DAILY DANNY

Huff Post: Green House Effect

I've recently begun blogging for the prestigious HuffingtonPost.   

In my first entry, titled The Green House Effect, I just introduce who I am, what I do and what my overall philosophy and take is on green living.      Over the next few months, I'll be doing a regular weekly blog for them that will detail the eco renovations of my newest Bucks County, PA home (and I'll post ideas and tips on this blog daily, too).    

When you share the same birthday as Earth Day, you can't help but notice your birth date is celebrated on a "holiday" that reminds people that rainforests are burning, whales are being harpooned, and the ozone layer is disappearing. So, imagine me on my 12th birthday, eager to open presents, and seeing nothing but gloom and doom in the newspaper about the planet. We're dying, I thought. I decided to start an environmental group right then and there, and used my birthday money (all $23) to launch Earth 2000. It was 1989, and I thought by the time I doubled in age, it would be the new millennium. So how hard could it be to save the entire planet by the year 2000?

You can continue by reading here.

-danny

Halloween Porch

I haven't had much time to decorate my porch this Halloween because of a crazy work schedule and the fact I'm in the process of selling my current home.    So, enjoy these Halloween pics from last year!

Rolls of garden burlap are perfect for outdoor Fall drapes on a front porch.  Use black ribbon to tie them back.   Paint terra cotta pots black and pop pumpkins onto the top of them.

Reglaze old plates using a bakeable porcelain glaze.    Use Halloween images like a witch, spider and bat to create silhouettes on the plate.    Bake the glaze permanently onto the plates and then serve Halloween treats on top.

Create a Halloween boooo-fet by skewering marshmallow ghosts on bamboo skewers...  filling teacups with candy corn.... inserting real twigs into caramel apples (and using Fall leaves as a base)... and poking pumpkins with skewers full of colorful and sweet treats....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Champagne Magnets

It's funny how in a stainless steel kitchen magnets do not stick to stainless steel.   Isn't it?    So the only magnetic surface I have is washing machine at the end of my galley-style kitchen.     So, hence why I have magnets stuck to my washing machine in this picture.

Anyway, this is a simple and fun project to do: transform the metal caps on the top of champagne bottles into elegant magnets.   And it couldn't any easier to do!

Just buy some round magnets from the craft or office supply store; choose some that will fit flat against the back of the champagne topper, since the topper tends to curve a bit.

Use hot glue or a strong adhesive (whatever you have on hand) to glue the magnet to the back of the champagne topper.   Let is dry completely (overnight is best) and then use them as magnets around the house.   Each time you say CHEERS! you can add to your magnet collection.

Magazine Wrapped Gifts

A few blog posts back, I talked about taking a sheet in a magazine----like a fancy fashion advertisement---and recycling it into curly magazine ribbons as gift toppers on presents.

I thought..why not recycle the magazine itself and wrap gifts with it?

Here are a few presents wrapped with full pages from glossy magazines and a few gifts wrapped with other found objects around the house: maps, brochures, color copy pages and even an oversized instructional manual. I've used blueprint paper in the past, which I found in a giant paper recycling center, but I've used it all up.     So, until I score another roll of blueprint paper, this might have to do this for this upcoming holiday season.

When matched with a nice ribbon (all cut extra long so the recipient can reuse the ribbon easily on other gifts), it all looks kinda nice!      

The Giving Tree

I was at an event recently (hosted by another magazine that wasn't Country Home magazine, where I work... so it shall go nameless to protect my, uh, job) where they had this barren tree set up covered in hanging manila price tags.

With the Fall season upon us and and all the leaves fluttering down to the ground, I thought this would be a fun idea to do for a home office. 

Take a branch cutting from the yard--something with lots of sturdy branches and isn't rotting---and place it in a tall, very heavy vase.     Then clip (using paper clips) business cards of contacts you need or want to save and use them as leaves on the branch cutting.      It could be a centerpiece on a side table that's both functional and decorative.

I've used branches in the past before to clip on Christmas cards and photographs... but this idea is something that could work to "warm" up a boring home office.

Craft Bag

I feel like I've blogged about my craft bag a few times here.   So, here I go again.

Do you ever get into one of those cleaning and organizing sprees that nothing--and I mean nothing--is left unturned?     Like crazy cleaning sprees where you actually end up vacuuming the front porch?    I had one of those days and decided to tackle the craft bag.

I have a Sear's Craftsmen tool bag that I use to store ll the supplies I need to make eco craft projects.   This bag goes everywhere with me: to tv shows, on photo shoots, etc.     You never know when you might need a wood graining tool, for example, or some white chalk to outline something or a leather hole punch cutter.  It's all in here with the usual hardware tools too, like screwdrivers, some random nails, a cordless drill and a glue gun.   Okay, maybe a glue gun isn't a hardware store tool...

In the past, I had everything just tucked into the bag, and it all became a big giant mess.    Everything just ended up everywhere.    And I could never find anything. So I decided to organize it all into management pieces.

I used plastic Ikea food storage containers to create boxes designated for A: specialty tools B: a mini sewing kit C: staple gun and staples.    Then I used heavy duty freezer bags to store small spools of ribbon, glue gun accessories, nails and screws, etc.     In each side pocket are items I use frequently: a tape measure, drill bits, and a hammer and flat head screwdriver.

And to top it off: I threw in a Method pre-moistened all-purpose wipes container.   They are great!   You can use them to clean off surfaces or dirty flea market finds.   It isn't always handy to have a spray cleaner, some microfiber towels and whatever else you need to clean-up.    All-in-one helps a lot...

Just Something Nice...

I'm traveling today speaking at the California Women's Governor's Conference, so this pretty photo sitting on my digital camera will have to do today.

We did a photo shoot at my house recently and I got to keep the maidenhair fern plants that were brought in for the shoot.   I love the fact the magazine staff even planted them for me.

With the unseasonal temperatures lately, I just left them to sit on the front porch.    This sure looks like a difficult plant to take care of, so if you have any ideas on keeping them alive and healthy this Fall and into winter, do let me know.    (Okay, I DO KNOW that I should bring them inside before it gets cold outside..I'm not totally inept.  Ha ha).

Monogram Chairs

Sometimes great design is all in the small details.

In New York City's Mercer Hotel, the SubMercer restaurant (which is in the basement of the hotel, hence the word "sub") has very basic black polished chairs with white cushions.    But on the back of each chair is clean looking "M" (for Mercer).     The tiny holes are drilled into the back and when the light hits it just right, the letter illuminates.

I've been thinking it might be fun to take a cordless drill, a drill bit and some chalk (and a steady hand) and monogram my dining room chairs.     Right now, I'm just thinking about it.     I think it would work best to print out a letter on the computer blown up to around a 200 point font, tape it onto the back of the chair and then use a pin to score the chair with the letter.    Then use the cordless drill and follow the score lines to make the monogrammed chair.

Let me try this first on a chair I don't really too much about.   Probably a good idea!

Brown Paper Flowers

Well, happy weekend!

I'm trying to figure out how to make these paper flowers out of recycled materials.  I saw them at a charity event in New York City and thought, "there has to be a way to make these out of brown paper grocery store bags."

I think what sets this paper flower apart from others is

A: the precision of the paper cutting.

and

B: The faux gem in the middle of the flower.

The contrast of the shiny jewel and the rough, raw brown paper kinda works.     Okay, when things slow down, I'll give this a try.   Which is... when....

Milky Hanging Lights

I was killing time Friday in New York City and decided to walk through Soho.   I also decided to try to not buy anything, so when you're giving the credit card a rest, you can put your digital camera to work when you spy great ideas.

This was kinda fun: milk jug lights.     Location: Anthropologie.

I looked at the light for a while and came away with this:  It's a standard electrical cord with a socket attached.  In the socket, there's a light bulb that doesn't heat up (can you imagine an incandescent bulb inside a milk jug?   Hello: fire hazard).       So, my guess is that this is an LED bulb, which is energy efficient and does not get warm.

This light looks great in a store, but would it look strange in a home?   I can't decide.    Maybe a glass mason jar would look better.    Or maybe I should stick to picking up light fixtures from the flea market and re-wire them.  Hmmm....

Scrubby Brushes

Okay, I LOVE Brillo brand sponges.    I love the scrubby side, because it really does clean-up pots and pans well and can scrub away grime in sinks, the tile floor, etc.   I know there are many of you out there with an unhealthy obsession with Brillo sponges.  ha ha...

Anyway, here are some regular cellulose sponges (sans the scrubby side) that I've made into scrubby sponges.    I had some of those produce fruit and veggie mesh bags that bulk size quantities of lemons and tomatoes come in.    I just wrapped the sponges with the mes, tied a knot at each end, and use them to scrub around the house.   

Not sure how durable they are or how long they'll last, but I'll give 'em a try and let you know.  Give it a try, too and leave a comment if it's a nay or yeah!

Terra Cotta Candles

Here they are!    Thanks for all your comments about my dilemma with filling terra cotta pots with soy wax.     I sent them away to my pal who runs It's a Soy candle company in Reading, PA and had them filled with really yummy buttercream scented soy wax.       Don't they look great?

What I love about soy wax is that they waft the scent of the candle through the room, even unlit.   I swear: when I walk into the guest bedroom (where these candles are), it smells like a bakery.  I've actually been thinking I need to break this group up because it smells like a bowl of frosting has exploded in the bedroom.   

(PS-Check out my friend's website for great soy candles: www.itsasoy.com).

Green Pan Update

Just a few days ago, I blogged about the new Thermolon coated non-stick frying pans I've been testing out.

Today's test: a sunny side up egg.

I fried it up without butter or oil---which is really the ultimate test---and here are the results.   A fried egg that didn't stick to the pan.

Now, it may have cooked up the egg without any grease, but the egg tasted dry and bland.   So, I tried it again with a pea-size dollop of butter and it fried up beautifully and tasted great.    In the past, I would have to use a good 2 heaping tablespoons of butter to fry up some eggs in the cast iron pan (and even then it wouldn't be really all-too non-stick).

So, more bonus points for this pan!   

PS-Some of you asked where you can buy these.    While they aren't available in stores yet, check out hsn.com for "green pan" and you'll find some with the Thermolon coating.   The quality of the pans at HSN aren't fantastic, but they pretty good for the price.

Plastic Bag ReUse

I don't use a lot of plastic disposable sandwich bags.  Actually, I don't use them at all.   

But on a recent visit to my local Goodwill, I saw a bunch of toothbrush holders---and when I say "a bunch," I mean an entire shelf of them---and thought "plastic bag dryer!"     So, I'm sharing this idea with all of you.

If you like to reuse your plastic bags, here's a simple way to dry them out.    Repurpose a toothbrush holder by sticking wooden dowels where you'd put toothbrushes.    Place bags on dowels, let them dry out, and you're good to go. TIP:  Don't go to the store and buy a new toothbrush holder; that would defeat the purpose of being green.  Instead, raid your basement or thrift shop for one. 

So simple and so easy!

Weekend Projects: A Plate, a Vase and A Bag

There is a series of public service announcements running in magazines right now that I did with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation to encourage people to recycle their rechargeable batteries.   For fun, we also gave some eco-friendly recycling craft project ideas in each ad.    Now the tutorials are online.   First one up:

Learn how to transform a paper bag into charming luminaries.

My infamous silhouette reglazed plates.   Finally, the step by step tutorial to making them right at home.  It's fun and easy!

Turn those plane florist shop vases into something a bit better and more attractive.   

Have fun!

Green NonStick Pans

I recently met the lead innovator behind the latest in eco-friendly and healthy non-stick cooking technology called Thermolon. 

Lots of us are worried about Teflon non-stick coating; the PTFE chemical is used to help spread the Teflon chemical all over traditional non-stick pans.     It's a harmful chemical that has been found even in the bloodstream of polar bears and newborn babies.  Scary stuff.     So, by the year 2015, companies who make non-stick cookware are required to find a non PTFE chemical-free alternative.      In my opinion, why use Teflon at all.

Well, non-stick is nice.  Non-stick makes cooking easier.     And this new Thermolon ceramic-based non-stick cookware from GreenPan might be the eco-solution. 

It's PTFE free, can be heated up to 800 degrees and doesn't chip or fade.   

The CEO Of Thermolon brought me these pans all the way from Hong Kong.  I can't tell you how excited I was to have these pans and to give them a try.   

ULTIMATE TEST:  I cooked an egg in it.  No oil or butter or grease.

It fried up perfectly and didn't stick.

Everything I cooked in it didn't stick and fried up perfectly.

I'll let you know when you can stock up on these pans.   I am telling you:  they are amazing.

Scented Flowers

Well, I just returned from Seattle where I was helping Method with their Detox Seattle Campaign.  I was sitting here looking at some digital shots that I took and I thought this was a really nice idea.

In my book Simply Green Parties, I had a project where you ripped out the perfume advertisements in magazines and made them into paper flowers.

At the Detox Seattle house, I planned on teaching some groups of people the project.   With a bit of time to kill, I looked around the yard and picked up a fallen branch.  I decided to wrap paper petals from the perfume ads right onto the branch using florist tape.

I LOVED the end result: a mix of natural materials with something totally unexpected.    And I love the fact all the materials are free or found.

Just Cool Things

Just browsing online right now and finding some cool, green things I think are clever, well-designed and just outright interesting.     Here's a few:

Cuff bracelets made entirely out of recycled vinyl records, emblazoned with very rock n' roll skull & cross bones and somewhat rock n' roll seagulls.    

Charming and "clean" country recycled wine bottle glasses from the Sundance Catalog.    Old glass bottles are melted down and blown into new tumblers.   Love the colors, the mix of colors and the organic shape of the glasses.   Not too earthy... not too modern...just right.

The Souk Chic rug from Interface Flor is actually a rug, not a bunch of their modular tiles mixed together.   I like this idea...very bohemian, but clean.  Keep the floor patterns busy, the rest of the room simple and neutral.     I think instead of the rug (which is backordered), I would just buy one of a bunch of different tiles in different patterns and lay them out on the floor.   

So, what are you obsessing over right now?  Leave a comment and link to your fave green design item!

Collection by Type

Quick post today:   A simple idea I really love.

If you have built-in bookcases, you don't just have to stash books inside of them.  Why not display collections in great big mounds by type of collection?

Pictured here:   fishing fly baskets on top, mercury glass/trophies in the middle (and cropped on the bottom is something else...but I forget what it was).   

The mercury/silver pieces look the best with a dark backdrop, don't they?    You could paint the inside a vibrant color to have glass and lighter pieces "pop" better, too.

Milk Chairs

I decided to get all-touristy and visit the Pike Market in rainy Seattle, WA on my trip there for Method's Detox Seattle campaign.   

I hopped into a charming cheese shop and bought a small container of homemade macaroni and cheese and tucked into it at a small eating bar.   The bar faced a large window where you could watch cheesemakers make fresh cheese. 

I thought the store's use of these large stainless steel milk containers was an ingenious way to transform them into durable and handsome seating.    As I'm planning to start work on a new home, I decided to take a snapshot of these chairs to remember this idea for my home.   I think it would work well at a breakfast bar in the kitchen to have these containers as chairs.   It's whimsical, practical and clean-looking.

But the question now is where on Earth do I find them?    And since I'm all about green living, where do I find used UNWANTED ones?     You wouldn't believe how impossible it is to find these on google:  "stainless steel milk containers" does not come up with results anywhere close to this.

Hmm...

Update: Wine Cork Mirror

A few blog posts back, I talked about this idea I had about creating a wine cork mirror.   If you scroll down a bit, you can read the post.

Well, here's an update.   I'm about 25% there with collected wine corks from all over the place.   Some corks come from bottles of wine I've drunk.   Many came from bars and restaurants when I would casually ask a bartender or waiter if I could keep a wine cork from someone else's table.   

I went on ebay and searched for "wine corks" and found lots of listings.    I tried bidding on a lot of 100 used corks, but lost out.  I'm---seriously---the worst Ebay bidder ever.   I never win.   But not winning was probably a good thing, because the hunt and casual collection of corks makes it more interesting.

Today, I'm staying at the Hotel Monaco in Seattle, WA because I'm in town for Method's Detox Seattle campaign.     At the Hotel Monaco, they have a complimentary wine hour for guests, which means lots and lots of corks.  Jackpot!   I'm so going to stand there and ask for the corks.

I can't wait for this project to be finished.  I have a feeling it'll turn out great.

Something Spiritual...

At my old house at the Christmas tree farm in Reading, Pennsylvania, I lined the upstairs hallway with Tibetan prayer flags.

It was a very skinny hallway that lead to two different bedrooms.   Way too skinny to put a small table, a chair or even lean a mirror against the wall without someone running into it at night.

But left alone, it felt spare...almost forgotten.

I picked up these prayer flags from a shop in New York City for about $10 for the set.     I strung about six flags across the hallway and kept stringing them down and down the hallway.

In the morning, the light shines right there the thin flags, casting a very interesting, ethereal glow (like how it's pictured here).       I'm not a feng shui proponent at all... but I think it's nice to add something spiritual to a home, whatever it's intended purpose.

Once I hung up these flags, I found myself doing some other "feng shui-esque" things around the house: I hung Chinese good luck coins at the front door, swagged a necklace of jade beads across a window and strung fortune cookie good luck fortunes across a bookcase.      Somehow, it all feels OK.

Gant Goes Green

Last week, I had the honor of being part of a lecture series at the brand new GANT store on Fifth Avenue.   Gant was celebrating the re-opening of their flagship store and---instead of having a lavish grand opening party---decided to host a series of events with a variety of environmentalists hosting them.    The speaker lineup was global warming advocate Laurie David, Riverkeeper founder Robert F. Kennedy, ocean conservationist Jean-Michel Cousteau and me... your eco-style champion.

Well, first and foremost, let me get something off my chest:   Why on Earth was in this group of people?  There all so regarded for the incredible and important work that they do, and here I am giving decorating and entertaining advice and tips on how to recycle a plastic bag into table centerpiece arrangement.     So, I turned them down.   And after they came back and asked me again AND said they would give a $5,000 donation to the charity of my choice, I said yes.

So, I picked the Humane Society of the US, which is the largest mainstream voice for animals.    My feeling is this:  I'm all for protecting the planet and the environment we live in, but we should also think about all the animals in this world, too.   So the $5000 will go the HSUS' Protect Seals campaign, which works to end the horrific slaughter of baby seals in Canada.     So, yeah to supporting that!

That evening, I gave my Top 5 Tips to Go Green with Fashion at the event.    To my surprise, the biggest tip that the audience loved (I think I heard gasps) was my little newspaper ditty.  You know: stuff your shoes with newspaper.   I've talked about it a bizillion times in the press and on this blog.   You see, newspaper is designed to absorb ink, so it absorbs other things, like moisture and toxins.   So lining your shoes with newspaper and placing them on top helps detox them.    They don't smell anymore.   And newspaper is free.

I think I just heard a few gasps...

(PS-Gant is a fur-free company!)

Spidey Necklaces

Okay, enough with Christmas and red painted dead trees.   Let's think Halloween.

Last October, I was walking down Fifth Avenue after shooting a segment for CBS The Early Show.

First, as their green lifestyle contributor, I always think it's funny how they used to always offer me a driven town car to drive to and from the studio in NYC.   I always said no and would just walk to the hotel or take the subway.     I rarely take taxi's---let alone car services---in the city and actually find it quicker to walk or use public transportation.   But once in a while, it backfires:   when the CBS Studios at the GM Center flooded a few weeks back and production had to be moved WAAAAY across town, all I got was a wake-up call with a different address.    In the pouring rain, when you REALLY don't want to walk across the city and can't get a cab, that car service would've been mighty nice.    So I wore my gym clothes across town that day, with my "TV clothes" bundled up in a plastic laundry bag, and changed when I got there.  Enough whining...

Any hoot...  one day after filming I was walking down Fifth Avenue and was looking at the windows at Bergdorf Goodman.    I saw this Halloween display of shimmery and shiny spider webs.  Upon closer inspection, I realized they were necklaces just strung together haphazardly.

Thought that was cool.   So if you're planning a Halloween party, you might be able to string some silvery and old costumer jewelry necklaces from your lighting fixtures of chandelier.      And if you invite me, I just might walk---literally---right on over.

Dead Christmas Tree

Okay, it's October.   Start to think about pumpkins, candy and SPOOOOOKY things, right?

Wrong.   I went grocery shopping the other night at the Wegman's supermarket chain and saw a giant display of artificial Christmas trees for sale at the entrance.     Why oh why?

But if stores are thinking Christmas, that means some of you are beginning to think Christmas.   How do I know?  Because I'm getting a BUNCH of emails asking me about last year's red painted Christmas tree I did for Country Home magazine.  In case you missed it, here's a scan of the page.

Basically, you can save last year's Christmas tree (leave it in the backyard) and let it dry out.   Shake off the needles.    Use a paint sprayer (not SPRAY paint in an aerosol can), but one of those machines you fill with latex paint and it sprays the paint.    I chose a glossy red OOPS paint from Lowe's here.

Then you decorate it with swags of crystal, tin can lids, some stray chandelier crystals.   No lights needed.   

It really looks like a giant, beautiful piece of coral, doesn't it?   

So, for the few dozen of you who saved your tree and are beginning to bug me how to make it... here ya go.    Enjoy!  And take pictures and send them my way.   But not before Halloween.    Please.

Behind the Scenes: Katherine Whiteside Photo Shoot

In the October issue of Country Home Magazine, which is out on newsstands right now, there is a lovely feature story about garden expert Katherine Whiteside.   As the magazine's eco editor at large, it's my job to not only pen a monthly column, but also find and produce homes for the magazine.  I'm proud to say I scouted her home and organic gardens, brought it the magazine, produced the story and worked with a very talented team that included an Art Director, Photographer, Stylist and--of course--Homeowner.   As a result of the outstanding garden and home, Katherine recently joined the magazine as a contributing gardening editor with the rest of the Country Home magazine editors.   Hopefully, Katherine and I will be working on a story together for the magazine.

Putting a photo shoot is always an interesting process; we shot this house ONE YEAR ago---since autumn leaves really do look best in Fall---and had to wait to share it with our readers this month.   I think it looks amazing.    But a lot of people assume we just show up at a house, click a few photos and leave.   It's not usually the case.        In the above shot, here I am lighting a candles and an iron chandelier Katherine's husband made.     After spending a good hour getting this shot ready, I'm sad to say it never made it into the magazine.   But that's life.

We really do have one of the best Art Directors in the magazine business.    People don't realize that Country Home has actually been honored several times as a nominee in the Magazine Association of America Best Photography Award alongside Gourmet, W, National Geographic and Martha Stewart Living.      Our photos are really the best of all the home magazines out there!  Here's our very talented Shelley Caldwell peeking through photographer Lucas Allen's camera.

A bunch of home magazines will come into a home they shoot and totally re-do the house.  I watched my friend's house get shot for another magazine; they showed up with a giant U-Haul truck full of furniture, rugs, accessories and lighting fixtures.     We like to showcase real homes decorated by real people.  So, our stylists---like the talented Elizabeth Gaynor here---will come just bringing some blankets, pillows, flowers and maybe a bowl or two.   Whatever is needed to finish up an already perfect house.

And my favorite part of the shoot:   the contact sheets.    We shoot digital now, which means there's almost no waste from film and processing and smelly Polaroids to look at.  It's quicker too...which is great...so you can see what's going on in each shot and fix it if you need, too.    We do some printouts of the day's shoot, tape them onto a sheet, and then everyone can take them with them home.   It's instant gratification, really.   

So, that's it.  Check out the October issue and tell me what you think!   And be sure to check out my Fresh Thinking column too at this month's eco craft project.