The Next Craft Cafe - Vintage Tea Cup Gardens - November 11th

The next Craft Cafe will feature a lesson in gardening, but please, don't worry if you don't have a green thumb! These cute little tea cup gardens could not be easier to plant or to maintain. With the holidays coming up you may be inspired to make a whole group of them to give away as gifts. What a great way to use vintage tea cups and souvenir spoons!

When: Friday, November 11th from 7 - 9 PM

Where: Wild Flour Cafe in Banff (201B 211 Bear Street in the Bison Courtyard)

Cost: For $25 you will receive the vintage tea cup and saucer of your choice, stones, soil, a jade plant, and a souvenir spoon to collage into a garden marker.

Kids 6 and over are welcome to come with their parents and are given a $5 discount.

Bring a friend who has never attended Craft Cafe and you will both received $5 off the NEXT Craft Cafe you attend. You will receive a coupon that can be presented at any future Craft Cafe.

Please sign up and PAY at the Wild Flour prior to the class. If you can't make it to Wild Flour, please contact Tiffany and she can send you a Paypal invoice. Space is limited and in order to have enough supplies we appreciate your advanced registration.

Questions?
Contacts:
Sheena sheenz6@hotmail.com
Tiffany oldesage@hotmail.com
 

The Next Craft Cafe - Wild About Buttons - Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Button Necklace by Tiffany Teske Button lovers... come on out to the Wild Flour Bakery (211 Bear Street, Banff) from 7 - 9 PM on Thursday, September 29th, to make unique handmade button necklaces. Participants will have the option to make additional projects like earrings or bracelets. Whatever time permits! The Wild Flour will be open for delicious snacks, and drinks. Cost: 20$ Please sign up and PAY at the Wild Flour or request a Paypal invoice by leaving a comment below. Space is limited. FACEBOOK is not registration. Spread the word and collect some buttons! Any vintage and wood buttons make beautiful necklaces. This is a great way to recycle We will also have some funky buttons for you to choose from. See you there! Bring a button loving friend, they will thank you...

Button Bracelet/Necklace by Tiffany Teske This is a button choker I made that was featured in the book, 1,000 Ideas for Creative ReUse by Garth Johnson. I will also show participants how to make this style, which is much different than the long necklace style in the photo above.

Button Choker by Tiffany Teske Do you make things with buttons? I would love to see... leave me a comment with a link!

365 Days With Kiddos - #4 - Your Child's Art - Stage a Home Art Show

As an artist, I have had my work in many exhibitions. I enjoy getting ready for these shows by creating, framing, and hanging the work, then inviting people to come and view it. You and your child can do the same with their creations. Gather them together, select the ones you each like the best, hang them on the wall using tape or wall tack or frame and hang them. You can use frames you have around the house or you can go on an outing to find some at yard sales and thrift stores. You can hang the works in a straight line at eye level or make a collage wall by putting the pieces on varying levels. If you would like to title each work, you can make a title card out of scrap paper, or you can even cut up a piece of art that isn't going to be in the show. Using a black marker or crayon, you or your child can write the title of the piece on the card, then hang them on the wall next to each work of art. Then, have your kids make invitations to invite friends and family to come to their show. They can use some of their artwork for the invitations as seen in this post. If you would like to serve refreshments at your child's show you can try this homemade lemonade and strawberry skewers with honey yogurt dip. Or you can support your local bakery by picking up something fresh and tasty. The show doesn't have to be large nor the food fancy. The point is to highlight the recent efforts of your little artist, with a few friends or family members, in a way that shows your child how important and valued they and their creations are.

If you don't want to hold a small art show at your home you can look for opportunities in your community for your child to share their creations. Our local library holds an annual child's art show that is open to all children. There are always many participants from ages 2 - 12 years. The works runs the gamut from painting and drawing to photography and collage to mixed media and assemblage and is very impressive. They have an "opening" for the kids, complete with live music performed by kids, and food and drinks contributed by the artists and their families. The Library Art Show is something my daughter looks forward to every year. She feels like a star and it is fun for us to find her work on the wall, as well as that made by her friends, at the opening. After the big night, the work hangs in the library for one month where the community can view it. I can't say enough about how special it is for the kids to have their art showcased in a authentic and grown up way. These sorts of events help to support and to ensure a future for our budding artists.

365 Days With Kiddos - #2 - Your Child's Drawings and Paintings - An Awesome Birthday Card/Wall Hanging Project

Yesterday, I started my 365 Days With Kiddos posts with a post on repurposing your child's artwork into cards, stationary, and envelopes. Today, I want to share a project with you that my friend, Dominique and her kids made for my daughter's 4th birthday. On very stiff paper, I would suggest a 300 lb watercolor paper, Dom had her kids paint with watercolors. Once it was dry, she cut the first initial of Quin's name out of the paper (Quin's "Q" is 13" x 17"). She then used the left over parts from the painting to cut out Quin's age, the first initials of her kids' names and the words "happy" and "love", which they then glued onto the front of the "card". So simple and so pretty! This was my absolute favorite thing that Quin received at her birthday party. It is on her bedroom door so we can look at it several times a day. Thanks for the awesome idea, Dominique and your wonderful kiddos!

365 Days With Kiddos - #1 - Your Child's Drawings and Paintings - Repurposing Them Into Cards, Stationary, & Envelopes

Happy Labour Day! It seems like a good day to start my 365 posts. Each post is an idea from our home to yours on ways you and your children can live a more creative life each day. These are all ideas we have used or regularly use in our home. Some are simple and require just a few minutes and some are more complex, requiring an afternoon or weekend. Most do not require purchasing special items but instead focus on activities that are little or no cost, often recycling or repurposing (upcycling) items you already have or can find at thrift stores and yard sales. I don't know which one is the best one to start with so I am just going to dive right in... To enrich each post with ideas and inspiration, please feel free to add your comments, links, and ideas.

Most children produce a plethora of drawings, paintings, and other 2-D visual art pieces. Home, school, and daycare, are just a few of the many places our kids make art, and our homes become filled with these amazing creations. Over the next few days I will give you my ideas on ways to view, store, and repurpose these works of art.

The simplest way to repurpose your child's art work is to make cards, stationary, and envelopes out of them. We keep a stack of Quin's art just for this purpose. When it is time to give a birthday card, to send a thank you card, or to write to my grandmother, we go to the pile and select a drawing or painting. For stationary we cut the painting or drawing down to a managable size and then cut out sheets using our rotary cutter (since I am unable to draw and cut a straight line to save my life!). If you prefer, you can always trace a template piece of stationary or use a straight edge to mark off the larger sheet to the smaller size you want, then cut it all out with a scissor. For cards, we cut out the part of the painting we want to be on the card, then fold. Voila! I often use stray envelopes that I have from old card and stationary sets, but we also make envelopes that match the cards. A great place for envelope templates is Mirkwood Designs. The templates are free to use and there are so many of them that just browsing is sure to inspire you to try other projects. Ruthann, of Mirkwood Designs, also has a blog. Friends and family will be happy to receive a personal card from your child. Have fun!

In Praise of Hand - Me - Downs

This post was inspired by a large box of clothes that recently arrived from my sister. They are the cutest of items that her almost two year old has outgrown. The day they arrived it was like it was someone's birthday. It was a big production for Quin and I to go through the clothes for her little sister. Quin was down right envious about some of the items her sister was going to get to wear. Now, some people would never consider clothing their children in hand-me-downs, just like some people would never consider eating reheated leftovers from yesterday's meal. I am not some people. If I liked my meal, I am happy to open the fridge and see it again. And if I like a piece of clothing I could care less who wore it before me. I love passing around clothes, both as the giver and the receiver, for all to share and wear. Maybe it was different in the old days, I do know people who whine about the hand-me-downs they had to wear. I was the first and only girl in my family, so I am assuming I never had to wear them but I would like to think I would have been excited to wear such and such's clothes, the way my oldest loves to tell people she is wearing "Jorga's shoes" or "Lucy's shorts" or something from another friend. And of course, her little sister gets all of her clothes, some of which belonged to the children of my friends before they belonged to her. I look at some of these clothes, especially the few handmade items, and I smile about how many kiddos may have worn them, and the loving hands that made them. I long for the days when handing down clothing was a necessity and each piece was made knowing it would have to clothe several kids. It is not like that today. Clothing is so easy to come by that most people I know have way more of it than they need. It is possible to buy new clothing on sale for a couple of bucks. Some of this clothing is bought and never worn only to be available at yard sales and thrift stores. There is good clothing everywhere including the landfills. I know MANY people who will not mend any item of clothing, who claim they don't even know how to sew on a button! I try to mend clothing once a month, both to be able to save items we love, and also to reflect on what all the generations before us both knew how and needed to do. And I think of the state of our environment when I think of our world of abundance. Handing down clothing is a great way to recycle. I give many of my favorite and best kid's items to friends even though I may have another child. It is fun to see their kids in my kids' favorite clothes. If I have another girl, they will give me these items back. And if I don't they will pass them on. Adults can get in on the action, too. I have both attended and hosted clothing swaps for adults. I even wrote about how you can do the same here. So I will close this rant with a big thank you to my sister for keeping the hand-me-down cycle going. I promise to pass these lovely items on...

Recycled Art for Kids: Painted Rocks Project #2 - Rock Houses For the Garden

My sweet little houses...

Rain, rain... not that the grass and I are complaining, but it can be hard on the kiddos. Here is another painted rock project that came from the recycled art class I taught this month. These are great for kids of all ages to work on. They look awesome in a garden. And the possibilities are endless. Your child can make a whole neighborhood.

Painted Rock Houses
by Tiffany Teske



What You Will Need
~ Rocks
~ Acrylic craft paint
~ Paint brushes; one for covering the rocks with solid all-over color, and smaller ones for detail work
~ Clear glossy spray lacquer



Directions
1. Select your rocks. Wash and let them dry.
2. Paint your rocks a solid color (as in the photo above). You will need to paint them all on one side, let them dry, then flip them over to paint the other side. Acrylic paint dries quickly.
3. Repeat step number two, 2-3 times, depending on the color of paint and how well it covers. Dark colors cover better, faster, than light colors.
4. Paint your house on the rock, filling it in with color. Using a small detail brush, paint dots, strips, flowers, and any other kind of design on your rocks. I like to outline my details with black paint once all the colored paint has dried.
5. Let everything dry well. Overnight is good.
6. Spray with sealer according to manufacturer instructions. This it to make the rocks more durable so they can be out in the elements of the garden.
7. Place your rocks outdoors, preferably somewhere you can see them from inside.


One of my student's houses, I believe she is 9. Isn't it adorable?

Spruce Up Your Front Door With Your Child's Art

Artwork by Quin & Mama

Every year in June, our local library has a children's art show. It is a lot of fun for everyone involved. Last year, Quin and Andre made a painting and dropped it off together while I was at home with a brand new babe :). We all made it to the show's opening, including a two week old, Emmanuelle. When the show was over, we decided to hang the painting on our front door. Ever since then we have showcased Quin's art there (and all over the house). It makes me smile every time I come home. And people who stop by for a visit always comment. We decided to put some new work on the door a couple of weeks ago, right before I hosted a spring clothing swap. It really brought a touch of spring to our entrance. You can do the same, in a few easy steps, using recycled cardboard and yarn or ribbon. Yippee for kiddo art!


How to Showcase Your Child's Art on Your Front Door
By Tiffany Teske

What You will Need
~ Your child's art
~ Poster board
~ Cardboard
~ Hole Punch
~ Yarn or ribbon

1. Cut either your child's art to fit on the poster board or the poster board to be larger than your child's art. I like a 1" - 2" border. Glue the art on the poster board using white glue. Smooth out with your hands, making sure everything is well attached.


2. Cut cardboard to a bit smaller than the poster board and glue them together using white glue. Smooth out and make sure they are well attached.

3. Punch two holes at the top of the poster board, a couple of inches in from each side, using your hole punch. Here I used a regular round punch but I have used shaped punches for a more decorative hole.

4. Thread your yarn or ribbon through each hole from front to back, then knot each end. Voila! It is ready to hang on your door and make people, especially your little one, smile.


I love this photograph of Quin diligently photographing her art...


A view of some of the items for offer at the clothing/book/housewares swap my friend, Kim, & I hosted. Here is a post I wrote in the fall about how to host a clothing swap. It is a great way to socialize with friends and meet new people, Plus you keep your old items out of the landfill while finding some new used items for yourself.


Aren't these tulips a lovely springy hostess gift?! Thanks, Amelie!

Better Ice... Just in Time for Winter

In the on going effort to rid our home of plastic, something that will probably never be completely accomplished, I looked to my freezer. We don't have an automatic ice maker, just one of those annoying white plastic cube trays that eventually will crack and be rendered useless. I decided to look for an alternative and while surfing the internet I was delighted to suddenly remember that when I was a child (born in 1973...) there was such a thing as metal ice cube trays. I found a few for sale but for about $20 on average. I decided to keep my eyes peeled and found two at a local sale of all things vintage (more on this amazing sale soon...) for 50 cents each! They are so cool. And so sleek. And so functional, and obviously built like tanks because they are still around. I made the first batch of many lovely cubes to come. My hubby beat me to the fun part of pulling the lever and breaking up the cubes, but I will be sure to do it next time. He says they work like a charm...

Need Some New Clothes? Consider Hosting a Clothing Swap....

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting a great bunch of women and then riffling though their clothes!! I have been into the idea of hosting a clothing swap for quite sometime, but was thrilled to receive an invite from a friend of mine, whose friend had gone ahead and planned one. It has been a long time since I participated in a clothing swap and it was so much fun! In addition to clothes, there was food and drink, but since Kim and I were the only ones with nursing little ones we were only able to stay long enough to swap some clothes. In the end I brought a bag of clothes and accessories and came home with the bag full of new clothes!! And I got to meet about 12 other ladies, from all over Canada, Australia, the UK, Belgium, and The Ukraine. I love that the evening was environmentally responsible to boot. What a way to reduce, reuse, and recycle! And since only one of my friends was there I could still go ahead and host my own swap sometime soon. My goal would be to attend a swap for each new clothing season.

Hosting a Clothing Swap
Here are a few off the cuff tips on how to host a clothing swap that I gleaned from attending one. I think the less rules the better is the number one rule...

* Invite lots of lovely ladies via an email invite such as Evite. Invite everyone to invite their friends. The more, the merrier, and the best selection.
* Invite people to bring wine or other bevies and nibblies.
* Ask everyone to bring clothes that still have some wear left to them. No garage sale or thrift store bound items (nothing against these places since I LOVE them but sometimes the clothes are not in the best shape...).
* Encourage attendees to also bring shoes, accessories, whatever is clothing related. I brought a bunch of plastic hangers to share. And some women even brought paperback books.
* Do not make it mandatory for people attending to bring items. There will be lots of things to chose from anyway and usually someone who has not brought something will wait until the people who have have made their selections.
* As each person arrives lay out their clothes on the floor in rows so that things are folded but easily seen. As more and more people arrive you can hold up the items for all to view while organizing them.
* The only rule at the swap I attended was that if two women were "fighting" over the same piece of clothing that the person who brought the most clothes to offer to the swap could have the item.
* My rule was that I wanted to try on each item I was interested in so that someone else could have it if it didn't fit me.
* At the end of the evening whatever is left over can be bagged up for the local thrift store. You can ask attendees to help with this.
* Consider variations on this theme, such as a male/female event or even a kiddo event.


And if you and a close friend are both bringing items to the same swap and you are around the same size, consider looking at each others items BEFORE the swap. In the end, I think I ended up with four items from the friend I arrived with. One of them is this sexy little number above! I scored the perfect black cardigan to go over it and I can't wait to wear it on our 6th wedding anniversary this month!

My New Cutting Board and a Kid's Craft Project

I was looking online for a green cutting board when I found Epicurean. I blogged about them here. I wanted to give them a try and my 8x6" Recycled Series board arrived a couple of days ago. In the meantime, I found a local shop, The Colorful Cook in Canmore, Alberta, that carries this line of cutting boards, so I can go buy more if I like them... and boy, I do likey!


They are made in Duluth, Minnesota, from recycled cardboard. They are resistant to heat and stains, are dishwasher safe, and kind to knives. I have used my board several times already. After an initial wash with soap and water, my daughter and I made a small fruit salad. The board did resist staining, and was super easy to clean up again with soap, water, and an air dry. I have already brought my old plastic board of the same size to the thrift store. And next week, I plan to go to The Colorful Cook to buy a 14x11" board. If you are looking for a green, healthy board, please check out Epicurean.


On a side note, there was a long piece of packing paper protecting our new cutting board. It was about the same length as my daughter, so instead of throwing it into the recycler, we got to work tracing each other, then we used markers to dress up Quin's new buddy. Thanks to Epicurean for an environmentally responsible cutting board and for providing us with a morning of inventive fun!

My New Cutting Board and a Kid's Craft Project

I was looking online for a green cutting board when I found Epicurean. I blogged about them here. I wanted to give them a try and my 8x6" Recycled Series board arrived a couple of days ago. In the meantime, I found a local shop, The Colorful Cook in Canmore, Alberta, that carries this line of cutting boards, so I can go buy more if I like them... and boy, I do likey!


They are made in Duluth, Minnesota, from recycled cardboard. They are resistant to heat and stains, are dishwasher safe, and kind to knives. I have used my board several times already. After an initial wash with soap and water, my daughter and I made a small fruit salad. The board did resist staining, and was super easy to clean up again with soap, water, and an air dry. I have already brought my old plastic board of the same size to the thrift store. And next week, I plan to go to The Colorful Cook to buy a 14x11" board. If you are looking for a green, healthy board, please check out Epicurean.


On a side note, there was a long piece of packing paper protecting our new cutting board. It was about the same length as my daughter, so instead of throwing it into the recycler, we got to work tracing each other, then we used markers to dress up Quin's new buddy. Thanks to Epicurean for an environmentally responsible cutting board and for providing us with a morning of inventive fun!

Reusing Packing Peanuts

I seem to accumulate packing peanuts and bubble wrap like there is no tomorrow. Especially over the holidays, since all of our family lives a far and they love to send things to us (thanks everyone!). This year I found myself with a large box of perfectly reusable peanuts and wrap. However, I already have enough of this stored to mail about 100 packages. It is time to pass some of it along. Since I love finding people who need what I don't want on Freecycle, I posted what I have available late last night. This morning, I have two emails. One, from the people I will give it to, who are moving in the spring. The other email contained the following suggestions:

1) Bring the packing peanuts and bubble wrap to a local store that would us them, like a kitchen store. We live in an area that mostly has independent shops, and I am sure the owners would be happy to save on expenses and take these off my hands.
2) Bring them to the UPS store. This is a chain that I would think would have plenty of this stuff, but the writer of the email had done this in the past. I supposed even UPS is watching their bottom line and it is nice that they are open to recycling. I would expect most chain store to have silly policies that reject recycling...
3) Bring them to a thrift store. I visit our local one almost weekly. Of course they would like these, since they have many breakable items people need to get home in one piece.
Thanks, BG, for the suggestions.

Additionally, by serendipity, I came across a new favorite blog recently, called Craft a Green World. Kelly Rand just posted on "Crafty Reuse of Packing Peanuts". It contains this link to Instructables' "How to Fill an Office with Packing Peanuts" which is totally hilarious! I wish I had an office to do this to! Her other suggestions include using them to repack your ornaments and holiday breakables, for stuffing pet beds and decorative pillows, in the bottom of plant pots, or call the shipper to see if they will take them back...

...that last suggestion helped me remember that I had once seen that B&H Photo Video, who I frequently ordered from when I lived in the states, has a program for recycling packing peanuts. I dug out the brochure, since I could not seem to find anything on their website, and right on the front page in bold letters is says, "To recycle Stryofoam "peanuts" or packaging, call the Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214". After some more web research I found out that the Peanut Hotline, under the Plastic Loose-Fill Council, is a nationwide (US) consumer reuse program. If you call that number it will give you the closest location that will accept your peanuts. I think it would be safe to say there are probably others services like this out there that can found with a little digging.

As for actual crafts... I was thinking you could make packing peanut garlands or "beaded" curtain strands. I did a search on "crafts using packing peanuts" and almost everything that popped up was a kid site or kid related craft, which does interest me since I teach the local recycled arts and crafts program for the after school program. The Paper Bag Octopus uses the packing peanuts to represent suction cups but seems like you could also stuff the paper bag with peanuts, instead of the wadded up newspaper that is suggested. The Toothy Puppet uses packing peanuts for teeth. In keeping with the holiday theme, here are directions for making a recycled Christmas wreath. If you really want to reuse your peanuts by crafting, there are tons of ideas on the web.

The same goes for bubble wrap. Here you can make a Bubble Wrap Footstool. I am intrigued by this project on DIY Network, which uses bubble wrap and bleach to bleach a pattern onto paper. I am not much of a scrapbooker but could use it in my mixed media work. Once again, no end to the possibilities on the web.

If you have an idea fora reuse or a craft using bubble wrap or packing peanuts, please comment here! Cheers!

Cell Phone Recycling Sends Kids to Camp!

I am lucky to live in a town where the environment is a top priority. I would have to be pretty lazy not to take advantage of some of the awesome programs they have such as townwide recycling, composting, Freecycle, computer recycling... now, I can get rid of more of the electronic clutter in my life while helping local children at the same time. For each cell phone the town collects, they receive $1, which they put toward their Campership Program. That might sound like a small amount of money but in the first week of the program they collected 100 phones. And not only will the dollars add up but the progam saves antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc, all toxic chemicals, from being deposited in landfills. A bonus is that the program is accepting all models and types of cell phones, which are then sent to Ontario, then passed on to areas in economic need. If you have a cell phone you would like to recycle, just bring it to the Banff Town Hall. I know I have at least 5 (isn't that awful?) kicking around here that I can bring them...

To read more about the program you can read the article that appeared in this week's Banff Crag and Canyon.

30 Things in 30 Days - #22 - Green Wedding Ideas

Awwwww, weddings! So much work, so much expense, so much waste, but oh so much fun! Now, not everyone will want to go to drastic measures to make their wedding green, like say eloping. But, there are several ways to make any wedding more environmentally friendly. Here are some tips:

- Make informed choices when it comes to your rings. Check out companies like Green Karat, which use high quality, recycled metals. Ask questions about where your diamonds have come from and avoid conflict or blood diamonds. Global Witness offers an online consumer guide that can educate you on the diamond industry and teaches you the kinds of questions to ask a jeweler.

- Have your wedding and reception at the same location so guests don't have to drive beween the two. Even better, have the wedding outdoors is a beautiful location that reminds you why our environment is important to you. Botanical Gardens are amazingly lush and beautiful and you will be supporting a non profit organization if you have your wedding and reception there.

- Select clothing and accessories that can be worn again, or recycle clothing by going with vintage items. Check out The Vintage Wedding Dress Company for decadent dresses and Unique Vintage for more affordable but just as lovely dresses (although some are vintage "inspired" and not actual vintage). It is also possible to buy gorgeous wedding dresses made from silk or hemp like the beautiful ones sold by Conscious Clothing.


Fancy Strapless Dress by Conscious Clothing

- Donate your wedding dress to I Do Foundation so that is can live on and be worn again.

- Send invitations that are made with homemade paper that has wildflowers seeds in it so that your guests can plant the paper and enjoy the flowers. Or you can send e-invites but remember those people who don't have internet access. On this same theme, you can set up a wedding site where guests can access all your information and print only what they want to but be sure to mail the same info those without the internet.

Wow! I had no idea this post would get so long. It may end up being a two or three parter.... stay tuned!

30 Things in 30 Days - #3 - Borrow instead of Buying

I wrote a bit about my love of the library in this post. Libraries are wonderful both in making knowledge accessible to all and in allowing people to save money and our environment by borrowing things they would normally buy. Libraries have books, magazines, DVDs and videos, and CDs. That covers reading, watching films and TV shows, and music. Nice! And most libraries I know, even our independent library in Banff, have the ability to order whatever you are looking for from another library if they don't have it.

There are also toy lending libraries in many towns, usually at a local community playgroup, where children can borrow toys rather than having to buy them. When it comes to large plastic toys like kitchens and work benches, this is definitely a great way to help the landfills.

30 Things in 30 Days - #1 - Cloths Not Paper Towels

Since I seem to have limited time to post lately, and since people seem to keep asking me, "Can one person really make a difference" (OF COURSE THEY CAN!!), I have decided to commit the next 30 days to 30 simple posts on ways you can make a difference for our environment.

Today's "Thing" is to start using cloths instead of paper towels. We have a stack of dish and baby washcloths that we use to wipe up spills, wash the windows and mirrors, clean the counter tops and other surfaces, basically for anything you would use a paper towel for. In fact, about the only time I use a paper towel is when I need to line a bowl to put bacon on top of. And since I have been a vegetarian for the past 22 years, that is not often. On a side note, does anyone out there know of an environmentally friendly way to dispose of bacon grease? My family does eat bacon, and we pour the grease in a jar and then throw the jar away, which makes me feel guilty. Is it ok to scoop the grease into the trash once it has solidified? I would imagine that is fine... anyway, we also use baby washcloths to wipe my daughter's bum when we change her diaper. The only time we use disposable wipes is when we are out and about, which means we only buy the refill packs for the original plastic tub a couple of times a year. Give it a try. It will take some getting used to, but it becomes a habit to use and launder cloths. And if you buy paper towels, buy 100% recycled paper towels. And please make sure to recycle the packaging so as not to repeat the irony you see here in this picture I snapped while out on a walk recently...

A Reusable Coffee Filters, FINALLY...

I knew they were out there, I just had not hunted one down. I had searched on the internet but only came up more confused as to which type to buy. Let me back up... I was not looking for a reusable coffee filter for a coffee maker, I have had one of those for years. The kind that is plastic with copper mesh, they are great, but they don't work on the coffee maker I use during the week, my melitta. My Melitta is a plastic manual drip brewer which is super easy to use. We started using them after spending 6 weeks in Costa Rica and seeing the coffee "sock" that people there used to make coffee. I love to make coffee this way and unless we need to make coffee for two (in which case we use the french press which doesn't use filters) or more (in which case we use our electric coffee maker and the copper mesh filter) it is how I do it. The thing about it that had me feeling guilty is that you end up using one paper filter for one cup of coffee. I bought the kind that are unbleached paper but I wanted to find something reusable. From what I had read online many of the options people had tried had been messy or left sediment in the bottom of the cup, or just didn't last long. The one I bought I found at Nutter's Health Food Store in Canmore. It is by Nature's Best and the filter was made in Golden, BC, about 1 1/2 hours from here where a friend of ours lives. Cool! The only thing is they don't have a website but if anyone is interested I can let you know the mailing address or can buy one for you. They are only $2.99! And they claim to last "hundreds" of times. You rinse them under the tap (after I put as much of the coffee grounds as I can in the compost container) and then you can let it dry or can reuse it right away. It is made of 100% unbleached cotton. The coffee tastes great and there is no sediment. It does come in a plastic bag but it is recyclable plastic. It says I should soak it once a month in 2 cups of hot water with 2 teaspoons of baking soda, but that I should never use detergent or bleach or wash it in the washing machine. I am very happy! Off to have a cup of joe...

Wanderlust

This is the first mixed media piece in my series called Wanderlust, which is a solo show I am having at Ottawa Gallery D'OMMA in August. I also got the artist statement written today...

Artist's Statement for Wanderlust:

Long before talk of fossil fuels and the environmental footprint of travel dominated the news, people have had the need to explore their surroundings and beyond. This wanderlust is practical for some, while for others it is about adventure, curiosity, and a need to have new experiences. The reason that people travel, both now and in the past, are many. I seek to explore these reasons in my newest body of mixed media work. Using recycled materials, including Polaroid transfers made for past exhibitions, I have created a series of collages on 12 1/4" by 12 1/4" thrifted record album jackets. As someone who suffers from a serious need to roam and to learn new things, the concept of wanderlust appeals to me. As someone who is currently grappling with the present state of our world and how best to explore it while keeping my enviromental impact to a minimum, I am presenting an alternative to actual travel for the viewer. My hope is that these works will provide you with a green way to wander, by using your imagination in collaboration with my visuals.

To learn more about my commitment to create art using only recycled and thrifted materials please go to my other blog.

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE UPCYCLE REPURPOSE THRIFT CREATE

Blame is On Sheasy

So I am going to "blame" my latest creation on Sheasy. She was the inspiration so I will thank her rather than blame her.



I made this for my friend who just had a little girl. The current pic is of my daughter when she was a new babe. I am going to replace it with a gift certificate for a photography session for my friend's little one. As some of you may know, before moving to Banff, I owned my own portrait photography business where I went to the homes of my clients and shot black and white images of them. You can still see this on my website, which is badly in need of a revamp... Whoa, got off the subject there. Thanks, Sheas!