Tap Water Bottle

I love that this bottle comes in two sizes. It can be difficult to find chic reusable glass bottles in a more compact size. The smaller of the two bottles is definitely on my wish list!

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Tap Water Bottle

Friday Give Away: Natural Bug Killer

I am SO excited today to share with my readers UD’s first official give away!!

Spring is in the air! I can smell it and feel it! That mean warm weather is just around the corner which also means the arrival of bugs. J and I had a conversation the other night about how we are going to need to come up with some more natural alternatives for pest control for the home now that we have Berkley. But before I could do much research the fabulous people over at EcoSmart contacted me offering a free “Safe Home Value Bundle” to share with one of my readers!!

EcoSmart offers a variety of safe pest control solutions that are based on the natural defences that plants and trees use for their self protection against insects. The botanical oil blends used in their products are a natural bug killer that has no adverse effect on humans or pets and will not contaminate water sources. Contest Details:
The winner of this contest will receive a Safe Home Pest Control Bundle ($31 value)!! The Safe Home Value Bundle includes:
– Ant and Roach Killer (14 oz can)
– Home Pest Control (24 oz spray bottle)
– Flying Insect Killer (14 oz can)
– Insect Repellent (6 oz bottle)

Post a comment below by March 18th at 12:00 a.m. CT sharing why you want/need the value bundle. I will select a winner on Friday March 19th and contact them with the details of how to collect the bundle. (please note that this contest is open to all readers in the US, except those in AK & HI)

Window Seating Chart

How fun are these old windows as an alternative seating chart for an event!? Plus they are something you can totally use again and a green alternative to paper escort cards!

Photo Courtesy:

erin.ever.after

Coffee Cuff

LOVE: Treating myself once a month to a Starbucks coffee.

HATE: The cuff they give you so you don’t burn your hand…what a waste of paper.

COMPROMISE: These adorable coffee cuffs! They double as jewelry and help to save a little room in a landfill…a win-win all the way around!

Photos Courtesy:

Contexture Design

Solar Lanterns

Sad but I am already looking forward to summer and I still have three more months of nasty cold weather here in Chicago :( I can still dream though so I thought I would share these fun solar lanterns from Allsop Home & Garden that glow with out the hassle of cords and just need a little sunshine during the day. I love being green and chic at all the same time!

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Allsop Home & Garden

Tumbleweed

How beautiful would it be to incorporate tumbleweed into your next tablescape or use it as extra décor??!! Love it, love it, love it! Earthy unique décor elements scream me and this for sure is my new favorite find :)

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Real Tumbleweeds

Score One for Recycling

I love when people turn someone else’s garbage into a fabulous treasure of their own and that is exactly what Marisa did over at make*happy! She took a weathered old scoreboard from a local community youth baseball field and turned it in to the perfect finishing touch for her entryway. She was able to cut off the bottom keeping the numbers and the word "Inning” and then simply add hooks under each number to make it an adorable coat rack! She also saved the portion of the scoreboard that said "Guest" to eventually use in her guest room!

I am definitely feeling very inspired by Marisa’s creativity and it has got me wondering, have you salvaged anything recently that you were able to turn into something delightful?

Photos Courtesy:
make*happy

Clever Packaging

I am such a sucker for good packaging and when I stumbled across the Help Remedies product line I was hooked! And then they teased me even more with all the fun extras on their web site like games and design your own t-shirts with the “help I…” theme.

However one of my most favorite parts about the product line is that their packaging is made of molded paper pulp and a bio plastic made primarily of corn. In fact you can actually watch one of their packages as it biodegrades live on thier site. This package below actually has mushrooms growing out of it!

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Help Remedies

Eco Tablescape

I absolutely fell in love with the rustic chic look of this tablescape and was even more excited when I saw that Carissa from JL Designs actually provided the tips on how to make it happen! This would be an awesome tablescape this fall for an upcoming dinner party. I could even see working in some aspen or birch branches for even more texture and height.

Carissa suggests using the following items when recreating this gorgeous table!

• 3-5 glass apothecary jars from places like TJ Maxx or Homegoods
• Clear glass votives candles from places like Ikea or Michaels
• 1-2 bags of moss and 5 dried fungi caps from places like Michaels
• 1 potted fern plant and 5-7 succulents of different varieties from places like Home Depot or Target
• Optional: wood chips from home depot, fresh crimini mushrooms from a grocery store, pieces of knotted grapewood branches, etc.

Photos Courtesy:
Jasmine Star

Fabric Wraps

I have been wrapping quite a few gifts lately and every time I can’t help but think about how un-green traditional gift wrap is. When I saw these fun fabric gift wraps on Chewing the Cud the other day I just knew I had to order some. They totally inspire me to pull out any old scraps of fun fabric I have laying around and get to wrapping!

They even give you a fun how-to wrapping guide!

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Chewing the Cud

DIY Succulent Place Card Holders

When I saw these adorable little potted succulent place card holders on Yes, Please and Style Me Pretty I screeched and knew I had to share them. They are so cute they have me smiling! The best part is that Kelly over at Yes, Please has shared all her tips and tricks for making these easy succulent place card holders!

Photos Courtesy:

Yes, Please

Succulent Love Designs

Style Me Pretty

Spring Planting

All the rain we have been having in Chicago has got me thinking about spring planting season. However, “planting season” in the city can mean something very different for those of us with no yard and rooftop decks! That said, the Earth Box is lifesaver when it comes to growing your favorite veggies in small spaces.

The system comes with everything that you need and is wheel-mounted allowing you to move it to take advantage of the sun at anytime of the day. In addition, it has a built-in watering and feeding system that helps maintain growing conditions (this is key for people like me who don’t have a green thumb).

Several people I know have said they grew more tomatoes using the Earth Box last year than they have in years. Might be worth checking out if spring’s showers have your green thumb itching!

Photos courtesy Earth Box and Southern Living