While shopping at our local Home Depot the other day, we stumbled upon these modern floating house numbers for $5.99 each! I found no info about purchasing them on the Home Depot website, but the manufacturer is Perfect Home. Other folks online have commented that they are also available at Lowe’s, and you can learn more (including SKU numbers for ordering them) in the Live Modern forums. You can choose to mount the numbers flush to the wall, or use enclosed screws for a “floating” effect that casts a shadow. The packaging also serves as a mounting template, and the instructions seem pretty straightforward — even I can install them, I’m sure. I’m really glad I found these; now I can finally take down the hideous stick-on numbers from the front door! –Megan B.

For more house number inspiration, click here.

When I was ten, I was obsessed with finding a toy box worthy of my stuffed animal collection. But everything my mother suggested was princess pink or yucky white, with flimsy plywood doors and lids. Even back then, I knew they were tacky. The Owyn Toy Box would have been just the thing. Beyond its organic style, it has two leaf-shaped lids kids can lift and place back like a puzzle. It’s separated into two compartments under the lids. And it’s made with non-toxic paints and non-toxic, low-VOC water-based polyurethene. I would totally go back in time to be a kid again to own it — heck, I’d even play dodgeball in one of those weird one-piece gym suits. But is $495 too much money for a toy box, even one this cool? –Bay A.

Here’s another Earth Day tidbit for you: Today only, Reynolds Wrap is offering a free roll (after rebate) of 100% Recycled Aluminum Foil. Click here for details.

Congratulations to Jennifer, the winner of our Seventh Generation package of earth-friendly cleaning essentials. We’re going to have another eco- (and people-) friendly giveaway this Friday, but until then, we thought we’d share a few of our favorite Earth Day suggestions. We all want to live every day like it’s Earth Day, but a little added incentive always helps. Thanks for the great comments, everyone! And thanks again to Seventh Generation for the giveaway, and for making it so easy to go green.

Earth Day ideas from our readers:

I plan to put in a low-flow shower head and tweak my toilet to make it use less water (by putting a soda bottle in the tank… I’ve read it helps!). Water is the area of my apartment that is the least green and so it needs some sprucing up for the spring! –Elizabeth

We’re planting some tomatoes, peppers and melons for our summer garden. We just got a good composter and a rain barrel at a local event that we’ll be setting up. We regularly do other green things, but why are the food-related ones the ones I like the most?? –Laura

We are going green in our house — replacing our household & bath products with all natural and organic products that have natural ingredients. –Kris S

We regularly recycle, use energy efficient bulbs, turn off lights when not in use, and unplug devices when not in use. So, we celebrate by spending time outdoors, going to a botanical garden or enjoying other “earthly” simple pleasures. –Jennifer

I will be working, sadly, but on the plus side, I happen to work at a company that only sells products with earth-friendly benefits and part of my job is writing articles on compost bins, gardening and water preservation. So hopefully on Earth Day, I can spread a little inspiration. –Tiffany

We will be watching GREEN PORNO! –Werlemmings

I will collect old and used cell phones that will then be donated to a local woman’s shelter. –Kirstin

I live in a small mountain town and many of our “side” roads meander through undeveloped areas. On earth day, I take a very long walk with a wagon and pick up any trash that might have found its way to the sides of the road. –Deborah R

My plan is to plant a tree in honor of my recently departed cat (i hope that doesn’t sound too weird!) and go for one day without generating any inorganic garbage — harder than it sounds. –Julie
(Note to Julie: No, it doesn’t sound weird — we love our cats, too.)

My kindergarten class is having a “lights out” day where we will use no power! The kids are pumped; they’re super excited to see how we work in the dark. We also have been collecting recyclables from our lunches and we will be painting with them and making a big collage. Thank you Mother Earth for found art projects for five-year-olds! –Emily

Maybe it’s the fact that my all-time favorite childhood book is in the picture, but I love this Cloud Shelf spotted over at Better Living Through Design. The 6-inch-deep shelf is cut from heavy gauge metal and comes with a hook on one end. No doubt it would be great in a kids room, but I also think it would work well as a “landing strip” in an entryway. Order one for $54 at Modern Dose. –Erica P.

Folks, it’s my anniversary this week, so to celebrate, my husband and I are packing up the mastiffs and heading to Portland, Oregon for a couple days. We’ll be staying at the Ace Hotel, a cool chain of boutiques that accepts animals (I’ll write about that next week) but other than that, Portland is a clean slate for me. Any suggestions on places we should go, stores we should visit, or food we should try while we’re there? Dog-friendly ideas are encouraged, too, of course! –Mary T.

If you had told me a year or so ago that I would own a small appliance dedicated to making baby food, I would have told you get out of town. But, I have to say, the Beaba Babycook machine has become an indispensable tool in our kitchen. That’s because what it does — steaming and pureeing — are two things we find ourselves doing all the time. And not just for our little girl! We spent a few months whipping sweet potatoes frothy, but these days, we use it mostly to heat up foods fast. Now, granted, there’s no microwave in our house, so plopping frozen veggies in this little machine is the fastest thing we got. It also does double duty as a mini food processor. My only complaint would be that the lid gets really, really hot after steaming, and prying it off without burning your fingers takes a skill. It’s pricey — $150 — and by no means a necessity. But, I do love ours (a gift) and think you’d be happy to get one, too. At williams-sonoma.com. — Angela M.

This is how we spent our tax return: a red refrigerator! Our old fridge was really small, gross, and on its way out, so a new one had been in the works for months. It was a real challenge to find a refrigerator that would fit in our kitchen and that actually provided the extra storage space we desperately needed. So when I ran across this red fridge on the Amana website, and its dimensions were EXACTLY right, we went for it. I’ll be honest — the red is not as vibrant as the photo online seemed to portray, but we still love it. Right now, this refrigerator is available in red, silver, black, and even a white dry erase finish, but if you go to the Amana site, you can vote on which new colors and patterns they should make next. The jazzed-up refrigerators are inspired by the interior design work of Thom Filicia. Much more fun than bisque, I’d say! –Megan B.

I carry around a tiny digital camera in my purse most of the time — you never know when you’ll want to snap a shot of your friends being extra goofy, or when you’ll spot something so cool you must blog about it later. If I ever truly get bit by the photography bug and decide to drop the big bucks on a paparazzi-style Nikon or Canon, I’ll most definitely outfit it with one of these. According to Photojojo, all the seat belts come “straight from the benches of wreck yard automobiles!” I think I’d go with T-bird Teal. (Have you ever seen a car with seat belts that color?) For just $20, maybe I should invest in one for my much loved Polaroid in the meantime! –Erica P.

1) Decorating inspiration really is everywhere. Rebecca liked the TV dinner cocktail napkins so much, she says: “How great would it be to frame one of these and put it in a funky retro kitchen?” Cute idea! See them here.

2) We’re not the only ones who love Tillamook cheese. Caroline says: “My grandma was originally from Oregon, so she’d always bring us back large bricks of the sharp cheddar when she returned from a visit. It’s almost impossible to find in Maine now, though, and expensive to ship. I suppose I can drool from afar!” See the sandwiches we love here.

3) You too want an easier way to caulk. Daffodil says: “Wonder if those thingies from the TV commercials would help smooth out the uneven caulk flow. You know, those squares where each corner is a different size of caulk smoother? Our shower needs recaulking way too often, and my husband thinks one of those would revolutionize his life.” Have you tried Caulk Singles?

4) Duct tape as decor has fans and foes. When Megan B did a duct tape quick fix on one of her chairs, Deb said, “Sorry. Looks tacky. ” Cessie, however, says: “Tacky? More like totally creative. Love it. Way to make a chair function again with something that most people have in their home!”

5) You’re growing a lot more for Earth Day than plants. Sarah says: “Earth Day happens to be my due date, so I may be having a baby that day. If not, I plan to plan some seeds with my daughter and go to our local organic garden’s celebration.” Congrats, Sarah! And thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions on how to celebrate Earth Day — which we’re doing by giving away some goodies from Seventh Generation — click here!

Photo by A Dewitz