When I decided to remodel my kitchen, recycled glass tile was one of the materials I considered using. While I ultimately chose another material, recycled glass tile has become popular with architects and homeowners who are drawn to its unique aesthetic.

It's difficult to say exactly how environmentally sensitive recycled glass tile is when you consider that the only environmental benefit is that it uses recycled materials. The glass must be melted to be used, a process that expends tremendous amounts of energy. And while it's good to keep consumer waste out of landfills, glass can be recycled into many different things, not just tiles.

I'm smack dab in the middle of yet another home improvement project. This time we're tackling the dining room and we've removed the old wallpaper, spackled, sanded and started to paint. One of the big differences from this project and the last one is the type of primer and paint I'm using. Low odor, low VOC paint is the way to go!

If you read my 3-part post on my DIY bathroom re-decorating project then you might remember that the fumes from the primer I used just about knocked me out. That was THE last time I'll ever use that exact type of primer. Moving forward I've decided not to use any type of paint or primer that isn't low or zero VOC or at the very least of the low odor variety.

VOC is an acronym for Volatile Organic Compounds.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are carbon-containing chemical compounds that readily evaporate into the atmosphere. Common examples of things that emit VOCs into the atmosphere include gasoline, mineral spirits, alcohol, nail polish, and paint. Source

What's the difference between low odor/odorless and low/zero VOC paint?

HGTV's 2008 Dream Home, located in a private development dubbed The Shore at Islamorada on Plantation Key, FL, is a beachcomber's dream (and a fisherman's dream, for that matter). I was finally able to sit down and take in the "TV tour" of the home the other night and saw one desirable feature after another hit the screen that should suit many dreamers/planners who long for a home by the sea.

photo courtesy HGTV

If you're lucky enough to live near a drive in movie theater then you know that in order to hear the movie you have to turn on your car radio. It didn't used to be that way. At one point in time (decades ago) you'd pull up next to a post with 2 speakers on it, turn off the ignition and prop one of the speakers on your window "sill" and enjoy the flick.

Now drive-in movie speakers are somewhat collectible. Here's how my aunt and uncle found and restored a pair of vintage drive-in movie speakers and hanging post to go with all of the other 50's & 60's decor in their totally awesome (can't believe I said that) retro room collectibles.

Have you ever heard of a Solotone Entertainer coin operated jukebox speaker? I hadn't until just a couple of months ago while visiting some relatives in Ohio.

It's an interesting little piece of 1940's vintage equipment with a bit of character. Put your nickel or dime in the slot and enjoy the music coming from the centralized jukebox system. Nostalgia and good ol' American capitalism combined to give good vibes to diner patrons. It was an interesting concept in diners at the time. It soon gave way to the tabletop jukebox song selector that allowed diner patrons to select the music they wanted to hear rather than just listening to a speaker with no control of the type of music being played. Of course, everyone in the diner would be listening to what you had selected to play.

Let's turn back the hands of time...say...40-50 years or so, back to a time when an occasional visit to Frisch's Big Boy Restaurant was a treat for the entire family or possibly the place to go to grab a bite to eat on a date with your sweetheart. My aunt and uncle have re-created that uber retro style in their retro room with all manner of 50's-60's era furniture and items, including an authentic booth from a closed Frisch's restaurant and a reproduction of a Frisch's counter top that they built themselves.

Outfitting a room with retro furniture is one way of re-creating wonderful memories and worth the time and effort.

Not long ago I posted an article about my Uncle Bob's neon-lit glass block wall in his 50s-60s era retro room.

That was only the beginning of all of the cool retro toys he and his wife have in this time machine of theirs. Probably the most impressive item (to me) that they've got in this room is the 1955 Seeburg Model 100 J jukebox that they've painstakingly, although lovingly, restored back to its' original glorious condition.

Seeburg's have been a big part of pop culture by fostering musical interests of millions of fans the world over.