ECO TIPS Bathroom

The bathroom just might be the most useful room in the house! But, it contributes to environmental degradation. To the rescue: a few tips for making your bathroom a little more chicological.

Green your toilet paper: Recycled toilet paper reduces the need for virgin wood pulp, which reduces the need to cut down trees. It's available at most natural grocery stores and many of the chains, too. Here's one of my favorites. 

Get into (tank-free or solar-powered) hot water: More than 10% of your energy bill comes from heating water for your steamy showers. Switch your water heater to a tankless or solar powered version. You'll put out a chunk of change initially, but you'll save energy and money in the long run.

Give your bathroom an organic makeover: Towels made from organic cotton, bamboo or hemp fibers are available everywhere from Pottery Barn to Bed, Bath and Beyond. My fave source, here.

With love,

Josie

Images via: Country Living, Honestly WTF, Modern Hepburn

ECO TIPS Recycling

Ok, so we all know we should recycle. But, sometimes, we just toss things into our recycling bins willy-nilly, thinking Hooray! I will recycle this! But, are the things we stick in that bin really recyclable? Here’s a cheat sheet to help you learn what can and can’t get another life.

Paper and Cardboard: You can recycle everything from junk mail to newspaper, as long as it’s clean and dry. Same goes for cardboard.  The key words here are clean and dry. That greasy pizza box? No way! Left your newspaper out in the rain? No can do.

Metal: You can recycle all aluminum, tin, metal, or bi-metal cans. Rinse them out too, to make sure you’re not sending a little bit of cat food or something into the machines. It might not be required in your region, but it’s still good to do.

Glass: We love glass here at JMC because it’s recyclable! This includes everything from your 100% Pure Argan Oil bottle to that empty jar of spaghetti sauce. Accidentally dropped your empty bottle of wine? That’s okay! Broken bottles are fine. But, not all broken glass is. Glass from mirrors and light bulbs is sometimes not allowed. Check your local sanitation department’s website to learn their broken glass rules.

Plastics: Now, here’s where it gets tricky. You know that little recycling triangle on the bottom of plastic items with a mysterious number inside? That tricky number identifies the type of plastic used in the container. Check out this link for more info on all the numbers. What can and can’t be recycled depends on your region. Numbers one and two are generally good—consult your local site for info on the rest. 

Images via: West Elm, Southern Living, Apartment Therapy

PINTERESTING FINDS Al Fresco Oasis

We've been having lots of candlelit outdoor family dinners on the farm, and Pinterest is loaded with inspiring ideas for livening up our outdoor decor. Check out my picks for a fun, boho supper al fresco.

With love and lanterns,

Josie

Images via:

House of Design & Style

Recreated

Kristi Bryan

Nonsense & Sensibility

SF Girl by Bay

JOSIE LOVES the chalkboard mag

I am such a fan of Pressed Juicery’s new blog, The Chalkboard. So I was thrilled when they asked me to be their guest editor for the month of May. From posts on how to create an eco nursery, to healthy recipes and easy workout tips, it seems like The Chalkboard has a piece of helpful advice for every active woman. When The Chalkboard peeps came to our office to shoot my guest editor video, they even brought us a crateful of yummy juices from Pressed. A sure way to win me (and the rest of the JMC crew) over. 

A DAY IN THE LIFE: Josie's Birthday

Hi Argan Beauties! Today is my birthday and my amazing coworkers threw me a little party at the office to celebrate! The event was complete with a delicious fish tacos, cake, and lots of great music. I even showed off my DJ skills! 

Everyone pitched in to get me a pair of great chairs for my porch in Pennsylvania, plus a special pink one for Rumi! Makes me feel so lucky to have such an amazing group of people care about me. 

Tell me about your best birthday ever! 

DO GOOD World Arbor Day

We've all said it. "Hey, I should volunteer to plant some trees sometime."

Well guess what? This weekend is your chance. In celebration of World Arbor Day, you can find plenty of opportunities to green the world by volunteering to plant in your city. The day was first observed in Nebraska in 1872 when it is estimated that a million trees were planted! And now, it's celebrated globally. How can you help?

DO GOOD

Volunteer with organizations dedicated to tree planting. You can find opportunities here: 

Arbor Day Now is a website dedicated to connecting willing tree planters with opportunities to plant in any corner of the U.S. 

At the very least, if you can't make it out in your community to plant a tree, why not plant one in your backyard? Any greening is good greening! 

JOSIE'S PICKS Spring Picnic

With all the sunny weather we've been having, I can't stop thinking about having a nice spring picnic with my family. What could be better? The strawberries are coming into season, and the wildflowers have bloomed. I'm thinking I'll pack some yummy quinoa salad and vanilla pudding into some mason jars and we'll be off! Here are some of my favorite picnic picks from Etsy, including one of my favorite vintage books for me to read to Rumi Joon as we lay in the grass. 

What are you picnic must-haves? Any delicious recipes to share? 

AM Radio Vintage Woven Picnic Basket

Handmade Therapy Rutic Linen Tea Towel

Crickets Home Turquoise Mint Chocolate Brown Throw

The Art of Jam Strawberry Jam 

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Rouilly Vintage Metal Thermos

A DAY IN THE LIFE Visiting Terrain

If you haven't heard about Terrain, Anthropologie's home store/nursery/lovely oasis of curiosities and wonderful things in Glen Mills, PA, then let me introduce you! I had the opportunity to peruse and marvel about for the afternoon this past weekend and I was thoroughly in love with all of the wonderful goodies. Check out their website if you're still in need of some holiday gifts. May I suggest this book for the gourmand in your family? Or what about this cozy repurposed wool blanket? So many choices!

JOSIE'S PICKS Giving Thanks

When you have unique pieces that you really cherish for the table, setting it up for Thanksgiving can be almost as fun as chowing down on the feast. My philosophy? Collect treasures that matter to you so that the meal feels special along with making the day about sharing in general. I know when my family gathers, we babble as much as we gobble remembering holidays past and telling funny stories (sometimes resulting in hilarious embarrassment). Finally, we each go around the table and say something we're thankful for.

What are you thankful for?

1. Organic Feather Tea Towel 2. Brass Candlesticks 3. Vintage Gravy Boat 4. Glass Dessert Dishes 5. Vintage Gold Band Cups and Saucers 6. Woodland Cutting Board

A DAY IN THE LIFE Autumn Weekend

After running all over New York City for meetings (with a stroll through the park in between), I got some R&R with the family on Sunday. We perused the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market looking for fun treasures and sipped lemonade to beat the heat. Funny how I went from the falling leaves of the East Coast to the hot sun of the West Coast! Speaking of NY, any recommendations for must-visit eateries or shops when I'm in town? I'd love to get your local perspective so send away!