Green Clean

I have challenged myself over the past year or so to lessen my carbon footprint, and really think about the impact of what I buy and what I use. This has lead me to changing all our household cleaners, cosmetics, foods, clothing and other commodities to those which are not harmful to the earth or humanity in general. This was not easy, but I really think it was necessary. I started with cleaning products, the most obvious. I replaced laundry detergent, bleach, dish soap, surface cleaners, etc, with eco-friendly alternatives. What I found surprised me, these new products were much cheaper then the brand name caustic cleaners. I moved next to cosmetics after reading several articles on the lack of regulations on ingredients and toxins. My first move was to stop wearing so much make-up (that was hard). The only make-up I wear now is raw mineral. I replaced shampoos, lotions, etc. with natural and organic products. I have limited myself to buying clothing at The Salvation Army and Marden's. I seriously have not purchased a new article of clothing in over a year. When it's time for new duds, I plan on supporting my bread and butter, Etsy.com.

Timmy's in the well

This is our cat, Rascal. He is by no means a small creature, this picture is post weight loss, he was almost 20 lbs at one point. He got himself into a real predicament today.
A few months ago someone gave us a giant TV, and we graciously accepted. I made an equally giant stand for it out of 4 bookshelves. This stand has a small engineering flaw in which things as large as cats can jump down behind, and then can't get out. Rascal did this for the first time a few weeks ago and Matt had to reach down and pull him out by the scruff of his neck.
Today while I was working I kept hearing this strange scraping noise, I thought it was the furnace or something, naturally I ignored it. A few hours later I noticed Rascal was missing, this always puts me into a panic, because of the one time he did get outside. I walked into the living room and heard a yelp. I walked over to the TV stand.
AGAIN, he went in AGAIN!
So I reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him out. He thanked me by attempting to bite me in the face.
Ain't he sweet?

Home sweet home, a work in progress...

My husband and I have been remodeling our 1900 townhouse for almost 3 years. It has been a challenge to say the least, especially because we have lived here through all of the remodeling, and done it ALL ourselves. These are some pictures of the kitchen as it is now, this has been the major focus of our efforts. To begin with we had no insulation, drop ceilings, fake wood paneling and some really ugly broken cabinets. Our recent accomplishments are trim, crown, a butler's nook, primer and a faux tin ceiling. Last winter we put in cabinets and granite. Below is our restored 1950's stove, which looks cool but is a little to HOT for us. It cooks everything at about 100 degrees higher then it's set to. Matt bought and restored the stove for me because he knew I LOVE retro stoves. Very sweet. When we move our 220 line in 'phase 2' of the remodel, will get a new stove. Please notice my towel!


The curtains, and chair cushion were made by yours truly. I bought the chair at Salvation Army for $4.99, I covered the seat with fabric to match the curtains. You can kind of see the bar stools, which are also a thrift store find. They are 36" ladder backs, that where $15 for the pair. I repainted them and poof!

Featured, what a cool article as well!

http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-decor-home-sweet-print-shop-6789/

The ol' Egg Beaters are back in a new color assortment, my favorite as of yet!
You can find them in my Etsy shop!
thehouseofbouton.etsy.com

The Little People

You would be amazed the things one finds while demolishing old kitchens. As an artist it can be one the most exciting parts of the job. Here is what I found today:
1. 2 super balls, one hot pink, one blue.
2. A huge embroidery needle.
3. Mouse poops.
Not the most exciting ever, but cool none the less. I find bouncy balls everywhere. There must be more bouncy balls in the world then people. Matt and I once found an entire bag of bouncy balls when cleaning out someones basement.
When we did the demo work in our kitchen, I hit the jackpot. I found a Fisher Price Little Person! Not just any little person, MY little person. The same one I always picked up as a child because she looked like me. I was ecstatic! My sisters and I used to spend hours at the public library playing with these toys, it was a really cool find. I am always hoping that I will find the following things:
1. A time capsule.
2. Money/gold.
3. A china cabinet preserved in time. There is still a possibility we have once of these in my house, I will keep you updated.
4. NOT a skeleton

I'm 'Printsy' this week.

Let see, what's new on this fine January morning?

The picture above is my Great Aunt Adelaide, also known as the first Betty Crocker. An absolutely fascinating subject in my eyes. Apparently I never outgrew bragging about it!

My 'Noyes Street Pears' print is 'Printsy' this week on the Printsy blog: {Etsy Printmakers}
http://printsy.blogspot.com/2010/01/whos-printsy-this-week.html

I am now on Soopsee:
soopsee.com/profile/thehouseofbouton

I may join Twitter soon, but not until I can figure out how it works!

Before and After

I think I might be haunted. This is where I was born, second floor on the right.

This will forever be attached to a memory, I keep only for myself...

NEW EDITION IN THE HOUSE

thehouseofbouton.etsy.com

Spoon Rest

Today my new flour sack towels arrived! I am so psyched! They are 100% UNBLEACHED cotton, USA made, and all around awesome. I am super impressed with the quality of this manufacturer. I wanted to create a product that was not only beautiful but also earth friendly, and now I have.
In other news I finished my first commission over this snowy weekend as well as my first wholesale order. 'Spoon Rest' was created as a companion print to my 'By Hand' print for a wonderful Etsy customer. She wanted them for the wall in her newly remodeled 'retro' kitchen. These prints as well as my leaner, meaner & greener towels will be up is my Etsy shop ASAP.

Fresh New Merch. Photo's

I used to be someone elses duvet cover

Often when I decide to embark on a creative endeavor it is because I am too cheap to buy something new. Thus was the case when we needed curtains for our kitchen and dining room. Have you tried to buy curtains lately? Even toppers are like $30, and you know how little labor was paid to the poor person who made them. So I decided to make them myself, using twice reclaimed fabric! Yes, twice!
I had purchased a lightly used Ralph Lauren duvet cover when I was working at Goodwill years ago. We used it often, but eventually it became ripped, and was a little too 'shabby chic' for my liking. So like any frugal nut, I saved it. The fabric was just too beautiful. When it came time to make the curtains, I knew exactly what fabric to use! The topper template was freehand and came out perfect, it doesn't block any of our limited natural light supply. I saved myself a fair amount of money and did not contribute to our disposable culture, what a feat!

A Green New Year

The above image is one of Matt's paintings from college. I have been working on setting an ETSY site up for him.
New Years Eve was a creative feast this year. Matt and I stayed in, I printed up a storm and he worked on some recordings. Sometimes the creative energy in this house is ridiculous. I'm really pleased with how the prints turned out, although my studio is looking really green. Very 'MINTY'. Green roosters, a slotted spoon print. I am building momentum for what looks to be a promising year! Green symbolizes growth right?