Salt, Lemons, Vinegar & Baking Soda

My mom bought this book for Kelly and me when we first moved into our apartment way back when.  I had never lived on my own so she supplied us with lots of advice and books to help with cleaning, and fixing things.  Thank you mom!  One book that I still find myself going back to is Salt, Lemons, Vinegar & Baking Soda.

You can find anything from cleaning tips and solutions to personal products that you can whip together, laundry uses, outdoor uses, pet uses and even kids activities.  It is an easy, quick read and when you're done you can keep it handy for quick referencing later on.  The best part is the book is less than $10.00 and well worth every last cent!

Do you have any eco-friendly household recipes that you use or books that you keep handy for your household needs? 

Happy Friday to you all and have a great holiday!

See you swoon,

Product Feature: Water Bobble

I love this product so much!  I will be the first to tell you I do not drink nearly enough water but the Water Bobble is a fantastic solution to keeping our landfills from completely over flowing with plastic, not only that (you can read this on their website too) but each year nearly 1.5 million barrels of oil are used to make plastic water bottles, insane!  So the Water Bobble saves the environment, your money, and you get filtered water to boot, no brainer!

I am not going to turn into an insane environmental activist today but I am thrilled with whoever came up with this idea and wanted to share it with all of you. 

I found Target carries Water Bobble for $9.99, not bad when you think of how much you have spent over the years on bottled water!  The filters also come in fun colors that you can mix and match.  I am guessing this adds a little more fun to having to buy replacement filters and actually drinking water.  The  replacements which cost about $6.99 I found at Target as well.

Has anyone tried this product?  Are you a fan or not?  Any products you use to help protect our planet? Let's be eco-friendly today :)

See you swoon,



Eco-Chic: Homemade Laundry Detergent

A few years ago I became obsessed with making my own cleaners, and that included laundry detergent.  A few girlfriends found the recipe below and shared with me.  It's super easy, super inexpensive and works as well as, if not better, than anything on the mass market.  Plus, with just three ingredients that are all eco-friendly (no phosphates or harsh bleaches or chemicals) and minimal packaging, it's good for our planet too.

Homemade Laundry Soap

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda (different than baking soda)
1 bar of soap grated (Fels Naptha or Ivory are good picks)

Use 2 Tablespoons per load (1 for light load, 3 for super heavy or soiled). Pictured below is your shopping list.

I preferred the light scent of Ivory, but the Fels is nice too (kind of lemony).  I also loved the way the soap looked on my counter: so fresh and clean!  I bought an inexpensive glass jar to hold it in, and a little grater just for the soap. The detergent is very mild - I was able to use it on my son's baby clothes (using Ivory) and he never had a reaction to it. It smelled sooooo good too!

Sadly, when our 25 year old washing machine died, I had to stop using the homemade soap, because I invested in a high-efficiency front loading machine, which calls for its own special "HE" detergent.  * If you have a HE machine, you should not use this detergent! *

There you have it - another eco-friendly cleaning product for your home.  See? It is easy being green.  Do you have plans to try it? And if anyone is aware of a homemade detergent for an HE machine, please do share!

See you swoon,

Eco-Chic: Sustainable Placecards & Favors

I happen to love consumable or sustainable favors: whether it's candy, something to plant or no favor at all, I really appreciate it when a bride and groom keep the planet in mind when deciding their favors.  Here are some of my favorite suggestions for favors on the greener side.

*Seedlings, Herbs & Bulbs*

I love walking home with a new plant to add to the yard (which I promptly hand over to my husband because my thumb is more black than green).  I also love the sentiment that the couple's love keeps blooming in their guests homes.  There are so many choices for plantable favors: tree seedlings, favorite herbs (most of which have meanings perfect for a wedding), and bulbs of lovely flowers.

*Plantable Place-cards*

These plantable place-cards are just the sweetest idea.  Paper with seeds in it: simply plant them in the ground, water and flowers will grow.  Love this idea to give back to the Earth instead of tossing another piece of wedding-related paper in the trash.

*Donation*

Finally, sometimes the best favor is no favor at all.  I, personally, applaud brides and grooms who eschew favors altogether and instead make a donation to their favorite charity in honor of their guests.  This is a total win-win: eliminates all waste and the money goes to a great cause.  Sure, it may conjure up visions of George's "Human Fund" on Seinfeld, but I think most guests are willing to trust that the bride and groom donated to a real charity.

There you have it! A handful of my favorite Earth-friendly favors.  What do you think? What favors do you favor?

See you swoon,

{images courtesy of Martha Stewart, Beau-Coup, Plant a Favor}

Eco-Chic: Sustainable Ideas for Your Summer Wedding or Party

Ahhh, summer.  Hot days, long nights, lightning bugs ... there is something about summertime that just makes you happy, even if you aren't crazy about the heat (like yours truly).

Summer weddings and parties can benefit from the season, and if you're hosting one of these events, why not incorporate a more sustainable element to your party?  Here are a few suggestions:

1.  Fruit centerpiece. Instead of breaking the bank with florals, why not do something fresh and unexpected like fruit?  Limes, apples, oranges, and lemons would work beautifully.  Just leave a note to guests to take a piece from the centerpiece on their way out.

2.  Starfish placecards. Nothing screams beachy fun summer like starfish.  Simply tie a placecard to the starfish with some ribbon or raffia and set out for your guests to take and enjoy.  I would bet most would keep the starfish and display somewhere in their home.

3.  Fruit favors. Offer up some edible favors to your guests -- instead of the expected chocolates, go for a fresh local fruit that is in season, such as berries or cherries. Yummy goodness and no waste: that's what I call a win-win.

4.  Ice cream truck. Full disclosure: I attended a rehearsal dinner a few years ago in which the bride and groom had an ice cream cart.  Those who know me know exactly what happened: I ate ice cream all night long.  It was delicious, and that goes down as one of my all time favorite rehearsal dinners, if only for the unlimited ice cream.  What about doing something similar? End your wedding with an ice cream truck to offer cones for guests to enjoy on their way home?

Got any other nifty ideas for incorporating a little summer fun into a party that also happen to be on the greener side?  Please share!

See you swoon,

{photos courtesy of Martha Stewart, Couture Stationary, and Fine Stationary}

Eco-Chic: 5 More Ways to Up Your Green

A few weeks ago, I posted five simple ways to add some green to your life.  Here are five more.

1.  Reuse: I try to reuse everything before throwing it in the trash.  Envelopes from junk mail? They work fine as scrap paper for grocery lists.  Plastic containers that aren't recyclable? They make perfect containers to hold paint for small jobs.  A calendar picture that you really love? Frame it and turn it into art ... like I did here above my sofa.

2. Choose Glass Over Plastic: I used to use Tupperware a lot.  I still have some, but I am slowly replacing it with glass.  First, it eliminates a step: I used to cook food, put in plastic, put in the fridge, then when it was time to reheat, put the food in a glass bowl and then reheat.  This saves me time.  Second, and more importantly, I've read some alarming things about plastic and what happens when it breaks down.  Obviously, I encourage everyone to read up on the issue and come to your own conclusions.  But for me, I'm making an effort to use more glass food storage containers.

3. Paint with Low or No-VOC paints: I love to paint.  Love love love.  It relaxes me and gives instant gratification: after a few hours, your room goes from yellow to blue.  How easy (and fun) is that?!?  I also love Sherwin Williams paints - they are my go-to brand because they're durable and go on so beautifully.  Sherwin Williams, like several other manufacturers, has a no-VOC paint called Harmony.  Harmony has very little odor and zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds, which aren't so great to breathe) and yet still covers just as well as any other Sherwin Williams paint.  Love it.

4.  Buy Local:  Now is a great time to buy local produce.  Seek out what's in season and what is available from local farms.  Relying on local crops and farmers means less you're requiring less transportation and packaging of produce, which is so much better for the environment.  I have to say, one of my favorite things about summer is stopping by the local produce stand near my parents' house in South Jersey: fresh Jersey tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini ... it doesn't get any better than that.

5. Baking Soda: Baking soda, like vinegar, has so many uses in your home.  It's a great abrasive for scrubbing sinks: I use a sprinkle of baking soda once a week or so to make my stainless steel sink shine.  It is also terrific for getting stains out of things: it takes red crayon off of white counters and white MacBooks.  Mix a little of it with some cleanser and you have a super gentle and effective exfoliating scrub.  Sprinkle on the floor before you vacuum to help with any odors.  This is just the tip of the iceberg:  check out a few more posts on the topic here and here.

There you have it.  Five more super simple ways to be a little greener.  Do you have any simple suggestions for incorporating a little more green to your life? Share!

See you swoon,

Eco-Chic: Five Simple Ways to Add Some Green to Your Routine

There seems to be a pretty common misconception that being environmentally friendly is expensive or difficult.  Nothing is further from the truth!  Below are five simple, easy and inexpensive ways to add a little green to your life.

1.  Stop using shampoos with sulfates. A few months ago, my hair was a disaster: dry as straw, unmanageable, and downright difficult.  After chatting with some friends, I realized my issue was probably the sulfates in my shampoo.  Sulfates are detergents that clean your hair -- and they're also really terribly harsh and strip the good moisture from your locks.  Giving up the sulfates was a painful process - my hair rebelled and it was not pretty. But now it is totally worth it.  You have to read labels - something labeled "natural" may still have sulfates!  My favorite brands are Burt's Bees, Giovanni and JASON (the first two are available at Target; all three are available at Whole Foods)

2- Start using vinegar.  A few weeks ago, I blogged about some recipes for cleaning and beauty products using vinegar.   Give it a try!  It is so cheap and so easy to swap in the vinegar for what you were using.

3- Make a point to buy organic fruits & veggies that are part of the "dirty dozen." I'll be honest here: I do not buy all organic food.  But I do make a point to buy organic when the fruit or veggie is one of the following, as these have been found to contain the highest degree of pesticides:  celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach/kale/collard greens, cherries, potatoes, grapes and lettuce.

4.  BYOB(ottle): Stop buying bottled water.  Instead, buy a great aluminum option (like Sigg or Klean Kanteen) which you can reuse and refill.  It is staggering to think of how much petroleum is used in creating all the bottled water we buy.  And doubly staggering how much of those bottles end up in landfills.  Plus, you're paying for water: why do so when you can fill at home for free?

5-BYOB(ag):   Along the lines of BYOB(ottle) above, stop using the plastic bags at the grocery store and buy a bunch of canvas bags for groceries.  Whole Foods has them for $1 each and they change design by season - they're super durable.  And it is so much easier to carry a bunch at one time than those plastic bags.  Keep a bag filled with them in your car so you're never without them.

There you go!  Five simple, easy, inexpensive ways to get your green on.  Do you have any easy tips for living a more sustainable life? Do tell.

See you swoon,

Eco-Chic ideas: vinegar for beauty & home

Vinegar is not just for salad dressing - it is an inexpensive, effective and green way to beautify and clean your home and hair!  I know it sounds crazy, but bear with me.

* Vinegar as home cleaner:  I have a confession to make: I have not purchased all-purpose cleaner in years.  Ever since I found my cat licking the pool of cleaner off the spot on the table that I missed, I started to worry that maybe I should be using something a little safer for cat and kids.  When my son was born, keeping scary chemicals out of our home became even more important to me.  Enter my friend Jennie's recipes for vinegar based cleaner (note: I will blog more about Jennie's wonderful blog soon, and it is a funny coincidence that she happened to blog about her vinegar-based cleaners this week, too!).  I admit that it took a little while to become accustomed to the vinegar scent, but I don't notice it anymore.  And I love that because it is all natural (and I make it myself), I save money and know that if my cat or kids happen to ingest it, it's totally OK.

-The all-purpose cleaner recipe:

2 cups water, 2 cups white vinegar, 5 drops lavender oil, 10 drops sweet orange oil, 10 drops tea tree oil.  I pour into a large spray bottle.  One bottle lasts me a good month or so, and can be used on most surfaces (except stone), including stainless steel and glass.

The essential oils will help to degrease and sanitize.  Give it a try!  One bottle of essential oil lasts me well over a year and a gallon of vinegar is only $3, which is at least what you would pay for a bottle of cleaner on the mass-market.

- The soft-scrub recipe:

Mix ½ cup liquid castile soap (now available at Target! I use the one pictured in the link because I always have it on hand for my kids' baths), 1 &  2/3 cup baking soda, ½ cup water, 2 TBSP white vinegar.

I use this for scrubbing tubs, sinks and when something needs some extra cleaning.  I will note that it does a fantastic job of removing crayon from surfaces.  I store in one of those glass containers with attached lid and vacuum seal (available for just a few dollars at Target).  You only need a little bit of this stuff - it is very effective.

* Vinegar for hair: Once a week, I use an apple-cider vinegar rinse on my hair.  It makes my hair shiny and gets rid of any build-up.  It's really that simple, too.  I keep a plastic container (which held some Chinese takeout won-ton soup we ordered , which I saved from our recycling bin) and the vinegar under my sink.  I measure out about 1 TBSP of vinegar into the container and bring it in the shower.  After I shampoo & rinse, I fill up the container with warm water from the shower (about a cup) and pour it over my hair. Then rinse through and condition as usual.  The result is super shiny hair!  I do it just once a week, but you can try more if you want.

What are your tricks for greener products around the home? Stay tuned for future posts on other super cool uses for more household items, like baking soda, sugar, honey and of course good ol' vinegar.

See you swoon,

Eco-Chic: Green is the New Black

One morning this past Fall, I was having a terrific morning commute: I had nabbed a seat on the train, the train was actually on time, and I had just cracked open my brand spanking new copy of Vogue.  I read the Letter from the Editor (I am strangely fascinated by Anna Wintour), flipped through the ads and then stopped at a one-page feature on the new trend in nail polish: the color green.  I was surprised - green? Really? These were dark jade green colors and the feature predicted the trend would surely catch on.  I am not sure that it did, but it made me think of the black nail polish trend a few years back that Chanel started with its "Vamp" color.  At first, black nail polish seemed so bizarre and yet it caught on and is still popular today.  I wondered whether that beautiful jade green would have the staying power as black.

It occurred to me that the same can be said for "green" as being eco-conscious, and I wonder whether "going green" is going to be a quick trend or whether it is here to stay.  Jamie and I hope and think that it will be the latter, and we are committed to being as "green" as we can, in our personal lives and in our business.

We will post about easy ways to be eco-chic:  from using (and making) natural home and beauty products, to suggesting creative ways you can reduce-reuse-recycle, we hope to show you that going green is easy, is inexpensive and simply put, is the right thing to do.

Drop us a line if you have questions on how you can be eco-chic or how you can incorporate a more sustainable approach to your next event.

See you swoon,



{photo used with permission from Etsy seller "CharmedByKaren," who sells some of the cutest charms - I especially like her Celtic knot charms -- check her out!  I should mention that we haven't been paid or otherwise comped by "CharmedByKaren" for mentioning her or her jewelry.  We really like her stuff and she was kind enough to let us use her picture.}