Category Archives: HOMEmakers Moment

Decoding Seals and Symbols

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These days it’s increasingly easy to find products that meet your preferences for production standards — whether that means kosher or gluten-free or organic — as long as you know what different certifications and their symbols mean. We were reminded of this by an article in last month’s issue of Real Simple that outlined the basics for natural beauty products, but there are a few other seals you might also see on personal and household products.

When it comes to ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ labels, many of these organizations base their certifications on different standards (e.g., what ingredients must be absent, what percentage of ingredients must be plant-based, etc.). If this subject really matters to you, we definitely recommend clicking through to their websites to see the details.

 

Cradle to Cradle

cradle-to-cradle-sealAdministered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, the Cradle to Cradle standard addresses five categories (material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness) and awards certification at five levels (basic, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum). In addition to spotting this seal on consumer products, you can search the certified product registry online.

 

 Cruelty Free

cruelty-free-sealThe pink-eared bunny logo appears in several versions and is administered by PETA. This standard seems to be far less rigorous than the Leaping Bunny certification, but PETA offers an online search and the Bunny Free app for those who are interested.

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Picnic Daydreams

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This week’s monsoon weather here in Portland makes the idea of a sunny picnic seem like a distant dream, but we’re officially past the solstice, so maybe it really is time to start planning for an outdoor gathering. In addition to Houzz’s tips for summer entertaining, here are some seriously stylish picnic picks from Remodelista:

Accessory Dwelling Units

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adu-garage

At the beginning of the month, we attended Building Small, Live Large: Portland’s Accessory Dwelling Unit Tour. We toured eight of the twelve sites on the self-guided tour — and it was hopping!

An Accessory Dwellings Unit (ADU) is a secondary residence located on the same site as a single-family home. Sometimes called mother-in-law units or granny flats, ADUs usually take the form of an apartment over a garage or a garage conversion (an example of the latter is shown above); a basement apartment with a private entrance; or a purpose-built structure separate from the original home.

The tour was hosted by Accessory Dwellings, and their site is full of useful information about ADUs, including numerous case studies with plenty of photographs, several guides, and a new 12-part series on ADU research and policy.

Other key resources include…

For design inspiration, try the ADU category at Small House Bliss or search for ADUs on Houzz. Many people who build these units also turn out to be prolific bloggers, so let your fingers do the googling!

By the way, the tour was so successful that the organizers had to cap the attendance and all the tickets were sold. Based on that success, future tours are sure to be scheduled. Accessory Dwellings organizes and announces other events throughout the year, so you may want to visit their events listings from time to time.

 

Planning Summer Travel

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roadtrippers-spokane

This month’s client letter include tips on travel deals — like you can find through social coupon sites or wholesale clubs — but what if you just want to hop in your car and go? Here are a few sites that can help you find or create an itinerary:

  • Travel Oregon’s Trip Ideas: Oregon’s tourism bureau has great ideas for itineraries, scenic byways, points of interest, and seasonal attractions.
  • Roadtrippers: Apart from stories and guides, this site has an interactive map that lets you highlight features (accommodations, nature, shopping, food, etc.) between home and your destination. The image above shows part of the route from Portland to Spokane with hiking spots and monuments highlighted.
  • Nerdy Day Trips: Does just what it says on the label. The site originates in and defaults to the UK, so search for Portland to see a local map of nerdy excursions, most submitted by fellow site users.
  • Drives of a Lifetime: This National Geographic tome is on the shelves at Multnomah County Library, and the British Columbia road trip sounds wonderful.
  • Travefy: There are plenty of apps out there to coordinate group travel, but this is one we’ve heard recommended. If you have another suggestion, leave it in the comments.

Safe journey!

Preparing Your Home for Sale

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Laura Gaskill continues to be one of our favorite contributors at Houzz, and this piece offers a really practical perspective on “to fix or not to fix” when preparing to put your house on the market.

Displaying Art

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galleryIs this true for you? Spring’s arrival makes you feel like changing your clothing, your pantry, your exercise routine, your home — everything!

Sometimes you shouldn’t listen to that urge (no, really, don’t throw your entire winter wardrobe on a big bonfire), but other cravings are worth satisfying. For example, one quick change that will make a big impact at home is relocating or adding artwork.

Sunset magazine has a home decorating guide, “15 Fresh Ways to Display Your Art,” full of bright ideas.

Last year, Bridget Otto of the Oregonian shared some great advice about choosing and displaying art from the director of the annual Affordable Art Fair.*

Decorator and designer Lauren Liess has described how sketching can give you the feel of a particular art arrangement, an intuitive plan rather than a prescriptive grid.

If you need new artwork to display, maybe one of these sources will help?

Of course, there are plenty of local artists and shopping opportunities, too, including weekly fairs like the Saturday Market; annual or seasonal art shows such as the Art in the Pearl, Buckman Art Show & Sale, Crafty Wonderland’s Colossal Sales, and the Audubon Society of Portland’s Wild Arts Festival; and shops too numerous to name.

* This year’s dates have not yet been announced, but last year the Seattle leg of the fair took place in November. Sign up for their mailing list, if you want to stay in the loop.

Bathroom Remodel Costs

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In this Houzz article, Mitchell Parker does an excellent job explaining the costs of a bathroom remodel, especially what to expect in each price range.  His findings match our experience in the Portland metro area.

Sustainbility Guides

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recycle-crystal-earthOur monthly letter for March discusses the financial benefits of common sustainability measures for the home. There are a few options not mentioned in the insert, so we wanted to highlight additional reference information from the US Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide:

Knowing a particular sustainability choice is a good idea isn’t always enough to make it a reality in our day-to-day lives, but understanding the options certainly helps!