Thursday, August 19, 2010
Pistachio - posted by Crafted by Lindy - Fab Finds From Etsy
Monday, June 1, 2009
Modern Monday: Grass as upholstery
These chairs, from the Terra Grass Armchair kit, are made from biodegradable cardboard forms. Simply fill the form with soil, seed it with grass, and watch it grow. I'm not quite sure how you would mow them, however.
Here is another collection of outdoor furniture, by 5.5 Designers, which incorporates plants into the design. I love the manicured hedge look of this design, although you can use flowers as well.
This Swedish Gustavian side chair was upholstered with shag carpet. I love the whimsy of this chair. In the most traditional environment, this chair would make a fun and unexpected statement! I have a slipper chair that I inherited and reupholstered once since college. I am seriously thinking about reupholstering yet again in a similar fashion.
Lastly, I couldn't resist this photo I found on Flickr by bb_matt. The only thing more whimsical than green grass chairs is GIANT green grass chairs!Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Was I the last to know about solar powered watches?

I also have dress watches, cheap watches, and fake name watches. Around Christmas, the last of my battery operated watches died. I was going to gather up the bunch and schlep out to our local mall's watch shop to buy new batteries for all of them. Of course, procrastination got the best of me and by the 25th I was still watchless. Luckily, hubby surprised me with this great Citizen's Eco-Drive solar powered watch. Yup! I'll never have to wind it, replace batteries, or whine about the aforementioned again. How cool and who knew?!Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Earth Day, 2009
Here are a few things I do every day:1. Recycle
2. Unplug appliances after I use them
***According to the government's ENERGY STAR program, 40% of the electricity that home electronics use is consumed while the products are turned off. The impact of this on your energy bill will depend on your particular situation-- one Berkeley study suggests the savings would be 6 to 26% off your total bill.The "phantom load," as it's sometimes called, is a result of many different household items (sometimes called "vampire devices," leading to perhaps the best-named law ever, California's Vampire Slayer Act of 2006).
The Berkeley study, this graph, and this article have some information on typical wattage of specific items-- but if you really want to know how much yours use, you'll need to buy or borrow a meter like Kill-a-Watt, or try this manual method.There are also the smaller items; for example, did you know that your cell phone charger is using energy even when your phone isn't attached? It's only a couple of watts, but it's a good idea to get into the habit of unplugging your charger from the wall when you unplug your phone from the charger. Kitchen appliances like microwaves, rice cookers, bread makers, and coffee pots also typically use less than 5 watts-- but there's no reason to leave them plugged in when you don't have to. The little things add up.And how much do they add up to? Around 50 to 100 watts in the average house, which is 30 to 60 kilowatt-hours a month (based on 20 standby hours a day). At prices of 5 to 15 cents per kWH in July 2006, that's somewhere between $1.50-$9 a month.***(Source: Money and Value Blog)
3. Carry reusable bags to all stores (not just grocery)
4. Use energy efficient bulbs
Yesterday, my husband bought a more energy efficient printer that uses special eco friendly ink. It pleases me to see that there are now so many options for the consumers. Now, more than ever, it is easier to be eco minded and green!
Here is a great blog I use to keep up to date on new sustainable materials: http://www.ecolect.net/








