Apparently starting a blog during the holidays wasn't my brightest idea; so little time and so many fascinating projects to distract me from writing... This week I've learned how to break a glass bottle with yarn and nail polish (what?!), collected printer ink cartridges to recycle, shopped at a locally owned toy store for kiddo Christmas gifts, baked gingerbread cookies, and designed a shoe pattern.
Handmade boots:
I drew Finna's name in our annual gift swap and I'm creating her a tiny pair of velvet knee-high boots (because she refuses to keep normal shoes or socks on her 11 month old feet, and baby its cold outside). In my new found spirit of upcycling I've decided to create her boots from thrift store purchases. Not only will they be inexpensive, they'll also reduce waist / win-win! I'm pretty excited and really want to make myself a pair after Finna's are done, although you should have seen the panic on my husband's face when I mentioned I could make him a pair too = priceless.
Chocolate:
So far our new commitment to only purchasing fair trade coffee has been going very well and it feels good to make better choices, however we've recently been talking a lot about chocolate and realizing we need to make some commitments in that area as well. "UNICEF estimates that nearly a half-million children work on [cocoa] farms across [the] Ivory Coast, which produces nearly 40% of the world’s supply of cocoa. The agency says hundreds of thousands of children, many of them trafficked across borders, are engaged in the worst forms of child labor." I've already purchased a bunch of chocolate for stuffing stockings this season and I have no idea if it was harvested by enslaved children. How heartbreaking... So from here on out I'm going to be making much better shopping choices when it comes to cocoa products. Wanna join me?
Find Your Peace This Holiday:
"It’s that time of the year when our hearts seem to connect to and long for the idea of peace more than ever. Ironically, it is also a time when we are so busy that we sometimes forget to breathe."
Don't forget to breath... Slow down, relax, and ENJOY making and giving love this holiday season.
Baby steps.
xo
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
sneak preview
One of our favorite Christmas traditions is drawing Secret Santa names with my husband's family. Every year the four of us put our names onto tiny bits of paper and toss them into a hat along with the names of each of my in-laws. We take turns drawing top-secret slips of paper which contain the name of a family member for whom we must create a one-of-a-kind handmade gift.
Some years are more challenging than others, some names more difficult to draw (creating a thoughtful gift for my brother-in-law is simply a lot tougher than for my 3 year old niece). But no matter who we select the reward of watching them open something made especially for them overshadows all of the plastic consumerism that comes before and after.
In our new found spirit of upcycling we decided to head to one of our favorite local thrift stores to seek out a few key gift-making ingredients (more to come on this process in a future post)...
For around $20 we purchased:
A glass vase, some stretchy velvet pants, and a pair of old slippers, PLUS we picked up some pants and a nice work shirt for my husband, a shirt for me, and a practically brand new magic kit for our 5 year old son.
Today's little pearl?
$20 spent giving old crap a second life feels a lot better than $20 spent on new shit (plus you get more bang for your buck).
Some years are more challenging than others, some names more difficult to draw (creating a thoughtful gift for my brother-in-law is simply a lot tougher than for my 3 year old niece). But no matter who we select the reward of watching them open something made especially for them overshadows all of the plastic consumerism that comes before and after.
In our new found spirit of upcycling we decided to head to one of our favorite local thrift stores to seek out a few key gift-making ingredients (more to come on this process in a future post)...
For around $20 we purchased:
A glass vase, some stretchy velvet pants, and a pair of old slippers, PLUS we picked up some pants and a nice work shirt for my husband, a shirt for me, and a practically brand new magic kit for our 5 year old son.
Today's little pearl?
$20 spent giving old crap a second life feels a lot better than $20 spent on new shit (plus you get more bang for your buck).
the basics only
So this is the basic list that I made around 6:00am this morning... I'm sure there will be some small tweaks still to come, but I think its a great place to start with our upcycling goal.
1): Items we are allowed to purchase 'new'
• groceries & pet food
• undergarments
• toiletries
• cleaning supplies
• handmade gifts
• tickets to visit places or attend events
2): Items we must make, salvage or purchase pre-loved
• clothing
• shoes
• accessories
• toys and games
• books
• music and movies
• techno stuff
• art and craft supplies
• furniture and home decor
3):Gray areas
We are 8 years into remodeling our 1929 home, so there may be a bit of gray area when it comes to purchasing certain building materials or supplies. We will promise to find as much salvaged as possible and work hard to keep waist to a minimum.
4):Stocking up?
It is almost Christmas so pardon my 'stocking' pun, but seriously when does all this upcycling go into effect already? We figure it will take us a few weeks to get used to the idea and hash out all the details, so have decided to mark our official 365 day challenge start date as January 1st, 2013. This leads me to wonder... Are there any items I should stock up on before doomsday arrives? At the very least we might want to stockpile paper and ink cartridges for our lame printer (currently flashing that it needs C, Y AND K).
1): Items we are allowed to purchase 'new'
• groceries & pet food
• undergarments
• toiletries
• cleaning supplies
• handmade gifts
• tickets to visit places or attend events
2): Items we must make, salvage or purchase pre-loved
• clothing
• shoes
• accessories
• toys and games
• books
• music and movies
• techno stuff
• art and craft supplies
• furniture and home decor
3):Gray areas
We are 8 years into remodeling our 1929 home, so there may be a bit of gray area when it comes to purchasing certain building materials or supplies. We will promise to find as much salvaged as possible and work hard to keep waist to a minimum.
4):Stocking up?
It is almost Christmas so pardon my 'stocking' pun, but seriously when does all this upcycling go into effect already? We figure it will take us a few weeks to get used to the idea and hash out all the details, so have decided to mark our official 365 day challenge start date as January 1st, 2013. This leads me to wonder... Are there any items I should stock up on before doomsday arrives? At the very least we might want to stockpile paper and ink cartridges for our lame printer (currently flashing that it needs C, Y AND K).
upcycling epiphany
Around 1:30am this morning I was visited by a completely unexpected mental epiphany... It's finally time to take control of my frivolous consumer habits and transform my family into an upcycling powerhouse.
I barely slept with so many excited ideas dancing around my head; little sugarplums I couldn't wait to create and define. You see, I've never seriously considered upcycling before today. Sure, we recycle all the time, proudly filling up our allotted city bins with cardboard and aluminum, and I've been known to salvage and repurpose many a crafty project in the past, but this is something much bigger.
I don't just want to turn bedside tables into cute little DIY playkitchens (although you can bet there will be plenty of that in the coming months), I want to kick 'buying new' to the curb completely. I want my family of 4 to make a commitment to live upcycled for at least a full year and hopefully much longer (baby steps).
*(sorry, but there is no way I'm wearing secondhand panties)
I barely slept with so many excited ideas dancing around my head; little sugarplums I couldn't wait to create and define. You see, I've never seriously considered upcycling before today. Sure, we recycle all the time, proudly filling up our allotted city bins with cardboard and aluminum, and I've been known to salvage and repurpose many a crafty project in the past, but this is something much bigger.
I don't just want to turn bedside tables into cute little DIY playkitchens (although you can bet there will be plenty of that in the coming months), I want to kick 'buying new' to the curb completely. I want my family of 4 to make a commitment to live upcycled for at least a full year and hopefully much longer (baby steps).
This means, with the exception of necessities like food and clean underwear* we will not buy new in 2013.
My amazing husband is on board, so are our two young children (although honestly, they don't have much choice). Wow. Do you think we can do it? Please stick around and see what happens... I can use all the support and inspiration I can get!*(sorry, but there is no way I'm wearing secondhand panties)
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