I hate grocery shopping. There. I said it.

I am one of those people who will put off going to the store for weeks, forcing my husband to stop in at the nearest store to replace staples like milk, eggs and bread. That said, I am always looking for ways to get out of regular grocery shopping trips. If I can save some money and buy more fresh food in the process, I’m all for it. So when Walmart recently offered me the chance to take the FoodSaver challenge, I was all for it!

A Food Saver is simply a machine that allows you to vacuum seal food — or anything else, really. What this means, in practical terms, is that I can buy more produce, meat, etc., in a single shopping trip, then vacuum seal it and store it for longer than normal.

Need some examples? No problem. A head of lettuce stored in the refrigerator will usually last about 3-6 days before it begins to spoil. We eat a lot of sandwiches, but with 3 people in the house, we almost never get through all of it. With the FoodSaver, the same head of lettuce can last up to 2 weeks.

Sounds good, right? I thought so too. It sounds like I’ll be able to save money in a couple of ways:

• Food will last longer, so there will be less waste (ie. wasted money)
• I’ll be able to buy more items in bulk, because I’ll be able to store the excess longer (saving money AND getting rid of excess packaging)
• I’ll be able to buy more organics from the local farmers markets because I’ll be able to keep produce fresher longer (yay, organics!)
• I’ll be able to stock up when items are on sale, because we’ll be able to store the extras until we need them

Plus, unlike a lot plastic packaging, the storage bags used with the FoodSaver system are BPA-free. So I’ll be able to remove food from potentially toxic plastic packaging and put it in something less toxic that will help it last a lot longer.

So what is the FoodSaver challenge?  Simply put, over the next few weeks, I’ll be tracking how much money I spend and save on groceries while using the system and compare it to what I normally would have spent in the same period. I’ll also be trying to find creative uses for the FoodSaver, like sealing important papers.

Check back in a few weeks to see how I did!

Have you used the FoodSaver or a similar vacuum-sealing system?  If you’d like to take the challenge with me, you can get a coupon for $10 off a FoodSaver system at  SmartSource! Just look for “FoodSaver” from the brand drop-down menu to find it. You can use the coupon to pick up your FoodSaver and supplies at Walmart or Walmart.com.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for sharing my FoodSaver experience with you. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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

For years, my family has practiced taking off our shoes at the front door, so as not to track dust, dirt, allergens and Lord knows what else throughout the house. But the one thing that always drove me crazy was the pile of shoes that would inevitably end up in front of the door. For the most part, I tried to remove my shoes and take them straight to my closet, but I occasionally left my shoes at the door, and my husband and daughter did it all the time. And whenever we had visitors, the shoe pile would grow to ridiculous proportions. Something had to be done.

I started having nightmares of tiny shoe monsters creeping up on the bed while I slept. OK…maybe I’m overexaggerating, but seriously — the pile of shoes got on my last nerve. No matter what I did to make our entryway look nice, I could never overcome the mountain of footwear right in front of the door.

Anyway, when we did our furniture shuffle a few months back when we were getting ready to move, my husband and I decided that the small IKEA Expedit shelf that had held the TV in our bedroom would become our entry table. We already owned two baskets that fit snugly in the two bottom compartments, but we’d used the top shelves for open storage. One day, a light bulb went on over my head.

I headed back to IKEA and bought 2 more matching baskets for the top shelves. Now, when we take off our shoes, we drop them in the baskets and push them back in. Noone can see them and they’re easily accessible when we’re ready to put them on. And with 4 large baskets, there’s more than enough room for my family’s shoes, and the shoes of our guests. Plus, it looks great — like we were trying to make our foyer all fancy.

Works for me.

What simple solutions have you come up with lately to solve a nagging storage or organization problem?

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

We’re finally all moved in to our new place, and I couldn’t be happier. This apartment is larger with much more useful storage and just generally feels more like home than the other place did — and we’ve only been here a little more than a week. I have so many posts to write about things I’ve done around here, and things to come, but this is one of the first projects I tackled as I was unpacking.

In our last apartment, we had a huge walk-in closet in the master bedroom. Sounds great, right? Well it should have been, but the large closet apparently was used to make up for lack of storage elsewhere. There was a small linen closet in my daughter’s room, only large enough for her bedding and towels. So all the rest of the linens were stored in our master closet. It also became a dumping ground for stuff that had nowhere else to go — like air mattresses and my crafting supplies and board games, etc. Meaning that our closet looked like this most of the time:

I was determined not to let that happen in our new place. It helps, of course, that this apartment has storage everywhere: A large, dedicated linen closet, extra shelves and cabinet space in both bathrooms, and more. So there’s no shortage of places to put stuff. But of course, the extra items were only part of the problem in our previous closet.

Bottom line: My husband and I both had a LOT of clothes and shoes. My husband regularly wears pretty much everything in the closet. I, on the other hand, had been hanging on to outdated, ill-fitting clothes and shoes that I never wear. So I got rid of them. I gave away at least a dozen pairs of shoes (probably more) — mostly heels that, while cute, were not at all comfortable. I got rid of any clothes I haven’t worn in at least a year. As a result, my side of the closet is considerably slimmer and better organized.

Also, because we had so many pairs of shoes, but no shoe storage, we were constantly sifting through our respective footwear piles trying to find a matching pair. Frustrating, to say the least.

I grabbed a Canopy over-the-door shoe organizer from Walmart, which also happened to be made of recycled PET plastic. Score!

But while it’s awesome, it only holds 12 pairs of shoes (13, really, because I put two slim profile shoes in one slot), and my husband’s large shoes can’t fit at all. So we grabbed some shoe storage shelves from Target so that our shoes on the floor would have a home as well.

Lastly, I had to figure out what to do about the bevy of hats living on the shelves of our closet. Both my husband and I wear hats all the time (I have a thing for fedoras), so we couldn’t just get rid of them. But I wanted to find a way to organize them so we can easily find the one we want. Plus, this apartment has incredibly high ceilings, and the closet shelves hang really high too. So I couldn’t hide them away on the top shelf like I did before, because I’d never be able to reach them without a stepladder.

Vertical storage to the rescue! I grabbed a bunch of 3M hooks from Walmart. You know — the ones with the tabs you can pull off without damaging the walls. I arranged them carefully on the rear closet wall, and I love the look! I started to organize by color and style, but I knew my husband would never put the hats back in their precise spots. I settled for patting myself on the back for having come up with the idea in the first place.

Now, I can actually walk into my walk-in closet and find everything I need at a glance. My craft supplies still live there, but like everything else, they have a place. I’d say that’s an organizing job well done.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for sharing a DIY project with You. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

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

Like many other folks, during this time of year, I tend to do a lot of reorganizing and purging. If you’re in a similar situation, you’ll be happy to know that these deals will allow you to get these already affordable storage pieces for even better prices.

Way Basics at Totsy

Get Way Basics’ eco-friendly, recycled paper furniture for up to 40% off at Totsy. What I love most about Way Basics and their unique Z-Boards is that they are infinitely customizable. While the cubes are perfect as-is for small-scale storage, you can connect as many of them as you’d like to create a much larger piece that fits your space. In the photo below, you can see how I used them in my daughter’s room to create kid-sized storage for her books and toys, as well as a corner reading bench.

It may be hard to believe that these pieces are made of recycled paper, but indeed, they are. And they’re strong and durable to boot. As long as you’re not planning to jump up and down on top of them, they should have no problem handling your typical storage needs. The sale ends Feb. 10, 2011 at 10 a.m. EST.

Price: $24-42 (down from $39.99-69.99)

NOTE: If you’re not yet a member of Totsy, you must sign up to take advantage of this deal. Signing up is free. To find the sale, visit Totsy and scroll down the home page until you see the Way Basics banner. (aff)

Green Lullaby at Gilt Groupe

Like Way Basics, Green Lullaby storage pieces are made of recycled paper — more specifically recycled cardboard. While they’re not quite as versatile as Way Basics, they’re still a great option when you need some extra storage in a child’s room or even your living room. In addition to their storage cube set, shown above, their bench, doll cradle and table are also up for sale. The sale ends Feb. 12, 2011 at midnight EST.

Price: $22-36 (down from $44-69)

NOTE: If you’re not yet a member of Gilt Groupe, you must sign up to take advantage of these deals. Signing up is free. To find the sale, visit Gilt Groupe, and mouse over “Children” in the navigation menu. Under “Green Lullaby.” (aff)

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

I love Way Basics recycled paper furniture because it is incredibly versatile. If you remember, we used a bunch of units to create the storage system in my daughter’s bedroom, and it has been perfect for that purpose thus far.

The only problem is that the core Way Basics components — Z Boards — are so versatile that it can be difficult to imagine how you can use them to create unique designs. I like to think of them like building blocks that I can put together any way I want. But in case you want something unique, but can’t come up with a design on your own, check out the new Madison and Savannah bookcases. Both could be used as room dividers.

The Madison Bookcase is available in white, black and espresso and features a modern, asymmetrical design. The image above shows two Madison units pushed together for a really unique look. The Savannah Bookcase is beautiful in its simplicity, with storage from front to back and on one side.

Like all Way Basics pieces, they are made of recycled paper, incredibly easy to put together and water resistant (though not completely waterproof).

Why It’s Green:

• Made in the U.S. of recycled paperboard

Price: $92.50/ea.

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

One thing that is instantly noticeable about our home is that we have a LOT of storage boxes. They help us to keep clutter at bay, and many of them are stylishly integrated into our decor. When my daughter knows that the board games belong in one box and her papers from school go in another, she’s much more likely to put them away.

My master bedroom could use a few more storage containers for the things my husband and I are too lazy to put away, but alas, none of these match our color scheme. The pink and green ones would be perfect in my daughter’s room though.

Why It’s Green:

• Handmade by artisans in Africa
• Made of recycled plastic wrapped around natural fiber

Price: $68-148/ea.; $290/set of 3

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

A little while back when we finished my daughter’s room, you might remember that there was a blank spot on one side of the room that was waiting for something special: custom-built Owyn toy box donated by Mod Mom Furniture. Well, Owyn is here, and I can unequivocally say that he was well worth the wait.

Previously, all of Ja’Naya’s larger toys were housed inside a large, blue plastic bin that we acquired sometime over the past few years in one of our moves. It was functional, but it was hideous — which is why I kept it hidden away as much as possible. Owyn, on the other hand, will live proudly next to the wall we like to call the “art gallery.” Here he is in the context of the whole room:

From the product photos, it is hard to tell, but Owyn has two compartments — not the one large compartment I was expected. I would’ve realized this had I read the product description more thoroughly, but alas, I didn’t. This means that Ja’Naya’s toy piano will have to find another home (probably on a shelf in the closet), but most of the other toys fit comfortably. It is really short and squat — the perfect height for a child. And since that wall is the only spot in the room with an exposed outlet for a night light, the height is also perfect in that the outlet isn’t covered up, so we don’t have to move the toy box at night.

Overall, we LOVE this toy box. And knowing that it was made by the hands of a mother who loves the Earth as much as I do makes it that much sweeter!

If you want a Mod Mom toy box, keep in mind that it will come with a wait. Because Kiersten makes each one by hand, they generally take 8-11 weeks to be shipped. But like I said, it was worth the wait.

Why It’s Green:

• Handmade to order of sustainable Baltic Birch plywood from Russia (E1 Certified)
• Finished with non-toxic paints from Pittsburgh Paints (inside and leaf lids) and non-toxic, low-VOC water-based polyurethane from Deft

Price: $399

(Sponsored opp): This toy box was donated as part of a room redesign project. The opinions are 100% my own.

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

Lately, I’ve been more than a little obsessed with the idea of stylish storage. Having to pack up a whole house will do that to you. It makes you take stock of just how much stuff you have and what you really NEED. And although we purged quite a bit, donating what is likely thousands of dollars worth of items that were just taking up space, we’re still going to have to get creative about storing the essentials since we’re moving into a smaller apartment. This art box storage bench is a good candidate to store all the family games and art supplies that we keep in the living room.

Right now, the games are stacked in a corner, and while it works, I’d love to hide them if I can. We already have an ottoman, so getting a storage ottoman is out. And this option would give our daughter a nice surface on which to draw and color, which she does a lot. And she could literally draw ON the surface since one side of the cover is dry erase and the other is chalkboard. I have to say…I’m really digging this idea.

Why It’s Green:

• Made in Minnesota by Eastvold, a small furniture company
  
• Made with ethically harvested (though not specifically FSC-certified) lumber
• Formaldehyde free plywood is used for all cabinet boxes
• Wood alternatives, such as bamboo, wheat board, or 100% recycled particleboard often incorporated into the construction of Eastvold’s cabinetry and furniture

Price: $377 (aff)

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

Given that we’re moving from a 3-bedroom apartment into a smaller 2-bedroom apartment next week, I very easily could be losing my office space altogether. I am fortunate, however, to have a brightly-lit sunroom that I’ll be able to use as my workspace. This long, narrow space presents a bit of design dilemma. The first is where to put a desk, since the longest wall features 4 windows from corner to corner. With a fifth window on the other wall in one of the corners and a door in the other corner. Yeah. I have my work cut out for me.

The second is where do I store all my supplies: Paper, color pencils, folders and files, design books, etc. And where do I put my large & ugly, but necessary, all-in-one printer? I’ll be losing all the storage that comes with the huge, hulking desk I have now (which is too large for the space), and I’d really prefer not to live out of boxes. Not very stylish, and I literally can’t function in chaos. For me, chaos = stacks of unpacked boxes and a printer on the floor.  And so, I begin my quest for stylish, functional, eco-friendly storage. These modular units from Housefish are pretty close to perfect, in my mind!

They are modern and colorful, which sums up my style pretty well, and they are stackable, so I can use as many as I need — and I’m thinking I’d need about 3 of them. I could hide all my unsightly files behind the doors and even put my printer inside so I don’t have to look at it until absolutely necessary. This ability to hide stuff — particularly my printer — is exactly why a regular bookcase wouldn’t necessarily work. Even with bins and baskets, to contain everything else, the printer would still stick out like a sore thumb. I can just imagine the fun I’d have mixing and matching the door colors, maybe even going doorless on the top unit where I’d keep all my colorful (read: pretty) design books and magazines.

These units are available in 3 heights and two colors, so they can be customized to fit my needs, AND they’re also made of FSC-certified wood, so they fit literally every requirement I could throw at them but one: short-term affordability. Three units would cost me upward of $1500, which is definitely not in the budget right now.  That said, short-term affordability isn’t the major deciding factor for me here. Functionality, lasting value and sustainability are. I’ll probably have to start with one unit and work my way up, adding a new one whenever there’s a little breathing room in our monthly budget. But honestly, these are just the kind of pieces that are worth saving for.

They are incredibly versatile, so if, in the future, if I decided to use one in our bedroom as a TV stand, I totally could. I could see it used as a sideboard in the dining room, as a console table in a living room or entryway, or as fun, colorful storage in a child’s bedroom or playroom. The doors could easily be repainted to match the decor in any room. And if I’m going to invest a total of 4 figures for furniture, it is an absolute requirement that it be versatile and lasting. The type of pieces I can still imagine in my home 30 years from now.

So really, my search for storage has ended nearly as quickly as it started. Hopefully in the next few weeks, graphic design projects willing, I’ll have one of these babies in my new office space.

Why It’s Green:

• Made in the U.S. of FSC-certified wood
• Doors painted with a no-VOC powdercoat finish
• Packaging is mostly recycled, completely recyclable and plastic-free (yay!)
• Versatile and sturdy enough to last you a lifetime

Price: $419-698/unit

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

As much as I love to recycle, I have always hated looking at our cheap — and recently cracked — plastic recycling bin, particularly when filled with empty bottles and cans. And so, the bin remained hidden behind the dining table, an inconvenient place once we considered the fact that most of our recycling comes from the kitchen and home office. The bright green recycling bags I received from Kangaroom last year helped a little and were great for paper, but they weren’t the prettiest to look at. They stayed hidden with the other bin, an annoying distance from the kitchen. A few weeks ago I ventured in to TJ Maxx looking for some organic sheets for my daughter’s bed. On my way back to the bedding department, I walked by a huge box that may as well have been glowing, like it was put there especially for me by the recycling angels.

The Mode RCC-500 Recycling Center appeared from out of nowhere to answer my prayers. OK…not really, but that’s the way it felt at the time. To make this great find even better, it was on clearance for $50, marked down from an already low TJ Maxx price of $99. Seriously? $50? Buying it was a no brainer. And in the weeks that we’ve had it, I’ve never regretted that decision.

There are three compartments: A deep one in the back for plastics, glass and cans, and two shallower ones in the front for paper and overflow bottles. The three bins lining these compartments nest inside each other (see these photos) to make it easier to take them all at one time. It also has a clock and timer that you can set to alarm on recycling day. This isn’t very useful for us as it would be for someone who had curbside recycling. We have to take our recycling to the center ourselves, so it would be more useful for us if it would alarm when all the bins are full.

What’s more impressive, though, is that it looks like it belongs in the kitchen. It looks like an appliance, albeit a very large one, so it doesn’t stick out in spite of its size. It helps, of course, that the appliances in our apartment are also black, but Mode’s premium (read: larger and more expensive) unit also comes in a stainless finish. I used to think recycling centers were a waste of money — until I started trying to create a beautiful home around a recycling station that completely defied my powers of creative concealment.  I am a person who likes to have a place for everything, and I thrive when surrounded by order and beautiful things, so this is a great solution for our household.

I do have two complaints, though. The paper bin is designed to accommodate newspapers, magazines and other regular-sized paper, but not much else. So when we break down cereal boxes or other food packaging, it’s a pain to try to make them fit. Mode should rethink the size of the paper bin in its next design, taking into account that “paper” recycling also includes cardboard that can tend to be large and irregularly shaped once it is flattened. I also wish the system came equipped with a compacter, which would allow us to fit more items in a smaller space. To be fair though, this feature is included on the larger unit. For the price, we’re really happy with it. I don’t know that I’d cough up the retail price, which is more than 3 times what we paid, but if you have the extra money to spend, I think it would be worth the investment.

Price: $179.99 directly from Mode and from other online retailers. We paid $50 for it on clearance at TJ Maxx.

NOTE: I was not compensated in any way for this post. This is a product I bought with my own money and love enough to share it with you

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

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! For the last week or two, I’ve been taking a much needed break, taking it easy and enjoying my family in a way that I haven’t been able to in a long time. Now it’s time to get back to work! This year, I have decided not to make any New Year’s Resolutions. It’s not that I don’t have goals I’d like to accomplish in 2010. It’s just that when I make resolutions that coordinate with the start of a new year, I tend to let them fall by the wayside before March 1. Sometimes before February 1. Instead, I’m just making a list of things to do that I’ll cross off as I go. I’ve already begun to tackle a couple, but one of the major points on my list is to get our home better organized.

No matter how much we clean up and how many loads of laundry we wash, my husband and I can never seem to get it completely together. This is after giving away literally boxes upon boxes of clothes, shoes and accessories when we moved. While we likely will have to pare down our wardrobes further to get where we want to be, another step in the process will be to come up with an organizational system that works. One that has a place for everything. West Elm managed to (unknowingly) answer my prayers with the beautiful, modern Bergen Closet Collection. Heavenly.

There are shelves, drawers and racks for every need, and I’d really have no excuse for the way my closet looks if I had at least one of each of these pieces. Yes, that would get a little pricey, but the price of a custom closet system would far surpass these items. Also, since we live in an apartment, it’s important that we’d be able to take all of these pieces with us when we move out. Because nearly all of these pieces are stackable, we’d be able to use them together or separately, configuring them to fit our needs now and in the future. Considering all these things, a well-organized closet system for less than $700 really isn’t a bad deal. Especially since my sanity is worth a whole lot more than that.

Available in chocolate and white.

Why It’s Green:

• FSC-certified wood veneers from sustainably managed forests
• Eco-friendly hardwood construction (as opposed to plywood or MDF)
• Finished with lead-free lacquer and water-based glues and stains
• Most hardware made from recycled materials

Price: $99-199 per piece

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

I’m always looking for ways to make recycling easier and nicer to look at. Apartment living means that we’ve had to get creative about where we place our recycle bags and bin so that they don’t become an eyesore. They currently reside behind the dining room table in a corner that is visible only from the back wall of that room. I would much prefer, however, a more modular solution that would look more like a part of our decor and less like an afterthought.

I’ve written about Way Basics and their cubes and furniture made of recycled paper before. But as much as I love zBoards and all the design possibilities they provide, the one thing they didn’t do well is hold weight. In other words, I couldn’t turn a Way Basics cube on its side and use it for storage, as the back wasn’t designed for that purpose. Way Basics’ newest product, Recycler 360, remedies that, with a sturdy modular box that locks together via notches, eliminating the need to connect the zBoards with adhesive. I can easily see three or four of these lined up against the back wall to contain our recyclables.

This would look like a design decision that was made intentionally as opposed to our current collection of functional but mismatched pieces. It’s also available in espresso, kraft (as in paper) and white. Not bad for a solution that costs $20 and is fully recyclable at the end of its life cycle.

The kraft paper option looks a bit too much like the moving boxes I’ve been trying to get rid of, but I love the espresso and white versions. And I can think of a hundred other uses for these fun little cubes. What would you use them for? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.

On a side note, Way Basics was recently selected as a semi-finalist for the Inc. magazine’s Newpreneur of the Year award. A newpreneur is described as “a new breed of entrepreneurs who are using the recession as a catalyst to start a business or develop an idea.” I’m happy to see a green company being represented among the semi-finalists, and I’m definitely giving them my vote.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of post-consumer recycled paper
• Recyclable
• Way Basics is a founding member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council

Price: $20

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

One of the biggest problems my husband and I face is where to keep our dirty laundry. I mean that literally — not figuratively. Right now, we’re using a ratty old collapsible nylon hamper I’ve had since college, and the thing really is on its last legs. But we appreciate that it has a pretty large capacity, where other, more stylish options, are generally designed to hold smaller loads.

The Savannah Divided Hamper from Pottery Barn just may be our next pick, as it does a good job of combining form and function. The capacity still doesn’t seem very large, but I love the fact that we’d be able to separate two loads. It’s also pretty great to look at, as hampers go, and it wouldn’t be an eyesore like our current solution.

Considering our cloth hamper will soon be rendered unusuable, this is a great alternative. We’ll just have to figure out a way to recycle what’s left of the current hamper. I graduated from college in 2003, so I’d say for something so cheap, it’s served us pretty well. For $179, the Pottery Barn hamper better last at least twice as long. And if it helped me achieve a bathroom as beautiful and well-organized as the photo above, I’d be a happy camper.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of seagrass

Price: $179 (aff)

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

One of the biggest challenges my family has run into in our quest toward a more sustainable lifestyle is living with less “stuff.” Sure, we’ve seriously cut back our purchasing and do a whole lot better at only buying what we need and trying to buy products that are used or green. But the issue has been figuring out what to do with all the stuff we already have that’s just creating clutter.

We live in small spaces, so we’ll clean up, only to find ourselves with another mess a few hours later. Pieces that serve double duty like this storage ottoman from Gaiam are what we’ll be looking for from now on. And for just $50 apiece on sale, we could actually afford to put a couple of these in the living room to help us curb the clutter.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of BacBac leaf, a fast-growing, bark-like fiber

Origin: Philippines

Price: $49.99 (on sale from $129) (aff)

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

It never fails. Every time my daughter and I set out to really clean her room, it ends in one of two things:

1. I want to give away half (or more than half) of her toys because there are just too many, or
2. I end up frantically searching for better ways to store and organize all her stuff

Since we gave away a lot of her toys when we moved back to Georgia from Tennessee, the second outcome won this time. For the sake of my sanity, I really need to find a good, kid-friendly storage solution. I don’t know if this is the perfect solution for us, but Green Lullaby’s eco-friendly storage furniture is good enough to share nonetheless.

Their MultiBox (found via Inhabitots) is a combination of a storage unit, a chair and an educational block. The fully recyclable box is made of recycled cardboard, and it’s covered in a fire retardant solution that is supposed to be non-toxic. I’m going to have to do some research on that one, but that’s a great feature in theory. Some other great featured? The box is water-resistant and the surface can be cleaned easily with a wet wipe.

If you’re intrigued by the MultiBox, you’ll want to see the rest of Green Lullaby’s products, including a bench/table, a baby cradle (yes, a cradle made of cardboard) and a dollhouse.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of recycled cardboard and recyclable
• Finished with non-toxic, water-based paints, adhesives and fire retardant

Price: $59.99 for a set of 3 MultiBoxes at Olive & Bean

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