Here at NWAArts.com we are proud to feature local Alabama artist and their artwork.  Alabama art is full of southern influences and pulls from years of southern tradition.  Local artist work hard to produce art that is true to form and can be appreciated by anyone in the world and especially individuals from Alabama.  Northwest Alabama is full of great artist and we like to feature work from those artist on this site.  Please browse the site and feel free to comment at anytime.

If these floors could only talk….

     You know, we’ve all heard the saying, “boy, if these walls could talk”…I was thinking the other day that you could also ask the same thing about floors….think about it….

     How many floors would tell you the story about the new mother who walked and walked all night trying to soothe her fretful babe, or how many floors would relate the tales of worried and slightly irate  parents pacing back and forth, back and forth watching the clock till their young one finally, finally got home.  And if you applied the thought to floors throughout history, think of the tales to be told.  For instance, just  imagine a couple of floors were comparing histories and trading anecdotes.. Might go something like this….

Mannington Flooring
Mohawk Flooring
Mullican Engineered Flooring
Somerset Wood Flooring

     Well, I happened to be the floor of the Santa Maria, that Chris Columbus sailed across the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety two…..Buenos todos!  Well, let me tell you that was no fiesta, or as you personas like to say, no picnic!!  Eyemio!!  I thought we would never get there, thought I would never hear the phrase “land ho” ever again!  Man, all anybody ate besides fish, was beans and rice,  followed by more beans and rice…Not only did everybody have severe seasickness and scurvy, but, well, I’ll just say that it didn’t just smell fishy all the time……The one good thing about it was that I got a nice scrubbin’, from bow to stern at least two or three times a day….Okay, that part of it was nice, I’ll admit.  But do you realize how crabby men can get when they have been at sea for like,  three months?  Women aren’t the only one’s who have “moods” I’d wager to say.  And nasty! Aye me Dios!  I was so happy to finally drop anchor in the beautiful new world of the America’s….Muy bonito la isla de America!…..So, yes, I guess I really was very privileged to be among the first armada to come here…But , I really wish they had known about jerky then, instead of beans……I would have given a bucket of wax for some beano….

Bruce Flooring
Armstrong Flooring
BR111 Hardwood Flooring
Kahrs Flooring

    “ Well, pardeeno mi amigos, but if you want to talk about nasty, you should have been with me in Dodge City in the saloon where Doc Holliday practically lived!!!  Now that Wyatt Earp, well now he can scuff his boots along my planks anytime….But that Doc…His mantra would have been  “drink, deal, cough and chew , clear your throat, hoeck’ and spew!!!…….disgusting…..But, even as sloppy drunk as those ole’ cowboys could get, and as often as I wanted to fly up and pop em’ on their backsides for those sharp spurs in my backside, I really did love em’ everyone….Yeah, those were the days….They were all my “little huckleberries” to quote a friend….

Pinnacle Flooring

Virginia Vintage Flooring

Appalachian Flooring
Triangulo Brazilian Cherry

     So yeah, being a floor may not be that grand all the time, …you  get walked on by a lot of people and you are usually the last one to get any attention, but then, besides the walls and ceiling and occasional fly, oh the tales we have to tell!!!!  For more information on flooring please visit hardwood flooring Atlanta to view hand scraped flooring options that my fit with your decor.

Organic Baby Clothing – Standards and Practices  

                When shopping for baby clothing, think green. There are many eco-friendly baby apparel lines on the market today. There is no need to sacrifice style when protecting a newborn from harmful dyes and pesticides. Because of the rising interest in a clean environment, many new clothing lines have recently begun, which offer the latest designs in organic clothing.

                It can be confusing to shop for organic clothing, though. Just because an item has a tag, which shows it has organic fibers does not mean it did not have harmful dyes or chemical treatments in the manufacturing process. Being savvy about looking beyond the tag is important if you are serious about purchasing eco-friendly baby clothing.  A textile certification indicates that the fabric was processed and manufactured in an environmentally safe manner.

Green Cleaning Products
Recycling Facts
Green Building Products
Organic Clothes
Organic Baby Food
Rubber Landscaping Mulch

                In the early 1990’s, Oeko-Tex was developed, which stands for the International Association for Research and Testing in the field of textile ecology. Labels that carry the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 rating have gone through a stringent testing process to ensure that the fabric is free of more than 100 harmful substances.

                In Switzerland, their standards organization carries the bluesign label when products are manufactured in an environmentally sound environment. Its standard certifies that the substances “have been rigorously tested against harmful effects on humans and the environment and for efficient consumption of relevant resources.”

                The EU standard for environmentally friendly manufacturing processes is called Ecolabel.

                Germany’s International Association Natural Textile Industry has a two-tier labeling system to rate environmentally free products – IVN certified best and IVN certified.

                Sweden has an organic textile standard called KRAV, which certifies that its products follow the environmentally safe procedures.

                Japan established the Japan Organic Cotton Association in 2000, which promotes and certifies organic cotton in Japan.

                The only way you will know if an item of clothing is organic from start to finish is to look for a combination of the agricultural and textile certification.  Terms to look for are “low-impact dyes,” “low eco-impact manufacturing,” “no chemical finishes,” “clay dyes” or “fiber-reactive dyes.” 

                If you are still unsure, research the company about the dyes and finishes they use. Look at their website or ask a customer service representative how the company monitors whether the fibers are organic and what happens after the fibers are harvested.

Biodiesel Production
Going Green Tips
Solar Power Systems
Home Solar Panels
Best Hybrid Cars
Windmills for Sale

                Think green when you look at organic baby clothing tags. Organic baby clothing not only protects a baby, it is also safe for the environment. Consider the amount of harmful pesticides and dyes that are used per year. 25,000 deaths occur because of agricultural pesticides and harmful, toxic substances used on crops, mainly cotton. Over 8,000 chemicals are used to convert raw material into fabric goods that are worn and used on a daily basis. The amount of insecticides used in growing cotton is staggering. Twenty five percent of the world’s insecticides are used in the growing process. Another ten percent of insecticides are used on the cotton itself. These harmful pesticides and dyes are not good for a small baby or the environment.