Etsy Project Embrace

So many causes, charities, relief organizations and support groups grab out attention during this season.  It is all good!  But for me,  I am feeling really comfortable with the idea of an ongoing commitment that will just part of me.  I have chosen to join Etsy Project Embrace.

We are a Universal Coalition of Artists, Suppliers and Vintage Collectors who initially were brought together as a way to help our friend and wonderful Etsian, Laura Slocum who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Today, our group not only supports the American Cancer Society (ACS), but also The American Hospice Foundation (AHF).

I have chosen to affiliate with the American Hospice Foundation  through Etsy's Project Embrace.

If you are interested, it is really very easy. A lot of the satisfaction comes, at least for me, through a continuing connection through Etsy.

Take a look, and join if you like, or simply support by passing  the word.  Again, it's all good!

I Usually Leave This Bag In The Car

Sharen Heath from I Love Langley

Facebook friend posted this picture.   I have to say, I am in such a complete fog half the time, I have to go back to the car to get the canvas bags I have made for myself.  The serious side to this is that there has been some buzz about the safety of some reusable grocery bags due to some imports having a high level of lead. Please do not go back to single use plastic grocery bags. If you are not sure about the ones you already own contact the company. If you are still  not confident about using the reusable bags that stores sell, buy cotton canvas types.

This Turtle Thanks Courtesy EcoKaren

What's On The Counter Today? #2

Episode two of: What's On The Counter Today?   

This beautiful and intensely colored pumpkin was given to us by friends who have ten green thumbs each!  I cannot imagine cutting into it.  Isn't she beautiful?   Thank you S & C.

Accidental Felting....

Ok.....husband has retired. 

Develops desire to do laundry.

All goes in dryer.

I have doll sized sweater... and cashmere sox that would fit the cat!

On the way to the donation box,  I pass sewing room.

Wellllll...why not??

Keep it simple....

Widgets, gadgets, html codes, links, blurbs and buttons!  I have made a mess of my blog again just because I love all those geeky goodies.  I have done a big housecleaning.....What do you think?   Well, never fear, it will happen again!  I just can't resist grabbing buttons to proclaim one thing or another.....just to be part of the in-crowd,  I guess.

A little gift...

A little gift created by: Ann Wood.

  DIY gift tags (download tags here).

How To Make a Scrappy Dog Bed

From Jaclyn over at Urban Crunch shows us  how to make a scrappy dog bed.......a great way to use up bits and pieces.  If the dog bed is going to be in the house, it should really have something to do with your style.  Click on the link with a great tutorial with a ton of pictures.

 

Scrappy Dog Bed , Urban Crunch.

I made this photo larger than necessary, but this sweet face has me all dog-kissy!

Brave Girls Club

This is blatantly stolen from Kathy over at BraveGirlsClub .......a site that you need to see, feel and get an emotional reality check. 

"Okay…it looks like I’m on a breakfast kick with the recipes lately. I have this one and one more favorite (Baked Pumpkin French Toast..oooo la la!) that I want to share with you right away so that you are ready to make an incredible holiday breakfast! This one is definitely NOT something to make everyday, but how about once or twice a year??



I don’t even know what to say to this picture…except I’m sorry!!! Yes, it’s a good as it looks…and probably ten times as fattening. That’s why you only have it once or twice a year, okay?!? Here’s how easy it is to make…first, assemble the ingredients: thick sliced bacon, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and freshly cracked pepper"

I am not going to share any more....see, this is a teaser to get  you over there.  Go on....I'm going.

Birch Texture Notecards

Birch Texture Notecards,
originally uploaded by inklore.

This is a few years old over on flickr, and I don't know how I found it. The composition of the photograph is so natural. It really draws me in. Inklore has such totally simple and creative work....I love her work.

Do....visit her shop and see all the textiles too.

Nesting Fabric Baskets Tutorial

I found a great tutorial for those adorable nesting baskets.....I am thinking of Christmas fabrics and filling them with nuts, candy canes, pine cones....etc.  Anyway, here is the link to the tut.  It is a pdf file so just faollow the instructions on downloading:  Nesting Fabric Baskets Tutorial

A Holiday Sewing Project Benefiting Mother Earth

The Green Grocery Bag Challenge: A Holiday Sewing Project Benefiting Mother Earth

Fact 1: US consumers generate 4 million tons of wrapping paper and shopping bag waste during the holiday season alone.

Fact 2: The US goes through 100 billion single-use plastic grocery bags every year.

Fact 3: This year, you can make a difference!

How? The challenge is this: Wrap your holiday gifts in reusable cloth grocery bags.

That’s it! By doing this simple thing this holiday season you will cut down on the amount of wrapping paper entering the waste stream, while also getting multi-use bags into circulation. Not to mention the fact that your gift recipients get a bonus gift that they can use all year long! It’s win/win for earth and your loved ones!

I love this....gonna do it! Who is in????

All this info courtesy of Sew Mamma Sew....check their link to the left.

How Green Is Your Orange Juice

Karen Lee, or EcoKaren published this on her blog
and has kindly made the information available to all of us.
"This might not be news to some of you but it was an eye opener for me. At least the numbers anyway. I mean, I knew my orange juice didn’t just appear in the grocery stores like magic and that it needed to be grown and transported but I didn’t think about the details of how it creates such a huge carbon footprint.

So here is the low down on orange juice.

Did you know…..?

To produce a 64 oz carton of Tropicana orange juice emits 3.75 lb of greenhouse gases?

* 60% Agriculture and Manufacturing ( 58% Fertilizer production and application, 30% Natural Gas, 8% Electricity, and 2% Transportation)
* 22% Distribution
* 15% Packaging
* 3% Use and Disposal

According to TIME and NY Times, PepsiCo who owns Tropicana enlisted Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the environmental auditing firm, Carbon Trust to help assess the carbon footprint of each gallon of Tropicana orange juice.

The study found that the biggest contributor to the carbon footprint isn’t the gas guzzling trucks that deliver these delicious refreshing drinks all over United States but the agricultural and manufacturing practices – fertilizer production and application being the biggest.

Ha! Should have known that.

So what do you do?

Drink organic orange juice! Since there won’t be any fertilizers or pesticides used in growing organic oranges, the carbon footprint would be so much less!

In all fairness though, PepsiCo is trying to be greener since this report. Pepsi is working with Yara International and Outlook Resources, PepsiCo will test low-carbon fertilizers at one of its producer farms in Bradenton, Fla. If successful, the greener fertilizers could lower the carbon footprint of PepsiCo’s citrus growers by as much as 50% and reduce the total carbon footprint of Tropicana orange juice by up to 20%. (TIME)
But until then, I’ll be buying organic orange juice…Or squeeze my own OJ at home. They taste better anyway.
Now…only if I can find organic oranges."

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Does Washing Really Clean Your Produce???

Now, after the post about orange juice, let's take a minute to listen to this. I cannot believe how many folks out there refuse to believe that chemical pesticides and fertilizers can make their way into your produce. Think of it like this....if you cannot eat or drink the stuff you put on the food you grow....then maybe it shouldn't be applied. Gross? Not really....most commercially grown produce is what's gross!


Does Washing Produce Eliminate Pesticides? -- powered by eHow.com

Bamboo....did you know?

I have talked about bamboo before, but I am putting out a little more information.


Ok...here we go...... DID YOU KNOW?

Bamboo is better for you:

• Fabric made from bamboo is incredibly soft That's just the way it is, naturally. Wearing a bamboo T-shirt for example, is like wearing cashmere, but for next to the skin. 

• Bamboo fabric is smooth and luxuriously comfortableAt a microscopic level, bamboo fibre has a round surface.  Because of this, it’s very smooth and sits perfectly next to the skin.  Petrol based synthetic fibres can sometimes irritate the skin and they also start to smell really quickly

• ‘Bamboo Dry’ – absorbs and evaporates sweat in a split second.  It doesn’t stick to the skin.  Its extraordinary natural breathability keeps you comfortable and dry for longer.

• ‘Bamboo Thermo-control’ – bamboo fabric is highly breathable in hot weather and also keeps you significantly warmer in the cold.  Keeping you more comfortable in all temperatures -  ‘Air conditioned clothing’

• Bamboo clothing is anti static, so it sits very well next to your skin, not clinging to it.  It's also UV protective (it cuts out 98% of harmful UV rays) and anti fungal, so it's just better, whether it's on you in the Alps or stuffed at the bottom of your bag for days on end.

And it gets better.....better for the environment:

• Bamboo is 100% naturally grown, without assistance from man. Bamboo is 100% sustainable

• Bamboo thrives naturally without using any pesticides or fertilizers

• Bamboo fibre is 100% biodegradable

• As the fastest growing plant in the world, bamboo grows to its maximum height in about 3 months and reaches maturity in 3-4 years.  It spreads rapidly across large areas.  Because of this, bamboo is known to improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas of land.

• As a grass, bamboo is cut, not uprooted, also helping soil stability.  Bamboo also can grow on hill slopes where nothing else is viable.

• The yield (i.e. the amount of product) you get from an acre of bamboo is 10 times greater than the yeld you get from cotton.  In an age where land use is under enormous pressure this is huge.That an acre of bamboo supplies about 10 times more fibre than an acre of cotton?  Without using any pesticides at all.  Or fertilizers.

• The water requirement for bamboo is minute, mainly just from what falls.  As opposed to cotton, whose water requirement per shirt's-worth is huge.

• If clothing made from bamboo becomes popular, it means more bamboo plantations, which means more photosynthesis and less greenhouse gas.  “The greatest challenge facing mankind” would get just a little easier.

In contrast.....

• Synthetic performance fabrics are made from petrochemicals, a non-renewable fossil fuel. They go to make clothes which get smelly really quickly. 

Clothing made from bamboo is nature's answer to our needs for everyday fabric, in an environmentally sustainable form.  It's just our luck that it's so much better as well!

My family wears bamboo clothing,  we use bamboo sheets and towels, I use bamboo batting and fabric in my quilts and bags that I make for Etsy.  If you visit my shop, you will  see that I also use organic cotton, hemp and linen.

What's On The Counter Today?

Kaffir lillies and late roses

Stone Soup Cookbook

I have been subscribing to Jules Clancy's Blog...Stone Soup.  She subscribes to minimalist cooking at home.  That means 5 ingredients in 10 minutes.  The idea appeals to me because of the simple and healthy meals I can put on the table. 

The philosophy of how this kind of cooking can help us is (of course) simple:

1. less time in the kitchen
10 minutes cooking leaves more time for the activities and people you love.
2. less time shopping
With only 5 ingredients in each recipe, you’ll find your shopping lists are shorter and more manageable. You won’t need to spend as much time out hunting and gathering.
3. eating more fresh, healthy food
Everyone knows that home cooked food tends to be better for you. With the focus on fresh ingredients, my 5 ingredients recipes make it easy.
4. more pleasure & enjoyment
Cooking can be a great way to relax and unwind. Spending 10 minutes using one of my minimalist recipes will help you gain more pleasure and enjoyment from dinner time.
5. save money
If dinner only takes 10 minutes to prepare, you’ll be more likely to cook for yourself than take the expensive dial-a-dinner option.
6. less stress
Long ingredient lists and complicated methods can lead to much stress and kitchen confusion. Minimalist home cooking keeps things as simple and stress-free as possible.
7. more kitchen confidence
If you’re new to cooking, starting with minimalist recipes will help you get some great simple dishes under your belt and give you the confidence to tackle anything.

Visit her site and take a look at what she serves up.  You can download a 97 page cookbook just to try. Here is the link for the Stone Soup Cookbook...

I recommend you save this  to a file and not print it.  Don't forget, it is 97 pages.  Enjoy.