By Holly Peterson
Fishlips Recycled Gift Wrap
Wrapping paper can be as big of a deal as buying the present itself. New paper seems wasteful, old newspapers and magazines are a good option until you realize that the news is too sordid (um, Octomom?) to actually put on an item meant to bring joy, and plain brown paper says “delivery” more than “present.” There’s just something about most green wrapping that’s too much function, not enough fun – except Fishlips Recycled Gift Wrap. With 18 satin-finished designs to choose from (all printed on 100% recycled paper using soy inks), there's something interesting for any occasion. Starfish, hibiscus, and puppies in cool colors and curious patterns? They beat that brown paper any day.
See the entire line at
fishlipspaperdesigns.com
By Holly Peterson
Do you ever feel like you're learning another language, when trying to understand all the "energy efficient" lighting terms???
Not to worry... Thanks to the Department of Energy, anyone can "get with it"!
The Department of Energy (DOE) is taking a page from the Food and Drug Administration's playbook. Since 1994, most food products have featured the Nutrition Facts label, and the DOE is pushing for the lighting industry to follow that lead for LED products. The label (below) is part of the DOE's SSL Quality Advocates program and is meant to encourage manufacturers to simplify information about LED products for consumers. Using the industry-standard IESNA LM-79-2008 to measure product performance, the label displays the metrics in an easily digested and consistent format. Lumens, efficacy, watts, correlated color temperature, and color rendering index are all shown.
By Holly Peterson
What has 32,000 LEDs, is 12-feet wide, weighs 11,875 pounds, produces 4.3 billion color options, has 2,668 Waterford Crystals, and will be staying around all year?
The Times Square Ball, of course. Revealed on Dec. 31, 2008, the new design from Focus Lighting will be a permanent fixture atop One Times Square. As Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkis said in a statement, “Like Times Square, it's not afraid to show off. That's why we're proudly putting it on display year-round so visitors to the neighborhood can enjoy a true Crossroads of the World icon.”
By Holly Peterson
Green Depot's Grand Opening in New York
Home Depots are so 2005. Everybody knows that Green Depot is where all the cool DIYers go. The new retail store, in the lighting district of New York City, just opened last week and is the first from an existing green building-supply giant of the same name. It has all the comforts of a Home Depot (by the way, no relation): flooring, roofing, siding, paint, nails...only greener. And it also has features that serve to answer some common eco home dilemmas. Liquid soap, laundry detergent, and window cleaner refill stations help you reuse all those existing bottles in your house. And a dark room helps you figure out, once and for all, the difference between LED and incandescent lighting. With this one stop shop, you can sand, shingle, and spackle to your delight knowing that you won’t be introducing harsh chemicals to your house or planet.
For store hours and location, go to
greendepot.com
By Holly Peterson
SAD NEWS: domino magazine NO LONGER as of March 2009 issue
Here's a letter from the editors:
"It is with very heavy hearts that we say farewell. Over the last 4 years, in 28 issues, we have done our best to create a great magazine. We started with a real idea—that style is for everyone—and tried to carry it out with stories that provide inspiration and empower you to act on it. From your tremendous response, we know that we were onto something. In this tough economy, however, we simply weren't able to get the advertising support we needed.
As domino evolved, we never lost sight of our original democratic premise. Looking back at the manifesto we published in the premiere issue, the first tenet of domino is still the truest: Home should make you happy. We hope we have played a part in making this come true for you.
Love,
All the editors of domino"
We'll miss you domino!
All the best,
Design Diva Interiors
By Holly Peterson
The NEW Refrigerator from Bosch...Not an inch wasted!!!
Linea 800 Side-by-Side refrigerator
Linea Refrigeration is the new Energy Star rated counter-depth, Side-by-Side refrigerator line from Bosch Appliances, that is designed to deliver superior food preservation and inventive interior features, combined with a clean, modern design. Available in a 300, 500 and 800 Series, the new lineup complements Bosch full product suite of Eco-friendly and highly efficient home appliances. All models feature the DualCool system that enables independently controlled temperature settings. This system ensures consistent temperatures within each side, while eliminating the transfer of odors between compartments for more hygienic storage of food. When combined with the quiet speed compressor that quickly responds to temperature needs, the Linea Side-by-Side refrigerators ensures maximum, yet efficient cooling performance to keep foods fresher longer. Multiple sensors throughout the refrigerator and freezer also help to maintain consistent temperatures, while the noFrost system doesn't require defrosting, which saves time and energy.
The Linea has a clean and sophisticated exterior look achieved by its door extending all the way to the floor. This distinctive long door eliminates the appearance of a bulky grill, which as you can see from our recent Side by Side refrigerator review is quite common in many premium refrigerators. Hidden hinges also contribute into a seamless built-in look. Illuminated flush and frameless ice and water dispenser with exterior display is perfectly integrated into the freezer door. The lockable and easy to clean dispenser is tall enough to accommodate large container sizes.
The SuperCool and SuperFreeze functions enable you to quickly chill warm and fresh foods straight from the supermarket by dropping the interior temperature to the lowest possible setting. Once this temperature has been reached, the refrigerator or freezer will then automatically return to its original setting. The Multi-Flow system provides high circulation of cold air throughout many openings in each compartment of these Side-by-Side refrigerators for more uniform and constant temperatures, ensuring that foods remain fresher longer.
Linea 800 Interior View
The top-of-the-line 800 Series features the unique and bright CoolGlow lighting system. This U-shaped LED lighting is integrated flush along the back wall and throughout the unit to offer stunningly clear visibility of foods and easy cleaning. Separate LED lighting in the freezer and the top of the refrigerator, as well as in the exclusive FreshProtect box temperature controlled drawer, serve to further brighten up the interior. This FreshProtect keeps humidity and temperatures accurate and customized for fish, meat/poultry or produce. Resistant to external temperature fluctuations, foods kept in this drawer will stay fresher up to 3 times longer. The interior can also be customized to accommodate maximum storage space. The 2 exclusive EasyLift glass shelves hold 25 lbs each and are on a circular track, making it very easy to adjust their height by up to 2". The EasyGlide door bins are fixed onto a rail system and seamlessly glide up and down to accommodate large gallon bottles. Other features are sliding frameless InfinityGlass shelf, a can door and bottle rack, and an AirFresh Filter and Ionisator that offer the best protection against odor.
The freezer includes 2 cooling packs stored behind the ice and water dispenser. They can be utilized to not only protect food longer in case of a power outage, but can also be removed and used for travel coolers. A large full-extension freezer basket can accommodate a Thanksgiving turkey. The exterior LCD display and control panel allow you to activate functions like Quick Ice, which cools the freezer as cold as possible to produce more ice in a 24-hour period, ECO mode, which saves energy and reduces lighting on the display and Vacation mode, which further saves on energy usage when the refrigerator is not needed for long periods of time.
The 500 Series Side-by-Side refrigerators include many of the premium features offered in the 800 models including the flush LCD exterior control panel, AirFresh carbon air filter and a FreshProtect box for customized food storage. Additional design features include 1 adjustable EasyLift glass shelf, 2 slide-out glass shelves, tilt out freezer door bins for better access, 2 cooling packs and spill proof glass shelves with a metallic front trim for a more premium look.
A perfect introduction to the efficient refrigerators from Bosch Appliances, the 300 Series Linea offers a flush LED control panel on the exterior, 3 slide-out spill proof shelves that can be height adjusted according to the storage needs at hand, full-extension refrigerator drawers, gallon door bins and tilt-out freezer door bins for maximum customization.
Available in April 2009! For store locations visit:
boschappliances.com
By Holly Peterson
Tiffany Blue: How to successfully use this color in your home.
Every girl loves to see that pretty little blue Tiffany's box, but when it comes to using "Tiffany Blue" for your interior, be careful!
In the March 2009 issue of House Beautiful, they had an interesting article on who could achieve this color best!
Read on, you might be just as surprised as I was...
HouseBeautiful.com
By Holly Peterson
Let's FIND A CURE!!! ♥
I recently received an email from a contractor of mine, asking me to help with a donation to support in the fight against breast cancer.
I am happy to help in any way that I can and would like to also extend this opportunity to YOU...
Maybe you'd even like to start your own fundraiser for someone you love?
To make a donation or to find out how you can participate, please visit:
http://www.the3day.org/goto/Daun.DeWitt
By Holly Peterson
Happy Valentine's Day!
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I hate Valentine's Day!
But I love you!
By Holly Peterson
Stumped on a Valentine's Gift For Your Lovey?
Check out these two companies that have come together to bring you unique floral arrangements and yummy chocolates (straight from Hawaii)... Even better, they'll get the goods to you by the LOVE DAY!
It's not too late, order these fabulous flowers and truffles @
Anuhea Flowers
Posts
Wrapping paper can be as big of a deal as buying the present itself. New paper seems wasteful, old newspapers and magazines are a good option until you realize that the news is too sordid (um, Octomom?) to actually put on an item meant to bring joy, and plain brown paper says “delivery” more than “present.” There’s just something about most green wrapping that’s too much function, not enough fun – except Fishlips Recycled Gift Wrap. With 18 satin-finished designs to choose from (all printed on 100% recycled paper using soy inks), there's something interesting for any occasion. Starfish, hibiscus, and puppies in cool colors and curious patterns? They beat that brown paper any day.
