Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Conflict Free

This weekend (can you tell I wish it was here already??) I'm headed east of the mountains to celebrate my dear friend Erin and her upcoming wedding.  We'll be cooking, lounging, wine tasting, girl talking and I just can't wait to see what else the weekend will have in store for us!

In the spirit of all things wedding, I can't help myself but to look at rings.  I have my own very special and beautiful wedding ring that my husband had designed for me (I'm a lucky, well-loved woman!) but I still love to look!  Here are a few of my favorite:

This diamond and saphire band from http://www.brilliantearth.com/ is what originally caught my eye and drew me in.  Brilliant Earth creates beautiful, socially responsible jewelry and uses only certified conflict free diamonds.  Check out their blog here.  And seriously, how cute are the owners Beth and Eric. 
 Another unusual eye catcher from Brilliant Earth and a favorite idea of mine is Luxe Antique Eternity Diamond Ring Stack.

There is a great shop in Seattle called Greenlake Jewelry Works that specializes in custom designed pieces and uses government certified Canadian diamonds.  They create truly unique pieces so you can get any look you want.  Here are a few favorites, but seriously there are soooo many options here aside from designing your own!

Seriously, how gorgeous and creative is this.  I love the organic feel.


My sister would love this antique beauty!


Ok, ok.  Enough drooling.  Is it Friday yet?  I'm ready to go play with the girls!

besos,

diana


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

What's Behind Curtain #1

Have you ever bought a plastic shower curtain or liner and wanted to throw up at the smell it emits when you take it out of the packaging?  Gross.  Those toxic compounds are constantly leaking out of that curtain which is most likely made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride).  Of course the best way to avoid this is to not use a liner at all, install a glass door, or if your bathroom is big enough (I'm jealous) to eliminate the need for a curtain or door all together with an open shower design.






However, if you don't have the luxury of an open shower design or installing that glass door, some retailers are starting to carry plastic curtains and liners made with EVA (ethylen vinyl acetate) or PEVA (polyethylen vinyl acetate).  These plastics don't contain chlorine which is the basis of concern with PVC. 

The one above from Bed Bath and Beyond is kind of fun!  They also have clear EVA and PEVA liners which can be used with any curtain like this linen one from Gaiam below.

Or, order this Indigo Shower Curtain from Vivaterra made with pesticide free cotton and be sure to include the chlorine-free Eco-Shower Liner as well.

I'm off to explore more options at our local Ikea........
besos,

diana

Monday, March 29, 2010

Farmers Market Feast

For someone like me who has worked weekends for FOREVER, having them off means I can do a lot of new things.   One of the things I was most looking forward to was being able to frequent our local farmers markets for fresh, in-season produce, sustainbly farmed meat products and cheeses, beautiful flowers, the list goes on.  This Saturday I walked down to the University District market to pick up some goodies and it felt so good to be there!  I could have strolled up and down the rows for hours just admiring and drooling over everything.  As it was, I picked up ingredients for what I hope proves to be a delicious soup and some adorable dafodils too! 






Being that I'm always budget conscious, I was curious how the prices compared to organic products that you would get at the regular grocery store so I did a little comparison shopping the next day and was excited to see that they really aren't that far off.  For example, Safeway O Organic brand chicken breast is $8.99/lb and we saw prices at the market ranging from $8-11/lb for organic chicken.  I don't know about you but I'd happily pay an extra $1 or so per pound to know exactly how and where my food is coming from!

If you're curious where the closest market to you is, click here to see a map of farmers markets in Washington State.  And guess what all you weekend workers!?!?!  They have mid-week markets.  AWESOME.

 


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Give Us Your Full 90

Well there's really only one things on my mind today.......and it happens to be green.  Rave Green to be exact.

SEATTLE!   SOUNDERS!

I love this man...

Lets go Sounders!

besos,

d

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Grounded

I love floor covering of all shapes and sizes.  Big, small, round, square, wall-to-wall, you name it.  They really ground a space.  Lately I've been really loving natural plant and grass rugs:  Jute, abaca, sisal, there certainly are a lot to choose from.  (find the difference between them here) You might be surprised how many different environments they look amazing in.  They're not just for beach houses anymore and I'll show you!

One of my favorite designers, Suzanne Kasler uses a sisal rug in this comfy but traditional dining space to freshen it up a bit.



Here designer Kay Douglass uses an abaca carpet to create a neutral backdrop in this living room that is a mix of modern and rustic.  I'm ready to move right in, aren't you?



In this California home, designer Stephen Shubel pairs the Natura carpet in Seagrass from Stark with the deep chocolate of the chairs to balance the soft pink walls and bring in an element of masculinity to an otherwise very feminine space.



If you love the look of natural floor covering, you're in luck.  You can find it almost anywhere now.  My favorite place to learn about the different options and what makes them sustainable is http://www.meridameridian.com/ They have so much information and a great blog too!

besos!

d



Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sold! To the lady in the front with the pony...

I had planned to start the "real" posts with something more glamorous, but life happens and this is what is happening in my life...

This weekend my husband and I resolved to always have easy to grab lunches on-hand for him to take to work.  Out came the crockpot, in went the ingredients and in just a few hours we had a delicious smelling pot full of chicken-coconut curry.  Then came the lasagna.  Needless to say it was a busy little Sunday, let me tell you!  The plan was to put it all into meal-sized containers and freeze it.  The problem was all we have is plastic containers (cringe) and he can't microwave those, I won't allow it.  So I've been searching for DURABLE glass containers.  Here are a few options that I found:

My favorite option is the vintage glassware from The Container Store.  I especially like the fact that it has a glass lid rather than the plastic that most of the other options come with.
Or a fun idea for kids also from The Container Store:



This set of 3 glass containers from Greenfeet is another great option.



And since I'm a coffee drinker, seriously you don't want to meet me if I haven't had my morning coffee...here are a few products I'm using to reduce my coffee stain so to speak:

and also these


besos,

diana

Monday, March 22, 2010

Welcome to my blog!

Well, I'm officially 30 (yikes!) and so I figure what better way to ring in a new decade than to launch my blog and interior design business!  As I've been preparing to launch this, I've been reading and following numerous "green" blogs and some that don't categorize themselves as such.  I've also been plowing through piles and piles magazines looking for inspiration.  I think that Sam Grawe, Editor-in-Chief at Dwell Magazine summed it up best in his Editor's Note from May 2009 titled "The Re-Enlightenment." 

"If one thing seems clear about our sustainability woes, however its that just about everything we do could use a lifecycle analysis and upgrade.  Everything.  In a recent piece in the in the New York Times, Harold McGee notes that if Americans would just use less water to boil pasta (all one billion pounds of it per year) we could save something like 500,000 barrels of oil anually.  And thats just pasta water!  What about rethinking beef, toilet paper, pesticides, lumber, and cars (or a thousand other things)?  Its all a bit mind-boggling and leaves me feeling hopelessly unsustainable.  Or just plain hopeless...I'd like to suggest a two-pronged approach.  First, individuals need to make micro-decisions-like using less water to boil pasta or riding a bike or bus to work instead of driving-which can affect macro-change.  Second, governments, corporations, and other institutions need to lay a framework that makes adopting those decisions easy...The lesson here is that sustainability should always be a part of the process-it is a highly valuable, silent partner-but it is truly successful when its not the only goal or end result.  You can build the most 'sustainable' eco-village in the world, but if no one wants to live there, what's the point?...The path to eco-enlightenment is being lit by thousands of people-from scientific researchers, to pasta chefs, to architects, to (gasp) politicians-and the more we understand and share, the more we can entertain the possibility of changing our approach to absolutely everything."


I think that Sam's feeling of hopelessness is something that most of us feel when we think about the word "sustainability."  My goal is to provide you with a place where you can come to find ideas and inspiration to make your own "micro-decisions" and thus help create the macro-change he mentioned.  You'll find information on design products, decor, DIY, fashion, food & drink, reading material, travel, companies that are making a difference, etc.  I would love to know what inspires you, I welcome your feedback, and I look forward to being your most trusted (and realistic) resource on all things sustainable.

I hope to see you here again tomorrow.

besos!

diana