DAILY DANNY

Vintage Cookware

Here's a box of vintage Corning cookware that was left behind in the house.  It was so much fun going through the box of casseroles, frying pans and serving pieces.   Everything was in immaculate condition, so I boxed it up and brought it to my local Goodwill (along with the original owner's guide!) to donate.  I thought about using FreeCycle to find someone who could use these items, but with all the craziness going on with the new house and all my other projects, I just couldn't find the time to meet someone to give them their box of vintage cookware.  That said....

BUT... I did keep a few things.

This white casserole dish is so classic in design and function.   How could I give this up?  I could envision making everything from cheese enchiladas to a yummy basked macaroni and cheese in this.

And this measuring cup.  Isn't it cool?   I am so going to covet this in my new kitchen (whenever it gets done!)

Painted Side Cabinets

There were a few pieces of furniture left behind in the new house that I----it appears to be---am the only one who absolutely, positively loves.

These two vintage cabinets are covered in decades worth of splattered oil paint: drips and drops here and there of every type of paint, color and texture. 

The drawers, I do agree, do not slide open smoothly, so that's something that needs to be remedied.   But I am keeping the years of splattered paint right in place.

I am thinking of having remnant white carrera marble cut to cover the top of each cabinet.   You can find remnant marble by calling local countertop fabricators.  Basically, when they cut out the hole in a countertop for, say, a sink, they have leftover marble.   I figure I could buy that leftover marble and use it for tabletops on these vintage tables.

I envision using these in the bedroom in between two stainless steel beds.   The juxtaposition of the shiny and new meets the treasured and old, I think will work.   I'll keep you posted.

Floor Sample

 

An area of my life that I am obsessed with right now is flooring.    

I've been obsessed with choosing exactly the right flooring for my new house: carpets, wood floors, tile, backsplashes, etc.    My theory is once anything goes down on the floor, it nearly impossible to replace it if you got it wrong.   Paint on the wall can easily be corrected.   Fabric on a chair can be reupholstered with scissors and a staple gun.    Engineered wood floors in the kitchen?   Not so much in the "easy" category.

As I'm trying to figure out the flooring for the home, I have been a little obsessed (Hmm..I use that word a lot) with figuring out ways to recycle the samples I have.   One idea: Make a handy tray.

Just screw in two handles on the sides of the wood floor sample and use it around the house.   Here's a photo of just that idea from my book "Simply Green Parties."   I have all these bits and pieces of tile, hardwood samples, and carpet that I'm going to figure out somehow to recycle into something new and functional. 

My Shaw pre-engineered wood floor sample?   Wood Tray.  Check.    

My New Mattress

Here it is!   I'm in Las Vegas right now at the Furniture Market expo launching my new partnership with Simmons Bedding Company:   The Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo mattress.

It's been a wonderful experience partnering with Simmons to create one of the first nationally-distributed, environmentally-friendly sleep systems that carries the trusted Simmons name on the mattress.   

It will be available nationwide this Spring in JCPenney stores (where you can test it out) and online at jcp.com... and a select few fine furniture and mattress stores will also be carrying the line.

What makes this product different from traditional mattresses is that it features a Talalay Latex foam made from the milky sap of the rubber tree.   Because it's made from a renewable, non-petroleum based resource, it's a more environmentally-friendly product.   And because it's made from natural latex, it's also a healthier sleep system since it's dust-mite, mold and mildew resistant.

Other eco aspects of the mattress include a 6 1/2" soy support base foam, a fabric cover made from natural knit eco-friendly Tencel fibers (that's also Oeko-Tex certified), and a foundation frame constructed from fast-growing pine instead of slow-growing hardwood trees.

It also carries the legendary 20-year Simmons warranty and comes in different firmness levels of firm, plush and pillow-top (what I have in my house).

So, when the time comes when you do need to replace your mattress, I hope you'll consider my new Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo sleep system.  I'm really proud of all the hard work and effort to create this and I hope those of you who try it will absolutely love it as much as I do.

Updated: Good Morning America named my new mattress "product trend of the future."   So exciting!

   

Dual Flushing

I recently remodeled my bathroom using water-efficient products.   There will be a full blog download about the bathroom renovation at www.countryhome.com in a few weeks when our "Bed and Bath" March themed issue hits newsstands.

But until then, I wanted to give you all a sneak peek at the bathroom. 

I used water-efficient Caroma products.   If you haven't heard of Caroma, there's probably a very good reason: they are new to the US and hail all the way from Australia. 

In many parts of Australia, they've been facing a terrible drought that is considered one of the worst in the history of the country.   When I was there for a photo shoot a few years ago, I remember asking the front desk clerk at the hotel if they had any umbrellas I could borrow "just in case of rain."  He looked at me dumbfounded and said he would bet the whole hotel that it would not rain that day.   And that's when I started to connect the dots in my head....

Anyway, the Caroma toilet is what I was most excited about.   It's a dual-flush toilet that uses .8 gallons or 1.6 gallons of water.   It gives you the choice if you need a full or half flush, saving thousands of gallons of water per year (and doing less damage to my on-site septic system).  Photo below.   I'll let you know when the full post on my bathroom makeover is up on Country Home's website.

Help me Choose a Countertop

I've started work on my restoration project home in Pennsylvania and I'm slowly and surely starting to make decisions on appliances, flooring, paint colors, heating/cooling systems and so much more.

One area I'm a bit stuck is on the countertops.

I do know that I want to use Ice Stone countertops for the kitchen and possible in the craft room.   Ice Stone is great because it's made from crushed recycled glass and concrete, creating a durable and beautiful countertop that's similar to the look of terrazo flooring.     It's a green choice because it's VOC-free and made from recycled materials.  It's a stylish choice because it looks absolutely gorgeous!

So, here are the color picks.    What do you think is the right choice for this kitchen?

"Freezing Mist"

"Graphite Ridge"

"Pistachio Pear"

I'm leaning towards Graphite Ridge.... but would love to hear what you think is your favorite pick.   Lots more colors to see on IceStone's website, too.    www.icestone.biz. 

How to Reuse a Candle Container Contest

Wow!   Thank you to everyone for participating in the first contest on this blog.    The contest question was "What's the best way to recycle an empty candle container?"    The winning prize is the limited edition Anniversary SIGG reusable bottle and carrying case.

I sat here and pored through 600 emails.    And the winner is?

From SARAH:

My lovely hubby reminded me of this last night - I have a gray thumb,
meaning that as much as I adore plants I manage to kill them slowly and
painfully. Even bamboo and spider plants and hostas have succumbed under
my smothering love. I am Lenny, they are the mouse.

However, despite this, I have had fairly good success with terrariums.

I've been hunting for some new jars lately as I've been inspired by
several design blogs recently who have posted modern yet classic takes
on the terrarium, so why not try it with an old candle jar that's been
thoroughly cleaned rather than buying a new one!

I am going to try this with a variety of glass candle containers and line them up on the windowsill.   You may ahave a "gray thumb," but this is a great green idea!   

Runner ups (all great ideas):

From "KATE":

what i am picturing in my head, is one of the tall glass, holders.  i've used them in the past to force bulbs in, weighted with rocks to keep it from falling over and giving the roots something to grasp.  taller containers are great for forcing bulbs.  if you leave some headroom, the sides support the sometimes floppy leaves of paperwhites.

From "MEGANCROW":

A 'love jar' where you fill the jar with notes for a loved one about why you love them, things they did you appreciated, or even a 'date night' ideas jar. I made a 'Blues Jar' for my husband when we're apart - so he can pull one note out of the jar each day to read (they're usually the size of a fortune). But this also works good for gifts on birthdays or anniversaries for parents,etc. If there's no lid - use a fabric scrap and some ribbon.

From "DEDE":

You and I know the best way to recycle a candle holder is to refill it with SOY pellets, available at Hobby Lobby and other craft stores for a few dollars!!!

From "OONA BAKER"

My favorite idea for recycling an empty candle container is to let my almost five year old decorate it (with sequins, glitter, etc) and then we reuse it (put tea lights or other small candles in it)! She loves seeing her masterpiece given a prominent place in the dining room and I get to enjoy her artistic creations!

And finally, to "JOAN" who is asking if her 10-year-old son who is working on a presentation about global warming and wants to know if he can interview me via email?   Of course!   Joan, I'll be in touch soon. 

They were ALL great ideas, and I'm really inspired by everyone's resourcefulness and creativity.  Isn't it great we all think of ways to recycle something used into something brand new?

More contests in the future.   Thank you all!

You've Got (Gardening) Mail

I was going through all the hundreds of digital images I have on my camera to download pics I loved and delete ones that only brought up the response, "What was I trying to photograph, again?"

Way back in the November issue of Country Home magazine was a story about author Katherine Whiteside's upstate NY garden.   I produced the story for the magazine and it was a blast to do. 

Katherine's gardening sensibility isn't about perfection and looking at creating a garden with the total seriousness of a heart surgeon, but an approach that's fun and whimsical.

Case in point: Install an old mailbox in the garden and use it to stash all your gardening tools right there, right where you need them.

Now that I'm starting work on the restoration of my new home, I may take this idea to the gardens this Spring.    Ah, yes...the Spring.... even in this 20 degree freezing weather, we can at least look forward to warmer times.

Forgot your reusable bag?

You're probably just like me: you have a bunch of great reusable shopping bags, but you forget to bring them to the store with you....lots..of..times.

And it's easy to see why: You bring them to the grocery store, fill them up, and carry them into the house.  You empty the bags and stash away the bags somewhere at home.   When you need to run to the store again, you're either A: already out and about running errands and don't have the totes or B: just plain forget when you leave home.

When I was visiting Washington, DC a few weeks ago, I stopped by the local Trader Joe's store to pick-up their crazy-good corn salsa.  I bought 10 bottles of the stuff and used my gym bag as a tote bag (I emptied my sneakers and clothes into the backseat of my car).   

As I stood in line, I noticed EVERYBODY had brought reusable tote bags with them.   I never see that.  I usually spot one other person, we look at each other, and then we nod as if we're saying, "cool...you remembered, too!".    But today, it was weird to see nearly every single person have a stash of bags in their carts.

When I checked out my stash of salsa, the clerk handed me a slip of paper.   Turns out, if you bring your own reusable bags to this Trader Joe's store, you could enter to win a cart full of free groceries at the store.  They gave it away every single month and it was only eligible to those who brought their own totes.

Don't you think if every store did this, everyone would remember AND WANT to bring their own bags?  It's sad that it's not good enough to do the right thing for the planet, but hey...I would like free groceries, too! 

Homemade Beach Soaps

I just arrived back from a quick trip to Atlanta where I had a few business meetings.

When I was a child, I remember bringing a box of soaps that my mother had given me as a holiday gift for my school bus driver.  I remember her excitement receiving the gift (the only holiday gift she received as far as I could tell) and, well, the experience stuck with me: it's a nice thing to bring a handmade gift when you meet people.   So, before I headed to Atlanta, I decided to make some homemade beach body scrub soaps.

Over a double boiler, I melted blocks of olive oil glycerin soap over a very low, simmering heat.   The soap melted slowly, so I stirred it around with some leftover Chinese food takeout chopsticks.   Then I added some seafoam green dye and about a 1/4 cup of sand.   I did a green batch and then I did a rose colored batch.

I used empty juice boxes that (yes) i fished out of the trash can at a restaurant.  I know... but I didn't feel like buying orange juice boxes to simply empty them out to recycle them for this project. So I shamelessly took them out of the trash at a Wegman's supermarket...   But after they are washed clean, they make the perfect forms for soaps.  They took about 2 hours to cool completely.

Here are the sliced soaps tied together with red/white bakery twine and put into inexpensive wood gift boxes.   Each slice of soap has sand embedded inside, so when used on the body, it gently exfoliates dead skin.

And here they are all wrapped up with this wood grain ribbon I found in a clearance bin at the store.  I almost never buy new ribbon (you can find so much vintage ribbon for sale at flea markets for, like, $1 for 60 yards), but it was so inexpensive and good-looking, that I made one exception.

I hope those who received it enjoy it!

Soy Crazy

I LOVE the fact I know an amazing soy candle maker.   I LOVE the fact I can find really interesting containers, box them up, ship them to him and get custom made candles in just a few days.  I also love the fact he ships them back with some his homemade organic, Shade-grown roasted coffee.  Yum.

I found these containers at Ikea on clearance. I normally find my candle containers at flea markets---tarnished silver plates cups, vintage glass cups, old chipped wine glasses---but I needed a lot of containers as gifts for an upcoming event. 

I love how they look.  I chose an unscented soy candle wax (fragrance is so personal) and will box up two candles in custom made wood boxes for the gifts.  Here's a closer look at the candle:

Floor Tile Organizer

I don't know why I haven't shared this project on this blog earlier, but here it is: my woodgrain personal day-to-day organizer.

I made this organizer about three years ago, and I'm surprised how brand-new it still looks.   I started with a wood grain floor tile sample (it's vinyl, I know... but it was sample tile in the FREE bin at the home improvement store) and cut out two identical shapes slightly larger than my day-to-day organizer pages.

Using a hole punch, I punched six holes to line-up with the organizer pages and then used circular binder hooks from the office supply store to keep it altogether.

Here's a shot of the inside of the organizer.   If you have leftover carpet, cork or marmoleum tile, this project could work with that, too.   Or, you can raid the FREE bin at the home improvement store, too! 

   

Deer Screen Printing

I recently found an image of a pencil sketch deer head that I really liked and had my local screen printer make a silkscreen for me.    Here's what the finished image looks like printed onto a reusable canvas shopping bag.   Isn't it cute?

The process of doing custom screen printing is surprisingly easy and not expensive at all.  The best thing to do is to find an image you love, have a screen made, and then print lots and lots of shirts, bags, and fabrics with the image.   The real cost is all the set-up, not the actual printing, so it pays to be prepared and show up with an armload of things to print on.

Here's the screen ready to go.    The actual cutting of the image of the screen is done digitally.  Unfortunately, I missed the part when she made the screen, but I just love the contrast of the green film and yellow cut out areas.   I was tempted to buy the frame and screen together and just hang it up as art.

Here's the screen used with white ink.    After a quick pass, the ink collects at the end of the screen and can be used over and over until you run out of ink.

And here's the same deer head image on a grey t-shirt.   I love the clean white image on the heather-y grey shirt.   I bought a three pack of shirts and made multiples.   

And here's the shirt drying.   It dries very quickly in just minutes.   When it's dried, it then gets pressed with a very high-heat iron to permanently set the ink into the shirt.   And voila!

After we made this white t-shirt set, I then had 15 tote bags made with black ink and a tiny screen that read just "DANNY SEO."   Those tote bags are being brought to Las Vegas this month as gift bags (filled with my books, custom soy candles and other goodies) when we launch my new line of eco mattresses with Simmons.   But more on that later!

Giveaway! Sigg Anniversary Bottle

The lovely eco people at SIGG sent me their limited edition Anniversary Sigg reusable water bottle.   But the funny thing about already having a Sigg bottle at home is that I don't need this free one to use!   So, I decided to give it away to a lucky reader of this blog.

The winner will be chosen who I think gives the best eco-recycling idea.     So, here's the question:

What's the best way to recycle an empty candle container?   

To avoid spammers, I'm going to ask people email me at dannyblog@aol.com with your answer, and feel free to post your ideas in the comments section, too.  I'll choose the winner and will contact them from that account and ship you the Sigg bottle!

Contest closes Sunday, January 20th.

update!  Contest is now closed.  Thank you for all your entries.   Winner will be posted later this week.

Bag of Peanuts

 

A couple of months ago, I purchased a bean bag chair cover from an online website.  (I forgot which website, but I googled "bean bag chair covers" and it came up).

Buying a bean bag chair cover is a lot cheaper than buying a complete bean bag chair; I think I paid less than $20 for this cover and it arrived folded up in an itsy, bitsy envelope.   

Over the past few months, I've been filling it with styrofoam packing peanuts that show up in packages.  I dislike packing peanuts (who doesn't?), but they show up anyway, somehow.   So I thought it would be great to fill a bean bag chair with the excess peanuts.

And here's the starry bean bag chair in the living room.    It looks pretty comfy and inviting, doesn't it?

Washing the Washing Machine

I was cleaning out the pantry today and found a large bottle of white vinegar tucked behind the cans of marinated artichoke hearts and kidney beans.   In other words, it was in my pantry's version of Siberia.

I bought the vinegar months ago to use around the house: mix with baking soda to keep drains clean, pour through the coffee maker to keep it clean and to run a bottle through the washing machine to clean up soap scum.  Today, I got around to cleaning the washing machine.

Over time, soap builds up in the coils and mechanisms of the washing machine, making it less efficient at getting your clothes clean.  A simple thing to do is to run about a full cup of white vinegar through the machine---just pour it where you would pour the detergent---and run the whole machine through a normal cycle without clothes.

During the WASH cycle, I saw soapy suds on the inside of the machine, which meant there was lots of residual soap still inside the machine.     Sure, it seems like a waste of water to run the machine without clothes, but I think this periodic maintenance will help the machine in the long run.

Name Change: Daily Danny

You may have noticed a name change for this blog from "Simply Green" to "Daily Danny."

I wrote below about the unexpected demand for my one-a-day calendar "Do Just One Thing" and our plans to digitize it and make it a free, daily e-mail that gives people their daily green tip each day in their in-box.  We're calling it Daily Danny.   I got an email once from a reader who wanted to say thank you for the blog and she said each day she read it was like her "Daily Danny."   So, hence the name! 

So, until we can launch that, I thought I might as well re-name this blog to Daily Danny.   That's it!   I love writing my blog and I'm glad many of you do, too.

Updated: Thanks to "the Shopping Sherpa" for the heads up on the (former) brackets on my title. Had no idea it changed my blog roll order.   Brackets gone! 

 

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend!  Hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.

I thought I'd answer some questions---well, more like comments--- that have been popping up on this blog, other blogs and in the inbox at dannyseo.com.   

Question #1:  "You talk about the environment too much."

Answer:   DUH!  I kid... but seriously, that's like saying Mario Batali talks about Italian food too much....  It's my entire livelihood!

Question #2:  "Just because it is green doesn't mean we should consume it! If we have a bed that is not green - and we get rid of that bed now or later it doesn't really matter. You shouldn't consume another bed just because the new one is green..."

Answer:  I think this comment is in response to some online news that I've teamed up with Simmons bedding to create my own eco-friendly healthy sleep system.  It's true!  It's called the Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo mattress.  But more on that later.

In response, I will say that I never propose people toss everything away and buy everything new just because something is green.  But if you're like me, there will come a time when you DO need to replace your mattress.  And when that time comes, isn't it better knowing there's an eco-friendly alternative that's readily and easily available?   

Question from "dede" in response to my post on recycling old shot glasses into tealights.  And dede's comment was: "Love recycling the glass, but do not love the paraffin! Come on, Danny. You are an original soy candle man. What happened?"

Answer:  I am FOREVER a soy candle fan, so not to worry.  I just had some paraffin pillar candles I salvaged from a photo shoot I was working on and decided to recycle them into new candles.   Better to recycle/reuse then to throw them away, I figure.  But thank you Dede for being passionate about soy!  I am, too!!

Question:  In response to the MANY comments and emails I'm getting about about owning two homes:

Answer: Okay, this is a trickier one.   The reality is I have been on the hunt for a new home for a while because I have simply outgrown the current home that I live in that I also use for photo shoots and TV shoots.      AND, I totally understand that owning two homes isn't exactly the lightest carbon footprint.    So, let me explain.

The thing many people don't understand is that use my home as both a live and work space.   I craft new projects, tips and ideas right in my home.  I use it as backdrop for many photo shoots, TV programming, and come up with all my Country Home magazine columns here.  I test tips and ideas found in my books and products like the Do Just One Thing calendar.    And now I'm using my home as inspiration for a new line of environmentally-friendly products ranging from bedding to mattresses to cleaning products. 

So, having a designated work "space" (translation: the old house) where my talented crew can go in and set-up lovely photo shoots and test products is no different than housing everyone in a traditional office building.   But what's creative and lovely about an office building? Nothing.   Here, they can be as creative as possible.  (PS-It's worth mentioning my electric bill for the old house is around $34 a month.  And that's including central air in the summer and electric heat in the winter!).

And with the new home under-going much needed restoration and renovation, I'm helping to preserve an architecturally interesting home that may been destined for demolition to build a McMansion in its place.    Plus, I'll be able to share all the step-by-step renovations AND restorations to help you do the same in your home, too.

I just want to clarify that I'm not completely oblivious to the idea of owning two homes.... but there is a much deeper and greener reason for doing so.   Hope that clarifies it all!

Question: Why don't you moderate the comments on your blog?

Answer: The only thing I do is delete obvious spam comments, for things like gambling websites and discounts on pharmaceutical drugs.  I am sure nobody here is going to object to the deletion of those.

But for the past two years, the thousands of comments have been pretty smart, insightful and interesting, whether they are pro's or con's to whatever I'm posting.   So, as long as it stays that way, I see no point in moderating the comments.   

Question: I can't find your Do Just One Thing Calendar anywhere!  Help!

Answer:  The tricky thing about the calendar business is that come January 1st, your product is pretty much out-of-date.    So, we try to manufacture calendars based on educated guesses on what demand will be to minimize waste.   Unsold calendars, you see, become landfilled calendars in most cases.

So we were conservative with the print run for the calendar.   We totally underestimated.

My Do Just One Thing calendar has been one of the bestselling 2008 calendars of the year.  In some cases, it sold out in stores in October 2007, many months before the actual calendar selling season begins.    In fact, I only have two copies in my possession!     But on the positive side, it showed there was a real demand from people who would love a practical, informative and do-able daily tip to go green in 2008.    On the negative side, a lot of people couldn't get their hands on one.

So, to help the many people who have been emailing me, I am proud to say we are working on a digital version that will be available free of charge later this year.   It'll be a daily e-mail reminder complete with photos, links and helpful text to help you go green.    So far, we're calling it Daily Danny and I hope to have it up and running by Spring 2008.   Stay tuned!

Natural Curios

I have a ton of these metal lanterns around the house.    They were used in a Country Home magazine photo shoot that will be coming out later this year.    Long story short, since nobody wanted them, I took them home and have been using them all over the house.

Now, the problem with these lanterns is that once you burn pillar candles insider to, say, light a walkway, you have to go out and buy more and more candles.   Needless to say, I have a few of these lanterns completely barren and empty sitting on the front porch.

Today, I decided to give them a different life: as natural curios.   Whenever I'm running on a trail or taking a hike in the woods, I find things that interest me: wild mushrooms, lichen covered twigs, smooth river rocks.  I never really had a place to put these found natural items but thought they should be celebrated somehow as art pieces.

So, this morning, I lined the inside of the lanterns with moss and just tossed in some natural elements I found in my front yard (and some seashells I bought at the flea market).  I think I'll keep evolving these collections. 

Folding Books

The other day, I was working on the computer on a few proposals and had a mini illustrated book sitting on the desk that caught my eye.    I had planned to put the book in the "Goodwill" donation box, but decided to see if I could recycle into some kind of an art piece without any supplies.

I started by folding the corners of the pages.    Just folding it over and over, matching up each page to each fold so it would repeat over and over.

For about 10 minutes, I just sat there folding each page and creasing each fold with the edge of a pen so it nice and sharp.   Now this once Goodwill bound book is sitting on my bookshelf in the kitchen, wide open, as an art piece on the cabinet.   

I'm thinking of picking up some vintage books and trying different folds, maybe varying them a bit page by page so it curves a bit when the book is open.  We'll see....

Rock On!

I was flipping through my book "Simply Green Parties" the other day and noticed I really really like to use river rocks and pebbles in decorating.    I guess I've always gravitated towards organic materials because they look great and, well, they're free.

The idea above is a fun and simple one: just collect large river rocks and stamp names onto them using an alphabet stamp kit and ink pad (permanent works best).   Use them as placemarkers on the table.  When the party is over, you can have guests sign them and date them and store them in a large mason jar in the kitchen.  Over time, the jar can fill up with all the guests who've come and gone to your home.

These Indonesian blue pebbles are an absolutely beautiful color.  I've taken a pebble once to the paint store to have it matched.  At my old home at the Christmas tree farm, I painted the dining room color the same shade as one of these pebbles.  It looks so rich and warm.

For this idea, you can take a handful of clean pebbles and just toss them with about 15 drops of essential oil.   Display in a vintage candy dish and you have scented aromatherapy rocks.   The scent lasts for a very long time.

This is a great idea for summer and Halloween: glow in the dark rocks.   Pick-up non-toxic glow-in-the-dark paint from the craft store and paint several coats of it onto rocks.   Line them up on the walkway and they'll cast a glow as the sun sets.   Really easy project with fun results.

Which New Book to Write?

I've been going back and forth on what my next book should be.    So, I'm asking you for some help.   

I have completely different ideas that I think are both equally helpful and useful, but at the end of the day, I need to focus on one idea.  So, here we go:

1.  A BIG GREEN DECORATING BOOK.    There are lots of eco-friendly home design books in the market that give great tips on renovating or building a new house: what type of insulation to use, choosing the right windows and doors, installing bamboo flooring, etc.   But there aren't a lot of eco-friendly design books on creating a comfortable, chic and environmentally-friendly living space.

I was thinking a big decorating book full of lots of ideas for all rooms of the house could be useful for lots of people who have an existing home that they're happy with, but would like to give it a fresh update and new look.   Lots of ideas will involve using what homeowners already have, but can use them in unexpected and different ways.   Basically, lots and lots of ideas you've seen on this blog that follow my ethos that they should be beautiful, simple and resourceful.

I'm thinking full color photography, step-by-step instructions, and informative text.  I have hundreds of decorating ideas that I could share, so this book would be more than just pretty photos of pretty rooms.

2.  A DEFINITIVE GUIDE ON LIVING GREEN.   Now, hear me out here.    There are plenty of books out there on how to "go green."   Many of them are absolutely well-researched, informative and useful for any novice greenie.

What I'm interested in writing is a guide to living green that follows more of my philosophy and personal take on it.    Lots of insider secrets, tricks, tips and simple solutions.     For example: Sure, we all would love to put solar panels on the roof of our house, but it sure is awfully expensive.  But what if you could shop for solar panels like you could buy a discounted sweater at an outlet store?    When manufacturers make solar panels, they have to be 100% absolutely perfect to be sold to the public.  Lots of panels are only 99% perfect, so they end up being sold at a drastic discount by the manufacturer to homeowners because of the 1% imperfection.    The only way to buy them is to know who to call and what to ask for.  If you're okay with 99% perfection and would like to save thousands of dollars, this is the most economical and ecological way to go solar at home.

So, basically, hundreds of insider tricks and personal tips that I like.  I really think the book would prove that going green can actually save you lots of money; you just have to be in the know.   

So, there you have it.  Gorgeous and fun decorating book or a green guide that's insider in nature.   Or both?    What do you think?

My New Year's Resolution: No Taxis

Well, new year, new goals.    A resolution is supposed to be something that you A: know you should do and B: should be lofty in its goal.  People who smoke resolve to quit.  Overweight individuals resolve to lose weight.   I've decided to stop taking taxis no matter what.

I'm in New York City every week for work.  I'm pretty good about taking the subway everywhere.  But once in a while, the sky turns black and it pours down rain.  Or it's dark and freezing cold.  And right there---right in front of you---is an available taxi.  Rarity.  But it's there for the taking.   So I take it.

But this year, I'm going to give up taxis in favor of using the subway and other forms of public transportation to get around.   And in dire situations, I'll hail a pedi-cab (which I am seeing much more of in NYC lately) to get me to a meeting.  It's zero-emissions and I'm probably supporting a starving artist at the same time.   I will, however, still continue to use my Blackberry in the back seat.

What did you resolve to do this year?   

News: My new Green Living Partner

Well, I guess the news has gotten out there.    For the past few months, I've been quietly working with JCPenney as their Green Living Partner.     I've been spending time in Texas working with lots of wonderful people in lots of different departments on their big effort to Go Green.   There were lots of retailers who I've been meeting with over the past year to develop products and campaigns, but I feel confident not only did I make the right choice with JCPenney, but the perfect one.   

A few weeks ago, we quietly shared a lookbook with editors of future eco-friendly products that will be available at JCPenney starting in April 2008.   I produced and styled the lookbook right at my cottage in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.   There has been tremendous support and interest from the press for these products, which I am really happy to hear and share with you.

So, here's a look at some of the lovely and gorgeous items that will be available in-store at JCPenney and on jcp.com this Spring.   There are lots of exciting things happening with the green program.   Stay tuned to learn more.   It'll be a really exciting and wonderful effort!

Gorgeous reusable tote bags made out of recycled materials.  So Fresh and So Green!

Colorful and soft and cozy organic cotton towels.  I clipped on "Guest" on manila tags so my houseguests know it's for their use.

Beautiful organic cotton bedding and bamboo blankets and throws.   My upstairs bedroom looks so cozy and warm.

This large bamboo bowl is filled with fresh organic apples and pears.   I used manila tags to cut out "leaves" spelling Yum!  Hello! and Enjoy!

A fun DIY idea: reuse our bamboo blend packaging as a dop kit for your home.  Fill it with extra soaps, shampoo and lotions so you have plenty for your guests.   

Paper Recycling

In my neighborhood, I keep seeing these yellow and green signs everywhere screaming "Paper Drive!"  After seeing a sign at my local Starbucks store describing the paper drive, I decided to do a little investigating. 

Now, if you've kept tabs on my blog for a while now, you know that i once visited a paper recycling factory and learned that recyclable office paper---magazines, copy paper, junk mail---is valuable stuff for recyclers.    In fact, they can never get enough old paper to keep up with demand to make recycled paper products like cereal boxes to toilet tissue.     So, it comes as no surprise that this Paper Retriever program with local schools came to light.

 

Basically, local schools get one of these giant recycling bins.   People in the community can drive up and drop off their recyclable paper right into the bin.  As you can see, this bin here is overflowing quite a bit.

Basically, the Paper Retriever bins collect lots of different waste paper: magazines, catalogs, junk mail, office paper, old greeting cards and even brown paper grocery store bags.    One idea is to save a brown paper bag and use it as your recycling bin; fill it up and drop it off.

If you want to learn more about how Paper Retriever works, click on the link.   It's a pretty extensive description how they collect, sort, pulp and recycle the paper.

Schools earn money by each ton of paper that's collected.   So, the more the community brings and drops off, the more money the raise.

And here's my recycling bag, right by my desk.   It's a tote bag made from recycled sailcloth.    Once it's full, I just drive by the school and empty it into the recycling bin.

Recycled Glass Vase

The cool thing about "green" being all the rage right now is that it's A: easier than ever to find recycled products and B: the prices are coming down and C: the design choices!

While a friend of mine was shopping for holiday gifts last week, I tagged along on the whirlwind of shopping she had planned.    In a small store in Lambertville, NJ called "Bucks County Dry Goods," I found this organic shaped vase made entirely out of recycled glass.

What I loved about the vase is that it celebrated the fact it was made from a recycled product, so there were imperfections in the design.  It's slightly askew in the body of the case and then has as totally tilted mouth at the top.    It is handmade and it looks and feel like it.

And because it's made from recycled materials, the raw material (broken glass bottles) is less expensive.   Total price for the vase: $28.

I love how it looks here in the kitchen on top of the $1 flea market cake stand.      Hmm... I see the compost bin on the left.    How much do you want to bet the pitchfork is frozen into the frozen compost?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!   Here's to a greener, greater and more gorgeous 2008!

Okay, here's a fun idea:  A magazine storage rack.

I was staying at the new 6 Columbus hotel in New York City and thought this was a fun and useful idea for the bedroom. 

You basically screw a simple magazine storage box into the wall next to the bed to keep magazines on hand.    I have lots of those unfinished wood Ikea storage containers at home where I keep back issues of magazines like Organic Style (remember that?) on hand for reference.      Here's what the Ikea storage racks look like:

I would just drill two holes through the sides of the magazine holder right into the wall.  Then I'd use dry wall screws to mount it securely to the wall (even adding those plastic reinforcement screws into the wall to really make it secure).    That way, you can really load them up with lots of magazines!