Bring a Hankie to the Wedding--Or Picnic

When is a handful of handkerchiefs not just a handful of hankies? When they're a stylish runner fit for the most colorful, casual picnic or the prettiest, most elegant wedding.

Hubby and I are starting to think about retirement and whether to stay in our current home. That means I'm beginning to take stock of all the things I've collected over the years and am starting to thin things out.

I have a large stack of vintage handkerchiefs that I've always wanted to put to good use. This week, I got them all out, gave them a good washing, starched and ironed them and made a couple of runners out of the white ones. I still have dozens in other colors to use on future projects.

Making a handkerchief runner is simple. Lay out the hankies in a pattern you like, using as many as you need for your table, buffet or piano top.

Sew them together by machine or hand, iron and you're set to go!

This runner looks great layered over my grandmother's 60-year-old picnic blanket and an antique French linen table runner I made for my son's wedding. My casual vintage kitchenware is a nice contrast to the elegant simplicity of the pretty hankies.

Either of the runners I made could be used for a dinner party table or a wedding cake table. The simple shades of white and off-white and the pretty embellishments can dress up a country, rustic or cottage chic setting.

I layered this one over a crinkle fabric semi-sheer repurposed window curtain and a different runner from my son's wedding (this one made of antique Belgian linen).

If you want something a little more whimsical, you can string the runners like a banner on a length of pretty ribbon or twine using mini clothespins (available at any craft store).

If you have a nose for vintage hankies, think about these versatile accessories in a new way next time you run across a pile of pretty ones at a sale.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Saturday Sparks

Bouquet of Talent
Share It Sunday
Nifty Thrifty Sunday

Share It One More Time
Knick of Time Tuesday
Cottage Style Party
What's It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things

Where the Rubber Meets the (Garden) Road

{reduce, reuse, recycle, reclaim, repurpose, 

respect}

Recycling and reusing tires has been around probably as long as tires have. 

Before sitting down to begin this week's feature on earth-friendly ideas, I went searching for an early 1960s photo that was taken of me flying high, standing, on a tire swing in my grandmother's back yard. 

Probably better I didn't find it. I seem to recall blue cat glasses and peddle-pushers (what we now call capris) with sneakers and white socks. What a dork!

I also hoped to find pictures of my grandparents' flower gardens ringed by giant tractor tires. No luck, there either. Not in the box I thought they were in.

My grandparents used both tractor and truck tires to create flower beds. Some were painted white, some  au naturale. Some were cut around the top edge to look like flower petals.

The tire swing of today makes my modest model of yesterday seem awfully mundane. What kid wouldn't want one of these?

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Recycled tire planters have come a long way since the '60s, too. 

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Rochelle at Studio G features a super tutorial for making your own whimsical planter from tires that no longer tread on asphalt.

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A few other recycled tire projects I love:

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You wouldn't know by looking, but Apartment Therapy's beautiful ottoman indeed started out as a plain ole tire.

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Not for everyone, but I like these innovative tables and chairs.

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Next time your tread wears thin, consider making your tires a part of your landscape (or living room).

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Tuesday's Treasures
Outdoor Wednesday
Farmgirl Friday

Dumpster Dive--at the Office

{reduce, reuse, recycle, reclaim, repurpose, respect}

At work, the floor on which I'm located soon will be undergoing a renovation. In preparation for that event, we are cleaning house--actually cubicle--now.

We are a department of creatives--writers, graphic and Web designers, multi-media producers, photographers--so it should be no surprise that when the trash and recycle bins started to fill up on our first day of clean-up, those of us who are into reusing and repurposing went diving!

From the trash bin I pulled four of those old wooden file organizers. They're well-used and certainly not in perfect shape. Loose dividers, nicks and chips, years of sticky label build-up, but nothing a bit of glue,  a coat of paint and some cool images from The Graphics Fairy won't fix.

After a face lift, these old organizers will help corral all the ephemera and miscellaneous paper goods I've collected for making my ephemera journals/notebooks. Those shown below are filled with reclaimed paper goods from my attic, thrift stores and garage sales, estate sales and donations from friends and family.

And, speaking of paper goods, the recycle bins offered a plethora of cast-offs: outdated stationery, both plain and fancy, envelopes and folders with obsolete information or addresses. No problem here. I'll cut around all that.

Someone had tossed an entire box of odd-sized vellum envelopes. Oh, goody! A premium item, indeed.

I rescued a sturdy set of black metal bookends that were superficially scraped up. Those will get a fresh coat of paint and a lovely, decorative facade--maybe something done with frames. Or maybe shadow boxes. Or game boards. I've always wanted to do something with the vintage boards I've saved up.

Today, our office is cleaner, a lot of poundage is headed to the recycling center and some of us came home with some items that we'll breathe new life into. Have you ever dumpster dived at your office?

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop
Love 2 Upcycle
The Scoop
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
What's It Wednesday

Past Their Prime to Pot Whimsy

{reduce, reuse, recycle, reclaim, repurpose, respect}

This week, I'm continuing to focus on cleaning out the potting shed and repurposing garden items that have seen better days.

Let me just say, my potting shed looks nothing like this incredible space. Oh, the envy!

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But, I do want to share some ideas on repurposing and recycling your terra cotta and ceramic pots. Stained pots. Broken pots. Idle pots. 

Last fall, before the extended cold set in, I pulled a small- to medium-sized pot out of my potting shed for use in a holiday center piece. It was mossy, with white and yellow stains. It had a crack in it and a chip out of the lip. 

I cleaned it off with a wire brush, but didn't worry about getting it perfectly clean. I wanted it to have a rough finish to go with a mercury glass globe I planned to add to the top. I transformed the pot with a mixture of gesso and a paint sample with the name of  "Marble Glass."

You can see how I made the faux mercury glass tree here.

Crafty uses for terra cotta pots have been around a long time. "Pot people," windchimes, garden fountains and birdbaths are among the more common projects and can be found in abundance on Pinterest, if you're interested.

I set out to find a few more unique uses for old pots and found a few that I really liked.

The Sage Butterfly's post about using broken pots in the garden is one of my favorites.  In addition to using pieces of broken pots to cover the holes in the pots she still plants in, she uses broken ceramic and terra cotta pots in a unique way in the garden. I love what she's done with some of her pieces.

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I hope you'll visit The Sage Butterfly to see more of her lovely buried treasure. I'm going to try her technique on this large pot. The rim broke off a couple of years ago and it's been sitting in a corner in my potting shed since. Time to put it to good use.

I have plans for both the bottom and the rim.

My son is interested in unique lighting created from repurposed parts, so lighting projects tend to catch my eye. Apartment Therapy offers a tutorial for making pendant lamps from terra cotta pots.

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I think these would be especially charming made from used pots that have some garden stain and moss charm attached.

Once Wed's DIY Wedding Cupcake Stand is adorable and could be used for any occasion. In fact, it could be used to display jewelry or other small items, too. You will find the how-to for this pot project here.

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Rosemary at Villabarnes is a master at repurposing all sorts of wonderful finds. I loved this pot she designed and pinned it when she first posted it. Such a lovely use of a pot. With Rosemary's treatment, you don't have to worry if your pot has nicks, chips or cracks. They'd simply add character. 

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As you sort through your gardening items this spring, don't be too quick to toss old pots that might not be in perfect condition. 

Maybe you saw a pot project or two here that you might be inclined to try? Do you have your own recycled pot projects to share? Leave a comment and a link to your earth-friendly makeover or idea.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop
Love 2 Upcycle Linky
The Scoop
Project Inspired
Salt Tree Social

Trash 2 Treasures Tuesday

This Space Leaves Me Speechless

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Old books. Discarded paper. Less-than-perfect linens. Blemished furniture. Chipped china. Grungy glass.

I hunt and gather imperfect vintage and pre-owned goodies for the sheer pleasure of making them whole again. And, to keep them out of the landfill.


But, TerraCycle is literally turning trash and into ecological treasure. This international upcycle company specializes in creating new products from hard-to-recycle materials. Case in point is the wall in the above photograph, which is made from recycled candy wrappers. The list of their products includes bags, totes and backpacks, garden supplies, home decor and cleaning supplies, pet products and toys, and more.

If you want to see the coolest office space ever, take a gander at the photos of TerraCycle's office facility in Trenton, New Jersey, as featured on Earth911. Conference room walls of clear plastic bottles and candy wrappers. Other walls of recycled wood panels from the 1900s. Recycled vinyl record albums that function as cubicle dividers. How's that for getting a groove on at work?

If you want to be a part of this exciting movement, you can join one of TerraCycle's collection brigades and contribute a designated type of trash to this cool recycling effort. Learn how at www.terracycle.com.

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Reclaim

Repurpose

Respect

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop
Cowgirl Up!

Re: Reuse Items to Boost Your Garden

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Reclaim

Repurpose

Respect

After a small break during National Photo Month, I'm continuing Re: on Mondays and will be offering tips for creating a more earth-friendly lifestyle and featuring ideas that others are incorporating into their everyday lives to have a positive impact on the environment.

Source: Earth911

Earth911.com is my "go-to" website for all things environmentally friendly. With gardening season going full tilt, I was excited to find a great feature on reusing common and household items for gardening.  From toilet paper rolls to burned-out light bulbs, "7 More Items to Reuse in Your Garden" offers a fun and useful list of earth-loving items to incorporate into your green thumb adventures.

I'm going to try the self-irrigation idea on my container tomatoes. What will you try?

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
More the Merrier Monday at DIY Home Sweet Home
A Little Birdie Told Me at Rook No. 17
Trash 2 Treasure Tuesday at Kammy's Korner
Tuesday Garden Party

Re: 10 Win-Win Tips for Laundry

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Reclaim

Repurpose

Respect

Did you know that whether you do a couple of loads of laundry a week or a dozen, eventually nearly all your laundry products make their way into the world's waterways?

No matter how much you'd like to avoid doing laundry, that just isn't going to happen. So, this week's Re: tips will help you reduce your impact on the waterways whenever you take on that favorite chore. They can even save you a little time and some money.

All images via The Graphics Fairy

• About 80% to 90% of the energy used for washing clothes goes to heating the water. Turn the dial to cold for clothing, which makes up the majority of laundry in most households. Hot is best for bed linens and towels, though.
• Choose the shortest wash cycle possible. Unless you're washing heavily soiled items such as muddy sports uniforms, you don't need to use a long cycle. Saves time and money.
• Don't run the washer until you have a full load. One large load is more energy efficient that two smaller loads. Even the most energy-efficient machines use about 40 gallons of water per load. If you reduce the number of loads you wash by washing larger loads, you save time, water and money.

• Select natural laundry products. A good place to start is to avoid detergents with labels that carry the words "warning," "danger" or "poison." Avoid chlorine bleach and boost your cleaning power by adding a little baking soda or hydrogen peroxide to a natural detergent. Skip the fabric softener and add a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. Or, make your own laundry detergent. There are many recipes available on-line. Mother Nature Network has some recipes you can try.
• Add only the amount of detergent recommended on the packaging. Your machine runs less efficiently when it contains more bubbles.
• If you live in a humid area of the country, use the highest spin speed to remove as much moisture as possible before transferring laundry to the dryer. This reduces drying time and saves energy.

• Hang your laundry to dry, when possible. You will save energy (therefore, money) and extend the life of your clothing by saving wear-and-tear on the fabric.
• If you must machine dry your laundry, don't over dry. Did you know fabric fibers can become brittle, which results in faster deterioration?
• Clean the dryer filter after each use. Also be sure your outside dryer vent is clean and free from obstructions. These steps will help your dryer work more efficiently and help prevent fire.
• Whenever possible, do back-to-back loads of laundry on one day instead of spreading the loads out over multiple days. This will allow you to take advantage of retained heat from previous loads, reducing your total energy use. You got it--saves you money.

Sorry, I can't help you avoid doing your laundry, but perhaps these tips will encourage you to think a bit differently about how you approach this weekly chore. You must might save a little time, money, energy and water.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Manic Monday at Serendipity and Spice
More the Merrier Monday at DIY Home Sweet Home
Cowgirl Up at The Farmhouse Porch