I recently bought a new chair for my balcony from Pier 1. It came wrapped in paper and tied up with cool, flat nylon looking twine. I recycled the mound of paper, but couldn't bring myself to toss the big wad of nylon in the trash. I actually have nightmares about the amount of trash we all toss every day. So I was thinking what I could make with it, spotted my suitcase by the door and had the AHA moment! So here it is, 75% of the wad of nylon I saved from the landfill... repurposed as a bag tag! Perfect, indestructable, very cute... and free! The next time you're about to toss something that could be repurposed, pause for the AHA!

And if you need inspiration, take a trip to the new New Museum of NY or check out some recycled art projects online, like these.

I personally love the cocktail umbrella lampshade!

Anchors Away!

Itching for summer? A little preparation for sunny days on the water... or at least looking like you're heading to the dock will put a spring to your step! Buy those adorable seaworthy digs at Payless and your wallet will stay afloat too!

Fancy girls... the Ahoy Boat Moc also comes in gold! www.payless.com

Happy summer shopping!

See The Light

That's the actual name of this bright wonder. There's a mirror on the side of the tube and a light in the cap you click on when you're in a dark place so you can stay flawlessly luscious without having to run to the loo to reapply.

As if this wasn't genius enough... here are the other reasons this is my new can't-live-without and may-have-to-buy-it-in-three-more-colors product:
- Not sticky or goopy whatsoever- Just sparkly enough, and the sparkles are ever so fine that it's not gritty
- It's minty fresh and packed with marine collagen lip plumper
- Plant derived antioxidants from grape seed, green tea, avocado and aloe give it anti-aging power and soothing on dry lips (especially handy if you happen to have a sunburn) :/
- Available in San Fran & in Palm Beach... Joy!

Price Tag: $16-20
Where to get it: http://beautyforreal.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=8

Instant Temporary Tailoring

Favorite jeans too long to wear with flats and you're not into rocking cuffs? Packing for an extended trip and bulging suitcases are forcing you to choose between taking 2 pairs of jeans as opposed to 5? Enter the magic... HemGems!


30 second How-To...



They've available in several cool styles and come with a tiny little 'to go' drawstring bag, perfect for packing!

Check out their website for retailers www.hemgems.com

Super cute upcycled rope vases!

I just came across this great article I ripped out of the January 2009 Glamour Magazine. So simple, so sweet and so chic. You can cover bottles with any kind of string, rope or ribbon. For fall, think gem tones like plums and rich shades of blue and red. Grouping a couple of them together also looks nice. And guys.... you don't have to put flowers in it - you could put some cool leaves or berries in it to make for a more, ahem, masculine centerpiece when you make dinner, or serve breakfast in bed, to your lovah :) For my fellow crunchies.... think about just wrapping it partially with hemp or twine, and inserting end of summer wildflowers. Beach girls (you know who you are!) twine, sea glass and shells, ... need I say more?

Instructions:
Step 1:
Raid your recycling bin for interesting shaped bottles (Orangina's is awesome)
If you don't have a recycling bin (shame on you) head to your local Goodwill

Step 2:
Locate discarded shoelaces, twine, string, rope, ribbon or anything else you want to wrap with

Step 3:
Use superglue or a glue gun and start at the side bottom of your bottle. Wrap the cord so each row is touching and add a bit of glue here and there as you work your way to the top.

Tip:
If you're going with superglue as your adhesive of choice, have a bottle of acetone nail polish remover in reaching distance for those "oh sh*t! My fingers are superglued together!" moments of sheer panic.

Pucker up!

My obsession of the week... a sweet little orb, full of smoothing magic for your smackers! It's so cute, I leave it on display planted atop my PC next to my mini buddha. It caught my eye in Walgreen's and I'm a rather smitten by the Honeysuckle Honeydew. Then I found a multipack at Target containing even more lovely recipes! Packed with jojoba oil, shea butter & vitamin E, they're veritable moisture bombs. But don't toss that lipstick quite yet... there's no color involved here. Other things these little lovelies don't contain: parabens, petrolatum, gluten & phtlatates.

They're 95% organic, 100% natural and never tested on animals. At $4, they make a guiltless little perk-me-up, or cute extra item to pop in a gift bag.

Comes in:
Honeysuckle Honeydew
Sweet mint
Summer Fruit
Lemon Drop (with SPF 15) *not shown
Natural

Pricetag:
$3.99 each at Walgreen's
$10.99 for the 4 pack at Target

Sweet decoration for a simple room!

Upcyle fabric scraps into blooming flower garland!

What a fabulous way to upcycle fabric scraps! If you're not the crafty type who has scraps of all colors and textures lying around - peruse your local fabric and decorator shops, who will sell you remnant fabric on the cheap. Or be an even craftier recycler and cut up the clothes and scarves that you don't wear anymore to make your sweet little blooms!

This is a great way to decorate for a party, a wedding or for no reason but to make you smile when you wake up or walk into a room. You could also string the blooms on heavier duty quilting thread or embroidery floss and wrap it around a gift box several times in lieu of wrapping paper. And if you must use paper... think about recycling a brown paper grocery bag. There are so many other fun ways to dress up brown bag gift wrapping...hmmm... I smell another blog!

TIP:
For a quick tutorial on making the flowers, check out this blog http://bit.ly/ctcDVW but get creative... don't make all your flowers the same... vary the textures, colors, and edges. Think pinking shears (the ones that cut saw-shaped edges) as well as rough, edged fabrics like silk and chiffon.