image via www.lostateminor.com
No, I didn’t really miss Earth Day – Earth Day to me is just like Mother’s Day – if you were / are lucky enough to have had a mom that was always in your corner, did she make her dedication to you a life-changing event by cramming all those things she did / does for you into a single annual card holiday? I think not!
Earth Day like Mother’s Day should be a part of what we put into our daily planners – not an occasion to stand in the card isle and consider what under-paid graphic artist best captured our sentiments. Earth is sort of a mom to all of us, and behaving with day to day respect for the fact of that nature/nurture relationship, it would make the need for this holiday obsolete. I try to put an emphasis on ways to do it GREEN where ever possible because unlike our Moms, the earth has a limited tolerance to all of us!
Those of you who have been tuning in for a bit have been watching the pain-painstakingly slow green basement renovation, demonstrating to all you weekend warriors what can be accomplished on a limited if planet-friendly budget. We have not come down that finishing stretch yet where decor elements are introduced to the design plan – I still have my hands full with structural remodeling issues. But here are some considerations for the end result, and some other great ideas that while for whatever reason are not conforming to the project at hand may be great for projects you all have in the works!
One alternative I have been considering for an old Lay-Z-Boy Todd Oldham sofa is up-cycling – not just recovering in the conventional manner…
a hand-knitted chair cover from BiscuitScout hand knitted stuff Etsy Store
…but literally re-dressing the couch for a stylish and Eco-friendly second lease on life – the knitted covers would look fabulous with the stainless steel retro-mod sofa legs, and the pillow potential is endless. I’ve spoken to shop-owner Lynn Garret and asked if I could build this sofa to numeric scale in Google sketch-up if she would be able to produce the cover from my pattern, and she says she can! It’s not on her store, but I can even choose from a myriad of great colors!
thread choices for chair and sofa covers
I am always on the look out for green decor store, and MyHomeFaceLift offers several recycled treasures:
I love Design Legacy’s hand-screened cotton pillows! The this canvasy cotton that DL uses for its pillows is raw and unbleached cotton – a great renewable resource! RSB is off the map in terms of style and their conversation-stopping Bohemian lighting offers recycled glass beading for both a wow factor and eco-friendly finesse.
I absolutely love items made from salvage! I have been redesigning and up-cycling since before it was fashionable to create “you would never guess” treasures. So has Joe Manus of Shiner International. Allot of you loved the article I wrote some time back now, about the benefits of Joe’s rocking bed for kids with ADHD and autism.
rocking bed by joe manus, available at my home facelift.
Joe has made a name for himself by taking trash, like Styrofoam (that’s not easily recycled) and creates lighting and a plethora of other decor treasures that escape the land fill to define stylish homes like yours!
Joe is hardly alone in his reclamation crusades – some of you may remember drive-in movies. Check out this nostalgic un-decorate bedside light!
image from InTheWriteHands Etsy store
or this amazing steam-punk fan light!
from the blink lab Etsy Store
You don’t have to peg yourself to a specific style to find up-cycled treasures that mesh with your signature style.
OK, not decor – but I want these!
Glitter Doc Martens Vintage 1990 Magenta Pink Glitter Doc Martens Boots UK Size 9 from Purevintageclothing etsy store
This, too!
Key Lime and Silver Soda Pop Tab Bracelet from beforethelandfill Etsy Shop
Dictionaries and encyclopedias go out of print faster than they have to change the world globe models, but these reprints never go out of style!
octopus attacking ship illustration from littleblubirsstudios Etsy Shop
There is nothing that looks trashy about many recycled treasures!
A jewel tone turquoise recycled lamp from MyHomeFaceLift.com
So try your hand, if only to find your inspiration eco-muse in a can of spray paint!
Lime and Purple, Vintage Frames and Sconce from FeFiFoFun Etsy Shop
Have fun reinventing trash into treasure! Find lots of design treasures at MyHomeFaceLift.com!
Related articles
- Happy Earth Day! (mendfurniturestudio.com)
‘Dorothy’ DM boots – GORGEOUS!!!
You bet