All you need is a roll of wire and some pliers.

I stumbled across this DIY tea light holder idea from Remodelista via Pinterest the other day. It reminds me a lot of this very chic (and popular) hanging candle holder made from a wine bottle.

How to make it

The only materials you need for this DIY project are:

• pliers
• tea light candles
• your choice of colored wire

That’s it.

Here’s how to make the candle holders:

• Cut wire to desired length
• Shape wire with pliers
• Drop in tea light candles
• Enjoy

Of course if DIY isn’t really your thing, you can always fool your guests by buying some tea light candles that look like a regular incandescent light bulb when lit (and actually screw into light sockets).

Even though this candle holder project isn’t the aforementioned wine bottle version, wine bottles can be used in all kinds of great DIY projects!

What are some of your favorite simple DIY ideas?

You don’t have to wait until Cinco de Mayo to enjoy your favorite Mexican libation. According to Punchbowl.com, it’s National Margarita Day.

Of course all you have to do is use some tasty organic tequila in one of these margarita recipes and boom, National Margarita Day has become National Organic Margarita Day.

On another note, Punchbowl.com says its also World Thinking Day. I share @RhondaGassman on Twitter’s sentiment when she says, “Just saw that it’s World Thinking Day and Margarita Day. Let’s see what happens when I celebrate those two together.”

Hardy har har.

You know what Hemingway said, “Write drunk; edit sober.”

What’s your favorite tequila and/or margarita recipe?

[photo: mnapolean/Flickr]

These energy vampires are sucking the life out of your electric bill too.

Fortunately, any consumer can be turned into the finest Buffy-esque vampire energy slayer with the most minimal of training and weapons.

How much does vampire energy really affect your electric bill?

In 2010, the One Watt Initiative went into effect to restrict standby power of any new equipment to not more than one watt, but many of us have plenty of always plugged-in appliances and gadgets that pre-date the year 2010.

A 2008 U.S. Department of Energy study, Before the One Watt Initiative, found that standby power accounted for around 10% of total residential energy consumption.

In Britain in 2006, standby power accounted for 8% of all British domestic power consumption.

And the list goes on with very similar findings around the developed world. So yeah, vampire energy does still play a big part in wasted energy and wasted money on your electric bill.

Seriously? How can vampire energy suck that hard?

As I sit here in my office, the following electronics (all of which draw phantom load) are within arms’ reach and are always plugged in:

• Laptop
• External monitor
• External hard drive
• External speakers
• All-in-one printer
• Wireless Router
• Paper shredder
• NAS dongle

And again, that’s just at my desk. Granted, I use a Belkin Conserve Smart Power Strip to help keep vampire energy in my office at bay, but think about how many things in your entire home or apartment stay plugged in all day, every day.

How do you slay energy vampires?

Smart strips: I mentioned the Belkin smart power strip that I use in my office, but there are countless other smart power strips on the market that work equally as well. Smart strips work by allowing you to plug 2 (usually) devices into “always on” or “control” outlets, and the rest of the outlets are turned off after a pre-defined time period or a switch or, sometimes, the state of the device plugged into the “control” outlet.

Individual outlet power switches: Again, there are several of these on the market, but Belkin makes one of the best I’ve seen. They call it the Conserve Power Switch (pictured above). And yeah, this is the 3rd time I’ve mentioned Belkin, but no, I have no connection to Belkin — they just make some epic energy conserving devices. You plug this device into the outlet, plug the appliance into the device and a switch on the side allows you to completely shut off any phantom load attempted to be drawn by the appliance or charger.

Wall outlets with USB ports built in: Anything with a transformer built into the plug (like the big box/cube that the prongs extend out of on your iPod, iPhone, or other cell phone charger) is an energy vampire. Eradicating the need for those transformer-based chargers by installing a standard 2-plug outlet with built-in USB ports (so you can plug your USB cables directly into it) will cut down on the phantom load generated by charging your mobile devices.

Your hand: Sure you could use a power switch like the one mentioned above (or even an outlet that ejects the plug when the appliance goes into standby mode), but then again you can always just unplug any device that doesn’t need to be plugged in all day every day.

Contrary to what some folks have been saying, small steps around the home can — and do — add up to BIG energy savings.

How do you fight the would-be energy vampires that lurk about in every corner of your home, waiting to bleed you dry as you sleep? (Too dramatic? I think not.)

When someone who was a pioneer in a past life speaks, I listen.

Our unseasonably mild winter meant the gardening itch never truly hibernated. We have late March snow. Grass pops up. My raised beds taunt, “We could become cold frames you know…throw a little kale in us…”

AND…I want to join the farmer’s market vendors who mysteriously sell lush starter plants in mid-May. How do they do that?

They start indoors. In February.

Now the fun part. Seed shopping…

Organic vs. Conventional Seed

The benefits of buying organic seed are similar to organic food. You cast a vote for organic farming practices. You also, according to this expert, buy seed born to thrive in organic growing conditions.

Yet, like the food, organic seed prices can deter someone on a tight budget. Sticker shock of $3-5 per packet is hard to swallow. Realize that seeds are always cheaper than starter plants or fully-grown food. Some companies, like Botanical Interests and Fedco, offer very reasonable prices on organic seed.

If you can’t afford organic seed but want to avoid genetically modified (GM) seed, look for the Safe Seed Pledge.*

With “safe seeds”, you can recover that initial cost of seed if you save seeds from one year to the next.

Yield

The desire for bounty can outweigh the importance of planting alternatives to GM seed. As a novice gardener, I have not mastered organic growing. I stare in envy at the rows and rows of food tumbling out of one friend’s garden started with conventional seed. My meager offerings might be heirloom, Seed Saver plants. But isn’t the point to help sustain my family, not to spend limited resources and energy on growing two salads?

Lesson learned: Start with conventional seed to build your gardening chops. Then, once you find organic or non-GM seeds that produce high yield, stick with them.

Your germinating ability

Some seeds are easier to grow than others. I have yet to turn any type of pepper seed into a thriving plant. Rosemary eludes me. But stick a bean in my soil and watch it erupt like a cool time lapse photo.

If you’re unsure about your germinating powers, save some seed money to buy starter plants.

Reality

Ah, the lure of seed packet photos. You envision a harvest overflowing with shiny heirlooms. Enter your reality. Carrots put in clay soil come out like stubby toes. Your yard is actually half-shade, not the full sun needed for vegetables to flourish. Your growing season is too short for sweet potatoes.

Research your climate and map your property. Acknowledge your level of gardening ability.

Then set yourself up for success and pick seeds that will thrive for you.

Happy shopping!

* Over 70 seed companies have the Safe Seed Pledge, making it easier to find untreated seed. Is there one near you?

[Photo: Tatters/Flickr]

From the article:

One class of pesticides, neonicotinoids in particular has received a lot of attention for harming bees. In late 2010, the EPA came under fire from beekeepers and pesticide watchdog organizations. This happened when Colorado beekeeper Tom Theobald spoke out about how the EPA allowed clothianidin to be used without any proof it was safe and despite the fact that the EPA’s own scientists believed it “has the potential for toxic risk to honey bees, as well as other pollinators.”

Related cartoon: WTF?! EPA Says RIP to Bees.

Follow the rest of the Hank D and the Bee series at JoeMohrToons.com. For cartoon updates and other green goings-on, follow Joe on Twitter @GreenCartoons.

You love Pinterest. We love Pinterest. We’ve been on Pinterest for a few months now, and have really revved up our pinning in the last month or so.

There’s not a huge greener living presence on Pinterest yet, so follow us, tag us in your pins, or even ask to contribute to any of our boards and help us build that community on Pinterest!

Currently our DIY & Upcycling board seems to be the most popular, but all of our other boards are right there behind it.

You can also connect with us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Flickr, and even Foursquare. Yeah, we get around.

No worries, homemade chocolate treats taste so much better than the store bought, pre-packaged, and processed kind anyway.

Seeing as Valentine’s day is just around the corner, I have attempted several different recipes in the hopes one would pan out and my husband would be able to enjoy a tasty treat on February 14.

That said, I am not the best at following directions. I tend to deviate frequently from the recipe, and though sometimes this can be good, it honestly turns out to be a disaster most of the time.

Except for this time — I found a wonderful recipe Cacao Coconut Ganache Tart over at Rawmazing. I was nervous because I’ve never made a ganache before that really tasted good at all.

I accepted the challenged and made sure I had the ingredients necessary. Of course I did not, so I had to change it up a bit to fit what I had in the cupboard — and this is what I came up with.

(I’m also looking forward to making more of her recipes. Don’t you think raw doughnut holes sounds very tasty?)

Ingredients

Pecan crust

• 1 cup of whole pecans
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil

Cacao filling

• 1/2 cacao powder
• 1/4 cup of raw honey, agave, maple syrup
• 1/4 coconut butter or oil

Serving size: 5 delicious tarts

Pecan crust

The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of almonds and 1 cup of coconut. I decided to give pecans a try because they have a hint of natural sweetness to them…and I only had 1/2 cup of coconut. Therefore, I had to improvise.

Combine all 3 ingredients in a food processor. Scoop out the crust with a spoon and separate it between 4-5 small tart cups. Press down and place in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate filling.

Chocolate filling

You will need to melt the coconut butter/oil. To keep it raw, either melt it in your dehydrator or in a bowl immersed in warm water. Once the coconut butter/oil is melted, incorporate the cacao powder and honey. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of agave. I did not have agave. So I used raw honey and found 1/4 of a cup was plenty of sweetness for me.

On a side note, I added about 3-4 tablespoons of beet juice to try and give it a red hue. As you can see this did not workout in my favor. Next time, I may add about 1/2 cup of mashed raspberries to give it more of a red color.

Take the tart crust out of the freezer, and pour the filling into each tart. I had trouble not licking the entire bowl first. Once the tarts are filled with the chocolate, return them to the freezer until they get nice and hard. It could take anywhere form 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour. Take them out of the freezer and make sure to eat them right away because they will begin to melt quickly. You don’t want pecan mush and liquid chocolate in your hands?

Surprisingly, the tarts tasted fantastic, and I was able to shape one of them into a tiny heart. Not bad for a first time heart shape maker. What do you think?

Now my husband will be able to indulge in some chocolate treats with a tiny environmental footprint, come Valentine’s Day. I think this is a win-win for everyone.

Now I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that I will have some nice long stemmed herbs waiting for me in a vase.

The Model X is being described as something between a sleek crossover SUV and a minivan, but truthfully, I don’t see anything minivan-esque about it.

Here’s the Tesla Motors Model X rundown, via CNET,

In demonstrations with journalists this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stood up inside the car to show the ample available space, a feature that makes loading or entering and exiting easier. The Model X has three rows of seats and is able to hold seven adults and their luggage, something other SUVs makers cannot claim.

The electric powertrain is also behind another key feature of the Model X–its optional all-wheel drive system, built around one motor for the front wheels and another for the back.

The precision and instant power the motors provide, which can be adjusted thousands of times a second by the car’s computer, will make it a very functional all-wheel drive vehicle capable of driving anywhere, according to Tesla.

The falcon wing doors, meanwhile, don’t benefit from the Model X being electric, but they help make Tesla’s cars distinctive and appeal to luxury clientele.

The Tesla Motors Model X will go on sale later this year, and is expected to fall in the $55,000 – $75,000 price range. Kudos to Tesla Motors for creating electric vehicles that the average joe would actually want to drive.

[Photo: Jalopnik.com]

Congrats and thanks to Jan Steinman for suggesting the goat! I’m not yet sure where I’ll go with her personality, but she’ll definitely be nicer than Wendy…

More on Backyard Goats

From Treehugger: Milking Backyard Goats in Urban San Francisco (Video)
From HuffPo: The Campaign to Bring Goats to Your Backyard

Follow the rest of the Hank D and the Bee series at JoeMohrToons.com. For cartoon updates and other green goings-on, follow Joe on Twitter @GreenCartoons.