Refresh your decor at the Sit + Sip home accessories swap Nov. 21

There are more ways to green up your home than recycling and switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Interior decorating can be eco-friendly as well when you swap out your old (but still cool) home accessories and small pieces of furniture at Sit + Sip at the Phinney Neighborhood Center from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Sit + Sip is a home accessories swap that works like this: After signing up and paying the $10 admission charge, pick at least three items from your home that just don't work for you anymore. Then you get to peruse and choose from hundreds of other items not ready for the dump, but not right for their homes anymore either.

The swap accepts treasures from holiday ornaments to rugs, picture frames, candleholders, coffee table books and decorative knickknacks. Don't bring toys, exercise equipment, bedding or anything broken or damaged (there's a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable items on the event Web site).

On the day of the swap, drop off your items and preview everyone else's from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. After the preview is over, groups of 25 people will rotate through the swap in 10-minute rounds. Groupings are based on a first-come, first-served basis. During the first two rounds per group, swappers are allowed to pick two items to claim (be sure to bring masking tape and Sharpie to stake your claim). After that, all the items are up for grabs and what's left will be donated to Children's Hospital.

This is the second annual Sit + Sip, brainchild of interior designers and friends Piper Salogga and Sara Eizen, who hosted their first event in 2008. The concept was a hit, drawing 60 attendees. Salogga expects 100 this weekend.

"We felt that people wanted to be eco-friendly, but didn't know where to look to find ways to go green," explains Salogga. "Sit + Sip is our way of being a green resource in our community."

Attendees at last year's event brought many surprises to swap, including a Glassybaby candleholder, a Persian rug and a swanky martini set.

In addition to masking tape and a pen, bring shopping bags, a laundry basket or a wagon to cart your new treasures home. Above all, come with a good attitude: Invariably, says Eizen, "the right piece always ends up with the right person."

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