J.H. –New York

Cheryl: Here’s my answer. It sounds like you’ve placed your desk in the right position which is diagonal from the door, preferably with a wall behind you for support and in the command spot which is the place where you can see who’s coming in. This will keep your nervous system relaxed since no one will be able to sneak up on you. That translates into increased productivity. About your open and visible wires, you are absolutely right; It’s not very uplifting to see that mess as you step into your work space. My favorite solution is to measure the back of your desk (that open space where the wires are hanging out) and then go to your nearest fabric store to buy a piece of material. Try to find eco-friendly fabrics like organic cotton, hemp, flax or wool and with that you can create a skirt which looks beautiful and hides all your wires. My favorite way to attach the fabric to the back of the desk is with velcro. It works like magic. I think you’re going to love it. Let me know how it goes.

CJ

Do you have a silly fondness for bees? I do! I have a bit of an obsession and find that adding a smattering of bees to Hint jewelry designs is just the thing to brighten my day. Their seemingly merry social structure fascinates me, and I have been known to watch Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno: Bee multiple times in one sitting to produce an extreme case of the giggles.

Seriously though, beyond their dramatic mating habits, a bee is a powerful symbol of joyful purpose. I admire how they give their complete devotion and full loving attention to the task at hand. An ordered harmony exists between their desire to serve their community by gathering nectar and their ability to maintain balance in the world. No wonder ancient cultures revered the bee’s honey as divine food and honored this tiny insect as a Goddess in their artwork.

More importantly, maybe this long standing connection we have to the glorious bee as a feminine symbol is the reason its timely ecological demise has taken center stage. When a company like H·agen-Dazs sees fit to raise the level of our awareness of the current honey bee crisis with an elaborate educational Web site and plans for bee-friendly gardens, then it does seem we have hope for reconnecting with the universal feminine.

This milagro-styled necklace entitled Queen Bee is my poetic response to celebrating what is most feminine in all of us; the yearning to create!

Photo captions:

Queen Bee, Beth Hemmila: garnet, plum pearls, peridot, iolite, fine and sterling silver

For more on Beth Hemmila and Hint Jewelry, follow me.

Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.  Via: Wikipedia

“To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religion.” –Albert Einstein.

Love that hair.

It is a cold, rainy October day when my husband and I first taste the rosolio. The rain falls horizontally, and the National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Alert.

We are in the middle of a house renovation; and, because the roof is off, with only our cedar ceiling and a large tarp between us and the elements, leaks have sprouted around the windows and in certain places in the roof.

There’s no reason this should be happening—the house has been amply protected against the weather—except that the wind is so strong it blows its way behind the window trim and insinuates itself beneath our roof tarp.

As a quick remedy, we have lined the bottoms of the windows and French doors with plastic and newspaper.

A few plastic buckets are positioned throughout the house to catch steady drips. We’ve finished eating a lunch of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with a leek soup I made from the last of the leeks I pulled from the garden yesterday. Such a plebeian lunch, we decide, needs an elegant finish.

We get out our cut-crystal decanter and Georgian sherry glasses—petite, stemmed glasses with fluted bowls that I found in a junk shop north of here. We pour ceremoniously, the color of the rosolio a pale, almost tea-stained hue.

The scent is intense and alcoholic. I am pleased and surprised that the taste is multilayered—first, the essence of rose, almost like a perfume, then the vanilla, and a sweetness behind that, with a fiery finish. I feel it in my throat and down my windpipe. The recipe did say it would be strong, and the recipe is also right in that it is nice. My husband and I discuss possible refinements: Can I cut the fervent alcohol taste? Can I tame it just a little? We decide that tomorrow I will make another simple syrup of half a cup of sugar dissolved in a cup of water and add that to my brew to see if it banks the fire.

That night we dine with some friends. In their dining room on a side table are jars full of liqueur rouge, a southern French style of rosolio made of brandy, raspberries, red currants, and cherries. They made this batch of liqueur in July when they, in great fortune, found cherries, red currants, and raspberries ripe and available all at the same time. After forty days of maceration, our friends added simple syrup to taste.

They’ve been making liqueur rouge for years, after first trying their hand at using an old southern family recipe of peaches steeped in bourbon and sugar, started in July (when peaches are in season in Maryland) to be ready for drinking by Thanksgiving.

After a dinner of Cambodian curry flavored with peanuts, coconut milk, basil, cilantro, mint, and a hotpepper fish sauce, we taste their liqueur rouge. The digestivo is red in color, but clear, like cranberry juice, and I taste all three elements of the fruit with the raspberry and currant the strongest. It is slightly sweet, and our host tells me this bottle may have had a cinnamon stick added. We compare recipes and tastes, and talk of an orange liqueur made with a handful of coriander seeds. I wonder whether such a concoction, if I start now, would be ready by Christmas.

This is why I’ve spent the last four months preparing my rosolio, why I carefully cut the white moons off my rose petals before steeping them in pure alcohol: this is part of my philosophy of taste. Taste is connected to history, the history of the table, which is, after all, a narrative history, an oral history. The tongue experiences; the mouth tells a story.

At the table, we share these stories. My husband and I, alone in our leaking house, tasting our rosolio, reminisce about the rosolio we tasted in the mountains of Calabria.

We remember being at our friends’ table, talking of the myriad versions of after-dinner liqueurs and imagining how our stashes would get us through the fall and the long, cold Vermont winter.

I recall the generosity of hosts in Italy who plied us with their regional, or family, liqueurs. I remember an Easter dinner at the seaside near Rome where we stayed up late and tasted nocino, a green walnut liqueur, as well as limoncello and a home brew made by the caretaker of our host’s Rome apartment building, a brew so potent that it defies explanation. I wrote the recipes on the back of a paper napkin.

Yes, this is why I learned to make this rosolio: to quell the Demon Alcohol in my family’s history through the scrupulous attentiveness that is needed in performing the magic, the alchemy of capturing my garden in a bottle. This effort creates a new experience of alcohol, and it connects, to make two things at once, a recipe and a story, both shared at the table.

recipe for rosolio

Pick roses at the hottest point of the day—red roses, for they will impart more color and flavor to the alcohol. (If you do not have your own rose garden, I recommend procuring your roses from a friend or a local grower so that you can be certain that the blooms have not been treated with any chemicals.)

Separate the petals from the flower. Trim the white edge at the base with a knife or scissors. Weigh out 1¾ ounces petals, then steep the petals in a jar of 190 proof (95 percent) pure grain alcohol with a vanilla bean in a large canning jar. Close the jar and set aside in a dark place for two weeks. After two weeks, strain the liquid, removing the rose petals and vanilla bean.

Prepare a simple syrup by dissolving 1 pound sugar and 3¼ cups water. Add the simple syrup to the alcohol, return the mixture to the jar, and store for another two weeks.

At the end of those two weeks, filter and bottle. After your first tasting, more simple syrup can be added if desired to cut the hotness of the alcohol and suit your taste.

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I’ve heard many wonderful tales about the city of Quebec. Architecture happens to be among my favorites.  MocoLoco recently reported:

L’Ordre des architectes du Québec has announced the winners of their 25th annual Prix d’excellence en architecture. A mix of commercial, institutional and residential architecture. The Maison Bernier-Thibault  (shown above) won the Prix Marcel-Parizeau for a project that doesn’t exceed $150,000 (Paul Bernier, architect and Joëlle Thibault).

The prize for interior design went to Les Architectes Duchesneau & McComber for Lignes Aériennes, a loft conversion (shown above and below)  featuring unusual sleeping quarters.

I love the combination of natural materials and a modern design, without removing the concept of cozy. That plus the dark floors are simply yummy.

More here.

Get ready to be inspired…in Coco Eco (Diva) Style.

Recently, I had the honor of meeting Anna Griffin, founder and editor-in-chief of Coco Eco Magazine.

At the time, Anna was smack-dab in the middle of the crazy whirlwind of activity of working towards actualizing her dream - to create a revolutionary online magazine that spotlights the tenets of sustainability, beauty, and living an organically magnificent lifestyle - wrapped up in one gorgeous, green magazine called Coco Eco.

Today, after hard work and hundreds of hustle hours, the combined forces of a talented team of designers, photographers and writers have turned Anna’s vision into a reality we can all take pleasure in.

Anna (shown above) is now working on the 5th issue of Coco Eco which promises to introduce a range of talented eco designers from around the world.

With each issue, the magazine has managed to successfully find its unique voice. Some of the faces to have graced the cover of Coco Eco Magazine include Josie Maran, Summer Rayne Oakes, and fashion journalist Louise Roe.

I hope you enjoy learning about this brilliant entrepreneur, Anna Griffin, as much as I did, in the interview that follows here:

EcoDiva: Why did you choose the name Coco Eco for your magazine?

Anna: It really is an amalgamation of different thoughts and ideas, and a lot of hours of brain storming went into it, but to keep it simple, the name Coco Eco Magazine both pays homage to one of the world’s greatest style icons, Coco Chanel, whilst still emphasizing our environmental commitment and content.

EcoDiva: Why do you feel as though now is the perfect time to launch a glossy online eco magazine?

Anna: We are living in challenging times, whether because of environmental or economic reasons, and now is the time to look for solutions to these problems.  Living an eco conscious lifestyle provides so many answers to life’s current obstacles, and it was time to create a place where women from all over the world could find the information they needed in an entertaining and beautiful format.

EcoDiva: Who is your magazine written for?

Anna: Coco Eco Magazine has been created for today’s modern woman, who is concerned with looking her best, feeling her best, and being her best.   It’s for us girls who want to be mindful of our carbon footprint, and protect our environment, whilst still having fun and maintaining our femininity. The Coco Eco woman aspires to greatness. She understands her responsibility in the word and carries herself with confidence.  And she has a sense of humor!

EcoDiva: In this new market of green magazine, what makes Coco Eco Mag stand out from the crowd?

Anna: Coco Eco Magazine is becoming known as the first publication to merge eco-conscious living with high fashion, beauty, celebrity and stylish living.  Coco Eco Magazine is also the first publication to effortlessly fuse traditional magazine content with a digital format and the first to utilize the World Wide Web in bringing relevant global information and entertainment under one easily accessible brand. Coco Eco Magazine heralds a new era in publishing, one that doesn’t rely on printed editions that tax the environment. Instead, we offer online and downloadable copy firmly backing our stance as an eco-magazine with authentic purpose. Everything about Coco Eco Magazine has been considered with deep thought and well-conceived insight with regard to the environment, personal health, and wellbeing. The purpose of Coco Eco is to deliver the latest up to the minute in eco-fashion, glamour, beauty, travel and lifestyle, along with the most stylish eco-fashion pictorial as well as editorial.  And of course ALL of our content is green, including our celeb cover girls!

EcoDiva: With all of the confusion regarding what is TRULY organic, what criteria do you have in place for the organic and natural products you feature?

Anna: The confusion is actually around products labeled “natural” as this can mislead consumers into thinking they are organic.  The FDA refers to natural ingredients as “ingredients extracted directly from plants or animal products as opposed to being produced synthetically.” If a product is organic, it will carry the USDA ORGANIC label and the same goes for Fair Trade products, and animal friendly cosmetics also.  Of course the first thing we check with any product (natural or organic) we feature are the ingredients to make sure they are clean and contain no animal products/testing, parabens, phthalates, or petroleum.

EcoDiva: What type of articles and stories can we look forward to in future issues?

Anna: Presently, we are getting ready for Issue 5, our May/June edition which features Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost as our cover girl. It is also our first annual International Eco Fashion Issue with beautiful editorials from Asia, Europe, and the US to showcase what’s happening in the sustainable fashion industry on a global scale.  We are also looking at the Fair Trade industry with features on outstanding business models People Tree and Anti-Body, and celebrate with a Fair Trade product giveaway (valued at $500) in an effort to raise awareness of World Fair Trade Day (May 9th). In addition, our beauty column focuses on getting through the summer and beating the heat (and sun damage) whilst still looking gorgeous, and we sit down with Humane Society of the United States President Wayne Pacelle, in our Men We Love column.  There is also our eco-chic guide to San Francisco, plus Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, and so much more!

EcoDiva: So many people are changing their lives to be more earth friendly. Tell me about your personal journey to choosing green. When did you start getting involved in the environment?

Anna: I’ve always lived in balance with nature and been sensitive in my lifestyle choices, but felt an overwhelming call to action three years ago when the news about Global Warming was becoming so frequent, I couldn’t ignore it.  To imagine our planet being without such simple things that we take for granted, such as clean drinking water, or the thought that one day polar bears might only exist in captivity really shocked me. And of course after watching “An Inconvenient Truth,” there was no turning back.  I was compelled to get involved and make a difference.

EcoDiva: What are your some of your “green” personal and business practices?

Anna: I very rarely print anything anymore and I always reuse paper.  We also use a black screen for the Coco Eco Mag website as it uses less energy to light.  At home, I follow all the usual practices; reuse, recycle, switch off my tap when brushing my teeth, take reusable bags wherever I go, have short showers, unplug all my appliances, keep the lights off, use old rags for cleaning, carry a reusable bottle with me, have a water filter jug, buy local, etc.  The list goes on!

EcoDiva: How important do you think these kinds of changes are for you, personally?

Anna: For me, it was life-changing because once I started paying attention to my actions and making small changes, it infiltrated every area of my life, and I started to approach everything I did from an eco conscious perspective.  Plus, it feels good to know that in my own small way, I am making a contribution.

EcoDiva: What organic beauty/fashion products do you use & recommend?

Anna: Definitely the Nude Skincare line, especially the Replenishing Night Oil and the Advanced Eye Correction.  These are products that compete very well with their chemically laden, department store counterparts, but are good for you and the planet, and will leave your skin looking and feeling absolutely fantastic! Both Josie Maran Cosmetics and Jane Iredale top my list for both green and glam appeal. As far as fashion is concerned, I love Leila Hafzi whose gowns are as ethical as they are glamorous.  And of course Linda Loudermilk.  She is so innovative with fabrics and tailoring, and her pieces are exquisite.  When I’m feeling more cazh, I love pieces by Edun and the hot new tee line, LIV GRN.

EcoDiva: What books, movies, or CDs have been most helpful or inspiring to you?

Anna: The ultimate movie is of course “An Inconvenient Truth.”  Who wasn’t moved by that? And there was “Who Killed the Electric Car” and “The Eleventh Hour” which are also great films. My favorite books are Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability, The Green Book, Green Chic, and Sophie Uliano’s Gorgeously Green.  My most inspirational CD experiences definitely come from Dr Wayne Dyer.  I always listen to him when I need a bit of help.

EcoDiva: What’s the biggest eco falsehood you would like to correct?

Anna: Definitely that’s it expensive to live eco-consciously.  It’s really important to educate the mainstream that being green and eating right doesn’t have to cost anymore, and is accessible to everyone. Plus it’s so much fun and better than the conventional route, especially for us girls.  We are really spoilt for choice now!

EcoDiva: What’s your current obsession?

Anna: The Soap & Paper Factory’s All Natural Green Tea Body Scrub and Velvety Body Cream which are amazing products that are handmade and leave the skin silky smooth.  I’m also a huge fan of Tysa’s new bamboo collection which is a sexy line of dresses, and Love Heals jewelry.

EcoDiva: Who inspires you?

Anna: Al Gore, my parents, Gandhi, President Obama, Jane Goodall, and the many everyday people out there hustling to make the world a better place!

EcoDiva: How do you get things done?

Anna: I’m usually juggling a thousand things at a time and am definitely a huge multi-tasker!  I’m a list-maker also.  I find it really helps me to stay organized, and I always carry around my trusty notepad.

EcoDiva: What would you like to revolutionize?

Anna: Media!!!

EcoDiva: What’s the biggest green change you’d like to make in your life—even if it’s impossible right now?

Anna: Eventually I look forward to living in a green home, completely off the grid.

EcoDiva: What’s your favorite eco-friendly tip our readers should know about?

Anna: Change your deodorant!  There is no coincidence between the aluminum found in antiperspirants and the rise in breast cancer.

EcoDiva: What music is in your iPod or CD Player right now?

Anna: A bit of everything – John Coltrane, Thievery Corporation, Paul Van Dyke, Chopin, Frank Sinatra, Beyonce, Kanye, the Stones, U2, Prince, Radiohead, Oakenfold, Lenny Kravitz, Radiohead, and St. Germain.

EcoDiva: What’s the best green advice you ever received—and who gave it to you?

Anna: The best green advice I received was the first tip I ever got, which was to recycle.  My older sister Sarah inspired me to start doing it about 13 years ago, and it shifted how I related to the planet and my personal footprint on the environment.

For more on Coco Eco Magazine., follow this link.

On my college campus, there was a “Laughter Yoga” club, and I’d heard mixed reviews about it. However, one day when final exams rendered me incredibly grumpy, I decided to head over with my roommate to the “Laugh Chance” to participate in this club.

There were approximately twenty people all in a circle, in a grassy area on campus. As the meeting began, the sun was brighter than my mood.

Led by two other students, Sammi and Molly, we breathed deeply, in an adaptation of “yoga breathing,” and laughed as we introduced ourselves.

We then did a variety of games of “theme” laughter. For instance, “Kung-Fu” laughter involved pretending to kung fu fight, but instead of actually fighting we laughed. Each punch or kick was accentuated with a “Ha.” My personal favorite was “angry” laughter, in which we pretended to be angry, but instead of yelling, we laughed. My goodness, did we look awkward!

After the club meeting, we talked to Sammi, who turned out to be quite a kindred spirit. We chatted about a class we would be taking the next semester, the joys and frustrations of creating a Planned Studies major, and outdoor adventures. I made a new connection, sent out some positive vibes, and left feeling fantastic. Grumpy, to fantastic- here’s hoping the universe sapped up some of that positive energy!

If you are interested in learning more about laughter yoga, please visit: www.laughteryoga.org

Cheers to cheer,

~Amber~

Several weeks ago, I attended a function to benefit the Itafari Foundation, an organization supporting innovative community projects in Rwanda.

An undulating wave of beautifully colored, handmade baskets greeted me as I walked through the door. I’ve never completely understood the essence of basket weaving yet at a fundamental level these objects are a symbol of giving and sustainability within a community.

Looking over the pieces, I felt a sudden loss as I remembered a friend saying, “When you find your basket, you’ll just know it’s the right one.” I chuckled to myself when she said this to me, because I couldn’t conceive of the day when MY basket would appear.

So I took the challenge. I decided to pick up each basket and hold it.  What was I looking for? The right texture, weight, color, or size?

Suddenly it all started making sense. Once I put a basket in my hands, a modern day Goldilocks took shape. “No, this one is to wide. No, this one is the wrong color. No, this one is too light.” Finally I kept coming back to the same basket, and I just knew she was the one for me.

A powerful sensation resides in depths of a handmade object. These baskets were lovely to look at, but when I held one in my hands and connected through touch, I began to understand its story and the passion woven into its structure by a group of resilient people. These baskets are created by women in Rwanda and are part of a sustainable income project partnered through Macy’s. When I lifted the basket to my nose, I could smell the fresh cut grass, and instantly imagined the hands of the woman who brought it to life.

This Rwandan basket now rests on my desk, softening the sharp edges of my computerized space, while holding and transforming bits of my life. I think it’s fitting to have baskets be one symbol of building peace in Rwanda.

During this season of giving and gratitude, I look forward to celebrating and contributing to projects such as the Itafari Foundation, who seek to support the reimagining of a sustainable and creative ecological culture in Rwanda.

The new Shibuya Station (subway station) in Tokyo, Japan, designed by Tadao Ando, looks like an underground spaceship, situated 30 meters down. In a recent interview with Wallpaper Ando explains some concepts behind the design.

It is composed of a central void contained inside an egg-shaped shell and aims to reduce the station’s dependency on air conditioning equipments by letting the outside air blow into the underground space, creating a natural ventilation system that is energy saving.

We love that.

The hub station is a connector to 2.5 million commuters who use the underground system and that section sees about 400,00 of them daily.

The idea behind the design was to keep a continuous flow of energy moving smoothly. That translates to a positive experience for the traveler and very good Feng Shui. I’m seriously impressed.

Shibuya Station under construction. It feels like the engine room on a spaceship.

More from the designer:

Since I consider architecture as something that should gently enclose people, providing safety and peace of mind, I have always tried to create spaces that satisfy people in a spiritual way. This attitude towards architecture has been consistent since I started my own career as an architect.

Beautiful.

–Andrea from Madison, Wisconsin

Cheryl Janis: In my work as a Feng Shui Consultant, many of my single clients call me in with the intention of finding a romantic relationship.

After seeing some of their bedrooms (often with a one-night-stand next to their bed), it became clear that the symbology of objects and furniture in the room kept them locked in their single status. That coupled with images on the wall of a single person or a single object…well, you get my meaning. The inner reflects the outer and therefore, if the inner expression wants a partner, than the outer expression has to change.

Whenever a client is looking for a romantic partnership in their life I always suggest to start by thinking in the number two. And yes, that includes adding a second bedside table. The idea is to make room for your beloved in a physical and energetic way. Think of it as an invitation to the Universe to draw this special person to you. So yes, Andrea, add a second bedside table and try to match it to the one you already have. Think of it as equal sides to the relationship. While you’re at it, bring in matching lamps, candles and create romance in the bedroom with passionate colors, lush fabric and whatever else you love.

While your waiting for your partner to show up, why not get into loving yourself in your favorite new space.  Don’t you deserve it?