upcycle

Heard about blood diamonds and dirty gold? Is it time to re-think our obsession with diamond engagement rings and gold wedding bands? Around the globe, society has been taught to covet expensive — and planet-wrecking, jewelry. The DeBeers company alone has spent millions Read More

Where do you store the myriad of things left over from home improvement projects? You know, the kinds of stuff that you’re certain will come in handy one day even as a nifty arts and crafts project — but can overrun your garage or workroom in short order?  I decided Read More

Our family tradition of wrapping presents in fabric gift bags began as little brown paper bags. When my parents were first married in 1942, they lived in a basement apartment, the ceiling crisscrossed with pipes. For one of Mom’s birthdays, when Pop couldn’t afford Read More

By Jacquie Ottman and Michelle Cashen Love the new iPhone 5 but hate the waste? Apple is notorious for releasing new versions of its products and accessories that loyal customers must buy to keep up. In this case, the seemingly subtle design alterations of the iPhone 5 will lead Read More

By Melissa O’Young Dinner was full of deep conversations and good wine, and with our full bellies we toppled out of the restaurant and decided to go for a walk. We talked some more until my friend stopped and said, “I wonder what happened here?”. I looked to where he was Read More