Practically Commercial Free: Hulu

For those of you out there who haven't tried it yet, Hulu is a master of obsession. You know who they are...you've seen those hilarious commercials with Seth McFarlane from Family Guy, and Alec Baldwin from, among other things, 30 Rock, about aliens tying to take over the world by turning our brains into mush by streaming TV shows and movies to our computers. I've known about Hulu for over a year now and am glad to say that I have fallen prey to the Alien's schemes.

It started with Highlander, went on to Lipstick Jungle, then Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares made their debut, and most recently I happened upon The Starter Wife, with Debra Messing (which I loved). You can watch TV Shows, movies, or clips from a wide variety of shows. The best part...it's practically commercial free!! I can't stand commercials (I don't think any of us really can), and this is a great way to avoid them (well, you get maybe 2-3 30 second commercials in a 30 minute TV show). If you are currently watching a TV show all you need to do is check out Hulu, see if they carry your show (which the most likely do), and subscribe to it so you are notified every time a new episode is available to watch (usually the day after it airs). It's that easy. Go ahead, take a gander, and see if there's anything you'd like to watch.

Green is the New Black

Green is the new black. It's what people are talking about, buying, making movies about, and investing in. I know that I'm not always the most eco-conscious person, but I do recycle, use energy efficient light bulbs, bought corn-made disposable utensils, and limit my toilet flushing. At least that's something...right? I needed to know more about how to be green so by studying the HGTV Green Home I was able to fins a lot of Eco-Friendly blogs and websites that I thought would be great to share with everyone.


Green Websites:

• AltUse.com: alternate used to everyday items
  
• Ecosteal: Daily eco-friendlly deals that can be sent straight to your email.
• Ecolect: Top of the line green design ideas
• Green Globe Ideas: green ideas submitted by people all around the globe, and then rated by people like you and me.
• EcoMall.com: Links to information about renewable resources, activism, etc., and thousands of eco-friendly products.
• EVO: articles, products, information that are all green!
• Green Eggs and Planet: All things green discussed and found here.
• TreeHugger.com: A website devoted to getting informed, interacting with others, and taking action.
• Earth2Tech.com: News and other information regarding green technologies.
• Be Green: more information, advice, and products.
• Ecologue: easy ways to live green.
• Environmental News Network: news, and other information about anything eco-friendly.

I'm sure that there are many more websites out there, but these are the ones that caught my eye. Take a look, maybe even subscribe to them so we can all help protect our world. A friend of mine has "The Green Book" and it's simple to read and very easy to implement in everyday life.

Going, Going, Gone!

It's official now, the HGTV Green Home is gone. Congratulations to Kari Coffey from Saginow, MI. I am definitely happy for Kari and her husband, Mike, especially since they also have a 4 year old daughter who can make great use of the mermain inspired kids room.

Although I may not have been the winner, there are some positives to look at.

• Out of 16,878,017 million people who entered to win the home, the winner claimed to have only entered the contest 3-5 times. Not bad odds...considering.

• I think that we all got a lot of good design tips, and how to stay eco friendly.

• Style, style, style...it's HGTV, and no, they didn't disappoint. The home, although green throughout, but chalked full of style. Just goes to show that green and style can co-exist.

Take a look at a great blog all about how to be Eco-Fabulous!
Don't despair, there's always next year. HGTV has given us some clues as to where the next green home is going to be. Looks like Missouri to me.

Check out this eco-friendly bamboo picture frame and this adorable Mermaid Cookbook that ties nicely into the kids mermaid inspired bedroom.

Wouldn't It Be Lovely?

What better way to start off the day than by daydreaming. Wouldn't it be lovely to win HGTV's Green Home in Florida? First of all, it's Florida...come on! Beautiful! Of course, a sunny place is the perfect location for all that solar energy. But that's not what I want to focus on...I want to focus on my favorite rooms. I have two. Sorry, I couldn't nail down just one.

My first favorite room, if you can call it that, is the screened in porch. I love to lounge! I can just imagine myself sitting outside reading a book and listening to some soft music with a faint breeze rolling through the porch. Ahhhhh...Wouldn't it be lovely? Of course, that isn't the only reason why I love this space. It has fluffy pillows, wicker, and a real relaxing, island-like feel to it.

Comming in next, but not any less loved, is the inside lounge. Like I said, I love to lounge, and what better way to do it than to sit on those amazing orange chaise lounges! This is the perfect space to chat, read, and relax on those hot Florida days when the outside space is too unbearable. Of course, it's not just the seating that I love, but the contrast between the dark wook cabinets (love the storage), the floor, and even the light walls. Gorgeous...just gorgeous!

It's a little too late in the game to keep up hope about winning the house, since they reveal the winner on Sunday, but I can dream about recreating those rooms still. Take a tour of the HGTV green home by following the link and share your favorite rooms!

Daily Designer Review

Designer: Steven Miller
Room: Bathroom
The Look: Contemporary Classic with a nature theme
Photograph By: Matthew Millmman

Steven Miller's classic contemperary design is brilliant. I love the contrast of the green walls and all of the white. If left at just those two colors the room would be relaxing, but boring. In order to add more interest and flair Miller incorporated a lovely black and white shower curtain and venetian blind. Again, the three main colors alone make this a very calm, clean space, but in order to add that touch of fun Miller went one step further with small punches of red, yellow, and burnt orange. Green, white, and black I could surely imagine, but never would I have added those three touches of spunk that he did.

One of my favorite elements in the room is the lovely mirror above the vanity sink. It plays off of the trendy sunbirst mirrors that so many people are using, while maintaining individuality with the shape. Since I, personally, don't like to follow trends for trends sake, I have to say that this mirror convinces me of how something as simple as a mirror can add so much pizzaz.

There are a couple of other things of note that may not stand out in the picture, but add a lot of creativity to the bathroom. First, the walls are actually made of glass or acrylic and have a nice shine to them. You can see how some things in the room reflect off the walls. Also, the shape of the toilet bowl. Completely unexpected! Here Miller opted out a traditional and expected feature to WOW us with this cylindrical shaped bowl, reminiscent to me of an outhouse. Again, this is where we catch this designer's sense of fun amid a beautiful room.

You Can Recreate this Look:

Use this color pallet with White, Black, and Green as the main colors and red, yellow, and orange for accents.

HGTV Anonymous

Hello, my name is Sierra, and I’m addicted to HGTV. It began about a year after I received my Bachelors degree in English teaching. I had just finished my first year of teaching and was looking for a change. I decided to quit my job. Not having another job on the horizons, I packed up all my belongings, sold my housing contract, and temporarily moved back in with my parents after living away from home for nearly eight years. I hadn’t had cable for most of that time, so didn’t know what I was missing.

It was one of those late nights that I couldn’t sleep. I found myself in the TV room, turned on the tube and started watching the first channel that popped up. My mother, of course, had already found her way to the alluring “do it yourself” cable station, so the TV was almost always set on HGTV. I, however, was just about to begin my new obsession.

Show after show amazed me. The designs were so elegant and simple. The recipients of the makeovers were so happy. The host of each show made it seem as though I could perform all of those same design ideas in my own home. I could see my own home-design-self emerging as the hours passed by. I faintly remember sleeping. The next day I knew, as I turned the TV on again, that I was hooked to one of the most extraordinary cable stations I had ever seen, Home and Garden Television.