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As the clock hits midnight tonight, make sure your guests know which glass is there glass. Simply hook paint chip tags (these were cut out into circle) to the stem of the glass. Have the guests write their names on each ID tag and know they'll know. A simple and easy way to personalize your night of fun and recycle those old paint chips!
I visited my local IKEA store recently to pickup a storage bin for the craft room. The funny thing about Ikea is that you can never really just go in there to buy just one thing: the store is always changing and full of new and interesting things to distract you.
Case in point, the above saucepan. Cast iron. Wood handle. Flame color. Made in France. $29.99. It is suspiciously familiar to the fancy Le Crueset pots and pans (that are about 4 times more expensive), but I can't tell if the quality is any different.
Anyway, I---like a lot of folks---used to have non-stick pots and pans until the whole Teflon warning scared the beJesus out of me. So I've been cooking everything in cast iron and was so happy to see Ikea selling these. It's affordable and green and quite stylish.
As I looked around the store, I also picked up (4) unbleached cotton standard size pillow covers for 99 cents each. They're beige. And I know, I've gone on the record against beige sheets. But there was something very pure, simple and clean about these, that I had to buy four. And for less than four bucks, you can't go wrong.
Onto some discoveries at Ikea:
Here they are identifying light fixtures that can accomodate a compact fluorescent lightbulb. Now all you have to do is look for this hang tag; the wood veneer strip on this light conceals it, so the harsh white light isn't so...well....harsh and white.
At checkout, there's a whole recycling center where they collect used lightbulbs, batteries, paper and the basic plastic/aluminum. Yes, I peeked inside each one and they are quite full of recyclables. I was surprised about the batteries... wasn't sure if they only took rechargeable batteries, any batteries, just Ikea brand batteries... anyone know for sure?
I did end up buying my storage bin, 2 wine glasses (for a project), the cast iron pan and four pillow covers. Instead of bagging the whole thing up, I just plopped it into the storage box and carried it out of the store. Why did the checkout clerk seem perplexed that I didn't want a bag for my storage box?
Today on the CBS EARLY SHOW I shared some tips on recycling your holiday. In case you missed how to recycle candy canes, old wreaths, Christmas lights and even cookie tins into new and functional things for your home, no worries. You can watch it online:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/26/earlyshow/main2296947.shtml
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's to a green and wonderful 2007!
-Danny Seo
Now that the holiday lights are down, I found a new use for them to help bring in the New Year.
I've been using these eco-friendly LED lights: they use 1/10th of the energy of regular holiday lights and they don't get warm. So, since they're cool to the touch and energy efficient, why not make my own private New Year's Eve ball, just like the one in Times Square?
I used about 5 strings of lights here and just coiled the lights around and around on itself until I got a big ball. On New Year's eve, I'll plug it in and hang it from the ceiling for my guests. Who knows...maybe I'll keep the lights just like this and use it all year round: place it in a bowl all light up.. hang it outside in the summertime... so many ideas, so little time...
Tune in to CBS THE EARLY on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26th for easy and simple ways to recycle all your holiday cheer into new and exciting things. There is a really clever idea for recycling holiday lights into a new year's eve "times square" ball for your party.
Ring in the New Year!
I'll post a link to the video when it's up in case ya miss it.
We've recently posted a few of the "best of" clips from my TV series "SIMPLY GREEN" on Google video. Simplest way to see 'em all? Just go to google and search "Danny Seo" in the videos section. It's free to watch and there's lots of clips.
Some of my favorites: We visit Build it Green in NYC and learn how construction waste can be recycled and reused. An unusual visit to a paper recycling plant where they make--of all things---toilet paper. And finally, tips on keeping your fridge smelling fresh and your whole house sparking clean.
Have fun! Let me know which one is your favorite!
In my kitchen, I have open cabinetry. My friends have constantly warned me against open cabinetry: you have to be a neat freak to make it always look good.
Well, I like seeing everything. But recently, I didn't quite like looking at my cleaning products at the end of the kitchen. It just seemed... weird.
So I found these old lockers bins and filled them up with all the cleaning supplies: my METHOD cleaning products, microfiber towels, laundry soap and extra sponges. Neat and tidy.
These locker bins are readily available at most flea markets; just visit a market and you'll see.
We ALL have them: wineglasses with a chipped edge. Sure, you can use them still tos serve wine, but you're left reminding everyone, "if you got the glass with the chipped edge, be careful! Don't cut yourself." Seriously, that's not hospitality... it's a precursor to a hospital visit.
So, instead of endangering someone's life, why not recycle them into candles instead? I melted beeswax candler over a double boiler and poured into random crystal goblets I had with chips; I even did a candy type dish I had.
I got the wicks from the craft store and voila... brand new candles.
Cool, aren't they?
Short and sweet idea: I don't make trifles, so why do I need to keep this trifle dish stashed away?
Solution: place candles inside and let it glow at night.
These candles are a tad too long, but I didn't see the point in trimming them down when I could just burn 'em down. For New Year's, I'll light 'em and let them be on all night long for my guests.
It has FINALLY gotten chilly outside. This has been an unseaonably warm winter and it freaks me out a little. I travel back and forth to LA and here's the kicker: some days, it's warmer on the East Coast than it is in Los Angeles. So much for sunny LA!
I have these draft dodgers at my windows to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. My windows are original to the home, from the 1920s, and I would hate to replace them with brand new, energy efficient ones. Sure, I know it's the greenest thing to do, but where else can you find windows like these?
So far, these dodgers are doing a good job. I've got the thermostat low and I'm not freezing to death, so I'll take that as a good sign.
PS-I bought these from www.gaiam.com
I just wrapped some last minute gifts and thought they came out so well!
I found a big pile of old blueprints in the recycling bin at my friend's office. I grabbed a roll and have held onto it for a few months now. How cool is it as gift wrap?
These blueprint papers were the artist drawings for a bank in Nashville, TN; they're about 30 years old and I just love that you can see the renderings all over the paper. Each sheet was huge; enough to wrap all the gifts in the photo.
I think that's the point about gift wrap: why buy it when there are so many creative things out there you can use?
PS-What's the best part of blueprint paper? No smudges. Newspaper is great, but it smudges... clean hands here!
Tune in to the Megan Mullally Show on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19th to check out some easy last-minute gift wrapping ideas. I taped the show about a week ago and it was a total blast, as usual with her. Megan is hilarious and she is really what you see on air.
For times near you, visit www.meganshow.com. I'm hoping they'll post some of the segments as videos soon on her website. If they do, I'll keep ya posted.
PS-This photo is Megan and me last time making wine glass ID tags out of paint chips. Yes, that was real organic wine in the glass. And, yes, those glasses were soon drunk by everyone on staff.
My new DVD comes out early next year and I thought some of you might be interested in pre-ordering if you plan on being greener as your new year's resolution. The DVD is titled Simple Steps to a Greener Home and it really is just that.
For those of you without LIME TV, this is a chance to catch my TV show; it's a best of the best with added extras, bonuses and outtakes. There's a fun section at the end of the DVD with lots of craft projects using trash and turning them into fun treasures.
So check out Simple Steps to a Greener Home and let me know whatcha think.
More YouTube fun. Here's the third public service announcement I taped for the Call2Recycle campaign from the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.
In this PSA, we'll learn how to take an old sweater and recycle it into a seat cushion. It's so simple. If you've read my books or seen me on TV lately, you know I have been pushing this project. It's not because I'm obsessed with sweater chairs, it's because I know we all have old sweaters we can't part with for some reason. So why not make a cozy chair?
Okay, check it out:
Tis the season! This week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day from my book SIMPLY GREEN GIVING: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags and Gifts from Everyday Objects. The book is full of over 50 projects, 100 ideas and many resources to create beautiful gifts without any waste.
Here's the jacket photo for the book. I think it's one of the best and easiest ideas in the whole book.
We all have ugly silk flowers in the basement or attic...or we've seen them for 5 cents a bundle at the Salvation Army or Goodwill store. What to do with them?
First, strip all the green "leaves" off each stem; they look the most fake. Combine flowers by "color" and bundle them togehter using florist tape (at any craft store). Attach to gift and voila! A flowering gift box. Doesn't it look real? And who cares if it's fake; you recycled something ugly into something useful and interesting.
PS-Please don't run to the craft store and buy new silk flowers. Just visit any thrift shop and you will find a huge selection almost priced to give away.
We shot a segment for my TV show about aromatherapy and I was left with a big jar of dried lavender buds. Not sure what to do with all of it, I decided to give a hand at making sachets.
Okay, I'm not a sewer and I didn't have a clue what I was doing, but I took scrap fabric---mostly different types of hemp fabric--and cut out shapes like stars, a leaf and a roaring fire.
I just handstitched the two pieces of fabric together and then filled them with dried lavender. I'm going to tuck these into the dresser in the guest room. These would be cool ornaments, too... but I think I'd have to stick with more familiar shapes. The "roaring fire" looks like a clown's head to me!
Sometimes, the easiest ideas are the best ideas.
I was looking at a plastic shopping bag the other day---you know, those flimsy bags you get at the drugstore or supermarket or wherever. Whenever I forget to bring my own shopping bag, I end up with these bags and try try try to figure out ways to recycle them.
For the holidays, I made these blooming "carnations." I just folded the bag three times and ran a piece a tape around the middle. Snipped away at the edges with scissors and then made it into a puffy bag. When placed in a teacup (it fell of my tea party tree), it looks like a caranation.
I think it would also be a cool gift bow, too.
Tis the season! This week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day from my book SIMPLY GREEN GIVING: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags and Gifts from Everyday Objects. The book is full of over 50 projects, 100 ideas and many resources to create beautiful gifts without any waste.
We've all had pieces of ribbon that are too short to wrap a gift. What to do? Don't toss 'em! Make a patchwork ribbon.
There's this thing called Stitch Witchery. You can find it in the sewing dept in most craft stores. It basically lets you fuse two pieces of fabric together without sewing! It looks like this gauzy tape that when heated, melts and fuses fabric.
The simplest idea is to take two pieces of ribbon that are too short to wrap a gift and fuse them together. Just place a strip of Stitch Witchery on top of one ribbon, place the other ribbon top, and heat it with an iron at low heat for a few seconds. Let it cool and it should set and bond them together.
Look at this! My Christmas wreath and dog silhouette plate is on the cover of LIFE magazine today! Yippee. How cool is this?
The folks from LIFE were here at the house a few weeks again shooting away, but it's still very cool to see this.
The story is a feature in the magazine this week; visit www.life.com to find out which newspapers in your area carry the supplement magazine.
There's also some online bonus features. Click here for a slideshow of the holiday ideas from inside the magazine I came up with:
http://www.life.com/Life/gallery/0,26649,1563053,00.html
And here are some fun giftwrapping ideas, too:
http://www.life.com/Life/article/0,26385,1563246,00.html
And here's how to make a silhouette plate, right at home (just like on the cover):
http://www.life.com/Life/article/0,26385,1564974,00.html
Have a green and happy Christmas!
Tis the season! This week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day from my book SIMPLY GREEN GIVING: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags and Gifts from Everyday Objects. The book is full of over 50 projects, 100 ideas and many resources to create beautiful gifts without any waste.
I use this idea all the time. Wrapping a bottle of wine can be a real pain. It's not easy to wrap and what's the point in spending money on those tall bags for wine?
Instead, wrap it in newspaper. Simply wrap two sheets around a bottle and tie a ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Cut strips of newspaper from the top of the paper to the top of the bottle; the more, the better. Curl each strip with scissors and voila! It looks like a festive bottle of champagne.
All you need is newspaper, scissors, a piece of string and tape.
Tis the season! This week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day from my book SIMPLY GREEN GIVING: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags and Gifts from Everyday Objects. The book is full of over 50 projects, 100 ideas and many resources to create beautiful gifts without any waste.
Here's a simple way for a quick gift tag: old business cards. Just glue two cards (of the same size) printed info sides onto each other, leaving a blank side and another side with a pretty graphic.
Once the glue is dry, fold in half and punch two holes down the middle; string with ribbon or hemp twine and attach to gift. It really is that simple.
Tis the season! This week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day from my book SIMPLY GREEN GIVING: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags and Gifts from Everyday Objects. The book is full of over 50 projects, 100 ideas and many resources to create beautiful gifts without any waste.
This is one of my favorite ideas. We ALL have old VHS with no idea what to do with them. Rip 'em open (I just throw it on the floor until it cracks open. I know, not the safest idea, but it is the quickest). Inside, you'll find an almost endless supply of black, shiny tape to use for ribbon. It curls right up, too! Just run the tape along the edge of a sharp scissor and it gets all fancy and curly.
Go nuts on a package. There's plenty of VHS tape to go around.
Tis the season! This week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day from my book SIMPLY GREEN GIVING: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags and Gifts from Everyday Objects. The book is full of over 50 projects, 100 ideas and many resources to create beautiful gifts without any waste.
Today: Burberry inspired gift wrap. Simply wrap a package in brown kraft paper (or rip open a brown grocery store bag and use the unprinted sides). Then use electrical tape in colors like red, black and white to re-create the famed Burberry plaid pattern all over the box. It's easy and the tape comes right off for simple recycling. No need for bows or ribbon; it's elegant all on its own.
Tomorrow? What to do with all those old VHS tapes. Hmmm....
We continue with the series of public service announcements I taped for Call2Recycle, a nonprofit program that recycles old rechargeable batteries and cell phones.
In this ad, you'll learn how to recycle those free perfume ads found in magazines into beautiful scented paper flowers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOs5OzXhCBg
This is an idea I've done for a long time and put in my book SIMPLY GREEN PARTIES as a last minute centerpiece idea. Who wouldn't love Prada scented flowers?
Tis the season!
I spent the morning making these storybook birdhouses. The project can be found in my parties book,Simply Green Parties.
I headed to my local craft store and picked up some unfinished bird houses for about $4 each. Then I headed to my local Goodwill store, where I first dropped off some donations and then I headed inside to the book section to pick up vintage books. I'm amazed at how many old and wonderful things can be found at Goodwill; I found vintage Danny & The Dinosaur books along with many others for very little money.
Anyway, this project couldn't be any simpler: just decoupage pages all over the birdhouse (I chose a high gloss finish glue) and glue the book's jacket onto the roof. Voila! Storybook birdhouse.
Made five of them in about an hour. Not bad!
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