Chic eco dollhouse

In an uncharacteristically organized move I just ordered my daughter her Christmas gift (she's not yet three, so Santa can still get away with getting her just one big-ish one, and leave the relatives to round that out), the mod dollhouse by Plan Toys from Oompa (free shipping too--sort of love the weak economy!). Love that it is solid wood and finished in non-toxic paint. And while she would probably prefer the bigger, less green option from PB kids, I am appreciating the fact that she's still not old enough to really understand retail and will hopefully just be thrilled with my doll house of choice. My friend with older kids tell me I've got about six more months until that all falls apart though!

Feeling very right now . .

Maque choux with the last of the season's locally grown corn

Ticking stripes. . . ideally in organic cotton

Waldorf-y treehouse dollhouses

Found: Perfect coffee table!

I spent the past three years hunting for the perfect coffee/cocktail table, so I know that it is very, very, very hard to find one that is both eco and family-friendly. By family friendly I mean round or oval (so no pointy corners to gouge small tumbling heads) and not glass (so many of the round ones have glass tops for some reason!). By earth-friendly I mean not made of toxic particleboard or plastic! Also, I wanted one that was at least 4 feet in diameter. I hate a small coffee table. I know that some people prefer to have one or two little ones that they can navigate around easily, but I like to have ample room to spread out magazines and meals. Anyway, it was worth the wait, because I finally found a vintage coffee table (on 1stdibs) that meets all my requirements and even exceeds them, because it has that uniqueness that you can only get with vintage (though the fact that it's been around since the 1950's makes it extra-distressing when I see my daughter drive a toy firetruck across the surface).

But, had I come across Room and Board's Bradshaw table first I definitely would have purchased it. It fits all of my requirements (big, round and solid wood--though the wood is not FSC-certified or anything, so I suppose it could be more eco), and in my opinion is close to perfect. Could work with mod, trad or just about any decor, and I bet if you buy one you will have it for decades.

Fab organic fabrics on sale!

Mod Green Pod does very chic, not at all crunchy, fabrics and wallpaper. I've long lusted after them, but they're a little pricey so until now have not purchased. But, they're having a 50% off sale on many of their designs, and I am thinking that one of the ticking stripes would be the perfect thing for a pair of brown blah chairs I have been wanting to makeover for a while. The "butterfly jubilee" pattern would be excellent for a window shade or headboard in a little girl's room.

The very safest sippy cup

Until recently I had my daughter drinking from one of those Sigg kiddie bottles with the cute cartoons recently, but I became concerned about what exactly they're lined with when I read this post on Treehugger on the subject. I couldn't shake the sense that Sigg sound a little shady and evasive on the subject of BPA, and the owner of one of my favorite green living stores heightened my protective mama bear instincts/toxin paranoia when she said that despite the company's reassurances she has reason to believe that there is some BPA in the liners of the Sigg bottles, and that her store only sells Kleen Kanteen sippy cups as a result (the KKs are stainless steel, with no mysterious plasticy liner inside). So I tossed my daughter's Sigg into the recycling bin that night, and hoped she wouldn't notice. I played up the special-ness of her brand new bottle when I handed her the Kleen Kanteen the next morning, and she didn't even seem to mind that her dog-cartoon-covered sippy had been replaced by this less embellished version.

By the way, did you know that BPA lines soda cans too? I shudder when I think of all of the Diet Cokes I downed in my 20s (not to mention beers in cans--do you think BPA lines beer cans?), and hope that it didn't do too much damage to my then-unconsidered, now-very real, offspring.

Organic crib bedding on sale!

I just popped over to the Plover Organic website in search of a quilt or duvet for my 2 year old, because she just started to nap at school and I want a more snuggly blanket for her to use there than the cheap-o fleece one we're using at the moment. I was delighted to find that their spring/summer line is on sale, and I am thinking of snapping up one of the quilts for just $65. Though I'm hesitating because of the dire economic news. Does she really NEED a $65 organic cotton duvet for her naps on the floor of the preschool? I feel like she does, but am going to have to think it over a little more. If the economy enters some sort of death spiral will I look back on that purchase and think how foolhardy it was?

But the fall line is on the site too and the designs are gorgeous and strike a spot-on balance of mod/trad/boho that means you could probably use them for ages and never get sick of them. Plus the Plover pieces are not only organic but also meet the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard for non-toxic-ness with their dyes and everything, so they are certainly a company you can feel good about supporting.

Amber baby necklaces

Lately I've been taken with these amber baby necklaces, so I just ordered one from Nova Naturals for my little guy. The amber is supposed to sooth teething pain and have general curative properties, which may be a bunch of bunk, but I think they have sort of a sweet Euro-hippie look about them. A friend who spends winters in St. Barth (because her husband is a boat captain, not because she is some sort of jet setter otherwise) says that many of the little locals down there wear them, and I love the way that they look on her sons. My little guy is quite the bruiser, so a necklace might look a little odd on him, but I'm going to give it a try. If it eases his new tooth suffering at all it will most definitely be a keeper.

Splurge vs. Steal Rug

Somewhat related to my rug post below, it seems like this one Madeleine Weinrib wool flat weave is THE hot rug of the moment. It's on the cover of the September Elle Decor, and I've seen it featured in similar spots. But the fantastic news about it is that you can get one that looks nearly identical, in photos anyway, from Ikea (the Rand rug, for $299 for a 9x12). Since it's wool and has those stark white stripes it is not so terribly family-friendly, but at that price you could simply replace it once it got too horribly dirty. Okay, you're right, that isn't a very eco-friendly sentiment whatsoever, and I'm not planning on buying one because I know that my kiddos would grind Play Dough into the white parts within hours. But I'm just saying, if you want the rug of the moment look on the cheap, head to Ikea asap! (These rugs can't be purchased online, but Ikea has a service that lets you find out in advance if something is available at a particular store).

Lovely cotton rugs

Like any design magazine junkie, I've long lusted after Madeline Weinrib's rugs and home goodies, but thought that they were all way too high-end for little old me. I've just discovered, though, that her cotton rugs are not so terribly expensive—about $1k for a room-spanning one (though I need to do a little more research and am not sure if the ones shown above ring up at that price). Although that's hardly spare change, I know that MW's throw pillows can easily cost one third of that, so I was a little surprised. The three gorgeous ones above would all be pretty family-friendly (i.e. stain and dirt masking!) but not at all in the horrible way that that term is usually used when it comes to interiors.

Green mommy gift idea

As a mom it's easy to fall into totally-unselfish mode, but every once in a while an occasion comes around (holidays, birthday, new baby, anniversary . . ) when somebody or somebodies need to give you a gift. If you are both an earth-minded mama AND deep into the habit of thinking about everybody but yourself, you are probably at a loss for what to ask for, and may find yourself telling curious gift givers to just buy you some organic cotton tee shirts or donate to the NRDC on your behalf. But no, no, no! You are no good to your family or the cause of earth consciousness if you let yourself get bedraggled and under-pampered! So, at least once a year, ask for something fabulous. Of course, vintage anything is always earth friendly, but if you need to give a husband or other style-challenged gift giver extremely clear instructions, let me suggest the In the Rough collection by NYC jeweler Sarah Perliss. It's all made of recycled gold and ethically mined stones, plus it has a very subtle, slightly rough-hewn quality that will suit your chic but self-effacing earth mama self. I have the little X earrings and may have to put one of the diamond pieces on the mental wish list I maintain just in case anybody inquires.