Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

Whoever would have thought they would make a flashlight out of wood! And not only is it made out of beech wood, it has an LED light, too.

It would make an awesome present! Battery-operated. – Guest poster Shelby Webster

Price: approx. $53

Available at: www.anthropologie.com

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Warm up chilly fall days with this sleek-looking, high-efficiency fireplace.

The RAIS 60 Insert System is a zero-clearance-firebox insert that has an air-tight lock for efficient wood burning and a cool (literally and figuratively!) hollow handle that you can touch bare-handed. The fireplace comes in both black and gray.

Price: $5,200

For more info and availability: www.rais.com

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Cannot say enough about the work that Boomerang Paint is doing!

The Quebec-based company takes unused paint and stain (even the hardened stuff!), reformulates it and repackages it, then sells it in a recyled plastic container. In 2008, the company recycled some 4,000,000 litres of paint.

About 1%  new material is added to ensure good quality re lustre levels (which are low across the brand), viscosity and drying time. The finishes are washable and the alkyds can be used on exterior surfaces, including wood.

The Boomerang paint colour palettes are shown below; the selection, not surprisingly, is somewhat limited, but for a lot of people who are racked with indecision when faced with thousand of paint chips, that will be a total bonus!

Price: approx. $15

Availability: For a retailer near you, click here.

Do you have a pretty product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

I just fell for the classic but updated look of this Azure sofa from Crate and Barrel. Tufting, curves – it’s got it all!

It’s shown above in Whitney Bran linen/rayon blend with self-welt detail but it’s also available in other colour options (a custom colour is shown below).

And, of course, it’s eco-friendly.

• the seat and back cushions are filled with soy-based polyfoam
• the cushions are wrapped in fibre made from clear and white plastic bottles
• the frame is made from hardwood that’s FSC or SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certified

With these lines, it would look amazing in just about any room, modern or fresh traditional, and with hundreds of fabric options, you could really give it your own personality twist!

Available at: Crate and Barrel stores; for locations and to order online, visit www.crateandbarrel.ca

Price: from $2,199

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Back to school always came way too soon as far as I was concerned, but one of the best things about it – aside from seeing school friends – was buying new school supplies.

For your own kids, go natural and eco-friendly this year with this selection of cute goodies from Indigo and Chapters.

Visit www.chapters.indigo.ca for store locations.

Smencils: Yummy-smelling pencils made from 100% recycled newspapers that come in a corn-based biodegradable tube; what a fun idea! $15.

Textliners: Superfluorescent highlighters made with FSC certified wood. They come in yellow, orange, pink, blue and green and won’t ever dry out! $2.50 each.

Staple Free Staplers:You’ll save on steel staples with these wee hardworkers! They come in blue and green (shown), as well as purple, orange, clear and silver. $7 each.

Pistachio Notebooks: Canadian-made from 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and printed with vegetable- or soy-based inks. I can feel the inspiration coming on already!
Doodle Notebooks, from $6 each.

Be the Change Notebooks, from $6

Punctuate Notebooks, from $6

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I’ve gotten to know some fabulous people doing this blog, and Fiona Richards from Cartolina Cards is one of them.

She’s just come out with a new selection of cards and they’re stunning, of course! The two above are just some of the luscious patterns and event themes available.

The cards are all printed on recycled FSC certified paper (Forest Stewardship Council) with vegetable-based inks at an environmentally friendly printing plant. Gotta love the work Fiona’s doing! P.S. Check her out on Twitter at @Fionacartolina

For Canadian retailers and international retailers, click here.

Available online at: www.greetq.com

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Natura is a zero-VOC interior paint that comes in thousands of hues and flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes, and, unlike many paints, its VOC level is unaffected by the addition of colourant. That means you can get it in Benjamin Moore’s entire range of 1,800 colours or colour match it to basically anything and it will still be zero-VOC!

Carl Minchew, Benjamin Moore director of colour technology, says, “Natura is built upon Benjamin Moore’s patented Gennex waterborne colourant system, and it’s the waterborne technology that makes the difference. So, no matter what colour you choose, it will never add to the VOC level. Natura is green without compromise – the greenest paint Benjamin Moore has ever made.”

We like it! For some colour palette options, check out the rooms below.

For availability, visit: www.benjaminmoore.ca.

Price: $60 per gallon

Above: Gossamer Blue 4123-40, walls; Brookside Moss 2145-30, niche; Black Satin 2131-10, fireplace.

Above: Black Satin 2131-40, walls; Gossamer Blue, ceiling.

Above: Chantilly Lace OC-65, fireplace wall; Hazy Skies OC-48, other walls; White Sand OC-10, ceiling.

Above: Pale Avocado 2146-40, kitchen area; Sea Haze 2137-50, wall; Timid White OC-39, ceiling.

Above: Sea Haze 2137-50, headboard wall; Timid White OC-39, picture wall; Pale Avocado 2146-40, ceiling.

Do you have a pretty product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com<

As I was eating my brekkie this morning, it occurred to me that a lot of my posts have focused on bedding. Why? I wondered, and realized it’s because I’m obsessed with naps! So once again, here’s a sleep-inspired post!

This country-look quilt from Pottery Barn is perfect for summer-time easy living. Just toss it over the bed in the morning when you wake, and the bed is made and you’re on your way!

It’s hand-made of organic cotton with Porcelain-blue piping and reverses to solid blue, if you want a quick change in looks, and has 100% cotton batting. The shams have a different print on each side, and everything is machine washable.

Available at: Pottery Barn stores, www.potterybarn.com

Prices: $72 (standard sham),$88 (Euro sham), $429 (Queen quilt)

SUPER CHIC IDEA If you have an old quilt and the edges are fraying too much for you to use it on a bed or even hang it on a wall, try this idea:
1 Centre the least worn portion over a twin-size wood headboard
2 Wrap the edge around the back of the headboard
3 Staple it in place (pad with cotton batting underneath, if you like).
Makes a very cute headboard for a kid’s room!

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I have a thing for crisp, clean white bed linens and Restoration Hardware’s high-quality bedding is among my favourites.

This organic Italian 200-thread-count percale linen has a lovely added touch – it’s embellished with satin stitching in Chocolate, Flax, White, Celery, Sky or Silver Sage (clockwise from bottom left). Beautiful!

Available at: Restoration Hardware stores or online at www.restorationhardware.com

Price: from $89 for a standard sham, $269 for a full/queen duvet

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Crate & Barrel does houseware basics beautifully, and these bamboo salad bowls are no exception.

Made of pressed natural bamboo grown without fertilizer or pesticides, they’re handmade, foodsafe and waterproof!

Available at: www.crateandbarrel.com

Price: $32.95 US (serving), $9.95 US (individual)

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Do you have a pretty product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!