Deb's Going Green

A New Freezer!

2011-11-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

OK it has nothing to do with crafting but it is a big step towards eating better and saving money. I've been following the program at SparkPeople.com and have already lost 20 pounds. My problem is that even the so called diet foods are still loaded with a lot of sodium and other yucky stuff.

So I decided to cook from scratch in large batches to save time and energy. I very quickly filled up the freezer on the top of my fridge. I went shopping for a freezer that would be big enough for my needs but use the least amount of energy and not cost too much.

I'm planning my first "oven full" of cooking. It's going to depend on available items and what's on sale. I'm also planning to use up the extra room in the oven while the turkey is cooking to make some things to also freeze.

Cleaning Out the Craft Room

2011-11-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

I wish I had taken before pictures but I'm not even done and it still looks pretty bad. LOL I spent all of Tuesday sorting out all the stuff I had. I found a ton of things I was going to make pillow covers out of and I guess I need to start cutting them out and sewing them together for my Deb Upcycles shop. I also found a lot of fabric and lace that I'm already listing on Deb's Crafts.

I have three bags of fabric scraps and other items to go to The Upcycle Exchange here in St Louis and another couple bags that need to go to Leftovers, which is a 30 minute drive but I try to get there on a regular basis. As well as all that, I have a bagful of stuff to go to the thrift shop across the street. I don't like to see anything go to waste.

I still have an outrageous amount of patterns that I need to list on Deb's Patterns but I am slowly whittling away the pile.

Busy, busy week.

Patterns, Patterns Everywhere

2011-11-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

I made the plunge and decided to open up a new Etsy shop just for patterns. I had so many on the Debs Crafts site that they overwhelmed everything else and I wasn't able to sort them into sections. My new shop is called Debs Patterns (what else?) and I'm in the long slow process of transferring all the patterns from one shop to the other. On top of that I have bags full of patterns waiting to be listed!

I already have about 200 patterns there and have many, many more to list. I've enlisted the aid of my college kid to type up the descriptions. This really saves time as I'm a rather slow typist, at least compared to him. Kids these days grew up with computers and his fingers just fly across the keyboard. (yes, he has cut his hair since that pic was taken)

On top of all that I need to start working on my Deb Upcycles shop, too. I have stuff to list and half made items. I'm hoping for some great sales for the gift bags but I need to get them finished and listed. Got to start getting ready for Christmas shopping.

Got this Off Facebook

2011-10-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

My sentiments exactly

Hawaiian Shirt Bonanza!

2011-10-01T04:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just get lucky. At the thrift shops around here Hawaiian shirts are usually few and far between. I don't know if it's because so few donate them or if they sell before I get to them. This is the midwest after all. The thrift shop across the street from me (my favorite because I can walk there) was having a sale on mens short sleeve shirts because the season is over. Not only that but someone apparently just donated a bunch of Hawaiian shirts because I was able to buy ten of them.

I love the patterns and I love how they look as pillow covers. I've made a few out of the shirts I was able to find before, like this one

The one I really loved though was this one:

So, the next week or so I'll be making these shirts into pillow covers, if one of the patterns catches your eye let me know. I'll be glad to reserve it for you when it's finished.

A Pillow for Kaitlin

2011-08-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

My neighbor's daughter just left for a college over 1000 miles away. I wanted to give her something that would remind her of home. Her grandfather passed away last year so I thought it might be a good idea to make her a pillow out of one of her grandfathers shirts. I talked it over with her mom and we chose this shirt for the pillow. The picture is rather dark, you can see the colors of the shirt better in the last picture.

I took it home and measured it and decided what size to make it. A lot of times I can't save the pockets, but with a little fudging I was able to save the pockets on this one. I think they look great with the pockets and give you a place to tuck away little things. After all Kaitlin will be in a dorm room with two other girls.

Here's the finished pillow, Kaitlin loved it and recognized the fabric as her grandpa's shirt. It made me feel good that I could give her this little memory to take with her.

I normally just sell the covers, but this is a gift so I had to include the pillow form. Since this is the one I use to model my pillow covers, I may not be posting any 16" pillow covers until I can replace it!

I've made quite a few pillow covers out of shirts and other clothing and other things. Check them out in my Etsy store Deb Upcycles.

A Winner and introducing Horatio!

2011-08-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

I only got 6 entries to the contest but that wasn't entirely unexpected. I only recently started posting again and it takes time to build readership up. I've seen a couple contests where they let a small child or animal select the winner so I thought I'd give my new kitty a chance to play. I wrote everyone's name on a slip of paper and spread them out on the floor.

This is Horatio, the people at the Humane society shelter claimed his name was Whiskers but that was just too ordinary for such an extraordinary feline. Horatio came into our lives after I had to have my 13 year old cat put down because he had a brain tumor. He looks rather confused here,doesn't he? All he has to do is play with one of the pieces of paper.

But no go, he wouldn't even walk over them to give me a clue as to the winner. I had to think of something else. It just wouldn't be cute after all.

So I folded them all up and looked around the house to see if I had a hat to put them in. But, I couldn't find any so I couldn't draw a name out of the hat. What to do, what to do? Maybe a measuring cup? I never heard of drawing a name out of a measuring cup, have you?

Well, I guess there has to be a first time for everything. I took a deep breath, plunged my hand into the measuring cup and drew out a piece of paper. It says Desi, so Desi is our winner. Congratulate Desi and say goodbye to Horatio, it's time for his nap.

It's My Birthday! and a Contest

2011-08-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and just remember that once a woman reaches a "certain age" it's very impolite to ask her how old she is.

I've decided to have a quick contest, today only to celebrate. If your wondering why I have pictures of my gift bags up, well that's what I'm giving away so it makes sense, right? And this is a Birthday celebration so it's entirely appropriate! Except maybe the Christmas one.

So the prize is four gift bags from my stash, not necessarily these because these are actually for sale in my Deb Upcycles Etsy shop. You can give me an idea of what you want, boy, girl, adult, Christmas but I will choose them.

All you have to do is leave a comment. It would be nice if you could like, favorite or follow something (pretty please?) of mine but you can only have one entry for this contest from the comment. I will find some semi-scientific way to choose the winner (Maybe ask my cat?) and announce it tomorrow. Contest ends at midnight tonight August 20, 2011. Oh, and by the way, make sure there's some way to reach you in your comment. A link to your Etsy shop works for me if you have one.

From Pajamas to Pillows and More

2011-08-16T03:51:00.000-07:00

I have a day off today with nothing to do except go out to dinner with some friends for my birthday tonight. That doesn't happen often, the nothing to do that is. The birthday happens only once a year.

We just had a Goodwill outlet open near us. If you didn't know, this is the place they sell all the stuff they don't think is good enough to sell at the regular thrift stores. I love the place but have to drag the college boy (24 year old son) with me because the walk from the nearest bus stop to it, isn't in the nicest neighborhood.

I found a pair of Christmas pajamas there the last time I went. Really nice fabric and just knew I could do something with them. After stretching them out on the bed and studying them I decided the top would make a great pillow and I could make gift bags out of the arms and legs. I've already sold the bags but will be posting more soon. The pillow is available in my Deb Upcycles Etsy shop.

Taking the Bus and Train

2011-08-09T03:03:00.000-07:00

I finally did it. Actually had it done for me. I'm taking the bus and train, called the Metro Link here in St Louis, these days and no longer have a car. I've been living in St Louis since February and in April was in an accident that totaled my car. I just never got another one. I'm within walking distance to work and everywhere else I go I take the bus. It feels great, I'm getting exercise and have shrunk my carbon foot print.

I've opened a new Etsy shop called Deb Upcycles and where I've been selling things I make out of thrift shop finds. I still have the one I sell second chance craft supplies called Deb's Crafts, too. I think I'm going to make this my official blog for both Etsy shops because it fits right in. There's a lot of work to be done here. I've apparently lost my background I had and I want it to look nice.

From a Wedding Dress to Christmas Ornaments

2010-12-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

I bought this wedding dress at a thrift shop, it was badly soiled at the hem and had some other staining, also. But it was made of this gorgeous antique white heavy satin. I bought it with the intention of cutting it up and putting it in my Deb's Crafts Etsy Shop which I did. There are several listings there that include fat quarters or squares made from the train, I actually haven't gotton to the dress yet, the train had so much fabric in it. Then of course there are scraps. Although I put some of them in my bags of fancy fabric scraps in the shop this dress was creating like way too many scraps.

So this is what I started doing with the scraps. I have these stars for sale in my Deb Upcycles Etsy shop (or at least I will until someone buys them). They are really easy to make, so even though I'm trying to sell these I'll tell you how they're made.

1. Trace the shape you want on the back of the fabric and cut out with pinking shears.

2. Cut out a piece of quilt batting about 1/4 to 1/2 inch smaller than the shape.

3. Make a sandwich with the fabric and batting making sure the right side of the fabric is facing out on both sides.

4. Cut a small piece of ribbon (I used a small piece of leftover ribbon for this too) and attach to the wrong side of one of the fabric pieces using matching thread.

5. With 2 strands contrasting embroidery thread (another thrift shop find, I put a lot of it up in my Etsy Shop) use a running stitch 1/4 inch inside the edges making sure the batting stays tucked in. Then 1/4 inch inside that do it again. You can have as many or as few rows of stitching as the item will allow.

6. If desired, add a matching button to the center.

And that's it. Enjoy your new handmade ornaments.

Really Cute Fabric Filled Vases

2009-11-28T11:04:00.001-08:00

Heres a great way to use up all those really small pieces of fabric you thought couldn't be used. Check out the tutorial at Craftaholics Anonymous

Great Ideas for Reusing Wrapping Paper

2009-11-16T17:19:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas I can remember after all the presents have been unwrapped there were piles of wrapping paper that got stuffed into trash bags and taken out. Although I now use a lot of reusable boxes and bags there are still things that get wrapped in paper. So I have decided thois year that instead of stuffing all those wrappings into a trash bag and adding to the landfills I'm going to try some of the crafts at the following links.

How Recycled Wrapping Paper Crafts Work

How to Make Recycled Wrapping Paper Bows

Recycle Cards and Wrapping Paper

Summer Crafts - Recycling Craft - Decoupage Fun with Wrapping Paper

Quick Recycled Purse Tutorial

2009-09-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

I found this while I was looking through youtube, check it out!

Recycled Paper Tables?

2009-09-15T05:26:00.001-07:00

In the gift shop at the Missouri Botanical Gardens they had some recycled crafts for sale. What I really liked were the items that were made from magazine pages. The pages were folded and then wound up into various items there were platters, plaques and even a table. It was pretty awesome and I am searching the internet to see if I can find out how to do it. Not sure if I would have the patience to fold all that paper and am wondering if they didn't have some mechanical help. The pieces were all so even.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

2009-09-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to show you one of the nicest places just to take a walk!

Turn Plastic Bottles into Wire for Crafts

2009-08-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

I love this one, I really need to try it. If I do I'll be back to tell you all about it but for now I'm just posting the link. Use soda and other bottles to make "wire" or plastic stems for flowers, check it out and let your imagination go...

How to Make a Wire from a Plastic Bottle

Turning Shirts into Little Girls Dresses

2009-07-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

I found these links about turning a button down shirt into toddlers dresses. Then someone went another step forward and made capri pants out of the sleeves. These are absolutely adorable and I wish I had a little girl to sew for. But alas, I don't so I'll pass this on to you in the hopes that you can use it.

Turning a Shirt into a Dress Tutorial
Making the Sleeves into Capri Pants
A cute example
Another cute example

Recycling in the Garden, Some Unique Planters

2009-07-11T05:58:00.001-07:00

I remember some time ago, in a gardening magazine, seeing an old tennis shoe set in a garden, filled with soil and planted with hens and chicks. What a wonderful idea! It looked really neat sitting there nestled in between other plants.
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This year when I started my patio vegetable garden I scrounged planters as much as I could but still had to go out and buy a few (made from recyclable material of course). But it got me thinking about using other things to make planters from. So I did a search and here's some great ideas. Some are small, only suitable for indoor use and some would have worked for my garden, so here they are.
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A wooden orange crate and more
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Old wooden toolbox
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Recycled Pop/Soda Bottles
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Empty cans
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Seed starting planters out of newspaper
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And some kids projects

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

2009-07-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

OK, so I don't much care for rosemary but I do have the first two and more! I just bought a sage plant and a, well OK, it's marjoram not thyme at a BOGO free sale at our local veggie stand. The parsley and basil have been growing like crazy and I've been freezing a lot of it.
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What I'm trying is a way I read about years ago. You chop up the herb like you were going to use it fresh, then you measure out by teaspoons or tablespoons into ice cube containers. Fill with water, then freeze. When a recipe calls for one of these herbs you just take out the required amount of cubes and add to it! Just remember that it usually takes twice as much "fresh" as it does dried. Don't forget to compensate for the water although in most recipes it will be so minimal as to not make a difference.

My Patio Garden Experiment

2009-07-03T14:56:00.001-07:00

OK, I know I've been ignoring this blog, I promise to try to do better. This spring I decided to experiment with growing veggies on my patio. Now I live in a small apartment and my patio is the only space I have and it's only about 4 feet by 7 feet. Several of the articles I read had you putting your garden in all kinds of containers but this wasn't an option for me. I live on the first floor and everyone else in the building has to walk past my patio to get in. I had several planters already because I've always grown flowers and I begged and borrowed some more.I have to keep it neat or the landlord would have made me get rid of it.

This year was an experiment to see what will work and what won't. You can see in the picture the ripening tomato. So far I've gotten two tomatoes off of it and theres a bunch more small green ones. One parsley plant has not only supplied all my needs, but also my daughters and I've been freezing it a little bit at a time! I haven't frozen any of the basil but theres plenty there!

Have I saved any money? No, at least not yet. I had to buy a couple of planters, the plants and the seeds and the potting soil. but I will be ahead of the game next year! But the real benifit is the tast of fresh picked veggies. The other night I had a salad with oak leaf lettuce, fresh picked tomato, broccolli (that was a bust which I explain in another post and radish, all from my little patio garden.

For a recipe that used ingredients from my garden try my Zucchini Saute.

Knitted Animation

2008-11-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a short animated film you have to check out!

Knitted Animation

And the winner is.................

2008-11-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

I hope people are taking the time to read through the entries for the halloween contest, some of them are really awesome ideas. Of course halloween is over for this year but youcould use them next year.

The winner is Cindy and her entry read:

My favorite Halloween costume that I made for my daughter was her spider costume... I used and old black sweatshirt. I attached 3 legs to each side (stuffed and wired with shaped coathanger). I attached each leg to each other so when she raised her arm all 4 of her legs raised together on each side... She wore that costume for all her parties and trick or treating and in 2 parades the following year!!!!! I guess she liked it!!!LOL...

Cindy left me no way to get in touch with her, so Cindy, please contact me at debsstuff55 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Halloween Contest

2008-10-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

In all the years of raising kids I think I only bought actual Halloween costumes once or twice. I considered them a great waste of money. I sewed costumes once or twice, but usually I made them up from stuff I had around the house. The one I remember most clearly was when my guys (now both 6' tall and in college) were preschoolers and I hadn't come up with anything by Halloween. I grabbed two of my shirts, one red, one orange, put them on the boys, and stuffed them with pillows. Then I used green construction paper and cut out leaf shapes. They went trick or treating as a pumpkin and a tomato! They were pretty young or I probably would have heard lots of complaints with that one.

So for the contest, I want to hear about costumes you've made from stuff around the house. Just leave a comment (with a way to contact you, blog, Ravelry ID or whatever) about your Halloween costume past or present. To earn another entry, link to this post from your blog or site.

The prize will be a knitting bag (like one of my green bags) and three skeins of Red Heart Super Saver yarn. There's two skeins of Holly and Ivy varigated and one Ranch Red which matches the Holly and Ivy. If you don't knit or crochet, I can do fabric instead, I'm flexible!

Contest ends (when else?) October 31st

I Know This is Way Overdue

2008-10-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the ideas on what to do with the tops of the T-shirts.

Jennifer says:
How about using the neck ribbing for baby bibs or adult bibs made with towels that slip over the head.

Knitting Rose's idea is:
You can sew up the neck, arm holes & bottom - fill with rice and use as microwavable heating pads. We do this with our old t-shirts (I use the bottoms of them for rags). They fit across the back of your neck and shoulders and hold the heat well.

Turtle said:
stuff them and making pillows or quilts

Marilynart's idea is:
I have slipped this sort of thing over a coat hanger to secure dresses with spaghetti straps.

Gift Bows from Magazines

2008-08-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome way to use those colored pages from your magazines. Make your own gift bows to decorate your packages.

Gift Bows Tutorial
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OK, I'm Stuck for Ideas

2008-08-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

I've used a bunch of T-shirts for cat beds and T-shirt yarn and, since I cut the T-shirts right under the armholes for both of these, I have a bunch of tops left over. Does anyone have any great ideas to make something out of these??? I'd be happy to give anyone who comes up with a useable idea one of my green bags! Just leave a comment with your idea and email me at debsstuff55 (at) yahoo (dot) com with your address.
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I'm getting good ideas but no one seems to want my green bags. Please send your name and address if you've left a comment.

Scraps and a T-shirt Make a Cat Bed

2008-08-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

One of my readers sent in an idea for making pet beds from pillowcases and fabric and yarn scraps. Since I didn't have any old pillowcases sitting around but did have some old T-shirts, I decided to use that instead. It also works well since you can use a hanger and hang it up in a convenient place. The first step is to sew the bottom of the shirt closed. Hang it up and start collecting scraps of fabric and yarn. When it is about halfway up to the underarms, cut right below the sleeves, turn the edges under and sew closed. That's it, you now have a bed pillow for your cat or small dog.

Here's my baby Sammi enjoying her new bed. I made one for each of my cats and will be making more for my daughter's cats and my sons' cats. After that I'll start making them to give to animal shelters.
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Someone asked me how they washed since shelters wash the bedding frequently so I threw them in the wash and they went through just fine. came out all fluffy.

Make Money for Your Charity With Trash

2008-08-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

I just found a company that will make donations to your charity for your trash! They collect certain items (cookie wrappers, juice pouches etc.) and turn them into other items. All of their products are 100 % recycled. You can buy their products at places like Walgreens, Office Max and Home depot. So check it out and look for their products at your local stores to support their recycling effort.

TerraCycle

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Denim for Quilting

2008-08-08T06:34:00.001-07:00

Last month I showed you my pile of denim that I was going to use in some projects, it wasn't a whole lot and didn't take up a lot of space in my craft room so after I wrote the article I put it away and forgot about it. Then my daughter came over with an armful of worn out jeans from my beautiful but very active grandsons. I was already in the process of working on a string quilt which I talked about on my charity blog and suddenly had an idea. I didn't have enough squares for what I was planning but had more than enough if I set them with denim squares in between. It isn't finished yet but when it is I'll post another picture.

Green Bags for Wool 8" Squares

2008-08-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's not really a trade but I'll give anyone who donates wool 8" crocheted or knitted squares for kids blankets one of my green bags. The blankets will be for the Afghans 4 Afghans youth campaign. For more information and the specifications for the squares go here.

My Favorite Ebay Seller Just Opened a New Store

2008-08-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

I've talked before on my other blog about my favorite Ebay seller. One of the reasons (other than the fact she's a really nice person) that she's my favorite is that she sells a lot of stuff for me. She has recently started a new store called Toni's Craft Room. Please take a minute to check out her store, she has lots of great patterns and is adding more every day. Hmmmm, while your there don't forget to check out the knit and crochet books.

Blue Jeans Bags

2008-07-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Several of the contest entries talk about turning jeans into handbags or totes. Rather than pick and choose I'm going to post all of them so you can decide how you would like to do yours:
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Karen O. says: "I cut the legs off just below the butt. I left enough of the legs to turn the edges under twice to keep the edges from fraying and sewed them shut. From the legs I cut off, I made two long handles so I could sling the bag over my shoulder. I used a length of cotton rope as a "belt" to tie the bag shut."
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Turtle says: "Took an old pair of jeans (smile, they were too big for me!) and cut them so that the top area with pockets etc would be the inside sides of the bag. Then with some funky heavy duty fabric i made the outer lining and used the jeans to also make the strap. I used a heavy cardboard for the bottom with more of each fabric to cover it."
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Deborah M says: "I cut the pockets out leaving 1 inch of fabric from the jeans still attached to the pockets around 3 sides. The part of the jeans that is on the inside of the pocket is cut out very close to the seams of the pocket. Then I take a long, wide strip from the pant leg to make the handle and base of the purse. I fold the strip in half and with fabric glue I glue the strap to the excess fabric of the pocket starting at the top of one side of a pocket all the way around leaving a good amount for the handle and then around to where I started...I attach the beginning and the end and then I do the other side making sure the pockets are even with each other and there you have it...a denim pocket purse."
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ronsmysharona says: "Of course we use the old 60's trick of turning our favorite pair of worn out jeans into purses, but what to do with the legs? They make GREAT all-purpose bags for camping gear. My partner calls them 'ditty bags' and uses them for just about anything he wants to keep together but still portable. Just cut pant legs the length you want, sew the bottom, and put a drawstring casing around the top, put in drawstring and you're done! If you lost or tore your tent bag, cut the pant leg a little longer and it makes a great tent bag."

More Projects from Button Shirts

2008-07-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

I found this great article on recycling button shirts. What makes it really great of course, is that she highlights my knitting bag. So take a minute and pop on over and check it out.

Threadbanger

Making Family Heirlooms

2008-07-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this idea sent in by one of my readers in my latest contest. My wedding gown was lost years ago when my basement was flooded but If I still had it I'd consider doing this.

Katie says:
"About 10 yrs ago I took my wedding gown and made squares out of it and made 3 sml quilts for my 3 kids. They came out very nice. I thought it was better to use it than keep it in my closet. It made some nice keepsakes for my kids."

25 Reasons

2008-07-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a link that will show you twenty five reasons to use reuseable shopping bags.

25 Reasons

Win my Knitting (Crocheting) Bag

2008-07-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

I love having the contests, I especially like reading all the entries. Since I'm going to be home for awhile with my broken wrist I wanted to have another one but I am unable to sew or crochet anything. I was going to keep this knitting bag I made out of a shirt (instructions here) but decided to offer it as a prize. (yarn and needles not included)

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me about how you made or would like to make something out of something else. Like I made a knitting bag out of a shirt. The contest will end July 31st.

I have not heard from my last contest winner, Margaret if you are reading this, please email your address to debsstuff55 at yahoo dot com.

How Green Was My Week

2008-07-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well, to start with, I've saved a lot of gas by not going to work since I broke my wrist but I don't think that counts. Before that happened I wasn't doing that well with driving slower, my speed kept creeping up on me when I was driving longer distances. I had a really busy week workwise and I think it affected my driving.

I replaced another lightbulb with a compact flourescent, I should just break down and buy enough to replace them all, but I've just been replacing them as they burn out. These are the bulbs the apartment came with and I hate throwing them away while they're still good.

I did make the tutorial on turning a shirt into a bag. I'm hoping that will get others thinking about how they can recycle instead of throw away. Actually, I'm hoping this whole blog can inspire many more people and get them going green too, that may be my biggest contribution this week.

Denim Kitchen Accessories

2008-07-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

One of the projects I was going to work on soon, before I broke my wrist, was to make potholders out of old blue jeans. In the picture above are the jeans I am going to be recycling. As you can see I've already cut out some squares. I was going to do another tutorial and the whole bit, so for now your going to have to settle for some links. I've searched out not only potholders but other kitchen accessories so you can have your own denim kitchen.

Recycling Jeans into Pot Holders

Recycle Dish Towels and Jeans to Make Hot Pads

General Potholder Hints

Hot pads, Place mats and Table runner

Denim Pocket Magnets

Denim Pocket Bulletin Board

Crafty Lunch Sack

Recycled Denim Scatter Rug

Braided Rugs

I Love Freecycle!

2008-07-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

If you don't Freecycle you should! Freecycle is all about giving and getting free stuff that might otherwise end up in the landfills. The pictures above show some of the yarn and fabric I received from fellow freecyclers. I have also given away my sons old bunk beds and a microwave through Freecycle. The movement is nationwide but run locally. To find a group near you click this link.

Using Grape Boxes for Holding Yarn

2008-07-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said grape boxes. You know the kind, plastic, with lots of holes to keep the grapes fresh. They're a great way to keep the yarn balls your working with from rolling across the floor. They also keep my cats from unwinding the balls in wonderful patterns all over my living room. Any plastic container with holes that's large enough will work but I find the 2 lb. grape size is just right for a lot of my projects. The large flat ones strawberries come in are great when your working with two or three small skeins. I really like using them when i'm making something that I have to hold several strands together, it works great, the yarn feeds out through the holes in the box with no fuss

Repurposing Yarn from Old Sweaters

2008-07-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this on my other blog last year but thought it bore repeating here.

In the picture above is what remains of two sweaters I've been unraveling (aka frogging) for yarn. The hat is one I made out of the yarn from the dark sweater. It's hard to see the colors but that sweater had large blocks of 4 different dark colors, using three of these held together I made the hat on a knitting loom.I am a devotee of recycling and thrift shops and am always looking to save money. It takes some time to unravel a sweater but it takes time to earn the money for yarn too. Where I live we have a thrift shop where you can buy a brown shopping bag full for $3. I can fit 6 or more sweaters in the bag and I get a lot of yarn from these sweaters.This link will take you to a site that explains how to do it better than I could. Read it before you go out to buy because not all sweaters are suitable. Then go looking, you can find some awesome yarns if you keep an eye out for the right sweaters!!

More Plarn Patterns

2008-07-06T18:19:00.001-07:00

I spent a lot of time today looking for patterns other than totes and handbags using plarn. I didn't find much. I guess I'm going to have to start experimenting as soon as my arm heals up. i did find these though:

This dishcloth has a plarn scrubbie in the middle
Sunshine Dishcloth with Scrubbie

and a nice little mat
Plastic Bag Doormat Rug

An accessory bag for your solar dryer
Clothes Pin Bag

And a small bag for gifts
Plarn Gift Bag

Using Brown Paper Shopping Bags

2008-07-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

OK so you forgot your reusable bags the last time you went to the store and opted for paper rather than plastic. Now what are you going to do with them? Here's a few ideas:

I've got to try this one, I think my cats would love it!
Make your own Kitty Condo

Some Christmas crafts
Christmas Tote Bag Craft
Recycled Brown Paper Bag Christmas Place Mat

And Gift Wrap and Bags
Wrapping Paper
Gift Bags

Making Your Own Recycled Paper

2008-07-06T05:48:00.003-07:00

Even if I can't do any crafting with a broken arm, I can still do some research and bring you some great ideas to inspire you to reduce, reuse, recycle. It's kind of hard for me to type with only one hand but I'm getting better at it already.

I have always wanted to try to make my own paper but have never gotten around to it. The links I found use all kinds of things to make paper out of. The more I read the more I want to try it!

Here's the links:

Tutorial

From old newspaper

From scrap paper

From old jeans

Wrapping paper from jeans

From straw

From plants

From the garden

Ideas from My Readers

2008-07-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

You remember that barbeque I mentioned in my last post? Well, it was also my grandson's birthday. Which has very little to do with what happened. as I was getting ready to leave, I fell on my daughters back steps and broke my wrist. So, no more crafting for me for awhile. What I am going to do here, though is go through the comments and copy and paste some of the good ideas my readers have mentioned.

On using plarn, Kathie says: "have made mats to clean your feet on, scrubby pads for washing dishes, market bags, and more."

On driving Cay says"If I have several stops to make, I try to make a circle and that takes me out and brings me home again." and Kelly says "I went out and picked myself up a new backpack and put air in my bike tires. Now if it is just a quick trip in town (I live in a fairly small one) I take my bike and leave the car at home. I've also slowed down the same way you have."

Linda's idea for using plastic bottles " I was given a large terra cotta pot for flowers recently. They get heavy once you fill them with soil so, I plan on taking some plastic bottles I found and filling up half the large pot with them. Then I'll fill up the rest of the pot with soil. This is a good way to reuse those plastic bottles and will make it easier on the back when moving that pot around."

Quiltmac says "My personal "green" thing is using vinegar instead of chemical weed killer. It's wonderful especially on a hot sunny day, cooks those weeds!!!"

Jen's green thing "I stopped buying bottled water in bottles, now buying it in the Gallon size and using a sports thermos for my water all day. Not only am I going green, but I'm saving a little bit of money too."

Sonya has a good idea too "I like to stuff the toys I knit with plastic bags. It gives them a great crinkly sound. I does make them surface washable only."

On other ideas for brown paper bags from Libby "I use the paperbags for draining grease off of thing that I have deep fried, THe brown bags can also be cut up for wrapping paper or put down for a weed barrier"

Do you have an idea you would like to share? Just leave a comment!

Turn an Old Shirt into a Knitting Bag

2008-07-05T09:52:00.001-07:00

I bought this shirt for a dollar at my local thrift shop and then didn't like how it fit. Being somewhat frugal (OK, OK I'm cheap) I didn't want it to go to waste. The bag was quick to make, too. From start to finish, even stopping to take pictures, it only took me an hour.

First I cut across the shirt right under the sleeves. Then I cut a 2 inch strip off of both sides, these will be the handles. If your shirt is long sleeve and you want longer handles you can cut them out of the sleeves.
The hemmed edge will be the top of the bag so turn it around and cut a 2" square out of each of the bottom corners. If you quilt, I'm sure you can find a use for the 2 " squares as well as the rest of the leftover fabric.
Sew the button placket closed. Although I didn't have to, depending on your shirt you may have to remove the buttons. You can sew them back on if you want or replace them with some funky buttons from your button jar. (Everybody has a button jar don't they?) Then, with right sides together, sew down the sides and along the bottom with a 1/4" seam leaving the 2" square area open.
Holding the corners of the space you cut the 2" square from pull out so that side and bottom seam match-up. Sew this closed with a 1/4" seam.

Turn the strips for the handles so that right sides are together and sew a 1/4" seam along edges. Turn them right side out to attatch them to bag. You will need to use a ruler to measure an equal distance from each end to place the handles. You don't want them too close together or too wide apart, you'll just have to judge where you want to put them. Sew them to the bag with two lines of stitching at least 1/2" apart.
Here's the finished bag. (Disclaimer: Knitting needles are for display only, since I crochet) The size of your bag will vary depending on the size of the shirt you use. When I get around to it, I have a BBQ to go to right now, I'm going to take one of the buttons from the rest of the shirt and put it nearer the top just because I think it will look better. I was going to have a contest to give this one away but decided to keep it. Maybe another one at a later date?

Green Grocery Bags Given Away #27-50

2008-07-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

27. KnittingRose from contest #1
28. Deb in Kansas from second contest
29. Kim Lincoln in second contest

Contest Winners and New Contest

2008-07-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

The contest is now closed, my grandson, who turns 8 tomorrow, picked the winner and the winner is:

margaret

There is one slight problem though, while at the birthday party today, I feel down my DD's back steps and broke my wrist. It might be a little while till I can make the bag. lol But you will get it. So margaret, please contact me at tha email below.

OK this one is going to be a quickie because I'll be back home Saturday and that's when it's going to end. Only one bag will be up for grabs this time, I haven't had much of a chance to sew, they've been keeping me busy at work. Tell me why you either don't use your own bags when you go shopping or about the last time you had to use paper or plastic if you do usually use them.

The winners to the last contest were:

1. Poolesd
2. Deb in Kansas
3. Kim Lincoln

The winners for the first contest who have not contacted me yet are:

2dachies
undeadgoat

Please email me at debsstuff55 at yahoo dot com with your address so I can send you your bag.

A Purse from Juice Boxes

2008-06-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

A purse from juice boxes?? I couldn't believe it either whan I saw it. I also saw a green grocery bag made out of juice boxes for sale. They wanted almost $40 for it but then I found these directions to make bags and purses and figure we can adapt them to make any size.

Juice Pouch Purses

Crafty Chic: Juice Pouch Purses

Koolaid Purse

Jammers Juice Pouch Coin Purse

Juice Pouch Lunch Bag

Brown Paper Mailers

2008-06-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

The question is, what do you do with all those paper bags you acquired before you started using green bags? I can't take credit for this idea, someone sent me some crocheted squares for a charity project I was working on in a mailer like this. I recycle most of the mailers and boxes I receive things in (some can't be "saved") simply be blacking out addresses, tearing off lables and writing the new addresses on the back. Often, I still don't have enough so I decided to make some out of brown paper shopping bags.

First cut down one side and cut off the bottom and spread out.
They're going to be folded in half so decide how big you want your mailer to be. I'm going to be using them to mail out my green bags. It would kind of be wrong to use new mailers to mail these out, don't you think?
Fold them in half, then using a wide zigzag stitch on your sewing machine, sew down the two sides, leaving one side open.
Put your items in the mailer and sew up the last side (be sure you don't sew the items your mailing... LOL). Address and mail!!

Cassette Tape Crocheting

2008-06-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't done it yet but I've seen the patterns for crocheting with cassette tapes. One of my readers asked what you could make using the tape so I did a search and found these, but use your imagination I'm sure there's a lot more that can be made with it.

Crochet
Cassette Tape Evening Bag

Cassette Tape Barbie Halter Dress

Knit
IPod Cozy

And to use the empty cases (LOL)
Cassette Tape Wallet

Another Contest!!

2008-06-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Contest is closed, th winners are:
1. Poolesd
2. Deb in Kansas
3. Kim Lincoln

Please email me at debsstuff55 at yahoo dot com with your address so I can send you your bag.

OK, I'm going to do it again. I have three more green grocery bags to give away! All you have to do is leave a comment, then come back here next Weds. (July 2nd) to see if you've won. I have only heard from one of the winners from the last contest and really want to give these away so check back to see if you've won.
Now all you have to do is comment but I would love to hear what you've done recently to go green.
In case you didn't read the comments from the last contest here is a sampling of quotes about using fabric grocery bags from my readers:
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"my mom and I use (9) reusable bags for our groceries and use at other stores too"
" I have read a lot recently on the damage plastic bags do to our planet in the long term and was completely disgusted. I had no idea it was as horrid as it is."
"I love using cloth bags instead of plastic. I bought a bunch until I could make some of my own."
"I love using bags over paper and plastic and save all my plastic just for making bags too."
"I am making an attempt at not getting any more plastic or paper bags when I go shopping. I either ask for no bag or take my reusable one's from Trader Joe's.'

Recycled Kids Crafts

2008-06-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't had young children in the house for a long time now, but I remember way back when, when mine were young using stuff we had around the house for craft projects. We didn't call it recycling back then but we did call it saving money. I had one cabinet set aside for things like toilet paper and paper towel rolls, egg cartons, paper (especially colored paper) from junk mail that only had printing on one side and on and on. The craft projects we made from them would keep the kids busy for hours. So set aside a place to collect these things and let your kids use their imagination! To get you started, I've included some links for kid's recycled crafts:

Crafts-Recycling and Reusing Materials

Family Corner Recycled Kids Crafts

Recycling Crafts

Recycled Kids Crafts

oh where, oh where are my contest winners?

2008-06-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

It's been five days now and none of my winners have contacted me! Again, they are:

2dachies
Knittingrose
undeadgoat

If you are one of the winners please contact me. You can either leave a comment with your email (it won't be published) or email me at debsstuff55 at yahoo dot com.

Green Grocery Bags Given Away #1 - 25

2008-06-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

I'm going to keep track of all the bags I make and who they went to, watch this space as the list grows.

1. I kept it
2. Gave to my daughter
3. Co-worker
4. Online friend
5. A lady who gave me some yarn through freecycle
6. My favorite eBay seller (a friend)
7. My ex-husband (yes, you read that right)
8. Another co-worker
9. Ok, so I kept another one
10. And yet another co-worker
11. The manager of my favorite thrift store
12. The owner of the repair shop I use
13. My mechanic
14. A lady waiting for her car at the repair shop
15. I gave my daughter another one
16. Another co-worker
17. A nice lady I know
18. Yet another co-worker
19. Pastor of a client's church
20. Youth Minister of same client's church
21. Business manager of same church
22. My supervisor
23. Another co-worker
24 - 26. Three ladies at a card game

Making Cloth Diapers

2008-06-17T05:29:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since I had babies in diapers (my youngest just turned 21), even my grand babies have been out of diapers for some time now, so diapers haven't been on my agenda for awhile. One of my readers however said this in a comment
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"I want my children to have a great planet, not have to try to clean up after us. I tried to get some cloth diapers for my son, and so wish I had done my research before I had my children and went with cloth BEFORE now I do not have the finances to even buy material to make him some, and what I do have would not work for diapers."
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I used cloth diapers for all three of my babies but it would never have occurred to me to sew my own. That got me thinking, the first thing I thought was "couldn't you buy some flannel sheets at a thrift shop to use" so I did some research and the answer is yes of course you can. You can also use any other flannel from old pajamas to Dad's flannel shirts. The fabric doesn't have to be new or white. You can use old towels and washcloths for the soaker pads, fleece works too and I could go on. You just need to see whats available and try it out. Below are some links to help you get started.
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About cost and choices
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Materials and Pattern for Prefolds
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Links for Free Patterns and More
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Tips for Making and Washing

Finding Craft Supplies

2008-06-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

If you follow my other blog: Deb's Crafts: Handicrafts for Charity, you know that I donate a lot of handmade stuff to various charities. One of the reasons I do it, is there's no limits, my family and friends may only need a limited amount of, say hats, but I can make as many as I want for various charities. I often do my research and development for my patterns this way, changing (and hopefully making them better) each a little bit until I come up with a whole new pattern.
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I have to say that I am not a rich woman, in fact many would use the words "dead end" and "low paid" in conjunction with the word job to describe what I do. However, I love what I do, I take care of the elderly and get a lot of satisfaction from it.
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So the question is, how can I afford the yarn, fabric and other supplies for my projects? I guess most of it would be considered recycled. I buy it at thrift stores, yard sales and resale shops. The one I like the best is Leftovers, Etc. that I mentioned before. I am careful about odors and such but I can get some great deals and it makes it possible to make a lot more than I could if I bought it new.
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When you go "shopping" for supplies this way keep an open mind about what can be used. Other than the obvious fabric and skeins of yarn, look for curtains, sheets and even tablecloths in good shape that can be used for fabric. Knitted or crocheted afghans, sweaters, etc. can be unraveled and used again. Even worn chenille bedspreads and the like can be used for cute stuffed animals. Vinyl tablecloths can be used for the backing for changing pads and other things. Over sized adults clothing can be cut down. Old blue jeans have many uses. You just need to look around and use your imagination.

Green Bags (Contest)- Winners!!

2008-06-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

The contest is closed. Wow, I had 60 entries! That's awesome, I'll definitely make more green bags and have another contest soon. I'm making some for family and friends right now. I just bought another 4 yards of fabric ($1 at the thrift shop) to make more, as if I didn't have enough fabric! So watch the blog for the next contest!
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The Winners are:
2dachies
Knittingrose
undeadgoat
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Please leave a comment with your email addy and address (It will not be made public, don't worry, I'll be the only one seeing it) and I will email you when I mail your bag. If you came here through YahooGroups or Ravelry you can contact me there.
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First off, you have to visit the Green Bag Lady, she's been giving away green bags for grocery shopping but is getting overwhelmed and needs help! She has posted a link to her pattern on the sidebar of her blog. If you can sew, they take hardly anytime at all, I've made two already in less than an hour. I gave the first one to my daughter and this one is for me. I already have a bag I bought but I can always use another one. So this will be an effort to save the earth or at least keep a few animals from choking on plastic bags.
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I have three more of these bags cut out from this (recycled, not sure what it was but I bought the pieces at a thrift shop) fabric that I want to give away. So who should I give them to? I don't have the money or the time to do what the Green Bag Lady does but I can help. I will give away three grocery bags to three of my readers. I guess we're going to call this a contest. Just leave a comment and I will chose three to win the bags. If this goes well I may do it more often depending on when I have time to make more bags. This contest will close on my next day off which should be next Tuesday, June 17. Please check back to see if you won.

Making and Using "Plarn"

2008-06-11T08:15:00.001-07:00

Plarn is yarn made from plastic shopping bags. You know the ones, they collect under your sink and in the cabinet and you swear your going to use them for something someday. You can use them for wastebaskets or carry your craft projects around in them but there's really only so many you can use. (Unless your moving and can't find enough boxes, don't laugh I did that once)
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Anyway here are some links for making plarn and crocheting with it.
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I usually cut mine 1 inch, but otherwise here's how to make it

Making Plarn
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Plarn makes great shopping bags that you can take with you to the grocery store. The problem with this is you don't get more bags to make plarn with!
Round Plastic Bag Tote
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How about handbags?
Plastic Hobo Handbag
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A tote?
Green Tote for Earth Day

Crochet Scrubbie from T-shirt Yarn

2008-06-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Instructions for making the "yarn" are here.

These are really easy to make and really work on cleaning those pots and pans!

With a large crochet hook (I used an N but you may have to use a different size depending on how thick your "yarn" is) Ch 6 and join, ch3 and work 15 dc into loop join and end. Work end in.

That's it, told you it was easy!

Recycling Old T-Shirts for "Yarn"

2008-06-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

I liked the idea of recycling old T-shirts but I didn't like the way it was done. Too many loose ends. So with a little experimentation I came up with this. You need old T-shirts that don't have a side seam. I went to my local thrift shop. They sell bags of old ratty T-shirts for a whole dollar for rags etc.. About half of the bag I bought were seamless. I put the rest away for future projects. The first step is to cut off the bottom hem and right under the arms so you have a tube of fabric.
Going from one side with your rotary cutter, cut about 1 inch strips leaving the last inch or so uncut.
The result will look somewhat like a hula skirt! (Without the cat of course, her name is Smokey if anyone cares)
I found that slipping the T-shirt over something like an ironing board and straightening and smoothing the uncut section makes it easier to see what your doing. Starting at the bottom cut one end off the first section at the uncut part. Then angle upward from the end of one cut section to the beginning of the next section, keep doing this all the way to the top. This gives you one continuous strip. Starting at one end hold sections of the strip and pull on them. This makes most T-shirt fabric curl. Some heavier material may not but that's OK too. Now wind it into a ball! There you have your brand new recycled T-shirt "yarn".
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For scrubbie pattern click here

Proud Mother

2008-05-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of my son. Awhile ago he stepped on his laptop getting out of bed and totally destroyed it. (NO, that's not the reason I'm proud of him, he's a senior in college for cripes sake) No, the reason I'm proud of him was yesterday when I called him to find out when he was going to start the journey home, he told me he would be leaving as soon as he dropped his laptop off at the recycling center.
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This is just a reminder, please don't just discard electronics, they contain many toxic substances and should be recycled.
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Where can I recycle electronics?
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Leftovers

2008-05-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

We have a store out here that I believe may be truly unique. It's called Leftovers and it's all about recycling for craft projects. It's mainly set up for teachers and scout leaders to get recycled supplies for craft projects but it is also open to the public. You can take in all kinds of "leftovers" like egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, leftover yarn and other craft supplies and on and on and on. You can also buy things by the bagful. (Teachers can get it free) They also have activities and classes for kids and adults. It's a wonderful place, I collect bags of things to take there and buy a lot of fabric and yarn for my charity projects there. If you live anywhere near St. Charles MO you need to check it out and if not maybe you or someone can start something similar where you live.

Visit Leftovers Etc.

Have You Changed Your Driving Habits?

2008-05-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

I know I have, even though I was never a speed demon, I've still slowed down. I would generally go about 5 miles over the speed limit, now I drive about 5 miles under. It does make a difference and quite frankly it hasn't made that much of a difference in how long I take to get places. I also plan my trips more and have only gone certain places if I have someplace else to go in that direction. let me know how your driving habits have changed and your ideas to save gas.

Swiffer Covers

2008-05-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

One of the things that has really bothered me is the explosion of disposible cleaning products. I came across these patterns to knit and crochet washable swiffer covers. You can make a few of them and just rinse them out or throw them in the wash when they're dirty!

Knit pattern

Crochet Pattern

Welcome!

2008-05-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

For those who read my other blogs, I decided to start this one because I wanted a different focus. My main blog is about crafting for charity and you will find the link over on the sidebar. This one will also involve crafts but they will focus on reducing, reusing and recycling. However, it will be more than crafts. It will be about all kinds of ways we can help the environment and go green.