Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Think Spring!

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by Starre Vartan · 01/24/06

The time to plant tulip, iris, and hyacinth bulbs is past in much of the country, but spring planting is right around the corner. Gladiolas, tuberoses, and dalias will be ready to add to your garden, and virtually thumbing through garden catalogs online is a great way to beat the winter blues.

This past fall I ordered from Old House Gardens, the well-known, well-loved and very favorably reviewed mail order bulb company. The reason they merit mention here is because they specialize in antique, heirloom and endangered bulbs. The variety of their flowering bulbs is amazing, and they give you a run down of where and when the bulb was originally planted. Some of their bulbs are from lines that started as early as the 1200′s, though the most antique selections tend have the most limited availability.

If you want a unique garden, as well as one that preserves old lines of flowers, heirloom bulbs are the way to go. And to learn more about human beings’ connection with flowers, read the “Tulip” chapter of Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire for enlightenment.

Amazon, catalogs, corn, Eco-Chick, fall, garden, gardens, Michael Pollan, spring, Target

Anna Sova Yummy

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by Starre Vartan · 11/21/05

I attended the Anna Sova launch last party last weekend in Manhattan. The self-titled line of ‘luxury organics’, which includes aromatherapy sprays, soy candles, sheets, duvets and bedruffles (I call it bedwear), towels and paint is truly gorgeous, and I was thrilled to see that someone finally realizes that just because you’re eco-conscious does not mean you want to live in earth tones. There were deep oriental reds, and bright mustard, green apple and fuschia silk linens, as well as variously colored and textured linens.

Anna Sova herself (the Amazonian blonde on the left) was dressed up for the evening. She said she much prefers to be in jeans and cowboy boots (yup, she’s Texan!) and told me all about how she got to the point where she was able to launch her own luxury organics line- and why.

“The paint was my passion,” said Anna, “My paint smells like food because it IS food!” The paint, which comes in a range of colors, can also be mixed to your specifications and is made of milk casein and food grade emulsifiers and preservatives. Truly, it smelled like cake batter, and you can even scent it with aromatherapy oils (though they’ll only last about 6 months). “If you had a store you could paint your dressing rooms with it, and it would smell great as people change,” suggested Anna.

Ms. Sova has been in business since she was 16, and has designed over 4000 products, so she’s the kind of person who’s perfect to bridge the gap between mainstream and eco. I’ll buy it.

Amazon, business, candles, design, dress, Food, jeans, mainstream, Manhattan, Milk, oil, oils, Organic, party, silk, soy, towels