Good with Style

may 2011 cover of vogue with reese witherspoon

I've created a Feng Shui Color Guide for the BOA Style blog, and I have found myself deeply immersed in Saffron Yellow. In Feng Shui, Saffron is a "Yang" color, which makes it a very powerful force of energy in our lives. In fashion and home, I've found too much of Saffron, Orange, or Gold can be overwhelming. I once painted my apartment bright yellow because I thought it would help me get over a bad break-up. It worked, but if you let the color go too Orange, it can become oppressive and stressful. I have first hand experience with this as well, but I won't tell you more to protect the innocent ;) As for wearing Saffron, I'll leave that to others, however, the May 2011 Vogue cover of Reese Witherspoon really illustrates how powerful Saffron is--she just jumps off the page, doesn't she? You can almost feel her energy and excitement, and knowing that she actually is at a point of new-beginnings and renewed energy, it's just all the more fitting, don't you think?

Have a beautiful day!

XO

Emily

happy easter

Love, Emily

celebrate spring: eco-friendly living in style

Have a wonderful weekend everybody... XO Emily

celebrate earth day: eco-living ideas

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

How will you be celebrating green-living today? Perhaps you might enjoy reading a few new ideas from moi...Two articles I wrote for today with unique ways to make easy eco-friendly changes, and spend some fun earth-friendly time with your kids...XO Emily

galtime.com: Celebrating Earth Day with Your Kids

momifforward.com: Celebrate Earth Day in Eco Fashion

kangaroo plus 5 cargo bike

 I really want a new bike. If only I lived in Amsterdam, where Recycled Bicycle is located, which I learned from Green Goody. We walk everywhere, so at least I don't use a car too often. But riding your bike around town is an especially Earth Day idea, because it's better for everyone, including you.

 So then I got to thinking about bikes, and looking around the web for different models, when I came upon this incredibly great idea from Danish-based Kangaroo Bike.

 I'm not sure how my husband would feel about this, but I am definitely putting this on the list. How about you--do you have--or want--a bike? 

XO

Emily

eco-friendly container and vase inspiration

Source: hutchstudio.blogspot.com via raccoon on Pinterest

I'm seeing a lot of newspaper plant containers, these with chicken wire are especially clever. I love to make designs using wire hangers (which can not be recycled--fyi). Here's my take on the wire container idea, which was inspired by Steaks Frites, which I believe are often wrapped in newspaper in their containers, n'est pas?

Photography Credit: Seth Smoot and Kendra Smoot from Eco Chic Home by Emily Anderson

eco-friendly flowers for mother's day

Lilacs, Roses, Peonies in a simple, natural arrangement. Just as easy to do this yourself, and so much healthier than floral foam, and easier to compost when there's no floral wire to deal with.

xo Emily

(photo: Emily Anderson)

marie antoinette let them eat cake + shop the fleas

"Relax and Slip Your Pronouncing Eyes Like Cake..."

(Kirstin Dunst as Marie Antoinette)

Marie Antoinette is known for her love of cake, but did you know she is also famous for inventing the flea market? Well, sort of.

Legend has it that she was standing high above the place that would be known as Les Puces de Paris--The Paris Flea Market, looking down upon the crowd when she remarked "Oh but they look like little fleas." Or something like that.

 

Whether or not this really happened, one thing that is for certain true is the long and rich history of The Paris Flea Market, and all of its progeny.  

 

*This line of poetry is from:

A Domestic Film

by Amy King

 

This is the director’s cut,
a traveling space in the folded crook
of your plotted hand like silver night
on a thousand platters spreading westward,
then plywood. I watch the brittle flower spread,
almost mobile with her walking petal plans—

Feminine form to feminine prone,
relax and slip your pronouncing eyes
like cake, only softer and heated, across
the unmarried wife waving goodbye
to the silent screen world of strangers
safely baking on Dishwater Island.

 

touch wood video brings ryuichi sakamoto + rube goldberg together

It happens so rarely that I am on the cutting-edge. It's just too much pressure to always try to be ahead of the curve, don't you think? But I thought I'd share this...since it's been getting so much traffic here on the GWS blog...the Rube Goldberg inspired instrument I wrote about last week, featuring a silent forest filled with man-made music.

The video is actually an ad for the NTT DOCOMO limited edition Touch Wood mobile phone.

The project is a collaboration between Sharp Corporation, Olympus Corporation and "more trees," a reforestation project founded by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and others. Sakamoto recently gave a benefit concert here in New York City to benefit Relief for Japan. Here is a quote from him:

NTT DOCOMO says, "The TOUCH WOOD is made from the surplus wood of trees culled during forest-thinning operations. This new commercial use for thinned wood, which traditionally has only limited applications, helps to preserve other wood resources while strengthening the health of overgrown forests."

If you visit the NTT DOCOMO site, and I suggest you do, you will see the Disaster Message Board which the company has created to assist victims and families impacted by the recent Japanese natural disasters.

Go here to read more about the Touch Wood project.

XO

Emily

 

organic cotton's dirty little secret

Unfortunately, at this stage, even the label won't necessarily tell you everything you should know about the item. A label may say "MADE WITH 100% Organic Cotton" vs. "100% Organic Cotton Clothing" which is a distinction nobody probably even pays attention to...Because I have experience writing copy for product and I think this difference makes a difference--for legal reasons, a company may want to be sure they say "contains" because then they can include whatever they want and still keep the Organic Label.

This is why the GOTS--Global Organic Textile Association--label is so important, it does regulate the environmental and ethical standards at every stage of the entire manufacturing process. I only know about GOTS because of my client, BOA Style. All of their Organic items have this label.

If you'd like to see all of the chemicals used after the Organic Cotton is grown, harvested, and turned into fiber then fabric, go straight to the source Textile Manufacturers, Exporters & Suppliers website. Here are a few links for more information and resources about Organic Cotton:

Organic Trade Association

Patagonia: About Organic Cotton

About Organic Cotton

Sustainable Cotton Project

Behind the Label (the very best, most comprehensive source for all things ethical business related.)

I'm also a adding few brands to my recommended list:

NAU

HessNatur

Winter Water Factory*

*I just purchased a few items from this store for my little girl and we love the organic cotton designs! I'll share photos and more next week.

Does all of this information make sense to you? Please let me know if you have any questions or information. Remember, I am learning too!

XO

Emily

 

 

decorating with flowers: hanging wall vase

Source: cupcakesandcashmere.com via vintage on Pinterest

Just because you don't have a garden doesn't mean you can't bring flowers into your day. This on the wall vase is a great reason to treat yourself to some blooms, just because. XO Emily

dreaming of warmer climes

Are you ready for this? I am for sure. Something to look forward to :)

XO

Emily

via These Things Take Time

eco-friendly paint is good for you

Even if you aren't doing the actual painting yourself, you still should ask for No-VOC paint. There are fantastic options available, here are a few of my favorites:

Valspar Paint

Green Painting (a painting company)

Ecos Paints

Natura Paint by Benjamin Moore

GreenSure by Sherwin Williams

Freshaire

Environmentally Paint by The Real Milk Paint Co.

Yolo Eco-Friendly Paint

Also, read this round-up from Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest with an eco-paint review...it's from 2009, but still helpful.

 

Clever Easter Craft Ideas: Blue Peeps

 

I am in love with this site...Two Penny Blue...so original and adorable without being too sugary sweet, don't you agree? Are you planning anything for your Easter celebration? Even if you aren't religious, who doesn't love a fluffy bunny, right? 

XO

Emily

my hashi reuseable chopsticks via @AplusRdesign

Japan has some other things to contend with at the moment, but one of their biggest eco-issues is the amount of chopsticks made and discarded each year--25 Billion per year, and 200 sets for every person! I love this cheery video about a reuseable alternative--My Hashi from Yuen'to (find other great items like this at A+R Design). Sushi and other Chopstick-worthy food is pretty common all over the world, so maybe we should all get in on this--plus, you'll be supporting a Japanese business which is pretty great too :) Check out how nicely designed this product is with sustainable packaging that is beautiful and functional. The packaging compliments and elevates the aesthetic of the product itself. I think this is what all product design should strive for, especially if it's supposed to be eco-friendly. XO Emily

video: earth day idea #1 stop junk mail #ecochichome

Here goes nothing! Here is my very first Video, coming to you straight outta NYC...

 

I know that I say "um" and have a few bulgy eye moments (hello Ramona Singer!!), but compared to how I've done in the past, I feel okay about it. Plus, this is an exercise in fearlessness for me. But most importantly, I hope this inspires you to make a green change by getting your name removed from direct mail lists....StopTheJunkMail.com.

XO Emily P.S. Please let mw know if you have any great ideas for Earth Day--I will be sharing ideas from my readers all month long!

Things To Do: New York City

 

Planning a day in NYC with my family is one of my greatest joys. We really do take advantage of everything the city has to offer. The Met, MoMA, CMOM, and AMNH...are all affordable things to do two energetic toddlers in New York City. But when the weather is nice, it's much harder to think of something good for everyone. So far, here are a few ideas:
1. Pony Rides at the Bronx Equestrian Center in Pelham Bay, New York
2. A Nature Walk in Inwood Hill Park in New York City (my neighborhood).
3. A drive to Montclair, NJ (my hometown) to see the Presby Iris Gardens
If you'd care to share, please tell me what you're doing this weekend, I'd love to know.
Whatever your "things to do" are, I hope you have a delightful time!
XO
Emily

procter and gamble: green living

google search and you shall find

 

 

 I did a Google Search on myself yesterday looking for new press mentions of Eco Chic Home, and holy moly I hit the jackpot! An article I wrote for Procter & Gamble's eco-friendly, green-living blog Green Goes Simple was apparently picked-up by every local news station in the country--because I got about 2,000 results from the Google search. Too bad I can't get paid for the reprints, eh? You can see many of the new press links in the next column over. The other cool link where I found my eco-chic book mentioned is an article with eco-friendly, healthy food, gardening, green-living ideas and resources--Urban Farm Hub. In the piece, the writer, an eco-friendly expert, also mentions a book by two family friends--Melissa and Brendan Vaughan--The New Brooklyn Cookbook. Here's their promo video--maybe I need to make one too?:

My stepmother went to school with Brendan's mom, and I've know Melissa since before they got married. She's a born and bred Brooklynite and a trained chef, so she knows her stuff, and Brendan is a Magazine Editor for Esquire. Incidentally, did you know that you can download a free sample project from my book? True. Okay, I must get back to work on an article I am on deadline for, have a great rest of the week if I don't make it back here tomorrow!

XO

Emily

finding eco everywhere

good design = eco-friendly

Earlier this year, I visited the New York International Gift Fair to check out some new and innovative designs. As usual, during my travels around the showroom floor, I did not seek out "green" brands. Instead I looked for the "green" in the brands with style and design I found appealing. It's the turned-on-its-head kind of thinking that is my eco-style. I found loads of great brands with elements that are definitely eco-friendly, even though they do not use this as their brand platform. Which I think is the smart way to go, because at some point the consumer will simply expect the brand to be ethical, responsible, and sustainable. If you're a brand that's not thinking this way, then you better get started tout suite!

Photo Credit: Emily Anderson, featuring Fluf.

Check-out my Facebook Fan Page for more photos from the NYIGF...and become a fan of Good with Style while you're at it!

XO

Emily

shop less spend more: pared down

Source: thesartorialist.blogspot.com via Arlene on Pinterest

Not flashy, no labels, just casual elegance in the late-afternoon sun. You can't buy this kind of cool. Invest in quality, keep it simple. Something to remember. XO Emily