Éire go Brách

I'm not Irish but I can certainly appreciate meat, potatoes, and beer (but no green beer please). Have a wonderful day. I have no plans because I no longer find it enjoyable to try to cram myself into the only real Irish joint in town. Perhaps I'll just stay home and watch The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. You don't have to warn me, I already heard the sequel isn't that great but I love those MacManus brothers so I'll give it a chance.

If I were really clever I would have done my "green" my blog is carbon neutral post today. Ooops.

Photo Credit: Edward Dullard

Design Evolution is Carbon Neutral

Okay, don't laugh. I'm as irritated by green washing as you are. However, I'm also a believer in the theory that every little bit helps. It's because of this that I felt it worthwhile to participate in the “My blog is carbon neutral” program.

Here's some information on what the project is all about:

“My blog is carbon neutral” is an initiative, originally started in Germany by the “Make it Green” programme, that has the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. They plant a tree for each participating blog and thereby neutralize the blog’s carbon footprint for the next 50 years. Everyone can make a small contribution to the environment.

According to a study by Alexander Wissner-Gross, PhD, physicist at Harvard University and environmental activist, an average website causes about 0.02g (0,0008oz.) of carbon dioxide for each visit. Assuming an average blog gets 15,000 visits a month, it has yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 3,6kg (8lb.). This can mainly be tracked back to the immense energy usage from (mainframe) computers, servers, and their cooling systems.

To neutralise these emissions the Make It Green Program has created these My blog is carbon neutral buttons so bloggers can demonstrate that they care about the environment and the carbon footprint of their blogs. It is a small but nontheless worthy solution to contribute to environmental issues.

Trees will be planted in cooperation with the Arbor Day Foundation in Plumas National Forest in Northern California for the project to neutralize the carbon footprint of blogs. Thousands of wildfires burned down many national forests over the past ten years and 88.000 acres of Plumas' were destroyed by two fires in 2007. To help replanting they need the support of bloggers all over the world!

If you are interested in participating this is all you need to do:

- Write a blog post about the initiative + insert your favourite button
- E-mail the link to your post to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de
- That's it! A tree is planted for your blog in Plumas National Forest

Just so that you are aware I did so some research about the project before I decided to participate. The Arbor Day Foundation has confirmed that this program is legitimate and they have in fact planted trees in conjunction with the foundation.

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Kell on Earth Dish is No More

Becky and I tried. Really hard. We wanted to bring you witty banter about this much anticipated Bravo series. We encountered one huge road block. The show is just not that interesting. We still love Kelly Cutrone and think she has a lot of great advice to offer to young, ambitious women but her show is kind of dull and her employees are pretty vapid. We just won't be staying up late on Monday evenings dishing about the show anymore. Kell on Earth is becoming one of those shows you randomly catch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I highly recommend you continue to visit Becky's blog on a regular basis for hilarious updates on fashion, decor, and pop culture nonsense.

Related Posts:

Kell on Earth Dish - Week 2

Kell on Earth Dish - Week 1

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Bag Lust

This bag is awesome.


That is all.

16" Canvas Mason Bag With Leather Bottom, Hickoree's Hard Goods $79. This size is currently sold out (sad face) but the 20" and 24" are still available.

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Rooms You Can Really Live In

Living Room Month has gotten to a slow start but I thought we would take it easy this Friday and just browse some photos of wonderfully chic and well put together rooms that are still comfortable enough to live in. The back drops for most of these rooms are pretty neutral but furniture and accessory colors are warm and inviting. And in the end, warm and inviting is what it's all about. If the room is beautiful but no one feels comfortable sitting it, what's the point? Here's some loveliness, enjoy.

jan skacelik via decor8

sasa antic via decor8

elle decor

abigail ahern

aaron hom via desire to inspire

Happy Friday and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. More in depth Living Room wonderfulness to come next week.

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Doodling Update

Class #2 has come and gone. My teacher has diagnosed my friend and I as "outliners". I've decided that it is not possible no draw with charcoal on newsprint and not draw a heavy outline around all of the objects on the page. So there teach!

I think I'm finally getting a grip on this perspective thing. I'm slowly figuring out how to draw a book and have it actually look like it's laying on a table. It's a lot harder than it sounds.

Related Post:

I'm Back in the Classroom

Photo Credit: Michelle Verdugo

Delightful Deal Alert - A&G Merch

I can't really tell you how I stumbled upon A & G Merch, it was one of those tumbling through the rabbit hole moments that often happens when on the internet. However I found them I'm glad I did because they have a bunch of cool stuff at great prices. My favorite item is definitely the completely low tech flip clock that is only 29 bucs.

wooden stapler - pig towel - flip clock - bird plate - conceal shelf - wallflowers

A & G Merch is a Brooklyn, NY based brick and mortar home furnishings store. They opened their doors in 2006 with the idea of supplying our neighborhood with good quality, affordable furnishings. According to A&G, they strive to bring an urban, youthful energy to all of their products. They have a collection of utilitarian objects ranging from couches to candlesticks, each with a uniquely urban personality.

Related Post:

Delightful Deal Alert - Wisteria

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I'm Back in the Classroom

I can't believe I'm showing you this, I must really like you guys. I signed up for drawing classes at the local adult school with a few of my girlfriends so for the next nine weeks that is how I will be spending my Monday evenings.

You're getting a glimpse of what we worked on during the first class, it's a bit embarrassing. 2-D line drawings are no problem for me but when that third dimension enters the picture I'm totally lost. Lucky for me that is what this class is all about. You can ignore the sketch in the bottom right corner of paper. The teacher and I got into a discussion about perspective drawing for interior design. She highly recommend I take the perspective course The School at Parsons offers and I'm excited about it. Unfortunately I missed this Spring semester but at least it gives me time to save up for Fall.

Class doesn't end until 9:30 - 10pm so I have feeling posting might be light on Tuesdays while I'm taking this course. I just wanted to give you a heads up in cause you're wondering where I've gone to. I'm going to do my best to write several posts on Sunday evening but if you don't hear from me on Tuesdays it's because I'm busy sketching away.

February 2010 Wrap Up

So much happened on Design Evolution in February I thought it would be helpful to wrap up the month in case you missed anything. You can expect to see a wrap up at the end of each month going forward so I hope you enjoy them.

February was Bathroom Month here on Design Evolution and we covered a myriad of topics.

- Freshen up your boudoir with some new and inexpensive accessories.

- Snag some creative storage and organization ideas from fellow Design Evolution reader Michelle of Cloud 9 fabrics.

- Try whipping up some greener concoctions at home to clean your bathroom clean and fresh.
- Feel free to go a little wild when decorating your powder room or guest bath.

- Refer to this renovation workbook if you are looking to create a classic bathroom.

It wasn't all about bathrooms this month. I shared with you some clothing and accessories that I would love to add to my wardrobe this Spring. We dished about our favorite shades of white paint and how we prefer a low key Valentine's Day. Lovely Diana asked me collaborate with her to create a space designed around one of her beautiful photographs. I came clean about the many unfinished projects I have lurking around my home. And last but not least I introduced you to new Design Evolution features like the Delightful Deal Alert and Occasional Indulgences.

March is all about Living Rooms and since I've been purchasing and rearranging furniture in my own home you'll finally be able to see some up dated picks of my living room. There will also be more responses to readers questions, new shops I've recently discovered and a bunch of other goodies. I look forward to celebrating March in style with all of you.

XOXO, Michelle

Classic Bathroom Design

I'm going to be straight with you folks, I had planned to do at least three posts like this one for month of February. As you can see there are only two days left in February and this is the first bathroom renovation workbook posted. It turns out posts like this take a long time to put together. I'll leave it up to you guys, if you'd like to see more posts like this I will most certainly do it. Or you can just email me with specific design requests and I can whip mood boards for you. I'll let you all decide. So, let's get started.

I decided to start with a classic bathroom design because it's the style I'm most drawn to. It might have something to do with how much I love older homes that tend to have subway tiles on the walls, basket weave tile floors and maybe even a pink sink. They'll be so pink sinks in this workbook but I have included many resources that will help you create a classic bathroom.

flooring resoures - wall tile resources

I prefer to stick with a white & black color scheme when it comes to floors, walls, and fixtures. Installing tile is labor intensive and can be expensive depending on the materials you choose. Choosing black & white or even all white means you can change out inexpensive accessories for a new look and anything will work. It's also important to consider the value of the space you are renovating. For my condo I would probably go with basic white penny tiles but for home you intend on enjoying for years it would so worth installing those delicious marble basket weave floor tile. A few rows of penny rounds or a Greek key mosaic pattern will add great visual interest to a wall of subway tile.

faucet resources - sinks & tub resources

A pedestal or console sink will look great with the flooring and wall tile options above but will leave you with no room for storage. If you prefer having a vanity I love this one from Restoration Hardware. Restoration Hardware can be pricey so shop places like Overstock.com and Ebay which are both excellent places to find bathroom fixtures. I hope this post was helpful to you if you are planning a bathroom renovation and feel free to shoot me any questions you have.

A Few More Nautical Accents

I was checking out Melissa Loves Cheap & Chic post earlier this week and spotted a drop dead gorgeous necklace that would look great with my blue and white finds from this month. Melissa's link brought me to where else but Anthropologie where I found a few other fabulous accessories made from cotton rope. As much as I would love all four pieces that might be a little overkill. I think I'll go with the headband, it's very Blair Waldorf which is just my style.

1. necklace 2. belt 3. bracelet 4. headband

Related Post:

Crushing on Blue & White

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A Place for Everything...

I'm sure you all spent the weekend scrubbing your hearts out with the home made concoctions we learned about from homemakers of yore. So now that your bathrooms are spic and span and free of all those nasty harsh chemicals there is the issue of stuff to deal with. Bathrooms are stuff traps. With all of the cleansers, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, cotton balls, makeup that we need accessible everyday is hard to figure out the best and most pleasing way to store it all. Michelle Engel Bencsko shared photos with me of her recently renovated master bathroom and I spotted a lot of great storage tricks that would work well in any bathroom.

Apothecary jars in various sizes keep items used daily neatly contained but still right at your finger tips. Michelle chose to store the more unsightly items like toilet paper and her toilet brush in decorative vases. Functional and beautiful, I love it!

Installing this modern floating sink created a ton of storage space below. Michelle now neatly stores all of her bath and hand towels in baskets stashed underneath the sink. Hands down my favorite feature of this bathroom makeover is the slim floating shelf installed above the sink. I'm a big fan of getting things up off of counter space and this does that very effectively. Toothbrushes are still with in reach but housed in pretty cups and up on a shelf they look more like a display and less link clutter. Great job Michelle, I love what you've done!

Photo Credit: Michelle Engel Bencsko

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