Surf's Up

Loving this bag stand from Sprout Design (pricey, yes, but great design).

Inspired by Nicole and her participation in this playground raising!

Drooling over the textile collection of Galbraith & Paul.

Happy that Room and Board is carrying some of their designs.

and that West Elm is now carrying an organic line.

Mesmerized by photos of Lisa's recent time in Japan.

Smiling over how Low Impact Man entertains his daughter without t.v..

{What tricks / distractions / etc. do you keep your kids busy with?}

Looking forward to a quiet weekend. Enjoy yours!

a new footer

for my email.

inspired by a colleague's message i have added this as my "signature":

Please consider the environment; do you really need to print this email?

Goodness knows I myself print out way too many email messages - this made me stop and think!

Natural Activity

Here is a really fun activity to try this summer with the little ones. My kid has been studying the artist Andy Goldsworthy at school. Goldsworthy uses natural and found objects (leaves, twigs, ice, among others things) to create temporary sculptures in the environment. At school the kids made their own sculptures using found objects and took photos of them.



We have been replicating this activity on our visits to the beach this summer but I also imagine this would be fun to do on a hike too. I love the fact that you don’t need to lug around any supplies - just what nature supplies - and you get to leave a little bit of "art" for the next passerby.

Surf's Up

Oh to build a house off the grid of reclaimed materials. (I know just where I would put it!)

Skin Deep has made some changes to their site.

Getting some birds for my bulbs.

All the recycled paper goodness over at remake's etsy shop.

How "walkable" is your neighbourhood? (via The Worsted Witch) Mine scores 38/100. Ouch!

Researching our local CSA.

Lots of good stuff to puruse over at the newly launched Green Apartment Therapy.

Not that I should be purusing...

Summer Reading

Each summer I pull a new pile of books off the shelves and stack them on the coffee table ready to grab one for a day at the beach, a read-aloud session under the tree in the backyard, a weekend roadtrip or simply some summer inspiration. Here is a look at a few of the books on our table right now of a "green-ish" hue...

For the big people:

A Slice of Organic Life by Sheheraza Goldsmith
Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability by Greg Horn
Living with Chickens by Jay Rossier
Living the Good Life by Linda Cockburn
The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

For the little people:

Out of the Egg by Tina Matthews
Fairy Dusters and Blazing Stars: Exploring Wildflowers with Children by Suzanne Sampson
All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper
Frog Girl by Paul Owen Lewis
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose
How and Why Wonder Book of Birds by Robert Mathewson

More childrens' lit suggestions can be found over at Green Options.

What's on your summer reading list?

Tenfold Organic Textiles

I've been looking for an online source for organic fabric for ages. Well after much research and many wholesale and ugly, hard to use websites, I finally found one and I'm pretty excited. Tenfold Organic Fabrics operates out of Seattle, Washington and Nelson, BC Canada. They offer 100% naturally dyed organic fabrics using such plants as onion, indigo and turmeric. You can buy yardage and they also sell fat quarters by the bundle. Their website is easy to navigate and friendly AND, wait for it, they take PayPal!



I started out by ordering a swatch book and the fabrics were just lovely. I received my first order of 4 yards this week and I couldn't be happier. It's a little pricey at $20 a yard but I'll take what I can get for now. They sell many other products so check them out.

I'm still on the look out for a source for organic linen and hemp so if you know of anywhere let me know.