Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 Introduced in U.S. Congress

22nd July, 2010 - Posted by carsi - No Comments

Recently, I looked into how green and non-toxic my cosmetics are and wasn’t too happy with the conclusion. As it turns out, a lot of people are also starting to discover that their cosmetics and beauty products have all sorts of weird and toxic chemicals in them. Annie Leonard, creator of the Story of Stuff and the Story of Bottled Water, put out a new video on this topic, the Story of Cosmetics:

Scary, right? Luckily, just this week, Reps. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., introduced the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, which would “require all ingredients in a cosmetic product to be listed on the product’s label and would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services two years to develop a list of prohibited or restricted ingredients.” Let’s hope this bill passes so that the burden isn’t on consumers to seek out non-toxic products. Until then, use the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database to find the products out there with the least amount of chemicals.

Cutting Down on Stuff — Decorating a Wall

22nd July, 2010 - Posted by carsi - 3 Comments

Recently, I decided my living room wall needed a little makeover. After reading Re-Nest and browsing through Etsy, I was inspired to try to cover the wall in items from Goodwill or other vintage/handmade/not new pieces. I liked the idea because the finished product would hopefully be unique and different from all the Urban Outfitters and Ikea wall decorations I tend to buy and also because by buying used items, I’d be cutting down on stuff! Plus, I found it was pretty inexpensive. I will admit that it took a long time and wasn’t all that easy–I had to keep an open mind about what would work, and I made several trips to Goodwill and other stores. Even now, it’s still a work in progress and I’m going to keep an eye out for other pieces to add. I’m sure a designer who does this kind of thing a lot could probably provide a better list of stores with great vintage decorations, but I am not that knowledgeable. So here it is, my amateur “cutting down on stuff” wall art project:


The big photo in the middle (sorry about the flash) is from Goodwill and the tags on the back say it’s from Z Gallerie, a store with cute but expensive decorations. Its original price tag was $85, but Goodwill charged me $35. The mirror on the right is also from Goodwill and cost about $3. The little framed pressed flower was $1. The plate is a vintage plate from Etsy and was about $8 with shipping. I also had to make a trip to Home Depot for a specific wall hanger for plates that size–that was about $2. And finally, the feather. I am most proud of this because I am not at all crafty, but I made it happen! The frame that the feather is in is from another trip to Goodwill. It was originally a frame with a cheesy flower picture in it, but I turned the cardboard around, painted it with some leftover paint I found under my sink, and attached a feather from Hobby Lobby. Total, it was $6. The only new things I bought were the plate hanger and the feather, and I spent a total of $55. Not bad for a total makeover of my wall.

I would love to hear if any of you have some favorite vintage stores where you find items for home decor or otherwise. I am just starting this cutting down on stuff project, and I would love any suggestions!