Sustainable Design, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Everything
I’m very choosy about the companies and brands I support. Shouldn’t we all be? Especially when it comes to the clothing industry, where the cacophony of choices range from awful to awesome. Awful items are poorly made, usually under less
Knowing how much of a treehugger I am, one of my students recently told me she had seen earrings made out of tree slices. And all I could think was “why do I not have a pair of them right
The Canadian government recently overhauled its food guide – getting rid of the long-standing “four food groups” and offering a clear message. Eat more plants. Eat less dairy and meat. Not only am I happy about this change because it confirms my family and I
It’s that time of year again! And by “that time” I mean time to take a look back at the five most visited Of Houses and Trees posts of 2018. This year was an exciting ride as I saw my
Each year, everybody’s favourite idea-gathering platform releases their projected upcoming trends. Covering ten categories, including travel, health, wellness, home decor and more – 100 Pinterest Trends for 2019 is a wealth of information for consumers, business owners, marketers and bloggers like me.
Yup. We’re talking about underwear. Why? Well, because Of Houses and Trees is about sustainable everything. And your undies – they’re an everything. Now, I’m a huge proponent for buying whatever you can secondhand. I even wrote a whole post about the
When I was a kid, I loved me a bowl of canned tomato soup. I don’t even think my family bought the “good” stuff – it was strictly no name brands for us back then. But it didn’t matter. Throw a can on the stove, fry up a grilled cheese sandwich (with the no name processed cheese) and I was in little kid heaven.
My tastes may have matured a bit, but I still love tomato soup and a grilled (vegan) cheese sandwich. The problem is, it’s not easy to find canned tomato soup that doesn’t have some kind of milk ingredient in it.
I may cause those of you who love Halloween to scratch your wig-covered heads – because you’re already wearing your costume, obviously – when I tell you that I’m not a fan. Then you ask through your plastic glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth, “What’s not to love?”
Don’t you like costumes? I’m a dancer – of course I like costumes! What about candy? I’ve been known to down an entire bag of sour Skittles in one sitting. A big bag too. And scary stories? I’m not a fan of the super gory stuff, but a tastefully told ghost story? Yeah, you got my attention.
So, why don’t I like Halloween? Well… because it’s wasteful!
Guys, I am obsessed with secondhand shopping. I’ve always loved a good thrift find and grew up on garage sales and antiquing, but only recently have I switched to buying only clothing and household items that are pre-loved. I actually have not bought an item of clothing for myself or my kids since the spring and the last time I bought anything home-related was last year for my nature-inspired holiday decor.
Sure, I still buy new things sometimes. Ballet shoes, craft supplies, gifts. But man do I have really good luck thrifting.
Even if you’re not a student, or don’t have kids in school (or kids at all), back-to-school season is still a great time to re-evaluate your life in terms of healthy eating. I actually find September to be a better time to start “resolutions” as it actually feels like a new beginning. (Unlike January, which here in central Alberta just feels really, really, really cold.)
Summers are so free-spirited – at least for me and my family. Perhaps, a little too free-spirited? Don’t get me wrong. I L-O-V-E summer. I’m totally a walking-around-barefoot-not-knowing-what-day-or-time-it-is kind of person for the entire month of July and about half of August. But then I get the itch. The itch for routine. For wearing shoes. For going to bed on time and eating home-cooked meals more often than takeout.
