I trudge through winter - the rain and cold and dry skin - with as much enthusiasm as possible for someone whose fingers go numb walking from my car to my front door. That isn't to say I don't enjoy the coldest season of the year - the cashmere sweaters and warm fireside snuggles - … Continue reading Green Clean Your Home into Spring
Ecosalon
Eco-Friendly, Organic Linen Spray
I've been doing a lot of business traveling of late and my sense of smell is on overload. Maybe I'm becoming more sensitive, or maybe even the best hotel room can turn musty and stale over time. Opening the sliding glass door to the balcony is a lovely option during summer months in California, but … Continue reading Eco-Friendly, Organic Linen Spray
Fashionably Paperless
It's not uncommon for me to have a week old collection of receipts living in the bottom of my handbag - from the ATM, Starbucks, my local pharmacy and dry cleaners. Just the other day as I dug through the overflow in search of my ringing cell phone, it occurred to me that I could … Continue reading Fashionably Paperless
Style Is Always in Fashion
As eco-conscious shoppers, we've been bypassing the plastic or paper option for a while now. Most grocery stores even have their own brand of reusable bag for sale at the check-out line. It's not as if we're without options. But doesn't it appear that every week a different celebrity is spotted with the new "it" … Continue reading Style Is Always in Fashion
Trend on the Wane: Hotel Toiletries
Are you one of those travelers who hordes collects the little plastic bottles of shampoos and lotions from hotel rooms? My grandmother was one such traveler, and her collection amassed over 25 years overflowed from under the sink in her powder room" just in case. These outdated vials bother me, not only because their "fragrance" … Continue reading Trend on the Wane: Hotel Toiletries
The Three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Rebag
One of my favorite Christmas memories is of unwrapping gifts and watching my Grandpa stick the used bows all over his balding head. And when he ran out of territory uptown, he'd start sticking the bows to his limbs, all the way down to his feet. We grandkids adored him for this - we'd laugh … Continue reading The Three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Rebag
Waste Me Not
Valentine's Day cards and chocolates make me think of one thing, and it isn't love. All the paper and plastic wrap and commercialized waste! I prefer not to participate in it, and now I don't have to. Instead, there's this precious, eco-friendly and handmade gift made of twigs, delicately tied together and shaped into a … Continue reading Waste Me Not
A Couch Case
I have been in the market for a new sofa. The navy blue, "transitional" IKEA purchase (did I just admit that? Oh dear.) had more than worn out its welcome by more years than I care to admit. You'd think this would be a fairly simple process, especially for the self-proclaimed strategic shopper that I … Continue reading A Couch Case
Traveling (Carbon) Light
I lead as nomadic a lifestyle as possible for a confirmed yuppie. The travel bug caught years ago when I landed in Europe with a EurailPass and what felt like an eight-hundred-pound backpack. I was 21 and fresh-scrubbed, just out of college and ready to explore. That was in the late "Ëœ80s. We didn't know … Continue reading Traveling (Carbon) Light
You’re Glowing! Is It All the Exercise?
I'm sure you've watched them, if not almost run over one of them, weaving in and out and in between cars. The city cyclist puts his limbs and his life on the line each time he hits the pavement. Thankfully, bicycles have become a more frequent sight during rush hour in this era of gas-guzzling … Continue reading You’re Glowing! Is It All the Exercise?
Lavender Eye Candy
In the last five years or so I've become a firm believer in naps. (A fact that baffles my parents who vividly remember pleading with their 3-year-old daughter to come inside for "quiet time", so-called because the word nap sent me into a fit.) Maybe it's my busy schedule or dare I say my age, … Continue reading Lavender Eye Candy
Let Him Wear the Pants, and He’ll Wear Them Well
It may be the one and only, undisputed, all-women-unite fact that I'm aware of - that when the men in our lives wear pants we'd prefer they wear them well. My extensive research* in the pant department has revealed that there's nothing better than a really worn, really comfortable pair of pants that fit properly. … Continue reading Let Him Wear the Pants, and He’ll Wear Them Well
Decorative Days and Sweet-Scented Nights
Pillow acquisitions are not always appreciated by the male of the species, but the aspiring designer in every woman knows how a simple switch of pillows can reinvent an entire room. I have dozens: standard sleeping pillows, square throw pillows, Euro sham-covered pillows, boudoir pillows, floor pillows, cushions, rests, stops. Pillows give us a quick, … Continue reading Decorative Days and Sweet-Scented Nights
In a Greener World, Can a Whiter Shade of White Be Had?
I believe our culture is obsessed with making white things whiter. From our teeth, to the whites of our eyes, to Aunt Edna's antique linens, we want white! Consider laundry - achieving the culturally-desirable level of whiteness, while avoiding harsh bleaches, blueings, and chemical whiteners is no easy task. I know of what I speak: … Continue reading In a Greener World, Can a Whiter Shade of White Be Had?
Your Own Personal (Portable) Luau
I'm certain you've seen it - the generic cartoon character with wide eyes and a light bulb next to its head. The image fairly screams "I've got a bright idea!". Imagine that, but stylish and eco-friendly, and I'll show you the Luau Portable Lamp designed by Vessel for $199. A lighting solution that works inside … Continue reading Your Own Personal (Portable) Luau
Any Way You Slice It
Cutting boards and I don't get along very well. They're holding tanks of bacteria, soaking up all sorts of unsightly and unspeakable critters, and they're frequently made of environmentally-unsound plastics. I will risk nicking a finger or scratching the '50s vintage yellow ceramic tiles I adore rather than use a cutting board. That is, until … Continue reading Any Way You Slice It
The Staples of Modern Life
It's the irony of the universe, that when you really need a staple-remover all you can find is a stapler, and vice versa. I usually resign myself to attacking said staple with my fingernail, even with the scolding clucks of my manicurist running through my head. Now, I don't actually cry over broken nails, but … Continue reading The Staples of Modern Life
Undercover
You don't have to live in Seattle to know that a good umbrella is hard to find. In fact, of the more than 33 million sold in the U.S. every year, hundreds of thousands end up broken, abandoned and in a landfill somewhere. I've often wondered, as my own ragged umbrella turned inside-out carrying me … Continue reading Undercover
Kim Derby 
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