How many water bottles are too many?

NYC based graphic design firm MSLK is making a statement about the abuse and over use of the plastic water bottle. Their eco-conscious exhibit "Watershed" is an "in your face" way of letting us know how many bottles of water we guzzle everyday. Americans consume 1,500 per minute which is how many bottles they used to create the eye opening display. You can view "Watershed" at the Figment Art Festival on Goveners Island, NYC from June 12 - 14. Unfortunately I can only visit through photos, but if your living or visiting the NYC area it may be worth a look. If you don't already use reusable water bottles this may be a good time to start... particularly if you plan on attending the exhibit and bringing water, I'm just saying.

What is this thing called Guerilla Gardening?

Guerilla Gardening is a non-violent political gardening action. New Yorkers are among the city dwellers becoming Green Guerilla's. Secretly beautifying neglected parks, abandoned lots and city streets by smuggling in plants and seed balls. I think this is an intriguing idea but I confess that I find urban undercover gardening a bit amusing. I have visions of gardeners wearing ski masks running by empty lots and throwing tiny seed balls over chain link fences. Seed balls (if you're wondering) are a composite of seed, mulch and red terra cotta clay. If you would like to join the troops and enlist click here and learn how to make seed balls. So stock your arsenal and plan your next covert operation , guerilla gardening is here to stay.

Don't miss the Bungalow Scout Sale!

Its time for the Pre-summer sale..... All Bungalow Scout totes, coolers and troughs are 10% off On-line at The Green Shutter! They're flying off the shelves.... don't miss out! Oops, I almost forgot.... Dirt Candles are 20% off too!

Taking care of your Green Thumb

Tis the season for gardening and my hands suffer because of it. They have been crying for relief from the dry, sandpaper like skin I have burdened them with. While putting on my soothing hand salve I realize I need to share this product with other hands in need.

I own several pair of gardening gloves but they become damp, heavy and cumbersome. The gloves end up thrown on the lawn while I dig into the good earth. My hands pay the price for my lack of protection and repay me with broken nails and cracked skin. I have a semi-nightly routine of a DYI manicure, cleaning and polishing my nails and pampering my skin with products from Green Thumb. The salve is a remarkable product that I carry in my bag and use several times during the day. I also use the cleanser. It is extremely mild and derived from organic extracts while the salve is an intensive repair treatment. The salve contains coconut, shea butter, sweet almond oil and sunflower oil. Just a little bit of the salve goes a long, long way. Both the salve and cleanser come in two pleasant scents; herbal and citrus. Green Thumb is perfect for the gardener or anyone with overworked hands.

Chet gets a shout out

Here he is enjoying his new digs in our veggie garden.

Sharing the beach with Sea Turtles.

A few summer’s ago my husband was kayaking off the shore of Rodanthe. While I watched him enjoy his peace at sea, the kids and I soaked up some rays from the beach. There was an sudden disturbance in his solitude as we watched him make an “about face” and a quick trip to shore. To my amusement he told me he had been startled by a large sea turtle (a confession I continue to tease him about today). By the time he realized the gazing eye was from a sea turtle the adrenaline rush had already kicked in and he was on his way back the beach. Kayak $400.00, new bathing suit $75.00, the expression on Peter’s face….. priceless!

This was our first encounter with the Sea Turtle. I later learned of the plight of these creatures through a friend that volunteers for N.E.S.T (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles).

Off the coast of North Carolina we are fortunate to have several species of these beautiful sea creatures. Unfortunately they are all either threatened or endangered. Nesting female sea turtles come to lay their eggs every year on our beaches. If undisturbed the eggs will hatch in 2 months. Sadly the hatchlings stand a slim chance of survival. Their nesting coincides with the summer vacation season here on the Outer Banks and as you can imagine the beaches are filled with swimmers, children, un-leashed dogs and ORV’s.

N.E.S.T is an organization dedicated to protecting the nest and eggs of the sea turtle. Once a nest is identified N.E.S.T volunteers guard it 24/7. This is a remarkable organization with dedicated volunteers. To learn more about identifying nests and helping the sea turtles click here.

A side note: A land loving turtle has found a new home in our vegetable garden. James has named him Chet.

Garden's, Books and Memories...

I had a delightful Mom's Day. Hubby and son James took me to the Garden Center, patiently assisted in the choosing of plants and then sowed my beautiful vegetable garden. They planted it on the sunny side of the house were I can watch the bounty grow from our screen porch. I have tomatoes of varying colors, summer squash, eggplant, peppers and at Leigh's request grape tomatoes. I cherish memories of her as a toddler snacking on tomatoes off the vine displaying a big grin while the juice dripped off her chin. Oh but that was oh so long ago and now she is the world traveler living across a very big sea. I miss her terribly, but joyfully she will be home this summer. Before I digress further into sappy reflection I will get back on course...

Aside from enjoying my Mother's Day breakfast (those of you that did read the earlier post, eggs benedict was indeed on the menu) Ryan gave me a new book, "Animal, Mineral, Miracle" A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. I picked it up last night and its a fabulously plucky read.

A new re-tweet for our feathered friends...

....and the bird lover with an eco-friendly conscience. Barnstorm LLC makes products that are delightful to display in my home and in my store. These charming pieces are made from reclaimed wood and recycled tin. Each bird barn is a distinctive and functionally fun work of art. These are so cute you may think they're for decorating only, not true....these are built with our feathered friends in mind. Once they build their nest in one, they will be the envy of all their bird friends.

The bird barns are easy to clean, easy to hang and easy on the eyes. I love that all of Barnstorms designs are original. Each comes with authentic dents, dings, nail holes and scratches. The natural imperfections are the charm of the 50 year old wood they’re created from.

Equally as unique and distinctive are Barnstorms picture frames which are pieced from reclaimed wood maintaining the integrity of the original materials.

I have a variety of Barnstorm birdhouses and picture frames for sale in my shop. Although I have yet to list them on-line just give me a call, I’ll ship anything that’s not nailed to the floor!

Nothing says "tasty' like home grown tomatoes!

Ask not what your mom can do for you, but what you can do for your mom. It’s that time of year when children of all ages get to express their love for Mom. My house is no exception. May is a busy month for us. Mother’s day always falls within one or two days of my wedding anniversary (May 9^th) and my oldest son’s birthday (May 8^th) which is then followed by my daughter’s birthday (May 19^th). All of which will be dogged by the high expectations of Father’s Day, however squelched by my youngest sons H.S. graduation that same weekend. The aforementioned turn of events equates to "never enough money to buy mom some serious * bling". Lucky for them, I’m low maintenance and I appreciate the simple things like a nice * breakfast with my family. Getting my kids to * clean their rooms or * wash my car would be the * Diamond Tiara that I so well deserve.

So my request for Mother’s Day 2009 is simple; strive to be the best you can be, spend wisely, be safe, don’t do anything stupid and make me a vegetable garden.

* TGS is not responsible for any subliminal messaging that may take place in this post.

Here’s the story of a dog named Floyd aka Puff Doggy…

Who likes to chase bumble bees around his yard, until one day one of the bumble bee’s rebelled and bit him on the nose. His muzzle and brows were so swollen he could hardly see. After suffering a few indignities at the vet he took his sad swollen face and lay on the couch all day. He has a new found respect for the bumble bee and it is with fear that he enters his yard. It takes a push and a shove to get him out the door, then he does what he must and retreats back inside. It’s like a “Run By Pee-ing”.

His puffy face was comically funny and after a $70 vet bill I feel I have the right to poke a little fun at Floyd.

Twist, twist, do the twist....

No not the dance, the cleaning products. Haven’t heard of them, well I hadn’t either until a recent trip to my favorite local market. I spied the Twist Dish Dumpling on the shelf and I was smitten with its adorable-ness. I thought what is this cute little thing? And how will it fit into my world.

As the labeling indicates Twist makes a complete collection of naturally spongy, scrubby cleaning marvels. They clean dishes, respect the planet, and look good doing it. Some people like to cook, most people like to eat but few people like to clean. As for my little Dish Dumpling it packs a powerful scrubbing punch and makes the chore of cleaning a little bit easier. Twist offers several types of bio-degradable cleaning products, some of which will soon be available at The Green Shutter. Until that time William-Sonoma, Whole Foods and if you happen to be in Duck, NC, Tommy’s Market all carry Twist products. So if you’re like me you’ll throw away all of your ugly green scrubbies and put a Twist into your daily cleaning. Click here for a fun little video from Twist.