check this out

And what is this, you ask?  Why it's a gorgeous glass and silicone reusable water bottle I say!  Can you believe I WON this little pink creation over at pretty little green things, a fantastic blog which I read regularly.  Petra is also a contributing writer at Pure Green Magazine, a beautiful Canadian online mag which you should totally check out!

bkr

Now, don't get too jealous.. but these just launched in the US, and I can't seem to find anywhere in Canada that stocks them yet.  So you might not be able to get one.  That's right, I just might be the very first Canadian to own a BKR.  I am super-cool.  Actually, I guess it's Petra who's super-cool, since she held the contest!

I have to say that the bottle is really pretty, and although I haven't dropped it yet, the silicone does seem very cushiony.  I love the glass-bottle opening.  So much nicer feeling (and tasting) than metal, and no annoying complicated push/sip valves.  I can carry this at work, and it looks appropriate.  It fits in my cupholder.  And if I do break it, they'll replace it for FREE.

The whole thing can go in the top rack of the dishwasher, and although it says the silicone sleeve doesn't have to come off, I found I got a lot of moisture (and a little food grit) under the sleeve.  So in the future I will take the sleeve off to wash it.  Because it bothers me, and that's the kind of girl I am.  You're probably much more tolerant and would save yourself some work by just throwing it right in there.  You're smart like that.

the front entry

The front entry of the house has been a flexible space for us because I don't have a specific piece of furniture for that spot.  It is next to the dining room/kitchen, and between the front and back doors.  When we first moved in it was an art station for the kids...

what a mess

Then, as more boxes got unpacked, a new spot was created for the art station, and the entry sat empty for a while.. then I realized how CRAZY that was, when space is so tight.  I decided to put it to good use as a sewing centre for me, while I get some projects done.

a little better

What I would like to do, long term, is to put a nice long teak server here, a rug on the floor with some floor pillows for little readers.  Add a funky coat rack for guests, paint the door a fun colour (green?yellow?) and some whimsical accessories and plants.

something like this

But in the meantime, sewing awaits.. what do you think.. do you like it?  A girl can always dream, right?

oh, sheet

Have you ever bought something and then really regretted it?  I usually buy my sheets at a discount home warehouse.. good quality 100% cotton sheets for a really reasonable price.  Fantastic.  

That is, until I decided that those sheets weren't good enough for me anymore... Cotton requires a ton of chemicals to grow, don't you know.

So off I went in search of the perfect sheets.. white, organic or bamboo, not too expensive.  Not only did I discover after many hours of shopping that organic or bamboo sheets are not readily available here, what I did find was really expensive.

I finally discovered some bamboo sheets from Home Outfitters.  I can't remember how much they were, I was on shopping overload by the time I found them.  But they were definitely reasonably priced.  I was happy.  I could sleep at night knowing my sheets were made from an earth-friendly fibre and that was that.  I loved my sheets.

until...

I noticed after the first washing that the hemmed ends of the pillowcases and top sheet were quite wrinkly.  OK, I thought, I can live with that... cotton does that too.

Then I noticed that the fabric has a "grabby" quality (like a micro fibre cloth).  That means lots of hair stuck to the pillowcase (yuck, I know).  At first I thought I was going bald, so in a way the fact that it's the sheets is a relief.

After a few washes they started to pill.  A lot.

Is hate too strong of a word for how I feel about these sheets?  They have all the worst qualities of cotton and acrylic.  I can't believe I paid extra for them.  Next time I'm in the states I am going to be stocking up at Tar-gay on Organic cotton sheet sets.

So.. is it just me?  Did I stumble on the worst bamboo sheet set ever made?  Have any of you ever had this problem?  Should I give bamboo another chance?

And at what point is the sacrifice for a "green" product just not worth it?

my (not so) green thumb

"The people who you think are really great gardeners are actually people who just don't tell you how many plants they've killed and replaced."        mjs7640

Thank you mjs7640.. commenter on re-nest and maker of my day.  I hope this is true.  I am somewhat notorious for killing plants.  There have been too many to count.. lovely plants that have slowly lost the battle against neglect and disease, over watering or under watering, too much light or not enough.

Understanding that indoor plants do so much good for the air quality in a home, I am trying yet again to have happy plants in the house.  Hopefully these little beauties will not meet the same demise as their predecessors...

random tropicals

I have, in fact, killed so many plants I have a little stash of pretty pots in my cupboard, so I didn't need much in the way of supplies.  I did pick up some white sand and polished stones to pretty up the tops.

succulents

These canning jars were waiting to be returned to my mother-in-law, and instead got re purposed for terrarium-like purposes.  I call these terrariums but I think that term actually refers to enclosed/damp plantings.  I don't know what to call these.  If anyone knows, please fill me in.

aloe 

And finally this little row of aloe plants for use on burns and scrapes.  I am doing my best not to over water the succulents, and not to underwater the tropicals.  If I can manage to keep these beauties happy, I may just treat myself to one of these..

Woolly pocket - wally

I have been admiring the woolly pockets for some time, and I think it would be lovely for herbs near the kitchen.. I even have a wall picked out.  But first I have to figure out how to keep some plants alive.  I'm working on it.