makin' a splash!

The otters are back! (Sorta, temporarily, kinda for a bit) But this time around, they're making a splash at your local Big Lots!

I did a little roaming around a nearby Big Lots tonight (always scouring to see if method has decided to get rid of some oldie but goodies! Every time I hope and finger cross that I'll find me some frosted fir candles, or hand wash, or eh, anything frosted fir. But so far, no luck! Random, yes!) But what DID I find in the beauty section of my Big Lots - Otters! Since method has now given Mr. Otter's job to Mr. Penguin (remember how on daytime soaps they'd say sometimes, when an actor or actress wasn't able to do her role for a couple days "The role of Mr. Otter is now being played by Mr. Penguin." Remember? Oh, does anyone even watch daytime soaps anymore? Eh. I guess not, since they're all being cancelled. Ok, enough rambling. Riiight.)

You can find it all. Bubbly bath (picked some up, smelling awfully rice milk + mallowy as I type this!), crisp apple and fuzzy peach body wash and 3-in-1 shampoo! Keep in mind at least at my store, the body wash was with the body wash, and the shampoo was actually located elsewhere, of course in the shampoo section (so even though the bottles look identical, they did place them in content specific areas, unlike at Target.) So if you're hunting for some baby/kid method goodies, now's your chance! Mine were only $3. a piece! Have fun! And of course, let method lust know if you happen to find any other method goodies at Big Lots while you're out and about!

book deal!

For those (tsk-tsk on you, by the way) remaining individuals that never did get around to purchasing the official method Squeaky Green book way back when; you can now pick it up for a song and a dance over at HSN! We're talking a mere $7.00! (Originally $24.95) AND, you get a tote, to boot! So now, well, now, you have NO excuse young lady or sir! No way, no how. Get! Buy! Read! And smile at how extra greeny you are now!

design profile

OH my goodness, these bottles are so cute I can't deal! Do you see that elephant bottle? DO YOU!? Wow, I hope they actually produce that one day. It's just too adorable!

method's own people against dirty blog gives us some insight into moving from otter to penguin bottles, used for their squeaky green baby + kids line!

"We've relaunched the packaging on our baby + kids products from an Otter to an adorable little Penguin. Check out some notes from Josh, head of form + function here at method, who talks through why we went from Otter to Penguin.

Q: Why the change?
A: Leaky Otters! We found that people were unable to resist taking the Otter's pants off (no joke!) to get a big whiff of the what the product smelled like. This more often than not loosened the cap underneath the Otter which in turn sometimes created a big mess either on a shelf in the store or all over your bathroom floor at home.

Q: How was the Penguin born?
A: We looked at all sorts of other animals that we knew from around Northern California (our very own backyard) including Sea Lions, Whales, Crabs, Starfish and Giant Squid, before settling on the Penguin for the next generation of the methodkids bottle. Designer Jeannie Choe worked to get the Penguin bottle to look as cute as the Otter and I think we succeeded. The Cap on the top means it's super easy to smell and no more leaky bottles!

Thanks Josh! Check out some intial design work (photo above) of both the little Penguin as well as another product design that didn't make the final cut (not this time at least).
- Julie Kim"

target trippin'

(aka, Nathan's ADD trip to Target. Ready? Set? Go!) Ok, so I decided to head over to Target today during lunch to check out these really great Merona suit vests they've just gotten in for men that look so cool and stylish, and come in three different patterns, and I was all like "Oh, I could look mucho cool and stylish!" except I haven't looked cool and stylish in years, mainly cause I just let myself go, you know? We'll blame it on the depression, but oh, that's another story. (I jest, I jest. I think...) But alas, these vests were definitely going to bring me back into cool and stylish mode, so off I went!

I'm searching for them, and what do you know, the Target near my home has all of them, this Target (same size as the one at home, but noticeably sucking in merchandise carrying) has... one style. So I grab a small (my usual size) run to the fitting room, try it on, and it won't even wrap all the way around my body, let alone button! Ha ha, ok. So apparently I don't wear smalls in suit vests. (Shush!) So I leave the fitting room, go to try on a medium, deciding to forgo the fitting room again and use their mirror they have out on the floor; and it fits great! Yay, but then I notice, the little belt thing that's on the back of vests (what is that called?) isn't well, belted. And I go to do it, and it's made rather poorly. The two pieces won't stay connected. Well, how lame!

So I decide to leave the clothing area and walk past the baby area, where there is a woman looking at baby washes, and I immediately think "Run over and exclaim to her how much you lust method squeaky green baby wash! And that she simply must buy it, buy it, buy it! Go green apple! Purchase the peach! Ransack the rice milk + mallow!" but I decide not to scare the poor woman and just keep walking.

To the kitchen aisle. Ohh, look, they have that small Preserve recycled cutting board in bright green I've been eyeing, and I got a little extra in my paycheck from the tax break stimulus thingy! Oh, I should get it! But but, I'll... wait. Ok, off we go...

To the method (Wait, did he just say method?) aircare section! I gotta see if they have the new candles in, cause I had to buy the sweetwater candles the other day while they were still on sale, because they were all out of the lavender + lemongrass; and now the sale is over, but when they get the l+l candles I'll just bring the other ones back for exchange (yes, it's a tad sneaky, I'm sorry; but still totally legit, don't you agree? Sometimes ya gotta play their game, people!); since my Targets aren't quite as nice as method lust reader Jamison's, and they wouldn't give me any rain checks for the candles.

Oh look, nothing. Hmm, the rest of the line is fairly full, but the candles are empty. Three old soy formula l+l candles sitting there, nothing else... Wait, what is this? The shelf stickers for the other candles, they're gone? What's going on here? It's like they've removed them from the shelf, permanently. WHAT. is. going. on. here? (Let's just chalk it up to the aircare line's big spring edition boost that HAS to be coming up this month, and not get all hysterical here right yet! Ok? I'll check this out, and get back with everyone!) Hmm... I'm worried (all appears fine, as I stumbled into my other Target this evening (don't even) and they had just gotten a brand spankin' new shipment of candles in. So don't ask me what was up with the shelf stickers thing, I ain't got a clue)... as I walk to the checkout line, to grab a pack of...

cupcakes. Yep, you read right. (Get in shape, size medium? What are you talking about.) And there is this woman in front of me, and she's buying oh oh, yes, it's method french lavender hand wash! And and, next to it, two bottles of red Dawn dish detergent?? What is that all about? So what do I do, I say (in as whimsical a way as I can...) "Well, if you're going to buy the method hand wash, why in the world wouldn't you buy their dish soap too?" And smile at her (secretly demanding she return the Dawn and go get the method, all with my eyes. My eyes say A LOT, let me tell you.) But alas, she says surprisingly "Well, I didn't know they made dish soap!" to which I replied "Oh, they sure do! And it's super!" Ok, well, maybe I didn't say the super part. And she says "well, I'm trying to buy red dish soap, to match my new red kitchen." to which I thought of saying "But, but, they make pink." but really, it wouldn't have helped. If only it had been the holidays, I could have thrown her the winterberry bone. Oh well!

+

And with that, I walked out of Target. Without my vest. Worried about my method candles. And with two cupcakes too many for my body. (And it only came with two, you know. Get it... oh, whatever.)

+

PS - method, you need to put a little cute tag, sorta like the house tags you had a while back, letting people know about all the products you sell! Cause this woman had no clue, because Target puts some method products by themselves, and others with the full line. And obviously she must have picked it up by itself. But if it had a tag telling her about all the wonderfuls method makes, she's know! And I wouldn't have to hunt her down. Suggestion!

+

PPS - Yeah, this post was all over the place, ok? Just a Target day in the life for Nathan... sweet mercy, he needs some help.

lowes squared

Do you see what I saw in this photo? Well, I didn't really see it in the photo, as I was sorta there, live and all; but still... method squeaky green laundry products! I about fell over! A friend of mine recently told me (and I didn't know! Is that possible?!) that Lowes Foods, a grocery store chain, carries method products. We have one in town, as well as one near work, but I don't usually shop there (why? Hmm, I'm not really sure.) So one evening I stopped by the one near work, and around the personal care corner what do I spy, but an entire wall of method products! I was so excited! And, I found some things that Target isn't even currently carrying. They not only had the new squeaky green laundry line (complete with sweet water and rice milk + mallow detergent; but all three (including free + clear) laundry wet dryer sheets!) They also carry the new leather wipes in the flat pack, as well as foaming hand wash in french lavender (two things Target currently hasn't carried in quite a while!) The leather wipes are actually found in the cleaning section, a few aisles down from the big wall o' method (which was, as I said earlier, found in the personal care aisle. Why? I don't really know...) They also had 3-in-1 crisp apple squeaky green kids wash! Which Target ALSO doesn't carry! Oh, so many things! So little time!

+

AND, this isn't the only Lowes carrying a giant wall of method products! Lowe's (with the apostrophe,) the building supply store, has just put up a big end cap of method goodies! And even they're carrying the new squeaky green laundry line, as well as the leather wipes and foaming french lavender hand wash. (I haven't gotten a pic of their method wall, but if you happen to, send it my way and I'll post it here on method lust! Hey, I already had to sneak into Lowes Foods and snap a photo! What do you want from me, perfection? Well, ok, that would be great. But that'll NEVER happen, trust me...)

Looks like we're finally getting some more retail stores who have decided to carry a larger line of method products, like Target. (Though Target still has them beat, at the moment.) So next time you have a method lust, head on over to Lowes! Or Lowe's!

method's feelin'

method home's updated their "feeling" statement at the top left side of their site. It now says:

"method is feeling squeaky. clean that is! we just launched the first of our new squeaky green laundry line. click here to check out the newest kid on the block."

So you can now purchase the new laundry detergent on their site! Yay! Though it looks like the wet dry sheets haven't made it there yet. (Perhaps they're holding off on the launch, and adding some wonderful scents to the line (since right now it's only sweet water, or go naked. Ok, I know that's not what's happening, but I can dream, can't I? Lavender + Juniper, I lust you!)

I have yet to see these new items showing up at Target. If you happen to see them come your way, let me know! Until then, you can pick'em up on method's site, or HSN! (Looks like the HSN thing was a limited time offer, they're gone.)

squeaky green gets laundry clean!

What is this? Why even MORE new method stuff! Who knew, right? Seems there's a new laundry detergent (and dryer sheets! I guess I was wrong yesterday, they did redesign them!) Check out the details, courtesy of HSN.com:

"Transform dirty and dingy into sweet and clean with the Method Squeaky Green Sweetwater Laundry Kit. With plant-derived ingredients and a nature-inspired scent, these environmentally-friendly products help you do laundry right. And with the reusable laundry bag, you have one more way to keep going green.

Method Squeaky Green Sweetwater Laundry Kit Includes:
+ 32 oz. Sweetwater laundry detergent
+ 40-count Sweetwater dryer cloths
+ Drawstring laundry bag

Product Features:
+ Detergent is biodegradable with hypo-allergenic formula, phosphate-free and dye-free
+ Concentrated formula – enough for several washes
+ Washer compatible – specially formulated for both standard and high-efficiency washers
+ Dryer cloths made from renewable ingredients – soften clothes naturally
+ Water-based technology – infuses softeners directly into fabric
+ Static-free control – eliminates static buildup
+ Wonderfully fresh sweetwater fragrance
+ Method laundry detergent has been included on the Design for the Environment (DfE) approved list
+ Never tested on animals
+ Stylish bright green laundry bag with flowers and “cleans like a mother” on it
Features Method and HSN logos
+ Made in USA"

The bag comes with the HSN purchase, and is $24.95 for the entire package. And watch the video for all the details!



I don't have the information at the moment, but I'll let you know when I find out the other scents this new product comes in!