This morning, bright and early, Maxwell visited the crew at GMA Live and shared simple yet soul-enhancing ways to bring a little green goodness to any size space. Check out the video and then jump below for info on the featured ideas...

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The recent discovery of aphids camped out on the big rose bush in my backyard got me Googling "organic pest control." While I read about many different methods (beer, ladybugs, strong sprays of water), I was intrigued by this spray concocted by the editors of Organic Gardening.

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This past weekend I packed up my wool sweaters, and I got out my summer dresses and sandals. Next weekend I hope to tuck away my winter blankets and swap them out for lightweight ones. If you are in the market for a new summer blanket, here are five pretty handwoven ones.

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Joining a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program is a great way to get regular fresh vegetables from a local source. And as fresh vegetables are good at maintaining a body’s health, fresh flowers are practically essential to making a home feel all healthy and energized, which is why the idea of a CSA for flowers is just so darn brilliant. 

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One of our favorite annual architecture awards is the AIA Chicago Small Project Awards. It's an opportunity for small firms to recieve recognition for work that might otherwise be shadowed by larger offices. The AIA awards innovation, low budgets and small firms — this year there were 15 winners, ranging from a table on two wheels to a studio renovation in the Hancock building.

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Since you only get one chance to make a good first impression, make guests smile with a charming welcome mat. Whether you're greeting guests with a simple "hi" or a silhouette of the four-legged member of your family, a good door mat and a handsome door will put your best foot forward.

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If you don't know of Isabelle Palmer already, you will soon enough. Isabelle Palmer is the talented founder of the online shop The Balcony Gardener and author of The Balcony Gardener. With the spring and summer seasons upon us, it feels even more important to make a small green space in the city. Isabelle was kind enough to answer a few questions to help urban gardeners create green spaces to call their own.

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Looking for a natural deodorant sans parabens, aluminum, and other yucky toxins? If so, you may have discovered that it can be difficult to find an effective brand. With a handful of ingredients that you may already have on hand, you can make your own effective, healthy deodorant in about five minutes. I get that it sounds crazy, but once I started making my own deodorant several years ago, I never looked back.
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It used to be a boathouse. Then Jacques and Agnès Choï found this building and cleverly converted it into an elegant, back-to-basics cabin. 

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What to do when you've got a couple of flea market finds (or dumpster scores) that you're not really crazy about? You combine them into this crafty project that doesn't even look like the original. Can you guess how this bench was made?

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