This may sound strange but I actually get  a sense of accomplishment from changing an empty roll of toilet paper. Often at a party or while a guest at a friend’s house I secretly hope the t.p. will run out while I’m in the bathroom so that I can replace it with a fresh roll. It makes me feel like I have done my anonymous good deed for the day. Unfortunately, I have to admit I don’t do much more than toss the empty roll in the trash bin (after I’ve given myself a pat on the back, of course).

I’m happy to report that blogger DLTK has some bright ideas for reusing a cardboard toilet paper roll, filed under the heading "kid friendly". There are more than 50 shapes you can create, including a Lemur, a Lobster, or a Lion, with just an empty roll and some basic craft supplies. It’s an easy way to educate kids on recycling and reusing things you see everyday in a creative way.

Lucky for me these projects are "suitable for ages 3+", so don’t be surprised when you see me leave your bathroom with an empty toilet paper roll peaking out of my purse.

Image: DLTK
 
– via Popgadget

The post Craft Moment: Recycled Rolls appeared first on EcoSalon.

Momtrepreneur is the latest buzzword defining a growing minority of talented women who’ve left the traditional workplace to have families and simultaneously start successful home-based businesses. Luckily for us many of them are using their entrepreneurial powers for good by starting eco-friendly businesses. 

Momtrepreneur Kira Solomon founded Baby LaRue, her eco-conscious baby boutique, after leaving a lucrative career in the fashion industry. With the birth of her baby daughter, Rowan (such a cute name by the way), fueling her passion for green products, Kira’s focus turned towards healthy and safe alternatives to otherwise unhealthy products.

Baby LaRue’s growing inventory includes bpa-free and phthalate-free baby bottles (Green to Grow) and organic and paraben-free baby wash and lotions (Little Twig) along with Kira’s own line of hand drawn silk screened 100% GOTS certified organic cotton onesies.

Kira has a great eye for unique and adorable items and she is committed to selling only organic, recycled, handmade, fair-trade or locally made creations like these handmade monsta’s made from recycled fabric and organic cotton.  For you busy moms who want stylish and responsible alternatives for your babies, Baby LaRue is a great place to get started!

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

Images: Baby LaRue

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Have you ever been jealous of a colleague’s business card? Remember the classic scene in American Psycho when a business card with a watermark made Patrick Bateman enraged with jealousy? Well, a simple watermark has nothing on these amazing business cards that act as a house plant. That’s right, you can actually put a small plant in your business card!

Jamie Wieck’s business cards have a small pocket in which you can grow a miniature house plant, alfalfa or watercress. These cards can also be put in water or soil if you’d like your mini plant to continue to grow. Most business cards look the same and are generally not very memorable, but these cards from Another Bloomin’ Designer will be the envy of all of your colleagues and keep you first in mind with your customers, or at least at the top of their business card heap.

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

Image: Jamie Wieck via Trendhunter

The post Eco-Friendly Business Cards: From Watermark to Watercress appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you’re like me, sometimes you suffer from the recycled blah’s. There are so many crafty products out there made from the same recycled items that over time it can get a bit boring.

This fantastic light fixture is just what I needed to pull me out of the rut. There is something very pure and lighthearted about the design. Composed of an old metal coffee filter and a jam jar, designer Angele Riguidel thoughtfully reproduced these items into a working light fixture perfect for a kitchen. With light as her inspiration, Angele seeks out vintage household items she can recuperate into what she calls ULO’s a.k.a. unidentified luminous objects. 

Buy one of her ULO’s from The Collection, a small French boutique, pop in an energy saving LED bulb and you’ve just relieved yourself of the recycled blah’s! (85 ┚¬)

Image: The Collection

Sara’s shameless plug: Hello, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

The post Unidentified Luminous Objects appeared first on EcoSalon.

Images: Hau Nauz and Beklina

The post Oh, Bag, You Are So Beautiful To Me appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’m feeling nostalgic these days as my husband and I prepare to leave San Francisco after what has been the best 12 years of my life.  We are moving to Utah for an exciting job opportunity. From what I’ve heard mountain living has its rewards, especially in a state with some of the finest powder skiing.  I am really looking forward to our adventure in the Wild West, but I’ll be leaving California with an ache in my heart.

I’ve been perusing the internet recently looking for a special gift that a certain someone, who may or may not be married to me, could give me as a reminder of our time in California, and San Francisco in particular. I believe I’ve found just the thing with this special bracelet from artist Stephanie Lindsey.

The signed, limited-edition bracelet in sterling silver is made from a vintage 1940’s postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge. I may be leaving San Francisco but this bracelet will always remind me where I left my heart. Available through The Artful Home for $555.

The post Where I Left My Heart appeared first on EcoSalon.

We are big believers in hang drying our clothes as an easy way to save energy after washing. Sadly, the image of your grandmother’s bloomers blowing in the breeze is what most people think about when they think of line drying their clothes.

The clever design minds behind Casamania by Frezza, an Italian furniture brand, have come up with a contemporary twist on the old clotheshorse with these snazzy tree-like structures.  Made from lightweight plastic with a painted metal base, they are water and sunlight resistant. Available in ivory, blue, yellow, green and orange with four laundry lines, they would look great in a modern garden or add a playful point of view to any landscape.

With these clothes lines  you can do your part to save energy and look cool doing it. Visit the Casamania website for more information.

The post All The Pretty Clotheshorses appeared first on EcoSalon.

A search on Craigslist today turned up over 300 bicycles for sale. This included parts with names like the fork, rockshox, spider and, my personal favorite, a Huffy hot rod frame. I have many a bike fanatic friend (I live in San Francisco) who would know exactly how these parts could be used to build the ultimate bike, but what about using these parts to build furniture?
< Andy Gregg, the founder of Bike Furniture Design, has created a line of tables and chairs both spider-like and modern. Uniting his love for design with his profession as a bike mechanic, Andy is filling a niche for all these leftover bikes parts. The majority of his pieces come from recycled rims, handlebars and frames re-purposed into intriguing furniture designs. So what do you think: is it cool design with an eco message, or is it bound to go the path of the inner tube chair?

Personally, I’m a fan; my favorite is the Vector Lounge Chair. I like how obvious the bike parts are and I love the fat tire arm rests. As many Bay Area bike enthusiasts know, their bikes become like an extension of themselves. With a little of Andy’s elbow grease they can continue their bike worship by recycling their old bike parts into truly unique and great looking furniture. All furniture is made to order so contact Andy directly at Bike Furniture to get started.

The post Reader Poll: Bike Furniture Design appeared first on EcoSalon.

Even as a small child, Eleanor saw something special in animals. Fittingly, she named her print business after Dr. Dolittle’s two-headed llama, PushMePullYou.  I have fallen for the quail print above. Did you know quails are one of the few animals that mate for life?

Eleanor uses environmentally-friendly cleansers in her printing process and every item she creates comes in a recyclable mailer to keep waste out of landfills. Proving that her commitment to a better world isn’t just for the birds, PushMePullYou regularly makes contributions to the World Wildlife Fund and from time to time creates limited-edition prints with all proceeds go towards other charitable foundations, like saving the endangered kakapo (a flightless parrot from New Zealand). Oh My! Individual screen-prints available for $40 each at PushMePullYou Design.

Image: PushMePullYou

The post PushMePullYou Design appeared first on EcoSalon.

Yes, that really is a cat laying out. When my cat, George, isn’t working on his tan, his top three favorite activities, in order, are sleeping, eating, and frolicking with his kitty toys.

These cotton mice rope toys from designer pet store Harry Barker are made with AZO-free dyes to provide hours of play that won’t harm your favorite pet.  An added benefit to these tough toys is that you no longer need to brush your cat’s teeth. (I know you were already doing this twice a day’ right?)

With all the concern about baby bottles and indoor pollution and nontoxic nurseries, it’s only right that we make sure our other companions are living green. Start with healthy, eco-friendly pet food, make sure you don’t have any toxic plants around the house, and check out this guide to everything you need for eco-friendly pet care.

These toys provide non-destructive chewing for better dental health and they’re machine washable, so you can keep them around longer. More importantly, you can keep your friends around longer so they will have more hours to spend in the sun.

Image: Harry Barker

The post George Goes Green appeared first on EcoSalon.