Green Your Decor

Free-for-All Friday: We’re in Maintenance!

jennae — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:45:03 +0000

I took this photo of Ja’Naya last weekend when we were playing at the park. It is a great reminder that we have so much to be thankful for. This week, though, our thanks are tenfold. She has officially reached the “maintenance” phase of her treatment! This means that weekly visits to the clinic will be reduced to every other week, then monthly. Regular readers will know how big a deal this is, but for those of you who are new to Green Your Decor, feel free to read about my daughter’s diagnosis and her hair

This is just in time too! She turns 5 on Tuesday, August 2, and will start kindergarten exactly a week later. I can’t begin to tell you how happy we are that the hardest part of her treatment is finally over! She’s still taking meds, but overall, she’s in great shape. The smile in the photo above should tell you that Plus, her hair is already starting to grow back. She has a thin layer of peach fuzz over her whole head.

And because I rarely post photos of myself, here’s my new favorite photo of the hubby and I, taken the same day as the ones above. We celebrated our 7-year anniversary on July 20, and we couldn’t be happier. Oh, how I love this man!

In a side note, I have a professional photo shoot this weekend! I entered the “See Me Shine” contest from Creative Soul Photography and Execumama a while back. The idea was to write a post doing what so many women forget to do most days: Celebrate what we love about ourselves. It took me a while to write, but if you’d like to see my entry, you can read it over at Green & Gorgeous (yeah, I DO post over there once in a while…lol). Imagine my surprise to find out I had won the contest! The prize is a photo shoot with Creative Soul along with a makeup session from Ivy LaArtista. Both their work is awesome and I am SO excited! I still have no clue what I’m wearing, but I can’t wait to share the results of that shoot with you. Wish me luck!

Free-for-All Friday: We’re in Maintenance!

Amenity Hemp Pillows are Just as Fabulous in Person (+Giveaway)

jennae — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:44:41 +0000

When it comes to stylish, eco-friendly home textiles, the first company that always comes to mind for me is Amenity. I can always rely on them to deliver flawless, nature-inspired style, and I never have to question their commitment to the environment. So when I learned that they are gearing up to debut their new fall collection, I couldn’t wait to share that news. I don’t have photos yet, but I am willing to bet it’s going to be fabulous!

To make way for the new collection, Amenity is having a huge sale on some of their older designs, including their hemp pillow collection. The ladies at Amenity were also kind enough to send me one of their hemp pillows to review. Given that I’ve had my eye on them for a while, I jumped at the chance to see a pillow in person, and it did not disappoint.

Amenity’s signature is their bold, graphic prints, and I received the Trail Pillow in silver. I have one word to describe it: Glam! I love this pillow! You can see it at top staged on my yard sale chair with an equally pretty silver, organic cotton purse I bought myself for Christmas last year. And above, it’s happily at home on my bed with two other pillows that are also eco-friendly. It is a great way to balance the silver from our bedside lamps.

Why It’s Green:

Made of 55% Hemp, 45% Certified Organic Cotton fabric
Printed with non-toxic, water-based dyes
Printed and sewn locally in Los Angeles.
Eco-fill fiber generated from spun recycled bottles

Price: $29-99 You can also get an additional 40% off their already low sale prices with coupon code “EXTRA40.” Exp. 8/1/10

(review)

Want to win?

Amenity wants to give one of my readers the chance to win two hemp pillows in the style of your choice. So how do you enter? Visit the Amenity site, and tell me which pillows you would want if you won, PLUS one other item you like from their other collections. If you do one, but not the other, your entry will be disqualified. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 2010, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

Amenity is also doing a HUGE summer giveaway via their Facebook page! You can win a $1000 bedroom makeover with a prize package that includes your design choice of: 1 organic duvet cover, 1 sham set, 2 wall art prints, and 2 18″x18″ hemp pillows. Like Amenity on Facebook and enter their giveaway, then come back here and leave a comment telling me that you did. How sweet is that? Two entries for the price of one! But you only have until August 1 to enter the Facebook giveaway, so do it quick!
If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 2010. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. Current subscribers must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber to be entered.
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Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 2010, to enter. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

Amenity Hemp Pillows are Just as Fabulous in Person (+Giveaway)

Crafty & Creative: Soda Can Wall Art from Creations by Ingrid

jennae — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:37:18 +0000

I will readily admit that I totally suck when it comes to creative upcycling. I can easily imagine a glass jar being used as a container for small items or a flower vase, but it is hard for me to see past its jar-shaped form to imagine it as anything else. That’s true for just about any other material I put in the recycling bin. I can imagine furniture with a new finish, but I can’t reimagine a cereal box as a magazine holder — at least not on my own. So when I find truly creative upcycling projects, I am happy to feature them. This wall art from etsy seller creationsbyingrid1 certainly qualifies.

The framed word collages are made from soda cans and sewn on to acid-free paperboard. First, it’s difficult for me to imagine cutting pristine letterforms out of soda cans. But second, it is even harder for me to imagine then sewing those letters onto paper without ruining them. It looks like it would take a lot of patience. The final look is a far cry from its humble beginnings. This will make me think twice before I recycle an aluminum can again.

Why It’s Green:

Made of upcycled soda cans
Handmade

Price: $29-45

Crafty & Creative: Soda Can Wall Art from Creations by Ingrid

I Want to Try This: Upholstered Bed on the Cheap

jennae — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:07:00 +0000

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen an upholstered bed that I wanted, but couldn’t afford, I’d probably be able to buy one of those uber-expensive beds by now. But since there are no nickels coming my way, I’ll have to settle for the ingenuity that is never lacking across the decor blogosphere. Like me, Daniel Kanter of Manhattan Nest wanted an upholstered bed, but didn’t want to give up his arm and leg in order to have it. And while I’m generally pretty averse to the particleboard playland that is IKEA, I make an exception in this case.

With a little vision and an old wool blanket from an Army surplus store, Daniel managed to turn the bare bones, $49.99 solid pine FJELLSE bed frame from Ikea (shown above) into the fabulously understated upholstered bed you see at the top. Yeah…I’m feeling that twinge of envy too.

After the cost of the bedframe, blanket and supplies, he spent less than $200. Plus, he has an incredible sense of humor and a writing style that will leave you cracking up. Check out how he created this with “a whole mess of staples.”

Oh, and lest you think this man’s genius is a one-shot deal, check out the custom desk he made from a curbside castoff table.

I rest my case.

Photos from Manhattan Nest

I Want to Try This: Upholstered Bed on the Cheap

Welcome Home: Eco-Friendly Doormats by India Rose

jennae — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:50:12 +0000

At the moment, the walkway to our front door is one of the least loved parts of our home. Sure, I could blame the property manager for not power washing the dust and cobwebs. But really, we haven’t paid a whole lot of attention to it either. Right now, we have a sorry excuse of a pleather doormat that we’ve had for years that does nothing to remove dust/grime/anything from the bottom of our shoes. And you know me… If we’re going to buy a new one, it has to be pretty, right? These coir doormats by India Rose via Burke Decor are a great start.

I love the color and patterns, though the orange honeycomb mat would probably be the best fit for our current decor. Honestly though, any of these would be a great choice and an easy way to spruce up the entry. We can’t paint the door or change the style of our apartment numbers, so the changes will have be small. Between a doormat and a few flowers or plants, I think we can make it happen.

Why It’s Green:

Made of coir fibers, which are made from discarded coconut shells

Price: $32/ea.

Welcome Home: Eco-Friendly Doormats by India Rose

Check Out Pure Green Living Magazine!

jennae — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:33:59 +0000

I don’t have a whole lot of time today, but I just wanted to give you a heads up about a new online magazine, Pure Green Living! It was designed and edited by Celine of the Pure Green blog and it is chock full of stylish, eco-friendly goodness. Celine is definitely a woman after my own heart!

Check Out Pure Green Living Magazine!

Thank Goodness for Yard Sales: My New Cane Chair

jennae — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:20:24 +0000

I went back and and forth about whether I would go to some yard sales this past weekend. Boy, am I glad I did! Look what I found:

I have some bright, beautiful plans for this little lady! She doesn’t have a name yet, but she had two sisters that I’m regretting leaving behind. They couldn’t all fit in my car, but I DID get the phone number of the lady hosting the yard sale. I think I’m going to call her up and see if they went unsold. As much as I try to tell myself we don’t have the space, I can already see that refinishing furniture is something I NEED to do. It’s just calling me!

Now to find some fabric…

Thank Goodness for Yard Sales: My New Cane Chair

Nice New Neutrals: Organic Bedding from West Elm

jennae — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:49:31 +0000

West Elm has a knack for creating bedding designs that make me seriously consider redecorating my entire bedroom around them. Of course, there’s only so much redecorating my husband can stand. But don’t these photos make you feel the same way? Maybe it’s the moody, effortless way some of the rooms are styled, but they have a way of making me feel like curling up in bed for the rest of the day. Sort of like the way you feel on a rainy day, but in a good way.

The fact that West Elm is throwing all these beautiful designs at their organic bedding collection makes it even better. It is so easy these days to have bed that is both organic and stylish, so there’s really no excuse for choosing bedding made of cotton grown with tons of pesticides.

Why It’s Green:

Made of organic cotton
GOTS certified

Price: $29-99

Nice New Neutrals: Organic Bedding from West Elm

Before & After: Mainline Desk Makeover (+Kilz Review & Giveaway)

jennae — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:09:27 +0000

Before I begin this post, let me just say that I know there will be people who will hate what I did with the Mainline desk I revealed to you last week. I know that there are mid-century and wood purists who will say I ruined it and should’ve left it the way it was. After spending a few days with it, I decided I was OK with that, and I LOVE the after, whereas I only LIKED the before. So here goes nothing:

I initially planned to paint it white, but because I have other pieces in the room that are more of an “off white,” and I wanted a little more color in the space to complement the orange, my husband and I decided to paint it light blue. The color is difficult to see in the daytime, but I’ll post more pics of it once I put the computer back on it an redecorate the area. But can I just say that I LOVE it? Really. I can’t say that enough. The new chrome and white ceramic hardware really makes a statement against the blue.

The first step was sanding, and I left the heavy lifting to my husband. Thankfully, we recently invested in an electric sander, so the job took about an hour rather than days. After wiping it down thoroughly, we primed it with the new KILZ Clean Start zero-VOC, low-odor primer. Let me just say that this stuff is THICK. While we didn’t have any stains to cover, we did have a lot of wood to prime. Even with the thickness, it took about two and a half coats (the last was very light) to get the even coverage we wanted before starting with the blue. You can see how it looked after one coat in the photo below. I admit that I was a little peeved by this at first, since I was hopeful that a single coat of such a thick primer would be enough. My disappointment, however, was short-lived.

Scatterbrain that I am sometimes, we primed and began to paint the entire desk before realizing that we had forgotten to prime the drawers. And the lazy person that I am sometimes, I decided to paint the drawers sans primer. It was then that I truly realized the value of a good primer. The body of the desk took just two coats of blue for me to achieve the color I wanted. The drawers? Five coats of blue to match the color on the rest of the desk.

Just so you have an accurate picture, here’s one last before…

And after…

This may not have been the best project on which to test the power of KILZ, but I definitely plan to use it again when we paint our dining room, which has fallen victim to a summer full of kids’ careless hands and grubby fingers. I will say, however, that it had almost NO smell — even when I sniffed just inches from the paint tray. Assuming it covers odors and stains as well as every other KILZ primer on the market, which I have used in the past, I will definitely be switching to this version.

Want to try it?

The folks at KILZ are graciously giving one of my readers the opportunity to win a gallon of Clean Start primer to help with your next painting project. The winner will also receive a $100 Home Depot gift card. So how do you enter? Tell me how you’d use the primer and gift card if you won. Would you paint a piece of hand-me-down furniture? Give a room a quick makeover? Spill the beans for a chance to win!

Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 2010, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, Friday, July 30, 2010. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. Current subscribers must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber to be entered.
If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address.
“Like” Green Your Decor on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall. Then leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 2010, to enter. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

Before & After: Mainline Desk Makeover (+Kilz Review & Giveaway)

Pillows in Mod Green Pod Fabrics at Room & Board? Looks Like It!

jennae — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:00:02 +0000

I am not ashamed to admit that I subscribe to about a zillion furniture and homewares retailers’ newsletters. Most days, they are devoid of anything I’d want to feature, but this week’s email from Room & Board turned up a few gems. Their new pillow collection appears to include organic fabrics from Mod Green Pod. Room & Board doesn’t specifically identify the fabrics as being organic (just cotton), but I immediately recognized MGP’s Bloom, Atticus and Glimmer fabrics!

I am so happy to see such a large retailer carrying fabrics from a small, green company like Mod Green Pod. I’ve made no secret of my love for their patterns, so this is a welcome sight. And it’s a great solution for people who love the fabrics as much as I do, but don’t trust themselves with a sewing machine (although you CAN work wonders with iron-on hem tape these days!) You will, however, get a lot more for your money if you buy yardage of the fabric, but I just wanted to show you these new, pre-made options.

Why It’s Green:

Made in the U.S.
Covered with organic fabrics from Mod Green Pod, which are grown, woven, and printed in the U.S. using non-toxic pigments

Price: $49

Pillows in Mod Green Pod Fabrics at Room & Board? Looks Like It!

Simple Centerpiece: Recycled Paper Bouquet Vase

jennae — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:49:14 +0000

You all probably already know from my sunburst mirror that I have an affinity for home decor made of recycled magazine pages. There’s something to be said about turning a material destined for the recycling bin into something beautiful that you’ll keep around for a long time to come. These paper bouquet vases are beautiful on their own, and even more so when single flowers are placed in the test tube bud vases dispersed throughout the vase.

I think I’m going to get one of these for my desk. It will be a place to put a few freshly picked flowers to brighten up my work day and an homage to my days as a newspaper and magazine designer. It looks like it would also make a great pen cup, although it might be hard to find them among all the pages.

Why It’s Green:

Made of recycled magazine pages

Price: $25

Simple Centerpiece: Recycled Paper Bouquet Vase

Green Steal of the Week: Round Maize Rugs for $20

jennae — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:23:56 +0000

Some people are against using area rugs on top of wall-to-wall carpet, but if you’re a renter like me and have no choice about your flooring, you can likely appreciate the power of an area rug to transform an otherwise boring space. Not to mention that it is covering up carpet that may not have been changed through several tenants. These maize rugs from World Market are both stylish and affordable, currently on sale for just $20.

I have never felt a rug made of maize, but from the looks of it, the texture is probably similar to jute. In other words, it probably won’t be the most comfortable surface. However, it looks like it would be great in a high-traffic area, or maybe under a round dinner table where you may not want to put an expensive rug anyway — especially if you have spill-prone kids. At this price point for a 5-foot round rug, it wouldn’t be expensive to find out.

There are four colors to choose from (red, green, brown and blue).

Why It’s Green:

Made of woven maize

Price: $19.99 (on sale from $29.99)

Green Steal of the Week: Round Maize Rugs for $20

Before & After: New Upholstery for my Steelcase Amia Chair

jennae — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:08:42 +0000

Slowly, but surely, I’m working on our office space. As I mentioned in the post about the curtains, it is the very first room you see as you walk in the front door, so I really want it to be beautiful. The color scheme is orange, blue, black and white. Clearly, my beloved green Steelcase Amia chair stuck out like a sore thumb. Not to mention the fact that nearly two years of wear and tear really had done a number on it’s upholstery. I’m almost embarrassed to show the photo above. It is easily the most comfortable office chair I had ever owned, but it was no longer the most stylish.

Something had to be done. I bought several yards of Mod Green Pod’s organic cotton Aspire fabric a LONG time ago with the intention of making some pillows and reupholstering a chair that I ended up donating to Habitat for Humanity. Since that never happened, I had that beautiful fabric just sitting in my craft bin waiting to be used. It was a perfect fit for the Amia, since it is a fairly rugged, home decor weight fabric meant to stand up to constant use.

How do you like her now?

I was skeptical at first about pairing the Aspire pattern with the orange I already had on the windows, but I like it. Aspire is a very deep slate blue — almost gray, actually. It’s a nice complement to the lighter blues I’m using throughout the rest of the space.

I will admit I was petrified to take apart this $600 chair, afraid that I would irreparably damage it. But once I removed the back from the base with a few screws and some elbow grease, the rest was pretty easy. The plastic base came apart from the front of the chair in a few snaps, and all it took was a few staples to secure the fabric. The bottom of the chair back required a special strip that snapped into the frame. This strip was attached to a piece of stretchy fabric that was then sewn into the seam of the green fabric. Since I couldn’t remove this necessary part without ruining it, I had to improvise around this obstacle. I folded the fabric and stapled it into the seam so the staples wouldn’t be visible. I think I did pretty well, and it’s invisible unless you flip the chair over and inspect it carefully.

I totally cheated on the seat. I didn’t have the right tool to remove the seat from the chair base. So what did I do? I used a flat head screwdriver to push the fabric snugly between the seat and the plastic base. The fit is very snug and secure, and I almost wish I had just done the same with the back. Then it would be really easy to remove when I decide to change the fabric again. Since I plan to own this chair for a very long time to come, it’s nice to know that I can change the fabric as my mood and decor changes. I wish still wish I could be spending my days working from a vintage tulip or lucite chair, but something tells me this is a lot more comfortable.

I’m pretty happy with this makeover that cost me nothing but some fabric I already had.

Before & After: New Upholstery for my Steelcase Amia Chair

Weekend Thrifting: The Refinisher in Me is Dying to Come Out

jennae — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:44:37 +0000

This summer hasn’t left me with a lot of time to go to thrift stores or yard sales (or do anything else, really), but I did do a little thrifting this weekend. That small trip solidified my desire to refinish outdated furniture for resale. Some of the gems I found, but had to leave behind:

I fell in love with this cane back barrel chair immediately. Sure, it’s ugly now, but it would be really easy to reupholster, since the two cushions aren’t attached to the frame. I would love to see it painted yellow, or some other bright color, with a new fabric to bring it into the 21st century. I was THIS close to buying it, since it was only $20 and small enough to fit in my trunk. But alas, it was not meant to be.

As you can see in the photo above, the cane was breaking away from the frame in the back of the chair. I had no idea how to fix it and didn’t want to take the chance that it couldn’t be fixed at all.

Next, I stumbled upon this beauty. The finish screamed 80s, but it is solid wood, the drawer pulls are fabulous and the clean lines would make it a breeze (relatively) to refinish. I envision this one in a moody gray with the metal refinished in a matte silver and patterned paper lining the drawers. Can you picture it? My husband was almost as excited about this one as I was, and that’s saying a lot!

This side table must be the dresser’s cousin. It has similar lines and handles, although the finish of both the wood and metal are completely different. Again though, it was solid wood (no particleboard or veneer), and I loved the handles. They were, however, broken, and I knew it would take some digging to find hardware of the right size to replace them.

And last but not least, the piece(s) de resistance:

I LOVE this dining set, and it was only $80 for all 5 pieces. I’m sure this is because of how dated and grungy they look currently. But I saw waaay past that to how they “could” look. I had to take closeups of the table base and a single chair so you can really see why I was so excited.

All I’ll say is high gloss black and fabulous fabric. That glass top would be beautiful! I do wish the chairs weren’t on casters, but I could look around that one imperfection. The bamboo and cane strapping it all together was in excellent condition, with no signs or fraying or wear. But since I have a very small car, what did I bring home with me?

A $5 turned wood lamp to paint for my almost-complete office space (more to come on that later today) and a bronze duck that will get a spray paint treatment later this week. He’s a little lopsided, but he was too cute to leave at the store. Plus, he was only $2.

That dining set was single-handedly responsible for me calling around to storage facilities to find an inexpensive space where we can store our treasures until we can refinish and sell them. I definitely feel a new business coming on…

I’m linking to Southern Hospitality’s Today’s Thrifty Treasures Party. Stop by and see what everyone else found!

Weekend Thrifting: The Refinisher in Me is Dying to Come Out

Pretty Prints: Organic Pillows from Ferm Living

jennae — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:00:45 +0000

It is amazing to me than nearly a year after I started looking, I still haven’t settled on pillows for the living room. But I guess sometimes it’s the smallest choices that hold us up the longest. Still, I have a great time looking for prints and patterns I can pair together without clashing, and these new organic pillows from Ferm Living would be beautiful paired with solid or prints with similar colors.

Beside that, they’re just pretty!

Ferm Living also has a variety of pillows made of silk, felt and a linen/cotton blend.

Why It’s Green:

Made of organic cotton with down filling

Price: $65.95

Pretty Prints: Organic Pillows from Ferm Living