(Added
4/21/2012) If you didn't win today, I'll be blogging and giving away another
prize on May 14!
And the winner is:
****TAMMY!!!****
Tammy,
please send your snail mail address along with your choice of prize:
He
Calls Her Doc
Promise
to a Boy
Winning
Over the Rancher
or
a set of TossOn Bracelets to me at: Mary@marybrady.net
Check
out similar bracelet sets at www.etsy.com/shop/julsandmaude
Congratulations and thanks! I love
seeing your smiling face on my comments page!
For
new arrivals, enjoy the Bonds and come next month for a run at a prize!
Reassign…okay, so maybe I stuck this one in so I could put pictures of things I have “reassigned” in my life. For instance, I have reassigned James Bond in all his forms to the observe only category, sooo that way I can begin to forget that he was never any place but there for me anyway. Sooo...it's Sunday night and I'll just move on. But the photos stay!
Recycle…my hubby will attest, I recycle everything I can and save up the rest to take elsewhere to special disposal sites—but everyone knows about recycling.
Upcycling and repurposing (ancient ideas but renamed so recently that my spell checker doesn’t recognize them) create some of my worthy causes and entertaining challenges. Caution: If you have hoarding tendencies, please do not bring things home for the purpose of upcycling or repurposing. You could easily and quickly…well, you know.
Before I recycle anything or toss anything out, I look at it as an object for consideration. Can said thing I'm about to dump be upcycled—updated for further use in a manner similar to that for which it was originally intended or can it be repurposed—used as something for which it was not originally created but for which it is well or reasonably well suited. I could make a long list of my "not ready for the landfill yet" objects but it would be interesting only to me.
This blog idea started when I had made too many potatoes with my corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day and had to upcycle some of them. I fried them for breakfast and trust me, that’s one yummy upcycle.
Recently, I saw these earrings in Jewelry Making Daily made from the colorful metal of cookie/candy tins—the ones painted with snow people, flowers, fruits, etc. They were bug's ear cute and the raw materials are currently quite abundant and varied.
It's in the little things like the broccoli rubber bands making the perfect closure device for a bag of coffee. It's in the big things like using retired ships as reefs for sea life.
What I am most interested in, however, is what do you upcycle or repurpose in your life that makes things better, saves the planet, and generally gives you a feeling that you just did something right and no one can take that away from you! To one commenter, I will give away my book of your choice or a set of TossOn™ bracelets. For examples of TossOn™ bracelets visit Juls and Maude (Check the comments section of this blog this Friday for the winner.)
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
24 comments:
I'm into craft & sewing. Sometimes when a garment wears out, especially if the fabric is gorgeous, I salvage what material I can from it to use for future projects. I always keep buttons & zippers & toggles etc. It's just common sense really & such a money saver too.
Mary I recycle everything I can.
I upcycle old blankets and bedspreads to cover my tomato plants. I also use margarine containers and the like to freeze tomato sauces etc. I know that's a practice that some people don't agree with but I've been doing it for years. Every year we remove our velcro tomato ties for reuse the next year. It makes cleaning up the garden one step longer but why throw them out. We are into composting as well.
I loved browsing your linked web sites. I now know what toss on bracelets are. Did you know that Super author Jeannie Watt make jewelry out of braided horse hair?
I miss Pierce as James Bond :(.
I have no talent for crafts or sewing and I admire people who do have talent for that stuff. I checked out the bracelets and they are very nice.
Marybelle, I agree, it is common sense. Some truly lovely things come from repurposing--purses from elegant to denim, skirts, vests, quilts, stuffed animals, fabric flowers. And you're right, about saving money--always a fun thing. Thanks!
Kaelee, I didn't know about Jeannie Watt's making jewelry out of braided horse hair. I've seen some made that way on Etsy.com and it's fun and charming. I'll have to look up Jeannie's. Your tomato plants must love being so cozy under blankets. Thanks!
I have a friend who makes jewelry from the pull top on aluminum cans. Cute bracelets wrapped with yarn scraps.
I am not crafty, but I do try to recycle and reuse whenever possible
I plan on making a quilt out of all my son's Little League jerseys. I'll need to wait until the end of this season to use the final jersey since he'll be in High School next year. His t-ball shirt is so tiny and this year's is huge. I just hope my sewing skills will live up to the nine seasons' worth of memories.
And I loved Daniel Craig as James Bond.
I do a lot of sewing, and I NEVER throw fabric out. There's always something that can be done with it, from patching other clothes to making a great big quilt!
pageturner345@gmail.com
As I read the responses, I realize that I'm not really good at repurposing. I do save some things, but when I do a yearly cleanout, I end up tossing out all the things I *think* I will use again. I guess the best thing I do is plant perrenials so I don't have to buy new plants every year. I also give lots away to Goodwill and let other repurpose my things :)
Thanks for the tips :)
BW, you may have no craft talents, but you have a talent for picking great James Bond portrayers. I love them all, but Pierce, oh yum! Thanks!
Tammy, we crafty ones love you non- crafty ones as you love to use and buy crafty things to validate all who craft. Did that make any sense? Thanks!
Hi Mary, great post. I save the wrappers from pounds of butter and use them to grease the insides of cake or muffin tins for baking.
When I had a garden, I loved composting. Another trick I used one autumn was to rake up all of the maple leaves that had fallen on my lawn from a neighbour's tree (they consume nitrogen so, unlike other tree leaves, shouldn't be left on the grass over the winter). I stored them in plastic garbage bags behind my compost bin and, two summers later, used them in my garden like compost. Most of the leaves had broken down into a thick black compost that was rich in nitrogen. I called it 'black gold.' It was my best garden EVER ;-)
Kristina, a quilt from little league jerseys--how special (and I mean that in the best way possible). Great memories and durable. I can see it going off to college or being at home in the family room, maybe even on the wall. Craig is such a powerful Bond, gritty and well-motivated. Love him, too. Get the feeling I love Bond in general? Thanks!
Pageturner, you must have some mighty fine quilts. Quilts, clothes, purses, etc. with used fabrics often have great memories attached. Thanks!
Liz, places like Good Will, the Salvation Army, Purple Heart play a bigger and more special place in saving the Earth than ever before. The awareness and action by people (like you) that someone else might be thrilled to use something that would have previously gone into a landfill is so very helpful. (Putting soap box away for a while.) Thanks!
Mary, love the butter wrapper thing and I'm going to "steal" the maple leaf idea. My neighbors have stopped putting weed killer on their grass and I would bet they'd not mind my harvesting leaves in the fall. Thanks!
I recycle old clothes in re-making them into newer styled clothes that I can wear again. For example, some pants I might have left over with big legs can be sewn to look more straight-legged and a new style to wear. I've also made dresses for my granddaughter out of some of my old dresses.
JFWisherd(at)aol(dot)com
I'm sure many other do this too but I take old greeting cards sent to me and cut out the designs and craft new cards...I've also used them to make tiny decorated boxes.It's a fun craft idea for kids too.
JWIsley@aol.com
Hi Mary~
Let's say I think about things I buy before I put out the cash. Can it be consumed in its entirety, some used and some reused or toatlly reuseable??? Sometimes I pay a little more but in the long run it will be cheaper for someone. One of my earth-saving things - I have a big stack of cotton, cloth napkins that have served me well for years. They are so soft and homey!
smshule@aol.com
Jackie, love, love the idea of dresses for the grandchild from grandmother's old ones. What a great heritage thing. The granddaughter learns Earth-healthy habits by seeing the actions of her grandmother. And at the age when granddaughters adore their grandmothers, that must be character molding in a most positive way. Thanks!
Joye, I've always thought the greeting card thing was a great idea. I have never transformed the cards myself, but I do save them. I had such fun going through the greeting cards my grandmother saved, that I have a box of my own. Maybe someday...
Sandy, I love your cloth napkins! It's such an easy thing--if one has a washer and dryer in one's home--which I am glad to say I do. There is a little work involved in washing and folding a few cloth napkins--but not much. I do find some of my guests are reluctant to use a cloth napkin, but I'm addicted to them.
Gosh Mary, I have no clue what I upcycle or repurpose. I donate clothes and furnishings to the Salvation Army and women's shelters. Does that count? I'm going to go ponder this. :-)
Love the Bond pics!
Hey, Beth, the Salvation Army is good!
Hi Mary;
Bread ties, rubber bands, saving the egg cartons for a guy at work who raises chickens. I'm always looking at ways to repurpose.
I can think of a couple good uses for 007 :)
Hey, Rogenna, every little bit helps! Thanks!
We recycle and compost. As to repurposing/upcycling, I guess we do a little bit of that too. My pressure cook pot started to bulge, so it is now a dog water bowl. An old frying pan is the duck's food dish. The old child's swimming pool is a turtle pond. I'm sure there's other stuff, but i can't think of any more right now!
Snookie, I love repurposing. I do recycling, but I have fun with repuropsing because it is often inventing.
And sorry everybody, I didn't get the winner up yesterday. I will go use the randomizer on the front page and be back in a couple moments!
If you didn't win today, I'll be blogging and giving away another prize on May 14!
And the winner is:
****TAMMY!!!****
Tammy, please send your snail mail address along with your choice of prize:
He Calls Her Doc
Promise to a Boy
Winning Over the Rancher
or a set of TossOn Bracelets to me at: Mary@marybrady.net
Check out similar bracelet sets at www.etsy.com/shop/julsandmaude
Congratulations and thanks! I love seeing your smiling face on my comments page!
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