But there are many who come too quickly to judge this as a very sinful against the environment indulgence – they argue about how much water is wasted but I don’t quite agree.

Here are the facts:

A bath tub can limit your consumption of water usage because there’s only so much you can fill into one-i.e. tubs have fix consumptions and the standard one probably holds 24 gallons. And you can always be more considerate by doing the following:

1.    Check to ensure that you have a good fitting plug which avoids the water from leaking and us from refilling.
2.    Don’t fill it to the brim; fill only as much as it takes to submerge your body. The smaller you are the less water you need.
3.    Use non-toxic eco friendly bath products so it won’t poison the water and you can reuse it in your garden – granted it’s a bit of work getting them from your tub into your garden but if you want to feel better about your bath then there’s no easy way out unless you have been mindful and fortunate enough to be able to install a grey water system for your house.

Now another interesting thing to note is how bathtubs aren’t the biggest ‘consumers’ of water in our house – it’s the toilet and un-minded showers we take each day that are the lead culprits for that.

So really how could anyone not be fascinated by the art of tapestry? Fine I appreciate that the thought of having a giant loom in your drawing room or big pieces of fabric arts hung on wall might be all too dated for some, but who says that’s all tapestry can be? These days, tapestries are taken as just another form of beautiful fabric that can be sewn into anything from handbags to cushion covers and they make very beautiful products.

If you know someone who loves tapestry and you want to surprise them with a gift, consider the following:
1.    Tapestry Throws from Fleecies.com
Everyone appreciates a throw, especially if the person is a keen lover of deco. These beautiful floral tapestry throws are environmentally friendly products made of 90% natural or recycled cotton fibers and 10% virgin acrylic, made right in the USA!

2.    Recycled Tapestry Bags
Tapestry is beautiful and when you reclaim old ones to turn into bags…the bags become breath-taking. There are many on the market and you can always turn to place like VivaTerra or Etsy.

The patterns are a plenty to cater for all our different tastes. From romantic themed flowers to bold geometric prints, simply said, the dinnerware is never boring. But is it safe? What kind of paint was used and is it ever safe to mix paint, food and temperature?
Now the type of paint used is likely either ceramic/clay paint or glass paint which is lasting and pretty much the only type of pain that is suitable for the material. Of course the paint then has to be set with a glaze and in heat to keep it from wearing off with use.  And if the process stops there then that dinnerware is not be meant for practical use with food but only for decorative purposes.

The commercial brands like Correle are known to have some of the most beautiful artworks on a plate. Their preparation and finishing work is very different. These are the facts gathered from their website:
•    Each piece of Corelle® glass dinnerware is like a sandwich, consisting of two different glass compositions (core and glaze).
•    The lamination results in Vitrelle® glass that exceeds the normal strength possible for any single glass composition.
•    Corelle’s Livingware™, Vive™, Impressions™, and Square™ lines of glass dinnerware are made from “Vitrelle 1”, the original Corelle glass material known for its strength, durability, and versatility.

Now for an interesting FAQ because the Corelle sets do have vibrant colours:

Does CORELLE® contain lead?

All CORELLE® stoneware products and glazes are made of clay-based materials and glazes used throughout the industry. Decorations, if present, are made from low-lead enamels and fired at temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees F, which binds any heavy metals both physically and chemically so that their release is minimized.

The current limit for presence of leachable lead in order to satisfy certain requirements is no more than 0.100 ppm (1 tenth of one part per million) when obtained under test conditions. At no time have World Kitchens results exceeded those which are permissible under the guidelines mentioned above (which are believed to be the most stringent in the world). Also note that tests for the presence of heavy metals are conducted for World Kitchen by internationally certified, third-party laboratories under strict conditions, by trained technicians, and using atomic absorption spectrophotometry analysis following carefully monitored preparation. These steps are necessary to minimize any possibility of contamination or false reading during preparation, testing or analysis.

So there you go…there’s a good reason why Corelle is priced above other brands…

Yes Dyer’s Woad (Isatis tinctoria) is in some parts of the world are consider noxious weeds while in others a very useful herb. And before we all start killing the Isatis tincatoria, consider what this little plant can do for us.
1.    Grant you the special colour blue.
Before indigo came along, people turned to Dyer’s Woad for blue dye. It was givena run for its money’s worth when Indigo was imported into Europe but until today it is still favoured as craft dye and ink dye because woad is biodegradable and safe for use in the environment. However when compared against the Indigo Plant, it is the same dye extracted only in lesser concentration.

2.    Protect wood from rotting
Not exactly sure how successful the use of Dyer’s Woad is for this cause but in parts of Germany it is known that the extracts of this herb is used to prevent wood rot/decay.

3.    Hope against cancer
Dyer’s Woad contains a chemical compound known as indirubin which is reported to have anti-neoplastic activity and is widely used in the treatment of leukemia. The young leaves of the herb contain high concentrations of glucobrassicin which is a recognised anti-cancer agent.

4.     Hope against many other ailments
The leaves are also antibacterial, antiviral, astringent and febrifuge. While the roots are antibacterial and anticancer. The herb has been used to treat meningitis, encephalitis, mumps, influenza and even heat rash. The Chinese have long turned to this little plant to cure many ailments -Often made into tea and drank for general good health, it is especially beneficial in the treatment of pneumonia (both leaves & roots are used).
Isn’t nature amazing? So much held in one little plant.

Now who doesn’t know that old Nursery Rhyme…of course like all other Nursery Rhymes there are deeper darker meanings behind them, but to most it’s just little Mary with an enviously beautiful garden decorated with bells and shells…

But ask a child with a large imagination what she’d do with pretty shells; decorating only her garden would be quite a modest answer. No, a child with a dream will build you a house out of shells and if you thought that’s a farfetched idea, well then you must not have heard of the once in favour shells grottos and more recently the famous Shell Artist and Decorator Blott Kerr-Wilson.

She is an amazing shell artist whose work centers around her passion to restore old shell houses that still exist, as well as the creation of a new generation of similar breath-taking structures.

Now if not wrong, I think the original idea surrounding shell structures was to build something from the great many shells gathered from your travels. Well that must have been a lot of travels and even more beaches cleaned out because it seems like you’d need tones of those little pieces to cover a wall, let alone design a structure with them.

Don’t get me wrong, these creations are amazingly beautiful – like something right out of the pages of a fairytale, but to remove so many shells from their natural surrounding doesn’t seem very kind on the environment.

You see shells are found on beaches for a reason. Though they may not alive on their own – forming the outer protective layer of a mollusc, seashells go on to service a higher purpose even after the animal dies. They are recycled to become natural homes to other animals and forms part of the habitat that keeps the marine ecology alive.

I truly admire the shell structures built but I’m not too convinced that we can naturally find so many empty sea shells sitting about that won’t be missed by the ocean life to complete a project.

What’s a green curtain?
A Green Curtain is natural shade that you create over the outside of a building window through the clever use of growing climbing plants such as goya (gourd) or morning glory.

Why bother with a green curtain?
The Green Curtains have the marvelous ability to block out the direct rays of the sun and thus will help to prevent the temperature from rising inside of rooms and on the surface of buildings. Indoor temperature will also be kept cool through the transpirational effect of water evaporation from the leaves. And if that doesn’t turn your head, then maybe when all that translates into how much you can save in reduced energy consumption (less use of airconditioning = less money spent) and overall reductions in CO2 emissions will.

Where to buy one?
So you’re sold by the idea, well so am I but where exactly can we buy one of these? Here’s the setback bit I guess – you can’t. You can’t go into a store and pick one off the shelves. A green curtain I would say is somewhat of a gardeners dream, because you’ll have to grow one. And I’ve read through the guide and instructions on how exactly to do that, it doesn’t seem difficult because in terms of what we need it’s just the following:
1.    Seeds
2.    Net
3.    Stone bottom planter
4.    Soil and compost
5.    Fertilizer
6.    Shovel
7.    Water

The specific instructions are here, courtesy of Kyocera, but I guess the only turn-off is how you won’t get your curtains overnight…

I think this is going to be my summer project…

Well admit it or not, it’s truly a gift more than a talent I would say when you can turn nothing into something…literally nothing like an old used cog into something of monetary value. Well I speak for myself but if someone gave me an old cog, I’d just wonder if I could send it for recycling because I’d have no clue what to do with it. But that just goes to show you ingenuity is not something I was probably gifted with, at least not in the same degree as the following people who came up with these ideas – all from old bike parts

1.        Belt buckles

The idea you could have thought of: Recycled bicycle cogs are used to hold your pants up – they are turned into belt buckles

The icing that you likely didn’t: They can double as a can opener and when coupled with belts made from recycled inner tubes, that’s just fantastic.

Eco Ingenuity Score:  3  -1 point for the idea, 1 point for the use of other recycled bits and 1 point for giving it that extra bottle opening function.

Opinion: It’s an acquired taste but the fact that a buckle alone can sell for $50 ++ each and they have stores (national, international and global…) we’re just honestly jealous of the Steel Toe Studious wondering why we didn’t think of it first.

2.         Tealight Holder

The idea you could have thought of: Wash up those old used bicycle cogs and turn them into something that holds candles.

The icing the you likely didn’t: They make lovely contemporary décor and are dandy paperweights too

Eco Ingenuity Score: 2 – 1 point for the idea and another for recognizing how this can be very delicate looking and perfect for use as décor.

Opinion: Love the tealight holder and honestly never thought of it. Selling for $25 a pair, we’re green with envy that Graham Bergh came up with it first.

3.         Bowl

The idea you could have thought of: Clean up that old bicycle chain and form it into a bowl

The icing you likely didn’t: Make a great piece of artist bowl from an old recycled bicycle chain

Eco Ingenuity Score: 5 – 1 point for the idea and 4 more points for the idea

Opinion: Adore the idea and frankly in good spirit, we’re going to admit – we never could have thought of this one. Sells for $88 a bowl too!!! Graham Bergh  is a genius.

Well sad to say even after 2 centuries, the Jetson age car still does not exist and even if it did, well frankly it wouldn’t be affordable to the average income earners. But what they do now have is foldable stuff such as vase!

Now who needs a vase or who uses one. Well I can think of a few general condition:

1.    If you’ve got a female in the house, then high chances you’ve got flowers in a vase decorating a room. And if you’ve got active little kids and playful pets then there’s also a high chance that you go through quite a few vases in a month/year because let us face facts, vase are generally made from glass and glass is vulnerable to breakage.
2.    You want to send flowers to someone at the office or the hospital or any place that you feel they won’t have a vase handy.

Now…steps in the “magic” foldable vase. As the name is self-explanatory – the foldable vase is well in a word…foldable. It’s made from PVC and folds flat, but come to 3 dimensional life when you put water in it. I guess the concept is pretty much the same like blowing up a balloon except this time it’s given shape by water, there’s no need to tie the ends and they are reusable.

Do they look tacky? Well they aren’t glass or crystal pieces but they can look quite nice. In fact when I first saw one (it was a clear vase) I did not realise it was plastic till I read the sign “This vase is foldable”.  They come in an assortment of colours and designs; and you can also have them custom made to your own unique design. And all for $8 only too!

I guess foldable plastic vases are not everyone’s cup of tea but I think it’s cool that I can now send a vase in an envelope to accompany the flowers and not have the recipients hunt high and low for a vase to put the flowers in. Are they eco friendly? Well they are made from PVC so there is some eco-impact there, but on the other hand, they save on packing and space- logistics. So I guess it’s your call…

And thus some ingenious lot have come up with ways to give these ‘line line belts’ a renewed chance at life.

1.       Seatbelt bags

Companies like Maggie Bags have really given a new look and purpose to old seatbelts. The bags they make from the recycled materials are now a patented design is already available in over 400 stores across the United States. You can find everything from purses to laptop bags.

2.       Hammock

The idea behind a hammock is to give the user comfort and security (I always fear how it would give way from the weight). Well when a hammock is made from safety belts, all those worries just go right out the window. And they are more comfortable too due to their width that makes a wider weave. They make chairs out of them too!

3.      Seatbelt dress

I’m actually not sure if the designs are available on the market, but a brilliant lady (Chung San “Nicole” Choi ) from the Raffles College of Design and Commerce in North Sydney did make a lovely cocktail dress out of recycled seatbelts way back in 2007. And if you’re thinking it’s hideous, well it’s not and I don’t think you’d be able to tell the material used were seatbelts.

4.       Pillows

Weave them in pillows and you get really strong and striking ones.

5.       Camera strap

These are really cool and your photo snap happy mate would love the practical ingenuity.

What exactly is milk paint and why do we love it? Milk paint is a non-toxic water based mixture that gives surfaces a distinctive color-washed finish. It’s favoured by those who love an antique finish.

Milk paint as the name would have it, uses milk as a binding agent. Mixed together with lime and color pigment forms an ideal organic paint that gives saturated colors with a translucent finish – perfect for the co –conscience crafter.

Milk paint is really easy to make, but perhaps not a task that many are ready to put up with because you can’t just go out and milk pigment into fresh milk. Instead what you’re after is curdled milk, which you’ll obtain from mixing the lime or lemon juice with skimmed milk and leaving it to cure at room temperature overnight. If you’ve never smelled curdled milk before, then be prepared because it’s strong and you’re going to have to sieve the milk through cheesecloth to separate the curd from whey(Little Miss Muffet anyone?).

The next step is to mix powdered colour pigment to the curds making sure to stir it in well until the color is even. Yes, the paint smells sour but that doesn’t mean it won’t spoil. Milk paint needs to be used up in the few hours after being mixed. It’s a great paint to use because the nature of it (how it spoils and such) encourages you to just mix as much as you would use. But don’t worry about using sour smelling paint because the smell goes away once the paint dries. And honestly I’d put up with sour milk scent then VOC any day.

If you’d love to try milk paint but the idea of handling curd turns you off, then fret not, you can always purchase milk paint from sources such as The Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Company or The Real Milk Paint Co.