Scrap Pack Winners

I came up with a couple more fun recycling ideas for you:

• Recycle a soda bottle into a coin purse
• Make reusable mesh produce bags

Thanks for sharing your favorite ways to reduce-reuse-recycle!

I have two winners for the color-coordinated scrap packs from SCRAP:

First number drawn was:

That’s Pam from Gingerbreadsnowflakes, the lady who sparked the whole Reducing post!

And, the second winner was:

Jenny, from Craft Test Dummies!

Thanks for participating. Even if you didn’t win, I really appreciate you entering and getting to know you a bit better! I can always use a few more crafty friends, can’t you?

Knittn Kitten Stuff March 2010

If you’re a subscriber to this blog, you know I talk about the Knittn Kitten a lot – if you aren’t familiar, it’s a perfect mashup of Portlandness – a craft thrift store.

I stopped into the Kitten the other day to pick up some vintage ric rac (no better place to get it than KK!) and I saw that they have a good selection of St. Patrick’s Day fabric on their seasonal table.

My 3 year-old son had fun playing with the rack of to-play-with toys while I shopped.

Some lucky person can snag this Strawberry Shortcake purse for $4. Gothic lolita, yo!

And if I had a daughter, I would definitely want to pick this little poodle purse up for a dress-up box. I think it’s less than three bucks.

I was in and out of the store quickly, so I didn’t really take many photos, but I’m happy to report that the place was hoppin’ (and it was Wednesday afternoon). Hopefully the store’s business has picked up a bit.

I saw a new free pattern by Addie Pearl – a super cute sequined felt leaf.

If you are in Portland, check it out! If you’re not in Portland, come visit us, or download this free ebook of Knittn’ Kitten-inspired craft projects.

Reducing Instead of Reusing & Recycling

recycling at Burgerville – photo by MikZ

We’re used to recycling: paper, glass, aluminum, soda cans, plastic — we’ve even gotten used to the idea of composting (sometimes even at fast food restaurants). Reusing is easy — shopping at thrift stores isn’t a stretch, and we might even refill old yogurt containers with leftovers instead of using plastic wrap or a zip-top bag, or bring shopping bags to the grocery store to reuse again and again.

Some of us are more vigilant than others.

And most of us have forgotten the cardinal command of the 3 R’s: REDUCE. Sure, we reuse and recycle, but what about minimizing our need to do those things?

I'm giving away some recycled goodie packs for crafting goodness - see bottom of post for details

We’re Americans (I know not all of my readers are), and we do what we like to do and have been conditioned to do: consume! We buy things whenever we want them, usually with little regard to the waste generated by the simple process of unpackaging them, and without a thought to all the waste that went into making them and shipping them from factory to store.

So, reducing.

Pam at Gingerbreadsnowflakes has been saving her packaging for awhile. She is doing a series on making things out of trash, but she posted some photos of just how much she has saved and started a discussion on how much stuff we buy only to turn around and throw most of it (the packaging) away. Sure, we can reuse some of it, craft with some of it, but in all honesty, there’s more than we can reuse and we have to dispose of the rest.

Pam said it best:

And think about it – just how many oatmeal boxes, glass jars, tin cans, or plastic bottles can we realistically repurpose?

The answer seems to me to be – not very many and certainly not as many as pass through our hands in a years time.  Don’t misunderstand – I am all for repurposing!  But there is a limit to how many items even the most energetic among us can repurpose.

I’m not preaching to you because I’m as guilty as anyone. I have high intentions, but often my tiredness/laziness/need to just get it done outweighs my desire to be kind to the earth. Being idealistic doesn’t do anyone any good; action is what makes a difference.

There are a lot of things I do wrong. A lot of things I can change without much impact on my current lifestyle. And a few things I can do with a slight impact on my lifestyle. Not that I’m opposed to changing my lifestyle, but baby steps are usually more effective than making grand pronouncements that I have no chance of living up to immediately. You have to train before you can run a marathon.

Playset I made from recycled box

Things I currently do:

• Recycling almost all packaging (cardboard, cans, plastic containers, glass)
• Buy in bulk sometimes
• Reuse some containers
• Go out of my way to recycle plastic (it isn’t accepted in the recycling bins in our neighborhood)
• Buy used if possible (no packaging)
• Buy from local outlets (farmer’s markets, mostly)
• Make crafts from recycled materials (sometimes)

Things I could do without even breaking a sweat:

• Look in my recycling bin first before buying new (paper, cardboard, containers, or for craft supplies)
• Design projects around recycled items instead of new
• Buy less stuff (ask myself if I really need it – the answer will often be no)
• Buy bulk more often
• Cook from scratch with bulk items (instead of using readymade stuff: cookies, other baked goods)
• Avoid buying overpackaged items or items with unrecyclable packaging
• Reuse certain packaging I throw away (washing zip-top bags)
• Buy toys and other items that are made from recycled materials

Thanks for your post, Pam, and for getting me thinking about reducing (instead of JUST reusing and recycling).

Fun ways to Reduce-Reuse-Recycle:

• Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects by Betz White
• Recycling craft projects from Patricia Zapata at A Little Hut (her book)
• So many great projects for kids at Filth Wizardry (you must check out!)
• Recycled craft projects at Dollar Store Crafts
• Eco Craft: I made a recycled coffee bag purse (shown above) inspired by a project in this book
• Recycled Chip Bag Book Cover: I did this project over at Make & Takes
• Make Reusable Sandwich Bags at Dabbled
• 12 Awesome Recycled Craft Projects for Kids at Craft Jr.
• Craftcycle: 100+ recycled projects in this book
• Shop for recycled materials at SCRAP (in Portland) or other recycled materials outlet in your area
• Visit Knittn Kitten (craft thrift store in Portland) or download this ebook with free projects for using recycled craft materials
• Shop your thrift store for craft supplies
• Make recycled fashion (or Trashion) with Outsapop

Thanks for sticking with me this far! I want to share some amazing scrap packs I got from SCRAP with two of my readers, so comment here with your favorite recycling crafty idea (with a link if you like) and I will choose a winner via random.org on Tuesday.

The giveaway booty:

I super-love these packages the kind folks at SCRAP have put together with random goodies for your crafting pleasure (LOVE those recycled labels they used to close up the bags).

Cute ingredients label.

Once again, to win one of these goodie bags, comment here with your favorite recycling crafty idea (with a link if you like) and I will choose a winner via random.org on Tuesday.

St Patrick’s Day Ideas from All Things Family Blog Carnival

I’ve never been one to celebrate St. Patrick’s day beyond the wearing green to avoid getting pinched thing, but this year I made a couple of cute St. Patrick’s themed crafts that have been making me happy.

Did you see my Leprechaun Magic Mirror at Dollar Store Crafts? I thought it turned out super cute (and that’s my little oldest little leprechaun peeking out of it).  Here’s another one of my other leprechaun.

Check out all the great St. Patrick’s Day ideas from the All Things Family Blog Carnival, which is over at Projects for Preschoolers this week.

St. Patrick’s Day printables at Printables 4 Kids

5 Classic Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day by Raising a Healthy Family

St. Patrick’s Day poems at Classroom Jr.

(Not St. Patrick’s Day, but a great idea): Learn to Read with a Cootie Catcher at Quirky Momma

If you would like to participate in the blog carnival next week, you can submit your link here. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “submit an article” link).

Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat Finger Puppets

So I did that big round up of Dr. Seuss-related crafts and food, but my friend Wendy just posted instructions to make these adorable pipe cleaner finger puppets over at her site. You can learn how to make the Cat in the Hat or Thing 1 and Thing 2. So cute! I love finger puppets, and I love how simple these are to make. (And if you like them, she has other pipe cleaner finger puppet projects like these Easter puppets, or you can check out this pipe cleaner dinosaur puppet I made).

Check out Dr. Seuss Finger Puppet Activity at Craft Jr.

p.s. for another great Dr. Seuss roundup, check out One Pretty Thing!