I was reading True Up this morning and was so excited to come across the etsy shop Dotty Logic.  This new store features the fabric and handmade accessories of artist Jasonda Desmond.  The fabric is all organic and printed with non toxic inks, not to mention flat out gorgeous!  Jasonda is a fellow Vancouverite and she draws her inspiration from the ocean and beaches that surround the city.  Coral, rope, beachcombing treasures, each design was lovingly drawn and has a story behind it.  I’m particularly fond of her treasures fabric as I spend many summer days combing the beach as a kid and always dreamed of the treasure I could find!  Another treasure?  Jasonda’s offering free shipping for the month of June.  How perfect is that?

I think, like most people, that I try to do my best for the environment.  I compost, recycle, have started growing my own fruit and veg, eat seasonally and pick up my dog poop.  But plastics and waste are still a fact of life, especially with this kitchen reno we’re doing.  We thought long and hard before starting this project since I really think the best way is to just work with what you have.  But the cabinets were warped and crumbling and the walls had no insulation.   So I’m feeling a little guilty about all the emissions that went in to producing our new kitchen, not to mention all the plastic, styro and construction waste going to the landfill on our behalf.

Needless to say I was super excited when I discovered the German program that makes blogs carbon neutral!  Huh?  That’s what I said at first!  How does typing produce greenhouse gases.  Well it doesn’t.  It’s the power needed to run the servers and all that other stuff.  A Harvard prof produced a study stating that a blog with 15 000 hits a month produces a yearly co2 output of 3.6 kg.  Not good!  So Mach’s grün! and the project “my blog is carbon neutral” was launched.  All you have to do is blog about the project, install their button, let them know and they’ll plant a tree to offset your blogging carbon.  How awesome is that!  I’ve already planted 3 trees in our yard since we moved in and love the idea that another one will be in the Plumas National Forest in Northern California, a forest devastated by wildfires in 2007.  They’re planting Douglas fir, red and white firs, incense cedars, ponderosa pine and sugar pine trees, a gorgeous evergreen mix that will go far to prevent soil erosion and build a new wildlife habitat.  I grew up with 2 giant Doug firs in the back yard, trees at least 100 years old and love the idea of helping a baby tree along it’s way.  And reliving a bit of the guilt!

Love this tutorial by Amy Moss of Eat Drink Chic for gorgeous bridesmaid cards using hand carved stamps.  Don’t have bridesmaids?  No problem!  These could easily be done up as thank you notes or just everyday stationary.  Check it out on Once Wed.

I’m just loving these botanical posters!  There’s just something about the dark, moody background and the cheery but biologically correct illustration.   They’re kind of creepy and entirely gorgeous.  Apparently the same company in Germany has been making these since the 1950s for use in science classes.  I wish we’d had something like this in bio 10.  I loved biology but would have liked it even more if it were pretty!  I know it’s going to sound a bit odd, but I’d love to see one of these hanging in a bathroom.  If they can stand up to a classroom I’m sure they can stand up to the steam from a shower and so many bathrooms just lack personality with all those blank walls.

Found via Cafe Cartolina.

There’s something wonderful about a beautifully wrapped gift.  Just like people, it’s what’s inside that counts, but a gorgeous outside will get you through the door faster.  Angela Liguori and Pikku are both graphic designers and together they’ve created a gorgeous line of wrapping paper coupled with Italian cotton ribbons.  This could even make a slap chop look good.

wedding scroll

You snooze you loose, right?  I haven’t really been snoozing.  I’ve been renoing.  Our kitchen is a shell of it’s former self, stripped down to studs but slowly coming back.  My lungs haven’t been too happy with the whole process, so the energy level has been about zero.  But… my point is I’ve been obsessing over calligraphy lately, in particular calligraphy return address stamps.  And then Holly went and posted about them!  But I’m going to soldier on and show you the work of an amazing calligrapher Emilie Friday.

address stamp; logo

Gorgeous, right?

But what I want is this calligraphy kit.  I used to do calligraphy as a kid (I was a bit odd, I’ll admit), the really old style gothic kind.  But I’d love to learn the more relaxed, swooshy, whimsical version a lot of calligraphers are doing these days.  Hmmmmmm……

Armadillo by Osoo

Ok, I’m probably the last person to find out about The Working Proof, but it’s too cool not to blather about.  Limited edition prints by a whole shwack of artists, a percentage of each sale going to charity.  Sounds good, right?  You can search by charity, artist, price or size.  Love!

Alice by Katie Kirk; Forest Lady by Karolin Schnoor ; This Land is Your Land by Amy Ruppel

Is that not the most awesome light ever?  Ever?  Must hack…

In other news, the kitchen reno drags on.  If you have an old house, opening up the walls really is not the best idea.  And we hadn’t even planned on opening up the walls.  So I guess doing anything is a bad idea!  Fingers crossed the drywall goes up today and breathing become easier.  My lungs are scratchy!

I think we’ve had the wettest spring on record for Kami town this year.  Admittedly that still doesn’t add up to much rain, and really not enough to justify bringing out the umbrella.  But if I lived in Vancouver still, I’d definitely be trying this out.  Recovering umbrellas in the fabric of your choice, how cool is that?  And I bet if you live somewhere where it only really drizzles you could use regular upholstery or quilting weight fabric and just give it a good scotch guarding.  For now I’ll be browsing all the cool waterproofs and laminates and maybe thinking of doing some stitching for my rain coast pals.