Recycling

We live in a wasteful society. I know the desire to recycle has seen a resurgence lately, but if you save things and store them away for a rainy day, you are featured on Oprah and Dr. Phil and called a hoarder.

I guess I'm a hoarder of sorts. Don't judge me. I don't live in one of those houses that only has isles between the stacks of stuff. I try to incorporate the "garbage in, garbage out" rule. But there are certain things I have a very hard time throwing into the land fill. One of those would be beautiful calendars.

Some are so beautiful, I can't bring myself to write on them, and by the end of the year, they are still brand new, and I feel as though I haven't had sufficient chance to love the pictures enough. Old beautiful calendars are useless. They are outdated. The picture usually has a hole in the top center so you can't frame it. I never know what to do with them, so they usually get put away in a drawer, and I adopt Scarlett O'Hara's mantra, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

It is the start of the New Year. All my 2010 calendars are now outdated. I purchased only one this year, but I have 5 places I like to have a calendar. I got two from the grocery store that have pretty pictures of temples, but the main calendar, by the phone, has not been replaced. I just couldn't find one I loved enough to pay $15 plus shipping. 

Then a stroke of genius hit me. Yeah, you are way ahead of me. I went to the drawer and I actually found an old calendar (pictured above) that starts on the same day as 2011 does. It is the year 2000. I didn't look it up to see if there are more recent years that match up, I didn't need to, because I found this one and I LOVE it. 

So I went to my computer, brought up Word Perfect, typed 2011 and made the font match the calendar in color and size. Then I copy/pasted12 times, printed and cut them out to fit over the old year. I used some removable-type glue that scrap bookers use. 

And voila!

I have a new calendar. The days are not marked up, I kept it perfect. I have a new system now when I need to fill in an appointment. I use a sticky note.

update:You are probably already ahead of me. 2000 was a leap year, so by the end of February, I will not have a current calendar. heh. There is a great little chart somewhere on the internet I found, and now can't find that gives all the years that the calendar is the same, as in which years start on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. 

Its been a while since I've posted, sorry about that. My life has been very hectic for quite some time. But I am feeling like things are coming back to normal now.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated a fun New Year. God bless you all in 2011.

~a

cute purse patterns

I stumbled upon this fun tutorial for a boxy purse tonight and thought I might try it. It turns out pretty cute. It took me less than 20 minutes to make. If I changed anything, it would be a tiny strap on one end by the edge of the zipper, and maybe make it a bit bigger. It stands 3 inches tall and is only 4 inches long. The zipper is one I found at the thrift shop the other day. It was brand new in its package and only cost 25 cents.
The fabric I used is from a skirt I made for myself this fall. I had just scraps left from it, but enough for this tiny purse. It was really flimsy fabric, so I sprayed some basting glue onto a piece of an old canvas bag and glued the flimsy fabric to it and treated it as one piece. I think I will store makeup and meds in it.

I just finished a darling purse from this pattern called Short and Sassy and a dress to match out of black and white fabric. The dress was for a Gala our choir put on to raise money. The theme was the Sixties to go along with our concert we performed the next week. The pattern was the same one I used to make my wedding dress. The fabric is supposedly "vintage", but I don't remember anything like this when I lived through the Sixties. Anyway, I barely had any fabric left out of the three yards I purchased when I was done. In fact I had to sew several pieces together in order to make it large enough to cut out the purse pattern.

The left over fabric could be folded into a small pile.

Now I have a cute little purse to put inside my other purse. I had so much fun making the Short and Sassy one that I got on line and found some more magnetic purse snaps for sale. I sent Beki, the creator of the pattern, a picture and told her about buying more snaps, and she gave me permission to make them to sell. So if anyone wants a handmade purse. . .
The snap I used for the larger purse was one I stole from an old purse I had retired. How's that for thrift?
~a
PS I found this little purse on another blog. I wanted a picture which shows the straps, which I would like to add next time I make one.
~a




Here is one more cute purse tutorial

Battery Bob

I guess I am the fix-it person. Where ever I go, I am immediately pulled into something that needs fixing. I get that from my Daddy. When I was a little girl, my older sister was basically "Suzy Homemaker" from the time she was in 2nd grade, and since my parents had three girls (the brother hadn't been born yet) I decided Daddy needed a boy, so I assigned myself to be his boy. I watched him fix almost anything. I still use that inspiration to forge on when I feel I am having trouble, I tell myself, "If Daddy could do it, then I must at least try."


Our trip to Denver was no exception. In February, when I was visiting my mom, we determined how much fabric to buy so we could sew her some new drapes. When I got there, my goal was to sew at least one of these drapes so I could have a pattern and take the rest home and finish it here. Some how I managed to finish those drapes and go sight seeing and eating out besides in those three days I was there.




Then we went on to my son's house. There was another project awaiting me. It was one of those huge love sacks that needed reupholstering. Basically it is a tube 47" in diameter with "lids" on both ends and a zipper going through one of the circles and all the way down one side of the tube. The circumference measured 140" and the length of the tube was 57". We had to make a trip to JoAnn's and purchase denim and a zipper. After the zipper failed, I took the old one apart and swiped it. It took all evening to finish it.



But besides those two projects, I also found they had these little Audubon birds from Wild Republic whose batteries had died. Rather than see them thrown away, I took them home and picked a seam apart to see what batteries were needed.
I determined they were the little disk round ones that cost upwards of $3 to $5 each at the drug store, so I decided to just Google the number on thebattery and see what I got. I found a site called Battery Bob. Which has all manner of batteries. I found the ones I wanted. Not only were they .69 each, but it was free shipping. The only catch was I had to buy them in lots of 10. I decided there will be more birds who use up their batteries, so I purchased 20. I was required to give my email address and after paying by credit card, I got an email asking what I was using the batteries for. He wrote back to tell me that this other size was better suited for the birds. I thought, "great, I just ordered 20. But to my surprise, when they arrived in the mail, Battery Bob had given me the appropriate batteries for the plush birds. Wow! Is that service?

I think Battery Bob needs a round of applause!

*hurray BattreyBob.com*

ps I am not getting paid for this endorsement, I just believe in passing on the names of the sites and businesses who treat you right.

have a nice day

~a

A tiny part

About a week ago my Osterizer died. I was so sad, because I had discovered how much fun smoothies are in the summer for breakfast. Yes, I have smoothies for breakfast. Any kind of fruit tossed in the blender makes great smoothies. My favorite starts with a cup of milk, some protein powder, a banana, and the frozen strawberries one at a time. I like these smoothies so much better than a shake we can buy at Leo's because it is mostly fruit. No sugar, nothing but the fruit and milk. Today I added a sliver of cantaloupe to the batch. It was so delicious.
I was really getting into making these every day and sometimes twice or in the evening when I was a bit peckish and didn't want to get into something wicked, like chocolate or ice cream or something equally as sinful and full of calories. I wrote "blender" on my shopping list for when I go to choir up north on Tuesdays, but I was sad to think my blender was gone. I even had an extra rubber ring gasket and an extra lid for it.

I didn't want to just throw it away. Upon examination I discovered it was this part that was broken.

Then I looked online. I found the part on a website called Goodmans which is located in Florida.

This is an over sized picture of a Rubber drive coupling for Oster blenders. It is actually about as large as a nickel in diameter and about an inch high.
It cost $3.99 plus shipping, which I believe, was close to $5.00. So for less than $10 and waiting a week for it to make it across the country, I was back in business.

Sailor, my sweet husband installed the new Rubber Drive Coupling for Oster Blenders and I have my wonderful blender back. How cool is that? I am happy that I didn't have to add to the ever-growing waste we put in the land fill. My faithful blender was a bit dirty and greasy after Sailor took it apart and put it back together, but with a little soap and a green scrubby, she looks almost as good as new. Plus I saved around $30.
And speaking of saving money, I dropped my cell phone the other day and the battery broke. It wouldn't stay on the phone anymore. I found a replacement battery for $3.00 plus shipping which was around $5.50. It came today in the mail and is recharging. I guess I am glad I have an older phone with inexpensive replacement batteries.

::annie heaves a happy sigh::


~a

Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without

I got a scrubbie made of bridal netting, or tulle from a friend. Basically it was a strip 2" wide that she crocheted into two 4" in diameter circles. She then crocheted the two together at the top.
I tried scrubbing the shower with the scrubbie and baking soda . It was startling how quickly I cleaned the shower.

I had to try to make one, because I had some tulle left over from shortening a formal, and I loved the idea of using these scraps for something. Most people would have just throw these away. But I had just shortened this formal when my friend brought over her creation, so I rolled my strips into a ball and put it away until today.

For those of you who crochet, basically it is made like this:
chain 7 stitches, join into a circle with a slip stitch.
row 2: chain 3 (counts as a double crochet), double crochet 6 more stitches in circle, join to 3rd chain stitch with a slip stitch. Total of 7 double crochets
row 3: chain 3 (counts as a double crochet), double crochet in same stitch, two double crochets in each of the remaining six chains, join in 3rd crochet with a slip stitch
total of 14 double crochets. Tie off.
Make two of these, then join both circles with a single crochet on the top edges.

One thing I will have to say is this: I am glad I don't have yards and yards of 2" wide tulle to use up. This is an acrylic fiber and my poor hands have been sand-papered and dried up as I crocheted this scrubbie. That drives me crazy to have my hands be so dried out.
But on the upside, it was helpful because it sort of sand-papered all the rough spots off my hands as I crocheted and I actually have smoother softer hands after that project. I just used a LOT of hand lotion during the project and when I was done. It only took me about a half hour to complete the project. That is a good thing.

So after that, if you are still ambitious, you have a pattern and a picture!

a

Home made and cheaper

Sunday after Church, I found a package for S3 and wife inside my screen door. It had no wrapping. It was a baking pan with three spiral bound books inside and tied with a bow. The books were titled: 100 Helpful Household Hints: Baking Soda. The other two books were titled the same, but for Salt and Vinegar. They looked so very interesting!
The other day on Oprah, Dr. Oz made a comment that stuck with me. He said that if we threw away every cleaner and used Vinegar, Salt and Baking Soda, we would have a healthier environment and our grocery bill would go down, or something to that effect.

I think it is really interesting that two things within two days had the same topics.
I used to work as a substitute in the HS lunch room with Gift Giver, and I know she shops at those Book Fairs that come to the schools. Not knowing how to find a book fair, I began to search online for these titles.
I found a set on E-bay but I lost the auction at the last minute. Then I found them sold separately Amazon, but the costs were outrageous, and the shipping was crazy. Finally, through some more web searching, I found this source.

So, for under $12.00, including shipping USPS, I can have my own set! Now I won't have to write a fake a thank you note to Gift Giver, pretending to be S3, so I can keep the interesting-looking books for myself.

I am a sucker for those home made remedies, recipes and helpful household tips. I have several books on my bookshelf in the same genre.

While searching for these books online, I found a recipe for Dish Washing Detergent. There were several with part of the ingredients, but this one looked like she had done some serious experimenting. Here is the one that looks the best:

Dish washing Powder.

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

To use, put a tablespoon or so into each cup of your dishwasher. I've found I no longer have to use the scrubbing cycle but can get by fine with the short cycle, thus saving even more money. On average, it looks like this is about 8 cents a load compared with Cascade at 22 cents a load. Compare it with EcoVer or Seventh Generation and it's a steal. I have also started putting some of this in a shaker canister--the one I have we got at a restaurant supply, it's aluminum and was made for popcorn salt. I use it to clean my sink and anything else that I'd normally use Bon Ami on. Works great, and the essential oil makes it smell fantastic.

This is the site I found the above recipe on: home made cleaners.

Sweet Sailor is always worried about the future and how we can get along without the things we are used to in this day and age, should the fuel become scarce and the trucks stop delivering to the local grocery store. I figured that I had better be ready with lots of these books, home remedies, recipes, and cures. Of course if this happens, then I probably will stop using the dishwasher, but in the mean time, I will save some money. How about that?

Now I have a new list of supplies to shop for next time the case lot sales are on: Baking Soda, Vinegar, Salt and Borax. Oh and Lemonade Kool-aid! :D

a

PS I have to add that the source I mentioned is VERY SLOW. I ordered these books on the 11th of Jan. I called them today and they told me they were back-ordered and would email me when they mail my package. Today is 1 February. . . We shall see. I would advise you to call them instead of ordering online, that way you can talk to a person and see if they are in stock or not. . .

Shopping Bag Rug

So! Next time you are totally bored, and are looking for a new project to crochet, how about recycling all those accumulated shopping bags? Crochet yourself a Shopping Bag Rug.

I have actually made several of these and just recently wore one out after 3 years of every day use.

To view step-by-step instructions and pictures, click on this link. Double Click on the "shopping bag rug" set, Click on "view as slideshow", and make sure you click in the middle of the first photo in the "!" to see the commentary on each photo, then enjoy.

For some reason, Flickr downloads your pictures backwards, so when you first come to the site, it shows #22. I have fiddled and fiddled and cannot make it start with #1 on that first page, but if you view as a slideshow, they will be in the correct order. I have labeled the pictures 1-23 with a comment below, and a few of the finished rug as well.

I did NOT include the actual crochet pattern, because I don't want to infringe on any copyright, so you have to come up with your own doily or rug pattern for your rug. I got mine from a Leisure Arts Floor Show pamphlet (LA2915), made for yarn. My pattern is called "Lacy Cluster". It says to use three strands of yarn, but I used just one 3/4" strand. I am sure mine turned out a different size than the original, but I like it. Mine measures about 24" across. I used about 15-20 bags, I am not sure exactly. Another one I made with wider cut strips and a larger hook turned out about 40" across, and used about 50 bags. The finished size varies with size of crochet hook and width of strands.

One thing I did not include in the instructions is how to join the two strands when you run out of one bag. I actually overlap the last strand with the new one by about 7 inches and just crochet my way through the two, tucking in the ends if they want to pop out. They are tapered from how you cut them, so they should fit in nicely. The ones I didn't overlap as long, eventually worked their way out, and that is what actually made the old rug wear out. So overlap them a good ways when you start a new strand. It was the washing machine that was its demise, because I didn't overlap it as well. That learned, the next rug has more overlap.

Another thing, Wal-Mart will not sell you a bunch of new bags, but some grocery stores will. The first one I made was from the local grocery store and had touches of blue and red in it. This one has only black specks. One I made for my daughter has red and green because it was a Christmas shopping bag. I use only ONE kind of bag per rug to make it look better.

Tip: I xeroxed the instructions and laminated them. Then I used a safety pin to mark my place on the instructions.
~ I also cut several bags in one sitting, and rolled them into balls, tucking the end of the ball inside so they wouldn't unravel and storing them in another plastic shopping bag. Store your crochet hook in a snack sized Zip-loc bag to keep from losing it.

I know it sounds pretty red-neck to have a plastic rug in your kitchen, but you really cannot tell when you look at it. I like it for the kitchen. And they can be tossed in the washing machine, which makes them very practical. I actually made this one for the boat, but liked so much that I kept it in the kitchen.

where to find the pamphlet link and here as well
and Amazon has four and if you check often, Ebay might have them once in a while