Two Hearts Together Jeff & Samantha » Eco Living

Grass Countertop Drying Rack

Samantha — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:49:36 +0000

This grass inspired drying rack made by Boon Inc. makes child tableware and plastics easy to dry in a sanitary way. The rack is a two piece set made to be set next the sink, it can be easily taken a part to be cleaned or thrown in the dishwasher. The flexible grass blades are specially made for products to air dry. Great for bottles, pacifiers, toys, and other lightweight items.

Other cool facts about the Grass Countertop Drying Rack

It’s BPA Free
PVC Free
Phthalate Free

10% of profits are donated to Children’s Charities!

Price: $20.00 from Boon

$17.49 from Amazon

Create A Crafty Toothbrush Bracelet

Samantha — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:31:52 +0000

Save your old toothbrush and turn it into something crafty that you can wear! With plastic toothbrushes it is easy to mold any way you want by heating them up in hot water; specifically round shaped and wear as a funky bracelet. I will admit in middle school these were the thing to wear. My Mom is a dental assistant so toothbrushes were easily and Freely available, she gave me the idea to remove the bristles and make something out of them. My favorite were the glittery ones which were usually children’s toothbrushes.

Want to make your own? See Directions below…

If you just want the hard work outta the way and want to buy one directly visit AmongTheZinnias Etsy shop!

BTW (By the Way): It’s recommended to throw your daily oral toothbrush out every 6 months!

Supplies Needed:

1 plastic toothbrush
2 pair of pliers
stove pot & stove
water to boil

Directions:
1. Make sure your toothbrush is clean! Run it in the dishwasher if you must
2. Remove bristles completely with pliers in a twist & pull motion
3. Boil a pan of water on high
4. After water is boiling; place bristle free toothbrush in the water
5. Wait approx 1-3 mintues
6. Once you can see the toothbrush is “soft” remove with pliers and mold the toohbrush quickly before it cools.
7. Pace molded toothbrush into a bowl of cool water.
8. Set aside to cool

Inexpensive Wedding Flower Ideas

Samantha — Sun, 23 May 2010 03:18:37 +0000

This post was inspiration to a few people asking me where to buy and how to arrange inexpensive wedding flowers. In additon to food, and venue, flowers is the #3 money ditcher for weddings! They are oh so beautiful and no way to get arond paying a ton for beautiful flwoers, but maybe some things I found onine can give you inspiration to cut a little corners with your wedding flowers and save your money for the real important part of the wedding…THE HONEYMOON!

Be unique and either go simple and buy less flowers, OR think outside the box and use other objects as you centerpiece or accent.

candy apples that are edible for gifts guests!

create crafty fake flowers and accent with twigs/branches

use other bright accents such as candy

re-use old soup cans and add flowers from your backyard

colorful fruit adds a pop of color

Fish! Guests can be encouraged to take them home

Other tips:

Go Simple
Ask for help arranging and delivering
Buy In-Season flowers and arrangements

Local Places in Portland Oregon to buy flowers:

Trader Joe’s

Whole Foods

New Seasons

Portland Saturday Market

Saturday Farmer’s Markets

Online:

http://www.organicbouquet.com/Info.aspx?pid=36

http://www.myportlandwedding.com/portland/flowers/

Spring Green

Samantha — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:00:40 +0000

Get in the mood for spring with fun ECO-FRIENDLY GREEN fun finds for around the home that help save the planet!

Click on the title to see product details and price

Water Clock
- powered by H2O, No batteries needed

Preserve Nested Mixing Bowls
- 100 percent recycled plastic, BPA Free

Fortune Cookie Goats Milk Soap
- Handmade in USA, Packed with vitamins and nutrients

Heavy Duty Ditto Paper 17″ Adult Hangers
- 100% Recycled Paper, Holds up to 20 lbs, Non-Toxic

Box Speakers
- 100% renewable resources, Lightweight

Organic cotton socks
- No pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers

1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse
: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew

25 Unexpected Items You Can Put In Your Dishwasher

Samantha — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:20 +0000

The dishwasher is a kitchen’s greatest convenience for cleaning and sterilizing dirty dishes and utensils. Think outside the box and when you have something around the house you really want to get clean that the clothes washer just doesn’t do the job, try popping it in a dishwash cycle. A dishwasher’s water temperature reaches 155° F to kill bacteria, so crank the water to hot (many dishwashers have a “sterilization mode” or cycle, which is necessary to ensure the water is heated high enough to kill bacteria). Placing items in the dishwasher which you wouldn’t normally find there will free up your time while cleaning items more effectively than by hand.

Keep in mind you want to run your dishes and household items in separate loads, food can get stuck in material and possibly stain.

Which items are safe to wash in the dishwasher you may ask? Check out the list below…

Kid’s Toys, Barbies, Action figures
Hairbrushes, barrettes, scrunchies, and hair-ties
Garden tools
Sports guards
Baby bottle brushes
Furniture cushions
Scrub brushes
Vegetable brushes
Baseball hats
Toothbrushes
Pet Toys
Fake flowers
Kitchen sponges
Make-Up brushes
Shoes
Plastic broom heads and dustpans
Cages of fans
Tooth brush holders
Refrigerator shelving
Soap dishes
Pen holders
Cup holder inserts from your car
Light fixture covers
Trash can lids
Potatoes (make sure to leave out the soap!)

Do you have any additional items you have cleaned in the dishwasher or have heard is an “ok” to pop in the dishwasher? LET US KNOW by COMMENTING BELOW!

glassybaby Forever

Samantha — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:31:37 +0000

I was just introduced to a neat company called glassybaby who are local to us in Portland. This company creates hand blown glass candle holders with a purpose.

The company was first created in honor of the owner Lee and her journey through Cancer. It first started when Lee sent her husband to a glassblowing class in Seattle to relax and melt their stresses away as she fought her own battles of health. After her husband created bright and colorful glassybaby creations, friends and family wanted to get their hands on these and be apart of the healing of Lee and her fight against Cancer through ART.

On their website, they describe their product as: “A glassybaby is physically a small, colored, glass cup, candleholder, or vase. But the light of a candle coming through a glassybaby generates more; it gives warmth to a cold day, a calm token of peace in the busy world.”

There are 70 different multi-layered glassybaby colors to choose from each handmade and hand blown, no two glassbabys are alike.

glassybaby commits 10% of their sales to be donated in support of cancer care and research!

Visit their website here: www.glassybaby.com

Visit their blog here: http://blog.glassybaby.com/

Here are 3 of my favorite glassybaby colors ( I like to call them flavors)

angel stained glass true love

Spoon Clock

Samantha — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:21 +0000

Create a funky piece for your kitchen or favorite room while being able to use it in style! Introductin the Spoon Clock! I have seen theses in stores, recenly in Bed Bath and Beyond and thought, hmmm… I bet I could make that.

Possible Ideas:

Use leftover old silverware you already have
Pick up unique silverware at Goodwill or your local second hand store
Pick up utensils at Garage Sales
Ask relatives to donate a piece to your project and collab them all together
Spray paint in a color you like if you dont like the silver look
Bend the silverware in odd ways for a crooked look
Decoupage pictures inside the spoons of family members or your favorite things
Use old baby utensils
Collect odd plastic utensils from your favorite take-out spot

Here are some visual ideas to give you some inspiration to create your own!

Post Christmas Valentine Tree

Samantha — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:10:10 +0000

With the holidays now said and done its time to get rid of the festive decor and the main attraction…the tree. This generation it is a good idea to find an eco-friendly way to recycle the tree by composing it in either the weekly yard debris container or drop off at your local boy scouts troop of Church.
But if you are like me, I kind of like busy green decor lighting up the living room and somehow have become attached to the forestry object being a part of our living room this past month.The lights glisten so nicely at night and it became a habit to turn it on when I came home from work. Now that Christmas is over and technically a tree has no need to be on or around, I dont want to take down or send it off to be chopped up. At least not yet.

Well a friend of mine Robin turned her Post Christmas tree into a Valentine tree! Some may say its to early to hop on to the next holiday (Valentine’s Day) but instead of the extra work of hauling the greenery out of the living room, keep it around for another month or so and turn it into a “V-Day” lovers tree!

Here is a picture of Robin’s tree below along with a few other Valentine trees I found around online!

Recycled Crayon Christmas Wreath

Samantha — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:07:31 +0000

If you have leftover crayons that need to be re-purposed then you will get them off your hands by turning theses bright colored sticks into a Recycled Crayon Christmas Wreath! This would be perfect decor for a child’s bedroom or a crafty area in your home.
This Recycled Crayon Christmas Wreath project was made from SCRAP Portland. If you dont know what SCRAP Portland is you can read me previous post about SCRAP Portland {HERE}.

Supplies Needed:

1 metal coat hanger
embroidery hoop, any wreath/circular form
crayons
hot glue
hot glue gun
plastic soda bottle caps
glass bottle caps
decorative ribbons

Create an at home Bird Feeder

Samantha — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:15:37 +0000

With the weather turning cold and possible snow on the ground depending on where you live, food is becoming more scarce for our flying friends the birds! Create an at home Bird Feeder to encourage these flightful friends around your home and enjoy their company!

Below are a few at home ways you can create your own bird feeder with items that you may already have in your home.

Be sure to hang your bird feeder somewhere peaceful, sheltered and away from cats and squirrels!

Empty peanut butter jars:

Empty plastic soda bottles with spatulas:

Peanut butter and seed covered pine cones:

Orange Bowls filled with seed: