Neat tee design for guys - Amadeo Decada. Cost around $19 - $20. Nice price. Free shipping over $75. (Site didn’t work on Safari for me,… weird)

Ps. I’m writing a spec doc for work on a beautiful sunny saturday and boy does it remind me of doing homework for that important class I hate from back in school. UGH.

Cosmetic company Smashbox looks to artist Toki Doki to target their beauty products to the hip youngsters. This puts them on the radar currently occupied by the likes of Stila (for the little princesses wanna bes) and Benefit (for the rebellious rocker girls). Tokidoki’s fresh design lands somewhere in the realm of trendy harajuku lovers. (Although interestingly enough the artist Simone is actually from Italy?) Available in various forms at Sephora. Prices varies. This is a limited edition product line.

Peeledmango is a snowboarding junkie so in the winter she spends the little free time she has frolicking the snow as much as possible. Apologies for the M.I.A. around here.

The talk of “green living” is everywhere these days so it would be more of a repeat preaching if I go into why it is good to recycle. But really now, that big blue bin with the “recycle” stamp really doesn’t elegantly fit anywhere in a home without causing a horrific scene amidst your otherwise harmoneous interior. Ours didn’t fit in the kitchen so we kind of tucked it by the foyer. It has been greeting visitors for years.

Domino ran an article a couple of issues ago on how to elegantly recycle. I was mildly dissapointed by their choices which mostly consisted of various round trash bin selections. (Btw, Simple Human makes fantastic trash bins) Empty bottles and cans require a whole lot more space than regular trash. And if you want to be a really good recycling citizen, pre-sorting usually makes it easier for someone else down the road

For those of you who are totally committed and can afford the price tag, The Eco Pod is a stylishly fantastic way to recycle cans and bottles ($328 at William-Sonoma. The crushing mechanism help saves lots of space so you don’t have to have a big hunk of bin to store the remains of that diet-pepsi obsession. Both black and white options are equally hot.

An alternative to spending 3 digits on a recycling bin is to use something more utilitarian like a hamper. I’ve been thinking of getting a sectional hamper to replace the ugly blue bin for a while now. It doesn’t cost a lot (left: ikea LINNAN $12.99; right: Heavy Duty 3-bin Laundry Sorter from the Container Store $49.00). It’s spacious enough so I don’t have to visit the trash room every other day. Its tall enough that my ever-so-curious dogs can’t dig into them. The ones that come with sections allow me to pre-sort. I can just line it with small trash bags and take them out when I’m done or better yet wheel them to the trash room if I get the ones with wheelies. I can also get the ones with lids which will be more elegant. The choices are quite good. Of course there’s no hamper that comes with automatic can crushing thinggie, but you get what you pay for.

Hotness in the form of a water bottle. Those clever Europeans at Sigg took style where no style has gone (on a sport water bottle, that is). Check out their US distributor page to grab yours today and be the first to sport a Sigg at your gym.

Wonderfully whimsical dinnerware company from France. This set here is the Trèfles. No pricing, but oh so delightful. Their other stuff is quite nice as well. (via megan at ancient industries, thanks!)

On my departure date from the trip I noticed at the airport that many foreigners were carrying broomsticks with them home. I found that kinda funny since, well, it’s a broom. I suppose there is enough market for them here since you can actually purchase the well crafted product here online. Of course it really doesn’t cost over $5 to make, but you’ll have to pay the markup. These brooms are made of sorghum plant. They are better than any broom you’ll ever find in the US. I’ve used the regular plastic brooms before and dust always stick to the base in lumps. The rubber ones occasionally cause mild static that make dust fly away. These sorghum stuff don’t do any of that. Luckily I have my own supplier (thanks mom) so I don’t have to pay premium pricing. You can still get yours at Viva Terra.