Dome Piece

Cute hat! Errr... bicycle helmet??

That's right. Danish company Yakkay transforms traditional head protection into cute stylish helmets that could be mistaken for the latest trends in Vogue. Want to stand out on the streets? How about the personalized Paris helmet cover in Harringbone - or another favorite, Tokyo in Pink Jazz.

www.yakkay.com

Sip some tea, read a book

1. Go to this link:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/kitchen-tours/kitchen-tour-ulrika-marks--106571

First of all, great kitchen design. Great products. Great colors. The overall design envokes a nice, open, light, spacious feeling. Love it! Second of all? Check out the window seat and the curtains!! (Go to the slide show.) Designer Gretchen Langner introduces chic and classy over-sized organic patterns to pull together any space. Don't you want a window seat covered in moss green/sage Flower fabric??

2. Go to this link:
www.langnerdzign.com

Bike Bangle

Happy Holidays!
Besides gaining a few pounds from all the Christmas cookies and food that is surrounding me, I have also been fortunate to receive a few wonderful gifts this year - and one in particular that I wanted to share. With my obsession of bikes and interest in eco-friendly, recycled goods - this gift was one of my favorites. A set of Spoke Bangle Bracelets from Re-Cycled Accessories (www.recycledacc.com). Get it? Re-Cycle?? Their motto is "Bike Jewelry made by Cyclists for Cyclists." That's right. Bangle bracelets made from recylced bicycle spokes. Brilliant!

Skiers Choice

Well, with all the snow we've been getting out here in Colorado, I can't help but get excited about the ski season and, even more so, get excited about the new skis I bought! However, my beautiful new skis are sitting in the corner of my room naked without bindings. After some research, I decided to go with the new Axl telemark bindings from 22Designs. A little late in production, these bindings are just starting to hit the shelves - but the wait will be well worth it. Having the stability of the Hammerheads and a free-pivot touring option, I have high hopes that these award winning bindings will give me the confidence and flexibility to be the tele-betty I strive to be both in and out of bounds!

Results Are In!

Team Germany came in first, Illinois second, and California third - and all twenty houses exhibit the most progressive green building technologies of our time. More results, photos and video can be found at the official Solar Decathlon website: http://www.solardecathlon.org
My personal favorite? That's a tough call. Every home on the mall exhibits some quality that I adore. It wouldn't take much twisting of my arm to get me to live in any one of these houses. Congratulations to all the teams!

Cute Koozie

Most days I try to remember my reusable, stainless-steel coffee mug when biking to work. However, there are those days that I am without it and am in desperate need of my americano from the fancy coffee shop down the street. As I order my americano "to go, please" I always think about how much waste we produce from drinking coffee! There is the paper cup, the plastic lid, and the coffee sleeve so that we don't burn our little hands. The lid can be recycled, the cup and sleeve compostable --- but remember that there are THREE R's people. First comes REDUCE, the most important. Then comes reuse, and lastly... lastly, recycle. So, here's an innovation to help us reduce on those days that we forget our travel mugs - a stylish wooden bracelet by Contexture Design (http://www.contexture.ca/coffeecuff.php?wood=a) that can double as your coffee cup koozie.

Gray is also Green

Thanks to a dear friend of mine, I was just introduced to this brilliant gray-water system, which exemplifies how simple engineering and a little bit of design sense can make an environmentally friendly, aesthetically pleasing, functional, every day piece of equipment. It's taken us enough time, but finally we have developed a modern way to reuse waste water from washing our hands to feed the basins of our toilet bowls. This sink and toilet combo by Roca seems to do the trick! Scoot over dual flush toilets, you've got some green-market competition...