Do you know what chemicals your house is making you breathe in?
When you take a look inside your own home, you will have a rude awakening when you realize the health problems that you yourself have brought into the very place you are trying to keep safe. Everyday materials that we put ourselves in contact with are the very things that are making our homes dangerous! Off-gassing! If you don’t know the term yet, YOU SHOULD! The chemicals that you are breathing in while you sleep or while you cuddle your baby is something most of us don’t think about, in any means we must start!!
So what is off gassing? “The evaporation of volatile chemicals in non-metallic materials at normal atmospheric pressure”. This means the building materials within your home or office are releasing chemicals into the air through evaporation, which can continue for years after the initial install. This silent stalker is creating these chemicals which enter your lungs on a daily basis, whether you know it or not. It comes from your paints, stains, varnishes, carpet, insulation, flooring, kitchen cabinet and countertops, plywood, particleboard, and paint strippers, producing substantial off gassing in any space. “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns about the health effects of poor Indoor Air Quality from the off gassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).”Indoor air pollutants such as off gassing is the leading cause for people who suffer with Allergies, Chronic sinusitis, Asthma or respiratory problems in general. Off gassing can cause symptoms ranging from puffy, red and watery eyes to a runny nose, congestion, coughing, and asthma-like symptoms. Off gassing can also be the cause for skin irritations such as rashes, itchiness and hives. The two most identified type of off gassing that you can smell is a “new car” or “new carpet”. Now these smells are obvious but there are numerous products/materials which the off gassing is odourless.Stockholm University in Sweden conducted a study where they found that certain computer monitors emit a chemical “triphenyl phosphate” which can be the leading cause of allergic reactions. Triphenyl phosphate is a flame retardant that is used in many plastics. When turned on, the monitors' heat causes the compound, which is not bonded to the plastic, to start evaporating. So the question here must be asked, when exposed to such a compound that is typically found in new materials/products can it pose a potential long-term health risk? Apparently they don’t know yet!
Only Kermit the frog can use the excuse “it isn’t being green” to everyone else it only make sense to be.
Stay green and until next time,
w&c designer girl!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Christmas has Come and Gone!
I can't beleive Christmas has come and gone already, another one bits the dusk! Thought I would share some Christmas photo's with you. Merry Christmas!
Festival of Lights!
Christmas at the Parents house
Before - what a spoiled family we are with all those gifts!!
After . . . . augh!!!
My Baby girls first Christmas!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe New Years!!
w&c designer girl!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Got to LOVE Dogs! Funny Ads
Some Funny Ads that I thought I would share with you all! You got to LOVE dogs!
Happy Holidays!
w&c designer girl!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
2010 - 2011 Home Furnishing Trends
2010 - 2011 Home Furnishing Trends. Apparently the 80's are coming back! Go figure, but we all know with every trend return there is a twist with a modern touch, a reborn of the 80's we should say. Needless to say the era that we all dreaded is returning and returning strong. God speed my friends :) 
Top Ten Trends by Michelle Lamb;
1. Re-cast Blues (warm blues such as denim are expected to become increasingly popular with consumers over the next two years).
2. Coral colours (these will be all the rage in home decor whether in the pink or orange tones that have dominated in recent years).
3. Neutrals with chameleon personalities ( These are neutrals that change with the light source surrounding them).
4. Traditional tendencies (particularly in design and styling as contemporary gives way to traditional, thanks to a lean economy and young adults looking for historical anchors).
5. Tribal takes on global trends
(Subway is selling Tikka Masala sandwiches in India).
6. Home grown patterns in eating and living (think The 100-Mile Diet) - I did a blog on the Diet so check it and learn more about this movement.
7. Oak Revival (but this time it's white oak, not red oak).
8. Conservation and frugality (the recession is forcing people to spend carefully).
9. The growth and increasing
importance of social media (e.g. twitter)
10. Increasing consumer use of mobile technology for comparison shopping and information gathering.
Retailers will begin shifting their assortment focus from Boomers to Gen-X and Gen-Y (the former are beginning to retire while the latter are beginning to flex their muscles as consumers and power brokers in society).
So there you have it the Trends to expect in the New Years! Shop away my friends.
Happy Holidays!
w&c designer girl!
Top Ten Trends by Michelle Lamb;
1. Re-cast Blues (warm blues such as denim are expected to become increasingly popular with consumers over the next two years).
2. Coral colours (these will be all the rage in home decor whether in the pink or orange tones that have dominated in recent years).
3. Neutrals with chameleon personalities ( These are neutrals that change with the light source surrounding them).
4. Traditional tendencies (particularly in design and styling as contemporary gives way to traditional, thanks to a lean economy and young adults looking for historical anchors).
5. Tribal takes on global trends
(Subway is selling Tikka Masala sandwiches in India).6. Home grown patterns in eating and living (think The 100-Mile Diet) - I did a blog on the Diet so check it and learn more about this movement.
7. Oak Revival (but this time it's white oak, not red oak).
8. Conservation and frugality (the recession is forcing people to spend carefully).
9. The growth and increasing
importance of social media (e.g. twitter)10. Increasing consumer use of mobile technology for comparison shopping and information gathering.
Retailers will begin shifting their assortment focus from Boomers to Gen-X and Gen-Y (the former are beginning to retire while the latter are beginning to flex their muscles as consumers and power brokers in society).
So there you have it the Trends to expect in the New Years! Shop away my friends.
Happy Holidays!
w&c designer girl!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Take TREE advice from H&H themselves!
Need some TREE inspiration! Find it within House and Home's website. . . with stunning themes, and gorgeous decorations how can you go wrong mimicking such looks as theses!!
Photos courtesy of http://www.houseandhome.com/ For more inspiration make sure to pick up Decembers issue. Its is full of Christmas decorating ideas followed by easy to mimic photos. Make your house special this Season with a touch of House and Home within it! 
Tis the Season ~ until next time,
w&c designer girl!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Making your Walls Interesting.
Well I have always be interested in Art and Photography so my love for mixing both just came naturally. I started my canvas art collection about a year ago and wish I could add everything I have done but I try not to over whelm. Below is my mystical Tree Collection, Dream Trees and then a mix of a few other pieces. The power of a strong canvas piece hanging from your walls is breath taking and inspiring in the right application. check out more at http://shop.whitewashco.ca
Until next time,
w&c designer girl!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Its beginning to look a lot like Modern Christmas?
Yes its Christmas and its Modern! Some inspirational Christmas images to get you in the mood!
(Images from House to Home)
(Images from Better Home and Gardens)
For some fun Christmas presents check out http://www.lululine.net/
(Images from House to Home)
(Images from Better Home and Gardens)For some fun Christmas presents check out http://www.lululine.net/
Until next time
w&c designer girl!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Quotes on the Importance of Protecting our Earth!
"Only after the last tree has been cut down…the last river has been poisoned…the last fish caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten."- Cree Indian Prophesy
"I see the whole field of environmentalism and population as nothing more than the survival of the human species. I have wanted to have some bumper sticker made up saying 'Save the Humans'. At the bottom of it all, we are trying to save ourselves."- Ted Turner
"The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives."- Native American Proverb
"We all moan and groan about the loss of the quality of life through the destruction of our ecology, and yet every one of us, in our own little comfortable ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It's time now to awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved Mother deserves."- Ed Asner, Actor
"To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified. . . "- Theodore Roosevelt
"As the human population grows and our demand for natural resources increases, more and more habitats are devastated. Today, we may be losing 30,000 species a year -- a rate much faster than at any time since the last great extinction 65 million years ago that wiped out most of the dinosaurs. If we continue on this course, we will destroy even ourselves."- American Museum of Natural History
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."- Margaret Mead"The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become..."- Lady Bird Johnson
Stay Green!
Until next time,
w&c designer girl!
"I see the whole field of environmentalism and population as nothing more than the survival of the human species. I have wanted to have some bumper sticker made up saying 'Save the Humans'. At the bottom of it all, we are trying to save ourselves."- Ted Turner
"The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives."- Native American Proverb
"We all moan and groan about the loss of the quality of life through the destruction of our ecology, and yet every one of us, in our own little comfortable ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It's time now to awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved Mother deserves."- Ed Asner, Actor
"To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified. . . "- Theodore Roosevelt
"As the human population grows and our demand for natural resources increases, more and more habitats are devastated. Today, we may be losing 30,000 species a year -- a rate much faster than at any time since the last great extinction 65 million years ago that wiped out most of the dinosaurs. If we continue on this course, we will destroy even ourselves."- American Museum of Natural History
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."- Margaret Mead"The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become..."- Lady Bird Johnson
Stay Green!
Until next time,
w&c designer girl!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
INTERESTING?!?!
A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would . With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good Canadian.
"Good idea . . . one light bulb at a time . . . .Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the fun of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Home Hardware and just for the fun of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in Canada. Start looking.In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let's get behind her!
She said:My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more . My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest .. You have to read the labels on everything .This past weekend I was at Wal-mart . I needed 60W light bulbs . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value. " I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this -in Canada in a company in Ontario.So throw out the myth that you can not find products you use every day that are made right here .My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in Canada - the job you save may be your own or your neighbour’s!If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying Canadian, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!(We should have awakened a decade ago . . . . . . )Let's get with the program . . . . help our fellow Canadians keep their jobs and create more jobs here in Canada.
If President Obama insists on a “Made in America” policy, which is commendable of him to support American workers, we should do likewise. So Steven Harper wake-up......and the rest of us Canadians..........BUY CANADIAN! Read the labels. Support Canadian jobs.....and you will be supporting yourself !"
Stay Green by buying locally!
Until next time,
w&c designer girl!
"Good idea . . . one light bulb at a time . . . .Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the fun of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Home Hardware and just for the fun of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in Canada. Start looking.In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let's get behind her!
She said:My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more . My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest .. You have to read the labels on everything .This past weekend I was at Wal-mart . I needed 60W light bulbs . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value. " I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this -in Canada in a company in Ontario.So throw out the myth that you can not find products you use every day that are made right here .My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in Canada - the job you save may be your own or your neighbour’s!If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying Canadian, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!(We should have awakened a decade ago . . . . . . )Let's get with the program . . . . help our fellow Canadians keep their jobs and create more jobs here in Canada.
If President Obama insists on a “Made in America” policy, which is commendable of him to support American workers, we should do likewise. So Steven Harper wake-up......and the rest of us Canadians..........BUY CANADIAN! Read the labels. Support Canadian jobs.....and you will be supporting yourself !"
Stay Green by buying locally!
Until next time,
w&c designer girl!
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