As people look for new ways to cut energy costs and conserve vital natural resources, a slew of new products have come on the scene in recent days. Often advertised as eco friendly or just plain “green,” these devices help us make the world a better, safer, cleaner place for future generations. These are some ideas we fell in love with, the perfect mix of good innovative design and sustainability.

The Sky Planter

It might seem like an odd idea, but most new ideas do. Hanging a plant upside-down from the ceiling takes advantage of unused space, instead of cluttering up your floor. With the help of the Sky Planter from Boskke, plant lovers can bring their outside garden indoors. In addition to saving space, upside-down planters also help conserve water, since regular potted plants lose a significant amount of H2O through evaporation and drainage. By comparison, the Sky Planter has a unique reservoir system that gradually releases water to the plant’s roots when needed.

Why bring greenery indoors? There are several reasons. First, they emit oxygen and absorb unhealthy chemicals, thereby purifying the air. Studies have shown that people who are around plants on a regular basis have improved levels of concentration, self-confidence, well-being, and are even able to sleep better at night. Those are just a few of the reasons why all office workers should go green.

Human beings have been making decorative accessories since time immemorial. Handmade jewellery was originally made of natural materials like shells, wood, bone, sinew, and berries. How do we know? Because jewellery beads from Africa that date back to the earliest human societies have been uncovered. Of course, jewellery making has come a long way since then!

Based in Melbourne, Emily Green is an artist and noted designer of wearable art. Her growing catalogue includes necklaces, earrings, brooches, and scarves. With the exception of her scarves, her entire line of colourful accessories is made by hand and can be ordered on the internet.

Sometimes described as an indie designer, Emily Green has a style all her own. Her use of organic forms, bright colors, and unusual geometric shapes is as daring as it is fresh and new. She is also inspired by the colours and natural beauty of her hometown, Melbourne.

Because they are handmade, no two necklaces are entirely the same. There will inevitably be slight variations in the size, shape, and even the tone of the beads. As a result, the accessory will not be identical to the one that appears in the photograph. It will be unique.

When it comes to the beads themselves, the artist offers countless combinations. Beads differ in size, color, even texture.

Sydney based designer Rachel Wightman works with clay and creates beaded jewellery in vibrant colour combinations. You can shop her collection in her Etsy shop Not Tuesday here.

So Little time Co. is another of our favorite Etsy shop: Melbourne designer Kirsty Eckard creates one of a kind necklaces and brooches from locally sourced wood.

How to wear colourful beads? One of the things people love about handmade jewellery is that it is stylish and sensible without being overstated. All our favorite designers offer a large collection of colourful and casual accessories that can compliment nearly any ensemble.

1- Emily Green Clementine Necklace 2- So Little Time Co. 3- Not Tuesday 4- Emily Green Peach Polka Necklace 5- Unique Necklace by A Bird of Play

There are those who travel to get away from the daily grind. They go to some foreign city, snap a few pictures, and return on time and on schedule. We call them tourists. Then there are folks who want a unique travel experience that reflects their interests and their taste. For these adventurous souls, a stay at an ordinary chain hotel or a bed and breakfast simply will not due. They demand stylish and unique accommodations. And they’re willing to pay for it!

Whether in town for business or on holiday, Sydney is one of Australia’s most exciting cities for young professionals who have a different set of travel needs. The luxury boutique hotels in the area cater to these guests and offer them the best in service, quality, design, and originality. Located within the historic Gowing and State theatre buildings, the QT Sydney Hotel is one of the hottest boutique hotels in all of Australia.

Our new designs for July are whimsical and elegant; this set of Three Birdcages will give any room a chic touch while this Wisteria Wall Decal will create an elegant feature wall. If 3 birdcages are too many just go for the Single Birdcage wall decal, you can hang it on the door, on your bed or office desk!

All birdcages come with a long “chain” that allow you to obtain the length you want.

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Just landed in Sydney from Cambodia!

We’re very excited to be the only stockist in Australia of this new range of fair trade and eco-friendly products handmade in Cambodia.

During a recent trip to Cambodia we came across this fabulous line of jewellery, accessories and stationary ethically made with recycled and upcycled materials; we decided to import them, excited about the concept of combining innovative design with local materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing process, providing an income to disadvantaged families and youths.

In this range you can find colourful paper clip necklaces made with recycled food packaging, funky paper beads bracelets, notebooks in various styles and materials, rolled paper coasters and coin purses made of rubber tires.

Even more exciting is the fact that each piece is unique; you won’t see anybody else wearing your same necklace or bracelet!

Introducing you our new range of “Coat Hangers” wall stickers! They come in 4 different shapes, from the more traditional Classic Coat Hanger to the funny and playful Monsters Coat Hanger.

These wall stickers are perfect for those with limited space, they’re not only decorative but functional as well!

Each coat hanger comes with black wall hooks that you can fasten to your wall or door. They will make any room more interesting and make your guests smile when they go to hang their jackets or handbags!

You can pick the colour you want from our colour chart, get the monsters in a bright colour for your kids’ room or get the classic designs for making your entryway more glamorous!

The Holidays are a time to make changes for the coming year. In the spirit of the season, many cities across the world have looked to take on the eco-friendly challenge of banning plastic bags at grocery stores and local shops, instead encouraging patrons to bring their own canvas bags to carry groceries.

Plastic bag bans are nothing new. Canvas bags have already caught on as the best way to carry groceries in many parts of the world, giving cities with newly minted bans something to admire. The accessories have made popular gifts with public radio and television; as door prizes for fundraisers and other marketing opportunities. But now, as plastic bag movements become reality in many cities, tote bags are looking to become the newest fashion trend.

For Students: Creative students returning to school after the Holidays may be looking for a great way to carry groceries, school books or even a laptop. But if the items at the bookstore don't strike your fancy, you can find your own canvas bag with a design more suited to your personality. With many fun designs to choose from, you are sure to go back to school in style.

For Gamers: Late-night gaming sessions mean a lot of late-night trips to the corner store for more battle snacks before jumping back into a new game. Have less impact on the environment when you head out on a snack run by bringing a canvas bag.

For Fashionistas: Tote bags are popular utilitarian bags for those days when a dressy purse just won't go. You can throw in a few things for the car, some work documents or your groceries and never look out of fashion. With cutting edge designs and simple, retro-style images, a simple tote can accentuate your casual style on days when you are dressing down but still dressing up.

We’re very excited to show you this picture featuring our Floor Lamps Wall Decal; this is Janet Lee’s apartment, Janet is the smart person behind Living in a Nutshell, a website about decorating ideas for small spaces now also made into a book!

Her motto is “Designing out of the box…when you live in one” and we couldn’t agree more, it’s not so difficult to create an amazing and original space even when on a budget and in a rented apartment, a small office or dorm room!

We love how she combined our vinyl lamps with real light bulbs creating a very effective décor on a budget!

The book contains more the one hundred projects on small spaces and a DIY guide to style up your nutshell!

Photo by AIMEE HERRING c/o livinginanutshell.com

Canvas bags have become increasingly popular in today's society as an alternative to both paper and plastic bags, along with other synthetically generated bags, such as fake leather, for example. The heightened awareness around these fabric bags is partly due to their environmental-friendly characteristics, but also because of their awareness-spreading potential.

Canvas can be produced in all sorts of colours and shapes, and companies love to put their logos and interesting messages on the bags to spread awareness about their company, a product, a particular cause they're supporting, or whatever else they feel is important for people to know about. Other companies simply spruce up their canvas bags with decorative and/or fashionable images to make them more appealing.

Replacing plastic bags with a reusable canvas bag is a great way to go green and help decrease the environmental damage coming from the plastic bag industry. Each minute, the world uses around 1 million plastic bags. This means that somewhere between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed annually. The U.S. on its own goes through 100 billion bags each year. Moreover, during only 4 trips to the grocery store, the average family uses about 60 bags.

The scary part is that only .5 to 3% of these bags reach the recycling station. The rest end up on landfills or somewhere out in the nature. Considering that it can take up to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to decompose, this has huge negative effects on the environment.

Investing in a reusable canvas bag will not only save you space in the pantry, but also protect animals and the environment, and even people, from plastic toxins. At Vinyl Design, we have plenty of fun and creative designs to choose from. Get yours today!

In the technologically connected world we live in today, it is hard to imagine that home video game systems as we know them today are only 30 years old. Atari whet appetites for digital competition with Space Invaders and Centipede, while Nintendo's character-driven worlds of fantastic enemies trying to kill you cemented the world's love of computerized combat for all time. Now, as the first generation of super soldiers reaches adulthood, with homes and kids of their own, room décor designers are tapping into video game nostalgia with retro video game wall decals and home goods.

From cushion covers to custom wall stickers, popular video games have not only landed on adult home décor items but also on children's décor items, helping parents introduce a new generation of kids to early video games. Is your favorite game available today?

Tetris: As digitally simple as pong, as maddeningly frustrating as Donkey Kong but more popular than either one, Tetris became a game not only for hardcore gamers but for your mom and little sister as well. Like many of the world's best strategy games, it took a minute to learn but a lifetime to master. Tetris has lived on on smartphones and portable gaming devices, making those falling blocks perfect for children's rooms in the form of wall decals and other items.

Space Invaders: As one of the earliest console-style games, Space Invaders pitted joystick jockeys against each other in a battle for high-score dominance. Now, those creepy creatures inching ever faster toward your starship come home. The 2-bit alien enemies make a great addition to canvas bags, cushion covers and even wall coverings.

Pac Man: When gamers think of the first character-driven, level game, Super Mario is the first to come to mind. But Pac Man's pebble-eating, ghost grabbing semi-circle started the trend, with a series of ever-challenging mazes full of ghouls and fun prizes. For his trouble, he has never left the public lexicon, still gracing smartphones, portable gaming devices and every piece of merchandise imaginable. But Pac Man's child-friendly smile and colorful ghosts not only make for great gifts and adult items but also can brighten a child's room with wall decals and artwork, reminding them that no ghosts under the bed will get them with Pac Man standing guard.