It’s not often that I am able to sneak out during business hours for product launches or previews, but when I got invited to come and chat with Sally Clarke, Method‘s creative director, I couldn’t resist. If you come over my house, you’ll find one of their signature, Karim Rashid-designed tear drop hand soap dispensers in the bathrooms. I also am pretty addicted to their Steel for Real Stainless Steel Polish and their Leather Love Wipes. Everything they make just smells so damn good, it inspires cleanliness.

But there was an added bonus for going to this event: They were unveiling a collaboration with one of my favorite graphic artists, Orla Kiely. You may recall our past obsessions involving Orla’s Target Line (we did a giveaway and helped you track down what you couldn’t find locally). The limited edition cleaning collection will be available at Target (where else?) starting in September. In addition to adorable patterns that will add an instant chic to your countertops, they also come in new custom scents — vanilla chai, primrose, pear ginger and my favorite, bay leaf. (Note: The above photo features prototype bottles, not the real thing. That will be even prettier.)

Listening to Sally tell us about Method‘s principals, which marry fun and useful design with healthy products and eco-smarts, has made me even more of a fan of this company.

Stay tuned as we get closer to launch dates on the Orla Kiely products and more new releases. I’ll be sure to let you know when they hit stores!

Low energy light bulbs are something we’ve grown accustom to reluctantly. We love that they last so long and don’t use as much electricity as standard bulbs, but we hate their blueish glow and the way they slowly come to full light. Technically, incandescent bulbs 40 watts and higher won’t be manufactured after 2014 (something that is still be contested in Congress). The one thing that will make everyone happier about making the eco switch will be better bulbs.

Enter Philips and their new LED which won a $10 million U.S. Department of Energy prize last year. It is the most efficient bulb made yet that can replace your old 60 watters. It comes with a three year warranty and supposedly will last about 20 years (presuming 4 hours of use a day). As USA Today reports, the claim is that it gives off a softer light the CFLS most of us are using now, and it doesn’t contain Mercury, which makes the CFLs dangerous if they break. Philips’ new bulb hits store this Sunday, Earth Day, and the price tag may keep you from making the switch immediately: they will cost between $20 to $60.

We’ll be keeping our eyes out for reviews on their glow – because wouldn’t we all pay more for a bulb that made us look better? If you have an opinion of it, leave your thoughts here!

More posts on our quest for the perfect light bulbs:

Will you miss incandescent bulbs?

So whether you’ve been eying one their signature rugs (like the gorgeous hand-tufted Garden, above) or just want a canvas sail-bag for the summer, this is the week to take the plunge.

Chances are, your yard work stories are a lot like mine:

Part 1: I know! Let’s plant some heather along that awkward retaining wall in our front yard. It will soften the wall and give the dogs a visual clue not to fall three feet into the gully behind it.

Part 2: Hmmm, now that we’ve dug out a planting strip along the wall, I am reminded of how uneven and lumpy we left our yard from the last big project. Maybe we should just level out this part a little bit…

Part 3: We are now digging up and leveling our entire yard. This work will never end. Ever.

The good news is, this story has a very happy ending: the broadfork. After spending hours using shovels and hoes to level out just a tiny section of yard, we decided to a tiller would make the work go faster. The tiller was already checked out of our local tool library (more to come on those), but the volunteer suggested we give this big, heavy, slightly ominous looking steel fork a try.

I’m not kidding when I say, the broadfork completely rocked our yard work world! This one in particular is one piece, forged from steel by Meadow Creature on Vashon Island, a charming island 15 minutes off Seattle’s far southwest shore. You can find them in a combination of steel and wood, but the one-piece construction will no doubt last longer, and the heaviness (although it was NOT too heavy for me to lift, and my upper body strength is pretty pathetic) made the process super easy in breaking up hard-packed dirt and grass:

First, lift the broadfork up about a foot (being careful of your own feet — those tines aren’t exactly friendly) and then drop it down, letting gravity do the work.

Second, step onto it and wiggle it back and forth in the dirt — this is the fun part.

Third, push down on the handles, lift dirt

Then move the whole thing a half-step over and repeat.

Using the broadfork was a revelation: in just three hours, we’d completely leveled three times what we’d struggled with the day before. Once the dirt was loosened, it was easy to rake it into our yard’s lower section.

Best of all, using the broadfork was fun and gave me some exercise, too — kind of like doing light step aerobics, only with some upper-body work involved.

At nearly $200 each, broadforks are not exactly cheap, but if you have a lot of tilling work to do each year, they do come recommended. Or you can look into joining a local tool library like ours! — Mary T.

In a blink of an eye, spring is suddenly in full bloom! Blossoms are on the trees, the bulbs have all sprouted — even the mosquitoes have come out. Hopefully it’s not too late to get my act together and prepare for the growing season ahead. Last weekend I gave the grasses in our front yard a haircut, and this Saturday it’s time to prune the crepe myrtles. I also want to get some herbs and veggies growing inside the house. I love this idea from Cottage Hill blog: recycled newspaper seed pots. They’re made using a tin can as a mold. Once the pot shape is formed by the folded paper, fill it with soil and compost. When the seedlings are ready to be planted, you can put the whole thing — newspaper pot and all — in the ground. Genius!

What are you doing to get your garden ready? I need tips!

Can you tell that we have spring on the brain? There’s still frost on the ground in the morning, but we are already plotting our gardens for springtime, and herbs are on our the top of our must plant list. We spotted this idea the other day on RecycleChicken.com: gutter gardens! We’re not sure how we’d attach this to the house, but the elevated position would be great to prevent ground critters from nibbling, and new puppies from digging. What do you think? Could you rock these sprouts?

A friend of ours posted a link to this Sunset magazine video on her Facebook page this week and we’ve been thinking about it non stop. It’s a tour of a zero-impact kitchen by Béa Johnson’s (her whole house is like this but it’s the kitchen that is most inspiring). Not only is it clean, modern and and bright but every drawer and cabinet is filled with smartly-used glass jars filled with locally-grown food. I love the idea of no-impact living, but I think it’d be really hard to pull off unless you lived in the right place. My dear friend Henny tries to maintain an uber green lifestyle and is constantly pulling out re-used produce bags from her backpack when we’re in stores. I oblige when she’s with me, but on my own I only remember our grocery totes about half the time. We bring them in and then forget to put them back in the car! What about you? Could you imagine living a no-impact life? Or perhaps just having a zero-waste kitchen? Here are some tips from Béa’s Sunset feature, below:

1. Get rid of your trash can. Everything goes either into the recycling bin, or it gets turned into compost. If you can’t do one of those things with it — eat it!

2. Pillow cases work in the freezer. This Californian buys a week’s worth of baguettes, cuts them in half and freezes them in pillow cases for the week.

3. Make your own orange juice. We can do this. We have a juicer we never use!

4. No more plastic containers from the store. Bring glass jars, hit the salad bar and bulk aisles, and stock up. Granted, cashiers at Whole Foods might do this, but I can’t imagine our local grocery store pulling it off.

P.S. Béa has a blog! zerowastehome.blogspot.com
P.S.S. If you feel a little insecure after watching this video, and after recently learning that French women are better moms than us, you’re not alone. Sigh.

Just today I was feeling glass jar guilt. I saw a page in the new MSL that suggested we use them to store things like pre-chopped garlic and unused onion halves, and I thought, oh, I’ll never be that organized. I save a lot of glass jars, but except for firefly catching in the summer, they don’t get much use. This supremely clever item at Uncrate, called the Cuppow, could help me be a much more practical recycler. It’s a reusable top that acts like a coffee cup lid. Of course, pouring hot liquid into a glass jar is not the smartest way to consume your joe (ouch!) but it could be great for lemonade and iced tea in the summertime. Stick a straw in it (and repeat stern “two hands!” instructions over and over) and I’ve got a spill-proof starter glass for Isadora. Available at Uncrate, $8. — Angela M.

What do you do with your old glass jars? Send suggestions and ideas, please!

Our fancy dishes were just put away after holiday entertaining, but already we are fantasizing about new dining time accessories. These swanky pepper grinders from The Pepin Shop bring the reclaimed wood trend to tabletop. Made from naturally fallen branches (mostly from wind storms!), they are rustically gorgeous. Maybe the next time a hunking piece of tree falls in your yard you’ll look at in a new way? Maple pepper grinder, $89.

Related previous posts:
My new paranoia, fear of falling trees

Another great seasonal tradition is the mistletoe. We love this one from branchhome.com. Each one is unique and comes ready to hang. Though kisses are not included it does come with thanks: Sales of this product help provide an income stream for sheepherders and artisans in the Rajasthan State of India, where it is made. ($26)