Danny SEO

Stacked Cups and Plates

For a while now, I've been using this super adhesive glue (E6000) to glue random plates, cups and mugs together into tall serving tiered trays as gifts.   They are so easy to make and all you have to do is have some of this glue and patience to let it fully dry.

So, imagine my surprise to see this lamp in Anthropologie recently: stacked plates, cups and a teapot to make a lamp.   I'm thinking these were vintage pieces that they repurposed into a lamp and the end results of kinda fun.    I do love how Anthropologie is always pushing their designers to come up with more interesting and handmade looking pieces.

And for those of you who don't remember my stacked tiered project, here's a pic from the very first example I did.    It is literally flea market chipped plates, creamers and a five cent bird figurine all glued together.   This E6000 glue is so strong, you could literally hold it by the bird and it won't break apart.    Don't even think about trying to do this with a hot glue gun....it just won't work!

Laundry Ghost

Happy Valentine's Day!   

Just a funny shot to post about today: my laundry ghost.   I washed some t-shirts and a hoodie today and hung them all up to air dry.  Lately, I've been air-drying a lot more because A: it's good for the environment and B: it doesn't shrink my shirts.   I've even gotten to the point of piling t-shirts next to the vents in the guest room to dry more quickly.  The forced air from my heating system gets them dry in minutes.   

But as I looked at the laundry area this morning, I thought this looked like a creepy laundry monster/ghost.  

Enjoy the day!

Crate and Barrel Weekend

Last weekend, I was in New York City to help train the sales associates at the Crate and Barrel store on Madison Avenue (by Central Park) about the Natural Care line of mattresses.   I'm proud to say that Natural Care is now also available at all Crate and Barrel furniture stores nationwide, in addition to JCPenney stores and many fine sleep specialty stores nationwide, too.

In between training sessions, I walked around the empty store (it was done in the morning before the store opened) and felt like I had a private store all to myself.   There is something very calming about shopping in store that's pin-drop quiet: no music, no employees and just daylight pouring through the windows.   Fun! 

One item I spied was this collection of ottomans made from reupholstered vintage carpets.   No two are alike and they have a feeling of being an heirloom piece.

Yes, $1800 is not cheap, I admit.  But you are looking at a piece of furniture that is made from authentic vintage rugs and is hand upholstered to give you a polished, very professional look.    Whenever I see something I'd like to buy, I just wait for the appropriate sale and markdowns to see if the price is agreeable or not.   And sometimes,  I'll look at this inspiration piece and just make one myself.   Which one would you do?  Wait for a sale or try it yourself? 

And here is a fun idea: use your dining room hutch as as tableau presentation instead of just stacking endless amounts of dishes on top of each other.   Why not mix a big ball of twine and shells with everyday dishes?   Or just fill up the entire cabinet with jars full of household items.   I think the rules of decorating are broken and we can be as creative in every room of the house.    Have fun, I say.

Okay, back to meeting the lovely folks at C&B to discuss eco sleeping.... 

Magazine Shoot

Last Friday, I had a photo shoot at my new house for Philadelphia Magazine.    I love Philadelphia Magazine because A: it’s a very well written and researched regional publication and B: I live in the Philly area!   So, it was an honor to have them come and shoot my home for their April issue.

In this first pic, I asked to take a picture of one of the staffer’s feet to show that I have a very strict “no shoes” policy in my house.   I’ve written that  80% of all the outside dirt, lead and pesticides are dragged in from shoes.    Why would you want 10 people walking all over your house with their shoes going room to room?   Thankfully, everyone obliged and agreed to go shoe-less all day.

In the living room, there was more equipment set-up to light rooms, block light and diffuse light.  It was all about lighting, lighting, lighting!       There were lots of plastic water bottles everywhere, which is such a strange sight to see.   I don’t drink from plastic bottles, but they keep becoming a mainstay at photo shoots.   I need to do something about that for future shoots!

Spring!   Even though it’s winter outside, this is for a Spring issue.  So, lovely flowers and greenery were brought in to warm up the home.    After we shot the living room, I set a nice fire in the fireplace to keep everyone nice and warm.  Once I put out the marshmallows and chocolate, people couldn’t stop roasting and eating…  S’mores!    At one point, I thought the stylist was going to have a nervous breakdown (she was standing in the snow holding bamboo branches from my yard...trying to make a shot facing outside look "green.").    I broke out a bottle of organic champagne to see if that would help...

My New Bath and Beauty Line

Last week, we had a photo shoot at my house for my new organic bath and beauty line. The line is called Wholearth and will be launching on Earth Day (April 22nd). It's been a product line two years in the works with my partners at Boom, LLC and I'll post more about the line, it's ingredients, USDA certified organic fragrance, eco packaging and much more in the future. But for now, in 10 degree weather, I thought I'd share some behind the scenes photos of the shoot.

Above is a collection shot under a vintage glass cloche. The weather wood board behind it really helped the products "pop" in the photo.

Here, one of my favorite photographers Alexandra Rowley, is moving some props around to capture the right angle and light.  Alexandra's photo shooting style is very much in line with my aesthetic: soft, a little moody and very lifestyle. The glass bottle on top of the driftwood is the new fragrance bottle.  So pretty.... but it's the closest shot I can share for now.

We had lots of vintage and eco friendly props called in for the shoot.  Here, I have the new top of the line LED light bulbs next to the old fashioned incandescent bulbs.    Our stylist even styled the light bulbs!

One of my favorite shots was the LED lightbulbs lined up in a grid as a backdrop, with the beauty products set together upfront.  I called it my "future is green" shot because it was the future of lighting and the future of beauty!

And we set-up a wonderful, healthy lunch by my trusty catering guy Jamie Hollander in New Hope, PA.  I have this "eco" thing with Jamie that he knows is a must for me: all food must come on reusable trays and bowls, which I promptly return after the shoot. All beverages in cans and bottles (which are recycled) and use as much organic as possible. Here's a yummy vegetarian lunch waiting to be devoured.

Okay:  One peek. Here's the amazing bamboo body scrub...nested in fresh bamboo cut right from my own bamboo grove in the backyard.

Hall of Fame Awards

Last week, I was invited by the good friends at Benjamin Moore paints to attend the Hall of Fame Awards hosted by Interior Design magazine.  The awards are the Oscars of interior design/architecture of sorts, and it honored some incredible designers for their many years of innovative work.   It was held at the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, so of course I had to take some snapshots to share with all of you.

Up above, is the entrance to the hotel.  As you know, I am obsessed with LED holiday string lights.  With the technology improving on them, it's so hard to tell if the yellow, sparkly lights are regular ones or LED ones today.   No way in telling from this photo, but here's to hoping they are.

In the grand ballroom (where the awards took place), the balconies also had tables where guest could peer over the edge.   It's quite a dramatic space and I can only imagine the many important events that have taken place in this legendary room.

Even though our table was quite close to the stage, I still found myself watching the program from the giant projection screen.   I was impressed that sustainable design was a running theme throughout the evening.  It seems green design isn't just a fad, but a reality of where we all need to go.

Speaking of...the grand, totally impressive crystal chandelier above us.   My friend Danica, who covers fashion for the NY Post, asked me "how on Earth do they clean it?"   Good question.   Maybe they can use these new LED chandelier bulbs I've been seeing at stores like ABC Carpet and Home?

Check it Out: Awearness Book

A few months ago, I got a letter from the people at Kenneth Cole---the clothing design company---about contributing an essay to a book they were putting together called Awearness.   (Get it?  A play on word here...)

I immediately said yes because I remember way way back as a teenager (that's 15 years ago), buying Kenneth Cole shoes that had a smiling cow on the box.  He was one of the first designers to put out leather-free shoes before it was cool and helped veggie-folks like me find them.   Unfortunately, this was way before non-leather shoes were hip, so it was short-lived...but still, I admired him for doing it.

So, I wrote an essay on going green, of course, and it's in the pages of the just published book in stores now.   If you're in a bookstore or want to take a leap of faith and buy it online, it's here to inspire and give you ideas on making a difference in the world.

Lots of essays from all types of people including Lance Armstrong, President Bill Clinton, Laurie David, Jane Fonda, Elton John and many more.

Enjoy!

Texas Clean Air Awards

Last week, I was in Texas to give the keynote speech at the The North Texas Clean Air Coalition's "working for clean air" awards.   I had a great time meeting everyone involved with this important organization and I was impressed with all the amazing ideas the award recipients had.

The beautiful venue was an old train station that was restored back to its former glory.  Train travel, appropriately enough, is actually one of the greenest ways of getting from Point A to Point B.   This upcoming Thanksgiving, I'm thinking of taking the Amtrak train to my holiday destination as a way to beat traffic and cut back on my carbon footprint.

Above my speech podium were these incredible stained glass windows.   You hardly ever see stained glass windows featuring an Americana theme, but here they were: a cowboy riding along the trails and an old steam engine train roaring about.  Whoever restored these did an amazing job and I couldn't stop looking up from my seat to admire them.

And speaking of cowboys, look what was marching around downtown right before the awards!   And old time cowboy parade.   I guess it's pretty appropriate for the event:  Riding a horse is definitely one of the greenest modes of transportation!

My thanks to the organizers and sponsors of the event.  I had a great time and enjoyed meeting everyone.

Eco Halloween on CBS

Tune in Tuesday, October 28th to CBS The Early Show for my latest tricks and idea for throwing a fantastic eco-friendly Halloween party at your own home.

We have some really fantastic finds and easy DIY ideas that I think you'll love. One sneak peek: you can take some leftover chocolate candy and make the best (and delicious) face mask ever. Not a scary mask, but a spa-like mask that moisturizes and helps calm your skin.

Intrigued? Tune in to CBS to find out how.

Beaded Hangers

So, I've started what I call "pre-production" on my new book and part of that fun work is that I take off some time and just create a bunch of different projects to get the creative juices going.   Actually, none of these projects will probably ever make it into the book, it's just an exercise to get my mind out of "business" and into "creative" mode.

So, here's something that I'm not sure I like or not.  

I took a dry cleaner hanger (who doesn't have one of these flimsy hangers?) and I took some vintage wooden beads in a bunch of colors and just strung them all over.   You have to separate the hanger at the top where it's twisted to get the beads on and then re-twist it back into a hanger when you get close to the top.   It was really easy to do and I think it's a fun hanger when you're finished.

It's sorta Anthropologie-meets-tribal, right?

Hmm...starting a new book is fun.