Ideal Bite

Etsy.com’s my go-to for original, not-too-spendy artwork (my super-arty sister recently put up a couple of her pieces - check ‘em out), but as I’m decorating my new apartment I’ve found that it’s also a great source for flea market-y stuff (with something new to tempt me almost every day), like High Street Market (vintage kitchenware, refurbished fans, paintings), CoventGardenVintage (the brass apple bell would make such a cute paperweight), HindsvikVintage (‘60s clocks, pottery, and lighting). And what I Read the full post... 

One of my favorite DIY/decorating blogs Design Sponge announced this week that it’s putting its content (including a few Before & After projects of mine that they posted this year) into a big, 400-page decorating book – pure eye candy for peeps who love design. I’ve been playing around with old furniture for a while now – some hits (I spent the weekend reupholstering this 1960s club chair – my carpal tunnel aches as I type) and some misses (there was one that involved a floor lamp and some rope) but I’m always up for a makeover – it’s kind of like editing, I think. It’s fun to see what other people do too to keep mostly nonrecyclable furniture outta the dump Read the full post... 

Rather not sport an Olympic-size heating bill this winter? Put a few of these energy-saving tricks in play (and look for our Guide to Getting Cozy in October), and you'll cut costs while staying as warm as that runner with the torch.

1. Have HER Do It
Most of these jobs are dummy-proof, but if your idea of a screwdriver comes in a glass, hook up with a pro. Find a home energy rater (HER), about $250-$600 per visit, or call your local utility company (sometimes free) to pinpoint where your home's wasting energy and how to fix it (or who can fix it). You'll likely make your money back in savings during the first year, postrepairs. Find a HER here.

2. Switches of Eastwick
Cheap and easy: Use AM Foam Outlet and Switch Gaskets (just $0.10 Read the full post... 

Our house has dark wood floors that show every little speck of dust, but that’s not why we made the decision to go shoeless at home. 

No, the real instigator was my daughter Roxie, 1, and the moment she decided to start licking the floor. That’s what babies do, I know (a pretty logical way to figure out the world actually), and kids do need to be exposed to some germs to build their immune systems, but come on. Precautions seemed more than in order.

Consider where you walk each day - sidewalks, lawns, public transit. Would you want you kid to lick the bottom of your shoe? Or wipe it on her face? But that’s essentially what we do to kids when we Read the full post... 

For the past month I have been desperately seeking a fabric to make Roman shades for my new apartment. My interior designer friend selflessly spent her Sunday showing me materials in her office's fabric library, a whole basement fulla swatches (read: my porn).

While the fabrics were gorgeous, I did come across vinyl ones (which release carcinogens during and after production) and many coated with Teflon (also likely a carcinogen) for durability. The textile market's snail-like about going green, but a few smallish designers are coming up with pretty fab prints on organic cotton (the USDA says U.S. cotton farms used 52.25 million pounds of pesticides in 2008 – there go more cancer-linked chems).

If you sew or just like

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I did it! I wallpapered my kitchen. I was nervous about it - I kept having flashbacks of my mom wallpapering our bathroom in the ’80s…and the bubbles (the bubbles!). But last weekend I was ready to tackle it and 4 hours later: total success. Here, some eco papers I love:

• Graham and Brown Wallpaper – modernish prints, no VOCs, sourced from forests where every tree chopped down three get planted, and compostable packaging. Plus, prints with bird feathers and

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I recently blogged about how to recycle your couch and what a big deal it is to buy a new one. It’s a pricey purchase, for one. So last week when I bought a new custom sofa for the first time I went into a complete panic attack. There was no going back – the commitment had been made. I chose the fabric, the color, the legs, the size, and, poof, $1,500 gone.

But I’d been searching forever for something with about 10 must-haves (I got 8 of them), including being relatively eco. I ended up going with one from a local store and made in LA (a short trip from SF) vs. China or North Carolina, like a couple others that didn’t make the cut. I reduced the fuel needed to ship it plus cut down on CO2 emissions.

I did find a few sofas made with eco-materials at the big stores, Crate & Barrel, CB2,

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Why we humans think we can improve on nature - which was had millions of years to hone its processes - is beyond me. But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

The New York Times blogged last Friday about a Minnesota company that looked around at its state's 10k crystal-clear lakes and had an epiphany: It's the moss.

Most folks with pools dump chlorine in periodically to kill the bacteria and keep it clean (even though there are other options, ahem). But chlorine, though potent, isn't exactly gentle - and you have to keep adding it because it gets eaten up by things called Read the full post... 

This weekend I’m ending my roommate-ship and moving into my own place. I sold all my stuff when I came here 2 years ago from NY so I’m traveling light, but still, even a minimalist like me can amass a lot after 2 years, so I’m hiring movers.

I’m trying to be as green as possible during the move – I scored boxes from my local grocer before they tossed ‘em (after a failed attempt to find reused ones online), I purged some clothes at Goodwill, dropped off fabric and paper scraps at Scrap here in SF, which takes that sort of stuff for artists and teachers, and I recycled a couple paint cans at a nearby hardware store (note: I just went to my local paint store to find out what to do with the

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Ok, it’s not pretty but in NYC sometimes you have unwanted roomies like bugs (see how to banish creepy crawlers) and mice. Thankfully, Carissa Potenza from Green Space NYC shows us how to give rodents an eviction notice with an easy DIY home remedy using peppermint oil. Mice and rats hate the smell and will bypass your home for the one next door - which is perfect revenge for that neighbor who won’t turn her heavy metal down. We joke, make some for yourself and if you’re feeling generous, your neighbors too.

Mice Ain’t Nice Repellents
Makes 10 repellent balls

What You Need:

• 1 bottle of peppermint oil – the real stuff not peppermint scented

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