Eco-friendly living & Green decor~Ideas for natural decorating with baskets

Hello dear!

I hope all is well with you as you read this today! In a recent article I talked about simple ways to an eco-friendly lifestyle http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/07/simple-ways-to-eco-friendly-and-green.html. Today I want to talk about Green decor and share a gallery of pictures of some of my favorite items.

With all the interest nowadays in living an eco-friendly life and implementing Green concepts even in our decor I find that there's one element that make our decorating lives very simple and versatile. I am talking about...

Bolga Baskets

Yessss! Baskets!

I have noticed that no matter what our decorating skills are or no matter what our decor style is, baskets are the one thing that are always incorporated in our decor. We seem attracted to them, if not for their styles, for their purpose as superb organizing/storage items.

The Bolga baskets, (the first picture above), are nice for shopping but I can see them storing items in a guest bedroom, keep a few magazines tidy, host some children toys or hold some beach items etc. Well, there's no rules for using baskets! What I love about them is that they can so easily change functions.

One day they serve one purpose, another day the same basket can be used for something else! Not too many items can boast such versatility don't you think?

 ~Green fruit basket~

Having a fruit basket on a kitchen counter is not just pretty it's also a great reminder to eat healthy!

Fruit basket

 ~Green bathroom basket~
This basket below keep some bathroom items and my homemade bathroom cleaner (in the green spray bottle).  My Green bathroom cleaner has for ingredients water and white vinegar! Now that's truly eco-friendly!

Bathroom basket

 ~Green kitchen basket~
This tiny basket was hard for me to use until my middle son cleverly started using it to harvest some herbs each time I will send him to collect some  for cooking or for making teas!

Small basket!

I use baskets in my pantry to store cookies' packs, onions, potatoes, plantains bananas etc...

~Green treasure chest~

Storage basket a.k.a my treasure chest!

Baskets in form of trunks are probably one of my favorite type of baskets! I call them my treasure chests because I always keep very sentimental items in them, my favorite books and my jounals! Yeah that might not sound sentimental to you but I love books and there are some that I like going through very frequently so I keep them very accessible! I also love journaling in cute journals!I tend to buy them and just store them for future occasions or even as gifts! When you have a lot of books and/or journals, they can easily turn to clutter! I like to keep mine neatly organized...

Storage basket for journals!

Storage baskets a.k.a my treasure chests!

The baskets below are on my wishlist! They are sold at the World Market! I love the colors!

Below is a short video showing how versatile they are and how they fit in my personal life!

 Enjoy!

As you can see baskets are beautiful and resourceful and there's not just one way to use them!

~ Green gift baskets~

Baskets are not just great for storage and decorating, they are also awesome for giving!

We all love to receive a nice gift basket! I for one love to make them as well! It's great to make something special for others! Isn't it?

 I made the basket below on Valentine day for a customer! The wife was so excited! She said it was the best gift basket she ever received! Most items were secented with lavender and eucalyptus which are great for inducing relaxation. There were also little touches that make my giving meaningful!

The basket was truly loaded!!! Now here's a basket that's sure to remind you to just "Enjoy life and Chilllax as much as possible"! Please read this article for more pampering ideas http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/01/pampering-yourself-is-good-for-your.html ....

Pampering  basket "Just for you"!

That's it for today dear! Thanks for staying around and hope you enjoyed this post! If you are new here please join the circle of friends! It would be a pleasure to see you here and hear from you often!

So that was my spin on baskets! What about you? How do you use baskets in your daily life and in your decor? Happy Green decorating!

 

N'na

Simple ways to an Eco friendly and Green lifestyle!

Summer time makes it so easy to live eco-friendly! So if you are considering going Green this summer here are simple ways to get yourself rolling in the righ direction!

#1 Get moving and enjoy the great outdoors.

Between walking, swimming, riding a bike  etc, we should now have more good reasons to enjoy being outdoors and leave the confinement of our homes. Honestly with summer now here, there are fewer excuses to be lazy and sit around doing nothing! So get out and try new things, learn how to swim, join a team, or simply go on walks around some familiar neighborhoods and see what’s new out there!

Yesterday I went on a walk with my family in an area that’s very familiar to me and I was surprised to see some things that I haven’t noticed before. One was the sculpture above. And the following things....


I go to the TN Aquarium and rivefront quite often and yet those were new to me...

Interesting art! Don't you think?

Aren't stairs a real eco-friendly way to exercise? I have never been up those stairs before and it led to a dead end with a garden full of daililies blooms

After descending the stairs I noticed something interesting on the wall...something I just realized ( while selecting pictures for this post) is visible on the left handside of the picture below. Do you see these squares on the left?

There were exactly 12 squares like the  two below. Each square depicted something different.

                    

Truly my biggest surprise was this collection of engraved art. My husband and I  had never noticed them before and we were totally baffled because we have been to the Tennessee Aquarium area so many times..Isn't it weird how things can be there in front of us and we just never 'see them'? I will share all the engraved art that I photographed  in a future article so if you are curious to see what was engraved make sure to come back soon!

Cherokee sculpture @ the Tennessee Aquarium

Cherokee sculpture @ The Tennessee Aquarium

See, walking and being outdoors is a pleasant way to live eco friendly, so many beautiful things surround us! This spot was beautiful and going up was truly a work-out in disguise!

Below is someone obviously enjoying the weather who crossed our path on the glass bridge!

I have found that the best time to be outdoors is early in the day or in the later part of the afternoon. Our Sunday family walk was in the later part of the day and feeling some breeze was a great relief from the scorching heat we felt earlier in the afternoon. With the sun setting after 9 pm it gives plenty of time to enjoy being outside without burning up!


For more images on the beautiful downtown Chattanooga check   http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/sunday-walk.html  and http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/05/benefits-of-exercising-introduction.html

#2 Grow a garden and eat more organic homegrown and healthy produces.

With summer time also comes the opportunity to grow a kitchen garden and enjoy some organic homegrown produces. One of my neighbors grows some corn, okra and squash amongst other things. Here is his lush and fruitful kitchen garden!

Kitchen garden

Personally, I stuck to container gardening because it’s low maintenance and less commitment! I have a wide selection of herbs from oregano, to basil and rosemary just to name a few. Herbs are for me a must have, they smell so good and the aroma they bring to home cooked meals is irresistible!

Oregano and Stevia in Containers.



Kitchen garden: basil



I am also growing some produces that we are all watching grow and enjoying with great excitement such as tomatoes, chili peppers, Green peppers, Cucumbers, blueberries etc.

For related articles please read http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/benefits-of-gardening-my-edible.html and enter the benefits of gardening in the search box for more articles on gardening!

My tomatoes are bringing me much satisfaction.  

Kitchen garden: tomatoes

Kitchen garden: container tomatoes plant

and the Green peppers are finally starting to show some promises.

Container kitchen garden:Green peppers

I have yet to enjoy some cucumbers but judging by the numerous yellow flowers it’s just a matter of time.


Kitchen garden: Cucumber

#3 Collect Rain water.

 

Collecting rain water is an amusing project for children and it’s such a simple thing. Considering that the cost of a rain barrel or the space for one might discourage some I think the use of small buckets or even cooking bowls is a simple solution to those who want to do it but have limited space or a limited budget!

I have not yet invested in a big rain barrel but instead I am making use of small buckets that I found at a Dollar Store(for just $1.00). After a rain I simply collect the water to water my container plants, outdoors as well as indoor plants benefit better from this natural water than they do from tap water.

Did you know that rain water is even recommended for shampooing our hair as it's said to be better on natural hair than tap water is!

#4 Dry things outdoors and give the drying machine a break!

Another Eco friendly gift from the summer time is the opportunity to maximize nature’s gift of free solar heat and limit our use of the dryer and dry things outdoors as much as possible. If you lack the space or privacy for a clothing line you could still make use of folding racks for small items like wash clothes, kitchen towels, baby items, or socks etc.

Folding rack

Folding rack: eco friendly living

Folding racks fit easily on a small balcony or on a deck and during the winter I still use them for sweaters and other delicate items by placing them near a vent or in a very small room like a ½ bath where the heat can speed the drying process overnight!

In hanging clothes outdoors I would not suggest hanging your bras and lingerie for all to see unless you have a privacy fence and very few visitors! If you live in an apartment, in the USA in particular where people are less adapted to eco-living as they are in Europe, please do not hang clothes on the railing of your balcony because it’s 'tacky' and the Leasing/ Management office might fuss about it!

#5 Hydrate and recycle.

Hydrate!!! Drink plenty of water!!!

The hot weather forces us to hydrate more frequently and with that we see the increase of bottled water or bottled drinks which we can and should recycle diligently!

Recycle very diligently!

 Talking of getting hydrate, please keep water at the top of your list because sodas will actually dehydrate you.

A better alternative to commercial bottled water would be to add a filter to your faucet or purchase a water filtration system and get your own carry on bottle.

Water bottles

#6 Have a yard sale or shop at one!

Having a yard sale is a great way to turn ' your trash' into someone else's treasure and vice versa.

Well, it's a good concept but when having a yard sale please please please do not sell broken items, clothes with stains or holes, or plain stinky and dirty things. You will be surprised how many people try to make a bargain out of cigarrettes stinking items or dirty things. I think it's rude and inconsiderate and just plain old nasty to sell things that are stinky and/or dirty! I CAN NOT STAND anything that's stinky and dirty. I love a good bargain but I am still picky when it comes to yard sales. I do not buy clothing at yard sale. My desire to live Eco friendly obviously has its limits. Clothing and shoes are the kind of things I don’t believe in buying at second hand stores, thrift stores etc but I enjoy yard sales and Craigslist when it comes to purchasing knick-knacks like baskets, vases, books in good condition, children’s toys, and electronics like TV DVD’s combo that are great for kids ‘playrooms etc.  

You can see above pictures of my last yard sales purchases (back in May 2011). A neighbor was getting set up for a yard sale while I was up early walking in the neighborhood! I have wanted this book from Kevin Trudeau "More Natural Cures Revealed" and already had  in paperbacks " Natural Cures "they" don't want you to know about". Paying just $1 per book is much better than regular price plus tax, don't you think?

One last word of advice, never go shopping (@ yard sales, thrift store...) without a bottle of desinfectant lysol and never go anywhere without Hand sanitizer. (Smiles) For real!!!!
 Even though I would deny having bacteriaphobia or bacilliphobia (grinning ), I strongly believe in desinfecting and sanitizing things. When I buy things from yard sales or second hands places,  I make sure to desinfect and wash them as soon as I get home! I don't even wear brand new clothes from department stores until I wash them (my theory with that is that there are packaging chemicals on them and many people have touched that item before I purchased it) . So when it comes to yard sales I take certain precautions by spraying everything, even books, with Lysol, and everything ,except for books, get washed with soap water and vinegar. Let's just say that I do not believe in recycling people's germs or any kind of germs for the matter! More people need to make it a priority to washing their hands and the things they come in contact with as that would keep us all in much better health.

That's all for my simple ways to live an eco friendly life! As you can see there are simple ways to live an eco-friendly life and be good to yourself and to the environment without being a Green fanatic!

              Happy Eco friendly & Green living and tell us what you think!

Is there anything here that you already do often or plan on starting? What are your personal suggestions to an eco-friendly lifestyle?

N'na