Tag: green decorating

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Articles Home Decor Home Design

Four Ways to Furnish Your Home Inexpensively

When it comes to having a home that you are truly comfortable living in, this will take a lot of effort on your part in terms of decorating it. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank to keep your home looking it’s best.

Here’s a quick look at four ways to inexpensively decorate and furnish your home.

Stack Shelves To the Ceiling

Even in the smallest of living spaces, you always have the option to maximize your square footage by going up. Think about it. If you take an entire wall in your home and line it with shelves that go all the way up to the ceiling, this can add anywhere from 100 square feet or more of storage space, and best of all, high-quality shelves are very affordable.

Freecycling

There are lots of people who have started taking part in freecycling. If you have a local freecycling organization, you should definitely join. In doing so, you can come across lots of free furniture pieces for your home, and in return, you can donate items you don’t want, which will then be available free of charge to other members in the group. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Maximize Air Space

Just the same as you should stack shelves up to the ceilings, you can also optimize the way you use your air space. From floating book shelves to hanging TVs, both of these ideas will go a long way in helping you decorate and furnish your home in an expensive yet stylish manner.

Old Wine Bottles

If you’re a drinker, then it’s time that you start recycling your wine and alcohol bottles. Some of these bottles make for the prettiest center pieces. A great way to get the sticky labels off the bottles is by letting them soak overnight in a small trash can full of one part ammonia and four parts water. The next morning, simply rinse off the bottles, and the sticky labels should come off very easily.

 

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Articles Lawn & Garden Recycling

Turning Your Backyard Into a Green-Living Haven

No home is complete without a spruced up backyard. Even if this outdoor area is rather small, with the right touch, it can look better than ever before, and more importantly, it can be used as a versatile form of living space. From outdoor kitchens to in-ground swimming pools, there are many ways to make use of a backyard. And best of all, there are many green-friendly techniques you can follow to ensure you turn your backyard into a green-living haven.

Revamp Your Used Furniture

Your current outdoor patio furniture may seem a bit worn out, but by upcycling these pieces, you’ll be well on your way to revamping them into completely new pieces. From adding a fresh coat of paint to replacing the cushions, there are many affordable and eco-friendly methods for sprucing up old furniture and extending its longevity.

Be Cautious with the Way You Plant Flowers and Trees

If your backyard is spotted with plants, flowers and trees that require lots of water, you’ll at least want to group these together. In doing so, it will be easier to water these areas on a more consistent basis than you do other areas of the yard. Not only does this help conserve water, but it will do wonders for your water bill.

Do the Work Yourself

One of the best ways to create a backyard haven in a green-friendly way is by doing the work yourself. From raking the yard to digging holes to planting flowers, when you do things yourself, this allows you to accomplish your tasks in the greenest manners possible. And in addition to taking lots of pride in the end-product, you’ll also save a ton of money by doing the work yourself. Do keep in mind, though, that maintaining your backyard will take lots of work; it will need your attention all year long.

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Articles Eco Tips Home Improvement Uncategorized

Tips for Adding Beauty and Value to Your Home the Eco-Friendly Way

When people go about remodeling or adding onto their homes, they often think the involved processes will be overly expensive. Don’t be fooled by this false belief. There are many affordable ways that you can give your home a makeover, and best of all, you can be eco-friendly at the same time. Here are some great tips for adding both beauty and value to your home, while at the same time being mother nature’s best friend.

Replacing Your Roof

Yes, replacing your roof can be a bit costly at first, but if you cover it in shingles or metal that are light in color, this can greatly reduce the temperature in your attic. As a result, you’ll likely reap the benefit of cooler temperatures in your home, which means you can save a considerable amount of money on your cooling expenses.

Decorating with Pallet Racks

Pallet racks are often given away for free from both large and small businesses. By gathering several of them, you can easily recycle them by constructing shelves, indoor and outdoor furniture and lots more. You can paint or stain these racks any color of your choosing, which is an excellent way to add lots of character to your home.

Swap Out Your Showerheads

Being friendly to mother nature involves reducing your water usage. A great way to do this is by switching out the showerheads in your bathrooms to ones that support the low flow of water.

Install Extra Ceiling Fans

Fans can go a long way in adding flair to any room, and better yet, they make it easier to cool your home during the warmer months of the year. Mother nature will truly appreciate it when you turn off the AC and crank up the fans.

Insulate Your Water Heater

There’s a good chance that your hot water heater is already insulated, but if you add extra insulation, this will make it easier to heat your water, and it could save you up to 15 percent or more on the expense of heating your water.

Tint Your Windows

Just the same as you can tint the windows on your car, your home’s windows can be tinted too. In doing this, you’ll be reflecting the sun’s glare, which will make it easier to cool your home.

The Takeaway

Giving your home an eco-friendly makeover doesn’t mean you have to empty your bank account. And even though you’ll be spending money to carry out the projects, you can rest assured that you’ll be saving money at the same time on several of your utility bills.

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Eco Tips Lawn & Garden Uncategorized

Building and Decorating Your Patio In an Eco-Friendly Way

There’s something about the outdoors that makes people want to live a greener life. And this especially rings true for outdoor patio areas. Fortunately, there are many ways to build and transform patios into some of nature’s best friends.

Choose your construction materials wisely

It’s of the utmost importance to construct your patio areas using sustainable building materials. Some of the more eco-friendly materials to choose from include:

  • Reclaimed brick
  • Recycled stone pavers
  • Natural stone
  • Locally produced bricks
  • Responsibly harvested wood

Choose your builder wisely

Just the same as you need to carefully choose your building materials, you’ll also need to thoughtfully pick a builder. It is highly recommended by the Sierra Club that you choose a builder who is LEED certified by the US Green Building Council. When you hire this type of contractor, you can rest assured that he or she will have the advanced knowledge that it takes to build your patio according to eco-friendly practices.

Decorate and accessorize

Decorating your outdoor patio area in an eco-friendly manner isn’t as difficult as you think. Take for example removal wallpaper murals. These types of paintings don’t require paste or glue, making them extremely auspicious to mother nature.

When it comes to outdoor furniture for your patio, once again you’ll want to choose pieces that are manufactured using sustainable materials, such as bamboo. You should also strive to add liveliness to your outdoor area for nighttime entertainment by using solar-powered accent lighting fixtures.

Lanscaping around your patio area

You’ll need to give a lot of thought into the landscaping that you place around your patio. You’ll of course want this area to promote serenity and joy, all the while using plants, shrubs and trees that are native to area.

What’s the importance of native plants? For starters, these plants will be grown locally in your area, meaning they’ll be much more likely to survive in your backyard. Also, since they are native to your area, they will require less water to stay alive, which can do wonders for your water bill.

If you’re unsure as to the plants that are native to your community, a local agricultural extension can provide you with lots of valuable information.

The Takeaway

Building and decorating your outdoor areas doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. And best of all, with a bit of effort, you can construct and accessorize your outdoor areas, including your patio, by being environmentally friendly.

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Eco Tips Furnishings Home Decor Uncategorized

Eco-friendly decorating tips

Putting your home together in an eco-friendly way is not that hard if you know what type of products and aesthetic you’re looking for. When decorating, think about how you want to minimize your footprint and create a space that is environmentally-conscious. Integrating recycled materials and other items can make a tremendous difference in your décor. If you’re really creative, you can have a charming and classy space without spending a lot of money. Here are a few tips:

  • Make it You

Take the time to think about what brings you joy. Do you love greenery? Do your spaces all simulate an outdoor environment? You can achieve this by having a variety of plants and eco-friendly furnishings throughout your home. You can find eco-friendly sheets and bedding in organic fibers, or use them for your curtains or furniture covers. There are a lot of green furniture products on the market that serve many purposes. From your chairs and sofas, to your table and bathroom fixtures, there are products that will accommodate your needs in all natural woods and other materials.

  • Paint Makes a Difference

Everyone knows that changing the paint color in a room works wonders. To stay eco-friendly, use paints that are low VOC or zero VOC. You can also find these in beautiful finishes to upgrade your furniture for an entirely different look.

  • Recycle Your Glass

One of the quickest ways to spruce up your décor and stay eco-friendly is by repurposing your glass jars or vases. If you’re into pretty colored glass, this is a beautiful way to add a creative display. If you’re really into decorating, use some of that low VOC paint to paint some of your jars or glass containers for a beautiful finish.

  • Bring the Outside In

Incorporate elements of nature into your décor by using seashells, pine cones that you can paint, pieces of wood or other natural materials arranged in collections or large pieces that serve as focal points. Take a minute to survey your current décor and decide how you want to change or enhance your space and take it from there.

If you decide to get rid of some of your existing pieces, donate them to charity or an organization that can use the pieces. This makes a conscious efforts to beautifying someone else’s home and makes a positive contribution to preserving the environment.

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Articles Eco Tips Recycling

A Re-Purposeful Life

New isn’t necessarily better. In fact, repurposing items can create a unique environment filled with pieces that can’t be found in chain stores and can keep articles out of landfills. You can take this a step further when you reclaim materials from a deconstruction site. If you’re building or deconstructing a home or business, consider buying or selling materials to use again.

PlanetReuse connects buyers and sellers to materials for repurposing from deconstruction projects. You can build a home or business with reprocessed items from top to bottom. The PlanetReuse Marketplace features links to roofing materials, ceiling fans, wooden beams, lighting, molding, siding, windows, carpet tiles, and pine flooring. There are kitchen cabinets, bathroom sinks and various types of tables waiting to be recycled. For treasure hunters, stained glass windows, vintage clawfoot bathtubs, and antique sconces are yours for the salvaging. Moreover, if you’re interested in redoing your driveway or garden, you can use reclaimed landscaping rock, edging pavers, bricks, cobblestone or granite to create your own work of landscaping art. It’s all available at PlanetReuse, so check out its Marketplace section to see what’s available online.

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers throughout North America. Its website features a drop-down menu with filters by zip code and state to find Restores in the U.S. and offers an alternate filter for Canadian Provinces. Not only can you buy new and gently used furniture, appliances, home goods, and building materials, you can buy items far below retail prices. As an added attraction, proceeds go to build homes in communities in need of aid.

The Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) specializes in finding deconstruction or reuse businesses in your area with its business directory of listings and an interactive map. BMRA works to advance the recovery, reuse, and recycling of building materials by reducing resource consumption and landfill waste.

When it comes to interior decorating, you can adorn your home or business with vintage items from antique stores, yard sales or check out Freecycle.org; it’s an organization dedicated solely to recycling free items. Another option is to conduct online searches for reuse centers and resellers in your area. Lastly, if you see a deconstruction project in your area, contact a project representative or community liaison to see what may be available.

To reprocess an old saying, they don’t make things like they used to, so why not reclaim it? With recycling options at your fingertips, you can make your life a re-purposeful one.

~Maureen F. 

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Eco Tips Featured

Be Green on Halloween

Halloween is a fun time filled with candy, costumes, and most importantly fun, family bonding time. It might be scary to think of all the waste that accumulates on Halloween but have no fear, we have come up with tips that will help reduce your Halloween waste.

  • Instead of buying plastic pumpkins  for trick-or-treating that might get ruined, make your own candy knapsack. Take old pillowcases and decorate them with your children.
  • Buy re-usable decorations instead of one-time-use ones. This might seem like a no-brainer but you would be surprised at the number of people that buy disposable decorations because of convenience or price. I personally think that you should invest a couple more dollars for products that will last a couple of years compared to one Halloween.
  • After Halloween is over, don’t throw away your costume. Re-use it or donate it to a local thrift store.  If you want to keep your costume, you can always take certain pieces of each costume to make a new one for next year!
  • Before buying decorations, make your own. A simple Pinterest search turned up creative and cleaver decorations using all sorts of household items. One popular craft is to make your own ghost lanterns out of old gallon sized milk jugs.
  • Make your own scarecrow out of old clothing and household materials. Your scarecrow doesn’t have to be scary, you can decorate him or her with leaves, hats, flowers, old scraps of material, and old clothing. Make your scarecrow unique, like you.

What are your green Halloween tips?

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Featured Home Decor

Designing for the Senses

Successful interior decorating takes into account the entire human experience. A great way to personalize your house and make it a home is to incorporate some of the five senses. Here are some tips on incorporating sound, sight, smell and touch into your home.

Sound

Music can fill a home with happy memories, moments of joy, and soothing tranquility. A happy home is often filled with music that moves the soul and soothes the nerves.  Make an at-home tranquility fountain and place in your living room or visit your local thrift shop and find some soothing music on CDs.

Sight

The eye likes to see visually pleasing things, which is why we strive to have a visually pleasing home.  It is personal preference which colors and textures you like some will prefer neutrals and some will prefer vibrant colors.  An easy way to please the eye is to paint your rooms or paint an accent wall. Try and use  an eco-friendly wall paint.

Smell

Pleasant scents are always preferable over those that might not smell so pleasant. So indulge yourself and your home with pleasant scents. Depending on the room, depends on the scent. If you want your bedroom to have a romantic feel, use lavender. Make your own air fresheners for your house (read about the dangers of commercial air fresheners and how to make your own here.)

Touch

Fill your home with eco-friendly fabrics and upholsteries that comfort you. Shop at secondhand stores or at thrift shops for gently used furniture. When shopping for fabrics or upholstered furniture run your hands across the surface. Ask yourself “How does it feel?” and “How does it make me feel”.  Also mix and match different textures together such as hardwood floors with a silky rug.

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Featured Lawn & Garden

Which Plants Are Easiest to Care For?

Indoor plants not only add to the décor, but also foster a fresh and energizing atmosphere if kept healthy. In addition, plants can help counterbalance the effects of humidity and electrical radiation. 

The challenge, especially if you lead a busy lifestyle, is proper care and tending. You can get creative with plants by placing them in an unused fireplace or atop high kitchen shelves and ledges.

Below is a list of three low maintenance indoor plants that you can easily incorporate into your eco-friendly living space.

Christmas Cactus. The Christmas cactus can handle low light and infrequent watering.

Pothos. One of the easiest houseplants to grow. The Pothos is tolerant of almost any lighting environment and almost impossible to kill.

Mother-In-Law’s Tongue. Long living plants with sharp pointy leaves that require infrequent watering.