Spell out "I Love you" by recycling paper shopping bags into luminaries. Use a stencil kit from the hardware store and, tracing the letters onto several bags, spell out whatever phrase your heart desires. Cut out the letters with an X-Acto knife and fill the bags with clean kitty litter, pebbles or rocks to weigh them down. Light them up with clean-burning soy candles or, a safer bet, rechargeable "candles" from Candela (vessel.com).

2/12/09

While it would be great if you could just touch dusty surfaces in your home and they'd be sparkling clean, here's the next best thing: Stick your hand in a clean cotton sock and dust away. For better results, use an all-purpose, non-toxic spray cleaner and wipe up the dust particles with the sock. The best part? Throw the sock in the washing machine and use it over and over again.

2/11/09

Tip: toss a few petals into a bowl of sugar to gently scent them.

2/10/09