Oomph

          I'm always on the lookout for beautiful furniture with an eco-twist, and I recently stumbled upon Oomph. Oomph furniture is brightly colored, with classic shapes, and fun details. I was instantly attracted to Oomph's tables and chairs, but what really sealed the deal is that all of their products are made from poplar trees - which is the fastest growing tree in North America. This means that the furniture is made domestically from rapidly renewable resources. Green + Gorgeous!

Oomph also has a line of super cute throw pillows:

LOVE

Appropriate Use of Knick Knacks

Everyone has objects that they place on tabletops to try to create that homey-feel. Framed photos, small mirrors, porcelain objects, and other purely decorative pieces fall into the category: "knick knacks". Its easy to over-use these items - which can make a space seem cluttered and messy, and its also easy to under-use them which will leave your home hum-drum and lackluster. However, I've assembled a few photos where the knick knacks were used just right.

 It seems that the most aesthetically pleasing knick knacks are fresh flowers and vases and bottles of various sizes and colors.

Wallet-Friendly Eco-Fashion

Disney Superstar, Selena Gomez, is coming out with her own clothing line. With this teen's star power, the line is sure to be a hit, but what separates her clothes from all of the other starlet inspired clothing, is that Gomez's line is all either made from recycled materials or earth-friendly fibers! Her line is called "Dream Out Loud" and will launch at K-Mart stores accross the country on July 15, 2010. Combining K-Mart prices and Gomez's star power in the "tween" market will hopefully help give eco-fashion a boost this summer.

North End Green Living Examiner

Starting this week I will become a contributing writer to http://www.examiner.com My official title is North End Green Living Examiner. I will review, profile, and explore sustainable activities in Boston's Historic North End. I've posted two articles so far: one about the Nexus Green Building Resource center which is in Downtown Crossing, just about a 15 minute walk from the North End, and an article about where to rent bikes in the North End.

Here is the link to my examiner profile and articles. I look forward to getting some feedback!
North End Green Living Examiner

thanks!

Green Answers

   Over the summer I contributed to a website called http://www.greenanswers.com/  The website is a great way for people to learn about the evironment from peer-to-peer. By visiting the site people can ask questions or help provide answers to other questions. As a contributer I would provide answers to questions for a small commission. It was a great experience, and I'm proud to introduce the GreenAnswers widget at the bottom of my blog. Simply type your question into the text bar!

Here is what it looks like:

GreenAnswers.com

Dream Houses

They are all big homes, which means it will be more of a challenge to make them sustainable, but they are beautiful, aren't they?

I enlarged this photo because its my favorite. The Victorian shapes, ionic columns, classic white colors, and abundance of flowers make this house look spectacular.

RRR Spotlight: Reduce by Learning to Sew

A big part of living an eco-friendly lifestyle is by learning to reduce consumption. This can be very hard especially for 20-something year old fashion lovers like me. I'm always tempted to buy new clothes, bags, and accesories even when I really don't need them at all. However, learning to sew can help you reduce consumption by allowing you to recreate your worn out clothes into something new and modern. I have not yet mastered this skill, mainly because I don't own a sewing machine yet...but I'm putting these pretty things on my wish list:

Princess Bed

This post is a dedication to two of my dear friends: Cuyler Bell and Glennie Clement. In the fall of 2008 we spent hours and hours and hours cozily cooped up in the back room of a small sorority house in upstate New York. There we invented "the princess bed". A place for friends to escape cold winter snow storms and watch trashy TV like The Bachelor, Grey's Anatomy, and The Hills. Sadly, our princess bed was a crumby fold-out couch handed down through the generations of Tri-Deltas at St. Lawrence. Now that we've all graduated, have jobs, and have escaped the frigid climate of Canton, we now have the freedom to pick our own princess beds. Here are some of the ones I love.

RRR Spotlight: REUSE

While blog-surfing yesterday, I came across this. Wow. This certainly gives recycling (and wine-drinking) a whole new purpose. It even looks kind of comfortable, but I'd have to try it. As always, I am inspired by the innovative ways that people Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle.

Chandelier Heaven

In my quest for style, I have fallen in love with these various lighting schemes. As you may remember from my Candles 101 post at MeridaHome, I think that lighting is the most important aspect for creating beautiful interiors.

Love the eco-mimicry in this one (above).


Lafayette Chandelier (above)


Adds elegance and luxury


Above is lighting by Kelly Wearstler


GORGEOUS!

Hot Pink & White

Its hard to use hot pink in interior decor because it can easily turn out to look like a Barbie dreamhouse. But I absolutely LOVE these uses of hot pink and white together. They look clean and mature and all of them incorporate nature in some subtle way.