I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Looking for a few ways to have an earth-friendly holiday season? Here are six ways to go green this season:


1. Recycle your Christmas cards. Send the fronts of your cards to Saint Jude's Ranch for Children, where they will be recycled (the front of your card will be attached to a new back) and resold to benefit the charity. Saint Jude's Ranch for Children is home to children who have been rescued from abuse and neglect. Another way to benefit Saint Jude's is to purchase their recycled cards to send to your friends and family members.



2. Adorn a gift with one of these fabulous gift toppers made from a repurposed Target shopping bag! Instructions can be found on the Creature Comforts blog.












3. After the gifts have been opened, repurpose small gift boxes and leftover scraps of ribbon, wrapping paper, and/or fabric to make a decorative gift garland like this one from page 43 of Pottery Barn's Gift Guide 2008. Tip: one gift box will yield two decorative "gifts" if you wrap the lid and the base separately!














4. Transform old plastic dry cleaner bags into a shimmering winter wreath. The wreath pictured here was made from sandwich bags, but these instructions from Familyfun.com can be modified to use recycled bags.















5. Salvage a moth-munched sweater to make one of these adorable sweater stockings from Martha Stewart.com. Instructions can be found here.















6. Recycle your Christmas tree. To find out about recycling programs in your area, just enter your zip code on the National Christmas Tree Association's website.

Copy Cat: Look-Alikes For Less

If you're a Ballard Designs fan and you've had your eye on the Levanto Farm 3-Seat Bench With Back (pictured on the left, $649.00 from Ballard Designs), have a look at the Somersby Bench (pictured on the right $149.99 from the JC PenneyOnline Outlet). Although the Somersby is shorter than the Levanto (Somersby is 48"long vs. Levanto's 61" length), the style is uncannily similar!

A Unique Photo Display

My hat goes off to whoever does the photo styling for the Pottery Barn catalogs. While other catalogs are fated for the recycle bin almost before they're through my door, P.B.s tend to stick around my office long after the items in them are sold out--simply because they're chock full of creative ideas. This photo, which is a detail of a larger photo that appeared on page 15 of the November 2008 catalog, includes a great example (I added the arrow and text). I'm always a sucker for old black and white photographs, and displaying them in large apothecary jars gives them a sculptural quality. Love it!

Bedding Bargain

This 3 piece queen or king duvet and sham set from Home Decorator's Collection Online Outlet is a steal at $59.99. The banded border mimics the look of higher end hotel-inspired sets. The euro shams and decorative pillows are also available through the outlet. For this price, I wouldn't expect the buttery softness of high thread count bedding, but this would be a fun way to dress your guest room for the holidays. You can always splurge on luxurious sheets...assuming that you want your guests to stay awhile!

Oriental Rugs 101

Did you know that to complete the knots for a single hand-knotted 9 x 12 Persian rug, 4-5 artisans will work side by side for 6 hours a day for 14 months? And did you know that it takes a full 7-10 days to complete the washing process for a rug after it has been knotted? For a fascinating and educational look at the elaborate process of creating these very special rugs, I encourage you to view this brief Introduction to Oriental Rugs video. The video was produced by Ten Thousand Villages, a store offering fair trade goods (including rugs) made by artisans from around the world.

Your Doors Are Numbered!

I'm always looking for interesting ways to personalize homes with paint, so when I spotted this clever idea on HGTV's Rate My Space, I had to pass it along. What a fun alternative to standard door numbers! This photo was part of a virtual home tour posted on HGTV's site by mysweetsavannah. The rest of the tour is equally charming.

Copy Cat: Look-Alikes For Less

I'm often asked to help creative clients with craft room organizing, and a number of my clients have confessed to swooning over Pottery Barn's Bedford Project Table ($1,099.00, pictured on the left). If you harbor a secret longing for a craft table...you may need to get out more! Just kidding. If you're in the market for a craft table and would like a more affordable alternative--and one that bears a striking resemblance to Pottery Barn's--have a look at Grandin Road's Workroom Project Table ($799.00, pictured on the right). Now, how many bottles of chartreuse glitter can you buy with the $300.00 that you save?

Have Pet Will Travel

Given that many of my clients share their homes with cats and dogs, I wanted to pass along this clever--and earth-friendly--pet bed idea from Kirsten Schueler, winner of Design Sponge's 2008 DIY contest. This is a great way to re-purpose a vintage suitcase. If you're a fan of the Ballard Designs look, consider creating one of these in a black, white, and pear green color scheme.