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I’m a strange creature. Drop me off at a clothing store with no spending limit, and I’d probably walk back out without buying anything. But leave me at a homewares store, and I’d stay there all day. Actually, I’d probably camp out for a couple of days. I tend to leave a lot to be desired when it comes to “prettifying” myself, but I could prettify my home all day. This obsession with home decor means that I really love changing my bedding. It is one of the easiest ways to give a boring bedroom a whole new look. Beautiful organic bedding is probably my biggest vice. If I didn’t receive this beautiful Kayla Duvet Set to review from Blissliving Home, it’s not farfetched that I may have bought it anyway.

I change my sheets fairly frequently. Sometimes it’s because I just want the bed to have a new look, but it’s also because I hate doing laundry for one set of sheets. So I’ll take one set off, put another set on, and then wash them all once I’ve built up a decent-sized load. The key for me now is building up a collection of bedding that is all organic as I replace my old, worn linens. The folks over at GreenNest.com sent me an Organic Jersey Sheet Set by Sage Creek Organics to try out, and I’m happy to have these comfy solids in my linen closet.

After pushing my 3-year-old’s legs back onto her toddler bed in the middle of night too many nights in a row, I decided it was time to move up to a big girl bed. This was a big milestone for both of us. She would get to sleep in it and I would get to dress it up. For me, of course, that meant organic bedding. I priced out a couple of organic mattresses, but they were too pricey for our budget. I then spent weeks trying to find a used bed in good condition, to no avail. Craigslist doesn’t have as much to offer when you’re in a small town. I finally settled on a new, antimicrobial mattress set.

Have you ever come across a person who simply inspires you? If you haven’t, you need to change the people you’re spending time and networking with. There are a few people who inspire me who can also serve as an inspiration to all of my readers. Jennifer Ramos of MadeByGirl is one of those people.

Most of you know that my family and I recently moved from Georgia to Tennessee.  We’re currently living in a situation where we rarely have any control over the thermostat. That means two things: It’s always a bit colder in the house than I’m used to, and we have been layering our bedding to make sure we’re warm at night. During the winter, which is a lot colder than I expected here in Tennessee, there’s nothing quite as valuable as a really warm blanket.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’ll be offering up a series of product reviews this week. Over the past couple of months, I’ve received some great eco-friendly product samples to test, so I want to catch up on those this week. You’ll learn about great eco-friendly bedding, artwork and even a vaccuum cleaner, and I’ll be giving my honest opinion of the products. I’ll also be posting giveaways of some of these products, so don’t miss anything!

I know I’m a day late, but I just wanted to wish everyone a very, very Happy Green New Year! I don’t make resolutions, but I challenge each and every one of you to look at your lives as the new year begins. Think about the things you don’t like and want to change. Then get fed up. Stop making excuses. Do the things you’ve always wanted to do.

And every day, try to do something — no matter how small — to make this planet a better, cleaner, safer place.

It’s been a while since I have posted about something with a bird motif. Too long, if you ask me. I can’t help it — I am just drawn to the little critters by some unknown force. Thankfully for me, there’s no shortage of eco-friendly art featuring friendly birdies. These Bird Collages by Petite Flaneur would be welcome in my home any day. Just don’t tell my husband that. He’s not quite as fond of the birdies as I am.

I’m pretty much feeling like a rock star today. Why, you ask? Well, Green Your Decor is a finalist for a Apartment Therapy’s Homie Awards in the Green Design category! Readers were asked to nominate their favorite design blogs of 2008, and GYD was nominated a couple of times. I am so flattered to be a finalist among great blogs like Inhabitat and my eco-hero Danny Seo’s blog.

With such awesome competition, I’m going to need your help to win this thing. So please, head on over to Apartment Therapy’s own green blog, Re-Nest, and give Green Your Decor your vote. The polls will close at 5 pm EST on January 5th, and winners will be announced on January 6, 2009.

One thing that I absolutely love about the sustainability movement is the ingenuity it breeds. Once you become conscious of the fact that everything you buy and use will eventually reach the end of its life cycle and have to be either discarded or recycled, you start thinking of ways to reuse and reinvent everyday items. Take this daisy vase, for example. It is a brilliant reuse of a simple, disposable Bic pen case.