image via Shelterrific

Here are some really CUTE pillows from recycled materials, by Alexandra Ferguson. (Shelteriffic)

West Elm’s new line of FSC certified office furniture, designed by students at Pratt. (Inhabitat)

A lovely new kitchen, made of reclaimed materials, that looks absolutely classic. (re-nest)

GE has unveiled their latest technology in super efficient OLED lighting. (Inhabitat)

It takes 5,000 cocoons to provide enough silk for one kimono!  And this guy is raising the caterpillars, spinning the silk, and weaving it all by himself. (BoingBoing)

The first U.S. Certified Passive House, in Louisiana of all places. (Treehugger)

And finally, the most adorable ad, made on a whim by an 11 year old girl, for Harmony Art organic cotton fabrics.  Seriously, somebody hire this girl! (The Journey is the Prize)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Via Design*Sponge

Till the weather cools though, I’ll have to just content myself with looking at how refreshing this pretty, wooden textile stamp looks. (Design*Sponge)

This fountain would look refreshing, if only it wouldn’t fall apart the minute you add water. (Craftzine)

Love this simple and effective filing cabinet makeover! (re-nest)

Ooh!  Does Room&Board actually have organic cotton pillows from Mod Green Pod at their stores now? That would be wonderful! (GreenYourDecor)

And finally, a new use for an unloved plant.  Could the future of sustainable fabrics be the stinging nettle? (Treehugger)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Image via re-nest

I love this whimsical artwork from recycled materials in Greece. (re-nest)

Treehugger asks if less could become more again. (Treehugger)

Check out these vibrant organic cotton pillows! (Green Your Decor)

And finally,… if you’re like me, you forget all about your resolve to take a short shower once you step under the lovely warm water.  Here’s a fun way to be gently reminded when it’s time to turn off the tap. (Inhabitat)

Have a great weekend all!

And apparently the baby above loves it too!  This pattern is called Fish and Pebbles, and it’s one of the most attractive, least twee prints I’ve ever seen for a nursery.

The bright, cheerful orange and yellow print called Hearts and Flowers might just be girly enough to woo some of the tween girls I know away from the ever present pink that colors their world.

And for those who come into this world with an innate sense of curiosity and adventure, they can follow the tracks on their own Dinosaur bedding.

Available in sets for both crib and twin, Argington also makes cute floor mats and pillows.

Click here for a list of stores and online retailers.

People often ask me where the inspiration for my designs come from.  In my previous life, when I worked for a design house, they would send us out “trend shopping” the goal of which was to be inspired by what we saw at stores…. often high-end boutiques.  Trend shopping was my least favorite part of my job.  I know many people (primarily women) would love to be given a company credit card and told to “get inspired” but I always found this task to be rather soul-less.  What’s the joy in creating your own version of what has already been done?

Now that I am my own art director, I make it a habit to go “trend hiking” on a weekly basis.  I always bring along my camera instead of a VISA and look for new inspiration in the natural world around me.  Designs such as Fields of Honey are a direct result of such adventures.

However, sometimes, an idea comes from people in my life.  Such is the case with 40 Ginkgos.  I vividly remember having lunch with Rachel Hulan upon our first in-person meeting and having her tell me about her attraction to the ancient Ginkgo tree.  I think I was talking about my personal connection to the Redwood tree…

I told her then that perhaps I will do a Ginkgo print one day.  A couple of years went by.  Then one day I was visiting my friend Theresa in San Francisco.  Growing out of the sidewalk in front of her house on Divisadero Street is a Ginkgo tree.  I decided to take a few leaves off the ground home with me and those leaves transformed into the pattern 40 Ginkgos.  The color pallet for the design was inspired by my mother-in-law who LOVES the combination of red, green and white.  It reminds her of the red Geraniums that abound at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

I have had a few customers request “holiday” colored fabrics I thought this design in this colorway would be the perfect holiday print that could be used year round.

So, to break down the process of how I work:
1. Idea – thanks to Rachel
2. Reference – thanks to the tree

3. Sketch – almost all of my designs start with a Sharpie pen and white paper.

4. Color, scale and layout are then created in the computer using a vector based program.
5. Colors are chipped, and artwork is sent to the engraver and screens are made.

6. Initial strike off is received to test the color and screens… adjustments are made as necessary.
7. Approval is given and production begins.

8. The wait begins…. as the fabric is printed, rolled, packaged, palletized, and in this case put on a boat for its travel to the USA from India.
9. Fabric makes it through customs and is inventoried at our warehouse in South Carolina.
10. Orders are filled and fabric becomes part of our “in full bloom” collection.

I am happy to announce as of today, 40 Ginkgos has made its way through the long process and is now available for purchase!  Of course, this fabric has been printed on 100% organic cotton and is certified to GOTS standards for the processing.  Now that I “call the shots” I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I love starting the day with a delicious looking image like this in my in-box!  Harmony Art now has the beautiful “Evelyn & Janette” in stock, and it’s available through PM Organics and soon to be available through Organic Fabric Online (AU) and Pure Fabricz (EU).

Harmony Art has also released a version I covet, called simply  “Evelyn” on which only the black flowers appear.

And of course, I can’t forget the wonderful “Ginkgo” print that I mentioned before in one of my very first posts, but was not yet in stock. This one is available through Organic Cotton Plus, NearSea Naturals, PM Organics and soon to be available through Pure Fabricz (EU).

Now if I could only take a minute to run out and get some granola, my tummy would stop reminding me that I’ve been staring at these images for far too long this morning.

So,… can you tell I’m getting a little tired of my sweater collection?

Maybe I would feel better if I just built myself a great sofa cushion fort like this girl did.  Then I could have my work of architectural wonderment critiqued for its Richard Meier overtones in this hysterical (if you like architectural critiques) post.  (Build Blog)

Here’s something I missed in all the Milan Design Week hoopla – a really interesting new eco-kitchen from Whirlpool. (inhabitat)

Ever heard the term “piezoelectric”?  Me neither, but if this cool looking shower is any indicator, we’re going to hear a lot more about it soon. (inhabitat)

I love this collection of Spring themed organic cotton bedding! (Green Your Decor)

I WANT these beautiful, scrapwood, fair trade baskets designed by Piet Hein Eek! (renest)

And these amazing green dollhouses are, well, amazing!  Some of them come with their own solar arrays on the roof, and LED lighting throughout. (renest)

So, do you ever run across a cool bit of sustainable furniture, or eco-friendly design you think our readers should know about?  Feel free to send us a link, or just mention it in the comments section below.  We love hearing about new and exciting design sources!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Image of Harmony Art organic cotton fabric - Eyes of the World.

In honor of St. Patrick (and the fact that it’s my birthday) I’m going to go have a little breakfast and a day off, but you will still be getting a great post today on green kitchens, courtesy of Susan, from Susan Serra and Associates

And in the tradition of giving gifts to others on your birthday, please accept this bit of inspired silliness…

My two fuzzy lumps of lazy good for nothingness spend most of their afternoons and evenings sleeping on our bed.  I’m jealous.

That brought up a pretty serious sticking point for me as I reworked our bedroom scheme.  We desperately needed new bedding, especially after years of abuse by the aforementioned lazy lumps on what we already had, but how to have something organic, attractive and cat resistant all at once?  Typically we would make the bed, and within moments there would be a cat curled up asleep, who would then leave a big, rumply, fur strewn dent in our nicely made bed upon leaving.  Not the most attractive look.

Image via West Elm website

So thank you very much West Elm, for coming up with a lovely organic cotton duvet cover with built in rumpledness!

Available in six different colors, their Pin-tuck duvet is attractive AND practical. It also has shams, sheets and pillowcases that coordinate with it, so there is no difficulty in creating a new look for your bed.  Which is exactly what we did.

Another nod to practicality?  The ties on the inside of each corner, to keep your duvet from shifting around inside the cover.  For that alone, my husband is a fan.

And the cats?  They just ask that the sun keep streaming though the window, and they’ll be happy.

So thank you West Elm, for making something I really needed, at an affordable price, and with concern for the environment.  Maybe next you could figure out a sustainable sofa that won’t show cat scratches on the corners?  Well, a girl can dream can’t she???

We spend almost half of our lives in the bedroom so it is extremely important to use organic and toxin free products here!  You spend somewhere around 8 hours out of each and every day with your head on your pillow and your body wrapped up in your sheets and bedding.  What we sleep on is a very personal choice, everyone likes a certain type of pillow and a certain level of softness in their sheets and blankets.  When you are in the market for a new pillow look at the labels and strive for the most organic choice possible that suits your needs (I am still looking for the best organic/comfortable pillow I can find- have not found it yet!)

Sheets and bedding are another great place to start as it seems these are easier choices to make and we tend to change our bedding sets approximately every 2 years.  I have found that I love organic cotton sheets (my favorites are from Pottery Barn right now).  They are softer than any others that I have tried, wash beautifully and I sleep well with the comfort of knowing I have made a responsible choice.  I also love linen, and 100% organic linen is an amazing product.  I cannot wait to get my hands on a set of organic linen sheets and pillow cases.  They are durable, comfortable, and green and should last you many years.

Remember if you are going to treat yourself to organic cotton or linen sheets and bedding it will be an investment for your health and for the future.