A Dose of the Delightful

Color with Confidence: A DIY Challenge with Pantone, Valspar & Lowe's

This past weekend, I got to do something CRAZY fun. But first, a little back story.

Ever since I started getting to do a little design work in my job several years ago, I've been pretty obsessed with Pantone. You might remember the roundup I did when they announced the color of the year. Since I am obsessed with color, this should not be a surprise, since Pantone is pretty much the worldwide color authority. Pantone books may not be all that thrilling for seasoned, formally educated designers, but for me - someone who's more of a self-taught enthusiast - they're still so exciting. Something strange and amazing happens to me when I get to flip through one of those fan books full of color chips - the same thing happens to me when I pick out paint. Colors do something good to my brain - it's as if my brain suddenly wakes up and says to itself, 'WOO!!! COLOR!!!' I can't really explain it, so it probably sounds a little bizarre unless you have the same reaction. Several years ago, I used to think about (and talk about) the fact that Pantone should expand into, well, everything - from makeup (nail polish!) to tights to paint. Fast forward several years, and they've done tons of those kinds of collaborations!

This time, they've created a paint line. To celebrate the launch of the Pantone Universe Valspar collection, which is available exclusively at Lowe's, the three companies invited a bunch of bloggers and editors to check out the paints, as well as participate in a DIY upcycle challenge. Needless to say, when I got this invite, I responded in approximately one billionth of a second. Color AND DIY AND upcycling??? What more could I want? 

Read on for the full recap of a delightful two days, plus the how-to on these upcycles.

How to Work Better (Otherwise Entitled How to Be Happy)

Have you guys heard of Kollabora? If not, hop over there before you even read another word. Created by Nora Abousteit, the woman responsible for the success of BurdaStyle.com, Kollabora is a social platform that empowers you to make original projects and inspires you to bring your own creative DIY ideas to life. You can go to Kollabora, find a project you want to make, learn how to do it, as well as post your own projects. Currently, you can find sewing, knitting, jewelry, and home dec projects, but soon, you'll be able to find just about any sort of crafty thing.

I'm so excited to be helping out and doing some consulting work there; the office is a really inspiring and homey-feeling environment with tons of natural light. Aside from being chock full of craft supplies (heaven!) it's punctuated with inspiring decor, such as the sign above.

I was struck by how true this is both at work and in life in general. It's certainly my goal to pay attention to each of these more closely, thereby connecting better with others and myself. 

 

Happy Earth Day! 5 Small, Everyday Ways to Make an Impact

Watering (A Life Into Itself) print by Budi Satria Kwan, available on Society6

If you’ve been visiting here long, you probably know that our family is preeeeeeetty big on Lord of the Rings. So, fair warning – nerd references abound in this post!

“What can men do against such reckless hate?” This was the excerpt from Lord of the Rings that popped into my brother’s head after we learned about the tragic events surrounding the Boston Marathon.

It’s true – it’s sometimes hard not to succumb to that nagging thought, that occasional idea that maybe we can't really do all that much to combat the negativity and violence that can sometimes seem so pervasive in our world. 

In searching for an answer to this question, originally posed by King Theoden when faced with an increasingly grim outlook on an impending battle, I thought of something Gandalf says to Galadriel in The Hobbit:

“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

I can’t think of a message more appropriate for Earth Day. It can be easy to sometimes think to ourselves, “What difference will it really make for little me to do this one thing?” I believe it truly makes a world of difference. Small acts add up fast, and in honor of that idea, I wanted to share five little things we can all do to be kinder to Earth on a daily basis. 

Try doing one, a few, or all of these for a few weeks, and you’ll be astounded at how many times you have a chance to not contribute to the ever-growing waste stream, as well as how very easy it is to change your routine & develop them as habits. They’re not novel or ingenious, but rather quick reminders of how simple it can be to make a change for the better. 

1. Refuse a bag, plastic or otherwise, whenever you’re offered one. Most of the time, it’s just as easy (if not easier) to carry something in your hands or put it in your handbag or work bag as it is to carry it in a bag. Before accepting a bag, ask yourself if you can carry it or stow it elsewhere. Plus, there are so many more appealing ways to carry stuff around if you're planning a bigger shopping trip. Baggu is my favorite source for super stylish reusable bags. 
2. Change your coffee routine.  If you don’t want to carry your own coffee mug around (I understand there’s certainly a limit to how much we want to tote with us on a daily basis), there are still plenty of things you can do to cut down on the daily waste that cups from the morning caffeine fix. Skip the sleeve and bring your own (tons of options on Etsy), skip the stirrer stick if you’re only adding milk, and don’t opt for a splash stick unless you anticipate a bumpy journey.
3. Carry a water bottle, especially when traveling.  I prefer glass options these days – they don’t leach strange metallic or plastic-y tastes (or anything strange chemicals), plus they’re completely recyclable if they ever break or you grow tired of them. I have a Lifefactory bottle currently, but I’ve been eyeing these BKR bottles for quite some time. For some reason, I used to carry a water bottle around daily without ever thinking of taking one to the airport – but that’s an ideal place to bring them, especially considering that’s one of the only places I now ever buy bottled water.
4. Choose compostable/biodegradeable garbage and produce bags. Regular plastic bags take hundreds and hundreds of years to break down, if they ever do, and even then, they don’t biodegrade. Instead of getting broken down naturally by microbes and being reused by our environment, they simply get broken down into smaller and smaller bits of plastic that gunk up the ecosystem and food chain. Exhibit A: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
5. Choose personal care products without petrochemicals or plastics.  We use these products every single day, sometimes multiple times per day, for a lifetime. Luckily, there are tons and tons of options out there, now even in regular grocery stores and drugstores, that don’t include petrochemicals. Examples of these ingredients are petroleum jelly, mineral oil, paraffin, propylene glycol, acetone, all phthalates (often disguised as ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’), toluene, isopropyl alcohol…the list goes on. Obviously, petrochemicals come from crude petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Plus, there have been quite a few reports & studies about them being bad for sking & causing premature aging.

I hope you'll consider trying out some of these small, everyday acts of kindness to our one & only Earth!

Smoothest Gams EVER, the Natural + Non-Toxic Way

That’s my grandmother above, enjoying a nice day on the porch in her playsuit. Isn’t she a knockout? Now that warm days are here again (both in NYC and in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, from where I'm happily posting this), I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time just hanging out outside like she did. Of course, with balmier temperatures comes sparer clothing (I’d love to make a copy of what she was wearing here) and lots more leg. 

I’m not sure what the ladies used back then when they shaved – probably just good old fashioned soap, and certainly nothing like ‘Skintimations Pomegranate Mango Dream Smooth Shaving Cream’ or any of the other similarly ridiculous-sounding stuff that abounds these days. No joke, I actually once saw a scent labeled 'Frosted Velvet.' 

You can pretty much tell just by looking at the packaging on one of those crazy bottles that they’re loaded up to here with the grossest, most artificial junk. From parabens to phthalates to petrochemicals to the fakest fragrances ever, they tick off almost every bad ingredient on my list. I’d bet good money they’re not great for our skin in the long term, and I know what’s in them certainly isn’t good for our bodies.

Good news: you don’t have to stick to plain soap and water if you want to avoid shaving creams. In fact, since I’ve used this magic stuff, I’ve never had such smooth, soft legs after shaving – and they hardly require any moisturizing either. For someone whose skin tends to get pretty dry and suck up moisture like a sponge (thanks, Mom), that’s pretty remarkable.

So what’s my secret weapon? Once again, coconut oil saves the day! Is there anything this stuff can’t do? I cook with it, use it for moisturizing, use it as a deep conditioner – the list goes on.

I’m a huge fan of multi-use products, and I think it’s almost comical how many hyper-specialized items there are out there these days. I often think about the fact that when my grandmother was young, pretty much everything was multi-use, from vinegar to baking soda to food scraps. No one suffered for not having one type of lotion for extra dry skin and another for super duper dry skin. I’m convinced most of that labeling is simply marketing, especially when comparing ingredients. It can actually be fun and pretty informative to go to the grocery store, pick up a few bottles of conventional shampoo that all claim to be remedies for specific hair issues, and comparing the ingredients. Plus, I hate being a sucker – my mama didn’t raise no fool! Picking a multi-use product helps cut down on waste and says with your wallet that you don’t want to perpetuate a wasteful culture.  

Some tips for shaving with coconut oil:

• In case you’re not familiar, coconut oil is solid at room temperature. I usually run the jar under hot water and let a little bit melt, then pour it into my hand. 
• It may seem weird at first, especially if you’re used to a thick lather or foam. Give it a few tries! You’ll get used to it and love it.
• Shave after you’ve already scrubbed down. You don’t want to wash away the moisture left by the coconut oil after you’re done shaving.
• Because coconut oil solidifies at room temperature, you’ll need to shave with hot water, or use a glass filled with very hot water to rinse your razor as you go along.
• I buy a giant tub of this stuff – it’s my favorite brand and it’s of superior quality. When choosing a coconut oil, pick one that’s cold pressed, extra virgin, generally un-messed with. It shouldn't be deodorized and the label should specify hexane-free (hexane is a solvent that is also a neurotoxin).  I also like to stick with organic. Especially if you’re going to use your oil for many purposes, as I do, you may want to consider these guidelines.
• I also like to transfer some of my coconut oil from the giant jar into a smaller one, keeping it reserved specifically for the shower. This way, you can keep your coconut oil for cooking free from contamination and feel free to put your hand in the jar used for shaving.

What do you think? Would you ever try shaving with coconut oil? Too weird for you? I’d love to hear!