Okay, here it is!   I headed to Kutztown, PA and picked up some inexpensive antique plates, creamers and some porcelain bird statuette for around $10 total in supplies.   I actually think it looks a lot better than the Urban Outfitters prop one they have in stores from the last post.   

Isn’t the wood grain creamer cool?  Just $4 for it and just fifty cents for the red bird.   It was rather fun going booth to booth looking for the right elements to make this three tier serving tray.   I may have to remember this during the holiday season to make presents for folks.

Now the big question: what type of epoxy do I need to adhere all these together?   

What a great idea!   I bought some vintage metal storage containers at the flea market and spied this organizer.   

It’s a wooden shelf organizer with individual cigar boxes that have wooden pulls screwed into the side.   

It was $150, which is a little too rich for my budget.  But I love the idea of taking all those inexpensive (and sometimes free) cigar boxes and using them for storage.  I can imagine making one of these for the office or craft room to organize all the craft supplies.   

Hmm…again, I see an idea and now I’m fixated on trying to make it myself.   

Hi everyone!

What a beautiful Saturday it is today, isn’t it?  I’m on the East Coast and just finished spending the morning (early!) at the Extravaganza flea market in Kutztown, PA.    With over 500 vendors, I am exhausted.  I’ll share some flea market finds that I picked up with you later this week on the blog.

Anyway, I want to take this moment to clarify some comments some of you have made on my Behind the Scenes at Country Home entry.

Some of you may have noticed some disposable products in the photos, namely a coffee cup and bottle of water.   Yes, they are disposable.  Yes, I avoid them like the plague.    And no, they weren’t mine.

As you can imagine, when we do photo shoots, there are about 6 people on-set at any given time.  Stylists, photo assistants, photo editors, photographers and me.    So, before jumping to conclusions and leaving behind negative comments about some beverage containers, give folks the benefit of the doubt first!

My whole mission in life is to teach others to live a greener lifestyle by presenting ideas that are fun, gorgeous, simple and truly environmentally-friendly.   I don’t point fingers and judge people; as you can imagine, it doesn’t work in swaying or convincing people to live a gentler existence.    Instead, I try to present a lifestyle that is beautiful and truly easy to implement in our busy lives.    I share all these simple tips, projects and ideas in my books, TV show, DVDs and on this (free!) blog.

Now, I do read all the comments when I can and it is our policy to only delete comments that are commercial in nature (e.g. spam).   So, the wrongful comments will remain.   I hope we can learn from this and realize that if we are trying to change the way our friends and family live their lives, coming from a negative place will never do the trick.   

So, that’s it for my soapbox moment and I hope that clarifies the situation.    Thanks for visiting and thank you—more importantly—for caring so passionately about the environment.    We’re all in this together…and really, together… I think we can truly, absolutely change the world.

-Danny

I have a habit going into stores and finding the one item—THE ONLY ITEM—that is not for sale in the store.   It could be a tarnished trophy at Polo.   A display case at Anthropologie.  Or in this case: a tiered serving tray made from vintage plates, cups and a little bird statuette on top.

I was told it was made for this particular Urban Outfitters store for display purposes only and was not for sale.   So with a disappointing look on my face, the salesperson allowed me to take a photo so I might re-create a version of this myself.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think this one was a little too CHARMING for my taste, if you know what I mean.   I also think it would benefit with larger dishes and skinner teacups; maybe cups with some color, too.

So off I go to the flea market today to find CHEAP plates, cups and a weird porcelain statute to glue together.    I’ll post what I come up with later this week…

Spring has Sprung!

If it’s sunny and delightful where you are today, consider cross ventilating your house today.

Open a window in the front of your house and one in the back.   Don’t stress about bugs flying in and out of your house.   It isn’t too buggy yet and, frankly, it happens.   

Cross ventiliating will bring in fresh air and flush out toxins in the air.   There are tons of volatile organic compounds in the air in your home; flush the lingering toxins out to create a healthier home.