Garbage Day

       My husband went to wheel our large green garbage can around front this morning (dear chap that he is), but noticed that the can was empty.  He came inside and said, “Don’t we have any garbage this week?”  I loved being able to say, “No, with the exception of what was sitting in the kitchen can.”  This was sort exhilarating for me. It meant that  I had succeeded at reducing our weekly waste to an all time low.  The little bit of trash that we had accumulated over the past 7 days was a result of what could not be composted, reused or placed in the recycle bin. 

        We have been composting and recycling for the 19 years that we have lived in our home which has kept our refuse to a minimum, but with the addition of cardboard to our recycling program, our weekly trash has dropped even further.  It is amazing how many products come in boxes from cereal to toothpaste.  Before I place anything in the big green garbage can, I ask myself if it fits into any of our 3 attempts to be “green” first.  

For detailed ideas on implementing your own home recycling plan:

http://www.countryhome.com/projects/shopgirl/recycling-basics 1.htm 

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/tips-techniques/recycle-anything-00000000006117/

http://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-recycling.html

Up-cycled Scarf

        Scarves are about the only thing that I like about winter (well, I do like the fact that my hair does not frizz and I get to wear all my cute boots). Whether scarves are store bought or hand-made, knit, sewn, woven or crocheted; they can be the greatest accessory for an outfit.

I made the following scarf out of old sweaters. I started with sweaters that were 100 percent wool.  I put them through the washer and dryer 3-4 times until they shrank a considerable amount. I then cut 10 rectangle pieces, measuring 5 1/2” by 7”, from the shrunken sweaters.  

        I laid the cut pieces out in pattern that I desired and then hand-stitched them together, end to end, using a blanket stitch.  I used brightly colored embroidery floss (full thickness of the thread).

       One of my sweaters had pockets in it so I added these to each end of my scarf.  This way I can keep my hands, as well as my neck, warm.  After attaching all of my rectangles together, I went around the edge of the whole scarf with my blanket stitch, changing colors about every 3rd block or so.  I was very pleased with the result.  You can mix and match a variety of patterns for a whimsical look!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving...

      There were a few large pieces of fleece in the mountain of fabric that I received from my Baptist Women’s Auxiliary friend this week . From them I was able to make 19 colorful scarves which I am going to give to the homeless when I go work at the Community Art Room tomorrow.  I am so excited!  I made a dozen or so back in December and was saddened by the fact that I did not have enough to distribute to all that were waiting in line at the Food Pantry.  It has been cold here in Memphis lately and we are expecting some severe weather tonight so hopefully these warm ribbons of cloth will provide some much needed protection, as well as a genuine feeling of love to those who reside in the area.