Recycling 101 (An Introduction)

     I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that recycle(s/d).  My mom married my (ex) stepdad when I was only 5 so from 5-12 I was exposed to and taught a lot about recycling.  In that house we recycled:

Cans (soda and beer)

Glass (bottles)

Cardboard (from cereal boxes, etc.)

Mixed paper (letters, mail, etc.)

Plastic (milk jugs, soda bottles, etc.)

Magazines and Newspapers

     My stepdad made this neat spot in our pantry where it all went.  We had 6 LARGE tupperware bins placed on a homemade shelf and we just stuck the appropriate product in the correct bin.  Easy!  Although they divorced, his habits rolled over and my mom, my sister, and myself still practice recycling.  I'm super glad about that!
     As silly as it may sound, I also remember Nickelodeon having a large impact on my views towards recycling, water conservation, and animal care.  Back in the 1990s I remember a lot of television, books, and discussions regarding being earth conscious and "green" (although I don't remember it being such a movement until the mid 2000s).  I'm so glad for this!
     Both of these things have had a huge impact on my daily living and practices.  I am glad that I have also rubbed off on Derrick and that he is fine with these practices as well because frankly, I don't want to budge on it.

If you're a newbie to recycling, may I suggest a few things first?

1) Get to know your products (part I).  Know: what you buy, what it comes in, and how it impacts your daily living and (more importantly) the earth.

2) Take note (for about a month) of how often you're throwing "trash" away and what you're actually throwing out...you'd be ASTOUNDED to see how very wasteful we are (as a nation and as individuals)!

3) Look for your local recycle centers/pickups for your town.  Recycling has become a lot less stressful with the green movements that really came about in the 2000s.  There is curbside pickup (just like your trash), centers for drop off, and some centers for cash exchange (namely cans and metals).

4) Understand where to recycle what (part II) and why it's important.

5) Once you're feeling comfortable...EDUCATE! Teach your friends, family, children, co-workers basic recycling practices that can really make a huge impact.

     This means that in working towards my yearly goal of going green(er) and continuing and expanding the patterns we've developed in our habits, I will be setting up our own little recycle depot in our hall closet.  I'm super excited about it!  I've got to relearn some of my products and disposal practices and teach Derrick about them but I think it's totally worth it.  So check back for part I where I will be discussing what products are and are not right for recycling.  In part II, I'll be discussing what should be recycled where and the actual impact recycling has on your home, your community, and your world!  Part III will be how to upcycle-recycling things in your home to become newer/different things without having to take them to a center, look at labels, etc.

Are you ready to greenify your living practices?!  Because I promise:  once you get in the habit of recycling it becomes easy-peasy and you'll really notice a difference!

February Craft Time

Alright so, this month's craft I made and completely forgot to take progress pictures!  *Hangs head in shame*  I can still give you the tutorial and show pictures of the finished product so that's at least something.  This too is a quick and practical gift/project like last month's craft.  I chose this craft to make as a gift for a friend's birthday and I honestly think EVERYONE could use one of these!

Sleep Mask

What You'll Need:
-fabric in a shade(s)/pattern(s) of your liking
-coordinating fabric for trim (trim is optional...I had a hard time with it so I chose to opt-out of doing it the second time since I'm not graceful with curves and a sewing machine yet)
-a block of felt (I got a precut square from WalMart for 38 cents and it was about 12"x12"-it was enough for 2 masks)
-a piece of paper and pen (to create your mask template)
-fabric scissors
-coordinating thread
-1/4" elastic (I got about 3' worth for 97 cents at WalMart)
-sewing machine OR needle and thread for hand sewing
-bows/buttons/etc. for adornments (optional)

Step-by-Step
1. Draw a template for the mask with pen and paper.  You can make it as plain or intricate as you want but remember: the more intricate the more complicated sewing it may take.  I am a basic sewer so the easier, the better.   (I already had a sleep mask so I used it as my template but it's a basic half-mask shape that you can do free hand).
2. Cut the template out from the paper and shape it up a bit.
3. Using the template, cut a mask from the felt.  The felt will be your inside.
4. Using the template, cut a mask from your fabric.  You will need 2 of these so you can have a front and back.  You can use different fabrics or the same.  I chose the same.
5. Measure your head and cut your elastic accordingly.  Note: you'll want to cut it a bit smaller than you measured so it will have give and actually hold while your sleeping.
6.  Sew!  You can hand sew or machine sew.  You're literally sewing the pieces together.  Front-Felt-Back.  During this step you can also sew the elastic in on both sides (of the back).  Here, make sure to back stitch to really secure those bands.  I used the basic foot allowance on the machine.
7. OPTIONAL: Sew on the trim.  (I didn't do trim however, if I make more of these in the future I'll be hand sewing the trim since I made a hot mess using the machine, lol!)  Make sure your allowance for trim covers both the front AND the back stitches you made when sewing the three pieces together.
8. OPTIONAL: adorne with bows, ribbons, beads, etc.  This is a great way to make your mask more unique and fun.

Here is my finished product!

Front

Back

Beadwork

Beadwork

You can also check this site to see other adornments and trim she used on her homemade masks.  They're so cute!


Happy crafting, friends!  I hope you enjoy this quick and cute mask as much as I did!

I don't want to leave!

RIGHT NOW...I am watching big, fat snowflakes fall ever-so-quietly onto te patio in the cabin we rented in Gatlinburg.  It's BEAUTIFUL (and was so unexpected!)  We haven't been to Gatlinburg since our quick trip in 2011 so we are very excited to be back, this time with a couple of our friends!  I'll blog more about the trip later but I wanted to take a minute to document how awesome it is right now.

It's snowing so softly outside, the fireplace is going, I'm curled up with a mimosa and book just taking it all in.  P.A.R.A.D.I.S.E.

The view this morning

Snow falling last night

Another view this morning

Shot Confidence

Do you ever have a bought where you just feel lackluster and down-and-out about yourself?

For about the past week my confidence has been SHOT.  Now let me be clear:  it's not like I have this huge ego or anything.  I try to be humble yet subtly confident in my actions, behavior, appearance, etc. Yet these past few days I ain't feelin' it!

I've been feeling slothly, fat, zitty, immature, plain, stupid, lazy, behind-in-life, and childish.

While I know in my heart-of-hearts that I am not (most) of these things (at least all of the time) I just can't shake it off!  I don't really know what brought it on.  Maybe it's the unsightly acne I usually and luckily live without.  Maybe it's the after holiday bloat that lingers.  Maybe it's feeling a bit lost in starting research and writing.  Maybe it's conflicting feelings about life decisions and movements.

What to do?

*I am not looking for a pity party but merely using my blog as an outlet for venting, advice, and a place to record my thoughts.*

Maybe it's my upcoming period and this week is my PMS time...if that's the case I should probably stock up on tissues and chocolate now.