First, there is still time to enter the giveaway below!  Make sure to leave a comment for each entry!  Also, the next giveaway will start tomorrow…and I promise it is FABULOUS!

I’m sure for many of you, there are things you already do in your home and daily lives that are helping the environment.  But I know there are plenty of people who want to go green, who want to exercise their inner hippie, jump on the bandwagon, and really make a change, but just don’t know what they can do…that’s where today’s post comes in!

Here are some of my favorite granola-crunching, hippie-thinking, part-of-my-everyday-life tips…things my family does to do our part and things that are easy for everyone to do.

• Use compact florescent lightbulbs throughout the house
• Plant a garden (start small with an herb garden if your nervous!)
• Create a compost bin
• Stop using disposable baggies (ENTER the contest below to eliminate those belonging to your school kids!)
• Wash your clothes in cold water instead of warm/hot
• Combine all your errands into one trip and drive the speed limit
• Shop the local Farmer’s Markets
• Put a stop to unsolicited mail
• Repurpose things instead of throwing them out
• Check Craigslist and Freecycle before buying anything new
• Do you feel empowered yet?  What are you going to do to go green today?

Be thinking of what your family is doing to do their part…you’ll need those fabulous idea to enter tomorrow’s contest!!

I’m sure you’ll be reading, hearing, and seeing a lot about how to “go green” this week in honor of Earth Day 2010.  And I hope you’ll be taking it all in, and making changes in your family’s routine that will have a positive impact on the Earth.

My family has made lots of changes to our routines over the last several years in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and green up our lives.  We have a thriving vegetable garden with organic compost, we use BPA-free  water bottles that we refill from our sink (filtered) instead of purchasing water bottles, we use compact florescent bulbs in every room in our house, all our meat is purchased from local farmers, and the list goes on…but you get my point.  They are all little changes that make a big impact over time.

So I’m sure you’re wondering the point of this post, right?  In honor of Earth Day, MZP will be offering several giveaways throughout the week (all *super* cool green organic products that my family loves!), all you have to do is follow the blog everyday this week.

Check back tomorrow for the week’s first giveaway!

It’s almost that time of year – the weather will be getting warmer and everything will start to bloom!  You don’t want to miss the gorgeous spring color, do you?

I’m thrilled to announce this year’s spring mini session event at the Dallas Arboretum!  Session have already begun filling but some prime sessions still exists.  I hope to see many of you out for these limited edition mini sessions with MZP!

The holiday minis have been going great…I still have a handful to complete before the seas0n is over, but I wanted to share a sampling of some of the families I have seen this month.  And a special thanks to my friend Sarah for letting us have use of your loft…it is an awesome space!

and I’m pretty sure this was my favorite of the day…it takes a lot of work to get the perfect picture!

My canvas company is amazing…totally amazing!! I woke to an email this morning from them stating that three of their most popular sizes are on sale…at CRAZY AMAZING sale through this weekend!

I know there have been many of you in the past who would have loved to add additional canvases to your order…now here is your chance!  Others of you have a favorite image as a regular print, but think of how AWESOME it would look on a gallery wrapped canvas – trust me!  I’m including a picture of a recent canvas purchase for my display at Women’s Integrated Healthcare – isn’t it awesome?

For this sale you can purchase a 16×20, 16×24, or 20×24 at incredible savings!  Email me by SATURDAY night at midnight and qualify for this offer! mz{at}melissazihlman{dot}com

16×20 (normally $500) only $200

16×24 (normally $650) only $250

20×24 (normally $720) only $300

This deal is amazing!! And even cooler,  you can also buy now and save it for use at a future ordering session. 

{and yes, I noticed the canvas is crooked in this picture…}