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). 

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)