Check out some of my top “buttling” tips in this brief segment for CityLine, filmed on location at the STYLE AT HOME Show in October!
I’ve gotta confess that I still haven’t seen it! I can’t seem to get the video to play on any of my computers, and although I’ve alerted the CityLine website peeps about the situation, they seem to think the problem’s on my end… Let me know how you make out!
Sapadilla, a Vancouver-based company, is rocking the Western Canadian market with their green cleaning products, featuring two essential-oil scents, Rosemary + Peppermint and Grapefruit + Bergamot (my absolute fave — it makes me want to wash dishes and that’s saying something!).
The products boast impressive green credentials since they’re non-toxic, biodegradable and free of the following common chemicals:
• synthetic fragrance or dyes
• petroleum-based solvents
• phosphates
• ethylene Glycol Ethers
• chlorine
• ammonia
• EDTA
• formaldehyde
• parabens
Plus, 1% of all revenues from the products is being donated to 1% For The Planet (www.onepercentfortheplanet.com), which is a network of environmental organizations around the world.
And soon, Sapadilla hopes to spread out across the rest of Canada (keep your fingers crossed!).
For retail info: visit www.sapadilla.com
Prices: $6 (dish soap), $7 (countertop cleanser), $9 (all-purpose cleaner)
Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
I’m armed and ready for winter with this fantastic find that every kid — at heart, and otherwise — needs to have handy if a snowball fight is on the agenda for the holidays. The two scoops come together to form perfectly round snowballs for the winter warrior-slash-aesthete. This is also an invention with decorative applications, too, I suppose I should mention. Check out how our talented stylist Andrea McCrindle used a similar to device to create stylish snowy spheres for her outdoor decor story in our December 2008 issue, on stands now!
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Pair of instant snowball makers
Price: $10
Available at: Winners, 877-946-6877
We’re putting the finishing touches on the February 2009 issue of STYLE AT HOME, our first-ever “Accessories”-themed issue! It’s been so much fun pulling together all the glamorous and gorgeous “smalls” that help make a house a home, but as always, there’s just not enough room in the book to share all of our faves. I’ve coveted this little guy ever since Paul Harper, managing director of Toronto’s design destination, South Hill Home, included one in the tablescape he designed for our June 2008 issue. Known as the Eames House Bird, this must-have for any mantel boasts sleek, graceful curves and a sexy black lacquer finish. Popularized by the legendary Charles and Ray Eames, the bird is the pinnacle of “haute folk”, and one of the most iconic accessories of the 20th century. A reproduction based on the original in cooperation with the Eames Family is now available through Design Within Reach!
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Price: $210 US
Available at: Design Within Reach, Toronto, 416-977-4003
The winners of the Toothbrush Contest from my Nov. 3 contest post are K. McGlennon, Laurel Radley and Alisa. Congratulations to them all!
To win, entrants had to comment on the best thing they’ve done in their life to make it more eco-friendly and green. All the comments and suggestions were wonderful and a big thank you to everyone who entered. I had a really hard time deciding on just three finalists.
Each winner receives toothbrush set with a Source toothbrush, which has a handle made from 50% recycled wood fibre or flax and 50% post-consumer polypropylene, along with one extra replacement head, one Toothbrush Travel Case and one Silk Floss (each set is valued at $13.85 US ).
To read the winning comments, click here; for a look at the toothbrushes, travel cases, floss and other products, check out Radius’s website.
Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
I love journals and have them everywhere: at work and at home, tucked away in drawers and in my purse, just ready for any note that needs to be jotted down.
My latest purchase is from Pistachio and features a cheery, brightly coloured design by design consultant Bruce Mau. The aptly titled Bruce Mau Optimism Collection features 100% recycled papers and soy ink and is printed in Canada.
And should you not be into journals, you can also get wrapping paper, note cards and gift cards that boast the same uplifting splash of colour.
Available at: Pistachio, www.epistachio.com; select Chapters and Indigo Books & Music stores, 800-832-7569, www.chapters.indigo.ca
Prices:
Rolled Gift Wrap, $10
Optimism Spiral Journals, 5″x7″, $9; 8×10, $11
Boxed Notes, $14 (includes 10 blank cards and envelopes)
Optimism Gift Enclosures, $10 (includes 8 gift enclosures)
Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
Part of living an environmentally friendly life includes buying products that are long-lasting so you don’t have to continually replace them.
100% linen tea towels are a perfect example. I have a set from my family that is at least 60 years old (unbelievable, I know, but it’s true!) and you’d never guess it to look at them. Plus, linen is the perfect material for tea towels, since it’s lint-free and fast-drying.
When new, the material is quite crisp and stiff but it softens with age and use. And while it is more expensive than, say, cotton, because it lasts forever it ends up being less expensive in the long-run in terms of monetary and ecological costs and really is an heirloom item that you can hand down to a younger generation.
Canadian company Rawganique’s organic linen tea towels are certified organic and sweatshop-free. They come in Ivory, which is whitened with hydrogen peroxide, or Evening Sand Dunes (which is shown in in the background of the picture above and is the natural, unprocessed colour of the linen).
Available at: www.rawganique.com; 877-729-4367
Price: $28 each
Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
Silhouettes are showing no signs of slowing down! We first did a feature on the rising popularity of this age-old art form back in the February 2008 issue of STYLE AT HOME (check out my interview with world-renowned cut-paper silhouette artist Karl Johnson here!), and the market is now positively booming with ever-more innovative decorative applications. I particularly love small and sweet animal silhouettes that pop up in totally unexpected places, like at the bottom of this Limoges porcelain cake mould from Iddko — a fantastic Canadian e-tail site that you *must* check out!
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Price: $75
Available at: Iddko
Is your Ektorp looking a little worse for wear?
Does your Klippan need a facelift?
Breathe new life into your fave IKEA furnishings with washable slipcovers from Bemz! Designed specifically to fit IKEA’s most popular furniture frames snugly, Bemz is the perfect solution for updating a sofa or chair at a fraction of the cost of custom reupholstering. They’ve recently added to their slipcover options this plush new chenille option in Cinnabar Red — a fantastic way to add a punch of colour over the holidays, and what could be cosier than curling up on chenille?Â
Bemz 100% cotton Chenille slipcover in Cinnabar Red (on IKEA’s Karlanda two-seater sofa)
Slipcover price: $309
Available at: Bemz
Looking for a water pitcher with a built-in filter but want something with a more beautiful aesthetic than the usual stuff on the market? Look no further!
Design Within Reach offers up this sleek stunner. The Charcoal Water Pitcher uses a mix of Binchotan charcoal and stones to filter and create mineral-rich water. The charcoal works on two levels: to ensure the water is potable (not a problem if you’re using tap water in the first place!) and as a deodorizer, so your water is odour-free — useful if you live in places where the water smells of things like sulphur.
The stones and charcoal last up to six months, depending on how much you use the pitcher, and the real beauty of the system is that that afterward, they can simply be chucked into your garden — no used filters to dump into landfills. Love it!!
Each stainless-steel-and-glass pitcher comes with one charcoal-and-stone set; additional sets can be purchased separately for $25 US each.
Available at: www.designwithinreach.com
Price: $85 US
Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
Médias Transcontinental
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