Is it just me, or are there vestiges of my darling Blue Willow in Crate and Barrel‘s Moonlight Vases? These funky batik collage porcelain vessels offer an irreverent spin on traditional blue and white Chinoiserie transferware.Â
Price: $100 per set of five
Available at: Crate and Barrel, 888-657-4108
Image courtesy Crate and Barrel
Meet the SUV of computer mice. Microsoft’s new BlueTrack technology means you can use the Explorer and Explorer Mini mice nearly anywhere. Marble, granite, wood — the mice work smoothly on them all. Trust me, I’ve seen this mouse in action. I tried it out on gritty, dirt-covered concrete, on the arm of a sofa, even on the PR rep’s hair! Hair! And there was smooth tracking on it all — no jerking, stops or lifting and shaking. Now, so what, why would you ever run your mouse along your head to surf and click the web, right? You’re right, you probably wouldn’t, but you would use it on a granite kitchen countertop, one covered in crumbs perhaps. And maybe your kids would enjoy being able to lounge on the floor of the family room with their laptop and use the mouse on the carpet. Just saying, it’s pretty cool.
Microsoft Explorer Mouse, $89.95. Microsoft Explorer Mini Mouse, $69.95. Available Nov. 1st at: Best Buy. Major electronics retailers. Microsoft for info.
The STYLE AT HOME Show is only two weeks away!Â
The STYLE AT HOME Design Team is sorting through swathes of swatches, samples and scouting shots in order to bring you the STYLE AT HOME Dream Master Bedroom Suite: our vision of the ultimate home sanctuary, complete with luxe ensuite bath and dressing room courtesy of IKEA. After browsing the suite, do a bit of shopping — we’ve got over 100 awesome vendors on-site! — and catch some of our celeb style experts on-stage, including Sarah Richardson, Colin & Justin, and our very own Samantha Pynn.
Join us at the Direct Energy Centre on October 17, 18 and 19 for the STYLE AT HOME Show!Â
STYLE SLEUTH’S TIP: Buy your tickets online now, and save $2 off the regular box office price!
The recent release of the new bright iPod Nanos inspired me to pull together a few products that come in a bunch of different colours. Because a girl should have a choice.
1. iPod Nano, comes in 7 colours, plus black and silver. Price: $169 (8 GB), $219 16 GB. Available at: Apple.
2. Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 in Milk Chocolate, Aloe and Pomegranate (also comes in Strawberry Sorbet and Blue Sno Cone). Price: $39.95 each. Available at: Best Buy, Office Depot. Microsoft for info.
3. Dell Studio 15 laptop in Jet Black, Tangerine Orange, Flamingo Pink, Midnight Blue, Ruby Red, Spring Green, Plum Purple and (in centre) Graphite Grey with colour trim. Price: From $799 each. Available at: Dell.
4. (From left) Dyson DC20 Stowaway, $549.99. Limited edition Issey Miyake Dyson DC16, $179.99. Dyson DC25 Ball $599.99. Available at: Future Shop, Sears, Home Outfitters, The Bay. Dyson for info.
5. KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 quart 325-watt tilt-head stand mixer. Price: $469.99 each. Available at: Home Outfitters, The Bay, KitchenAid.
Looking to find something green, but don’t know where to go? Try www.greenwithglamour.com, a super-stylish U.S.-based online shopping site that’s just fabulous for eco-conscious shoppers.
Emily Deschanel, star of Bones (one of my fave TV shows, as my Facebook friends would know!), is a big fan of the site and says, “My No. 1 place to buy gifts is Green with Glamour….It`s wonderful to know that you can be eco-friendly, ethically sound, and not have to scrimp on style….It makes shopping so easy! From eco fashion to beautiful furniture, GWG has everything I could possibly want (or need).”
Green with Glamour’s collection of goodies is carefully curated by founders Kathleen Rowan and Deana Bracken, whose ever-growing eco-mindfulness lead the two to create the website in the first place.
The company is also a member of 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet. Members of the alliance (OK, does that sound Star Trekky, or what?) donate at least 1% of their annual sales to environmental organizations worldwide.
Pictured above: The Terrarium by Esque, 18″ high, $600 US.
For more fabulous finds from the site, check out the picture posts below, and if you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog, email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
Green Cameo lamp by LightenUp Design is made with natural clays and handmade, nontoxic glazes, 22″ high, $220 US.
Pink Birdcage wallpaper by Woodson and Rummerfield is created using recycled paper and vegetable dyes, 27″ x 162″ per roll, $55 US per roll, minimum 2 rolls per order.
Available at: www.greenwithglamour.com
For more fabulous finds from the site, check out the picture post below, and if you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog, email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
Camisole Vases by LightenUp Design are made with natural clays, handmade and nontoxic dyes, and embellished with real lace (see the detail at right), 12″ high, $160 US each.
Available at: www.greenwithglamour.com
Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email Laurie at naturalchic@styleathome.com!
2006 was the year of crackle glass ornaments. In 2007, mercury glass decked our halls. What’s on the way for holiday decorating in 2008? Check out this stunning series from HomeSense. Departing from traditional mercury, these pearly gems are frosted on the outside, with mercury glass lining the inside, setting the stage for a lusciously layered look this winter.
You’ll forgive the early holiday posting, but with that wintry wind whipping through the streets of Toronto today, I found myself scanning the sky for snowflakes…
Frosted mercury glass holiday decor
Price: From $15 to $40 each
Available at: HomeSense, 866-466-3707 for stores
The November issue of STYLE AT HOME is now gracing newsstands across the country! I’ve taken the mantle of producing the Home & Style column this time around, and as an opening page to this section of what’s hot in home decor, I highlight red lacquer as a trend that we’re spotting absolutely everywhere. Love the sheen, love the dramatic shot of colour. Here’s a fave piece that I found while scouting for the column that I just couldn’t squeeze onto the page… How sweet would this scarlet stunner be in a space-strapped front hall, anchoring a curvaceous mirror? If that’s not enough to make you drool, check out the rock-bottom price tag.
High-gloss lacquer side table
Price: $159
Available at: HomeSense, 866-466-3707 for stores.
Recently, I decided to buy a new TV and an HD PVR to boot:Â I’m out and about a lot, the television scheduling gods were against me (taping more than one program on my VCR at the same time was impossible) and a PVR was incompatible with my eons-old TV.
But I wasn’t just willing to trash the old TV — it still worked — so I lined up a friend who was willing to take it, but it got me thinking: if my old TV hadn’t been working anymore, what would I have done with it? Just dumping it in the trash wasn’t an option. TVs are filled with lead and I didn’t want that ending up in a landfill.
I started doing some research, sure that there would be a recycling option available here in Toronto through the city, but what I found was discouraging, to say the least.
It turns out that dumping it in the trash would have been the easiest solution and one that I’m sure many people would opt for because they couldn’t be bothered doing anything else.
But there are other options!
Below is a list of what I discovered you can do with unwanted TVs across Canada. In some places, the options are rather limited right now, so if you can, hold on to old non-working TVs until recycling comes to town (my friend Becky, who took my TV, has a veritable TV graveyard in her basement, waiting for just that opportunity to arise here in Ontario). You can also drop off all Sony products for no charge at designated spots; just click here for a list of sites.
The one encouraging sign? Many governments are working on projects that involves up-front charges on future TV and electronics sales that will cover the costs of future recycling projects.
* If there’s something I’ve missed or if you know of any companies that offer environmentally responsible recycling services that I haven’t listed, please post a comment to let me know, and I’ll update the list as soon as possible.
Alberta • Drop off your electronics for recycling at 250 depots across the province; for info, go to www.albertarecycling.ca.
British Columbia • Drop off your electronics for recycling at 92 sites in a program led by the Electronics Stewardship Association of British Columbia and managed by the not-for-profit stewardship corporation Encorp Pacific; see www.encorp.ca/electronics.
Manitoba • Temporary drop-off locations were established this year from May 1 to Sept. 30; in 2007 some 305,000 kg of electronic waste was kept from landfills due to the initiative, which has existed for two years. Visit www.greenmanitoba.ca to see if you’ll have another chance to drop off electronics next year.
Newfoundland and Labrador • Not yet available.
New Brunswick • In Northumberland County, there’s a springtime e-waste collection period, during which TVs are collected and the tubes are recycled. I’m waiting to hear back from other county officials.
Northwest Territories • Not yet available.
Nova Scotia • Starting Feb. 1, 2008, Nova Scotians were able to recycle TVs responsibly — hurrah! Visit www.acestewardship.ca for info on the 34 drop-off centres. The province charges an environmental handling fee on electronics that funds the program, but that means there are no charges levied at the drop-off centres.
Nunavut • Not yet available.
Ontario • The province is establishing a program as of April 1, 2009. After it launches, there will be info in local newspapers about collection sites, and I’ll be posting a link for a website that will allow you to search for a site by municipality and postal code. For now, drop off TVs for a fee in Brampton, Ont., at Sims Recycling Solutions, www.saveourplanet.ca/television-monitor-recycle.html.
Prince Edward Island • Not yet available.
Quebec • Check out the Recyc-Québec site at www.recyc-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/client/fr/gerer/maison/detail.asp?id=152 for a list of companies that accept TVs for recycling.
Saskatchewan • The province has TV recycling and 70 drop-off centres – impressive! Visit www.sweepit.ca.
Yukon • No TV recycling yet, but Yukoners can take old computers and TVs for reuse to the Yukon chapter of Computers for Schools (www.yecs.ca), which is operated by the Yukon Entrepreneurship Centre Society.
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