best chemist in the world. Not only is he knowledgeable with his decades of experience, he is humble, ethical and moral. He will not allow us to make a product that is not the very best.

Who has helped us in ideas and design development? Again, the best. Designers who know how important health is to each of us and ones who think outside of the box. Ones who take art as in the eye of the beholder and not label creativity. Thank you Barbara Matthiessen, Beth Wheeler, Ann Butler, Madeline Faiella, Diana Marketta, Sue Kelsey and all the others who have either offered suggestions or tested product for us.

Why are we getting so many awards? This is truly amazing. Newspapers, companies, even the House of Representatives has noticed and awarded us for our efforts of making products so safe. There is no greenwashing going on with Earth Safe Finishes, this is the real thing.

And lastly, maybe our products are not for everyone, maybe existing paints are working well for you, maybe your constitution reacts OK to fumes and VOC's. We are working for the individuals that don't want to take that chance. For the children of the world, my grandchildren the unborn of the world. There is so much we can all do to do our part in recreating a healthy happy world. This is my passion and our contribution.

Love and Peace

Eco Epoxy is Ready to Roll

2010-09-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Done, finished and out the door!!!! Our year's worth of intense testing has paid off. Eco Epoxy is better than we expected. Use it for a mar resistant surface coating or as an adhesive for hard to glue objects. See our new "Junk Drawer Jewelry" project online on our website. Be the first to order this incredible kit. And remember all the uses it can be used for, safe for the environment as just as important, safe for us...no more inhaling toxins, no more smelly products to make you faint from fumes. Green and Earth Safe Finishes is here to stay...join us in our pursuit for clean air.

Here are some more of the surfaces we have used Eco Epoxy on.

A bezel with Eco Epoxy colored with Earth Safe Finishes Black Colorant and gold metallic powder swirled in.

This is a piece of Shimmer Opaque Sapphire and White Medium mixed and left on plastic to dry. When dry it was rolled up and Eco Epoxy applied. Could be an interesting piece of jewelry.

A clear glass Christmas ornament covered in Shimmer Opaque Emerald and Sapphire, Eco Epoxy on the top. It is glass like, hard to see in photo.

2 pieces of cording became rock hard but shiny from an application of Eco Epoxy.

The rocking chair was painted with our no VOC acrylic paint , stamped with Colorant and coated with Eco Epoxy. Good protection for years.

Black rock coated with Eco Epoxy with a tad of glitter covering it.

Flowers and foliage can be preserved by applying a coat of Eco Epoxy. This one we picked up off the ground. We do get colors here in California.

Eco Epoxy Countdown Continues

2010-09-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the surfaces we have put this safe powerhouse product on; tile (both for the floor and decorative), leather, jewelry, wood, paper, metal, textiles, styrofoam, copper, polymer clay, rubber, gourds, plastic, foil, glass, canvas and even ink jet and laser prints. I have hundreds of samples and this great versatile epoxy has covered and/or stiffened everything. It will take a piece of fabric and allow you to form and sculpt with it. Or put it on a paver on the floor and the mar resistance, continued gloss and ability to clean up with water is amazing. And, yes, as this cures, it resists and repels water. The epoxy coating is waterproof..
Eco Epoxy can be used for any art or home decor or wooden floors. Here are a few more photos of our incredible coating.

Here is a wooden medallion painted with Shimmer Opaques and covered with Eco Epoxy.

The Eco Epoxy is used as an adhesive to adhere the beads to the metal bowl and also to cover and give a high gloss to the wooden decoration.

This Mexican paver tile is on the floor now so that we can see how scuff free and mar resistant the Eco Epoxy.

We are almost there....2 days more....it is a joy to develop products knowing that they are so safe for individuals and the Earth. Thank all of you who believe in us and what we are doing!!!!!

Eco Epoxy is Just Days Away

2010-09-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Finally....after a year of research...after a year of developing and testing and retesting.....it is almost here. A safe 2 part epoxy resin that is water based, toxin free, VOC free and BPA free. What all of these letters mean is that this prodect is not affecting the environment or affecting your hormones or health. Truly, truly remarkable.
In addition, as a company that puts a very high value on recycling and sustainability and zero carbon footprint, we worked and reworked the packaging to make it as user friendly and as environmentally friendly as we could. The box is recycled cardboard, the bottles, recycled plastic, the caps big black flip caps that allow the product to come out fast or slow, the user decides.

Here are 3 photos of the 100's we have taken that show the surfaces that the Eco Epoxy can be applied to. .Notice the incredible shine of the shells.

Eco Epoxy works as an adhesive also safely adhering these shells and jewels to the base.

This Makin's Clay piece was stamped and has Earth Safe Finishes Shimmer Opaqeue Emerald and Copper rubbed in. On the top is 1 coat of the mirror shine of Eco Epoxy.

Stay tuned for tomorrows photos and directions on how to use this state of the art epoxy resin. Until tomorrow........think ECO....the Art of Green

A Tribute to My Mom

2010-09-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Starting today I was planning on focusing on our newest soon to be launched remarkable VOC free, BPA free 2 part resin, EcoPOXY. But I started thinking about how and why we are able to make and offer so many safe, state of the art products and it all goes back to my Mom.
She was born in 1917 to an inventor father who created the blimp, made one of the first cars ever West of the Mississipp.i She had a great childhood. The Depression hit and her family lost everything. She became a different person. She worked hard all her life, doing what she needed to do for her family. She was tough. She was a bookkeeper at a roofing company and if there was a delivery of roofing materials and no driver, she would drive the huge truck down the street. I had teachers who would see her in this truck and tell me "what a great mom you have". I was mortified! When my parents started a business in the construction industry, she was right by my father's side working as an accountant. If a contractor didn't pay his bill, she went to his office and sat there all day until he did. She took in ironing and used her mangel, that big rolling iron to press shirts.
Although we did not always see eye to eye, here I have been considered the black sheep of the family, she showed us by example how important recycling and reusing was. Using unsolicited mail for scrap paper, old clothing for rags, vinegar and water for cleaning, saveing string and rubber bands, 1 pair of school shoes at a time, full loads in the washing machine, no dishwasher and the list goes on and on. She was even chastised by her working "sorority" for writing a sorority sister a note on a piece of paper bag...hmmm.... now it is a very responsible thing to do. I must say that I was embarrassed to some point by what she did but boy did I learn creativity and imagination and repurposing from this. The creative juices flowed. We looked at this as not being able to afford more but in reality and in hindsight it was the right thing to do.
So, where are we now? Was my mother and many others of her generation ahead of their time? Maybe not ahead but certainly astute enough to know about waste, if not for the environment then for the family, tightening the belt.
And now, look at us!!! Because of this or in spite of this...here is Earth Safe Finishes. We are making the safest and best products in the world with a huge emphasis on recycling, upcycling and repurposing. We are making these products because it is the right thing to do. We are making these products because we are creative women who can reuse and upcycle and repurpose and even make the original better. We are lucky enough to be born in the United States and make our products here.
Thanks, Mom.

EcoPOXY and Varnish

2010-09-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

EcoPOXY and Varnish

We have been manufacturers of really good high quality varnish for years. We have improved these varnishes so that we have VOC free Varnish and very low VOC Polyurethane Varnish and a one of a kind Marine Varnish. All are waterbased and all do a great job while not giving headaches, nausea and sore throats. In addition they all keep us with a very low carbon footprint.
NOW THE EVEN BETTER PART....EcoPOXY...the 2 part VOC free, BPA free, heavy metal free, waterbased epoxy/resin that we have been working on for a year, researching, testing, retesting and we have it!!!!! Only the packaging remains...we have the totally cool Malibu bottles for ease of use. Our outer kit packaging is from recyclable materials....just the labels. Lucky me, I can play with it while waiting for the final few items to be put together....believe me we are trying but want to make it look really good on the outside of the package.

So I just mixed 3 oz. of Hardener to 1 oz of Epoxy making 4 ounces of EcoPOXY. 4 ounces is a lot!!! It mixes thick. First off, I put blobs on plastic coated with Vaseline as I want to see if I can put it in a mold and remove it, also put it on glycerine for easy removal. Then I covered rubber, tin, 3 glass plates, paper, dried Texture that I had made medallions out of, a faux board I had done a while ago, 2 plastic pencil boxes my granddaughters had painted, a wooden bracelet, a piece of metalic cardboard, a button pin, a group of pearls and there was some left over. The pot life is long and when it starts to really thicken, just add water and stir. The shine is like glass, the EcoPOXY self levels, the smell is minimal. We are in California and it is a hot day. Usually this takes 4 hours or so to dry and not be tacky but I took a chance and put everything in the Sun. VOILA...all dry within 2 hours. Photos will come.

Of all the products I have developed over the years this is definitely the best and most exciting. All of our products have multiple uses, something we pride ourselves in ....making sure the consumer gets her/his moneys worth. The EcoPOXY is bar none the most incredible and safest epoxy resin on the market. WE DID GREAT!!!

Best Green Company of the Tri Counties Awarded to Earth Safe Finishes

2010-07-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Press Release Contact: Nancy Burkhart

805-491-9108

Diana Marcketta

818-399-9503

Location: Santa Rosa Valley, CA

Date: July 23, 2010

Best Small Green Company on Central Coast Awarded to Earth Safe Finishes

Earth Safe Finishes, a VOC-Free paint and finishes company, was awarded the Spirit of Small Business Challenge 2010 honoring it as the best “Green” company on the Central Coast by the Pacific Coast Business Times. Earth Safe Finishes (ESF) specializes in the creation of non-toxic paints, varnishes and finishes that are safe for the environment, and was selected from companies in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

“We are honored and excited to be recognized in this way,” says Nancy Burkhart, ESF founder and owner. “Earth Safe Finishes is here to bring quality no-VOC, BPA-free products to the consumer so each person can feel comfortable creating, repurposing, reusing or making projects without fear of polluting the environment or endangering their health.”

ESF’s unique product line, including paints, varnishes, stains, sealers and glazes, is manufactured in California and shipped to customers both nationally and internationally.

“Both love of art and love for the environment have been passions of ours that are being realized as products in the marketplace,” says Burkhart. “It is exciting to see all the environmentally-safe ways consumers use our products to recycle and redo their own items such as furniture, cabinetry and clothing. The products are even used for fine art.”

Created with the support of her daughter Jessica Arellano, Burkhart utilizes social networking sites such Facebook and Twitter to encourage input from like-minded designers, entrepreneurs, artists, and contractors from around the world. ESF exports currently to Australia, Peru, Canada, Norway, England, South Africa and China.

Further information about ESF and its products is available at www.earthsafefinishes.com or contact Burkhart directly at Nancy@earthsafefinishes.com.

The award will be presented during a gala luncheon honoring Central Coast Businesses from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on August 12th at the Fess Parker Double Tree Resort at 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd. in Santa Barbara. California Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $65 per person, which includes admission and lunch. Tables are also available. For information about the luncheon, contact Jennifer Hemmy at the Pacific Coast Business Times at 805-560-6950 ext. 228 or register at www.pacbiztimes.com.

Made in the USA, very very green

2010-07-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

The independent spirit is born from living in a country that fought for independence. (this is an idealistic not a political statement). Small businesses thrive and make up a large portion of what our capitalistic system is all about. Add to that mix, made in America, and add to that mix made for the safety and health of all, environment included. We are proud to be Earth Safe Finishes, women owned, made in the USA and very very green.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Gifts From the Heart

2010-06-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite daily reads is Seth Godin's "pearls of wisdom" that comes via e mail every morning. His column below just struck me as being so right for what we do and who we are that I had to copy and paste it here. Each time a child makes something and gives it to us, it is a gift from the heart. Creating, repurposing, recycling, being kind to our world are gifts from the heart. We here at Earth Safe Finishes have developed products that are our gifts from our heart. I hope you get to try them.

What's a gift? by Seth Godin

I met a big-shot former Fortune 500 company CEO who explained to me that he used to have three secretaries. One for his calendar, one for his usual work, and one who did nothing but send people gifts.

I think when it's sent by a corporation and chosen by a secretary, it's not a gift. It's a present. Or a favor...

A gift certificate from a rich uncle is a present as well, it's not really a gift.

A favor is something we do for someone hoping for an equal or greater favor in return. (Hence the phrase, "return the favor." No one says, "return the gift.")

A present is something that costs money, sure, and it's free, but I don't think it's a gift.

A gift costs the giver something real. It might be cash (enough that we feel the pinch) but more likely it involves a sacrifice or a risk or an emotional exposure. A true gift is a heartfelt connection, something that changes both the giver the recipient.

The Gift of the Magi is a great story because each person in the story sacrifices to create a heartfelt gift for the other person. And it's gifts--gifts that touch us, gifts that change us--that are transforming the way we interact.

One or two readers asked me why my book Linchpin costs money. After all, they ask, if gifts are a cornerstone of the new era, why not give it away free, as a gift?

Free doesn't make something a gift. Free might be a marketing strategy, free might make a generous present, but free doesn't automatically make something a gift. Gil Scott Heron's new album isn't free, but it's a gift. He's exposing himself. Taking a risk. You listen to the album and you feel differently when you're done... it's not a product, it's a very personal statement. Keller Williams approaches his entire craft as a chance to give gifts, but that doesn't mean he can't charge for some elements of his work. What it took him to create the music is so much greater than what it cost you to consume it that he is giving gifts without doubt.

The way I understand gifts is that the giver must make a sacrifice, create an uneven exchange, bring himself closer to the recipient, create change and do it all with the right spirit. To do anything less might be smart commerce, but it doesn't rise to the magical level of the gift. A day's work for a day's pay is the win/lose mantra of the industrial era. More modern is to view a day's work as a chance to generate gifts that last.

Green Honors for Recycling for Earth Safe Finishes

2010-06-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Eye on the Environment is a weekly column found in the Ventura County, California newspaper, Ventura County Star. Today's column focuses on local businesses that have improved all of our lives by developing ideas or products that help us breathe easier and/or recycle byproducts so they can be put to use in other ways. Guest columnist, Dianna Marquetta, has highlighted Earth Safe Finishes as one of these companies.

Earth Safe Finishes continues to be recognized for the great diligence that we put not only into the production of our product line, but also into the lives of the people that it affects and into the environment itself.

Because of these honors and awards we are able to add the Green America logo and WRAP logo to our labels and website.

Check out our newest article here, http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jun/12/award-programs-honor-companies-that-cut-waste/.

Where Does the Time Go?

2010-06-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

Where do the days go? The older you get the faster they go by. And as I look at my grandchildren, 4 of them now, and know that I will do whatever it takes to make their lives as safe and as healthy as possible. Thus one of the big reasons for starting Earth Safe Finishes years ago. Believing that there was a way to make paint and paint products that could be healthy and keep toxins out of our bodies and out of the environment has been THE top priority here at Earth Safe Finishes. Green is a word, the EPA is an organization that does not go far enough, but we, all of us here, are morally and ethically determined to make the best, safest, purest products you can find on the planet Earth. And know we are succeeding. We all have families that are so dear to us, why would we jeopardize ourselves or them our health or theirs to inhale just a few toxins. Why? It isn't necessary anymore. We have been around since 2008, the very first company to come out with no VOC, no PBA, no PBT's (Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins). Why risk using anything else? Life is really too short! Protect those you love.

Award of Excellence by U.S. Dept of Commerce Honors Earth Safe Finishes

2010-05-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a day of exhilaration as Earth Safe Finishes was awarded an export achievement award by the U.S. Dept of Commerce. In addition Earth Safe Finishes was also awarded Congressional Recognition for outstanding and invaluable service to the community. The presentation ceremony at Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula was the culmination in the United States' World Trade Week and President Obama's Export Trade Initiative.

Speakers from U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, the Dean of the Faculty from CSUCI, CEO of Limoneira, CEO/President of EDC-VC were among many speaking of the importance of International Trade.

Earth Safe Finishes is proud to be exporting products to Norway, Peru, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa and the UK to name a few countries. These countries know the importance of green and know that the products made in the USA are the best in the world ( a little prejudice here, maybe).

Our luncheon and the contacts we made and the respect we were given was so motivating and inspiring. Thank you all for the honor given to us.

Photos are coming.

EARTH SAFE FINISHES PRESENTS GREEN IN A BOX

2010-05-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Super Simplification. Not only have we made products that are beyond healthy we now have kits that are beyond easy. These 4 new Green in a Box powder kits are the ultimate in ease of use. Each color in the kit has all the ingredients needed to be able to just dip into water, dip into powder and then paint.......on clothes, on any textile, on paper. Remember no VOC's, totally toxin free. TO DYE FOR!!!!!!!For a limited time all kits are at an introductory price of $21.95

Pearl Powder Colorant Kit

Colors of Pearl, Pink, Blue, Lavender,

Turquoise, Lime Green and Light Orange

Metallic Powder Kit

Colors of Red Russet, Bronze, Copper, Champagne Gold

Silver, Antique Gold and Sparkling Gold

Colorant Powder Kit 1

Colors of Blue,Red, Plum, Mexican Clay, Rose, Sage,

Green, Yellow, Burnt Umber, Black and Raw Sienna

Colorant Powder Kit 2

Colors of Teal, Crimson, Red Orange, Yellow Oxide, Burgundy, White

Rainforest, Violet, Raw Umber, Terra Cotta and Moss

Here is a sample of Lilly and Andelyn lost in their world of art. Couldn't be easier for children...they get it!

For Mother's Day Lilly and Andelyn made pillows for their mother. First time using the Colorant Powder kit and first time using the sewing machine. Lilly is 7 and Andelyn is 5. How safe and easy for children to paint. No toxic worries here, no VOC's and no heavy metals.

Drawing the outline

Andelyn finishing up the draft

Andelyn working her magic

Lilly the diligent seamtress

Great presents with the new Powdered Kits!!

Health, Art and Mother's Day

2010-05-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day brings up so many sentiments, feelings, memories and love. There are grandmothers, mothers, mothers-in-law, aunts, cousins and all have had children to be in this celebration category. Our mission at Earth Safe Finishes has been to develop and market products that any mother, grandmother or child can use regardless of health problems and to keep toxins from entering into anyone's body. We do this because we care, life is precious, mother's are precious and children are our life's blood.

We also tout, push, yell and swing from the rafters about the healing qualities of art. In the words of our artist designer blogger, Barbara Matthiessen, "Insecurity is rampant, particularly with artists. I think most of us see every tiny flaw or area we would have liked to have done different. its' letting go of the insecurities that allows the creative juices to really flow and accepting the fact that because it is art it is not meant to be mechanically perfect and soul-less.

Freeing people from creative fear is key. Children are fearless for a long time until someone tells them their cows should not be green. A celebration of green cows is what is needed!!"
Love what she has said as it is so true, for us as women and as artists.

In celebration of Mother's Day let's promote health and creativity. Earth Safe Finishes will help any way we can.

VOC’s, HEAVY METALS AND OTHER TOXINS

2010-04-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

For Earth Safe Finishes every day is Earth Day. But once a year our planet Earth is brought to the attention of the world by dedicating one special day to specifically focus on this planet on which we live. This year’s Earth Day is getting more notoriety than years past because it is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, global warming is entering mainstream and the results of what we are doing to our Earth is getting a lot of publicity. This is all well and good……to a point. Jumping on the bandwagon for the sake of greed, money to be made and not really being sincere about helping fix the problems we have created is not a good thing…this is called greenwashing.

Earth Safe Finishes is not in the business of greenwashing.

With today's economy manufacturers are scrambling to sell their product and using any means of marketing they can to do so. One of the most popular marketing vehicles is jumping on the GREEN campaign producing products they claim have NO or LOW VOC's (Volatile Chemicals). Do not be fooled. Just because the larger paint companies claim their products are NO VOC or LOW VOC does not mean it is true. State regulations can be read that even some VOC's at a low ratio can be promoted as NO or LOW VOC.

Earth Safe Finishes NO VOC products have absolutely no volatile chemicals. We created the Generation Green line because we believe in the health and environment of people and planet, not to use as a marketing campaign to get someone to buy our products.

There are new worries about chemicals in products called Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBT). These include lead, mercury, and heavy metals. KNOW that Earth Safe Finishes uses none of these in its formulation of products.

Earth Safe Finishes was started because we love art, love our families and love the beauty of the Earth that surrounds us every day. This is how we can pay back our love for all of this…by creating something that is pure, technologically advanced and creates beauty.

In honor of our Earth we would like to offer a $10 off $30 discount on all of our products through April 30, enter code EDIED. Use the savings to donate to a charity or plant a tree or flowers.

Happy Earth Day to all.

Ventura County Board of Supervisors Honors Earth Safe Finishes

2010-04-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

Release Date: Immediate

Contact: Nancy Burkhart
nancy@earthsafefinishes.com

April 20, 2010

Ventura County Board of Supervisors Honors Earth Safe Finishes

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors gave major honors to Earth Safe Finishes at its board meeting in Ventura, California today.

Recognizing this company for its contribution to developing products that are VOC free, PBA free and free of Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBT), the Board gave honors for a Special Recognition of the 2010 Countywide Climate Change Action Award.

Competing for this recognition were Pt. Mugu Naval Base, a construction company and an environmental landscaping company.

Linda Parks, a longtime advocate and environmentalist for maintaining open space in the county and keeping the wildlife corridor open through the Santa Monica Mountains, nominated Earth Safe Finishes for this award.

“We are thrilled and delighted to be recognized in this way”, said Burkhart. “Being able to bring products that are so safe for children and those afflicted with MCS and allergies is what Earth Safe Finishes is all about. In addition to preserving individual health we also contribute to the health of the planet by producing products that do not harm the environment. Countless hours of research and development have gone into the research and development of the products we make to ensure ease of use and safety for all. The product line is the only one in the United States to date and we are happy to be making it here in Ventura County.”

Reuse, recycle, repurpose and a trash to treasure theme makes Earth Safe Finishes an ideal company whose time has come.

Autism and a Greener World

2010-04-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

Children are being honored here in California by celebrating the Week of the Young Child, April 4-10.

Earth Safe Finishes is dedicated to supporting children and all individuals in the pursuit of a better and healthier environment. We take our research and development seriously and strive to make sure all products are safe and free of toxins of any kind.

Below is an article that we found in Healthy Child Healthy World. We have a cause and effect problem here with Autism and it takes recognition of what is happening in our environment to be able to solve this problem of Autism as well as allergies and sensitivities found in children and adults. Earth Safe Finishes and Baby Safe Finishes will do everything possible to ensure that the products we make are safe for all.

The Explosion of Autism

Jackie Lombardo

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The well researched January cover story of E Magazine, “The Search for Autism’s Missing Piece: Autism Research Slowly Turns Its Focus to Environmental Toxicity” by Brita Belli, spotlights environmental factors that might contribute to autism; the fastest-growing, most horrifying developmental disability in America today now affects 1 in 100 children according to the CDC. The explosion of autism in one generation screams for an explanation past genetics, but research to date has primarily been centered only on genes. Current research fails miserably to provide answers to halt autism’s continuing rise or to treat those already affected. In fact, some question whether definitive research proving the cause, or causes, of this national crisis will ever come due to money and politics.

Belli’s article discusses the medical community’s reluctance to investigate and identify sources of chemical toxicity affecting children. She explains, “The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, in a detailed report about the neglect of autism research’s focus on environmental factors, points out that ‘Hundreds of studies have explored the genetic roots of the autism epidemic, but none has uncovered a single gene or vulnerability to account for more than a fraction of cases."

According to Belli, several environmental factors may contribute to autism and need further exploration:

• mercury in vaccinations, dental amalgams, seafood and other sources,

• lead and sulfur dioxide in our air and drinking water,

• arsenic and pharmaceuticals in our drinking water,

• chemicals in plastics - phthalates, Bisphenol-A, and

• flame retardants found in homes and school.

Heavy Metals, Porphyrins and Chelation

Research that does investigate environmental factors is uncovering a strong link between heavy metals and autism. Several studies show more porphyrins (chemical compounds that increase in the blood in response to heavy metal toxicity) are found in the blood of autistic children following chelation than in typical children, suggesting autistic children retain heavy metals rather than excrete them. Chelation is a conventional, yet controversial, medical treatment that uses a drug such as dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) to extract heavy metals from the body. Re-categorized by some as a questionable holistic biomedical treatment, DMSA remains one of the oldest drugs (around since the 1950s) used as an antidote for heavy metal poisoning.

Glutathione

Other research identifies biological factors that may contribute to autism, and one is the important antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione is critical in the body for excreting heavy metals because it binds to metals in the body and eases elimination. A pioneering study in 2004, led by Jill James, Ph.D. of the Arkansas School of Medicine, showed autistic children had significantly less glutathione levels than children without autism. Low glutathione increases oxidative stress in the body, and James explains that an, “…increased vulnerability to oxidative stress (endogenous or environmental) may contribute to the development and clinical manifestations of autism.” James proposes some children are genetically predisposed to low glutathione levels, which may make this subset of children susceptible to heavy metal toxicity and display symptoms that lead to a diagnosis of autism. More than ever, heavy metals are found today in a variety of consumer products such as pesticides, furniture, food, children’s toys, and vaccinations.

Antibiotics

Beside the combination of high heavy metals and low glutathione found in their bodies, autistic children also often have a history of antibiotic use and gut dysbiosis. A study by Adams, et al, looked at the medical history of children with autism and found they were much more likely to have been given multiple rounds of oral antibiotics as infants, mostly due to increased ear infections. What makes high heavy metals, low glutathione, and the addition of antibiotics a bad mix? The studies author explains, “Oral antibiotics in rats have been shown to greatly decrease the rate of excretion of mercury. So the half-life for excretion goes from 10 days to 100 days in rats on oral antibiotics.” Belli adds, “That toxicity—whether in the form of vaccines, fish, dental amalgams, air pollution, tainted water or other environmental toxins—might provide the “toxic tipping point” to render a child autistic.”

What Can You Do?

Learn. Rates of children diagnosed with autism continue to climb steadily, from 1 in 10,000 children in the 1980’s, to 1 in 500, to 1 in 250, to 1 in 150. Today, autism affects 1 in 100 children, 1 in every 58 boys, and shows absolutely no sign of slowing. As stated earlier, money and politics play an important role in the type of research conducted.

While we wait for conclusive research that points to autism‘s causes, and watch as government and political bodies debate the issue, it is recommended that parents:

• Research all consumer products purchased for or used near children including cleaners, pesticides, toys, furniture, carpeting, food, and vaccinations.

• Review the benefits of these products, read the package labels and inserts, and pay special attention to all the risks.

• Regardless of whether or not your child has autism, find a health practitioner who has not only reviewed research on genetics, but who also has personally read and evaluated the research on chemical toxicity. If he or she has not taken the time to read it for themselves, find another practitioner.

• Be sure to discuss your evaluation, ideas and thoughts with your practitioner.

Ultimately, a parent’s own thorough research, in consultation with a health professional, is the best defense against autism.

Why Create a Green Company

2010-03-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been asked this question a lot. True it is an amazing amount of work. True it is my life and my passion. But also true is how important it is to more than just myself. There is a poem I read today that hit home. Mary Oliver, the author of this poem is very astute.

The Journey

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you kept shouting

their bad advice--

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late enough,

and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world, determined to do

the only thing you could do--

determined to save

the only life you could save.

~Mary Oliver

Climate Action Award Nomination for Earth Safe Finishes

2010-03-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Ventura County Supervisors have nominated Earth Safe Finishes for an innovation category in championing positive environmental change in our community. Those individuals and companies that have made significant contribution toward imporving our environment by reducing its carbon footprint and combating climate change are awarded recognition by the County. As we have our business not only in the County of Ventura but also in the State of California, we know the products we produce do make a difference in the health of individuals and for our environment. Thank you to the Supervisors, Linda Parks in particular, for the nomination and stay tuned for further notification of award happenings.

Beautiful Green Art with Stencils

2010-02-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a Creative Painting show in Las Vegas. Not bragging too much but we were great! We shared a booth with Buckingham Stencils, a stencil company from British Columbia. They use our products to produce the most beautiful art. Never tell me that stencils are not art. Here are some photos from some of the stencil on fabric using Earth Safe Finishes Shimmer Opaques. Remember - all green art!

Love the art! Love the Buckingham Stencils! And, of course, Earth Safe Finishes!

The Green Scene - Breathe Freely

2010-02-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

What better to talk about on Valentine's Day than loving and respecting our planet, Earth, by greening it and cleaning it up. Looking at the big picture we love life, we love our planet and it all trickles down from there. Love of self should take up a part of this picture. Included in this is health and creativity. As we have read for eons, loving ourselves helps us love everything else. I am here to say that it is true. Creativity breeds creativity. AND when we can be artistically creative and be healthy doing it...life is good!!!

Earth Safe Finishes is here to give testimonial to both the health aspects and the creative aspects. It is so energizing and inspiring to hear stories of how our products have "saved lives". Covering up old toxic smells, being able to breathe freely when painting. Incredible stuff.

Here is our Valentine's Day present to all. A product line that is remarkable, that is easy to use and I would say, performs miracles. All of us at Earth Safe Finishes LOVE life, LOVE our Earth, LOVE being able to make products here in the United States and LOVE being creative. We also LOVE the fact that we are fortunate enough to be a part of a company that works on doing what is right, ethical and moral.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

THE SMALL MAN BUILDS CAGES FOR EVERYONE

2010-02-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite bloggers is Chris Guillebeau who writes twice weekly on the Art of Non Conformity. I admit I was taken in by the name as it is how I have lived my life but he has such keen observations in his travels of the world and a great outlook on life and it works so that I can find applications to it in the world of art. The following is what he has just published and sent and I wanted to share it with everyone who reads our blogs. I find it so pertinent to our art and design. I hope you find it gives you food for thought as it did me.

February 8, 2010

Every year I choose a personal theme, and in December I decided that 2010 would be the year of SCALE and REACH. Thus far, it's been an accurate prediction--some days it's all I can do just to try and keep up.

Lately, though, I've been thinking more about EMPOWERMENT than anything else. Empowerment, as I think of it, is all about the beautiful principle of transferring knowledge and helping people consider possibilities that previously seemed out of reach.

The best lesson to illustrate empowerment is through a selection from Hafiz, a Sufi poet from the 14th century. Consider:

The small man

Builds cages for everyone

He Knows.

While the sage,

Who has to duck his head

When the moon is low,

Keeps dropping keys all night long

For the

Beautiful

Rowdy

Prisoners.

Most of spend a lot of time building cages for people. This is accomplished by striving to make people small, so that we small men can feel bigger. Cage-building is protecting yourself and your interests, making yourself look good, and discouraging good ideas because you weren't the one to come up with them.

Taking the credit for yourself, assigning the blame to others--that kind of thing. Mostly it involves thinking about the kingdom of Me.

Key-dropping, on the other hand, is making other people look good, building them up, expanding the pie. In other words, key-dropping is EMPOWERMENT, that beautiful thing of knowledge transfer and possibility.

Think about the times when someone has really helped you think or live differently. It was like they placed a key on the ground in front of you; you picked it up and unlocked a cage. (You had to open the cage yourself, of course, but it was a lot easier with a key.)

As I consider the work I've done over the past five years, I see a mixture of cage-building and key-dropping. As Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Accordingly, I see myself dropping more and more keys. But I can also see that I've built some cages. The goal to change this is simple: build less cages; drop more keys.

What does that look like? Something like this:

Before speaking up at a meeting, before sending an email, before publishing a blog post, whatever -- ask the question, "Will this empower?"

Give away your best work, and then think about how you can give away more of it

Stop keeping score -- or if you must keep score, make sure you're always giving more than you take.

That thing you know how to do that everyone else marvels at? Show people how it's really done.

You could probably think of examples that make more sense for your own situation. But whatever you do, don't be the small man building cages. Be the sage, dropping keys for the prisoners.

What keys do you hold that could set a prisoner free? Why not start dropping those everywhere you go?

The Green Scene

2010-01-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of responsibility that comes with being Green. At Earth Safe Finishes we don't take it lightly. It is not something that is superficial naming because it happens to be in vogue or because it promises at sometime in the far future to be financially successful. All of us at Earth Safe Finishes are involved because we are passionate about our Earth, our health and helping others living on this planet who have had health problems because of all the toxins in our environment. We are also deeply and strongly commited to the future of our children and grandchildren and everything we can do to ensure them a healtheir climate, we will do. How much does it count in the whole scheme of things? It doesn't matter, it is what we can do and we pass it on to all of you...it is what you can do. We are proud of living in the United States and proud that our products are made in the United States. Because of our passion with art and creativity we have created the best, easiest, safest and most fun line of products made. Because we are price conscience we made sure the products are reasonably priced and produce value.
The following list are areas that concern us and that we address when making Earth Safe Finishes product line:
Pollution
Environment
Odor
Toxicity
Sensitivities
Pets
Children
Integrity
Research
Longevity
Creativity
Carbon Printing
Ask questions about products you are thinking of purchasing. Make all companies responsible for what they make. Buy US made goods. Give work to Americans

Walking Scrapbook Bracelet

2010-01-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

I had to share!!! We are frantically getting ready for the CHA SuperShow in Anaheim at the Convention Center this next Friday and Saturday, Jan 22 & 23. We are sharing a booth with super companies, DIY Bangles, maker of the BEST wooden bracelets, Crafters Workshop, the CUTEST stencil line ever, When Creativity Knocks, film maker extrordinaire who is filming segments in the booth, and Totally Creative, AWESOME online magazine filled with incredible ideas for all kinds of art. Since we are demoing and making bracelets in the booth we are making bracelets as samples of what can be done using the CW stencils, ESF products and of course, the wooden bracelets. These are turning out to be works of art. Several people have commented that they could be sold in Neiman Marcus for $60 each. And they are green, safe and easy to make.

So the creative juices flow and one idea breeds another. Hence, the Walking Scrapbook Bracelet. Why not take photos of my beloved grandchildren and decoupage them on a bracelet? I did and here is what I ended up making.
Now I am thinking that Valentine's Day is coming up......Mother's Day.....these cuff bracelets are in. What a great conversation piece. How proud I am of my grandchildren!!!!

Supplies

DIY Bangles Bracelet
Crafters Workshop stencil of choice
ESF No VOC Stain (Mahogany here)
ESF Decoupage
ESF Colorant - Raw Umber
ESF Ultra Thick
ESF Tackifier - for back of stencil
ESF No VOC Varnish
F&M stencil brush
Foam Brush

Directions:
Apply Tackifier to back of stencil and let dry
Brush Mahogany stain on inside and outside of bracelet, let dry
Choose your digital photos and print on laser printer making sure they are small enough for bracelet
Apply Decoupage to front of photo (s)..this gives a protection to the photo as you press the paper onto the bracelet, let dry
Brush Decoupage to back of photos and press to bracelet, smoothing out any bubbles or wrinkles,let dry (You can use your fingers to do this smoothing process.)
With stencil brush lightly go over stencil onto bracelet with Colorant of choice, Raw Umber was used here. To make the Colorant thicker a pinch of Ultra Thick can be added and the mixture will instantly thicken. A very small amount is needed. Press stencil onto wood taking care no Colorant seeps under the stencil. The Tackifier does a great job at adhering the stencil to the surface.
Apply Varnish with a sponge, foam brush or cloth, multiple coats give more sheen.

VIOLA!!! The Earth Safe Finishes products are totally safe to handle and are safe for the environment as well. No toxins, no hidden bad ingredients. Made in California!!!!

Newspaper Recognizes the Importance of Non toxicity

2010-01-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

We are so fortunate to be recognized and written about as a company with ideas that are coming into their own right. The following news article was written and published on Friday and we are so excited. For the entire article, including photo, please see press section in our website.

READ ARTICLE WRITTEN ON VENTURA COUNTY AT www.vcstar.com

ARTICLE BY

By Diana Marcketta Correspondent

Posted January 8, 2010 at midnight vcstar.com
****************************************************************************************

Nancy Burkhart had endured enough.

Her fingers were dry and cracked from years of working with toxic paints in her crafting and paint businesses.

She worried that her young grandchildren were unknowingly inhaling noxious gases released from the paints. Although toxins — such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, Texanol and butoxyethanol — have been reduced in latex paints through legislation in the past few years, paints in general still release odors and toxins for a period of time after application.

So, the grandmother of four concocted a formula to create a toxic-free paint called Earth Safe Finishes. Burkhart, a single grandmother in her early 60s, launched the product online and ships from her garage in the Santa Rosa Valley.

“I wanted to take things another step,” said Burkhart, who had produced low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints for her previous company, Terra Bella Finishes. “I knew there was a way to do it. I just had to keep at it.”

Earth Safe Finishes has an acrylic base, but the paints, varnishes and finishes — 28 in all — have been manufactured in such a way that no volatile organic compound gases are released.

“We don’t live in the dark ages anymore,” Burkhart said.

She also has created glazes, shimmers, textures, crackles, decoupages, colorants, fabric magic, sealers and stains.

The products range from $4.49 to $17.99 for most items. A one-gallon bucket of paint runs $49, comparable with low-VOC paints found on retail shelves.

“It costs more than regular VOC paints, but you are paying for the quality of the product and for its results,” Burkhart said.

In less than a year since launching Earth Safe Finishes, Burkhart has developed a following among more than 200 crafters and hobbyists on Facebook and on her own Web site — the sole means of distribution.

Burkhart recalled a heartening experience of providing interior paint for a new home for a family in Idaho. Three members had been diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity — a chronic condition that causes a litany of health problems, including allergies, fibromyalgia, nose bleeds and sinus infections.

“Earth Safe Finishes is the only product that didn’t make me sick,” said Debbie O’Neal of May, Idaho. O’Neal found Burkhart’s product on the Internet after many searches.
Burkhart and her partner — daughter Jessica Arellano — now are even shipping products abroad, regularly sending a pallet of paints to an artist in Lima, Peru.

Although Burkhart has yet to receive certification as a “green” product in Europe, Eurofins US certifies the products as “green” in the United States. Eurofins US is an independent certification company in Des Moines, Iowa. The company tests products for volatile organic compounds and toxic ingredients, such as formaldehyde, ammonia, acetone, lead arsenic, cadmium, phthalates and heavy metals.
Several certification companies, including Eurofins US, Green Seal, Green Guard and U.S. Green Building Council, charge customers fees to ensure that so-called “green” products qualify as chemically and environmentally safe under standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“It’s one step at a time,” Burkhart said. “There is a cost to test every product.”
She credits her success to the support she receives from other entrepreneurial women and from local agencies, such as the Ventura County SCORE group, comprised of retired executives who provide counseling to small businesses, and the Ventura County Small Business Development Corp.
“I still don’t know how to write a business plan, but I know I have a great product,” Burkhart said. “I take something valuable away from every meeting and every class I go to, and that makes it worth it to me.”
A support system is often crucial to a growing business.
“Nancy’s company’s mission is simple: provide environmentally safe products of quality. We at SCORE, hopefully, play a part by providing some help and guidance with her business model,” said Michael Scotto, chairman of SCORE Ventura County Chapter. “Nancy is bright and enthusiastic and has developed a product line that will take the company deep into the future to meet the environmentally friendly marketplace.”

The green industry nationally is expected to surge. Green building is expected to increase by $38 billion by 2010, five times more than today, according to the National Association of Homebuilders.
And even though the company is in its fledgling stage, Burkhart and Earth Safe Finishes was chosen earlier this year as a finalist for Green Entrepreneur of the Year by New York-based clothing company Eileen Fisher.
She also will be featured in a coming book profiling successful “green” women in the world written by “FUEL” documentary film producer, Rebecca Harrell Tickell. The film was the Sundance winner for Best Documentary Audience Award.

A New Year, A New Decade, A New Outlook on our World

2009-12-31T13:12:00.000-08:00

A year seems to whip by at incredible speed. A decade almost as fast. Day to day may be much slower (may be), but as we look back we ask ourselves, "where did it go"? So immersed in the minute by minute details of our lives we seem to forget about the "big picture". Well, all of us here at Earth Safe Finishes have the "big picture" first and foremost in our minds!!

The "big picture" is acknowledging global warming and doing something about it. Seeing where materialism and too much spending got us and doing something about it. As artists involved closely with ingredients, toxic and non toxic, we now can regulate what we can use to create and make it safe for all of us. As mothers and fathers and grandparents it is up to us to monitor toxicity for future generations and make sure the world becomes a safe place for all of us.

This is a huge calling not for the weak of heart. But, guess what???? Here we are, Earth Safe Finishes, and we are about to embark on an incredible journey to not only make art, craft, home decor products the safest in the world, we are going to make a HUGE difference in helping everyone get there.

WATCH US!!!!!

Have a safe, non toxic New Year!!!!

Yes, there is hope!!

2009-12-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

I found a blog that hit the spot in this hectic holiday season. The Care2.com blog comments about Santa and his awesome role in our lives.

Dear Ed and Deb,

Unfortunately, Mrs. Santa does not agree with you that I am a great Yogi. She says that just because I can fly and have many different names, it is no indication of spiritual attainment, and that I still have a long way to go. For instance, she says I first have to learn how to wash the dishes and sweep the floor! So, sadly, I must hand back your accolade and ask you to simply refer to me as an old man with a few magical powers who likes to make people happy!

However, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a Christmas message to all your readers. I started giving presents to young and old as a way to make everyone feel more appreciated and happier. I thought that would lead to everyone treating each other a bit more nicely, and that we would become more caring and friendly to one another. But it seems that my message of kindness and generosity has become somewhat lost amidst the shopping bags. We may be kind to our families but we tend to forget about anyone else.

I would like to tell your readers that I believe in peace and kindness for all. So if they want, they can join me by opening their hearts, not just their wallets, and recognize that we are all one big human family and we all need to be loved and appreciated, whatever color our skin may be or whatever our name is. Yes we can! And we can do this not just for one day a year, but for every day of the year. Do good and be good!

I have friends who say, “Think with your heart and not with your head.” Everyone needs to be appreciated and loved. I remember when you guys worked in the kitchen in a homeless shelter. You served those dear ones food and, as I recall, everyone had big smiles on their faces. Just as when you volunteered at Hospice.

We can all just stop for a moment and say, “Oh, yes we can!” Because there is nothing we can’t do with a loving heart. It is by truly believing this that I am able to deliver presents to children all around the world all at the same time!

Thank you for letting a caring old man say what he really feels. I can hear Rudolph calling so I have to head back to help the tireless elves at work, before I go to Mrs. Santa’s kitchen for a dishwashing lesson!

Happy Holidays to all,

Santa

Isn't this the true meaning of the holiday season?

Happiest Holidays to All and Peace be with all of you as well as Wealth and Prosperity of Heart.
Together we can make a difference!!

Copenhagen Climate Conference Gives Us Hope

2009-12-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

President Obama reached an agreement with world leaders at the climate conference in Copenhagen to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius and to require countries to list their national actions and commitments to achieving emission reduction goals.

EDF President Fred Krupp issued the following statement in response:

Today's agreement leaves the U.S. in control of its own destiny. We have always known that the path to a clean energy economy goes through Washington, D.C. As President Obama said today, strong action on climate change is in America's national interest.

It's the Senate's turn to speak next. Whether we move ahead with a common-sense plan to create new manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and reduce dependence on foreign oil is not up to other countries; it's up to us. A year from now we can be further ahead or further behind, and the Senate will make the difference.

Today's agreement takes the first important steps toward true transparency and accountability in an international climate agreement. The sooner the U.S. speaks through Senate legislation, the sooner we can set the terms of engagement for talks to come.

There is much work to be done. But, if it wasn't already clear, it is now: The 21st century will be a clean energy century.

The question before us is what role will America play in developing the technologies and clean energy solutions in the coming decades?

It's up to us to urge our Senators to follow the leadership of President Obama and seize this opportunity to cap our carbon emissions, create millions of jobs and unleash our clean energy future.

"Peaceful" Outfit

2009-12-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

What better to think about this time of year than peace......instilling peace in our lives, living in peace with our neighbors and most of all working on bringing peace to our world. I love the peace sign and the peace dove, so wanting to repurpose some clothes I started searching for a stencil. Looking for a stencil or template to design clothing and make a statement about how I feel became tedious, so I thought, let's make one. We made not 1 but 2 peace sign stencils (check out the storefront if you want one). I whipped these clothes, shown below, up in the morning and wore them to a holiday boutique Sunday afternoon. I couldn't believe the comments...all good...and it felt good knowing I upcycled my clothes and made a statement at the same time. PEACE ON EARTH!!!

Black scarf stenciled with peace sign

Recycled Goodwill nylon purse

Add a little [peace to old jeans

And a statement making but cool shirt!

Report from San Francisco Green Festival

2009-11-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

We are officially among the green companies of the world. We had an incredible reception at the San Francisco show this last weekend. 40,000 people appreciating what companies like ours are trying to do to change the toxins in the air and the quality of the lives we live, all for the better.

Artists came by and saw what is possible to create using our product line. Repurposing, upcycling and reusing clothing and other objects were shown and appreciated in our booth. Other vendors as well as the public were interested in what we have to offer and the approach we are taking to be able to make "healthy art". Healthy for the artist, the environment and even the consumer who may be purchasing the end product for their home. Indoor air quality was a hot topic of conversation.

The energy was high and the people delightful. It looks like this is going to be a great venue for us. There are green festivals around the US and we will make as many of them as we can.

Busy booth but expressive of repurposing

Our new stencils and repurposed beads and buttons

More upcycling!

This goes into landfills! Cute outfit.

The Green Movement is creating awareness. The Green Festivals are showing us all what we can do to make a better world. It is up to us to follow through. So fun to do it creatively!!!!!

Air Quality Puts Family in Extreme Crisis

2009-11-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

Who knew?

We live, eat and sleep indoors. We laugh, cry and love indoors. We take deep breaths thinking we are safe from the elements of Nature outside, whether it is summer hot or winter cold. Who knew being indoors could kill. Air quality, both indoors and outside, are the essence of life on Earth. Our health, the health of our children, and grandchildren are as important as the air we breathe.

The following is an amazing documentary of a family who nearly died from side effects of what interior air quality was doing to them. It is so powerful and meaningful and hopeful.

By Diana Marcketta © 2009

Jewel1 Entertainment/Starry Sky Media, Inc.

Debbie O’Neal thought her house would kill her.

Her family had multiple nosebleeds, migraines, rashes and showed

signs of osteoporosis. Debbie’s osteoporosis was deemed severe.

Her menstrual cycle had stopped, her muscles ached constantly and

she now has fibromyalgia.

But worse, her kids were sick…all the time.

Her son Sam – through 12 years of living in their doublewide

manufactured home on her in-law’s Idaho ranch -- had slowly but

steadily developed a growing number of medical conditions…asthma,

respiratory infections, nosebleeds and constant allergies. The

nosebleeds went on for an hour at a time necessitating a trip to the

hospital emergency room. Sam experienced constant ear infections,

nausea and several experiences with vertigo that laid him flat on the

floor.

Dede, her daughter had begun to have unexplainable seizures, one

that even left her turning blue.

But Debbie’s husband, Ted, who spent most of his time outdoors,

rarely got sick.

Then Debbie happened to turn on the television one day to a story

about the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the FEMA manufactured

homes that had stood for months awaiting delivery to the homeless

and displaced.

High levels of formaldehyde and other forms of toxicity had registered

in the drywall of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management

Agency) trailers intended as temporary shelter for victims of Katrina in

New Orleans. Air quality tests of trailers by the Sierra Club confirmed

it.

Hundreds of victims of Hurricane Katrina still live in temporary

housing today. However, legal guidelines regarding use of

formaldehyde in manufactured and mobile homes has been approved

by the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development and for

trailers being built for FEMA. The levels of allowable toxicity in

manufactured homes have been severely reduced.

Debbie looked at the walls of her home – a home she had loved and

cared for almost 12 years – and she knew the answer to their

mysterious illnesses lied inside them.

“One night my son said, ‘Mom, I think I’m going to die if I spend

another night in this house.’ That was it for me. We packed up our

bags and were out the same day,” Debbie said. The entire family

moved into the basement of her in-law’s house. They worked to fix

the mobile home, readying it for a sale, but during every attempt, the

family grew sicker.

Ted, her husband, spent most of his days outdoors, working on the

360-acre cattle ranch, away from the manufactured home.

“But at night, he would walk in the door, sit down in his chair, and just

want to go to sleep,” she said. But her husband, a lifetime cattleman

and rancher, experienced constant headaches and a persistent

cough whenever he was in the manufactured home.

Multiple chemical sensitivity – it was a group of words that this dyedin-

the-wool, all-American, hard-working family would slowly grow to

understand the meaning of as they marched from doctor to doctor.

Debbie, Dede and Sam hoped for a diagnosis of the unusual

combination of symptoms that afflicted them.

Dede, Debbie’s now 21-year-old daughter, began having serious

respiratory attacks. In three different situations, Dede had succumbed

to anaphylaxis….a severe allergic reaction.

Each episode was unexplainable, unexpected and completely

terrifying. The worst happened on a golf course in Arizona that had

been sprayed earlier in the week with fertilizers. Dede was

hospitalized, given anti-biotics and steroids, but doctors could not

determine that cause of her illnesses. They suggested sinus surgery,

but neither Dede nor Debbie approved.

Slowly, after leaving the golf course and being hospitalized for nearly

two weeks, the symptoms eased but did not completely subside.

Finally, after viewing the news story about the FEMA trailers, Debbie

thought she might have a piece of the puzzle.

“It was awful. None of us knew what was wrong with us and the

doctors didn’t have any answers,” said Debbie, who underwent three

biopsies related to her gynecological difficulties. “I think they thought

we were crazy.”

When Debbie had taken extra steps to seal up her home from the

cold winter Idaho weather, she had unknowingly sealed in the toxins

trying to escape from the manufactured home’s formaldehyde-filled

walls and what were probably other complex chemicals in the

plywood press board cabinets.

“We loved our home,” said O’Neal of the doublewide where her

children spent most of their childhood. “But we just couldn’t stay

there.”

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (a division of

the NIH) defines MCS as a “chronic, recurring disease caused by a

person’s inability to tolerate an environmental chemical or class or

foreign chemicals. MCS has also been described as a group of

“sensitivities to extraordinarily low levels of environmental chemicals,”

according to the institute.

According to the institute, MCS appears “to develop without cause in

some individuals following acute or chronic exposure to a wide variety

of environmental agents including various pesticides, solvents, drugs

and air contaminants” including those found in environmentallyunhealthy

buildings.

Environmental medicine specialists claim that MCS causes negative

health effects in multiple organ systems, and that respiratory distress,

seizures, cognitive dysfunction, heart arrhythmia, nausea, headache

and fatigue can result from exposure to levels of common chemicals

that are deemed as safe.

Dr. Marilyn Black, chemist, founder and CEO of the third-party

“green” certification company Green Guard, based in Atlanta, Ga.,

agrees that the American Medical Association does not recognize

MCS as a disease, but the syndrome appears to be growing.

“If you continually challenge the body’s system with something that

irritates it, then the cells start to change,” says Dr. Black, whose

organization was founded out her of concern for the safety of children

being exposed to chemicals in homes. Green Guard Environmental

Institute emphasizes environmentally healthy air-quality programs,

products and construction in homes and schools.

“We have an increase in asthma and an increase in learning

disabilities nationwide,” says Dr. Black, whose interest in chemical

sensitization and environmental health began when she first

investigated “sick” buildings several years ago. “We realized the need

for a program…our goal is to help create safer products overall.”

Formaldehyde exposure -- the focus of investigation in FEMA trailers

-- may cause irritation in those exposed it to it, Dr. Black says, but

each individual may have a different level of sensitivity. Also,

formaldehyde may result in a high sensitization, but according to

current science, says Dr. Black, it does not remain in the body.

“Generally, it causes irritation in the eyes, nose and throat,” she says,

but prolonged exposure may result in asthma and respiratory

problems.

Formaldehyde’s long-term exposure is now being investigated for its

ability to act as a carcinogen, says Dr. Black. In traditional homes,

formaldehyde is estimated to exist at levels of 60 parts per billion.

The new manufacturing requirements for FEMA trailers are at 16

parts per billion according to HUD.

But as Dr. Black reiterates, each individual responds differently to

chemical exposure and often multiple chemicals may trigger a

reaction.

Debbie and her children were prescribed anti-biotics and other

treatments for allergies but as MCS is not recognized by the

American Medical Association as a disease or disorder, doctors were

not able to prescribe anything further.

But Debbie, Dede, Sam and Ted had had enough of feeling badly.

Debbie and her family never returned to that manufactured home.

The original manufacturer, based in Texas, had gone out of business

in the meantime, and the statue of limitations, which would have

enabled the O’Neal’s to file any kind of claim, had expired on their

decade-old purchase. The family had no recourse against the

manufacturer even though heavy amounts of formaldehyde had been

found in the walls.

The house was sold to a California family that now uses it as a

hunting cabin, visiting only two or three times a year.

“They never complain about anything. We told them upfront the kinds

of problems we had, but they felt comfortable buying the place

because they would be there only a few times a year,” she says.

Debbie and her family are now weeks away from moving into a new

nearly tox-free home.

After determining the source of the family’s various health problems

(bloody noses, tiredness, allergies, dizziness, fibromyalgia,

osteoporosis, seizures, interrupted menstrual cycles); Debbie has

made every attempt to include toxic-free materials in their new 2,500

square-foot home.

O’Neal admits that she expects to struggle with her health for the rest

of her life. She regularly sees a naturopath, and frequently sees a

chiropractor for the pain resulting from fibromyalgia.

“As my daughter says, `We’re sick, but now we know what is wrong

with us) but there are a lot of other people in the world much sicker

than us,’” says Debbie.

What has been most difficult for both Debbie and Dede are the

limitations that their sicknesses have put on their lives. Both were

forced to quit driving temporarily due to repeated episodes of vertigo

and dizziness.

Dede, now living in Montana, had to quit her job temporarily but

unfortunately also lost one of the great passions her life…rodeo. She

left the rodeo circuit, unable to keep up physically with the typical

round of weekend competitions each season. Then, since she was

unable to work at the time, both her pickup truck and her horse trailer

were repossessed.

But the family is slowly moving on from the invisible tentacles of

chemical off gassing.

Debbie walks down the halls of her freshly painted home without

worrying about the off-gassing of toxic paints…paints which release

invisible toxic gases into the air leaving her with migraines,

fibromyalgia and severe osteoporosis.

Instead, Debbie inhales and exhales standing inside her freshly

painted without hesitation. She knows the walls of her newly

completed ranch house are covered with Earth Safe Finishes, a

unique toxin-free, VOC free paint that Debbie says she actually

enjoyed putting on her interior walls.

“I searched for this paint,” says Debbie of her quest for a voc-free

paint.

The paint, designed and created by Earth Safe Finishes CEO Nancy

Burkhart, is completely toxin free.

“And it lasts,” says California-based Burkhart, who spoke with Debbie

at length before shipping off a pallet of paint from her Californiabased

business to Idaho.

The paint even smells good, says Debbie.

“It’s a pleasure to paint,” says Debbie, who recently completed the

interior of her nearly constructed a nearly toxin-free 2000-sq. ft. home

with a light beige coat on her walls. “I don’t know anybody that

shouldn’t try these paints.”

Debbie found Earth Safe Finishes (www.earthsafefinishes.com) on

the internet. Having tried all other major competitors offering low

(volatile organic compounds) VOC’s such as Dunn-Edwards,

Sherwin-Williams and in-house Home Depot paints.

All failed the test for toxicity tolerance, says O’Neal, who worked with

toxin experts utilizing a simple plastic bag test to judge the level of

each paint’s chemical emissions.

A freshly painted piece of wood is placed in a bag brown and then

taped shut. When the bag is opened 24 hours later, the paint’s gases

are released. Dried painted wood placed in plastic baggies for a

week, each separate from the others. A bio-energetic testing machine

was used, also.

“Nancy’s paints had absolutely no chemical odor and no signs of

gas,” says Debbie while she discerned an odor and gases in the

other paints.

While Debbie does not deny the consumer value of the other paints

tested, her individual ability to tolerate chemicals is so low that only

the Earth Safe Finishes were safe to her.

“I love it,” says Debbie of both the primer and paint used throughout

the house. “It doesn’t need a primer. It’s like playing in whip cream.”

The house nearly finished, O’Neal is excited to move in. Earth Safe

Finish products, including varnishes and stains, have been used

throughout the house.

Because the family must live as tox-free as possible, Ted O’Neal is

building much of the family’s furniture. He has already built a vanity

for the guest bathroom completed with varnish and stain from Earth

Safe Finishes.

“It’s just beautiful,” says Debbie. “The stain looks great. The varnish

goes on like satin.”

Debbie says she felt great sympathy for the victims of Hurricane

Katrina, many who lost their homes and now three years later, are

still without permanent shelter.

“Ironically, that we experienced, too,” Debbie says. “But after time you

realize that being alive and going forward is what life is all about.”

Green Festival in San Francisco

2009-11-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a preview of coming attractions for the upcoming Green Festival in San Francisco, November 13-15. Our theme is Upcycling and Repurposing and we are doing it with our new peace themed stencils. Our first 2 stencils in the line. More in the works. Timely stencils that cannot be found any where else. Introduction of our stencils and introduction of our UltraThick, natural thickener and no VOC Wax.

Ties, shirts, jeans, tee shirts to purses, cabinet doors, shoes, jewelry....we do it all safely and toxin free.

Booth #921

Come and see us and have fun, we are going to, for sure!!!!!

Indoor Health

2009-10-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

I spoke with a US Green Building Council board member yesterday morning and he gave me some history on indoor air quality which I found fascinating and would like to pass on. In the late 1970's because of all the attention paid to lack of insulation in homes, air escaping through thin window panes and through cracks and uninsulated panels to the outside Title 24 was passed in California and has come to be the norm in the United States for the housing industry. Title 24 gives us a baseline for weatherizing and retrofitting. As a result, over the years toxic air has become trapped indoors more than ever. We are bringing more toxic materials into our homes and they don't have a way to escape (not that it is even a good idea as it goes out into the air and into our environment). This trapping effect pollutes indoor air quality even more and affects our health, including the health of our children. Health of all members of the family is affected by the toxic chemicals we are breathing in a place that should be a haven for our bodies.

Individual and environmental health are two of the main reasons Earth Safe Finishes was developed. Working in close contact with other paints, and other art products not only leaves the individual inhaling these fumes but the residual is left floating in the air. This toxicity builds up in an individual and results in a loss of tolerance. Headaches, nausea are the two of the many resultant effects of this chain of events.

Global Green gives us several ways to Contribute to a Safe, Healthy Indoor Environment:

Products that don’t release significant pollutants into the home orbuilding, such as no-VOC paints, formaldehyde-free cabinets, and non-toxic caulks, sealers and adhesives, CRI Green Label carpets and pads.

Products that block the spread of or remove indoor pollutants, such as duct mastic, effective ventilation equipment, and air and water filters.

Products that warn occupants of health hazards, such as Carbon Monoxide detectors and humidity sensors.

With awareness and effort we can turn this around and make a negative into a positive. Earth Safe Finishes is working with the best and safest chemicals and the best people to make the best and safest products for your home. Help yourself, your family and the environment with your awareness.

Safe Art Movement (SAM)

2009-10-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Rally Round our new anacronism, Safe Art Movement (SAM). The thought just popped in my head that this is one of the major reasons Earth Safe Finishes was developed. We want ease of use and we want products where we don't have to worry about the safety factor (respirators, gloves, working outdoors). Winter is approaching....how exciting to think that you can continue being creative indoors without worry of VOC's, fumes, flammability, toxins, etc.

Beginning stages of SAM and not sure what we will do to get the rally into high gear but just like the Green Musketeers, the awareness is here and now......whether it is children, artists, designers, DIYer's or those who are feeling the creative urge.....make it safe.

In working on samples for the upcoming Green Festival in San Francisco next month, I am absolutely amazed at how incredible our products are!! Actually it never ceases to amaze me. The sample stain boards I have been making are stunning. Stains are easy to apply, 1 coat for me is all it takes and the boards have 3 of our varnishes applied (on different areas). Safe and easy. I am so sold. Order a little to try and you will be sold too.

'Rally Round' the SAFE ART MOVEMENT!!!!!

2009-10-08T15:06:00.001-07:00

Craft versus Art is a Worldwide Question

2009-10-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

The following article was sent in a Craft and Hobby Association newsletter yesterday. It was taken from the Sunday Times in Scotland. I find it very appropriate as this battle has been raging in the US for years. I think that the Mixed Media category is a result of the combination of the fields of crafting and fine arts. Earth Safe Finishes products work perfectly in both areas of art. Do we define what is "art" or is it in the eye of the beholder? Anyway, the following article is very interesting.

Craft Scotland bins the woolly jumpers

Fuddy-duddy image yields to something funkier as Scotland’s craft community fashions a new makeover

What is craft? It certainly isn’t “art” in the pure sense, because its products are meant to be used, as with pottery or bags.isn’t design either; there’s rarely a commercial or mass-made dimension to craft.

This problem of definition has lead to an identity crisis. Craft is seen as the poor cousin of the creative disciplines — the loopy aunt in the hand-woven shoes and earrings made from pipe cleaners.Scotland’s craft community, however, has set about fashioning a new image to remove craft from the realm of gift-shop nick-nacks. No more will it be dismissed as free expression with offcuts of corduroy

It’s quite a reputation to work against, that your business is outdated, fuddy-duddy, crafty,” says Julia Douglas, a textiles and ceramics designer based in Edinburgh.

“At heart I consider myself a fine artist, but one with a deep interest in the traditional processes used to make things. Being called a craftsperson doesn’t offend me. But I run up frequently against snobbery from the art world, it refuses to accept that craft can be funky and contemporary and conceptual. As far as the art world in which I trained is concerned, craft is just woolly jumpers, full stop.”Hence the new, provocative campaign. It is predictable that a makeover such as this can’t be attempted without a soupcon of sizzle. The raciness lies in its title: The C Word. Reminiscent of the FCUK advertising blitz by the French Connection clothing chain, it’s a declaration of Year Zero for Scottish crafts.

Emma Walker is the chief executive of Craft Scotland, the body that’s attempting to stitch together the discipline’s future. She recalls that when she assumed the position she was almost instantly fatigued by the debate over what craft actually was — a debate, she says, that has been rumbling on for more than half a century. Was craft merely a glorified form of domestic make-do-and-mend? Or was it a venerable grassroots movement with artisanal credentials?“Then I came across some research from a few years back where craft makers were emphasising the point that they had to forget the C-word,” she says. “That struck me as terribly sad and ridiculous. So we took it and turned it round. There was some resistance to using it as the name of the campaign, they were nervous about something so risque.”

Green Artist in the Making

2009-09-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

I have to share this awesome experience. One of my granddaughters decided today that she wanted to paint cards for her mother. Ever encouraging the girls' artistic ability and knowing that painting with no VOC products is a no brainer, she got set up and went to town. Not 1, not 2 but 3 paper canvases for this girl. Not worried at all about the hazards of painting, with Earth Safe Finishes there are none....a little mess...maybe. So here is the artist in the making...Look out Michaelangelo!!!

80 Textile Samples and Counting

2009-09-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

As a green company exploring virgin territory with our no VOC products it is important to test and retest making sure that everything works as it is supposed to. We also have the philosophy at Earth Safe Finishes to let everyone know what and how we do what we do.
I have just finished testing over 80 sample swatches of different fabrics to test for colorfastness, stiffness, and vibrancy of color. The results are in and we are soooo good to go!!! I am happy to report that all fabrics passed the test from silks to velvets, from hemp to bamboo. Colorant, water and a little FabricMagic gets you where you want to be. Not only can you dye,overdye, paint, stencil or stamp you can also draw or write with a refillable pen.

Teal Colorant on Linen

What possibilities for repurposing, recycling or upcycling (my new word of the day). Since we have the no VOC Colorant which is a dispersed pigment that acts like a dye we are immersing the fibers in the water/Colorant//FabricMagic mixture and, when dry, heat setting. I was truly amazed to see that the silk velvet and velour were pressable and the nap did not flatten out.
Photos and explanations will be posted on the website within a few days. If there are any questions, please e mail us. This is very exciting!!!!!!

DON'T TREAT THE SYMPTOMS - TREAT THE CAUSE

2009-08-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

MCS????

You head into the studio to another day of painting and you find that it’s becoming more and more difficult to breathe. You open the windows, take outside air breaks, and yet, you feel lousier by the day.

You head to the doctor’s office and, at first, there is no known cause for what you are experiencing. You are short of breath, suffer headaches, can’t sleep properly, have rashes and a number of other symptoms including blurry vision.

The doctor just can’t figure it out, so (and this is because this is a very bright doctor) he / she sends you to a specialist to figure out what is going on.

After a long barrage of tests and uncomfortable days and nights to come, your frustration grows and you are simply miserable. Your painting suffers because you are now tired and your eyes are burning and itching and it’s too much to get to the studio daily.

Your clients are calling because your work is backing up and that nice big purchase may be reneged and you are losing your income.

So, what’s up? You have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MSC) and you will have to undergo treatment to get better before you can work in your beloved studio again. That’s really sad.

This is a story that is all too familiar to very many artists who work for long periods of time with toxic paints and varnishes. It’s not such a remote story after all, and as we become more and more familiar with MCS. It’s being addressed by many physicians who are taking a closer look.

So what to do about it once you are better OR in the alternative, BEFORE YOU BECOME ILL? How about using paints and varnishes, stains and textures, colorants and thickeners, decoupage and more that are NO VOC and LOW VOC paints and finishes.

Earth Safe Finishes has a complete line of paints and finishes. AND, to make matters even more SPECTACULAR, if you are and artist like me, you will be pleased to know that with Earth Safe Finishes Colorants will allow you to create just about any color you need – or want!!!!

All ESF products mix well with each other. Want to varnish with a tint of purple? Simply add a drop of Colorant to ESF’s Interior Varnish or Marine Varnish in Satin or Gloss and you have created just what you need. REALLY!
IMAGINE WHAT YOU CAN DO!!!!!

So instead of taking allergy tests, injections and boosters, hypnotherapy and thyroid tests, YOU ARE NOT LOSING IT!!! You may just have MCS…

Earth Safe Finishes Non Toxically Paints Simi Valley/Moorpark First Five

2009-08-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

First 5 Moorpark, California has enlisted the help of Earth Safe Finishes to paint the interior of the preschool with one of their no VOC wall paints. The Baby Safe Finishes division carries this green paint in quarts and gallons. Cotton Candy Blue will look beautiful in the playroom. Imagine painting in a public place with no fear of fumes, no headaches or nausea. Children, pregnant women, babies are safe while paint is being applied and right after. "Remarkable", says site coordinator, Sandi Lane. In addition to this fall cleaning frenzy the Hand and Brush Cleaner is being used to remove gum, sticky labels and paint from the tile floor. "How lucky we are to have such a great green company in our community", says Lane.

EARTH SAFE FINISHES ON THE AIR

2009-08-25T06:15:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that we will be live on LATalkRadio, Wednesday, August 26th at 6:00 pm pst. Our radio host, Brenda Rothaupt, will interview Nancy Burkhart, founder of Earth Safe Finishes. Subject, of course, is the Environment and Sustainability. Brenda is as passionate about the environment as Nancy, so it should be an interesting hour of dynamic duoing. Brenda is a professor in Computer Science at Santa Monica City College and has made a huge impact on students' lives as she groups them together and they join in making the environment, toxicity, recycling, repurposing and all things that have a positive impact on our Earth a priority. Join us in listening to this sure to be vibrant exchange at www.latalkradio.com tomorrow evening. See you there.

Verdigris Moulding

2009-08-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Imagine a strip of wood, plain, unpainted....enter Earth Safe Finishes, border, moulding, crown moulding, you name it...embossed, enhanced, whatever you have envisioned....here we have a piece of wainscotting that could be a chair rail, basecoated with Black Perfect Paint. Then the fun begins. Pick a stencil and emboss you design by covering that stencil with Texture, rough or smooth, it doesn't matter. When this raised effect is dry, cover it with Shimmer Opaque Copper. Then rub over Perfect Paint in Morning Sky, a light turquoise, taking off as much as you want to let the copper show through. Protect the work you have done with the no VOC Protecting Wax or varnish with the no VOC Satin Varnish. Whatever you do you can be sure you won't have any problems breathing while doing your art. Isn't Earth Safe Finishes the best?

Repurposed table from outdoor to in

2009-08-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Take an old outdoor rattan table and turn it into an indoor centerpiece with a little TLC and ESF's green products. After cleaning off the table we painted black Perfect Paint over the faded green. After the paint dried we chose a large stencil to cover the entire top. The no VOC Shimmer Opaques in Bronze, Antique Gold, Gold and Ruby were painted onto the table top. How beautiful the design has turned out. To protect the top from the hard use it will get in the family room, we brushed on several coats of gloss Marine varnish. Looks like a new table!!

Tatooed Tanks

2009-08-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Back to school with style, one of a kind, easy to make and design your own. Here we have taken 4 plain tank tops used Colorant, FabricMagic and a couple of Crafters Workshop stencils and look what we got. You won't find this in any store or boutique....maybe Melrose. Instructions on How To are on the website.

AUGUST 2009 NEWSLETTER

2009-07-31T13:35:00.001-07:00

VOLUME 10

EARTH SAFE FINISHES GAZETTE

They're baaaaaaaaaaaaack - from the Long Beach Quilt Festival - and you won't believe what some of the ESF team have been up to!!!

Now, they are dyeing pearls, buttons, stamping and overdyeing fabric.

Take a look...

BEFORE....PEARLS AND BUTTONS - AFTER...PEARLS, BUTTONS & MORE

Thanks to artist/designer, Beth Wheeler for this inventive use of ESF products!!

IMAGINE what YOU can do with ESF products and YOUR imagination!!!!

Remember that ESF products are interchangeable, low or no VOC, and you can make hundreds of colors by mixing your own colors. What better way to spend some of your summer months!!!

Look at this beautiful "Amoeba" by artist/designer, Barbara Matthiessen. Who knows what this looked like before but it was a piece of fabric that Barb dyed and stamped and turned into a wonderous work of art!!!

If you have a question about your fabric, simply contact Nancy Burkhart at nancy@earthsafefinishes.com

WE ARE THERE FOR YOU!!!

2009-07-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Please listen while we discuss Earth Safe Finishes, it's products and statement, and the Earth Safe Finishes Gazette and my role as editor.

Earth Safe Finishes is a wonderful product but it's also a GREAT COMPANY run by a Mother - Daughter team and a SLEW (is the a word?) of great support staff. Wonderful people that support the cause, the products and each other.

Please listen and YOU MIGHT WIN ESF's Perfect Paint Starter Kit!!!!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inspiredathome

Hard Hats? Every Self-Respecting Gal Needs One!!!

2009-07-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Who said you can't dress up a hard hat? Certainly not me! Especially when I am using Earth Safe Finsihes products. I can take my time and enjoy.

Take a look at this hard hat. It started as an old - crusty hard hat. I love the shape of the hat and the fact that it turned out so cool!

1. Tear a map into sections and glue it to the hat with ESF Decoupage on the underside of the map sections.

2. "Tint" the map to look aged by using Colorant - Sienna. Put on with a soft cloth and wipe away/off to create the tint you like.

3. Apply stamps of your choice (I used flying birds, butterflies and text) by using ScrapPerfect's Perfect Pouch to stabilize the area. Then apply ESF's Shimmer Opaque in Gold in random areas. Alternate with Generation Green Perfect Paint "Black".

4. Apply Text (I chose "TRAVEL" AND "FRIENDS FOREVER" to enhance the idea of the design. Get it, maps, travel, friends...butterflies and birds for movement. Use your imagination and get crazy with it.

5. Seal your work with ESF Interior Varnish Satin. Apply 3 coats allowing each coat to dry completely. If you live in a humid area like I do, allow longer drying time.

PARDON ME, I'M OFF!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Repurposed Skirt to Neon Apron

2009-07-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

The pressure was on to create an apron for the upcoming Long Beach Quilt Festival. What better challenge than to take an old object of clothing and repurpose it. Here is an old skirt that needs a life. So a little ESF new Neon Colorant, FabricMagic, water and brush and we have watercolored flowers on fabric. It is definitely neon. And remember it is totally non toxic with no VOC's. Come and see what we have repurposed at the Quilt Festival at the Long Beach Convention Center, July 24-26. It promises to be an amazing gathering of creative exhibitors and attendees. Come and visit at Booth #1251.

2009-07-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Another first, dying on silk..here on a silk scarf and it couldn't be easier or more fun and relaxing. Christmas presents in the making. Here is how I did it. I wet the silk with water first, I wanted the colors to run. 2 drops of Colorant in colors of Teal, Rose and Violet, 3 drops of FabricMagic and water. The amount of water added will determine the intensity of the color. I tried brushing with a foam brush and I also tried pouncing with a piece of plastic wrap. No smell, non toxic, easy cleanup....that's it. It has adhered to the silk fiber. Not bad for my first try!!

2009-07-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

Shimmer sheers are in!!! And what could be a better booth decoration than these sheers decorated easily with Earth Safe Finshes Shimmer products. We are on the last leg of preparing for our first ever quilt show, this one at the Long Beach Convention Center, July 24-26. Thinking we will never have enough samples to show gets all of us busy and the pressure seems to bring out the most beautiful samples ever....at least for me. So here is a preview of coming attractions....a very small part of a long beautiful panel to be hung from a window but for a little while from our booth. Made with our newest non toxic no VOC product, Tackifier ( a tacky adhesive that is applied by brush to the back of stencils - no aerosols or spray for us. Then our Shimmer Translucent Glitter with a couple of drops of Raw Umber Colorant added. These sheers sell for $200 - $400 a yard. It costs less than $20 to do 4 panels 8 feet high or 12 yards. Good value? You bet!! Come and see us booth #1251. Fun, zany and definitely creative!!!!!

Fireworks for Us!!!

2009-07-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

I think we've got it!!! Our newest product, the non toxic no Voc glaze, is tested and working beautifully. I stenciled it on a sweatshirt for my granddaughter, great for the cool night watching fireworks. A little pearl pigment and a tad of glitter on top. Perfect!! It did get tested through the washer and dryer and came out unscathed. The beauty, again ,is that it is not just for clothing .........works on walls, wood, tile, cement, tin, plastic, you name it.

It is a great addition to the green line, Generation Green Gel Glaze and Shimmer Translucent Gel Glaze.

2009-06-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

What better to make for my grandson's 1st birthday than a table and chairs that are non toxic, green and environmentally friendly. He will use this for many projects and many meals so why not make it as safe as I can? Here is a quick rundown of the way I accomplished this pretty cute table (if I do say so myself). These no VOC (volatile organic compounds) products are safe for me painting with them, my grandson using the decorated table and chairs, and the Earth, as their are no fumes or toxins going into the air. The table and chairs were first sealed with Earth Safe Finishes Sealer. Gesso was applied over this to give a good primer coat. I added Colorant to the Gesso to give a good colored base. How easy to make your own color by adding drops of Green and Blue to the Gesso. The no VOC paint is thick and creamy. I added Green and Blue Colorant to the White base to come up with this Blue/Teal color. Decoupaging with Earth Safe Finishes Decoupage, trim around the table edge with Shimmer Opaque Sapphire, stenciling with Shimmer Opaque Teal and, finally, the palm trees were stenciled with Shimmer Translucent colors. The protecting varnish that will be good for a long long time is Earth Safe Finishes Marine Varnish in gloss. Thank you Laser Excel and Buckingham Stencils for making fun stencils. As a side note, the stencils were coated on the backside with our newest no VOC non toxic product, Tackifier. No spray adhesive, no tape and good for multiple uses, simply brush on . My grandson loves his table and says, "Surf's Up"!!!!!

Welcome

2009-06-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Our concept at Earth Safe Finishes is simple….make the highest quality, individual and Earth friendly products that allow for the most creativity possible. Make them non toxic and make them in the USA. To this end we are striving to have these products capable of use for unlimited purposes. Fine art..we have it. Crafting..we have it…Mixed Media/Altered Art…we have it…Paper Products/Scrapbooking…we have it, Faux Finishing…we have it….Woodworking…we have it…fabric/quilting…we have it, Repurposing…we have it.

When I was in 8th grade I signed up for a Philosophy class. It was a long time ago. The first day the teacher asked us what our philosophy of life was. I had no idea and, furthermore, it scared me so much I left the class, never to return to Philosophy. And now, so many years later, it has come to me….the simplicity of it all….create art, any kind of art and who is to say what is art, using materials that are harmless to us as experimental artisans and harmless to our environment. Art is a relaxing form of release…individual mindset is different, therefore each piece created will be one of a kind.

We have a great group of like minded designers/artists/editors here who are giving thoughts and their ideas of what art is and how it can be done using our products. We gain an incredible amount of energy each time we brainstorm over new products or new ways of applying the product line to surfaces. We are hugely into repurposing and making the old into new and different.

Our blogs will be giving everyone the benefit of our brainstorming, the results being new ideas, new products and how tos.

Please feel free to speak up and respond with the same. It is an invigorating process and it gets the juices flowing. This is the first of many blogs with fun packed philosophical outlooks…now I can tell you what my philosophy is!!!