Just call today “Free Art Friday.” The second giveaway of the day is a beautiful letterpress print by Etsy seller EnormousChampion. The minute I saw this piece, I knew I had to include it in the Green Gift Guide. The 8″ x 10″ print features a vortex of gold and black skeleton keys printed by hand on extra thick cotton paper. To make it even more special, it is printed in an edition of 125 and signed and numbered on the back.

Why It’s Green:

• Printed by hand on cotton paper

Price: $33

Want to win?

One winner will receive a Keys print from Enormous Champion! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Javascript must be enabled to to see the Rafflecopter. If you still cannot see it, wait for the page to load completely, or refresh the page. Entry period ends at 12:01 a.m. 12/23/11.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Ever since we moved into our new place, we’ve been spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to place all of our old stuff. For example, I was absolutely in love with the design of my daughter’s room in the old apartment. However, the design was very specific to that space. Now, her room is quite a bit smaller and the available wall and floor space is completely different.

We faced a similar challenge with our art. We’d found the perfect spot for most of our photos and wall art in the old place, but we were struggling to decide what to do with our huge collection in the new place. The ceilings in this apartment are also really high, so small pieces of art floating in the middle of the wall weren’t really going to work. Since we had no intention of acquiring a bunch of new art (though we have bought one or 2 pieces for new spaces), we had to figure out how to work with what we already have.

My solution? A gallery wall!

You’ve seen the beautiful photos in magazines: Eclectic collections of art and photographs that work well together all on one wall. Even my favorite husband/wife blogging team, John & Sherry over at Young House Love, created a whole gallery hall (shown above). Once I realized that we have a LOT of black frames, I knew we could pull something together.

I sat one afternoon with the Pinterest app on my iPhone (for visual inspiration), a stack of art, and lots of floor space to lay out my frames. Not all the art made the cut, but we wound up with a pretty great collection. This is what it looked like laid out on the floor. I did edit a couple of placements before I put them on the wall though. Sorry I didn’t take a pic of the final “before.” But here’s the After:

In my opinion gallery walls work best with frames of varying sizes and shapes. We sprinkled in a couple of silver frames for variety (and because they worked best in those spaces), but overall, the look is very purposeful. And we’re thinking about covering the whole wall area with more frames over time. And best of all, this project cost us Nothing. Zip. Nada. We already had tons of picture hooks and all the art on hand.

We were able to use a variety of beloved family photos, art and posters. But if I had to pick a true favorite, it would have to be a drawing my niece gave my husband and I for Christmas. She recreated a photograph of our daughter taking a picture with my Nikon using pastels. She took the photo last Fourth of July and gave us the framed, matted artwork for Christmas. My heart melted when I saw it, and I’m so happy we finally have a place for it

What home projects have you done lately with stuff you already have?

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The week has just started and already I’ve found 2 great deals for you!

Amenity is having a huge clearance sale on products that have been discontinued. You’ll find wall art, table linens, pillows and more marked down by up to 75%. Given the quality of their products, you really can’t beat the pricing. I assume the sale will end once everything is sold out, since these are all discontinued items.

Mod Green Pod is also offering their Wee Jubilee fabric in the licorice colorway (black & white) for 50% off. If you’ve ever wanted to try their fabrics but balked at the pricing, now is a good time to do it.

Why It’s Green:

• Mod Green Pod fabrics are printed in the U.S. on 100% organic cotton using non-toxic pigments
• Amenity’s sale textiles are printed on a hemp/organic cotton blend fabric and printed and sewn in Los Angeles with non-toxic, water-based dyes

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I am starting to get the itch again. You know — the one that makes you want to redo every room in the house. We finished my daughter’s room last April, and I can’t help but feeling like it’s time for a change. Of course, because we’re renters, the end of our lease is always looming to remind me that it might not be worth the effort to do a whole new design. Still, I want to do something to freshen up her room, and these cute marionette pillows and prints by Ferm Living have given me a ton of ideas.

The whimsical illustrations are done marionette style, and the characters even have names: Aristo Katt, Mr. Frank Fox, Elle Elephant and Posey Panda. They are part of Ferm’s Darling Clementine collection, and I think they would be fabulous in a child’s room or nursery, and I could even picture them in the office of a graphic designer or other creative. They are fun, but not necessarily childish. And I want at least one

Why It’s Green:

• Printed on an organic-cotton shell filled with natural down

Price: Pillows, $36/ea.; Prints, $46/ea.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I know I’ve been more than a little bit out of the loop over the past few weeks. But over the holidays, I decided to give myself a much needed, though completely unplanned, break. I stayed offline as much as possible, and I just enjoyed my family, and I am SO glad I did! So since I haven’t said it (or anything else) yet for the year, Happy New Year, and thank you so much for sticking with me and Green Your Decor!

This Green Steal of the Week is a great one. Shiraleah is a manufacturer of beautiful eco-friendly housewares. ALL of their products are made from sustainable materials like recycled paper, plastic, rubber, tin, computer and bike components and more. They’ve found a way to take these materials that others would quickly send off to the landfill and turn them into beautiful tables, frames, mirrors, vases, bowls,  benches and other housewares that anyone (especially me!) would be proud to display in their home.

These photos show a mere fraction of the sustainable housewares available in this sale, so be sure to check out the rest. And the best part? Everything (and I mean EVERYthing) is 50% off! But you have to act fast. The sale ends on Jan. 6 at 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST.

Why It’s Green:

Shiraleah uses recycled materials in all their products, including paper, rubber, tin, plastic, wire, computer and bike components and more.

Price: $10-247.50

How to Buy:

If you’re not already a member of Haute Look, you’ll have to sign up to take advantage of the sale. Once you’ve registered and signed in, mouse over “Living” or “Men” in the top navigation menu, then click “Shiraleah.”

(aff): If you sign up for HauteLook via my invitation link, I will receive a site credit if you make a purchase.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Today is Green Gift Monday, a day established to help frenzied Cyber Monday shoppers divert their spending toward greener products and causes. I can’t think of a better time to introduce you to the Macy’s Heart of Haiti product line.

Heart of Haiti is a collection of art, housewares and accessories handmade by Haitian artisans in an attempt to help them get back on their feet after the historic earthquake that shook the island nation in January. The earthquake made it virtually impossible for Haitians to make a living. When you buy one of these pieces, it directly benefits the Haitian artisans who created them. They receive 22% of the retail price for each item in the collection. This sustainable income will allow these artisans to repair homes, pay for their children’s schooling, and feed and clothe their families.

Here are some of the artists this campaign is helping:

When the Blogrollers reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be a part of the team of bloggers working to promote Heart of Haiti, I jumped at the chance. While for the most part, I recommend buying products that are made in the U.S., the biggest exception to that is Fair Trade products that help the artisans who create them have a better life. This is also a special opportunity to shine a light on people who are in dire need of help, and whose plight has been long forgotten by many because Haiti is no longer in the headlines daily.

In this collection, you’ll find beautiful artwork (all of which reminds me of my own upbringing in the Caribbean), stunning mirrors and wall art, tableware, jewelry, and more. There’s something for everyone. Heart of Haiti is featured in my Green Gift Guide, and any of these items would make a great, meaningful gift that gives back. To learn more about Heart of Haiti, click here.

Why it’s Green:

• Handmade by Haitian artisans in cooperation with Fair Winds, a Fair Trade partner, and Macy’s
• Many items are made of recycled materials, including recycled oil drums, newspaper and more
• Your purchase will help Haiti recover in a way that is meaningful. There’s something to be said about helping others by giving them the means to help themselves.

Price: $10-275

(Disclosure): I am a Heart of Haiti Ambassador. While we are not compensated for our participation, we will receive free products so we can see these artisans’ work in person. Given that I would gladly tell you about this for free, I plan to give away the products I receive to my readers to encourage you to support Haiti in its recovery.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Amenity never fails to impress me with their gorgeous eco-friendly furniture, organic textiles and housewares. This weekend though, you have a great chance to take advantage of big savings during their sample sale. You can get their beautiful pillows, wall art and table linens for up to nearly 80% off! I imagine a lot of this stuff is going to go fast, so you might want to act now if you’re interested! The wall art, particularly the ones geared to kids, would make great holiday gifts. Personally, I plan to get a table runner to use during the holidays.

Why It’s Green:

• Pillows and table linens made of an organic cotton/hemp blend with non-toxic, water-based dyes.
• Printed and sewn in Los Angeles.
• Wall art printed in the U.S. on 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton.

Price: $17-47

BONUS! Use coupon code “welcome20” to get an additional 20% off your order!

Shiner Furniture at the Foundary

Deal sites are popping up everywhere these days — hence the format change on the Green Your Decor coupons page. Today, I discovered a new one: The Foundary. They exclusively sell beautiful housewares, from furniture to bedding, tableware and more. While not all of the companies featured specifically make green products, all of them were selected with quality and longevity in mind. In other words, you’re going to find quality pieces.

Today though, you can get sustainable pieces from Atlanta furniture maker Shiner Furniture. Shiner makes unique, modern furniture from recycled and reclaimed materials and sustainably harvested wood. They also have a couple of great pieces made from cardboard. Given that they are made by a local artist, I have had my eye on Shiner for a while. But their stuff can be hard to find, since they sell exclusively to retailers and not to the public. This is a great chance to get some unique pieces at discounted prices.

Why It’s Green:

• All furniture made from sustainable materials like recycled cardboard, recycled metals, and reclaimed and sustainably harvested wood
• Made in Atlanta, GA

Price: $142-1813

How to Buy:

If you’re not already a member of The Foundary, you’ll have to sign up, which is free. Once you’ve registered and signed in, scroll toward the bottom of the page to find the banner that says “Shiner.”

(aff): If you sign up for The Foundary via my invitation link, I will receive a site credits if you make a purchase.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Sometimes it sucks to be a grown up. I can get away with crazy colors, patterns and shapes in a child’s room, but if I ever tried some of those ideas in a space primarily designed for adults, everyone would think I’m crazy.  Unless, of course, I opted to sneak in something as innocuous as animal art. Who doesn’t need a cute photo of a zebra or lamb in their living room, right?

OK…not really. But these art pieces from Toast Slice are simple enough to appear anywhere without looking too childish. Although they are cute, there’s something sophisticated about the illustration style. And did I mention they were green AND inexpensive?

For a limited time, the art prints shown above and nine others from Toast Slice are on sale for about 35% off at Gilt Groupe. Gilt Groupe sales typically last 24-96 hours, so if you like these, you should to act fast. Gilt is having a sale from eco-friendly kids’ retailer Green Bambino, and they have a variety of other products on sale, including storage cubes from Green Lullaby, toys from Green Toys and organic cotton t-shirts by Wonder Toast.

Why It’s Green:

• Artwork is printed with non-toxic ink on bamboo paper
• Mounted on bamboo plywood with acid-free adhesive

Price: $27/ea. Also available for full price ($42/ea.) directly from Green Bambino.

How to Buy:

If you’re not already a member of Gilt Groupe, you’ll have to sign up. Once you’ve registered and signed in, mouse over “Children” in the top navigation menu, then click “Eco-friendly Products for Kids from Green Toys, Wonder Toast, Toast Slice & more.”

(aff): If you sign up for Gilt Group via my invitation link, I will receive a $25 site credit if you make a purchase.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I have seen my fair share of things made from recycled vinyl records. Bowls, clocks, mirrors, coasters — if it’s made from a record, I’ve probably seen it. The common thread between all of them is that they all still look like records. That’s great if you’re buying them for nostalgia’s sake, to help you remember what music sounded like on a record player or in memory of days past. But these clocks from etsy seller Kailey Hawthorn of Studio K are a far cry from their humble beginnings.

The records were used as a canvas, and the result is a collection of beautiful handpainted clocks that are unlike any I’ve ever seen. You all know that I have an affinity for bold, graphic patterns. Every single one of these is right on target. And even better? They are affordable at less than $50 apiece. Since I don’t have the skill to paint one of these myself, nor the desire to try, that sounds like a really good deal.

Kailey also offers a great selection of handpainted wooden letters. I’ve been looking for something to put on the shelf in our entryway, and I’m thinking a huge “P” (for Petersen) might do the trick.

Why It’s Green:

• Handmade
• Painted on recycled vinyl records

Price: $37-49

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As creative as I like to think I am, I’m nowhere near THIS creative. Seriously, whenever I come across old cassettes, the only thoughts that come up are memories of when they were bought or recorded. I distinctly remember shushing people who came in my room when I was trying to record music from my favorite radio station onto cassettes. These days though, we no longer own a cassette player, nor do we know how to recycle the ones we find. And I, like most people, still defer to traditional recycling methods. Ie. The recycling bin. God bless the people who find grander uses for everyday objects. Artist Erika Iris Simmons is one of those people.

She is a self-taught artist from right here in Atlanta who creates amazing portraits and images from old cassette tapes and other recycled and repurposed materials. She was inspired to do this one day in 2008 while waiting tables. In her own words:

I love the nostalgia of the archaic and I hope that not everything which has outlived its use goes to waste.

I am in awe of the talent it takes to create recognizable portraits at all, but to do them with these mediums? I genuinely want one of these in my home as an homage both to my and my husband’s love of music, but also to the idea that beautiful things don’t have to come from raw materials. This one is in my sights:

My hubby (a.k.a. the reggae artist) would love it.

You can see more of Erika’s work in her Flickr portfolio, and you can email her about which ones are for sale or for custom work.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I’ve been so out of it since my daughter started kindergarten that you’d think I was the one who had to go to school every day. Now that she’s in school, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, and that has proven harder than expected. Part of the reason I haven’t been posting regularly is that I’ve had quite a bit of graphic design work, but it’s also been because of sheer exhaustion. While I screw my head back on straight, I do have some great handmade products to share with you:

Etsy is always a great resource when I’m looking for products made of reclaimed wood at a reasonable price. Seller Evotiv is a great example of this. ALL of their products are made from reclaimed wood and other recycled materials. And as much as we’ve all learned to love shiny new things (school shopping season, anyone?), there’s nothing like the patina of old wood that has stood the test of time. How awesome is that wall art and the wood peeking through the center of that bright white coffee table?

So check out Evotiv’s shop and bear with me. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming as soon as possible…

Why It’s Green:

• Handmade of reclaimed and recycled materials
• Made in the U.S. (Portland, OR)

Price: $8.95-324.95

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I will readily admit that I totally suck when it comes to creative upcycling. I can easily imagine a glass jar being used as a container for small items or a flower vase, but it is hard for me to see past its jar-shaped form to imagine it as anything else. That’s true for just about any other material I put in the recycling bin. I can imagine furniture with a new finish, but I can’t reimagine a cereal box as a magazine holder — at least not on my own. So when I find truly creative upcycling projects, I am happy to feature them. This wall art from etsy seller creationsbyingrid1 certainly qualifies.

The framed word collages are made from soda cans and sewn on to acid-free paperboard. First, it’s difficult for me to imagine cutting pristine letterforms out of soda cans. But second, it is even harder for me to imagine then sewing those letters onto paper without ruining them. It looks like it would take a lot of patience. The final look is a far cry from its humble beginnings. This will make me think twice before I recycle an aluminum can again.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of upcycled soda cans
• Handmade

Price: $29-45

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

For the past week or so, I’ve been floating somewhere between tired and exhausted, and feeling more than a little uninspired. My stepsons are here for the summer, so we’ve instantly gone from a household of 3 to a home for 6. That’s taken its fair share of juggling, and I definitely needed a little pick-me-up. Enter these fabulous prints from Daisy Janie, with quotes just pretty and aggressive enough to smack me into feeling like myself again.

My favorite of the bunch? “Why Push the Envelope When You Can Shove It the Hell Through?” Check out these others:

So what inspired these quotes? In Daisy Janie’s own words:

The Flourish quotes are part of a sweet & empowering letter my husband gave to me in 2004, when my work as a decorative painter was part of an emotionally & physically exhausting Designers’ Showcase. The ideas represent what he learned by observing my work process during those long, draining weeks. I’ve had the letter posted on my bulletin board ever since – simple reminders to focus on what allows my work to ‘flourish.’ Maybe they will prompt others to flourish, too!

They’ve definitely helped me get back on track today, and I hope they do the same for you.

Why It’s Green:

• Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
• Processed chlorine-free
• Carbon neutral plus
• Green-e certified

Price: $15/ea.

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There are a lot of small, random non-recyclable materials that I tend to collect, hoping that one day I’ll have a spark of creativity and figure out what to do with them. For a while, it was toilet paper rolls, and now it’s bottle caps. I can’t tell you how many of these I have accumulated, because the local recycling center will take the bottles, but not the caps. Thank goodness there are a lot of people out there with more ingenuity than I have!

Etsy seller cpstudios made this gorgeously simple abstract sculpture from an array of multi-colored bottle caps. I’m amazed by how great it looks! The average person walking in a room would have no idea. The bottle caps are slightly more obvious when looking at them from an angle, but on the wall, the view would be head-on. I really need to grab an old picture frame and make one of these for myself. But if you’d rather not collect bottle caps, you can own this one for just $29.

And if you’re impressed by this, be sure to check out the other recycled and upcycled creations in the cpstudios shop. Impressive. Seriously. Hot pink and gray candelabra anyone?

Why It’s Green:

• Handmade of a recycled frame and bottle caps

Price: $29

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Most days, I am reasonably content with my financial status. We have a roof over our head, food to eat and all the amenities of modern life. But there are moments, few though they may be, when I wish I had an unlimited amount of disposable income. Because if I did, I wouldn’t even blink before buying this beautiful mirror from SO Green Store. I have been on the hunt for a vintage sunburst clock or mirror to hang over the TV in the living room, opposite a trio of black and white photos in black, museum-style frames. This mirror would be the like the cherry on the pie. The room would be complete without it, but would just enhance the space so much more!

I am literally awestruck by how beautiful this is! Most of the items in my home have clean, geometric lines. More transitional than modern, but definitely not frilly or over the top. For that reason, this mirror would call attention to itself and be the definite standout in the room. At 36″ x 36″, there’s no way anyone could miss it, and I am seriously wishing I had an extra $600 right now. Are you listening, universe?

Why It’s Green:

• The artisan who makes it is committed to sustainability, and has implemented a “1 for 1″ replanting program to replace every tree that is consumed to produce this product.

Price: $583

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.