DIY Gift Planters

Today I'm crafting out of my recycling. I'm propagating succulents *crosses my fingers*, and I want to put them in some cute little planters. All we need:

• Jars: I'm using Tostitos salsa and cheese dip jars. You can't keep me away from my cheese dip!)
• Cute paper: check out Seattle Recreative for leftover scrapbook or wrapping paper, use a cute shopping bag, or magazine cutouts. I'm using the wrapping from "Who Gives a Crap" TP, which has infamously cute seasonal wrapping. 
• Mod Podge or other craft glue

Dear friends, I only write about products or tips that I've tried and loved. Therefore, I will not tell you about "Who Gives A Crap" toilet paper. It is my punishment for ordering a case of 48 rolls that I'm making myself finish it myself (T and guests refuse to use it). However, a side result is that each roll is wrapped in really cute paper, so yay, free crafting material. ;)

1) Gather your supplies. You'll need scissors and a brush or sponge applicator in addition to the supplies above.

2) Measure and trim your paper to a size that will cover your jar. Mine needed about 1/3 sheet per jar.

3) Apply an even layer of adhesive to the back of your paper.

4) Wrap around your jar so the ends neatly overlap, and apply a coat of adhesive to the outside of the paper too. This will give a nice seal, so it won't get ruined when you water your plant.

5) Don't worry if it's a little wrinkly. As you can see, the drier jar on the left looks smoother than the wetter one on the right. Any remaining "flaws" are just evidence that it's DIY.

6) Plant your succulent and enjoy!

SIY (Start It Yourself) Succulents

I saw a short video the other day on "clever plant hacks", and today am testing one of them for myself.

The idea is that you can propagate many new succulent plants from:

• the leaves of an existing plant 
• a plastic bottle

Step 1: pull several of the leaves off a succulent.

Step 2: take a plastic bottle (I'm using an orange juice jug) and cut several small holes up and down the sides of it, stopping at least 2" from the bottom. 

Step 3: pour 2" water in the bottom and screw the lid back on.

Step 4: insert the cut side of a succulent leaf into each of the holes.

Put into your window, and hopefully in a few weeks, you'll have roots on each leaf, resulting in about a dozen new little succulents!

I'll post again in a few weeks - if succussful, I will have:

• saved $4 per plant
• saved a small plastic pot per plant
• reused a plastic jug

Happy propagating!

Prime Packaging

Did you do it? Did you cave and go nuts on Prime Day? Does your porch look like this??

Never fear. So did I. And you don't have to fill your recycling bin with all those boxes. And you *can't* fill your recycling bin in most municipalities with bubble envelopes or that plastic pillow padding.

First choice - reuse! One medium sized moving box at U-Haul costs $1.50 and and you'll pay up to $5 for the same size at less economical places like Office Depot, so it's nuts to only get a single use out of them. If you don't have a use yourself, offer them up to a friend, neighbor, or free site.

reuse
Medium-large boxes, plastic and paper filler material are great for moving and seasonal storage! Small boxes and bubble mailers were my biggest surprise that I was able to find neighbors who wanted them, but they're great for people with small businesses or who like to mail gifts.

recycle
Have you heard of Ridwell? Ridwell is a Seattle-area company designed to compliment your regular recycling - with packages as low as $10 per month. They take all sorts of items like batteries, light bulbs, thread, styrofoam and plastic film. Plastic film includes both those padding pillows as well as many plastic packaging wrappers.

Ridwell is doing a free pickup of Amazon packaging 7/22-8/1 to help with Prime Day specifically!

upcycle
I'm still in love with this cat castle.

We'll see if I can get T on board. ;)

Shoe Sister

Remember when you were younger and had a bestie or roommate, that you were lucky enough to wear some of the same sizes? And you would share clothes or shoes and automatically double the size of your closet?

Let's bring that back! You're never too old to have a wardrobe buddy. For me, I'm lucky to have an aunt who's a stylish gal, and likes to give me some of her hand-me-downs. A recent closet cleanout meant that I could be the recipient of some sweet summer shoes:

bøc sandals, compare at $50 new.

Crocs sandals, compare at $30 new.

Born sandals, compare at $80 new.

Overall savings $160, and I have some great comfort sandals to take me through the next couple summers. Thanks, Aunt Tricia!

Seattle Recycled Arts Festival

This past gorgeous sunny Saturday in Seattle, I decided to check out the Georgetown Carnival. It's a pretty sweet street fair, featuring vendors, food trucks, a main stage for musicians... I headed over because I had heard about a recycled fashion show. Turns out the fashion was just one part of a larger Seattle Recycled Arts Festival. They "define 'recycled art' as art created using at least 75% reclaimed materials", and their craft vendors and juried art made up a substantial part of the carnival. The festival is one day only, but the featured artisans below can be found online or at other shows year-round.

Some of the highlights:

Fashion Show (Pardon my low photo quality. I wasn't as close as I wanted to be!)

This stunning crochet dress made from reclaimed laces by Kim McCormick of Kimmi Designs. In addition to her Etsy store, you can find her work @KimmiDesigns on Facebook or Instagram, and at Pretty Parlor on Cap Hill in Seattle.

This tank made from a purse and wrap skirt made from a *shower curtain* by Staci Bernstein. Also @spellcasteraggiev on Instagram.

Top and pants also by Staci Bernstein. 

Dress from vintage tees by Edie Everette

Artisan Booths

Upcycled yard art by Simply Quirky Yard Art. Bonus points to Julie and Carline for sending my purchase home in a reusable shopping bag. The piece I brought home above, and a sampling of their other pieces below.

Jewelry made from recycled chandelier crystals by Capable Father. Also @capablefather on FB and Instagram. I love the green and gold necklace I brought home (pictured at bottom) and the other red and white pendants on display (top). The colors? These are "handmade papers [he sources] from a women's cooperative in Nepal that uses sustainable non-tree methods".

At $45 for the yard art and $35 for the necklace, you would pay similar prices for commercially-produced alternates, but I was happy to support small businesses using upcycled materials.

Thoughtful Threds

Today's theme is green, green, green!!

Green: eco conscious shopping
Green: great color, I look awesome in it. ;)
Green: $$$

So, I was feeling like buying some new clothes. I'm in a mission: I need more green. Someone on TV or at work or something was wearing green, and it stuck in my mind. And when I'm on a mission, I gotta go online. That brings us to ThredUp, one of my favorite online thift shops.

I get on the site and learn about this Choose Used partnership they're doing with Olivia Wilde and Conscious Commerce. They take second-hand tops and screen-print phrases on them that draw attention to good choices like:

• I wear used clothes.
• Thank you for choosing used.
• It takes 700 gallons of water to make one new t-shirt. (

10% goes to their circular fashion fund.

I chose one shirt from the Choose Used campaign (in mint!), and a green tee with pockets, and a green sweater for this fall.

I love that the confirmation email tallies up my savings for me: spent $56.78 and saved $100.22. I also love that in the past years, they've improved their packaging to remove plastic. It came in a simple cardboard mailer and tissue.

Meanwhile, as I'm composing this post, I run into my friend Kim A. She's just come from dinner with her friends at a nearby restaurant, and one of her friends brought tupperware for the leftovers! No disposable take-out containers, for the win!

Overall, great evening: I saved 64% on some second-hand clothes in like-new condition, one of which has a great conversation starter on it, and saw a friend making positive steps of her own.

Mindful Mopping

I absolutely love the convenience of my Swiffer but don't love the single-use pads.

It was time to try a DIY replacement, but so often I haven't posted DIY cleaners because they are complicated or not super effective. Then I came across this recipe from Housewife How-To's, and it's just 5 ingredients that I already have at home: 2 cups water, 1/4 cup alcohol, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/8 tsp dishsoap, and 5 drops essential oils (optional).

Katie of Housewife How-To's warns not to use dishsoap with lotion or castille soap, because it will alter the effectiveness and leave streaks. She also wrote this recipe for a mop or Swiffer Wet Jet, but I tried it with a regular Swiffer.

Important note: if you are a pet owner, do your research about what essential oils are safe around your pets. I'm reading too many stories about pets getting sick from just breathing around diffusers. I chose lavender for this batch.

Simply mix all ingredients (I used an old peanut butter jar, which I'll use to store the leftovers).

Then, I replace the Swiffer pad with an old towel or t-shirt. This one was almost the right size, so I didn't even alter it, but you cut cut your fabric to size and finish the edges if you prefer. Tuck the edges into the same holes you would the Swiffer pad, and you're ready to go!

Mop your floor and be prepared for *how effective* it is. (Gross!)

Once you're done, you can throw your mopping cloths in the regular wash.

This method is a winner for a few reasons:

• You get more use out of retired fabric.
• You don't use any more single use pads.
• The cleaner is very cost-effective, costing under $1 for 22 ounces of fluid.