Here it is, one week after installing the bees into our new hive. The time had come for us to check on their progress. We needed to see that they were getting to work, building honeycomb, collecting pollen and nectar. Also, we wanted to confirm that queen was still in there, getting lots of attention and laying eggs (sometimes in a new hive, the queen may leave). I must admit it is a little scary approaching a thriving hive in the middle of a sunny day. I stood back a few feet while Chad got up close and personal with the hive. He carefully pulled out each “file” and inspected it. We couldn’t believe how much honeycomb these little guys had produced after just a few days! It’s so amazing. But, unfortunately, we could not spot the queen and don’t think we saw any evidence of eggs. It’s really hard to tell though, with hundreds of bees buzzing around on each file — as the above image shows. If you click here you can see a mega-sized image. Perhaps you can spot the queen? We couldn’t! We’re trying not to panic though. Chad’s going to check again this week, and hopefully he’ll spot her or evidence of eggs. If not, we may have to order another queen — pronto — and hope our hive survives! — Angela M.

Los Angeles-based Molla Space is one of my favorite sources for fun and unique Asian-designed accessories. This felt Printing Vase by Furnish , $30, dresses up an empty wine or water bottle to make any bouquet that much greener. It’s offered in a lattice or blossom pattern, white or black, plus the cover reverses to plain so you get double the design for your dollars. Have a cherished champagne bottle taking up valuable shelf space? Dust it off and add more sentiment to your floral display. Or buy a new bottle of bubbly for mom and present it in this earth-friendly vase alternative. –Ingrid S.

More Mother’s Day inspiration? Look here:
10% Off Fullbloomtea.com
Love Posters from MadeByGirl
The Conran Shop Goes Green

Top photo via The Stranger.

Okay, so maybe you won’t be able to take advantage of the exact find that I stumbled upon, but I did score some free bricks this weekend that are loaded with Seattle history. The cold storage portion of Seattle’s old Rainier Brewery was recently judged structurally unsound and, sadly, was torn down. So when I heard that piles of bricks were being set aside for residents to take home for free, I couldn’t resist. So we’ll soon have a bit of Seattle brewing history in our own yard in the form of a patio — no mining required. If you live in Seattle, the bricks are available just off the parking lot across from Smartypants on Airport Way. Not in Seattle? The best place to look for bricks with history is your local building salvage. –Mary T.

P.S. Our server at Smartypants told us that this building was also the setting for Nirvana’s famous Smells Like Teen Spirit video. I was all excited to also be getting some pieces of music history, but my research shows that this was, alas, wishful thinking.

We have four thousand new buddies at our River Cottage today. That’s right, the bees have finally arrived, after being delayed a couple of weeks due to weather. These are Italian bees that were shipped from Georgia to Betterbee, where Chad picked them on Saturday morning. The box they came in was about the size of a toaster oven. Because it was cold outside, and they had been traveling for days, the honeybees were really mellow, all huddled together and softly buzzing. Needless to say, I’ve never seen so many bees in one place. And, I never thought I’d say this, but honey bees are damn cute! Nothing like those pesky yellow jackets or chunky bumblebees. Approximately four thousand bees were in that box, along with the queen in her own special container. To get the bees in the hive, you pull out the queen’s box, place it in the hive, and shake all the other bees in. They are dying to be near the queen — whose box has a door made out of candy that bees eat to free her — and follow her immediately. Amazing, huh? Chad got stung only once. Sadly, some bees did die in the transfer. We think the cold temp may have been too much for them. But the next day, the sun came out and we could see the busy workers coming and going from the hive’s entrance. We’ll check on them in a few days to make sure the queen has made her way successfully out of the box. Wanna see more? Click here to watch Chad’s the installation of the bees on YouTube — Angela M.

Spring is that time of year when we scrub winter slush from the windows, banish dust motes, and shine floors to a sunny sparkle. As we’ve discussed, the trick is finding natural, eco-friendly cleaners that can effectively scour and polish. If you’re into light, breezy scents and roll-up-your-sleeves practicality, Shaklee’s Get Clean Starter Kit is still the best bet. A favorite of Oprah, the kit includes a caddy filled with thirteen key products from convenient cleaning wipes to laundry and dish detergents, plus reusable bottles. While it requires a bit of mixing and measuring, the payback is your contribution to a greener planet.

My most “scentsible” housekeeping secret is Caldrea. This Minnesota-based business is the purveyor of Caldrea and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day cleaning products, all infused with essential oils. Caldrea’s new limited-edition spring scent, Watercress Wild Lily, is a crisp floral bouquet for spritzing countertops and sudsing dishes. Caldrea also offers fragrant All-Purpose Cleansers and Window Sprays, plus chic old-school tools such as a French Street Broom and a fabulous rooster feather duster.

The latest offerings from Mrs. Meyer’s include the new, intoxicating Basil Collection laundry or cleaning packs and a limited-edition Rhubarb Spring Cleaning Kit. The rhubarb aroma is a dead ringer for my Grandma’s garden patch pies. (Note to self: do not drink the dish soap!)

By the way, we hear that new Shaklee products are launching this summer, so stay tuned to Shelterrific to get the dirt first! –Ingrid S.

Meg found some recycled rugs that got a positive reponse, and now Leah finds us even more.

I’m continually amazed by the sheer breadth of handmade goods available on Etsy — not just art and pottery and the like but, increasingly, major household items such as handcrafted furniture and even area rugs. Let’s take a look at some of the unique (and often eco-friendly) floor coverings currently on offer. Above is a 5-by-7-foot Grey Astrakhan Rug made from six vintage sheepskin coats. $2,500 from Ouno.

8-by-13-foot Felt Block Rug, available in a variety of custom-dyed colors, $1,875 from feeldesign.

So many more rugs after the jump! (more…)

Our bees are late. They were supposed to arrive last Saturday, but at the last minute we got a call saying they wouldn’t be available until this Saturday… something about the weather still being a touch too cold for them. We used our extra weekend to get our garden ready for our a buzzing friends. When we bought the place, the front garden was a bit of an overgrown mess. A wild vine was consuming the fireplace, and the little patch of dirt was an uneven cluster of flowers and weeds. Chad’s been clearing out the clutter, and this Saturday it was finally ready for some planting. We heard that bees really respond to purple flowers, so we put in some May Night Salvia, Emerald Blue Moss Phlox and my favorite, Provence Lavender. This will keep things pretty and tasty for a month or so. But what we need to do next is plant some autumn blooming flowers, so the bees will be kept busy for months and months. Something yellow, perhaps. Any suggestions? — Angela M.

As much as I love the look of wallpaper, I haven’t been able to make the leap from admiring wallpapered rooms in Domino to actually papering a room in my own house. There’s something so adult, so permanent, and, yes, so expensive about the whole process that I haven’t been able to bite the bullet quite yet. Still, if I were to paper, I’d want to do it with a bang — I mean, why go to all that trouble if you’re not going to make a statement? Isn’t drama the whole point of wallpaper? I have a fantasy of papering a dining room with something wacky and fun like this Woodson & Rummerfield green birdcage wallpaper, which is made with recycled paper and vegetable dyes ($55 at Green With Glamour). What do you guys think — is wallpapering worth the trouble and expense? –Meg D.

Read more of Meg’s tips for stylish, green living at her blog, Style Saves the World.

You know that I’ve been a little quiet on the blog recently because I’ve been falling madly love with our daughter, a little ten-pound three-month-old named Isadora. But what you don’t know is that Chad and I are about to start a new adventure at our Catskill cottage — beekeeping! Well, it’s really more Chad’s thing than mine, but I fully support this new hobby of his. For the past few months, he’s been reading up on beekeeping, learning most of what he needs through a company called Betterbee. The other day, he assembled the hive with the help of a brad gun (many, many nails were required). The bees arrive this Saturday. Chad has been trying to talk me into going with him to pick them at the farm, but my better judgement tells me NOT to be in a tiny Honda Fit with 5,000 bees. I don’t care how they’re crated: Isadora and I will hang at home, thank you very much. It’s exciting, though. I’m sure you’re aware of the serious perils currently facing honeybees. If our little efforts can help — not to mention produce some delicious honey — it will be well worth a few stings. — Angela M.

You can truly find anything on Flickr — this post by Ilona is a great example. She talks about her search for an environmentally friendly cat litter both she and her cats could love. Her recommendation? Feline Fresh: “Here it is, almost four months later, and we’re still using the same $13.50 bag of pine litter!!! I figure that at the end of this month I’ll dump the box which now has the last of the bag in it, and start fresh. STILL no odor, still clumping perfectly, still the most amazing stuff around.” What’s more, Ilona says that Feline Fresh lasted four times longer than her usual $9 pail of clumping litter. Sounds like Feline Fresh is definitely worth trying. (Incidentally, Ilona’s other photos are worth a look — she takes beautiful pet portraits.)