Recyclable Rain Boots

Kamik's "Stomp" boot for kids

The rain has started up again here in the Pacific Northwest. A great time to give a shout-out to Kamik, the Canadian pioneers of recyclable rain boots. Their PVC-free synthetic rubber is super-light, super-comfortable, and gives great traction in the rain. Adults will likely have their Kamiks for years, but for kids, constantly outgrowing them, all boots can be shipped back to Kamik, where they are recycled.

Have some old boots you're looking to recycle? It's a bit complicated (and therefore sooo much easier to just buy Kamiks), but see this article for ideas. (Thanks, Ari!)

Kamik's "Samantha" boot for kids

Kamik's "Olivia" boot in red

Water Power

Bedol's "Squirt Alarm" in charcoal is water-powered

Have you heard of these water-powered clocks by Bedol yet? They require no batteries or electricity to run—just tap water. (Proprietary plates inside the water reservoir allow ions in the water to be turned into current that powers the clock.) It's such a brilliant design. The water only needs to be changed every 6 months! The only teeny-tiny complaint we have is aesthetic. If they could just come out with some better-looking clocks (ahem, like this one by Furni Creations, below), we'd buy them by the case!

Furni Creations' Alba clock is a favorite

Barista-Approved Reusable Cups

Twilight (top) and Dawn (above) KeepCups. You can also design your own cup...

If you're a coffee-shop frequenter who enjoys more than just drip coffee, you need to get a KeepCup. These are the "first barista-standard reusable cup," because baristas can make perfect to-go coffee drinks in them. (We can personally attest to this!) Their website says, "When your coffee is made in a KeepCup the crema on the shot is not broken and the portioning of milk to coffee will be correct." KeepCups are plastic, yes, but they are BPA-free and non-toxic—and having one cup you reuse all the time is far better than blowing through the disposable cups at most coffee shops. (Be sure to read the fantastic Sustainability page on their website if you're having any doubts, or if you're simply interested in the environmental impact of all those coffee cups we use.)

Just for fun—you can also design your own cup!

J.W. Anderson for TopShop

Zebra print by J.W. Anderson for TopShop

Love this graphic zebra print by British designer J.W. Anderson for TopShop. Available in a notebook ($15.99), iPad case ($39.99), iPhone cover, t-shirt and skirt (my favorite, $79.99). His whole collection for TopShop just debuted today and can be shopped here. (There's loads of great stuff, so watch out!)

Fabric Inspiration of the Day

Cotton fabric from KimoYES

From Japanese line KimoYES, featured today on True Up. It can be yours free when you purchase $30 AUD today. Hurry!

Fair + Fair

Handmade "Its Beautiful Here" wire rack from Africa

Fair Trade and organic products are ubiquitous in Portland, but it's exciting to get to travel and see that lifestyle being embraced elsewhere. I was lucky enough to stay for a few days in Amsterdam this summer, and I stumbled across an amazing store called Fair + Fair with a huge selection of high-design eco goods. (It's housed in an antique canalhouse—reason enough to stop in for a peek!) The thing I loved most was that on each price tag was the story of the product and how much they'd donate back from your purchase. So inspiring! You can shop Fair + Fair in the U.S. here. (Fair + Fair, Herengracht 211, 1016 BE Amsterdam, tel. 020-4214566.)

Gorgeous housewares in porcelain, glass, wood

Chair made from wood logs!

"Carpets From the Sahara," wool, handmade by women

Can Lights made from "rescued materials." You could even make these yourself and use them as light shades!

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Bunk Bed Options

Finally! An upholstered bunk bed for small heads. The Chesterfield at RH

Say what you will about Restoration Hardware—they have their finger on the pulse of what people want. Like bunk beds. There's still no better sleep solution for kids' bedrooms, right? But when you shop for them, it's slim pickings—ultra-modern, basic, or no aesthetic at all. (None of which work particularly well in the old houses we have so many of here in the Pacific Northwest.)  Last year when we Googled "upholstered bunk bed," nothing was out there. (Our kids are prone to bonking their heads on the wall...yours?) And then the new Fall 2012 catalog for Restoration Hardware arrived on our doorstep last week, and there it was. Expensive, yes, but at least now it exists.

RH has definitely mined the vintage archives to produce their latest collections, making the real thrift and vintage store finds in our homes feel less...special, and hard-won, which they were. Therein lies the bummer. But we'll admit that for pieces like bunk beds, which have no vintage counterpart, it's kind of nice to finally have some options that make decorative sense.

Check out all their bedding options for kids here.

(Other favorites for kids' beds? Room + Board and, of course, Ikea.)

Industrial Steel Pipe Bunk Bed at RH, $1149

Millbrook Iron Bunk Bed at RH, $999