penny tile

the new penny tile progress in our bathroom -- sooo pretty. it will be on the floor and in the shampoo nook. I wish I could've been able to afford the recycled glass tile which was equally beautiful, but at $32/sq ft, it was still way beyond our budget even for our petite little bathroom. This was very frustrating because when you have the opportunity to rebuild, especially now a days, you want to be as green as possible. So, as with many decisions we've made with the bathroom, we've opted for longer lasting more efficient products and donating the items to be removed to Habitat for Humanity.

Wind Power & Urban Spring

How incredible is it that today, a little person like moi can purchase something like wind power generated by those huge wind mills on the 5 fwy. Actually, you purchase credits that offset your electric bill. This past weekend, I signed up for the program at renewablechoice.com after seeing a pamphlet at Whole Foods. For $15/month, I purchase enough credit for a family of 3. Pretty cool. To top it off, you get a $50 gift certificate to Whole Foods.

I have to give props to the Urban Spring Cafe in Brooklyn, NY for bringing about my new found fascination their wind power access and for setting a great example of a "green" based business. I frequented the cafe every morning while staying with my dear friend Margaret in Fort Green. Their eco efforts encompass every part of their business from the corn plastic compostable cups and sugar cane fiber packaging to the salvage doors turned shelving. Their tropical smoothies and goji power bars are to die for.

corn stalk divider

Corn stalks - a great idea for an outdoor divider. This shot was take at the corner of Dekalb and Carlton in Fort Green, Brooklyn.

food shots

Lovely illustration (lol!). My sister-in-law Kiyoka says it's suppose to be good!
I've been trying to find some good black sesame spread. This one is suppose to be like peanut butter but with a black sesame flavor.

modern sushi

A slightly different visual take on sushi - thin, sleek and narrow... from the Japanese restaurant Lan in the East Village.

Etsy Lab

the sewing area...the screen printing and jewelry making area...
Julie, Mary, Danielle and Michelle in the office area...
yarn and a monster size owl in the lobby!What an amazing place. I knew that this would be something I wish we had here in LA. Hmmmm. This is Etsy's headquaters in Brooklyn, NY. I made the most of my carbon footprint by stopping by during my time in NY last week. This is also the home of their lab, where for $20 a month you can "make" all day long. It's amazing because they have the tools, the space, the materials, the know how, the company, the best attitudes - all the things you need to make a little handmade business work and take it to levels that will actually make you a living. Okay, who's going to start this here!? I'm determined to start with "make" night if anyone is interested. I know it's hard to get people together, but I also know that we all have these ideas that have been lingering in our heads and just need to be made!!

In the photos by the way, are the wonderful people I met - (l-r) Julie, Mary, Danielle, and Michelle. Danielle just moved to Brooklyn from Michigan and now works for Etsy after starting her whole local movement in a basement of a local church!

181 Madison Ave.

Despite the humidity and rain, I took out my camera to capture this cast iron art deco entrance for Domus on Madison Ave. Later that afternoon, a steam pipe exploded near Grand Central Station making everyone think that it was another terrorist attack.

more power to the hanky

In the airport on my way to NY this weekend, I figured out that I could air dry a damp hanky by tying it to my computer bag and look cute doing it! I’ve been trying to get back into the habit of using hankies instead of paper towels to wipe my washed hands in public bathrooms. I stopped because I didn’t like the thought of stuffing the damp piece of cloth back into my pocket, but the view of a trash can full of clean paper towels is better? I don’t think so. Problem solved!

jewelry

My latest interest... making necklaces for myself. Thanks to my friend Jennifer of Jennifer Morris Beads for teaching me how to knot!

Sanna Annukka

Jon's posted about Sanna Annukka again. Love her work and her props!

our yukatas

Yuka(right) and I(left) dressed in yukatas, a casual form of kimono, for the Bridge USA Natsu Matsuri (Japanese summer festival) that took place today in Torrance, CA. Yuka was dying to find an occasion to wear hers, so she taught me how to wear mine and make my obi bow. In old school Japan, you wore one for afternoon tea cermony or ikebana. The festival was the perfect occasion because many many goers had them on. We ate takoyaki, okunomiyaki, kirin beer and cotton candy.

Maija Isola

My new Maija Isola book arrived in the mail the other day from Tuuli up in Seattle, WA. Her Marimekko prints are famous for bring bold and bright during Finland's hard times. Each book cover has a different Marimekko print.

outdoor dryer

It's a blazing 90 degrees out today, so I decided to dry a few loads of laundry out back to save energy. My first load dried in an hour and a half. Not bad.

Buying Into the Green Movement

This morning I read a really interesting article in the NY Times style section: "Buying into the Green Movement" that put a lot of perspective into what is happening in the "green" movement happening here in the U.S. Are we truly being green if we are buying organic fruit from Whole Foods that was flown in from Chile on a 747? Are we truly being green if we are building a 5,000 square foot eco friendly home for only 2 people (from a radio segment of Studio 360 on KCRW)? Or by buying a designer organic cotton bag at a $960? That is the big question right now.

Businesses are banking on the green trend because people are feel like consuming "light" green products lets them off the hook. The reality is that despite the fact that we are buying green, it is not making a dent because we are still ... consuming. Part of being green is consuming less which does not usually jive with a consumer driven business.

Raised by a family of suburban consumers, I feel whatever mindfulness we can spread, even if it is through corporate evil empires, is important and a step in the right direction because I can tell you, they're surely not taking my (I'm the black sheep daughter) word for it. It's tough to change people's habits, especially people who feel entitled to their comforts and conveniences because they've worked so hard all their lives.

I've emailed this article to several people today.