My 9-year-old daughter is one of the reusing-est people I know. She can find a use for just about any piece of what-looks-like-trash.
This weekend, she picked up a subscription card that had fallen out of a magazine I was reading. She rolled it into a cone and immediately hit on the idea of turning it into a flower holder...an artificial flower holder, holding flowers she planned to make from a variety of items around the house.
So, with a little glue and some paint, she had the card looking like a vase. Then, she used some coffee filters and I don't know what else to create some flowers.
If you're looking for some ideas on what to do with the everyday stuff that might be trash, try Earth911.
The Web site's "Reuse Everything You Can" section has an article called "Get Those Reuse Ideas Flowing," with ideas such as using egg cartons to store miscellaneous items like ping pong balls and hair ties. If you have more ideas for that article, click on "Contact Us" and send them a suggestion.
The Web site also has a search engine for finding a recycling place near you. Look around the Web site; maybe there's some information there you can use.
Cute items!
Recently, I'v been finding New Leaf Paper products at an area thrift store.
This little "Found Space" journal is great...it's printed on 100% post-consumer, recycled paper. The "packaging" is recycled product packaging. In this case, it looks like a box of Annie's organic white cheddar and pasta shells. The New Leaf Paper info is printed on the "inside" of the Annie's box. It's all held together with a couple of loose leaf rings.
A few weeks ago, I featured some New Leaf Paper Karma Cards on my 365Letters blog. You can read about them here.
I've been to the New Leaf Paper Web site, but I don't see anything like this on there. But, I do find the products listed online at a variety of stores. I'm sending an e-mail to New Leaf Paper and will update to let you know if they're still making these products.
I just love this kind of stuff!
UPDATE: See the first comment below for information from New Leaf Paper! The place to go is www.newleafproducts.net. Lots of wonderful things there!
Favorite magazine closings
If you count my work on the "Bulldog Barker," the student newspaper at Plainview (Texas) High School, I've been involved with newspapers and print-media in general for 28 years, about two-thirds (⅔) of my life.
I've worked on newspaper staffs (still do), owned a regional magazine and freelanced for a variety of newspapers and magazines.... That's what makes all of the recent magazine (and newspaper) closings so poignant for me, especially when it's my favorite magazines. I just cringe with each announcement....Craft Magazine, Hallmark Magazine, Country Home, Cottage Living, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion...
Maybe it's anachronistic or archaic to still appreciate paper products in 2009, but I do. I like the portability, the salvability, the share-ability of a "real" magazine.
Don't misunderstand...I'm not anti-electronic age. I've been using computers for almost as long as I've been working for the print media. I started out taking "computer math" in high school, wrote newspaper articles on VDTs (video display terminals) in college and used computers at every newspaper job I've ever had. My husband had one of the first Compuserve e-mail accounts, and he signed me up as soon as he could. We were linking up with others around the world on Compuserve's Forums before "the Internet" and "World Wide Web" were household words.
Yet, we've maintained our love of paper...magazines, newspapers, books. I understand how cool the Kindle 2 is. I know it's portable. I know I can save electronic magazine articles and pages in my computer. I know I can send links and even electronic clips to other people via e-mail.
But, still, I like paper. And, I'm going to miss magazines.
I've worked on newspaper staffs (still do), owned a regional magazine and freelanced for a variety of newspapers and magazines.... That's what makes all of the recent magazine (and newspaper) closings so poignant for me, especially when it's my favorite magazines. I just cringe with each announcement....Craft Magazine, Hallmark Magazine, Country Home, Cottage Living, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion...
Maybe it's anachronistic or archaic to still appreciate paper products in 2009, but I do. I like the portability, the salvability, the share-ability of a "real" magazine.
Don't misunderstand...I'm not anti-electronic age. I've been using computers for almost as long as I've been working for the print media. I started out taking "computer math" in high school, wrote newspaper articles on VDTs (video display terminals) in college and used computers at every newspaper job I've ever had. My husband had one of the first Compuserve e-mail accounts, and he signed me up as soon as he could. We were linking up with others around the world on Compuserve's Forums before "the Internet" and "World Wide Web" were household words.
Yet, we've maintained our love of paper...magazines, newspapers, books. I understand how cool the Kindle 2 is. I know it's portable. I know I can save electronic magazine articles and pages in my computer. I know I can send links and even electronic clips to other people via e-mail.
But, still, I like paper. And, I'm going to miss magazines.
Greening up lunch
My daughter takes her lunch to school every day. This makes for a healthier lunch for her, but it also creates a lot of trash, from juice pouches to plastic sandwich bags.
In past years, she's taken juice in a plastic, reusable juice box that she brought home and we washed. But, apparently that's not the cool thing to do in the third grade, at least not where we live. So, she begged to take another type of drink. I'm sure her first choice was a soft drink, but we vetoed that. Juice boxes and pouches are acceptable from her point of view, but I cringed at the amount of trash we were producing.
Recently, I found Honest Kids Drinks with information on the box about earning money for schools by recycling the pouches. When I went to the TerraCycle Web site, I found out they also donate money to schools for CapriSun pouches, too. And, CapriSun has 100% juice drinks, so that's good, too.
TerraCycle not only donates 2 cents for every pouch collected, but the company takes the empty juice pouches and make purses, backpacks, messenger bags, etc., which they sell on their Web site. I like supporting a company like that.
Now, if I could just get my little girl to remember to bring home her juice pouches!
If you'd rather make the purse yourself, try these directions at Henrietta's Handbags and Purse Patterns. I mentioned the Web site last year in a blog entry about making a purse from magazine pages.
In past years, she's taken juice in a plastic, reusable juice box that she brought home and we washed. But, apparently that's not the cool thing to do in the third grade, at least not where we live. So, she begged to take another type of drink. I'm sure her first choice was a soft drink, but we vetoed that. Juice boxes and pouches are acceptable from her point of view, but I cringed at the amount of trash we were producing.
Recently, I found Honest Kids Drinks with information on the box about earning money for schools by recycling the pouches. When I went to the TerraCycle Web site, I found out they also donate money to schools for CapriSun pouches, too. And, CapriSun has 100% juice drinks, so that's good, too.
TerraCycle not only donates 2 cents for every pouch collected, but the company takes the empty juice pouches and make purses, backpacks, messenger bags, etc., which they sell on their Web site. I like supporting a company like that.Now, if I could just get my little girl to remember to bring home her juice pouches!
If you'd rather make the purse yourself, try these directions at Henrietta's Handbags and Purse Patterns. I mentioned the Web site last year in a blog entry about making a purse from magazine pages.
Recycling Plastic Bottles
I'm always on the lookout for ways to recycle all the trash we generate. More specifically, I'm looking for ways to re-use what normally is thought of as trash.
The recycling part is fairly easy....save the trash and then take it to the recycling center, although since we don't have one in our town, we have to drive about 70 miles.
And, some re-using is easy...sturdy plastic containers, such as coffee "cans" and chocolate milk mix boxes are immediately put to good use storing other things, such as packets of garden seeds, candy, foods we buy in the bulk bins, etc. My 8-year-old daughter always has a good use for empty paper towel tubes, and if she doesn't grab them, my husband cuts and folds them into seedling planting pots.
One thing that is difficult for us to figure out how to recycle is plastic bottles, the ones that laundry detergent, milk, shampoo, etc., come in. But, I kept searching until I found a solution — make beads from the plastic. The Threadbanger Web site has a great tutorial on "How to Make Beads From Old Plastic Bottles." I haven't tried it yet, but I have the bottles, and I have a heat gun, so it won't be long!
The way I figure it, one less plastic bottle in the landfill will help Mother Earth.
The recycling part is fairly easy....save the trash and then take it to the recycling center, although since we don't have one in our town, we have to drive about 70 miles.
And, some re-using is easy...sturdy plastic containers, such as coffee "cans" and chocolate milk mix boxes are immediately put to good use storing other things, such as packets of garden seeds, candy, foods we buy in the bulk bins, etc. My 8-year-old daughter always has a good use for empty paper towel tubes, and if she doesn't grab them, my husband cuts and folds them into seedling planting pots.
One thing that is difficult for us to figure out how to recycle is plastic bottles, the ones that laundry detergent, milk, shampoo, etc., come in. But, I kept searching until I found a solution — make beads from the plastic. The Threadbanger Web site has a great tutorial on "How to Make Beads From Old Plastic Bottles." I haven't tried it yet, but I have the bottles, and I have a heat gun, so it won't be long!
The way I figure it, one less plastic bottle in the landfill will help Mother Earth.
Lots of recycling ideas!
Over at www.families.com, Mary Ann Romans has a blog on frugality that has many ideas for reusing everyday items that normally end up in the trash. Many of her suggestions are rather artistic.
For example, she gives directions for turning cans into candle holders, earrings into lampshade decorations, worn-out clothing into rugs and many other interesting projects.
Pay her a visit and see what you can do with your trash!
_____________________________________________________
On another note, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my newly listed Vintage Red Purse has been listed on the Vintage Bulletin blog in a collection of vintage Etsy picks. Look for the Etsy mini on the left side of the screen.
Thanks to the Vintage Bulletin group for including me!
For example, she gives directions for turning cans into candle holders, earrings into lampshade decorations, worn-out clothing into rugs and many other interesting projects.
Pay her a visit and see what you can do with your trash!
_____________________________________________________
On another note, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my newly listed Vintage Red Purse has been listed on the Vintage Bulletin blog in a collection of vintage Etsy picks. Look for the Etsy mini on the left side of the screen.
Thanks to the Vintage Bulletin group for including me!
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