Best of Recycled Ornaments

I'm a sucker for Christmas ornaments, and every year I add to our collection with some vintage ones, some my kids have crafted, and handmade ones I'm lucky enough to find in Portland. The selection here of handmade and recycled options is amazing. But what's exciting to me is that this year, the range has expanded online and anyone can get their hands on beautiful, special and sustainable holiday decor. I hunted around online and put together a list of some of my favorites. If nothing else, let this be some DIY inspiration...

Pointy Paper Star made of recycled magazines, at Worleys Etsy shop, $13.20

This Pine Cone Garland from Worleys is not an ornament, but I love it so much I had to include it here! $7.80

Recycled glass bottle ornament by Dean Wolf, $32

Shotgun Santas at Etsy, $4 (thanks, Great Green Goods)

Finally, something to do with champagne corks! Chunky Snowman Ornament, on Etsy, $4.75

Recycled Tin Tree from Crate&Barrel, $3.16

Having a Pendleton Moment

Harding Cardigan at Anthropologie

This Pendleton carry-along blanket is available at Shopbop

The crazy holiday shopping season has begun for me. (A little earlier than usual, which I'm proud to say as a proven procrastinator.) But so far I haven't seen much out there that I want for myself, except for this cozy piece of eye candy from Pendleton's Portland Collection. This I could live in all winter. My husband probably wouldn't be so into that, but that's no reason not to get it!  

Not to sound like a mouthpiece for Pendleton (it's so hard not to be a huge fan!), but I am also getting a bunch of the carry-along picnic blankets as gifts. Who wouldn't be happy with one of these? They're practical and chic, and at $88, very reasonable. A fell in love with them when I saw one on the floor of Leann's car in Philadelphia (thanks, Leann!)...which is just where they belong.   

Green Friday!!

If you've been eyeing some new bedding (or anything else) from Plover Organic, now is the time to buy—we've got a 40% off sale on *everything* until the 11-28-11. Just enter the code THANKS11 at checkout.

(Update: Some customers have had trouble placing orders online. In that case, feel free to either call us at 866-540-8377 or email us at info@ploverorganic.com with your order.)

Happy Halloween!

An un-Photoshopped picture of a real ghost. Thanks, Patrick!

Apologies!

My apologies for going so long without posting! It's been a busy time for Plover...lots of travel (including a stop in Philly and a visit to the Anthropologie offices! Which, for the record, could not be cooler). Now that I'm back home, finally going through my mail, I have to post about the new Urban Outfitters catalog. Grunge is back, I realize, but I'd forgotten how tied to the Pacific Northwest the Grunge aesthetic is/was. People here never stopped wearing Dr. Martens, or plaid, or windbreakers, so it's nice to see that now Portlanders have found themselves back in style, again. Witness: my two favorite pages from the new UO Fall catalog. (For the record—I've never seen a North Face jacket paired with a bustier in PDX, but I'm down!)

Such an awesome look

Making me seriously considering finally buying a pair of Doc Martens....

Must-Read: Triclosan

The only hand sanitizer you should be using

Sprout is one of our fabulous retail stores in San Francisco, and their blog post this week is an important one, all about the chemical Triclosan and why you should beware. Found in everything from dish soap to hand soap to hand sanitizers to cutting boards (!), Triclosan is just about everywhere, touting "antibacterial" powers. Like BPA, it's a controversial substance that has an overwhelming presence in the U.S. market, but is being slowly banned in the EU. (Countries like Norway, Great Britain and Denmark have taken steps in the past 10 years to remove Triclosan from their communities. Isn't is amazing how far the U.S. is always behind...?)

Read Sprout's full article and interview with CleanWell founder and chief scientist Dr. Larry Weiss here.  Not to sound like an ad, but just remember: CleanWell, made from natural thyme oil, is truly the only hand sanitizer anyone should be using.

Sustainable Rock

Pickathon's official dishware, by Bamboo Studio

The fact that Pickathon exists and is so successful is one of the many reasons Portland is such an amazing place to live... What is Pickathon, you ask? It's an "indie roots" outdoor music festival that just went down this past weekend on Pendarvis Farm, about 20 minutes from downtown Portland. If it's not the most eco-friendly festival happening, it's up there. This year it became the first large outdoor music festival to eliminate single-use dishes and utensils. Bamboo Studio provided the official, stylish Pickathon dishware, which I am proud to be able to say I used! (Would have been prouder if I'd remembered to pack my own dishes, but alas...)

In the end, however, it's all about the music. And there was tons of amazing music at Pickathon, including my favorites, Fruit Bats. (You MUST see their new music video below!! You will laugh hard, I promise.) Eric's wife Annie Beedy took the best photos, as usual. Click the link for a real feel...