Share the Love!

“Love is the only gold.” 

~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

Today I am throwing out a Recycling/Valentine challenge!  

 

Over the next two weeks I am challenging people to

 

Share the Love

 

  

 The Challenge:  

 1. Create a "Valentine" for someone

 2. Take a picture of it and post it to this blog

 3. Check back on February 15th to see whose Valentine is the Winner!

 

 The Rules:

 1. You may not purchase any new materials for your valentine.  Use what you have.  The point of this challenge is to share love with another while lovingly using the resources at hand - buttons, ribbon, cardboard cereal boxes, bottle caps.....whatever!  Check out some ideas from these Amazing Moms!

 2. Your Valentine must have a heart incorporated somewhere.

 3. You must be 18 or older to submit an entry.

 4. All entrees must be submitted by 5pm on February 14th, 2011.

 

Submitting a Photo: 

Email your entry by 5pm on Valentine's Day to annettereyman@gmail.com to be posted to this blog.

 

 Winning:

 The winner will be chosen based on 

 1. Best re-use of material

 2. Creativity

 3. Design

 The Prize:

 The winner will receive 2 FREE Declaration Calls, a $60 Value! 

(Everyone else will receive artistic fame!) 

 

My "Coffee Cuffs"

I am always doing things I can't do, that's how I get to do them.
- Pablo Picasso

Early in 2010 I researched a craft that caught my interest.  In March I blogged about coffee sleeves made from recycled fabrics.  I am happy (and excited!) to report that in September I took out the sewing machine my husband bought me last year, read the instructions and got started....

"Threading My First Bobbin"

Me, my sister Loretta, (and 2 Cosmos)

I figured out the machine.  I bought some cotton batting.  Then I took the old shirts, jeans, fabrics, etc that I had collected and washed and used a cardboard coffee sleeve to use as a template.  Once I made my first, I figured out how many I needed to make per week in order to have them ready to give as Christmas gifts and voila!

There's Nothing "New" about A Dead Tree

"Good house keeping practices in industries can reduce 30% of waste and thereby 30% of the cost of waste management."

— Sumith Pilapitiya      
   

        

Happy New Year one and all!  I pray that your holidays were happy days and that you entered the New Year with new optimism for a bright future.  

As you look forward, be sure that you are looking with an unobstructed view.  One thing that can really get in the way of new views and visions is a dead Christmas tree!  Holding on to the joy of the holidays for a couple of weeks and taking some down time after all the hustle and bustle is a wonderful gift we can give ourselves.  But the next wonderful gift is moving forward into new uncharted waters.  

Check with your town to find out if there are free pick-ups for Christmas.  In some places, the Boy Scouts actually do this service for a small fee as a fundraiser. 

However it is handled where you live, make sure you don't miss the pick-up!  The hassle it will save is worth the phone call now.  (and the fire department and Easter bunny will appreciate it too!)

Check here for tree recycling in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Season of Giving

“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”

— Albert Einstein

Tomorrow is December 1st; the start of Hanukkah for some and the first day to begin an Advent calendar for others.  In general, this is known as a "Season of Giving".  With that in mind, I was delighted by a Facebook page that my husband found today.  It's called Karma Experiment.  The purpose of this page is to give people a forum via which they can gift something away - no strings attached.  The onus lies completely with the giver - choosing what to pass on to others, posting a photo, and shipping - at no cost to the random recipient.  A complete act of love.

Let's all give it a try... 
 

Help us make recycling work in America. More than a celebration, America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the United States. One day to inform and educate. One day to get our neighbors, friends and community leaders excited about what can be accomplished when we all work together. One day to make recycling bigger and better-365 days a year. Let's make recycling work in our communities. Get Involved:

Shred, Baby, Shred!

"All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." 

~ Samuel Butler

Being a professional organizer, I love, Love, Love shredding outdated or useless paper!  Oh my goodness, the amount of paper that we all get stuck under sometimes is the most daunting obstacle to peace in our lives, don't you think?  It covers our counters, our coffee tables, our cars, our purses, our desks and our dining room tables!  Some people will actually swear that it breeds when they leave the house.  I've seen enough of it to think that they might be right!  

Well, today I treated myself to a little excursion.  My hair-stylist, Mandy at Media Hair Stop, has often mentioned that she brings her shredded paper to the local SPCA so I decided to give it a try.  What a wonderful experience!  I showed up with a bag of paper shreddings and an old torn sheet to donate.  I was surprised at how happy they were to receive my ragged gifts.  They said they can use old sheets or towels and ALWAYS need shredded paper to use as cat litter.  It was great satisfaction to know both that my house was liberated from it's documentary dilemma and that a worthy institution might benefit from my diligence!

You can bet that the Media SPCA will see me on their doorstep next month!  Why not give it a try?  Find your local SPCA and start shredding!

Recycling Batteries

"We have found the sources of hazardous waste and they are us."

— US EPA, from "Everybody's Problem: Hazardous Waste"

A household electronics waste collection was being held locally last week and I was happy to read that this also included the collection of batteries!  
This made me happy because about a year ago I decided that it was irresponsible to throw old, used batteries in the trash with all of the chemicals that they contain.  
 I put a quart sized plastic container near my kitchen garbage pail and used that to collect the refuse until I found an acceptable alternative to sending it to a landfill and voila!  One finally arrived.
I loaded up my old printers, grabbed my battery bucket and off I went to the collection event. 

Further investigation has shown that rechargeable batteries are the best choice as far as prevention - but only if they are then recycled.   
Another useful tidbit I've learned is that some retail stores (Home Depot, Radio Shack, Sears...) have used-battery take back programs.
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