Yes, You Can Tile Over Your Laminate Countertop!

I'm constantly on the lookout for affordable ways to update kitchens and bathrooms, so I was excited when I discovered that there is a product that makes it possible to tile directly on top of an outdated laminate counter top. Not only is this approach more environmentally friendly than tearing out your old counter, dumping it into a landfill, and installing new plywood upon which to tile; it's also easier, neater, and faster!

Visit Ron Hazelton's website for step-by-step DIY instructions including a video clip featuring Armen Tavy, the inventor of the product. As an added bonus, Armen even sings a little ditty at the end of the video!
The photo of the recycled ceramic tile above is from the Straw, Sticks, and Bricks website.

Affordable Charm

I just spotted this sweet little Callie Accent Table on JC Penney's online outlet for only $59.99 (marked down from $199.00). I love the color and the petite scale. It is also available in antique red and antique beige. Now all you need is a beach cottage to put it in!

Dreaming of a Green Christmas Part II

I received such a positive response to my last "Green Christmas" post that I decided to blog a "sequel"! Just in time for the arrival of your holiday guests, here are five more fun, green Christmas ideas:












1. Top a gift with one of these fabulous handmade bows made from magazine pages. Visit the Craftster site to see the tutorial from "Miss American Pie".













2. Transform a burned-out lightbulb into a grinning Grinch ornament! This image is from The Wicked Stepmom blog. Instructions can be found here.



















3. Turn an aluminum can into a modern tree ornament with instructions from Esprit Cabane.
















4. Heading to a holiday party? Dress your wine bottle in recycled duds with one of these wrapping suggestions from green guru Danny Seo. (Left: shirt sleeves. Right: festive newspaper.)




















5.Make a whimsical wine cork Christmas tree with instructions from the December 2006 issue of Woman's Day Magazine. Photo credit: Make Mine Wine Magazine. Note: I'd skip the decorative beads and just use cork and wire.

Happy Holidays!

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.