DAILY DANNY

100 Degree Fall Photo Shoot

Nothing like an almost 100 degree day to throw some firewood into the fireplace and start a cozy fire, right? Just when you're sweaty and hot, why not make it hotter and more toasty?   ha ha.  I kid.

We did a photo shoot for a November magazine spread at my cottage on the Delaware River the other day.   Here's a lovely shot of the amazing photographer Alexandra Rowley (I kept calling her Cynthia Rowley, the fashion designer, in my head) shooting away.   We set-up my glazed silhouette plates on the fireplace and lit up my collection of thrift store shot glasses made into tealight candles.  

Here's one of the many projects we set-up in the story: a Fall Apothecary table.   This is the only "project" I will share for now so I don't give away too many Autumnal secrets... but you basically collect items from the forest around your house and display them like little bits of art.  I have a fern frond in my faux bois pitcher... some lichen covered branches... an old seashell from the seashore.... and some leaves floating in water.   Very pretty!

Look how green and lush my hillside is.   Here some of the photo shoot team looking for twigs for a porch photograph.  How funny to see everyone scramble...I had to take a photo!    The magnolia tree I planted looks healthy.

Real Simply Green

There's an interesting story in the April issue of Real Simple magazine called "How Green Are You?"   Instead of a Cosmo-like quiz, it breaks down real daily eco-habits and the one-year effect it has on the planet.   It's definitely worth checking out. 

Here are some of my favorites:

1.  If you recycle newspapers and magazines, one person's one-year effect is 581 pounds of CO2 emissions saved.  Recycling paper saves trees and saves energy to make new recycled paper products.

2.  If you wash your laundry on a cool setting, you save about 349 pounds of CO2 emissions a year.  Even moving washing from Hot water to Warm water can make a difference.

3. If you stick to the speed limit when driving (65 MPG vs 75 MPH), you save about 1500 pounds of CO2 emissions a year.   Going a bit slower not only saves you around $200 a year in gas savings, but it really gets you to the same place in about the same time.    I have one of those GPS devices in my car, and whenever I'm running late to a meeting, I noticed that driving 10 MPH faster only gets me to my destination about a minute sooner.  So what's the point?

4. If you drive a hybrid car that gets at least 46 MPG, you save about 3660 pounds of CO2 emissions a year.    That's pretty cool.

5. If you plug major electronics into power strips so you can shut them off when not in use, you save 1608 pounds of CO2 emissions annually.   Just flipping the switch on the power strip effectively TRULY turns off power.   

TOTAL SAVED: 7698 pounds of CO2 emissions a year. 

Serena + Lily = Perfection

Pick-up the March issue of Country Home magazine and check out the gorgeous story of Lily Kanter's Mill Valley,CA home.   This is a story I produced a few months ago and had a blast putting together.

For all you moms out there of newborns, you may be familiar with Lily's company Serena + Lily; it's a stunning nursery line of bedding, blankets, furniture, paint and toys.    Absolutely gorgeous.  This summer, Serena and Lily will be launching an organic collection that all the eco-minded moms (are there any non-eco minded moms?) will love.

Lily's home is full of color, whimsy, charm and wonderful decorating ideas.  I just love every corner of her house.

The photo above didn't make the Country Home issue, but I love it.   We lined a bridge outside of Lily's home with all the wonderful sheets they produce.  I love how the giant redwood trees overwhelm the photo and just give the photo incredible height and perspective.   

 

Organic Style 2.0

You may not know this, but I was an editor at Organic Style magazine from 2001-2005...pretty much from Day 1 till the end.

For die-hard fans out there, you'll be glad to hear that Rodale, the publisher of Organic Style, sold the name to the online flower site organicbouquet.com.     They just released a digital magazine called---yep, you guessed it---Organic Style.

There's a great Q&A interview with Maria Rodale, the original founder.

Check it out at www.organicstylemag.com. 

Parade Pick!

How cool is this?  I woke up Sunday morning and flipped open Parade Magazine to see they named my new 2008 one-a-day calendar "Do Just One Thing" one of their Parade Picks for best calendars!

I worked really hard on this calendar to come up with 366 (leap year!) tips that were easy, unique and legitimate actions people could do each day of the year.     Instead of tips like "buy hybrid car" or "install solar panels," I wanted them to be things that you could do in the morning when you're drinking your cup of joe.

Anyway, thank you Parade!   I'm really thrilled.

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.

Best of Country Home

As the Environmental Lifestyle editor at Country Home magazine, I get to share lots of DIY recycling projects in the pages of the magazine. If you're a subscriber or pick it up at the newsstand, you can check out my Fresh Thinking column every single month.

Over at countryhome.com, they've had a facelift and started posting my "best of" column on the web, so you can see previous project ideas and try them out yourself.   Click on the links below each image for the step-by-step instructions.  Here's a few:

Recycle an old cookbook into a functioning clock.

Make your own aromatherapy linen spray.

The EASIEST DIY homemade soap with sandy body scrub.

And what to do with old vintage-y t-shirts....make art!

Curly Magazine Ribbons

Hmm...I wish the photo was a bit clearer, but here's the idea: Tear out heavy stock advertisements from magazines and make them into colorful gift toppers.

It's easy!    Cut lots of 1" strips from the magazine page.    Gather them in your hand and place one strip on top of the other, moving each strip about 2" away from the next one until you eventually have a stack that is totally fanned out.    Staple them together in the center.   

Then using sharp scissors, curl each side of the strip, from the center out.    This can take a while and if you try to curl them too aggressively, the strips can tear, hence choosing the heavier paper stock advertisements.

Then take two extra strips and make the ribbon "strings" on the bottom.    Attach those to the back of the curly top with double stick tape.

Scented Paper Flowers

Well, I originally put this post under the "Home Design" category, but changed my mind and put it under "Magazines" instead.  Why?  Because these paper flowers are made from the scent strips in magazines.

Okay, if you read this blog often, you know I have beaten to death this project of recycling scent strips into paper flowers.   They're in my book SIMPLY GREEN PARTIES, I did a public service announcement for Call2Recycle featuring them, and I even showed Megan Mullally on her short-lived talks how how to make 'em.    Enough already, right?

But for those of you haven't seen them, they couldn't be easier to make.

Just tear out a perfume advertisement for a scent you like.    Cut out the perfume strip part and cut paper petals so the scented part is on each petal.   Attach to a floral stem using florist tip and attach each petal one at a time.    Keep adding until you're happy with the flower.   Make a bunch, arrange, share, display. 

Behind the Scenes: Country Home Shoots

About twice a year, I fly to the sleepy town of Des Moines and work on my Fresh Thinking columns seen every month in Country Home magazine.   If you're a subscriber, you'll know my column is all about recycling objets into brand new and beautiful decorative accessories.    

I thought you'd like to see what goes on during a shoot.  Here, we shot my columns for the better half of 2007 over the course of several days.   Shooting in the Meredith Corp studios (also where Better Homes & Gardens shoots) is a surreal experience.  There is so much here: decades worth of dishes, fabrics, surfaces, props, accessories, etc.   It's overwhelming, actually.... but I feel like a kid in a stylist's candy store.

Above, the photographer is setting up for one of the first shots of the day.  Crazy, isn't it?

Here's a fun project (can't tell you what it is!  It'll be out soon in the magazine) which we shot recycling old wine glasses.   When you see the finished shot, you'd swear we shot it in a real barn.   But the old backdrop was brought into replicate the look.   I seriously could not tell the difference.

And here's my set-up table.  I just laid out a ton of completed and half-completed projects on the table.  As one photograph was being taken, I'd be quickly styling and creating the next one.  It became sorta like an assembly line.   "Is the next project ready?" is a line I quickly got used to.

Anyway, there you have it.  Check out Fresh Thinking every month in Country Home!!

elle.com fun

On elle.com right now is behind-the-scenes video and photos of the story I did with actress Kerry Washington in Elle's green issue out on newsstands now.

The slideshow ha lots of eco goodies that I love:  Method's OMop, Sigg reusable bottles, my fun vintage horse show ribbon wreath.

And see Kerry's eco loves... and her funny story about forgetting to put gas in her Prius... and how that was quite alright anyway since it was a hybrid....

http://www.elle.com/featurefullstory/11149/green-house-effect.html

New PSAs: Recycle Your Rechargeable Batteries!

A new series of print Public Service Announcements I did for the Rechageable Battery Recycling Corporaiton's "Call2Recycle" campaign is beginning to hit magazines right now.   You can see the very first ad in the green issue of ELLE magazine, on newsstands now.

These are really fun ads that not only tell you how to properly recycle old cell phones and old rechageable batteries (from cordless products like power tools and phones), but also give free tips on recycling trash into gorgeous treasures. 

How about old vases that flowers arrived in that has been stashed away under the sink?   Or just brown paper shopping bags into adorable luminaries?   What about ugly old plates you can reglaze right at home?

Get all the project sheets FOR FREE at:

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/dannyseo/index.html

Elle Green Party: NYC

 

I had the honor of co-guest editing the MAY 07 issue of ELLE magazine recently.... it's their green issue!   To celebrate, I'll be working with ELLE at our New York City green event on SATURDAY, APRIL 15th at Grand Central Station.

If you're in NYC, come on by between 1-3pm and see all the wonderful green ideas, vendors and products on display; lots to try and learn.   I'll also be signing copies of Simply Green Parties...a free gift at the event with a qualifying purchase.

Click on the invite to enlarge.   Hope to see ya there!

Elle's Green Issue!

For the past few months, I've been working with the hard-working team at ELLE and co-guest editor Laurie David on their annual Green issue.... here it is!    Mandy Moore graces the cover and she gives a sneak peek into her secret green life.    Who knew her Mercedes ran on biodiesel fuel?    

Inside the issue, there are fascinating articles with Orlando Bloom, Julia Roberts, Laurie's Q and A with Sheryl Crow and a fun eco shopping trip I did with pal Kerry Washington.     You can get an exclusive look at Stella McCartney's new organic fashion collection (only in Elle!), see an Elle office green makeover (Thank you Lowe's!) and photos of Jennifer Meyer's (aka Mrs. Tobey Maguire) post-baby shower that I also produced for the magazine.

It was a blast being a co-guest editor and I think the end results are absolutely gorgeous.   I've always said green can be gorgeous... and as ELLE is the leading authority on all things gorgeous, I think they've proven it can also be green.

Pick it up on newsstands!  (PS-It's printed on recycled paper, too!)

Country Home: Before & After

Out on newsstands now, the April issue of COUNTRY HOME magazine features my Pennsylvania home in our first-ever green issue.

You can see an interesting before and after slide show of my home on the Country Home website as well.   It's interesting for me to see what the home used to look like before a few coats of eco-friendly paint, new energy-efficient appliances and some resourceful decorating were all put into place.

Go pickup the April issue of Country Home and let me know what you think.

What's Your Motto?

Hey everyone!   Out on newsstands at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods is a new magazine called MOTTO.  It's a business magazine with a social responsibility twist to it.   The March/April 07 issue is all about green living and...what do you know....I ended up on the cover!

Self promotional, yes.   But full of great and interesting content, too.    There's actually a fascinating story inside about a young entrepreneur who has a large-scale composting company that makes fertilizer from worm poop.  Yes, worm poop.  It's all packaged in recycled plastic bottles (formerly water bottles) and sold in stores like Lowe's and Wal-Mart.    And designer Linda Loudermilk is profiled, too...and I've been a fan of Linda forever.

Oh, and then there's my profile... hmmm... so weird to read it.

www.whatsyourmotto.com

Photo Shoot Day

We had a photo shoot in my house yesterday for a series of new print public service announcements. 

I work with the nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation and I help spread the word about rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling.

In these new ads, we're highlighting some great recycling craft projects mixed with their messaging.   We shot all day long all over the house, and here I was able to catch a moment of the whole team looking at the computer screen.  I know what they're all thinking: "Danny needs to suck in his gut."

Ha!  (Well, I laugh, but it just might be true.  Hmmm...)

The new ads will be out later year in a bunch of different magazines.  I'll post 'em up along with links to the fun projects later this year.

Green Resolutions!

HAPPY NEW YEARS to all of you!!  Hope you had a wonderful and restful holiday break and you're looking forward to 2007 as much as I am.

Newsweek just released a list of ten easy green resolutions all of us can do in the New Year.   I shared a few ideas that they've included and the article (a tree-free idea!) can be found online at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16399617/site/newsweek/

Check it out!   What green resolutions are you planning on doing?     For me, I will never, ever, EVER forget to bring my own bags to the grocery store (so far, I'm about 80% good on that) and I'm going to keep updating this blog with even better and more creative ideas, solutions and projects!

A New Old Fashioned Christmas

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!

Spooky: USA Today

In case ya missed it, the folks from USA Today recently paid a visit to my home in Pennsylvania and wrote a peculiar and spooky description of my home in Bucks County.   

I GUESS becausde it's Halloween the writer wanted to go for a spooky, creepy feeling in the story, but I swear, my home is not this scary cabin in the woods.     Yes, there are spide webs all over the outdoor candlestand.    But it's Fall, it's outdoors and it's just a spideweb on it.   I didn't realize I'd have the white glove treatment from the paper!   

But I'm not complaining.  I think it's a charming piece and I think you'll get a kick out of it.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2006-10-26-danny-seo-at-home_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA

How cool is this?

I love it!  Last week, the NY Times House & Home section picked this blog on their must read eco-blogs for energy saving, eco-friendly tips.   (Well, this explains the 8000% percent uptick in site traffic now.   And I thought people were just excited about the spooky pumpkins on my blog!).

Photo Shoot

I've gotten lots of requests from different magazines to shoot my house.   But being a Country Home editor---not to mention die-hard fan of the magazine---it made sense for Country Home to shoot it!

We shot it last week...as the trees started to turn autumnal colors of red, oranges and yellows.... for the April issue of Country Home.   Now, read that again: it's Fall here, but we're shooting it for a Spring issue.

Basically, this translates into me raking, raking and raking some more leaves to make it look all Springy here as all the trees begin to shed their leaves.

Above is photographer Laura Moss, who also shot my DVD cover and I've worked with many times, trying her best to get the best angle of the front porch.   All I kept praying was, "please Laura, do not fall off the railing!" 

Photo shoots are always hectic, and it being at my house didn't make it any less crazy.    It was terribly hard for me to see my own home with an editor's eye: to me, everything was just fine.   But for the stylist, our Executive Editor, and photographer....chairs needed to be moved, vases filled with flowers, collections moved around, and pillows fluffed just so.

Anyway, I am thrilled with the results and can't wait to share them with you.  It'll be in the APRIL 2007 issue of Country Home (I know, ages away!), which will be our very first GREEN issue.     Can't wait to share it with you!

Before & After

As an Editor at Large at COUNTRY HOME magazine, I get to travel around the country and shoot lush and gorgeous gardens and exquisite homes for the pages of our magazine.   I love working for this magazine.

One recent story involved a makeover of Kerry Washington and David Moscow's Los Angeles home.  Kerry, if you are a movie buff, recently starred in such hit movies "Ray", "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and in the upcoming "Last King of Scotland."  David has been acting since a child---and starred in the movie "BIG" as the younger Tom Hanks.    He's all grown up now and acting in a million movies and producing as well.

Anyway, on countryhome.com, there is an extended interview plus before and after photos of their home.  The finished results are in the October issue (on newsstands now), but this blog posting is something I would recommending reading FIRST, and then looking at the after pics.

http://www.countryhome.com/blog/. 

Photo Shoot!

Why, Hello there!

I spent the last 3 days producing a photo shoot for Country Home magazine's April 2007 issue.  ( Isn't it crazy how far ahead we shoot magazines?)

From dawn to sunset, we shot images at a sprawling organic lavender farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.    From the perfectly manicured mounds of organic lavender---which are harvested and made into soaps, hydrosol sprays, candles and much more---to the lovely farm animals that roamed the farm including horses, llamas, donkeys, chickens and even a new pair of sibling kittens slowly adjusting to their new home.    In a nutshell, it was an idyllic piece of heaven.

This little guy up top was rather curious to me.   As we ran around the farm shooting, he would stand at the edge of the fence and just watch.    Watching...all..day...long.

Check out the entire entry of our day in the lavender countryside on countryhome.com.  I'll post photos of the shoot---including tons of funny behind the scenes stuff---on countryhome.com.  I'll let you all know when it's up!

Quick! Simple! Green! Cheap!

In the September 5th issue of Quick and Simple magazine (strangely enough, it's out NOW on newsstands, but not on newsstands on September 5th...), I did a feature story about shopping at an outlet mall in upstate New York.

Can you be green and cheap at the same time?  Well, I would never admit this to the editors of Q&S, but I honestly didn't think I'd find a thing at Woodbury Commons in upstate NY.    But to my surprise, some of the best eco finds were up there and DIRT CHEAP.

Clean burning beeswax candles were on clearance at the Crate and Barrel outlet shop.   A Le Crueset cast iron skillet was 25% off retail.   Even a recycled glass tea light lantern could be had for $5.99 at Villeroy and Boch.

Much more tips in the issue...so either pick it up or, er, read the whole article while waiting in line at the supermarket check-out line!

Starry Starry Jane

The editors at JANE magazine recently asked me to make some of the reglazed silhouette plates for an upcoming story about my new book Simply Green Parties.   I choose a red glaze and used simple star shapes of various sizes...and voila!  Here's how they turned out.

I'm not normally a fan of color, but Jane wanted something that popped.   I like how they turned out...maybe I like color, too.