Archive for the ‘ Home & Garden ’ Category

Nature’s Air Freshener

Author: Holland Saltsman

Feb 14

This is my daughter, Sadie, reading to our plants and this explains why we have plants that thrive now as opposed to all those that I sent to an early grave before my daughter came along. But honestly, anyone can care for indoor plants and all they really need is light, water, air and soil according to Emily of Life Renewed and then let nature take its course.

Emily recently posted a simple, straight forward article called “Creating A Healthy Home with Houseplants” on green your way. The benefits include:

  1. Plants provide life & energy – Bringing plants into your home can help you to feel happier and more calm. Plants in office spaces help people to be more creative and productive.
  2. Plants increase humidity levels – Plants help to increase humidity levels and refresh the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
  3. Plants improve indoor air quality – A NASA study showed that houseplants can remove toxins (formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ammonia, benzene, xylene, and chloroform from the air) in the air by up to 87% in just 24 hours.

Some of the best plants to grow are Lady Palm, Bamboo Palm, Peace Lily, Rubber Plant & Boston Fern. My advice is to toss all those “plug ins” from your walls and freshen up your space naturally. (And if you have kids, put them in charge of the watering – and reading!)

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Lighten Your Load

Author: Holland Saltsman

Jan 14

I’m slow on the execution of resolutions each year and try to trick myself into making small changes which is actually the very same thing but it’s all in the way I present it to myself. My friend, Lucy, said she is committing to giving away something every day for all 365 days this year (from 365lessthings.com) Family Circle also published a good article this month on 18 Things You Can Get Rid of Today. I did make the statement that I wanted to “lighten up” this year (in a lot of areas) so this has become my starting place.

Since I’m already way behind Lucy, I started with the 18 things from Family Circle and so far so good. I’ve bagged up unwanted kitchen utensils, coffee mugs, plastic containers (I already tossed most of these a few years ago with all the BPA “leeching” and moved to glass), Little-Used Kitchen Stuff (goodbye bundt pan), vases ( do I really need more than 3), & food / spices (yikes, hello expiration 2008).

Multiple others I already stay on top of such as magazines (I trade my US Weekly and Entertainment Weekly with a neighbor for her Peoples’), mail (I read standing next to the recycling bin and stopped all the unsolicited mail through the DMA), kid’s clothes (we get hand me downs and keep handing them down), and kid’s art (they’re not all picasso’s).  Check out the rest of the list for yourself and let me know if you have additional suggestions to help me lighten my load.

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New York State of Mind

Author: Holland Saltsman

Dec 10

If you have someone on your holiday list that LOVES their home-state, here are a few items that I’ve seen this year that I love. Personally, I’ve already gifted myself this state necklace where you can personalize and pinpoint your hometown with a star. For you Kentucky fans, notice that I wear it with the  appropriate shade of blue. Found at signals and currently on sale. For those of you that like a little more bling (and have a bigger budget) check out State of Mine.

What I’m hoping to see under my tree this year is this fun and functional state-shaped cutting board. Here’s my current state of Missouri and I love that you can choose from 3 sizes. Uncommongoods also has a great array of state and city gifts from plates to dish towels. No matter what your state of mind is this holiday season, there’s plenty of great goodies to be found.

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I know I put it right here!

Author: Holland Saltsman

Nov 15

Big thanks to my sister, Ashley, for turning me onto I Can’t Find My Phone.  No frills, no surfing through pages or ads, simply type in the phone number of the cell phone or home handset that you have lost track of and they will ring it for you. I just tried it and it’s brilliant. With so many people giving up landlines for cellular service only, it’s hard to call yourself when you’ve misplaced your phone. Now if they could just manage to help me find my keys!

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Love that crisp, sweet dry cleaning smell?

Author: Holland Saltsman

Nov 10

About.com tells us that the “smell” you love is the scent of the chemical known as perchloroethylene, or perc. Perc is also called dichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, PCE, dichloroethylene and a handful of other hard-to-pronounce names. The chemical solvent has also been under investigation for years by the EPA, the Department of Labor, the American Cancer Society, and has been linked to cancer by several scientific investigations. According to the National Institutes of Health: “long-term exposure to perchloroethylene can cause leukemia and cancer of the skin, colon, lung, larynx, bladder, and urogenital tract”.  It can also get released into the environment and seep into drinking water supplies, where it’s notoriously difficult to remove.

BUT I CAN’T – I WON’T – GIVE UP MY DRY CLEANING!

Luckily, there are other options. Nodryclean.com can help you find a nontoxic dry cleaner near you that uses safe, dry cleaning alternatives. Click here to watch a video to see how green dry cleaning works and make the switch today. If you are unable to find a green cleaner near you or, for some other reason can’t make the switch, take dry cleaning bags off of your clothes as soon as you get home and air them outside for at least 5 minutes.

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WHOSE House? MY House!

Author: Holland Saltsman

Oct 19

So the reality is that I come from a background of working for a University as does my husband. What this means is many years of living in dorm apartments and currently we still reside in a University-owned house (as part of my husband’s position) even though our combined age is over 80. We live in a great neighborhood, don’t have to deal with the realities of home ownership but I do dream of owning/creating my own space one day – and having a second bathroom!

As with every dream of mine, this includes ripping out and saving hundreds of home “ideas” and ”dreams” over the years.  I have used file folders, binders and even an “intention board”.  But all that has just changed! Houzz – Home Design is “like the Flickr of design idea sites” according to The Washington Post and I couldn’t agree more. You are able to browse by style, space or even metro, continually adding ideas or showing off your own space in “My Houzz”!

Real Simple explains it best, “”The online equivalent of clipping decor inspiration from magazines… browse more than 40,000 images submitted by interior decorators, architects and design-minded users (filter by space, style and more), then save them in your virtual idea book”.  And just when you thought it could’t get any better, Houzz has a fantastic app for your iPhone or iPad!

WARNING- You may lose complete hours or days while perusing  Houzz but it’s worth every minute!

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Trick or Treat

Author: Holland Saltsman

Oct 10

Environmental Working Group provided this great article with tips on how to ”green” your Halloween.

1. Pick play makeup carefully. Many children like to wear colorful cosmetics as part of their costumes. If they do, make sure they’re using safer products and applying them as directed. Visit cosmeticaldatabase.com to look up your products and find safer ones.

Kids should avoid:

  • Face paints can contain lead, which can impair brain development at extremely low doses, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis.
  • Lipstick can also contain hidden lead. Because little ones tend to eat almost as much as they put on their lips, it’s best to avoid lipstick all together. Opt instead for a shiny, beeswax-based lip balm.
  • Nail polishoften contains dibutyl phthalate and toluene, chemicals linked to hormone disruption and cancer.
  • Cosmetics in powder form can easily be inhaled. Depending on the particle size, the powder can lodge in children’s nasal passages and even lungs — where it may cause damage.
  • Fragranced products Read ingredient labels and avoid products listing “fragrance” – EXG research found that fragrances may contain allergens or hormone-disrupting chemicals.

 2. Decorate naturally. Pick up pumpkins, gourds and hay bales from a local farm to create a haunting scene and reuse decorations from year to year.

3. Create a low-impact costume. Rather than buying a new costume, get creative with items you already own or can get used at a local resale shop or from friends. Consider a costume swap at school or among friends.

4. Burn more eco-friendly candles — Read the rest of this entry

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Expert Organization & Time Management Tips

Author: Holland Saltsman

Oct 7

If you are continually challenged by organization, prioritizing and managing all the “stuff” in your life, jump into a LIVE conversation with author Laura Vanderkam next Tuesday, October 12th 1:00PM EDT. The talk can be accessed through The Motherhood, a site that is dedicated to helping each other make life a little better every day.

168 Hours has some great big fans in Natalie Morales of the Today Show and Gretchen Carlson of FOX NEWS to name a few. One reviewer said it best, “While 168 Hours certainly gets up in your business for wasting time, it’s not some dull or preachy book about time-management: It’s a compellingly written, logical argument against the emotional complaint “I’m too busy,” presented alongside practical advice and an engaging collection of time-use tricks”. Christine Whelan, Huffington Post.

The Motherhood is also a great place to connect with others that may have additional shared interets such as Green Families, Living on a Budget & Shortcuts to Dinner.  I’ll be joining Laura as one of the “talk experts” so join us for some great shortcuts, suggestions and solutions for getting your life simplified.

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Hold on, let me get you my card.

Author: Holland Saltsman

Sep 27

Never has their been so many choices for business or calling cards. If you are in the market for new or upgraded cards, check out one (or all) of these life2great sites. Vistaprint has been a leader in the field for the past few years due to their constant marketing of 250 FREE custom business cards.  They do offer hundreds of designs and the availability to upload your own photos but adding a printed backside or heavier card stock can start to add up. I’ve also noticed that they will give you a coupon as soon as you complete your order so sometimes ordering 1/2 of a set on one order and then the other 1/2 on a second order can save you money.

Zip on over to zazzle where you can browse hundreds of templates or design your own business cards. Zazzle also offers cards in three sizes; Chubby, business & skinny which can add to the individuality of your cards. This along with their entire line of other marketing items such as apparel, mugs and postage stamps can make them your one stop shop. Also, sign up for their street_sign_business_business_card-p240690611207123544tdcc_380mailing list as last weekend they had a 4 hour 50% off Happy Hour sale on Friday and 20% off the rest of the weekend.

MOO is a newer site but one of the coolest as it uses ’Printfinity’. This is MOO’s unique printing technology which allows you to print a different image on every card in a pack. An inspiration gallery and expert tips makes this site on of the must unique and modern of all the sites.

A recent article in Woman’s Day has a great piece on business cards that provided expert tips on design, wording and presentation so you can network like a pro, check it out!

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The Last Straw

Author: Holland Saltsman

Sep 9

diy_strawzI not sure why I have such a fascination with straws or when it began but in case any of you share in this odd obsession, here are some of my absolute favorites. Think Geek has a DIY straw where you can fasten and create your own straw contraption. No sense pretending you are going to share this one with the kids, it’s too much fun. Another great find at Think Geek is an ice straw - the mold is made of food-grade silicone rubber and will quickly make six 8-inch straws of whatever liquid you like.

Whether you’re on the go during a hectic day, dining with your family or strawsomerelaxing with a smoothie on the front porch, Strawesome (seriously the name) has a reusable drinking straw to fit your needs. They offer a wide variety of designs from plain to decorative and even a special style just for kids. Angie Papple at Helium gives a great testimony on why you should use glass drinking straws for your own health and the environment.

Not so comfortable carrying a glass straw around with you? Try reusable bamboo strawsbamboo straws from Global Exchange. A little trickier to keep clean but still keeps plastic straws out of the landfill and what a fun gift idea for a host or hostess. My advice … sip into something more comfortable and enjoy.

 


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