Simple Steps to a Greener Home Part 3

Simple Steps to a Greener Home - the conclusion:

I wanted to end this series of greening your home by talking about ways to make your bedroom greener, using energy saving appliances and devices, and recycling and repurposing products you were going to throw away.

A Natural Bedroom:

When shopping for mattresses and bedding look for stores that sell products that are made from recycled, sustainable or organic materials. One such store is ABC Carpet & Home.

When you buy a new mattress get one that is made from 100% organic cotton. Cover your new mattress in an encasement cover, which is also made out of 100% organic cotton. This will help keep dust mites and other microorganisms out of your mattress helping it to last longer and stay healthier longer too. All of which saves you money and helps you get a more restful sleep.

Find sheets that are (you guessed it) made from 100% organic cotton that are dyed with low impact natural dyes. The prices for these items are comparable to those made the non-Ecofriendly way. Ecofriendly products are continually coming down in price as more and more people are purchasing more and more of these products.

Energy saving:

When shopping for new appliances look for appliances and products with the Energy Star logo. This logo is only given to products those meet rigid standards of proven energy savings, and who doesn’t like to save money.

Change all your incandescent bulbs to compact florescent light bulbs. They give off 70% less heat and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. They also use substantially less energy saving you money.

Reuse and Re-purpose:

Look for recycled products for your home, such as paper products. Paper towels, tissue, toilet paper and printer paper can be made out of recycled paper. There are a few companies that use recycled paper that you could not tell the difference from the old way of making them.

Before you throw out any item ask yourself, “Can I use this item for something else or another purpose?”. If your answer is no consider giving it away or donating it to Goodwill or another thrift store like it. Where I live we have an artist who takes in castoff metal and wood. He makes beautiful sculptures with these items that, If not for him, would end up in landfills.

Also if your items are just not salvageable at all consider taking them to recycle centers. There are such centers in most communities or close by. Old metal appliances and even cars can be turned into cash at your local recycle center. Glass, paper, metal, these centers sell the reclaimed materials to companies that make new products out of them, keeping those materials out of landfills.

These are just a few ideas to make your home greener. I am sure you can think of some more. Until next time be courageous in your designs.

Simple Steps to a Greener Home Part 1

There are simple things you can do in and around your home right now to help reduce your carbon foot print. Simple things we take for granted. It just takes a little planning and your home will be greener and your pocket book and health will thank you.

Building or remodeling:

First I would like to talk about building or remodeling. If you are planning on building a home then you can start at the very beginning by letting your builder know to only choose supplies and materials that are Ecofriendly. These are products that are friendly to the environment. Products that are made from easily renewable sources, low toxins, organically produced or takes refuse out of our landfills by reusing or re-purposing them, such as used lumber, glass or stone. But if you are like most people you already have a house that was built with out any input from you. Don’t worry, because you can still green up your home.

Granite counter Tops

Granite counter tops are really beautiful. Granite is a naturally occurring material so it must be a green choice, right? Wrong! Because of the way that granite has to be dug out of the ground it is a very destructive (to the Earth) material to harvest. A better, greener choice would be recycled glass and stone counter tops. There are companies that take glass and crush it and mix it with crushed stone to make something that, in my opinion, looks just as beautiful as real granite.  A great place to buy this material is Vetrazzo Recycled Glass Surfaces. There are other places to buy it so shop around.The cost of these recycled glass materials is comparable if not cheaper than granite.

Paints:

Did you know that you could buy recycled paint? Yes you can. Recycled paint is available at some retailers. You just have to look. The only drawback is you are limited to color choice because it is usually already mixed. Although as the technology for mixing recycled paint is getting better, so are the color choices. But what if you can’t find the color you want? Don’t worry there are more green choices to paint. You can use non-toxic natural paints. Non-toxic natural paints are plant-based paints. The good things about these paints are they are low odor and low VOCs.  Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.

VOCs are a contributing factor to air pollution as well as a cancer-causing toxin. Low VOC Ecofriendly paint is not only a good choice for the environment but also if you are health sensitive. Natural paints are made with plant oils, plant extracts, and minerals. Always look for low VOC paint. One helpful hint I want to give you about paint is, to get rid of the paint smell add vanilla essence or extract. You can find recycled paint at Recycle Paint -Calibre Environmental Ltd.. You can find Eco friendly paint manufacturers here ECO Friendly Home Interior Paint Brands. Then go find the paint sellers who have these brands. Recycled paints are usually cheaper than regular paints and Natural Paints are comparable in price to those made with dangerous toxins.

Floor Coverings:

There are many choices for floor coverings now that are made from natural renewable sources or recycled materials.

·        Sisal – Made from the pulp of the agave plant, after they squeeze all the delicious juice out to make tequila.

·        Hemp – this is a great green material used to make many things. It is one and a half times stronger than cotton.

·        Old tires – these are being used to make doormats that will last forever.

·        Bamboo – the fibers from bamboo can be woven into rugs and carpets. This is also a great sustainable choice because bamboo grows prolifically.

·        Regular materials – you can buy carpets and rugs made from regular materials such as cotton and wool, but be sure to look for low VOC carpet. The VOCs in carpet is what gives it that new carpet smell.

A great low cost tip for changing the look of your floors is by using carpet tiles. They are also non-permanent. When you get a stain simply remove the stained tile or tiles and replace with a new tile. How easy is that? EcoFriendly Flooring Inc. is a great source for flooring that is truly green. They also have other surface covering products as well.

The rugs and carpeting choices listed above are comparable to regular carpeting containing toxic materials.

Ecofriendly fabrics and furniture:

When shopping for furniture, look for items that are made of natural or recycled materials. Use products that are made of 100% organically grown cotton. Non-organic cotton is responsible for 25% of the world’s pesticides. That’s right, I said ¼ of the entire world’s pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. Imagine if everyone started using fabrics and materials made from organic cotton. Imagine how many toxic chemicals would not get into our water supply and air. One company that uses 100% organic cotton is Q-Collection. They have a wonderful assortment of furniture and items that are Eco-friendly. Check them out here: Q-Collection

Look for furniture makers that use 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved wood. The FSC is a non-profit organization devoted to responsible management of the world’s forests.

Textiles can also be made from Eco-friendly materials leathers, hemp, velvet, and silk.

Again the prices are comparable to regularly produced furniture.

Next time we will talk about using houseplants to detox your home.

Until next time be courageous in your designs.

Special Collections Department

Collectibles. People collect a lot of things. Some people collect things like bills, bad marriages, bad memories. But I am talking about things we love. Things that when we see our hearts go atwitter and our inner child screams gimme, gimme, gimme. Things like vintage cookie jars, dinner ware, toys and the like.

The things I collect I actually use in decorating my home.I don't see the point in owning things tucked away in storage that I can't see on almost a daily basis.

One of my favorite things to collect are suns. Whimsical suns with faces or without. Made of many different materials. I just love them. When I see one I almost always have to get it. I love going shopping for my suns. I love flea markets, yard sales, regular and online stores.




Here are a few pieces from my collection.



Small glass Votive Holder In Bedroom



Metal with bells hanging on front porch



Large glass and metal small pillar candle holder

small picture plaque

metal with bells

Stone material in Bathroom

So as you can see I really love suns. If you want to learn more about collecting and collectibles please visit the following website. The host Barbara Crews has a lot of valuable information. Collectibles at About.com


Until next time be Courageous in your Designs.


                                 

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling With a Rag

Another faux technique that I like, because it is easy, is Rag Rolling. Also called ragging this is in my opinion the easiest technique to learn and do. If you make mistakes no on will ever know because it will look like you meant to do it.
Rag rolling works best on large areas like walls, although you can do smaller objects and areas it really works better when you can roll your rag, so larger areas give you a better result. Rag rolling involves painting a base coat and then painting a glaze over the base coat and then "rolling" off or "rolling" on some of the glaze so the base color shows through in places. Rag rolling is a technique used to give walls a rich and elegant look. It is a great technique for making your walls really pop. Any combination of colors can be used to achieve this effect. But keep in mind that the base coat will show through as the glaze is removed.
You can find the supplies you need at most hardware stores. Many paint companies make the paints and equip specifically for these techniques of faux painting such as pre-made glazes. You can make them your self by mixing paint and paint additives but why when it has already been done for you. I am all about easy.
The first technique described below is for Rag Rolling on(adding glaze on top of base coat). The second technique description is for Rag Rolling-off(removing glaze). The list of items needed is the same for both techniques.
What you will need:

• Painters tape
• semi gloss latex paint used for the base coat
• rolling brush
• clean water
• different color glazes(as many as you are going to use)
• ragging cloth (any type of cloth can be used but rougher clothes give a better texture)
• Brushes (optional)

What you will do (Rag Rolling-On):

1. Before you begin, tape off all areas where you do not want the finish applied. Apply base coat with a roller to the entire surface. Remove tape and allow to dry over night.
2. Reapply tape. Wet a Ragging cloth in clean water and wring out well. Dip the damp ragging cloth into the selected glaze until rag is saturated. Gently wring out the rag to release the excess glaze. Twist the cloth into a cylindrical shape and roll the rag across the surface.
3. As you roll the rag, turn directions randomly distributing the desired amount of glaze. Reload glaze onto rag as needed. Repeat steps if more coverage is desired or add a second glaze color after the first has dried. When you reach corners and tight areas, gently push the rag into the tight area being careful to avoid accumulation. Excess glaze will cause an uneven appearance. Remove tape with in an hour and allow to dry.

What you will do (Rag Rolling-Off):

1. Before you begin, be sure to tape off all woodwork and other areas you do not want to paint. Apply base coat with a roller to the entire surface. Remove tape and allow to dry over night.
2. Reapply tape. Apply selected glaze with a roller or brush. Apply in random 2-4' jigsaw like patterns.( you will work on one "jig-saw" area at a time to prevent the glaze from drying too much).
3. Twist a clean damp rag at varying angles over the wet glazed surface, lifting some of the glaze to reveal a random pattern. Rinse and wring out cloth when it becomes saturated with glaze or change to a clean cloth. Remove tape with in an hour and allow to dry completely.

Now how easy is that?
Here are some tips for a successful project:

• For a longer open working time and a higher overall sheen use an interior semi-gloss enamel as a base coat.
• Use a clear mixing glaze for re wetting a partly dry edge.
• Remove painters tape before the area is completely dry to avoid damaging your painted surface. Sometimes the paint adheres to the tape and you will remove part of your project with the tape.

Again as on the last project this is very easy to do but does require patience between drying times. Have fun creating your Courageous designs.

It's Curtains For You

So, I need new curtains for my bedroom. The old ones are tattered and torn literally. I need them to coordinate with burgundy and gold. I want them to be thermal to help save energy. I want them to be room darkening for good quality naps. I have sheer curtains now and I love the ethereal effect of the light coming through them without having to open or close them, but at night I feel like people are watching me.


I recently went to stay, a few days, with a dear friend of mine. She has canvas curtains in her bedroom that I really liked. So that narrowed down my options even more, picking out some curtains should be a piece of cake, right? I could not have been more wrong. There are thousands if not millions of choices based on my filter, so to say, of what I wanted.

I searched online, I searched in catalogues, I searched in brick and mortar stores, I searched in vain. I could not find exactly what I wanted. Now I am picky. It takes m a while to make p my mind, just ask my friends that I go out to restaurants how long it takes me to place my order. But I have been searching for over three months now. That is ridiculous even for me.

Maybe I will find some curtains before my old ones completely disintegrate.

Hello World

Welcome to my first post. This will be a forum to discuss interior design and decorating by novices but we won’t exclude the pros, we always need their help.
I want to start off by saying that I truly believe the old adage that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I may find something beautiful that you may find horrendous and vice versa and that’s ok. I appreciate positive feed back but mean spirited feedback will not be tolerated. SO please feel free to post comments, ideas, suggestions and whatever else pops into your mind as long as you are nie and clean with what you post. Also please feel free to send pictures of your home and furniture that you are proud of and if I can I will post it and give you credit.
I am a novice in interior decorating but I do love it. I love shopping for pieces if furniture or accessories for my home. I love decorating the outside of my home as much as the inside.
So here goes and again welcome to my blog.