The Greenest Olympic to date - Leave it up to Canada to figure that one out!

GO Canada GO!!! I am so proud of our Country for developing an Eco-friendly Olympic medal. Recycled from old computers and electronics a company in B.C collects the materials then breaks them down and separates the gold, silver and bronzes found in circuit boards, it is then shipped off to Germany to be refined into a metal. It's the ultimate in recycling - and it could be your electronic that is in one of the medals. Which makes it feel like every Canada played a part in making 2010's Olympic medals. So if you've ever recycled a computer in Canada, you may have a small claim to fame at this years Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Second to the green medals they are also the first to be undulating, not flat, and will be the heaviest in the Olympic history.

"They're based on two artworks of an orca whale and raven by Corrine Hunt, a B.C.-born artist.This is a fantastic use of old computers, which makes me think there must be an artist out there somewhere who could turn some of the many recycled computers into permanent art somewhere."

"The Vancouver Olympics made a smart choice in deciding to use precious metals from old electronics. By salvaging metal materials from old products, the Olympic committee is saving perfectly good gold, silver, and bronze from ending up in landfills. Because it makes no sense to mine for new gold when a single junked PC has more of the stuff in it than 17 tons of ore. And if the medals are promoted well, they could bring awareness to the cause of recycled scrap. With the entire world watching what happens at the Olympic games, there is no better venue to promote such an important--and easy-to-implement--solution to electronics recycling."

GO-Canada - GO!! This is an awesome step forward in the name of the green movement and I am so proud that Canadians thought of it first! Can't wait to see what the other countries come up with next!

Stay green my friends!
Until next time,
w&c designer girl!

Off gasing is it KILLING YOU?

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!

#1 in Trends - TREND HUNTER - 2010

#1 in TRENDS - the MOST updated, LARGEST collection of CUTTING EDGE ideas . . .

http://www.trendhunter.com/

Stay Green my FRIENDS!

w&c designer girl!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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/

Until next time

w&c designer girl!

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!