With our successfully selling out of Whimsical Birds, we’re only two curtains away from introducing some fresh, more grown-up patterns based on the successes of our current designs. Different aspects from each design makes and made each pattern a sensation. I wanted to show off some designs I really love, from youthful and fun, to classy and mature. Some of the smallest things can bring huge inspiration, and who knows. Maybe one of these patterns will be the inspiration behind our new designs.

As you can clearly see, I’m particularly drawn to hand drawn patterns, florals, ethnic patterns, and fun (and maybe childish?) designs that just make me smile. What are your favorite patterns? Are they timeless, funky or a little of both? We want to know!

I’ve been a big believer in living green for a while now. Whenever it’s possible, I especially love to make homemade cleaners and beauty products. I thought it’d be great to share some of my favorite solutions made from products bound to be in your kitchen right now!

Beauty

Simple Sugar Scrub

One of my all-time favorite facial scrubs is definitely the easiest andsimplest recipe.
First, get some organic cane or brown sugar and some organic honey. In a clean, sterile jar (however much you want to make is up to you), pour in your sugar and add some honey, more or less depending on how pliable you want your scrub to be, and mix! I prefer to steam my face with a hot cloth first to open my pores. Gently scrub your face in circular motions and rinse off with cool water. Tone and moisturize with the following…

Green Tea & Witch Hazel Toner

In a clean and sterile bottle (I use a 10 oz. size), pour in your witch hazel about 3Ž4 of the way full. Add in anywhere between 1-5 drops of tea tree oil (more or less depending on bottle size), suited for how sensitive your skin is (less oil for more sensitive skin). Put the cap on and shake until mixed. Apply with a cotton ball. For acne, dab a bit more tea tree oil on spots with a Q-tip. Now to moisturize…

Custom Moisturizing Oil

Lastly, moisturize with this simple, light oil. Choose a small, clean and sterile jar, and fill it 3Ž4 of the way full with jojoba oil. There are a number of essential oils you can add for different skin types. For instance, if you suffer from acne or blackheads, add a drop or two of essential lavenderoil. If you have sensitive or puffy skin in the morning, add a couple drops of chamomile oil. For dry skin, add rose oil. Shake together and apply 2-3 drops to your face in circular motions.

Household

Safe Bleach

Bleach is so full of chemicals, it requires you to wear gloves while handling! Why would you want to buy a product that is so harmful when you could make one at home with two perfectly safe ingredients? Just add a 1:8 mixture of hydrogen peroxide: water to your load of whites and wash as usual. Want to replace your chemical filled detergent as well? Follow this simple recipe…

Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent

Start by boiling 1 quart of water. Add equal parts borax, grated natural bar soap (castile is best), and washing soda/sodium bicarbonate (about 2 cups each). Mix until dissolved, then add about 2 more gallons of water, mix and store in a covered container. If youhave a hard time dissolving the bar soap, just melt it on low heat in a saucepan before adding it to the hot water! Add 5-7 drops of any essential oil you’d like for fragrance. Launder as usual.

Chemical-Free Kitchen Spray

Kitchens get messy, but chemicals aren’t the only thing that can cut the grime. For a safer alternative, mix together 16oz of hydrogen peroxide, 5 drops of tea tree oil (anti-bacterial) and 5 drops of lemon oil (fresh scent and stain remover) in a 16oz spray bottle. Clean as usual!

There are so many safe alternatives to various products on the market and for over half the cost of most, why wouldn’t you start making your own? Do any of you have some DIY alternatives to harsh products? Share your recipes and tips in the comments section – we’d love to read them!

EEK!–I’m obsessed with this blog post from Design Sponge featuring some of the best DIY projects for the office and I’m so excited to share with you guys! Let me start off by saying that our office here at Rock Candy Life is pretty far from that boring ‘officey’ feel. Our walls are painted a turquoise blue, and our furniture and accessories tie in blues and greens and creams—trust me, it’s super cute. Everything from our notebooks, post-its, and file folders down to our paper clips, staplers and push pins are stylish (think Jonathon Adler—yes, he’s one of our faves). Needless to say we are always on the lookout for new, cute ways to bring our love for design into the workplace, and I think we’ve hit the jackpot.

http://www.designsponge.com/2011/07/diy-best-of-office.html

I know I talk a lot about being more eco-conscious and how taking small steps can lead you to a greener life. Well, call me a phony because, until recently, I didn’t realize how “non-green” I was being in one facet of my life. Recently I joined a fitness boot camp in the evenings. It was a sale on one of those daily deal sites and I thought it would be a great jump start to my summer bod (or lack there-of). I have been going to the boot camp for about two weeks now and I actually really enjoy it. There are three things you need to bring to boot camp everyday: a yoga/exercise mat, dumbbells, and water. So, every Monday and Wednesday after I get off work I head to boot camp, and on my way I stop at a convenience store to pick up big bottle of water (it gets really hot out there). I have been continuing this routine every day I have camp.  It wasn’t until I glanced at my online bank statement that I realized how much money I have been spending on bottles of water. Sure, it’s only two bucks here and there, but that adds up—fast. Not to mention the waste of the bottles, especially because I was getting a new one every time I had class. So today I am going out and buying myself a water bottle/jug that I can take with me to every class (maybe I’ll even get one of those fancy BPA-free, eco-friendly ones J). I will be saving myself money, time, and helping the environment all at the same time.

As you all know, Rock Candy Life is in the business of making eco-friendly products without compromising on design. This isn’t an easy thing to do. A lot of times when people hear that a product is eco-friendly, they think of something made out of wood or paper. Eco-friendly products used to be nearly impossible to come by. Nowadays it is becoming rare for a store to not carry ‘green’ products or have an eco-friendly department. In addition to having more and more eco-friendly options, you can see they are no longer just made of wood, recycled paper or are that icky brown color. We now have products on the market that are so chic and stylish that you wouldn’t even guess they were made from recycled products!

A store that we love and does all of the above is The Green Life in Santa Monica, CA. We connected with Scott from The Green Life a few months ago when one of our sales reps showed him our shower curtains. Yes, he ordered some for his store (and has placed multiple orders since then!), but that’s not the sole reason I’m bragging about them. The Green Life proves that you can replace a majority of the items in your home and lifestyle with eco-friendly ones, and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

For those of you who are like us at Rock Candy Life who are trying to be more ‘green’ in your life but don’t want to give up your stylish décor and spend out the wazoo, then stores like The Green Life are just for you!

Check out the list of stores Rock Candy Life is carried to find more stores just like The Green Life.

When I first started here at Rock Candy Life everything was just getting started. We only had one shower curtain pattern, Moroccan Luxe, and we were making about one sale per week. At the time, this was a thing to be celebrated. Now, after being here for a little less than a year, things are a lot different. We now have three shower curtain patterns as well as super cute shower hooks. Now I’m no pro in start-up businesses, but in my mind, we have grown pretty darn fast. While a ton of our growth has to do with our own marketing efforts (attending events and tradeshows, email marketing, etc.), we have to give a lot of credit to the wonderful blogging world out there. Before my Rock Candy Life days I never knew the incredible impact that blogs could have on an up-and-coming product. We have teamed up with numerous “mommy bloggers” who focus on writing about anything and everything “mom”. Whether it be recipes, activities for kids, new and cool products, or just a good sale, these blogging moms do their best to share their findings with their readers. It’s quite an amazing thing, and we are just honored to be a part of it.

On behalf of the Rock Candy Life team, we want to say thank you to all of the mommy bloggers out there, and to ALL moms– a very happy Mother’s Day!

So, a little recap: Rock Candy Life is located in a business center that, at first glance, looks like a condo complex. In fact, the company that set up our alarm system thought it was for a condo. Anyway, this is important because, like most residences these days, recycling bins/dumpsters/cans are expected to be there when you move in. That is not the case for us in our business-center-that-looks-like-a-single-family-home-complex.

We’ve tried getting our property manager to hook us up with a deal, but his response wasn’t very hopeful. Apparently paint cans are a popular item to throw away in recycling bins around these parts and there wasn’t anything he could do keep that from happening. Locked bins, unlocked bins, nothing. Trash somehow always found its way into a bin I’m only assuming looked like a regular dumpster. Maybe someone should take some of that leftover paint and clearly mark the recycling dumpster as RECYCLING.

So, after some research I found Ecology Action of Texas. They seem like a great business, but they are incredibly difficult to get ahold of. I’m going to try and stop by on an off day and find someone to talk to. Until then, enjoy the letter from our property manager.

Just did not want you guys to spin your wheels on this.  We’ve been down this road before and we have had a recycling can here at Spicewood Business Center.  The problem is that we pay for the can, the can gets filled up with trash, the recycling dumpster company calls us that they cannot pick up the can because of the materials inside.  We then, pay another vendor to physically climb in the dumpster and get rid of the materials the recycling company will not pick up.  This is an endless battle that I fought for almost 2 years.  We tried locked and unlocked dumpsters with the same negative result.  People love to put paint cans in these dumpsters for some strange reason.  It is simply not cost effective to have a recycling dumpster can at this location.  I am a huge fan of recycling, but it just has not been a viable option at this center.  50% of new tenants at this center always ask.  I am open to suggestions.  Thanks.