Raspberry Fields forever! So say peddlers of fashion accessories for Spring 2010. We say, how about some juicy finds for your crib?

Wee Jubilee from Mod Green Pod serves up a cotton damask weave free of toxic pigments. Buy it by the  $39.75 a yard, or get it already made into a pillow from the new green department at Lotus Bleu.

The LEED waterless urinal in stainless steel with 90% recycled materials makes going kind of fun. From Neo-Metro.

That round table never felt so hot! The Botanica Table Centerpiece in fuchsia from Eco Centric is crafted of 100% wool felt and is free of dyes. The piece is designed by award-winning visionary UK designer, Selina Rose, using cutting-edge technology (biodegradable , too!).

Eye catching ikat lumbar love in pretty peony, from Uzbec Alive, $28.

Sleep walk on the wild side with leaf motif Midsummer wallpaper by green and groovy company, Graham & Brown.

Flor’s Feeling Groovy pink rugs prove it’s hip to be square. Cozy underfoot and made of good stuff.

Hollywood Regency glam comes in pairs, like these hotties from Gustavo Olivieri Antiques at 1stdibs. The circa ’50s set was custom designed by Lewis Mittman Co. for the Weissman family of New York City in French style.

Main Image: Etsy

You’ve decided to up your game and green your urban nest. Before phoning that $150-an-hour architect who erected your sister’s efficient rectangular hillside dwelling, pick up this third revised source book, ecoDesign, from Chronicle Books. Inside, you’ll find more than 700 everyday consumer products, resourced by environmental educator and consultant, Alastair Fuad-Luke, a lecturer at Cranfield University in the UK.

The emphasis, naturally, is on recycled, recyclable, reusable and energy efficient. Don’t even worry about the taste factor, since everybody is getting into the game when it comes to upscale greenery. The Objects for Living section of this book showcases lighting fixtures, furniture, appliances, textiles and fashion, as well as transport, leisure and recreation. They are cool by virtue of being clever in material, sparing in application, ingenious in artistic composition. And some are affordable, which is for many of us is key.

The author backs up his selected inventory with words to live by: “As the products in this section illustrate, it is possible to tread more lightly on the planet, to consume and waste less, yet to maintain or even improve the quality of life.”

This is a user friendly source book – think detailed product information, a revised list of manufacturers, design studios and organizations committed to sustainability. (There’s also an extensive reference section defining new and hybrid materials that are outsourcing our petroleum-based past.)

Image: Chronicle Books

Here are new finds we love:

Flax, silk, cotton and hemp duvets and and ed skirts from Zia and Tia combine organic sustainable elements in both monochromatic and rich color options (pick from the pile), adding exotic elements to your room. Custom quality and a bit pricier than most. Think henna tattoo for the linens. $400 to $750.

The Kalamkari bed cover and shams collection from Viva Terra weaves the floral and fern motif in natural indigo on pure white sun-bleached organic cotton, using gentle Ayurvedic dyes extracted from plants and roots in a process dating back 400 years, $45 to $99.

Red Coral Organic Duvet Cover and Sham, Pottery Barn, $25 – $110. Our coral reefs may be disappearing but this gift form the sea still thrives in textile design and takes you to a resort mindset even in rainy, winter weather.

Bungle in the jungle, baby, with the organic and highly exotic Desert Retreat Leopard Duvet, $143 to $223, from Ralph Lauren Spa. This is an animal print we can live with.

Placid shading and stonelike textural originality from VivaTerra, the exquisite Felted Stone Lumbar Pillow by renowned South African textile designer Ronel Jordaan, $198.

Anthropologie is waking up to organic – finally – in its BoHo fashion, introducing new organic cotton sheeting evoking ferns, flowers, berries and vines. Sets are $68 to $268.

It’s tough to re-feather the nest during hard times. That’s why the home design industry is struggling not to be nailed shut while weathering the storm. But you can make subtle changes to your decor that won’t add up to big spending. Here are a few tips we recommend:

1. Reface Rather Than Replace Cabinets

Innovative companies can work with your existing wood and reface those cabinet doors with sustainable woods rather than trashing and starting anew. Read this post for more tips for the kitchen cabinet facelift.

2. Swap Decor with Family and Friends

You don’t need a piano and I don’t need that daybed in the TV nook, so let’s trade and recycle our stuff and get what we really need. It’s a match made in eco heaven when it doesn’t cost you a dime to swap decor, especially with people who have a good eye like you do, and are low on storage space. It’s how they did it in the olden days before widespread consumer waste and climate change. Here’s more.

3. Baby Steps Can Equal Full Grown Changes in a Room

Rearrange the furniture, buy a few new pillow covers, paint a wall. These easy fixes will refresh your pad without sinking lots of cash. As you’ll discover in this handy how-to post, it can all be done for under $30.

4. Repurpose Excess Upholstery Materials

Those fabric rolls are not doing anyone any good just sitting in the closet. Cut them up and redirect them to your interiors for pillow covers, framed art, bedding, even wall coverage like the picture shown above, if you have enough for adequate padding. See these great ideas for repurposing your excess.

5. Clean Before You Replace

Perhaps that rug can come clean with eco spot remover techniques. Why rip it out if it’s still useful? Another option is to cover a damaged section of the carpet by layering with a small, affordable area rug, one made of eco fibers that won’t cost the same as new carpeting or a large are rug. Go shagging for answers here.

6. Seasonal Accents Make Great Distractions

A collection of seasonal organic blooms and greens from your garden, lanterns, greeting cards, photos and tablecloths – they all can act as happy distractions in a room that is begging for a redux. Don’t have a garden? Head to the farmers’ market, the flea shop, the vintage shop in your hood, and spend little to stage your spaces with renewed charm. Head over here for inspiration.

7. Paint can Perk it Up

Even a dingy clawfoot tub can look ultra modern and cool by finding the right low VOC paints and giving the bath a new coat. You will find sprucing up furniture with paint can be a great cheap fix that refreshes your spaces.

8. Be a Thrift Shopper

It’s no wonder second hand shops in cities nationwide do well during hard times. These are outlets that actually offer discounts while more upscale sights like 1st Dibs are peddling vintage treasures that cater to those with lots of spare cash. Do some research and check out the shops in various neighborhoods to find out where nifty castaways are being parked.

9. A Room of Her Own

Sometimes just carving out one room of your own in your dwelling can suffice until you have a bigger budget to fix up the place. Are you craving that Project Runway sewing room? How about a closeted dressing room out of a spare bedroom? Having a blast doing just one space for yourself can be very rewarding, even if it is a multi-use corner for working, painting and reading. Own it with visuals on the walls and a fun rug that speaks to you. Experts say you will accomplish the most in a space you gravitate towards.

10. Spa Makeover

So you can’t afford to tear out the old tile and tired tub to make way for stone and steam. Use zen decor touches and nurturing elements to turn your blah bath into spa bath: Ideas include indulgent, organic towels; sensuous beeswax candles in an array of holders; yummy creams and oils displayed in a vintage tray; and my favorite Nob Hill Day Spa element – a large pitcher of spring water filled with sliced cucumbers or lemons and a pretty glass.

Image: Elle Decor

Caffeinate Consciously with Grounds for Change

If you have a friend who has just moved, you’re well aware of the epic cleaning and sorting that took place before packing up her life in boxes, so why contribute to more clutter? Food and drink are always welcomed when it comes to housewarming presents, and nothing makes a house feel like a home more than the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Grounds for Change packs plenty of eco and humanitarian goodness into its beans: certified Fair Trade and organic, shade grown and carbon offset. That’s one powerful cup of java.

Designer Microfinance with Nest

Nest is one of those ideas that just makes sense. The nonprofit organization was established to empower female artists and artisans around the globe through micro finance. Nest partners with domestic designers to sell a wide array of beautiful, and exclusive, goods with the proceeds going to fund additional artisans (we’ve long been fans). Providing micro-credit loans, Nest ensures that women get to practice their crafts and benefit their local communities.

Nest sells everything from designer throw pillows to exotic jewelry, meaning there’s something in there no matter who is on your list. Start exploring here or track down a store near you that sells Nest products.

Know Who Made Your Purse with Mend

With most items we buy we can figure out their country of origin, but when it comes to who is behind the production we’re left in the dark. Mend was created to offer a solution to that problem, while at the same time helping to repair the lives of women in war-torn countries.

Buying a bag from Mend means you get to see and know the person that made it and be sure that they were paid a fair wage. All of the seamstresses were formerly abducted child soldiers, making all the handbags “story-driven.” Each piece carries the name of the seamstress who made it, and the purchaser can access online bios, videos and photos to learn more about her. Bags range from $75.95 to $175; buy here.

Promote Peace with Falling Whistles

Want a piece of jewelery designed to influence change? Check out Falling Whistles, a campaign for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC is home to the world’s largest and most deadly war. It is estimated that 1,500 people lose their lives daily, many of them children. During a trip to the DRC in 2007, Sean Carasso learned about “whistle blowers,” Congolese children too young to hold a gun who are put on the front lines of war, armed only with whistles. Their sole purpose is to frighten the enemy with their whistle blowing before taking the first round of bullets.

Carasso knew that he had to do something and upon returning to the US, founded Falling Whistles. The organization sells specially designed whistles, to be worn as a necklace, and all proceeds go to restoring the lives of war-affected children in the Congo. Buying a whistle from Falling Whistles lets you “make their weapon your voice and be a whistle- blower for peace in Congo.”

A sleek fashion piece, the whistles command questions, and questions lead to conversation, getting more and more people around the world talking about what’s currently happening in the DRC. There are four different whistles in different materials, ranging from $30-$100. Check them out here.

Doing Good for Your Skin and Others with the LUSH Charity Pot

It’s not often that you can buy a gift and have all of the proceeds go to charity. But body care brand LUSH understands the importance of supporting great causes, which is why they created the Charity Pot. A simple yet rich hand and body moisturizer, 100% of proceeds are donated to the charities that LUSH supports.

Some of the programs that have benefited from the LUSH Charity Pot include Sea Shepherd, where LUSH helped in efforts to end the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt. Not only can you buy a couple of Charity Pots for you and your friends, you can also recommend groups you think LUSH should be supporting.

Images: DeaPeaJay, Nest, Mend, Falling Whistles, Lush

First our gardens stretched horizontally (quite popular, that technique) – and then we had the vertical variety. What’s between the two?

If Chicago decor designers Unison have their way, diagonal gardening is the next big thing, and very clever it is, too. Riffing wildly on the millenia-old designs of terraces and ladders, the Kiikku Planter is a tiered walnut frame you prop against one wall and fill with pots of your favourite foliage. It uses your room’s vertical space, but keeps each plant separate from its neighbors, allowing easy tending and encouraging riotous growth.

Next up: How about larger-scale versions for the outside of our houses, maybe with ladders built into them? Perfect – except that popular culture seems keen to throw a spanner into the works. (Unlucky, Unison).

Image: Unison via Re-Nest

It might be gray and raining outside, but a few days into 2010 and I’m already looking forward to spring designs. This might be because as far as fashion goes, more and more designers and big names in the industry are opting for sustainable materials. Today’s spotlight is on fashion-giant H&M, which this week announced the spring Garden Collection.

They tell me it’s all about floral patterns this spring, and fortunately, looking fresh and fun will also be eco-friendly. All of the garments in the new line have been made using sustainable materials or textile waste.

On its list of sustainable materials, H&M has incorporated organic cotton, organic linen, recycled polyester and tencel, the renewable fiber that’s quickly making its way into eco-designers’ repertoires.

H&M isn’t new to sustainable design, and they’re well aware of conventional cotton’s impact on the environment. The company started using organic cotton back in 2004, and in the last three years, they’ve increased the amount of organic cotton they use from 30 to 3,000 tons.

As an international fashion company, H&M is a key player in the industry, and increasing demand for organic cotton in turn helps organic cotton farmers. The company is also committed to ensuring that more farmers switch to organic, by supporting transitional cotton growing; converting from conventional to organic cotton production is a process that usually takes three years and working with farmers that are in that process helps keep the industry growing.

I remember remodeling my master bath and thinking – wow, I need to hang some new towels on the bars over the tub to accent this very personalized home spa of mine. Where were you, Amy, when I needed you and those coral damask print terries?

Well, you’re here now, and that’s all that really matters, you prolific Midwestern designer you. As striking and exotic as her new organic bedding, Amy Butler’s new gorgeous green towels are super soft to the touch, absorbent when wrapped around your goddess bod, and so chic, they will bring life to both the old grungy tiled bath as well as the mod redux.

As a designer, I’m drawn to her color combos, the blending of soothing blues and greens, reds and violets, oranges and aquas. The fact they are spun of healthy eco fibers is just icing on the cake. By the way, do you love eating cake in the bath as much as I do? Coconut? Get out of here!

As Butler puts it: “The bold and vibrant colors will brighten up any bathroom space even in the wee hours of the morning when waking up is so hard to do. These joyful designs will lift your spirits and get you going!”

Leave a comment and win your own! You will get yourself two of my favorites, the turquoise and the orange when we randomly pick a winner. It’s terry nice.

For official rules click here.

My best friend got the holiday bonus gift she dreamed of from her dentist employer this year: A new food processor. It replaces the worn out one that came with her husband when she got married 20 years ago.

Susan is a great cook, but so much of what she grinds in her processor is better done without electricity.

Enter the mortar and pestle, said to date back 5,000 years when hungry people figured out grain could be separated from chaff to procure digestible food. It has since been used by apothecaries to grind medicines and by foodies everywhere to pulverize grains and herbs to fully release the oils and flavors of a substance.

The logic: The rough surface of the interior takes hold of what we need to crack and crush, allowing us the traction for the pestle to do its job of amalgamating ingredients, reducing herbs and spices, defoliating stems and turning nuts to powders and pastes.

“If you enjoy cooking, using a mortar and pestle will simply be part of your craft of food preparation, but if you just need to get the job done, reach for the food processor, ” says Gourmet Sleuth, which opines that marble is the best choice for a versatile mortar and pestle. That’s because marble won’t absorb odors from garlic and other foods and is a hard surface for grinding, as well as easy to clean and maintain.

Are you ready for more hands-on food prep? Do you want to appear as if you are well equipped in the kitchen? Either way, here are some bowls and bats (including modern renditions) you can score for your own kitchen:

The Swiss designed Kuhn Rikon Eco Mortar & Pestle is made of bamboo with a porcelain bowl. It features a teardrop shaped porcelain hole, a modern approach to an age-old staple. $50.

This classic and affordable white marble Mortar and Pestle has a smooth shape with a contemporary clean style. It holds about 6 ounces. $14 at Olive Barn.

Le Creuset Stoneware Mortar and Pestle in Caribbean Blue (comes in other delicious shades, as well) has an unglazed interior and pestle tip to create the perfect surface for efficiency. The virtually non-porous stoneware is fired at 2156 degrees F, giving it unmatched strength and durability, making it resistant to chipping, cracking and staining. The enameled surface makes it easy to clean and resists scratching. Capacity: 20 ounces. $38.

Carved out of natural volcanic stone, The RSVP Authentic Mexican Molcajete from Chef Tools is the traditional Mexican version of a mortar and tejolote, or pestle is also included. This is the tool of choice for authentic moles, salsas and fresh guacamole. Includes a booklet with steps to cure and clean your molcajete as well as recipes for authentic guacamole and salsa. The molcajete is 5″ tall and the tejolote is 4.5″ long. $57.

Helen Chen’s Asian Kitchen 4″ Bamboo Mortar and Pestle works well because of the straight-up bowl and wide pestle designed for quick, efficient grinding. Bamboo is less absorbent than wood and therefore easier to keep clean and sanitary. Dimensions: 4″ tall. $13 at Chef Tools.

Main Image: Chef Tools

Leave those disposable paper napkins in the grocery aisle and get busy adding style to the reusable pile!

Now that we are all invested in organic, reusable cloth (wash in cold, hang dry, of course), spruce up your table and thrill your guests with fun green napkin rings. Calories burned removing them? At least two. More if you juggle a set at the table for your guests.

Where to find ‘em? Here are a few highly tactile circles we trust:

Ring around the Rosy! Hand forged iron floral ring, Rain Collection. $38 each.

Stainless Steel appeal, $19 for two  from Velocity.

Ivory organic crochet rings with amber glass bead fasteners, $10 set from Makalewakan.

Tanned Pierced leather rings with red wine ribbons, from Etsy’s Greenbelt, $20 for set.

Spotted Shell Rings, fairly traded from Indonesia, $16.50 from Green with Glamour.

I red the news today, oh boy! Love these recycled newspaper rings, $8 at Ecoist.

Fuzzy Friends encircle your napkins, $15 from Fuz Farm in eco felt or black rubber.

Main Image: Amazon