I love checking out the home of blogger Kay Loves Vintage,and I was so excited to see that she posted this picture to our OTHER Flickr group that I started, Anti-Depressive Living. To be honest, I had been ignoring that group for awhile because a bunch of people had posted all kinds of stuff they were selling and I didn’t feel like dealing with it (I’m a really bad Flickr administrator). Anyway, it’s totally taken on a life of its own and the variety of images posted in there are totally wackadoodle and I love it. It makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever.

Well, that was NOT to say that Kay’s wackadoodle, she has got it going on, and I’ve learned a lot about vintage pieces from her. I think I spy a PH light, some vintage Eames shell chairs, a Catherine Holm bowl, perhaps some Dansk (?) and that’s the extent of my vintage knowledge.

Also, Kay has a cool blog called KayLovesVintage and it’s a delight.

Earth Day is April 22nd. Do you have any plans? Have you done much to live a more sustainable lifestyle this year? What have you done lately? I’m not the most aggressive tree hugger, but I do try. Most recently I realized my toilet was leaking and got it fixed. This doesn’t seem like much, but it keeps an unbelievable amount of water from being wasted.* The water company dude pleaded with me to save money by trying to fix it myself, but clearly he did not know he was dealing with the world’s worst D.I.Y.er. Sometimes you have to know when to suck it up and pay a trip fee. We’ve been through so many droughts here in Atlanta since I moved here ten years ago that I am pretty careful about conserving water.

Anyway, I found this part of The Earth Day site where you can check out all of the Earth Day events and see what’s going on in your city. You can also make up your own event, and you can pledge to do an Act of Green. It’s kind of fun and little things count. Some of the things people are pledging include:

• Going paperless with bills
• Eating More Local Food
• Bringing Reusable Bags to the Grocery Store
• Shorter Showers
• Converting every last light bulb to LED
• Banning plastic water bottles from their homes
• Using a clothesline whenever possible
• Buying a the most fuel efficient car possible
• Replacing appliances with more energy efficient ones.

These were just some of the ones that were in between total, total DUHS and totally insane. I mean really, if you’re not already turning off the lights when you leave a room, get with the program! Same with those of you who don’t bring your own bags to the store. I mean, one genius wrote “Don’t Litter.” Really Don Draper? You’re still littering? Don’t you give a hoot?

So, is there anything you can do to improve the planet, from wasting less to hitting a beach clean up? You certainly don’t have to do it on Earth Day proper, it’s just a good excuse to think about it and make plans.

*Regarding leaky toilets, most local utility companies will provide you with a free test kit to see if yours is leaking. They also provide kits for saving more water per plush as well (basically, you can accomplish the same thing by placing a brick in the toilet tank.

I first got to know Holly Becker many years ago when I found her website, decor8 and shared it here. We got chatting in the comments section and I wound up taking her “Blogging Your Way Class” and even writing a little bit on her site here and there. So that’s my disclaimer before I recommend her book (co-written with Joanna Copestick), Decorate: 1,000 Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home.

You know how sometimes you order a design book online and when you get it, it’s, well, a little thin and disappointing? That is NOT the case here. This book is literally jam-packed with photographs, tips, pointers, floorplans and inspiring ideas. I don’t think I had seen at least 90% of the spaces photographed (this is rare when you look at design online all day), and they authors included spaces from L.A.’s Laurel Canyon to Paris; from Ohio to London. She’s included spaces from interior designers, bloggers, a fabric designer, photographers and even the world’s most fabulous potter. In a book this complete, nothing is missed.

Because the book is so thorough, one of the best things about it is using it one room at a time. Whether you’re planning a thrifting trip, re-arranging an art wall, doing a complete reno of your kitchen, or just want to make a few cheap moves to make your bathroom look a bit bigger, there’s a very complete section in it that you’ll find helpful. In addition, the book covers a wide variety of styles; there’s something for everyone here!

You may order the book here.

• Cover Image by Debi Treloar

Gotta give Gerrit a big high five for his installation of the Inhabit Seesaw Wall Flats in his minimalist dining room. Can you imagine the room without the texture of the wall flats? I certainly can’t. No doubt, minimalism is so much better with a little bit of character. Good show, Gerrit!

Name: Gerrit

Where do you live?: Visalia, CA

What do you do?: I’m a police officer

DP purchases: Inhabit Wall Flats

Favorite DP product: Inhabit Wall Flats

How would you describe your design style? Modern/minimalist

Any design pet peeves? Tan colored walls

Favorite design ideas? What was the best advice anyone ever gave you? Less is more, just because there’s an open space (wall or floor) doesn’t mean it Read the rest of this entry »

While I saw this in our Fresh New Spaces Group, I had already seen it in sfgirlbybay earlier this week. Victoria has painted her room “Gravel Gray” by Benjamin Moore (BTW, she says it’s not quite as dark or as blue as it is appearing in her photographs). She’s also sleeping on DwellStudio’s Chinoiserie bedding. Finally, she’s looking for some input on which artwork to buy for this room. Check it out and chime in on her post!

• photo by sfgirlbybay via Flickr (Fresh New Spaces Group)