Wishes

Oh how I wish I had a teepee and a big backyard to put it in!

found via verhext

DIY Light

I've spent way too much time over at Apartment Therapy today. Mostly I was just filling my eyes, but it did lead me to this great instructional at Addicted 2 Decorating. It is made from recycled egg cartons. If I can peel myself away from my computer I'll make one for my daughter's room!

Clothcapades

Years ago I worked in a maternity store. I was a retail pee-on. I can't say that I advanced my career, became financially independant, or learned very much about running a business there, but one great thing my experiences brought me was some new ideas about cloth diapers. I did a little research. Everything I found out about cloth was just so much better than disposable. Environmentally, health wise for the baby, economically, everything just seemed better. There weren't any really convincing arguments not to use cloth. I tried to talk my older sister into using cloth, who was pregnant at the time. I bought her some fancy schmancy diapers, and begged her to just try it. I was so sure that once she saw how easy it was and how much money she could save I would be the hero that showed her the light. She tried it. She put the thick, soft diaper in the washing machine, and then hung it up to dry. Living in the mountains, at a really high altitude, and hanging out in her dark windowless laundry room, the diaper took forever to dry, and my cause was lost. I made a few mistakes- first of all, she didn't even want to use cloth to begin with. As much as I whined about how many tons of disposable diapers end up in the landfills, and how many thousands of dollars she could save, and how disposable diapers often contain harmful chemicals, she just wasn't interested. My second mistake was thinking that the "all-in-one" diaper would be the right fit for her. Diapers are kind of like cars- it really depends a lot on the needs and priorities of the drivers. A BMW wouldn't be the perfect car for someone who likes 4-wheeling on rocky dirt roads. If I could re-do my efforts to convert my sister, I would get her different types of cloth diapers, and maybe, just maybe she'd find one that she liked enough to use occasionally.
I'm so happy that I learned some lessons with my older sister, because now my little sister is pregnant, and actually wants to use cloth! I would love to set her up with some FuzziBunz. I've gotten the chance to use FuzziBunz with a few kids I've babysat, and they are GREAT! I love how adjustable they are.
If my little sister doesn't end up being a cloth-convert, well, at least I can make that decision for my children.

Estate Sale Heaven

I usually don't like to visit estate sales. The few I've been to just gave me a weird feeling, and I didn't see a single thing that looked interesting. I can't seem to get it out of my mind that someone died. That is why when I saw a big neon sign for an estate sale I passed right by. My friend said, "Let's go check it out, you never know what you might find!" So we looped back around. Holy moley, it blew all of my past bad estate sale experiences away! We got there on the last day, but there were still plenty of treasures, and because it was the last day there was a free pile! The best part (yes, even better than 1920's National Geographics), was that nobody died. An elderly woman decided to sell everything- all her stuff, her house. I didn't find out why she'd made that decision, but my imagination is coming up with all sorts of adventures for her. Maybe she is travelling the world, or joining the circus (or both!).
Here are some of my favorite things I picked up:
These are both probably a handmade. Did you make loop rugs as a kid? I did. I can't decide if I'm going to hang them on the wall or keep it on the floor.
All these plates were freeeeeeee!
I want to say thank you to my husband- he gave me the change from our Sunday morning coffee and told me to buy myself something. It made the estate sale oh so much more fun!

2 hot pink flowers

I just finished posting a new bunny card on etsy! I just love this one. I almost kept it. Hopefully someone will love it as much as I do! Do any of you run into the dilema of what to keep vs what to sell? How do you get past it?
(you can find my etsy store at www.reloveprojects.etsy.com)

Paws for a good cause

I just finished listing this Paw Card on Etsy. 10% of the purchase price of all paw cards will be donated to Rescue Rehab Home! RRH is such a great non-profit. They provide care for injured, neglected, abandoned, and mistreated dogs. Some of the stories are so sad...Like Gypsy, who was found in a dumpster barely alive. The good news is that RRH got involved and gave Gypsy the care he needed! Now he is in a loving home, healthy and happy. I know from experience and working directly with a few of the the dogs that RRH is very worthy of all donations and volunteers. Whatever anybody can do directly benefits the DOGS. I'm always weary donating to any cause because I just don't know where the money is going. I saw firsthand how RRH improved all the dogs' situations- and how much time, effort, and support goes into making these dogs' lives better.
More ReLove Projects Paw Cards coming soon! If you decide to help support RRH in any way I'd love to hear about it!

Etsy Tuesday!

This week I am so exited to share more Etsy artists that use recycled materials. If any of you missed it last week, I find these items on Etsy by searching for 'handmade' and 'recycled'. It is wonderful and daunting that my last search pulled up 4217 pages, and the page I counted had 22 listings... Which equals A LOT of recycled items. I waded through and found what I think are some very special and creative recycled goods! Enjoy! (ps- you can go to the Etsy listing by clicking on the pink words. If you decide to purchase from any of these artists due to this blog I would love to know!)

This mouse by Marjji is just so cute. Some of them are meant to be cat toys, but I doubt I would let my cat get its claws into something this adorable!





Celeste Earrings by AntiGenre. These are made with recycled sterling silver. These would be great to wear on a date night!
I just love the smell of old books. And I love the covers on them! Some of them are just so bizarre and have nothing to do with the story at all. The stories themselves usually don't live up to the covers- which is why I was so happy when I came across this:Write a new story journal , in the beyondthebook Etsy shop. There are blank (recycled) pages inside these funky covers. So fun!