A little note on the fridge

I found a note posted on the fridge yesterday. Pretty deep thinking for a 1st grader, and so applicable for Earth Month...

"Dear Dinosaurs,

We're sorry you're extinct. Maybe we will too someday

Love, L + R"

Wow, little girl...are you understanding climate change and pollution, etc already?

Dear Blog,

I am not meaning to ignore you.

The sun is shining. The snow has melted. A gentle breeze is blowing. I do not have to wear my thick wool socks every day. My seedlings need tending as I await the day when I can plant them outside. Oh yea, and I need to ready the raised beds and the ground plots too.

There are little people who demand to be outside every minute of the day and equally demand bubble blowing and chasing.

I am also not spending quality time constantly tending to my ETSY shop either. My sewing machines are feeling a little more neglected than usual. Have no fear, it's not just you.

The sunshine and it's warm rays are my Sirens. But I promise to not chase them too far. I'll be back. I'll be back....

Knitting

I never posted this photo. This was my last custom order from a "regular". Her little girl isn't so little anymore...these had LONG legs! I've had the best time knitting for her though! These were so cute.

I do want to get back to writing fun articles for this blog. However, I've had a recent knitting sprint. My last pair of woolies for my own baby. He's now totally potty trained. Where did my baby go? But wool makes great pants for a newly trained kiddo b/c a small accident will not necessitate an entire wardrobe change. They'll also help us, his parents, be brave during these first few diaper-free nights! Pretty hand paint wool shorties with elastic waist. I'll add a photo when I finish.

To celebrate this shift in our parenting (no more diapers to wash!!!) I will then start knitting my first large project for ME with some super nice wool. Yay!

What are you knitting right now?

Upcycled Hankies

are back! new ones in stock! I still have a few more designs that I'll list this week too. Here's a sneak peak!

Oh, so pretty and oh, so soft!

Now at SustainableHomestead.etsy.com! You don't often see soakers made from bulky weight wool...but it works fantastically!

Sustainable Business Practices

***********Humor my while I talk business for a few minutes. I promise you something more interesting will be posted soon.***********

I've wanted to write this all down for a while now. My goal for my little Etsy shop is to promote waste-free homes...to make it easier for busy people to waste less, use less, live more. And it'd be nice to not be too crunchy in the process! So, what are some sustainable business practices that I use in my shop?

Waste less. My designs sometimes vary a little bit from the sizes noted to best utilize the fabric at hand so there is minimal-no waste. Now, when I say something is approx 7"x8" it won't come to you measuring 5"x4"...no worries. I also strive for honesty ;)

Less Packaging. I do not include a printed copy of your transaction when I ship your order. You should have this in an email from Etsy/Paypal anyway. In my shop policies I do state that if you *need* a printed copy from me, I'll happily accommodate that. I also don't use plastic mailing envelopes. Paper from me, thanks. I have not had any issues with shipping in this manner for 100+ orders. Some orders do require more packaging, though. When I need boxes I strive to get reclaimed and to reuse them. This also goes for extra packaging in the boxes. If a plastic bag is needed for cushioning or protection, rest assured that it's a clean reused bag from a smoke-free source.

Product sources. I am going more in the direction of reclaiming fabric and upcycling and repurposing it for most of my products. Much greener, less waste, less energy. Rest assured that I am very picky about where I get this fabric and it's condition. I do try to shop locally as much as possible but when I do order supplies, I try to do so in bulk to decrease packaging and shipping waste.

As no one is perfect, I do have goals for my shop...things I'd like to do better on. I'd like to provide a repurposed fabric option for ALL of my products. I'm working on finding more of my supplies from locally-owned small businesses (no small feat when you live in a small town in the mountains!). Our 5ish year plan includes going totally off grid and moving to solar power for our home, which includes my home studio!

Lastly, I consider my time as a valuable resource that I try to conserve. I love spreading the love for reusables and love making items for this shop. However, you'll never see a huge stash posted for sale. I'd happily make large orders specifically for you though, and even include a small discount.

Your money is also an important resource that needs to be conserved and used wisely, right? I do not mark my items up excessively. Because of this you'll rarely see sales at my shop. I compensate myself for my time but I also want to make reusables accessible for everyone. I rely on word of mouth for my advertising too. BUY HANDMADE!

******Now we can get back to the fun stuff*******

Phew! Glad I got that out! :)

All you need is love

Happy Valentine's Day! I've never been big on this holiday, but it's certainly one for crafters!

SewMamaSew had a great tutorial and contest for these adorable valentines and I decided to participate. Nothing like handmade love notes for the husband and kids!

The last one was my 6 yo daughter's first solo embroidery project. She made it into a pillow and gave it to us for the occasion. Aww. MF= my family. Handmade is so appreciated in my house. I love it. Little treasures. I can't wait to find another reason to sew up a love note for them.

Seeds, Catalogs, and Dreams

It’s that time of year again…the seed catalogs are arriving. You’d think my 6 year old and I had found the next best seller by the way we pour over them as soon as they arrive. February feels like the longest month. Some people I know are going to start seeds inside soon. Not us. We get late frosts. Until I either build my dream greenhouse that can withstand strong winds or get a fancy grow light –shelf thing, I’ll have to settle for salivating over the catalogs this month.

Do you garden? I think our learning and expanding process will continue for a long time. I grew up surrounded by home gardens, both at my grandparents’ home and my own childhood backyard. It wasn’t until I was a newlywed that I tested out my own green thumb in the backyard of our townhouse. Along the privacy fence we planted Shasta daisies and tomatoes. We even tried a few summer squash in large containers. Success! Amazing! I’ll never forget how exciting it was to watch tiny seedlings grow to bear fruit just for us!

I’m working on learning to preserve foods we grow. Last year we made and froze pesto from our mounds of basil. This year I’d love to try my hand at canning tomatoes if blight doesn’t get to them first. I grew up in a city but my Appalachian roots had me surrounded by women who canned. So, why didn’t I learn then?

I dream big for my garden this year. My space is a bit limited – it’s really only 2 raised beds and any space I carve out in my large flowerbeds. I love the idea of mixing edibles into formal front yard flower space. I dream that the moles and rabbits and deer will leave my seedlings alone, that the slugs will not attack my fruit, and that we will have veggies growing out of our ears! Oh, maybe, just maybe, this will be the year that our little blueberry bushes bear fruit too!

For now, with my head deep in the coming snow clouds, I’ll sit with a cup or tea or coffee and stare at my seed packets and catalogs…

Healthy Cookie

I love messing with recipes. I also love baking something for my family that not only tastes good but is good for them. Here's my latest:

Banana Peanut Butter Whole Wheat Cookies!

1 1/2 c. flour (I use a mix that I make that's about 3/4 whole wheat)

1/2 t baking soda

2 small mashed ripe bananas

1/4 to 1/3c packed light brown sugar (my family does fine with less)

1/4 c butter or whatever you fancy (I used a bit of Earth Balance, some ground flax seed and the rest apple sauce)

1/4 c chunky style natural peanut butter (no sugar or oil added)

1 large egg

1t vanilla

Beat bananas, brown sugar, applesauce/butter, and peanut butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking soda. Shape into small balls and place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Using a lightly floured fork, press a crisscross pattern into each cookie. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the edges are set, 10 minutes or so. Cool on baking sheets.

I want to play with it a bit to eliminate the white flour and use another sweetener too. But for now, it's very healthy and the kids LOVE it. They think they're getting a treat and I feel good about it!

Do you have a favorite healthy but delish recipe?

I have worms!

***This is another article that was previously posted at a different site, written by me***

Seriously, I have worms. Loads of them. In fact, my entire family has them.

No, this isn’t a PSA about personal hygiene or a warning about some strange new trendy diet. I wanted to share with you my new composting adventure: vermicomposting, aka worm composting.

My regular compost bin wasn’t doing so well. Turns out we have too many veggie and fruit peels, coffee grounds , etc and not enough yard material like leaves. Its design makes it hard for dogs to gain access but also made it hard for us to turn what was inside. It became anaerobic and stopped working. Oops. I did not want to throw our kitchen waste into a plastic trash bag to sit in the landfill while we worked to correct this problem. My answer – WORMS!

We first bought them a little house.

Then we gave them some furnishings.

Next we invited some worm friends over to stay.

We fed them well.

They did their business.

Soon we’ll have great rich compost to put in the garden and flowerbeds!

I bought a fancy bin made just for the worms with multiple trays, a roof and even a valve at the bottom for “worm tea,” but there’s no need to get fancy if you don’t want to. In fact, you can DIY or even buy a simple and inexpensive bin with all that you need from a local expert, Tracy Myhalyk of RoomToSqworm.com.

Our particular worm house was easy to assemble. Because I have a curious toddler, I then searched for the perfect shaded spot outside. You can keep them totally self-contained and stink-free inside but I was NOT interested in having our new friends wiggling all over the kitchen floor every day!

To furnish their home I added some bedding. Dirt, dried leaves and all that would make them super comfortable would hopefully also make them ready to dig in and pig out.

Apparently it’s not a good idea to use regular earthworms, so I invested in 1 pound of red wigglers from a local source. It was an exciting day when we put them in their new home! Would they stay? Would they eat our eggshells and banana peels and give us rich compost in return? Only time will tell.

They’ve been eating and re-eating our kitchen scraps at approximately a pound a week for almost a month now. We even have worm eggs! We must be doing something right!

I’m still checking to make sure the scraps I feed them are ok – no citrus, limited coffee grounds, and try to chop up the peels to make them quicker to eat through. I keep my scraps in a large yogurt container in the kitchen until they are ready for a fresh meal. I’m still working out the kinks in the process but all in all it’s easy!

Worm composting can be faster, more exciting and take up less space than a regular compost bin. Apartment dwellers/patio gardeners can take part in this one too. I have a friend who has worms at her office! Are you wondering why you’d want worm-made compost?

This is from the RoomToSqworm.com website:

"Vermicompost benefits soil by

* improving its physical structure;

* enriching soil in micro-organisms, adding plant hormones such as auxins and gibberellic
acid, and adding enzymes such as phosphatase and cellulase;

* attracting deep-burrowing earthworms already present in the soil;

* improving water holding capacity;

* enhancing germination, plant growth, and crop yield; and

improving root growth and structure."

And it just might make your kids (or the neighbor's kids) think you’re cool.

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Update...8 months later our worms are going strong! We moved them to the garage for the cold winter but they are still eating, eating, eating! I am so excited to work their "stuff" into our garden areas this Spring.

FaceBook

Become a fan! You can find me here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SustainableHomestead/51838195807?ref=nf

I'm posting sustainable living/ green living tips every few days and also sometimes throw in special FB fans-only sales!

What's New?

I have a few new listings! REPURPOSED lunchbox napkins are here! These dots are so fun and cute, for child or adult. black

with small white dots, brown with large light pink dots and black with multicolor small dots!

Also, a new fabric for my UPCYCLED line of COTTON sandwich baggies! It's oh-so pretty and soft! Cotton works great for the snack or lunch item that just needs a simple container, for a quick snack on the go, and to keep your healthy eating under control by making your own 100 calorie snack baggies.

Electricity Hogs

Clothes dryers.

Our home's primary electric source is coal. This makes us think long and hard before using the dryer. Did you know that a clothes dryer is the home's second biggest user of electricity?

In the summer I use a clothes line

outside as much as possible.

Providing a good space inside during rainy weather and the winter months has proven to be a challenge, though. A single line strung up in the garage lead to stinky clothes and not enough room for more than 1 load. For a few months between the rain and then snow storms I got lazy and started using the dryer. Then the guilt came. I went almost an entire year without using the dryer! At some point with 2 active young'uns I felt tied to the chore of laundry with coordinating required to sync it to our ever-changing weather.

I came up with a baby step to get my family back OUT of using coal-electricity to dry our clothing... I'll share it with you now.

Every wool sock (all of our adult socks and some of the kids), fleece things and shirts do not go in the dryer at all, ever. I hang them up in the bathrooms to dry. By doing this little thing I am able to only use the dryer once for every 2-3 loads of clothing. This has been GREAT! It has really cut back our home's carbon footprint. I'm not usually a baby-steps person when it comes to sustainability though.

So now it's time to push it even further... my desire for this year is to try to buy used as often as possible. My daughter and I have looked several times at thrift stores for those wooden fold up drying things without any luck. I'll probably go ahead and purchase 2 new and then I'll be able to dry ALL of our clothing without using a penny of coal-powered electricity and I won't feel like I'm shackled to the laundry pile when it's sunny out. At our house things dry well overnight - a good time so that little hands won't destroy the arrangement.

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE hanging clothes outside and will continue to do so. The sun has some amazing powers! UV rays are a great way to disinfect your clothing including kitchen towels...and they're also nature's bleach!

I'm on my way to clothes dryer freedom again! Yippee!

I found some great tips to make your use of clothes dryers more efficient here. If your homeowners association prohibits the use of an outside clothesline, gather your facts and petition to change it!

This Etsy shop is a good way to support Haiti if you're in need of a gift item. I do not have anything listed there b/c I am choosing to donate my personal money directly to a few organizations - Partners in Health, Doctors without Borders among others. I urge you to donate in the months to come - money, supplies, time...whatever is most needed. It's going to be a long road.

This post was first published on a friend's blog, HighCountryMomSquad. I was a guest blogger for Earth Day. I felt it was fitting to repost my article here since we've been talking about and thinking about changes for the New Year.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, 
Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax

“Green living” is such the buzzword these days. It’s everywhere – the tv, radio, magazines, even stores. To be honest, its use annoys me. It is used in such a way to imply that buying and consuming something will do good, when in truth, doing and buying LESS will usually do the better good. What? Yes. I’m here to ask you to care an awful lot by learning how to reduce: the most important part of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” trio. It’s easy, really, it is. And you will save money in the process. I am going to list out some ideas to help you reduce your consumption of single-use waste. Give it a try. Pick a few to implement in your own home, your work, your life on the go. It doesn’t hurt. The Lorax thanks you an awful lot.

1. Stop cutting down truffula trees.

• Use cloth napkins with meals at home.
• Use absorbent cloths instead of paper towels for kitchen spills and general cleanups.
• Bring cloth napkins with you when you know you’re going to have a meal on the go, or pack them in your sack lunch.
• Call to stop companies from sending you their catalogs and advertising.
• Save 1-sided junk mail for the kids to draw on and allow them free access to the rest for painting and collages…then recycle it when the crafting fun is over.
• Find alternatives to one-time use paper gift wrap such as cloth bags, fabric wrap, reused gift bags.
• Consider using wet cloth wipes instead of baby wipes for clean ups.
• Say “no paper napkins please” when you’re in the drive through lane or getting fast food to go.
• Reuse the backs of envelopes for grocery and other lists.
• Pay bills online and request your invoices online.
• Keep a handkerchief in your purse to dry your hands on after washing in public bathrooms. Much softer than paper anyway!

Did you know that paper is the number one thing that is thrown away? It is estimated that Americans use more than 50 million tons of paper each year, consuming more than 850 million trees.

See? It’s not so painful. And no one will think you’re strange. Think of all the money you’ll save by not buying trash every week!

2. How much plastic packaging did the Once-ler’s Thneed really need?

• Ditch the plastic grocery bags for reusable ones. Figure out a system that works for you so that you will remember to bring them with you. This is one instance where purchasing something “green” can potentially pay off, but only if you commit to using these bags for the long haul, and on every shopping outing.
• Use lidded glass or ceramic bowls for leftovers and sack lunches instead of saran wrap and aluminum foil.
• Bring your own coffee cup to the coffee shop.
• Consider reusing your produce and bulk food bags or finding reusable alternatives.
• If you have the choice, pick the item with less packaging.
• Bring a reusable water bottle with you every time you leave your house. Bring it into the fast food restaurant! While you’re at it – bring your kid’s own lidded cup too. Once they get old enough, request that they be served in an adult washable cup (not toss plastic or Styrofoam) when you are out. Just ask that it be ½ full to prevent spills.

Did you know that it takes 12 million barrels of oil to make plastic bags for US consumption? The average family in our country uses 1460 plastic shopping/grocery bags a year and out of those less than 1% are recycled. Of those that end up in landfills (or flying around the big box store’s parking lot) it takes an estimated 1000 years for decomposition to occur. These statistics do not include plastic water bottles or plastic used in other single-use goods and packaging.

The Lorax Challenge

Here it is – reduce your waste with a bit of simple thoughtfulness. Think before you buy. Can I use this again? What will I need to throw away after I use this? Are there any better options? The thing is that we are not the first generation to think this way. We call it “green” but generations before us simply called it frugal. You do not need to be crunchy to care for the state of our planet, only creative! Be passionate by making small daily choices. It doesn’t have to be one of the ideas I’ve listed. These are but a few.

Let me know what changes you make! The Lorax, Once-ler and I’d love to hear about it.

Finally!

I'm cutting some of my favorite fabric to repurpose! Look for it to appear in the shop in the coming weeks! I still love using our nylon reusable baggies, but coming in at a close second is my repurposed/upcycled fabric baggies. :) I'd give you a sneak peak but I forgot to take pics...so you'll just have to be patient and wait.

I'm also trying something new on FB...I'm going to see how many months I can make it...posting a weekly bit of info or a tip or something relating to creating a more sustainable and responsible home.

Happy New Year

New Year....did you make any resolutions? I never really do. This year, though, I did. I want to see what other changes I can make in my household to make us more sustainable and less wasteful. I want to make better food choices too. We're changing out some of our appliances to be more efficient and less wasteful too. I want to expand our garden. I'd love to have enough produce to can this year. I think my family does pretty good on these things already, but there are always more things we can do, new habits to create. We dream of buying land and building a wind farm. We dream of going totally off grid for our home. But for now, we can do more little things that add up BIG.

I'm also starting to dream and plan for my garden. Nice COLD snowy days will make you do that!

What are you doing this year to make a difference? Please share!

SNOWY DAY! Wow. I'm so glad I stayed up last night to finish knitting my daughter's spare wool hat!

Repurposed and Upcycled

I've been thinking about something lately and thought I'd share it with you. My aim is to be real, and by that I do not want to throw around new hot words without making sure I am using them correctly. I do not do what I do because green is in. I do it because it is the right thing to do. Anyway.... on with my thoughts... repurposed, upcycled...what do these terms really mean?

According to Merriam-Webster the definition of repurposed is " to give a new purpose or use to."

So we have repurpose. What about upcycle? I had to go to wikipedia for that one. Here it is:

""Upcycling" is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of equal or better quality. The term was originally coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. The goal of upcycling is to prevent wasting potentially useful materials by making use of existing ones. This reduces the consumption of new raw materials when creating new products. Reducing the use of new raw materials can result in a reduction of energy usage, air pollution, water pollution and even greenhouse gas emissions."

OK, so they're not that different. When I take an old discarded bed sheet and make it into a reusable sandwich baggie I am giving it a new purpose. I am also making something out of it that is a better quality and more useful than it's original state. Way cooler than just throwing something in the recycling bin after you are finished with it. My aim is to do this more and more...think before recycling and find at least one more use for it before it gets recycled. Ahh, less waste, less energy, less carbon emitted....less.

So, why am I thinking about all of this? I'm starting to plan for my January craftiness. I have some beautiful vintage sheets and pillowcases. Not sure of their final destination, I begin thinking about how many ways they have been useful over the years... and how happy I was to find them and give them new life.

I LOVE shopping for new fabric. There's just something so relaxing about walking thru my favorite huge non-big box fabric store and seeing all of the bolts of potential. But I am learning to think differently about crafting and these 2 buzz words come to mind. Repurposed and upcycled. I'm learning to change my thinking and see the same potential when on a thrift store date with my daughter or when walking thru a rummage sale.

These words also remind me of one of my favorite movies of all time, The Sound of Music. Remember the curtains? No, no worries, I will not start dressing my kids in matchy-matchy outfits. But I do have a beautiful pillowcase that is whispering to me to gain new life as a skirt for my daughter...

I also have a really pretty pink flowery vintage flat sheet. What should I do with it? Want to see more upcycled sandwich/snack baggies? Would you like to see bulk bags made from them? What about lunchbox napkins or hankies? Let me know. Maybe I'll make them and you can be the first person to call them your own!

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Just so you know, my last sale is over. But my lunchbox napkins are still listed at a reduced price. Be sure to become a FaceBook fan to be the first to know of sales and specials!

winners!

Here are the winners! Congrats! Expect an email from me soon. If I don't hear back from you I'll choose some new random #s.

lunchbox napkins go to:

CORALEE who said "lovely and green - thanks for the chance to win!"

reusable sandwich baggies go to:

MELISSA who's FB fan comment won but she also said "I just visited your etsy store and I'm drooling over the custom longies slot. I've never taken the plunge to buy them- we just have boring old fitteds and covers or Fuzzibunz around here."

hankies go to:

ERIKA who said "Those hankies sound like they'd be really nice to have this winter!"

thank you everyone for participating and i hope you've had fun! my 10% off sale will go thru next week.

Last Minute Shopping Discount

If you have found my site thru SewMamaSew and have entered my giveaway....just so you know I will offer you a 10% discount (via pp refund) on any orders in my Etsy store from now until 12/19. Many of my items make great teacher gifts, stocking stuffers, Advent treats, etc. I can generally get your items in the mail within 1-2 days after payment. To receive your discount, please provide code: SMSGiveaway in the comment section of your order.

GiveAway Day is HERE!

I am SO excited to be able to participate in SewMamaSew's(www.sewmamasew.com/blog2) big giveaway day!!! This is one of my favorite blogs and shops...if you haven't visited it...do!

My Etsy shop is currently my crafting outlet. I started it because friends kept asking me about items I had made for my own family. It features handmade and hand-designed items to help you live a more sustainable lifestyle. I thought it was only fitting if I include some of my family's favorite items in my giveaway.

First, a set of 2 reusable cloth lunchbox napkins in a festive winter print. I don't know about you but it's mitten time here! I love using these napkins for on-the-go lunches and also to add fun to family meals at home.

I consider this next item the most popular thing in my kitchen...reusable sandwich baggies! I have 2 of these baggies to add, colors not yet determined.

And third, another winter essential... hankies. These are oh-so-soft on your nose. They are made from repurposed flannel. This part of the giveaway will be a set of 6.

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Here are the rules: This giveaway will run from today through Dec 6th with items shipped around Dec 12th. Sorry, but I'm keeping this specific giveaway open to addresses in the USA and Canada only. Enter first just by commenting. You can increase your chances by also joining my FaceBook fan page and letting me know you did by commenting on here, and also by visiting my Etsy shop (SustainableHomestead.Etsy.com) and commenting here about your favorite item. So, that gives you up to 3 chances. I will chose winners at random and email you - please be sure I have your email address.

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GOOD LUCK, HAPPY CRAFTING AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

FaceBook

Won't you be my friend? Just look up this shop and become a fan. You'll get the latest and greatest sales and sneak peaks.

I'm working on a super fantastic giveaway for December...so exciting!

Remember that you can reduce waste this Holiday season by using reusable cloth bags to wrap items in. I do not have too many right now that are ready-made and in stock but if you have a need let me know! I LOVE using these bags because they become gifts too. There are so many ways to use them after the gift has been discovered! My son uses one of his to keep small vehicles in - what an easy grab when we're going to have to spend time in a waiting room or restaurant or for a long car ride!

Fall Woolies

If you've been thinking about ordering custom wool from me this Fall you might want to consider reserving your spot. I'm not opening as many slots as I have done in years past and they're already starting to fill up. Check out the listing at SustainableHomestead.etsy.com for more details.