Tag: Clairemont Communications

Green Thought Thursday: Vogue’s Top 10 Must-Haves

Dana PhelpsBlog, Sustainability, , , , 2 Comments on Green Thought Thursday: Vogue’s Top 10 Must-Haves

Earth Day might have been last week, but each Thursday at Clairemont is a Green Thought Thursday! Today, Clairemont intern Margot Horgan shares why going green is so en vogue…

In honor of Earth Day, Vogue published a list of its top ten must-have items for going green. With everything from home goods, to food, to transportation, this list of items is 100 percent stylish and 100 percent eco-friendly. We’ve shared the list with you below, so make sure to check it out!

1.     Suntanned leather shoes from Esquivel. Why Vogue loves it? The suntan collection is made with only sun-tanned leather and for the first time, George used the sun as a tool to bronze the leather eliminating the use of harmful dyes and treatments as well as lowering the number of energy-consuming machines traditionally used in the production of shoes.

2.     The Natural bamboo bicycle from Panda Bicycles, starting at $3,000. Why Vogue loves it? This company, based in Colorado, produces the first steel-lugged bamboo bikes hand built in the U.S. The bamboo is sustainably farmed and processed, and they offer custom paint and finishing touches to ensure each bicycle is different.

3.     Freitag Truck Tarp tote bags, F52 Miami Vice, $105. Why Vogue loves it? The bags are unique because they are made from used truck tarps—each one having its own look and its own state of use. Furthermore, each one-of-a-kind bag is still cut by hand in Zurich, Switzerland, and gets its individual look depending on the color, the writing, and design of the tarp.

4.     Greenopia Digital City Guides, $5; Available May 1. Why Vogue loves it? Whether you’re looking for a nontoxic dry cleaner or the best natural shampoo, download the online guide Greenopia, which lists eco-friendly retailers and services in major cities from Honolulu to New York—all without wasting a single piece of paper. And, with their new e-reader version, you can get access on the go, making it even easier to stay green while traveling or on vacation.

5.    La Isla hand-embroidered bikinis. Why Vogue loves it? La Isla has partnered with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society to donate a portion of its 2012 proceeds to his organization, which works to protect oceans and educate children about their importance.

6.    Irving Farm Coffee Company special edition Rainforest Foundation coffee bag. Why Vogue loves it? All of the Irving Farm Coffee Company’s beans are roasted at its farm in upstate New York, and from every coffee bag sold, $1 is donated to the efforts of the Rainforest Foundation. Plus, the bag itself biodegrades, leaving behind only water, CO2, and natural fertilizer. Continue reading “Green Thought Thursday: Vogue’s Top 10 Must-Haves”

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Green Thought Thursday: Spring Cleaning

Dana PhelpsBlog, Sustainability, , , ,

While Josie Butler is Clairemont’s resident Queen of Green, Margot Horgan has definitely been our blog post princess this week, educating our readers on a variety of topics. Today, Margot shares her own Green Thought Thursday with some Mother Earth-approved spring cleaning tips. Enjoy! –Dana

Image from lifeologia.

With only one week left in February, all of us southerners are almost through with our winter, which means 2 things: pollen and spring cleaning are right around the corner.

But before, we all grab our conventional cleaning products, which are riddled with chemicals, check out some of these green recipes for homemade cleaning solutions for common surfaces in the home:

  • Glass: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray on glass and wipe clean with old newspaper or a lint-free cloth.
  • Countertops and bathroom tile: Mix 2 parts vinegar and 1 part baking soda with 4 parts water. Apply with a sponge, scour, and wipe away.
  • Floors: Mix 4 cups of white distilled vinegar with about a gallon of hot water. If desired, add a few drops of pure peppermint or lemon oil for a pleasant scent. After damp mopping the floors, the smell of vinegar will dissipate quickly, leaving behind only the scent of the oil.
  • Wood furniture: Mix equal parts of lemon juice and olive oil. Apply a small amount to a cloth, and rub onto the furniture in long, even strokes.
  • Toilet bowl cleaner: Sprinkle a toilet brush with baking soda and scrub away! Occasionally disinfect your toilet by scrubbing with borax instead. Wipe the outside of the toilet clean with straight vinegar.
  • Disinfectant: Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar, 3 cups hot water and 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use a spray bottle. Wipe clean.
  • Mold and mildew: Wipe with straight vinegar.
  • Air freshener: Sprinkle essential oil on a cotton ball, and stash it in a corner of the room. If you have kids, make sure it is out of their reach as essential oils are very strong and could irritate their skin. Lavender is a relaxing scent that is great for bedrooms, and cinnamon, clove and citrus oils are great for the rest of the house. You can stash a few in the car, too—try peppermint, which may help you to stay alert.

To read some more green spring-cleaning tips check out sparkpeople.com. Will you try any of these eco-friendly cleaning solutions? How will you stay green when you do your spring cleaning this year?

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Trick Out Your Pinterest Board

Dana PhelpsBlog, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , 2 Comments on Trick Out Your Pinterest Board

This More Monday post brought to you by Clairemont intern, Margot Horgan. As an early adopter and prolific user of Pinterest, today Margot tells us what more we can do with our Pinterest boards. Fun stuff!

As more uses for Pinterest emerge, Mashable recently gave its readers a quick tutorial on how Pinterest users can trick out their boards. By taking a photo and cutting it up into nine different squares, users can create a mosaic-like effect on their boards. For more instructions on how to “hack” your boards, check out this article. Below, we have posted some of our favorite Pinterest hacks from business and social users that were uploaded to Mashable.

User Tyler Cheese hacked his boards to create a Pinterest resume, with different boards for his education, experience and portfolio. What does everyone think? Would you create a Pinterest resume?

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Trends Tuesday: Precocious Prints

Dana PhelpsBlog, Trends, , , 1 Comment on Trends Tuesday: Precocious Prints

Want to know the latest trends? Tune in on Trends Tuesday!

This is our fourth post in a series that is inspired by the InStyle article 5 Ways to Wake Up Your Work Wardrobe and explores how each trend is influencing fashion and furniture. Today’s post is about prints! Here’s InStyle’s advice: Mix in Prints — The key to making patterns work at work? Stick with muted colors (such as black, gray, brown and beige), and classic motifs (including plaid, paisley, houndstooth, cheetah and leopard).

Does this tip surprise us? Not at all! In fact, we’ve recently blogged about prints prior to reading the InStyle article…

  • In a Copy Cat posted here on the Clairemont blog, we gave a nod (and a meow) to animal prints, as well as excellent copy written about those prints. Read more in Talbots & Our Favorite Feline.
  • Want to know the latest trends in florals, zigzags and color blocking? Read Penchant for Pattern, a post we wrote on the Drexel Heritage (client) blog.
  • Also on the Drexel blog, here are some additional ideas on animal prints, as well as geometric prints in A Bite of the Big Apple.
I love this Boden clutch!

Back to incorporating prints into your work wardrobe. I think Boden is one of the best places to shop to get this right because most of their styles are classic, and because of the company’s British influences, they don’t seem to be as afraid to use and mix patterns and prints as much as some American designers seem to be. I love the Uptown Jersey Dress for a pretty and not over-the-top floral dress that looks great for the office, the animal print belts (with a splash of color) are just the best, and I  might have to put one of these leopard clutches or totes on my Christmas wish list!

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Whaddaya Think, Russ Jones?

Dana PhelpsBlog, In Our Community, , , , , ,

Whaddaya Think Wednesday is a regular Q&A feature on the Clairemont blog. We ask people “whaddaya think?” on a variety of topics. This week, we share thoughts from Russ Jones, who in addition to being the president of Davidson and Jones Corporation, is a generous sponsor and active volunteer for Triangle Family Services’ (TFS) Gingerbread Benefit  that will be held at the Umstead Hotel on Thursday, December 1.

Gingerbread houses from last year's event. This year's benefit is December 1 at the Umstead.

Q: How did you get involved in the Gingerbread Benefit?

I attended the event with my daughters last year. They are five and seven, so the kids’ event was pretty thrilling for them, as they got to make their own gingerbread houses. I really didn’t know what TFS was all about.  At that event, I met a lot of great people, and I had an opportunity to meet with Alice Lutz.

I later had the opportunity to further discuss TFS with Alice, and she asked if I would help her with this year’s event. I was a little reluctant, because I knew it would be a big time commitment.  Ultimately, I decided to help in any way possible because I feel that this organization is just too important to our community.  Right before I made my decision, I encountered a newly homeless person in the parking lot of one of my businesses.  It was right then that I realized how quickly someone can go from stable to vulnerable to homeless.  It happens to too many people every day.

TFS is one of a few organizations in our community that form the “safety net” to help those in our community who need a “hand up” to get back on their feet.  Families in crisis today do not have many places to turn, and I just couldn’t imagine what would happen to them if TFS was NOT around.  Given the state of the world today, it’s more important than ever to ensure that our community is a safe and wonderful place to live.

Q: What’s the most exciting/rewarding/fun thing about serving on the planning committee for the Gingerbread Benefit?

Wow, there have been a lot of rewards from working with TFS, and it’s hard to choose.  Ultimately, for me, I am someone who is enthralled by business processes and corporate culture/messaging.  Because of that, I have really enjoyed working with Alice on ways to get out the message about TFS so that people can easily understand how important the organization is.

Along those same lines, I’ve enjoyed my business discussions with Alice. TFS is really lucky to have someone so dedicated running the business. As a CPA, I  enjoy seeing how focused she is on delivering the utmost values of the company and equally focused on cutting costs everywhere else. As a donor (I manage my late grandfather Seby Jones’ Charitable Foundation), I appreciate knowing that my contributions are being spent wisely.

Q: When you aren’t helping plan the Triangle’s most important fundraiser of the year, what are you doing?

My wife Chelsea and I are really enjoying our two daughters.  I hear from so many people that I should savor these moments, and I’ve actually arranged my schedule to allow for as much “kid-time” as possible.

Work-wise, I am the president of Davidson and Jones Corporation, a real estate development and management company working across a broad spectrum of asset classes through affiliated companies.  It’s a pretty diverse job that has me working with our hotel company on new management opportunities in the same day that I am working with my home builder on selling a new home.  It’s really pretty thrilling.

I am also passionate about EVOLVE Movement, a Mind-Body Fitness company with three locations in the Triangle area.  My wife Chelsea is an amazing leader of that company, and I’m just lucky to have a seat at the table (and a mat in the yoga room!).

Thank you, Russ! The Clairemont team enjoys collaborating with you to help Triangle Family Services, and as a result, so many families in our area. We also love EVOLVE! Congrats to Chelsea on her success!

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