EcoSmart Fire

EcoSmart Fire is an enviromentally friendly open fireplace.
It's fueled by renewable modern energy and burns clean.

I do not have words for how much I love all of their products.

Modern Shed

I wish I could talk my husband into this shed for our backyard.

My perfect coat rack

I've been looking for a cool coat rack for awhile. I want something by my backdoor, but I don't want it to be just any ol' hook.
Today I found just the thing!

This Victoria Butler Coatrack is perfect. It's modern, it's cool & it's totally practical!

Reversible Side Tables

I love these Reversible Side Tables from West Elm. They can interlock and create a larger table if needed.

Great design makes me so happy!

Great art for $20. Seriously.

I'm not the first, and I won't be the last talking about 20 x 200.
They put up two new pieces of art a week: one photo and one work on paper.

This is the best way to start your art collection. Hands down. Don't buy the ugly piece for your wall at the local furniture outlet. Buy something beautiful that you love! It doesn't have to break the bank.

Choosing organic

At our house we try to buy organic. I would say we buy about 50%, sometimes less. That's not a lot. The key word is try.
A lot of times organic is not available. Sometimes organic is just too expensive!
I know that some fruits & vegetables are more important to buy organic than others. My rule of thumb has always been if we eat the skin (strawberries, apples) than I try to buy it organic. If we don't (pineapples, bananas) then I don't worry about it as much.
Well, I just found a handy, dandy guide on Environmental Working Group's website. Go to there and sign up and you can get an iPhone App or a Download of the Guide of What to Buy Organic.
I just downloaded & printed it and I'm going to hang it on my fridge!

Bringing the outside in

I love these Boards by Joel. They sell them as trivets & coasters. I think I would just use it as a decoration. They are beautiful!

Whiskey Stones

One of my day jobs is in the stone business. I have a ridiculous love of stone.
I mainly deal with countertops, but when I see stone used other ways I really geek out about it.
I don't really drink whisky but I TOTALLY want these soapstone Whiskey Stones from Teroforma.

Buttered Up

I find this butter dish to be near perfection.
White ceramic + a sense of humor + cheap (only $12!).
Yes, near perfection indeed.

Want, want, want

That's what I feel like. I am always want, want, wanting.



So speaking of always wanting.....
I really would love to own I.M. Pei: Complete Works.

Green with Glamour

I thought I had mentioned this website here before....I guess not.

Anyway, I love Green with Glamour. It is my kind of company. I love their business practices and they've got cool stuff. Really cool stuff. Beautifully designed stuff. I may spend too much time swooning over things on their website.

Don't throw it away....Swap it!

When I was in college I used a website called Mrswap.com all the time. I swapped out cd's right & left. I loved it. Then it went out of business.
I recently found three new swap websites that I am excited to try...
*Paperback Swap
*Swap a cd
*Swap a dvd

In other news, I just decided I really enjoy the word 'swap'.

great advice

Although Ballard Designs isn't my typical style, I really love this company and their catalog that I receive in the mail and instantly devour.

In their newest catalog they featured an interview that House Beautiful did with Suzanne Kasler. Suzanne is an amazing Interior Designer in Georgia. She has an awesome book, Suzanne Kasler Inspired Interiors, & has her own home line. She is basically everywhere. She's awesome.

I'm veering off course though.
The very first question they asked in the interview was...

House Beautiful:
What advice would you give to someone who's thinking about redoing a room?

Her answer is my favorite answer. It's the answer I always give, and now that the infamous Suzanne Kasler is in print giving the same answer I feel justified.

Her answer....
"Be true to what you love. That's really the key to creating a space that feels personal. Buy things that you like, and don't worry about wheather or not they match. Matching is overrated."

House Beautiful:
But how do you know if it will all go together?

Suzanne Kasler:
"You don't. You may have to add or subtract once you get everything into the same room. But somehow, if these are all things you love, they will just naturally come together and complete a certain feeling. And that will express you and your style."



Perfect. Answer.

TasteBook

I like the idea of TasteBook.
I haven't joined yet, but I think I will.....

I Drink For a Reason

This is by far the funniest book I've read so far this year. Well, I shouldn't say read.....it's the funniest book I have listened to this year.

I totally recommend listening to it over reading it though. David Cross reads it & it's just wonderfully hilarious. He calls me (the reader) lazy many times throughout the book for not reading it & making him read it to me.

PLUS, Kristin Schaal (love her) reads as Dave Eggers at one point. Seriously, it's great.

Now go listen to it!

Green dogs

I'm loving these Eco Nap dog beds fro Eco Sumo.
Forty plastic soda bottles are recycled for the extra large bed! They are machine washable & made in the US. With a starting price of $29.00 these are a no brainer.
I'll take two please!

Indoor Plants

Indoor plants add warmth & a bit of the outdoors to your decor. I strongly recommend using a live plant in every room of your home.

Sidenote: Please, for the love of god, do NOT use silk plants! They are ugly & they just collect dust. It's 2010.... not 1985. It's time to throw them out!

Anyway, real plants are awesome not only for their looks, but they all absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. A new study from the University of Georgia shows they also filter out harmful indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
VOCs are emitted by cleaners, paints, adhesives, air fresheners, furniture & more. (Of course if you buy the low VOC products it helps)!

VOC's can cause headaches, respiratory problems, nervous system problems, cancer & many other health problems.

The study showed the best indoor plants to help with VOCs are...English Ivy, Purple Waffle, Wax & Purple Heart varieties.

Photo from The Bloomin' Idiot.

"Fall down seven times---get up eight."

~Japanese Proverb

Photo via visualize us.

Still tasty?

I hope I'm not the only one, but I am always wondering about expiration dates. What the difference is between "sell by" & "use by".
I don't want to waste food, but I don't want to eat bad food either!
Still Tasty has the answers to all my questions. GREAT website!

Now & Zen

I HATE alarm clocks. I HATE my alarm clock.
I once had an alarm clock that was a cd player. I put a Norah Jones cd in it that I loved. I thought it would be great. I now HATE that Norah Jones cd.
Unfortunately, whatever wakes me up in the morning makes me mad!

I think I may like the alarm clocks from Now & Zen though. They have soft, repeating chimes that wake you up gently. It's an acoustic sound that wakes you up gradually. The frist chime sounds, and then it's silent for the next 3 1/2 minutes. Over 10 minutes the chimes become closer together.

Plus, I think they look nice. :)

Recycled Aluminum Tiles

I am loving these Recycled Aluminum Tiles from Eco Friendly Flooring.

They come in all sorts of sizes & are available in aluminum or brass with three different finishes. The tiles are 100% recycled, you can't beat that!


Eco Friendly Flooring also has over 200 colors of recycled glass tile!
Great stuff, check it out!

Yes please!

I really want this showerhead from Kohler.

Great design, plus as you rotate the head it changes sprays. There are four different sprays, each totally different from the next.
PLUS it's only $105! How could I say no?

Free stuff!

I'm not a big fan of using coupons. I totally admire those who take the time & save the money....it's just not for me though.
My sister-in-law recently sent me to this website......http://www.freebies2deals.com/.
While she posts lots of coupons & stuff, she also posts about A LOT of free stuff!
And now I'm addicted!

Giveaway at Alice Lane!

I love Alice Lane's blog. I live in Utah & sadly I have not made it into their store yet! I will though, mark my words!

Anyway, they are hosting a great giveaway today. They are giving away a $100 gift certificate to their store!

Check it out....but I hope you don't win because I want to win. :)

Some people amaze me...

Are you a master diy-er?
I'm not.
But if I were, I would be all over making this awesome coffee table.
All over it.

There are those who give with joy,

and that joy is their reward.
~Kahlil Gibran

*This girl, my Golden Retriever-Mahlee, gives me more joy than most things in my life.*

Boogie Board Writing Tablets

I'm loving these Boogie Board Writing Tablets. I really think I need one for my fridge.

Epiphanie Giveaway

Okay, I totally die for these camera bags by Epiphanie. My birthday isn't until September & yet I already know what I am asking for. :)

My current camera bag is a black backpack. While it's an awesome bag for the camera & it's totally gender neutral for when my husband totes it around, it's not what I want for me. I want this hip bag!

Right now Epiphanie is doing an AMAZING give-away. They are giving away a brand new Canon 5-D Mark or a $2500 gift certificate to Southwest Airlines. Seriously? Best give-away ever! Go here to enter!

When things I love collide....

I love....
Tetris (like I really LOVE Tetris!) + Good design + Organization
These three things equal=
This freaking awesome shelf set.

Now, if I could only afford it....