If you’re looking for the coolest eco-friendly stuff around LA, Sofie of simplysofie.com is your girl. And just your luck - she has created the latest addition to the Urbandig guides - Eco Cool, a guide to sustainable shopping in LA.

A freelance blogger and designer, Sofie is now focusing her efforts on writing a book on how to beautifully wrap gifts using reclaimed materials. She has also been asked to write about sustainable products for several magazines, and to provide eco-friendly gift baskets for Hollywood studios. She blogs on simplysofie.com about DIY projects you can easily create for friends and family - but we think you’ll want to keep most of these for yourself.

One of Sofie’s favorite DIY projects is her guide to making concrete planters using recycled packaging. It was featured in the Top 25 posts for ReNest, and was also featured in ReadyMade Project 100 book and magazine.

To find inspiration, Sofie collects items from garage sales, swap meets,
and thrift stores. Whatever she can find that is interesting becomes repurposed into a project.

“You never know!” Sofie tells us. “Old drawers, maps, or projections screens - everything is fair game. The Collectibles Shop and Relic are two of my favorite thrift stores in LA. Stay tuned for my next tour to find some other secret salvage and thrift spots!”

Try a DIY Project With Sofie:

Stop! Don’t throw away those funky ceramic figurines your grandma collected! Repurpose those babies by painting them with chalkboard paint and giving them as gifts. Check it out…

Sofie says: I found some chalk markers at Paper Source that are pretty easy to use. You can also crush your chalk sticks and mix them with water and paint them on.

Try painting a piggy bank and writing your next vacation spot to inspire you to save up!

Be sure to download the Urbandig app to find Sofie’s Eco Cool guide to Los Angeles, and for more DIY inspiration, check out simplysofie.com