A Fishs Eddy Eco Shopping Spree

If you've been or lived in NYC you know about Fishs Eddy. A sweet little kitchen/tableware shop full of treasures. I've filled my cabinets and counters with their goods ever since I moved here over 11 years ago. Pie stands (which I use for plates), glass storage containers, jars we used at our wedding as vases, gifts of juice glasses with cheeky images, tote bags to lug my stuff around town...I could go on...

I discovered this morning that they have an online shop! So all you out of towners can now purchase their goods instead of filling your suitcase with their goods (plus tons of bubble wrap to protect). Rejoice! Here are my picks, through an eco friendly lens of course.

A wood (not plastic) cutting board! 

Brighten up any day with this reusable tote

The perfect little glass food storage container  comes in a varity of colors/designers 

Make your own dressing! Total Eco DIY

Hip Hooray!

You can't see a beautiful string of colored garlands and not think lovely, bubbly happy thoughts. That's why you must get some and string them across your dining table, reading nook or sweet baby nursery. They are amazingly affordable, at only $9.99 every room in your house can afford one. They make a great addition to any special occasion, heck they are special enough to make a regular old Wednesday special! As stated on the Hip Hooray website they are champagne resistant. So break out the bubbly and toast to today!

Lovely Hip Hooray Garland (image)

I love them as permanent decor, not just for a special occasion. Juliette will have one to wake up to tomorrow! What a happy way to wake up don't you think? Here's a direct link right to the Hip Hooray shop page.

Hip Hooray (best company name ever!) is a Minneapolis company, they print and assemble the products here in the US, right in Minneapolis actually.  They use eco-inks (sweet!) and garlands can be used over and over! They sent me 2 garlands to string up in my house, and tonight we're going to string one up in Juliette's room. Yay.

Nature Inspired Home Decor

Purchase here from - Sweet Bella 

Nature is Beautiful: Decor

(Image)

Fill it with Love {Gift}

It's that time again, time to bust out the wallet and scour the city for the perfect gifts. It's a perfect time to stay earth friendly and pick up items that dazzle both environmentally and in look. To start of the season I've found the most beautiful woven baskets, I would love to store just about anything in these African baskets. Traditionally these baskets are made from local grasses, but are often now made with strips of recycled plastic. Love that!

Baskets come in a varity of sizes and colors, start your collection now, click here!

(Image)

25% Oeuf!

Use the Daily Candy code: candy25 for 25% off at Oeuf, a lovely baby/kids shop, they've got cool nose and tail sets for Halloween, darling clothes and fun toys! I adore their decor as well, this heart garland has my heart :) They stick by their fair trade ideals and help women and children in Bolivia! Feel good shopping, done.

(Image)

Lovely Interiors Inspired by Nature

1.

2.

I peruse many style & design blogs a week, they inspire me beyond belief, I hope you find a few of your own to enjoy! Maybe even mine!

Image 1, Image 2

Save The Whales

Next month the new season of Whale Wars begins! So excited! Tune in on June 4th. In the meantime enjoy my latest obsession, whale prints. All prints from Etsy.

Whale 1, Whale 2, Whale 3, Whale 4

Pantry Inspiration

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the pantry is it's right hand for sure. I would love someday to have a nice big kitchen with long wide shelves where I could store all of my edibles in jars, and a re-purposed chicken coop to keep my spices, fruits & veggies in. Ah, to dream. For the time being, I'll be using these pictures as inspiration for the future.

(Image from the lovely blog Design Is Mine: Isn't it Lovely?)

Nature is Art

I love these style prints and am looking for a few to decorate my home. Love the eggs for the kitchen!

(Image 1, Image 2
)

Vintage Apple Print

(Image)

Leave it A Jar

Many of you know of my hankering for jars, I collect great shaped ones I see, I save way more than I will ever need and I'm always trying to come up with new uses for them. Let's review, I use them to store my qtips, cotton balls, loose candy, drinking glasses, vases, bulk food storage, candles...the list goes on. Now that I have a baby and am making my own baby food I'm using my cute small jar collection even more!

I recently stumbled upon this great site which sells the more darling jars and I knew I had to share. They also have kits for jar labeling! I think I might be in trouble. The site is Burgon & Ball and they've got a ton more amazing things I've gotta check out, but these jars stopped me dead in my tracks, I think I like the Delicious Jam jar one most of all.

Uh oh, I just discovered they sell their own line of skincare, I'm in trouble now for sure.

(All images from site)

J'adore Acorns

Last year I collected a bunch of acorns from my parents property with the hopes of displaying them in my new set of Ikea huge jars. Needless to say it didn't go well, after a few days I noticed they all had inhabitants! Little bitty worms. They were gone before I could realize what had occurred. Now, these acorns are more my style...

Click here for more information.

J'adore Nettleton Hollow + 35% off!

I love decorating with things from nature. I have birch branches & bark in my home as well as antlers and collected shells too. It's fun collecting these things yourself, but when you live in a city it's not always easy. Never fear, Nettleton Hollow is here to help! They sell a beautiful collection of dried flowers, fruits, foliage and branches. They are the leading provider of lasting botanicals. They are based in Brooklyn too, what up!

Just today I received a code for 30% off their lovely branches & botanicals from Daily Candy. What better time! Pick up some stunning and unique gifts this holiday. Here's the code: THANKSDAILYCANDY

(Images-Nettleton Hollow)

All Wrapped up with a Green Bow

It's the time of year where we give give give, and often that means the earth suffers. There are many ways to enjoy the most cozy time of year while keeping up with your earth friendly habits. Here are some ways to get you started...

*Turn your old incandescent light bulbs into tree ornaments by painting them and stringing them up with lovely colored ribbon.

*Wrap presents in old maps, newspaper, last years calender pics, craft paper you've spruced up with hand stamps or simply use large cloth pieces that can be saved for next year

*Decorate with nature, use berries, twigs, branches, potted plants and pine cones to spruce up your home this season

*Make your own cards with recycled cardboard boxes, cut into shapes or punch holes to hang from gift bags with twine

*Create a wish list and share it with friends & family, hint at items you truly need so you get what you want this year

*Give the gift of food, literally! Give boxes of cookies, jars of jam or hard to find gourmet items that will be a welcome addition to their kitchen

*Give gift cards for things like gas, groceries or other everyday items that you know will be used

More holiday earth friendly tips to come...

Also coming up on Urban Branches, a Kicky Pants baby/kids clothes review, My favorite eco shopping sites and lots more!

Blog Crush: Poppy Talk

I've got a slew of design & fashion blogs I hit up weekly in addition to my favorite eco-living ones...here's one of my favorites Poppy Talk. And here's some inspiration from their site...

Eco Decor on the Cheap

So you're trying to save money, who isn't. But we still want gorgeous, innovative and lovely decor don't we! (resounding YES!)

Here are my tips for eco-decor that almost anyone can do...

1. Save your jars, fill them with cheap white candles (think tea lights!) and line them up along the windowsill. Or fill them with household items like clothes pins, match books, spools of thread or your collection of shells.

2. If you have a huge vase, fill with nicely shaped sticks from the garden or park

3. Pick up a few pieces of beautiful wrapping paper and frame them. I've got a $7 dollar map of Paris that's been framed on our wall for years, nobody believes it's wrapping paper from a fancy stationary store!

4. Plants, pop over to a friends house and take a clipping. I'm going to work on a whole new slew of cuttings myself for display. Helps add oxygen to your home as well

What else? Oh I am sure I'll think of something...

Support Small Boutiques & Precious Items I Desire

Stop shopping at big name stores, give that up and support small businesses! They've got way more to offer in my opinion, especially when they've got such a great eye for design, style and discovering the undiscovered. I've included some online store links as well as a local favorite...what are your favorite small boutiques and shops, leave the link in the comment section, let's get the word out to support small businesses!

I'm gaga for this knit mobile from Bla Bla, a bit pricey yes, but they make up for it with lesser priced stuffed animals that are super soft!


TWEED shea butter solid lotion bar made with organic shea butter, cocoa butter, and essential oils...oh la la! By Etsy shop PortlandGeneralStore

Hanging plant pot, genius! From Sprout Home


For baby Meyer-Harley, for when she's older from The Little Seed...


One of my favorite shops, Dalaga! It's only a few steps from my apartment, lethal I know!

Inspire Me!

Inspiration can come in many ways, today it comes in the form of beautiful photos that make me want to buy a house, decorate, travel and have an outdoor dinner party...





(Image: blackeiffel.blogspot.com)

Blog Inspiration

Doing my daily check of blogs, I came across some beautiful home decor shots. I am in the process of setting up house myself and eat photo I see like this makes me want to take a deep breath, a big pause and start over with all new colors and designs....

All images from {frolic!}

Trying to stay eco-friendly when decorating is hard sometimes, you've got to reign in your desires to "start over" and buy all new....buying vintage and used is great, but try to reinvent what you have, repaint furniture, wallpaper your bathroom and work with what you have. And of course pick up a few things here and there if you must!


I love large vased flowers like this...


Organized chaos is my favorite look, so hard to achieve!


I love how cool and calm this room looks....

(Images: http://elseachelsea.typepad.com/frolic/)