I had the pleasure of chatting recently with Heather, the main mama behind Green Baby Green Mama, about homeschooling.  I was homeschooled grades K-8 by my amazing parents, and it was a great experience for me.

I love talking about the good old homeschool days, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask!  I’m honored that Heather interviewed me for her blog.  Check it out here!

My homeschooled years were some of the best years of my life.  The best part was the quality time spent as a family, learning and living together all day every day.

{My brother and me showing off our “Human Body” project at a science fair.}

{Ready to immigrate to America from Sweden on “Ellis Island Day”}

{Celebrating our successful immigration with the rest of the homeschool group.}

{Taking in one of our country’s most important monuments during a “field trip”.}

It’s not easy being green.” -Kermit the Frog

Most of us don’t live off the grid in the woods.  We have houses that need maintenance…We have jobs that require us to have cars…We have families that have needs and wants.  But, I definitely believe that a “normal” urban life can also be a green life. 

It’s important to remember that low-impact-living is a process, not something that happens over night.  I have found that when I try to make too big of changes, I end up not being able to sustain the new practice and revert back to my old ways.  Our weekly goals/challenges are all about taking small, sustainable steps towards a greener lifestyle.  Please leave us a comment if you have an idea for an Itty Bits Challenge!

Last week our challenge was to time our showers and keep them under five minutes.  How did you do?  It was tough for me, but I’m proud to say I was able to do it.  If there was anyone who needed to take this challenge, it was me {taking hot showers in the winter is just the ticket to get your core heated up, so I tend to stand around in there and lolly-gag.}  I’d like to shorten my time even more.  I think if I do it gradually, I won’t even notice the difference.

Our next challenge is perhaps something many of you are already doing:  Use reusable shopping bags.  Mike and I have about 10 different reusable bagsfor groceries…and yet, embarrassingly, we often forget them and are forced to choose between paper or plastic.  This is a bad habit that I am dying to change…hence, a perfect Itty Bits Challenge!

Bits of green around the web, with a spring theme:

You Grow Girl teaches how to start your own compost pile (urban friendly!)

Maple syrup season is only two months away!  I can’t wait for the annual harvest at my parents house in northern Wisconsin.  Making maple syrup is a 25-year-long tradition in my family. Give it a try!  Learn how here.

Yep, it’s true, environmental awareness feels like a burden sometimes.  We’re not alone in feeling that way.  The Environment Report discusses common green dilemas in their daily podcast.

If you’re spring-breaking this year, make it an eco-vacation.

Not only are these my favorite kind of dog, but they’re made in my homeland of Peru and your purchase supports fair trade artists in developing countries.

A pot-hole garden.

A mini homemade greenhouse.

A backyard chicken coop.

The best damn minimalist-living blog out there.

A family that’s living the dream.

That’s all for this week!  Happy weekend, and don’t forget your reusable bags when you head to the store!

I always get the itch to do a little self-pampering in the early spring.  I especially love facials.  After a long winter of dry-skin, I can’t wait to get my healthy summer-glow back.  But most facial products are chocked-full of nasty ingredients (see Natural Beauty: Avoiding Toxic Make-Up).  Knowing that I’m putting toxins on my face and then washing them down the drain takes all the enjoyment out of the facial for me.  So, I started to explore all-natural options.

…Actually, I have yet to find an all-natural moisturizer that I am completely satisfied with.  Do you have a favorite moisturizer, cleanser, and toner?  Please let me know in the comments section!

Since I don’t have a favorite store-bought moisturizer, I usually use aloe, jojoba-oil, and other homemade options.  I feel that homemade is the best option when it comes to skincare.  It’s the only way to have full control over what exactly is going on your skin.  There are tons of recipes to be found online for homemade face scrubs, masks, toners, and cleansers.

If you have never done this before, you might be surprised by some of the ingredients {or you might want to eat them.}  Turns out that foods like honey, yogurt, bananas, and oatmeal aren’t only good for us on the inside of our bodies…they also do wonders when topically applied.

Take some time this week to give yourself a homemade facial.  I found the following recipes on the Epic Beauty Guide, which is one of my favorite blogs.  You will be happy with how your skin looks after you try these:

Sugar Scrub

Removes dead skin cells so mois­ture can pen­e­trate, heals scars and acne, anti-aging.

{INGREDIENTS}

2 Tbsp. organic, cold-pressed olive oil
1 Tbsp. organic, raw honey
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 small, dark glass con­tainer {dark glass pre­vents the oil from oxi­diz­ing and will not leach into your scrub}

{STEPS}

1.  Pour your olive oil into your glass con­tainer. Then pour in your honey. Mix well.

2.  Add the sugar slowly and mix as you go. You may use less or more than 1/4 cup. You should end up with a thick scrub. Add a lit­tle more oil if you feel it’s too thick.

3.  Apply to your freshly washed face, neck, and chest.  Mas­sage the scrub gen­tly.  If you have very sen­si­tive skin, rub the scrub in your hands for a few sec­onds to soften up the gran­ules, then apply.

4.  Rinse off with luke­warm water. Skip the toner (you want to keep the remain­ing olive oil on your skin).

5.  Store the leftovers in a cool, dark place like your med­i­cine cabinet.

Milk & Honey Mask

Mois­tur­iz­ing, anti-aging, evens out skin tone and tex­ture, heals dam­age, soothes inflammation.

{INGREDIENTS}

1 Tbsp. organic milk ~ see if you can get local, raw goat’s milk or cow’s milk; you can also use plain, organic yogurt
1 Tbsp. organic, raw, unfil­tered honey
(Optional) 1 tsp. aloe vera gel ~ see if you can get an aloe plant, then you just break off a “leaf” and squeeze the fresh gel out!

{STEPS}

1.  Mix ingre­di­ents together in a small bowl.

2.  After cleans­ing, apply the mask to your face.

3.  Leave on for 10 min­utes.

4.  Wash off with luke­warm water, and a splash of cool water.

Champagne Toner

Cleans out and closes the pores, evens skin-tone, evaporates oil.

{INGREDIENTS}

A shal­low dish, a mea­sur­ing spoon, a cotton ball, and a bot­tle of champagne.

{STEPS}

1. Pour about 2 Tbsp. of cham­pagne into your dish and drop your cot­ton pad into the cham­pagne. Let the pad soak it up.

2. Wipe the champagne-soaked cot­ton pad all over your face, neck, and chest. It is fine to use around the eyes, just don’t get it in there!

3. Don’t rinse off. Follow-up with a light, nat­ural mois­tur­izer — jojoba or sweet almond oil are great.

I don’t exactly consider myself a girly-girl. I ride horses {and have no problem mucking stalls}, I go camping {outside in a tent. I know some of you think camping means sleeping in one of these}, and from time to time I make un-ladylike jokes {”that’s what she said.”}

However, I enjoy a good facial/mani-pedi as much as the next girl, and I wear make-up almost every day.  Therein lies a teeny problem: my need {yes dear, it is a need, not a want} for occasional pampering and regular make-up usage conflicts with my ethics.As you may know, the majority of cosmetics and toiletries on the market today contain enormous amounts of toxic chemicals which have never been tested for safety by the FDA.  Not only are these toxins sitting on our faces all day long and being absorbed into our bodies, but when we wash them off we are washing them into our water system and the earth.  Some of the most common include:

• Foaming agents such as sodium laureth sulphate, ammonium lauryl sulphate and 1,4-dioxane.

• Synthetic colors and fragrances which are not always labeled or identified completely on labels and may be an amalgam of hundreds of chemicals.

• Parabens, which are often used as preservatives and have been linked to breast cancer.

• Propylene Glycol which can cause liver and kidney damage

{More information can be found at The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics which has one of the largest databases of products and ingredients online.}

True story: Recently I switched from using department store make-up to using Aveda products.  When I ran out of my Aveda stuff, I had to go back to using the department store brands for a little while, and I noticed that my eyes became red and irritated after wearing it all day long.  I quickly replenished my supply of Aveda make-up and never looked back.  Besides using natural ingredients, Aveda also manufactures using 100% certified wind-power.

{I am not paid/sponsored by Aveda at all.  I’m just sharing a good experience I had with their products.}

Aveda is certainly not the only option. Even Wall-greens carries all-natural brands of cosmetics and toiletries these days.  If you’re a make-up lover like myself, I challenge you to switch to an all-natural brand, and see what kind of difference it makes with your skin/eyes/allergies.  Even if you don’t notice any outward benefits like I did, at least you can feel good that you’re no longer washing those chemicals down the drain every day! If you already use natural cosmetics, please share you experience in the comments!

Check back later this week for more on the subject of natural skincare, including a recipe for a homemade facial!…

We must become the change we seek.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Happy Friday!  I’d like to introduce you to our new series, Itty Bits: a compilation of inspiring tid-bits from all over the internet. Itty Bits is also a chance to end each week by setting a goal for the following week.  For example, this week’s goal is to begin taking shorter showers in order to conserve water.  We’ll be timing our showers and trying to stay under five minutes.

Please join us in these weekly goals, and share your experience with us.  Were you able to stick to the goal?  Was it challenging, or did you find it easy?

Start the weekend off by baking bread a la Roost Blog.

Old t-shirts are transformed into a ruffle-skirt over at Craft Gossip.

The Environment Report explores the role that coal plays in our lives and in the lives of those who depend on coal mining for a living.

In Boston, the health of people and the environment in urban areas is a community responsibility.  We can all learn from what they’re doing.

Find new uses for old tin cans here and here.

One of my favorite books reviewed by Amanda Blake Soule.

Spend time crafting for earthquake relief  this weekend.

Do a little carbon offsetting to make up for past transgressions.

A family after my own heart: Rural Renaissance

We’re lucky enough to live in a city that allows residents to raise chickens in their yards…now we just need to learn how to raise chickens!  I’ll be reading about DIY-chicken-raising this weekend.

It wouldn’t be the weekend without a good laugh.

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to time your showers!

I am so excited to share this great tutorial with you all! When Mama Mouse gave us one of these market bags for Christmas, I immediately got excited and asked her to share the pattern with us for the blog. She did a fantastic job explaining the steps. So, without further ado, here’s Mama Mouse with her Reusable Market Bag tutorial!:

Everyone on my list got a reusable market bag this past Christmas. I enjoyed making them, and the recipients seemed genuinely happy. I hope all the bags will be put to good use!

I began the project intending to repurpose nylon shower curtains into market bags, but couldn’t find any at our local thrift store that were lightweight enough so that the bag can be rolled very small, yet strong enough to withstand years of use. I instead opted for rip-stop nylon. It’s thin, durable, resists rips and is washable.

Here’s how to make your own reusable market bag. The pattern is a combination of several bags that I’ve used. Please read all the way through the instructions before starting.

Make a pattern: Using the diagram below, draw and cut out the 3 pattern pieces: main bag, upper bag lining, and tie. I used kraft paper that we have on hand but freezer paper, wrapping paper, newspaper, or even outdated fabric from your stash will work for this purpose.

Lay out pattern and cut fabric: You will need 1 yard of 60” wide, rip-stop nylon ( or 1 ¼ yard of 44/45” wide fabric).

Here’s the scoop on layout: If one adheres to accepted sewing methods, the pattern pieces should be laid on the fabric so that the vertical alignment of the bag is in line with the grain of the fabric (in other words, parallel to the lengthwise fold of fabric). I don’t follow ASM for this project when using rip-stop nylon because I don’t think it’s that critical, and I prefer that the bottom edge of the main bag be placed on the fold. (You’ll see why, later.) In order to keep the bottom edge on a fold while following accepted sewing methods, I will need to fold the fabric crosswise, requiring an extra 2/3-yard. I think that is wasteful and unnecessary.

Choose whatever layout suits your fancy, but be sure that in either case you fold the fabric right sides together.

CUT:

2 – 2” x 10” strips for ties

2 – upper lining pieces

1 – main bag piece, on fold (Note that you will cut 2 main bag pieces if you’re using the ASM layout, and will be sewing them together at a later time. Add 1/2″ to the bottom edge to allow for seam.)

Photo 2 illustrates the pattern layout for ASM. Remember to add ½” to the bottom of the main bag pattern piece as explained above.

Photo 3 shows the alternate layout, henceforth known as “My Way.” Be sure to place the bottom edge of the main bag piece on the fold of the fabric.

Sewing the bag (All seams are ½”)

Finish the bottom edge of lining. Do this by folding the raw edge under ¼”, then folding under again. Stitch close to folded edge. Repeat with other lining piece.

Sew lining to main bag piece. Lay lining on top of main bag, right sides of fabric facing each other, and sew along curved edges. Do NOT sew the sides of bag, or the top edge of handles. Repeat with other lining piece.

Clip curved edges, trim seam, and turn right side out. Clip fabric along curved edges just to seam line, being very careful not to snip thread. Do this about every ¼” or so. Trim seams to ¼”. Turn right side out. Repeat.

Prepare ties. Fold up about ¼” on one end of a 2” x 10” strip.  Now, fold strip in half, lengthwise, and crease the folded edge with your finger.  Open it up and fold both of the long edges to the crease, then fold one side over the other.

You will now have a piece that measures ½” x 9 ¾”.  Stitch close to edge along all three folded sides. The remaining end will be a raw edge – that’s fine because it will be sewn into the side seam of your bag during the next step. Repeat with other strip.

Sew side seams. Fold the main bag (now with lining attached) along the bottom edge, right sides together. You’ll already have a nice crease if you cut it out My Way. The lining should be on the outside, facing you.

(NOTE: If you used the ASM layout, you will have two main bag pieces instead of one. Sew the 2 pieces together at the bottom edge now, using a ½” seam.)

Pin along side seams. Lay the ties on top of each other, and slip them in between the fabric pieces, approximately 5 ½” down from the bag opening, aligning raw edges to raw edge of bag.  The ties will be perpendicular to the side edge.  Pin ties in place to secure.  Stitch both sides of bag, catching the ties on one side as you sew.

Reinforce stitching, and finish side seams. Sew both side seams again, just outside the previous seam line, and then finish the edge with a zig-zag stitch or something similar. (I use an overcast stitch, which finishes the raw edge and reinforces the seam at the same time.) It’s important to finish the seam in some fashion because rip-stop nylon frays very easily. Trim seam to edge of finishing stitch.

Hint: For a neater appearance, turn the top corners of the seam under before finishing.

Make “box bottom.”: If you’ve never made a box bottom before, this may seem a little daunting, but it’s really not difficult at all.

First, note that the bag is still inside out. Pull the 2 layers apart at a lower corner, and match the side seam stitching line to the bottom crease. (I poke a straight pin through the stitching line to see if it aligns with the crease.) Secure layers with a few pins. Measure 2” up from the bottom point, fold finished seam to left side, and stitch across (perpendicular to seam line).  Your stitch line will measure 4” across.  Reinforce and finish raw edges just as you did for the side seams. Repeat with other corner. Turn bag right side out.

Hint: Mark stitching line with a pen to assure a nice, straight seam line.

Top stitch 1/8″ from edge, all along top edges of bag, except for the unfinished handle ends. When stitching over seam lines, take care to fold the inside seam the same direction as it is at the bottom.

Sew handles together. First, be mindful to use the correct pair of handles – that is, those on the same side of bag, not one on each side of the side seam. Fold one handle end up about 1/4″ and the other under about 1/4″, creating 2 v-shaped “hooks” that will lock into each other. Pin, and sew through the layers as close to the edges as possible. Sew again to reinforce.

Now is a good time to sign your creation. Be proud of your sewing accomplishment, and the part you’ve played in reducing consumption of single-use bags!

To fold the bag into a compact, easy-to-take-along size, first tuck in the boxed bottom, which is easy because of the nice crease created by laying out the fabric on the fold. (a.k.a. My Way!) Fold the handles against the body of the bag. Fold the top quarter of the bag down to the center. Fold the bottom quarter up to meet the center. Now fold the bottom over the top, smoothing out air pockets. Fold this piece nearly in half, and then roll from the folded edge toward the ties.

Once completely rolled up, wrap the straps around the roll and tie with a bow.

Final Step: Use and enjoy your handmade market bag!

The greatest science in the world; in heaven and on earth; is love.” -Mother Teresa

Mike and I got engaged (yay!) in August and we’re planning our wedding for September 2010.  Yep, we’re pretty excited!  We’re knee-deep in the planning process right now & it has been a lot of fun so far.

{Photo courtesy of the talented Sydnee Bickett -college friend of mine- who took this of us a couple months after Mike popped the question.}

Naturally we’re concerned about making the event as low-impact on the environment as possible.  We’re also concerned about other things, like: our budget, having fun, and making sure our guests have fun.

There’s one problem…our families are huge, so our guest list is close to 300 people.  It’s not easy to throw a ‘green’ + ‘budget-friendly’ + ‘off-the-hook-awesome’ party for 300 people!  I’m a little jealous of the couples who get to have small, intimate weddings…BUT I also feel amazingly blessed to know 300 amazing people!  I can’t think anything better than having all the people I love most in the world all together in one place for a whole weekend.

So…The Future Mr. & Mrs. Itty Bitty Impact have their work cut out for them.  After all, we have an image to uphold!  What would all our readers think if they found out we let the bar serve bottled water?  Or what if we served our rehearsal-dinner on paper plates! Or let our guests use paper napkins and drink from plastic cups!  AAAAAAAGH!  The horror!  This isn’t the Speidi wedding!!

{Photo courtesy of Feather Love Photography – You’d think celebrities would be able to afford glassware…}

Anyway, we’re going to do our best to pull off a ‘green’ wedding, and here are some of the measures we’re taking:

1.  We’re emailing our Save the Date announcement instead of sending paper cards

2.  We’re providing the bar with mason jars {no plastic cups will be used} and we’re giving our guests a way to mark their jar so they use the same one all night

3.  Cloth napkins, not paper

4.  Real cutlery, not plastic

4.  Ceremony + reception + accommodations at the same location= less driving around

5.  All decorations will be made by us, plus some helpful friends and family.  Most supplies {table runners, centerpieces, lighting} are being purchased at second-hand stores and reused

6.  As wedding favors, we’re going to make donations to a couple charity organizations

7.  We’re trying to find a caterer that purchases their ingredients from local farmers

Those are all the ideas so far, but we’re constantly coming up with new ways to reduce waste.  It makes the whole planning process a little more challenging, but also more rewarding.  I am happy that we’re going to be able to look back at the wedding and feel good about the way we did everything.

If you’re in the same boat as us, we’d love to hear your story!  Let us know what you’re doing {or did} to reduce waste at your wedding in the comment section.  Sharing ideas and experiences is part of what this blog is all about!

If you’re struggling to come up with ideas for ‘greening’ your wedding, take a look at the following blogs.  I have found them extremely helpful:

Green Wed – Inspiration and practical advice for ‘green brides’

Once Wed – Used wedding dresses for sale, DIY projects, inspiration

Recycled Bride – Buy used wedding dresses, decor, ceremony items, jewelry, etc.

Eco Chic Weddings – Inspiration and tips for keeping your wedding as low-impact as possible

I can’t wait to share stories and pictures of the big day with you all!  We’re really excited to get married and begin the next chapter of our lives together.

Today is about reflecting on 2009 and being thankful about all that has happened in the year.  It was an eventful year for us here at Itty Bitty…for starters, the blog was born!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to grow this blog.  My hope is that it will be a place for readers to see that we’re not alone in the struggle to reduce our impact, while still maintaining a normal life, holding down a job, and providing for a family.  I know better than anyone that it’s nearly impossible to exclaim “I’m never driving my car anywhere ever again!” and POOF, you’re suddenly the green-queen-supreme in your neighborhood.  We need bite-sized, practical ways to cut back on our consumption and waste…and that is exactly what Itty Bitty will focus on:  the small things that add up and make a difference.

We’re all in this together, so I want to hear your stories as well.  Please leave comments {or email me: toniasimeone@gmail.com } if you have something to share- experiments, questions, successes, secrets, challenges, guilty-pleasures, tips, strategies, family practices, motto’s, failures…If it has to do with your journey to becoming more self-sustainable, then please share!  One of my New Years Resolutions is to feature commonly asked questions, tips, etc. from readers on Itty Bitty.  What are your resolutions for 2010?

The Itty Bitty Resolutions list is really anything but itty-bitty…as you can see, we have a lot to work on:

1. Unplug appliances when they’re not in use {i.e. the toaster and coffee maker}

2. Use paper-towel less {major bad habit of mine: wrapping my breakfast in paper-towel and running out the door to work every morning…not cool}

3. Make toys for the dog out of scraps from the already-killed toys instead of buying new ones from the store {does anyone have experience with sewing dog toys that would be tough enough to withstand razor-sharp miniature dachshund teeth?}

4. Make a backyard compost area

5. Talk to our neighbors more often

6. Volunteer around the city more {we’re getting a good start on this one already…more about that soon!}

8. Be more careful about saving paper garbage to burn in the wood-stove {paper-stuff accidentally gets thrown out way too often}

9. Blog more often {and someday be a full-time blogger!}

2010 brings with it a blank slate, a fresh start, and new opportunity.  I am proud of how much more resourceful we’ve become in the last year, and I am really excited to see how far we can go in 2010.

It’s that time of the year when the wind-chill likes to lurk somewhere around 25 degrees below zero in northern Minnesota.  It’s also that time of year when you hear yourself saying “why do I live here again?” a couple times a day.    

Perhaps because we’re indoors more in the winter, I have begun to notice all the little things that bug me about our house.  For example, the cabinet under our kitchen sink is full to the gills with half-empty (or half-full?) bottles of cleaning agents.  Windex, Febreze, Mr. Clean, etc.  The whole gang’s there.  

It seems that we have a nasty habit of buying a new bottle before the old one’s totally used up.

But our over-zealous purchasing of cleaning liquids isn’t the only issue here…

The really irksome part of it is that only half of the products in our cabinet are environmentally safe, let alone safe for humans to be absorbing.  It was only about a year ago that we started making an honest effort to buy only “green” household products, so many of the “not so green” ones are still sitting around, half-empty.

These “not so green” cleaners contain toxins that leech into our water system, getting ingested by wildlife and people.  {Read more about the effects of these chemicals on the environment here.}  The scariest chemicals are the ones that effect human and animal endocrine systems, because they imitate hormones and cause irreversible damage.

In reference to endocrine disrupting chemicals, the National Resources Defense Council’s website says,

Many animal species are showing signs of ill health due to exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. For example, fish in the Great Lakes…have numerous reproductive problems as well as abnormal swelling of the thyroid glands.”

In some cases, the fishes capacity to reproduce was eliminated, as they became feminized by the amount of estrogen-imitating chemicals in the water. {Read more about that here.}

Yesterday I put my foot down and decided it was time to rid our home of these awful products.  

I got a big surprise as I opened the cabinet door:  I looked at my bottle of Lysol toilet cleaner, expecting to see a nice long list of big words I can’t pronounce (i.e. ingredients).  But there was nothing but a big long list of cautionary alerts about not eating it or rubbing it into your eyes.  Hmmmmm!  

Turns out cleaning supply manufacturers are not required to list their ingredients on their bottles.  Some {like Febreze and Dawn} only list certain ingredients on the bottle, and conceal others.  {More about Dawn’s attempt to come across as a “green” product here.}

A few big questions were arising at this point, so I turned to the power of Google for some answers:

Which products contain harmful chemicals?

Too many.  The most common include commercial laundry detergent, especially those with added fragrances, dryer sheets and commercial fabric softener, drain cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, anti-bacterial ANYTHING, potpourri, air fresheners, incense.

 What are the “bad” chemicals, so I can avoid them in the future?

How do I dispose of these products?

Many communities hold special collection days or have special drop-off sites for harmful household products.  Contact your local trash service for help, call EARTH 911 (1-877-EARTH911), or visit www.earth911.org

In Duluth’s case, we have a hazardous waste disposal facility near our house, but we never knew it until a helpful neighbor told us about it!  Thanks neighbor!

Which products should I use instead?

Non-toxic, non-toxic, non-toxic.

Even “all-natural-plant-derived” ingredients can be toxic!  Do research before buying a new product.  Make sure that the super-duper-eco-licious cleaner actually holds up in court (uh, Google)- don’t just trust the commercials.

One brand I have investigated and have found to be as-good-as-it-gets: Seventh Generation.  It’s slightly more expensive than its toxin-infested cousins, but really, the cost of using those other products is much, much greater.

It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

Do you exist in a pretty constant state of guilt and frustration about the fact that you live a life of consumption and waste?  Do you feel like no matter what you do, you’ll never be able to change your lifestyle drastically enough to significantly reduce your impact on the planet?  Yeah, well, join the club. 

Mike and I live in the city + we have full-time office jobs + we don’t have a lot of spare time= we usually get through daily life doing everything as quickly as possible= we consume a lot, and waste a lot.  Example:  Instead of packing my lunch in a reusable container every morning, I quickly throw it into a plastic baggie and run out the door.  The result of this behavior is a lot of plastic garbage, and a lot of stressful guilt…

So, about  a year ago, we resolved to never throw away a plastic bag until it had been used so many times it had holes in it.  We started washing out the baggies and sticking them right back into the “bag drawer” to be reused.  The result has been amazing– I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had to put ”Ziploc” on my shopping list.  I feel really, really good about the fact that we’ve pretty much eliminated the unnecessary waste of baggies from our lives, just by changing one itty-bitty behavior. 

I will be honest, though…plastic bags do not look cute sitting around all wet and crinkly on your kicthen counter.  We needed a good way to dry the bags…and we don’t have a clothes line outside in the winter months.  So, Mike came up with this really simple drying-rack {and it’s even cute enough to sit on your counter!}:

  Steps:

You will need:  wood glue, 5′ of dowel rod {for a more rustic look, use sticks/branches}, a hand saw, a brace {pictured} or an electric drill, a scrap of wood slightly larger than the finished size {11″ x 3″}.

1. Measure a board to be 3″ wide x 11″ long, and cut the board to those measurements.

2. Prepare the base: sand/plane the board until it is level and smooth, take off any rough edges.

3. Cut dowel rods to five 12″ long pieces.

4. Measure & mark the spots on the base board where your dowel holes will go.

5. Drill holes into the base at the marked spots.

6. Drip wood-glue into each of the holes, and insert the dowels.

7. Let the glue dry, and then you’re all done!  Start saving those baggies!