eco friendly « Paper Jewels

Reuse – Recycle – RETHINK

I meant to post this yesterday for Earth Day but kinda missed…. but this doesn’t need to just be an “Earth Day” idea. We can all learn to see with new eyes. To “rethink” – how can I use this? do I have to throw it away to just fill up a landfill, or can I do something totally new with it?

You know, usually we CAN.

I ran across this picture (sorry didn’t save the link, I was having a leaky brain day) – if you know where it’s from (or it’s yours!) please let me know so I can give credit where it’s due! Take a look at this terrific basket:

It’s made from rolled-up newspapers, and I don’t have directions so will be experimenting myself. Roll the newspaper tightly to make tubes – lots of them. Start to coil your basket, securing the coils with cotton string? Clear fishing line, IF you already have some and would not be buying new…. Or, maybe colorful cotton strips torn from an old sheet (okay, CUT from an old sheet – sheets are tough and strong!) Or yarn you have anyway? Anything that could be used to “sew” the coils together.

The basket would be lightweight and strong (paper is very very strong in compressed layers). I bet there are lots of adaptations we can think of, using this general idea.

Recycle, reuse, rethink 🙂

Wallpaper as Art – Do It Yourself

Another very cool way to add art to your space – use wallpaper 🙂

Okay, this is not a new idea. But it’s one worth revisiting. And I recently found a cool pic that shows a great example:
Wallpaper on Artist's Canvas - Do It Yourself Wall Art

The full directions for how they made it are on SquawFox.com. She actually stretched her wallpaper pieces over artist’s canvas, which makes it a bit more three-dimensional and more “genuine art” (whatever that means!). But you could simply glue the wallpaper onto foam core, or tack it directly to the wall – add a border (paint, ribbon, lath strips, you name it) and you’ve got yourself some framed artwork that can be customized to your exact space and color scheme.

Even better, you could use scraps left in the basement – or use wrapping paper (I know I’ve talked about that before), or make a collage with the wallpaper, or – well, you see where I’m going with this. Everybody can cut and paste. Now everybody can decorate on the cheap 🙂

DIY Recycled Wastebasket

You know I love to hear about new ways to recycle paper, since paper is after all one of my preferred materials 🙂 I saw this totally cool idea that tells you how to make a “new” wastebasket out of recycled magazine pages!

Recycled Wastebasket made with magazine pages

This is from Homemade Originals and there are clear directions included here.

You’ll probably think of a lot of variations on the theme – hey, if nothing else, you can take a wastebasket you already have and decorate it with magazine pages – not so original, but still a lot of fun. And all it costs is a magazine you’ve probably already got, and some glue.

Vive recycling!

Cool Tee – Organic and Eco Friendly

Gotta love this. I was peeking around and found this majorly good-looking tee…. it’s casual but with a little extra spiff 🙂 That’s my kind of style…

Then I read a little about it and saw it’s made with organic cotton and water-based inks (solvent free) which is very high on my list of “this is how clothes should be made”.

There are plenty of reasons why you should buy secondhand clothing, many of which actually benefit you personally, no matter your lifestyle, you can sell in Flyp!! go check it out !

Buying secondhand clothes also benefits the environment in a big way, making it a win-win.

Whether you’re unsure if buying secondhand clothes is for you, or maybe you just want to educate yourself of the perks, this post will open your mind to the idea of shopping secondhand clothing.

It might even make you excited to get to your nearest thrift store.

It’s from Harrilu and no she didn’t bribe me to mention it – I just think her work is cool 🙂

You’ll never pay anywhere near full price, and this is great for when you find high-quality clothing from brand names that you know and trust.

The amount of savings will of course depend on the thrift stores near you – they’re all different.

So explore the secondhand shops in your area to see who has the best clothes/deals, or find other spots in your area to get secondhand items.

Organic Gardening – at the White House!

I was so tickled to learn that the Obamas (or somebody on their team, I guess) have decided that it’s a good idea to do some organic gardening at their new house 🙂 This is the kind of thing that’s only a symbol, I suppose, but it’s a pretty terrific symbol.

Together with a bunch of school kids (I know, I know, what a photo op) Mrs. Obama’s going to start an organic garden at the White House. Read more about it here and here.
Humor is always of the good - Obama, gardening at the White House
And somebody’s got a sense of humor about it (photo mock-up courtesy of Eat The View).

Touching your tomatoes

I saw a very interesting post today about growing tomatoes from seeds – I’m going to include a link below. The author is Margaret Roach. Among her many interesting comments, she noted:

“Brush the tops of the seedlings daily with your hand to provide the “mechanical conditioning” that creates sturdy, not spindly seedlings. Not just once, but gently for a half-minute or minute. (Yes, go ahead, talk to them while you do it. I probably do without even realizing it.)”

Talk about “hands on” gardening! But she said a lot of things that make sense. Here’s the link to the full article:

Makes me want to get started myself – it’s past time to start the seeds in flats I can bring inside.

Coffee Grounds

In a word – coffee grounds. Most plants love them – I’ll do some checking to find out what *doesn’t* like the acid in coffee. But most do.

Scatter the grounds as mulch. Dig them into your soil to both lighten and enrich it.

add coffee grounds to your garden - as mulch, as food, as compose - its all good

add coffee grounds to your garden - as mulch, as food, as compost - it's all good

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