I recently headed to the upholstery store to find fabric for an old rocking chair in need of rehab. Surely they would have organic fabrics to choose from...and yet the saleswoman shook her head. There just isn't much interesting green upholstery fabric, she said. So I was pleased to find Mod Green Pod, out of Austin (found via their Twitter), and revive my project.

Mod Green Pod's fabrics are 100% Organic cotton that is grown, woven, and printed with non-toxic dyes in the USA ($39.75/yard). The line of wallpaper is PVC-free and also uses non-toxic inks ($60/roll). Using organic cotton grown in the USA is especially impressive. And those patterns!

Pictured is the Room Creator, where you can play with prints and get an enthusiastic environmental message from the furniture (and the cat). See their blog for inspiring cover ups. More...

It's a busy Thursday here while we work to get out our September newsletter and coupon offers (you can sign up in that box in the upper right corner), so this time we'll inspire you and send you on your way to local salvage shops.

Recently a Martha Stewart email caught our eye with this crafty repurposing of window shutters as an entry way organizer. Salvage stores always have oodles of weathered, sunbeaten old shutters which would look great for this project. Secure the slider and affix them to the wall, then slip cards and notes in. Vintage hooks could be affixed to the bottom to hold keys. I'd use an even number of shutters to create a trompe l'oeil closed window in my windowless entryway. Below are your local salvage shops and coupons, including a free online coupon for paint! More...

If you have the DIY bug, then you're familiar with the appeal of those dilapidated, lost looking chairs found in garages, thrift stores, and curbs everywhere. Instead of purchasing a new chair, find one with good bones that needs a little TLC, and give it a new life. With a little elbow grease and our listings of local fabric and paint stores, you'll be able to turn a $5 (or free!) find into a beloved home project. All kinds of wood furniture--tables, dressers, desks--can be painted and revitalized with these tips and resources.

We've got your local coupons, too, to help inspire a project. Anyone can use our free online coupon for Rodda Paint for 2 for 1 gallons. More...

Each Thursday we'll bring you our favorite gems picked out from scouring local craft markets, Etsy, Lov.li, and local craft sites. We'll also give highlights from our other EcoMetro cities. Materials must meet our environmental criteria, which include recycled/reclaimed materials and eco fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp, and soy fabrics and yarns.

Lincoln Wool Pillow by Felted Style, $95
Magnolia blossoms are needle felted onto this pillow, hand felted with wool from a Western Washington farm. Ask for a custom wool insert instead of polyester, a synthetic fiber made from petroleum.

More of this week's crafters after the jump... More...

I love having books recommended to me. It doesn’t mean that I always like the recommended book, but it usually takes the work out of trying to decide what book to read next. 

A few months ago, I wrote about the concerns of plastic sippy cups and bottles on my Green Parenting site. I featured Kleen Kanteen stainless steel alternatives (available at REI), and folks were asking about other options.

My fellow green parenting blogger at Grizzlybird.net -- a family that's been chronicling their green living for years -- found a great new option for sippy cups that I want to share with you. Thermos came out with the Foogo - a cool looking accoutrement for milk. They did a review comparing the features of the KK cups and the Foogo. My little one - Banana - uses the Kleen Kantine for all our outings. The biggest drawback for us is that it doesn't have insulating properties, like the Foogo, but it has less plastic overall. We recently broke the sippy part, but thankfully it came with some backup pieces.

I just found a new product - not even on the shelves yet - the Safesippy from Kid Basix. It's pretty cool looking and the big innovation here is a straw-shaped sipper. Recent studies say the wide lipped cups can cause speech problems. Read about it. They say this will be available "in October" so keep checking for it!

Starbucks is trendy, but for a bad reason: it's part of the recall trend. Check out this story on recalled S'bucks and Playskool kids cups.

Good luck finding even more alternatives to plastic cups, and comment with your discoveries. More...

When it’s time to decorate and furnish, look for nontoxic items like sculptural wall tiles from local company Modular Arts, which recycles the wastewater created in manufacturing. Bedrock Industries makes 100% recycled glass tiles by hand right here in Seattle and packages and ships with 100% recycled materials. More...

To get started buy spray bottles and invest in washable rags instead of paper towels. The website eco-me.com sells a good kit to get you set up. More...