New Years Pledge.

Bring your own bag

I often forget them in the car....now I will go back to get them!  You can make your own, use old pillow cases, cut the top double fold for the handle, sew and go!

as seen here

My sister Katie uses plastic baggies for her lunches, on the average day she uses 3-4 bags. 
I am going to make a bunch of reusable ones, like these. They are completely washable.

Repair items instead of buying new
I am so guilty of this. Both of my trash cans are kind of gross. I was going to go buy new, instead I will bleach them to clean them.

Rent or borrow something that will be used once, 
or just a few times.

My friend Shelley  buys her large family used VHS, and DVDs at the local Goodwill. 
At 99 cents a piece, it sure beats the $20.00 price tags of buying new!

Sell, trade or donate items in good condition.  
The Salvation Army, and Goodwill is always looking for donations
 

Eat at locally owned and run restaurants. 
say good bye to crapplebees, no one likes the food there anywhere.  Check your yellow pages for  small local dining experiences!

One Small Change

One small change is a great idea started by a fellow blogger Hip Mountain Mama.
She is asking everyone to make one small change a month until Earth Day, and blog about it.
What I like about this is that it is completely obtainable. The changes are small, but if may do them, the affect will be great.
This is a basic list she has started.....
Many I already do, some I wouldn't consider, like eliminating toilet paper, and having a family cloth. I must admit I don't know all of the specifics of this, but I am pretty sure I would pass.

Recycle, use cloth napkins, try cloth diapering, replace your bulbs with LED or CFL bulbs, turn off your lights, use natural cleaning products or make your own, drive your car less, buy a hybrid, turn your thermostat down, use the sun to warm your home through passive solar heat, bring your own bags to the store, install a low flow shower head, stop buying bottled water, unplug it, bring more plants into your home, always print double sided, when getting rid of things consider freecycle, craigslist or ebay (do not throw out as someone else is surely able to get some use out of it), support local farms and try to eat local, purchase wind power if it is available in your area, purchase products made with natural materials and that can be reused, purchase recycled paper products, use rags instead of paper towels to clean up messes, use reusable lunch sacks, buy organic, landscape responsibly by reducing the use of water needed, donate time and/or money to green efforts, elimate the use of toilet paper by using family cloths, don’t flush every time, put a brick or something heavy it he back of your toilet so it uses less water when flushed.

 The first change I am going to make is to eliminate the over use of plastic baggies in our house. We go through way to many, using them only once. 

Here is a link to make some...
craft stylish
we wilsons 

or you can purchase some here on ETSY .
I will post my handmade creations soon.

wonderful vintage christmas images

this past week

silk flower necklace. These are fun to make, and they end up as light as air.

I sold all of them at my open house....to the same person. I will be making more! 

our living tree with LED lights... hmm.... my husband did not particularly care for it.

but when we finished it was not too bad!!!!!

a night in the "BIG" city with Ivan

a solstice photo, taken this morning at 7:20 by request from my husband.

Now, I am off to figure out our Christmas day menu, oh' Barefoot C where for art thou!

 

books on my bedside table

They are all really good. I put them in order of favorites.
ETCETERA - is a gorgeous book, the interiors are very easy,
and laid back.....not for type A anal personality.
THE ALABAMA STITCH BOOK - Fantastic yet time consuming amazing sewing projects.
Very BOHO.....not for the Talbots shopper!
FELTIQUE - Great projects, easy to follow instructions;  I plan on making quite a few projects.
PAINTING WITH STITCHES - lovely book.....an amazing artist....super time consuming projects for this ADA crafter!
THE PICTORIAL DICTONARY  is a great source for images,
but some are so obscure that you would be hard press to incorporate them into your art.

holiday card!

a little vintage christmas....

I found this handmade wreath today at Cliffs

As someone who embroiders, the amount of work that went into this is just amazing!
The quality is superb!

I decided this year to decorate with vintage items, and natural things.

Love this snowman.....he's about 60 years old.

I love vintage light bulbs...

  this guy below is not vintage...but he's made out of wood, that counts as nature.

I had a bit of fun altering the photo below...they have an antique button.....figured since I was photographing vintage ......

The green elf above kind of creeps me out...

my mom brought me a bag of vintage ornaments this afternoon!!! YAY!

This guy was in there, my mom said he is from the "40's"...that's old!

ahhh a little nostalgia at Christmas time......