Southern Scraps

I found these cool shoes made from recyled materials tonight in a catalog I received in the mail. Since I did an Earth Day series this week, I thought I'd share them. They can be found at gardeners.com The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, 1932 God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done. ~Author Unknown

Lastly, the least you can do to be environmentally responsible is GIVE BACK. How? If you must drive, you can give a tax deductible donation to an organization like carboncounter.org which funds projects to offset carbon dioxide emissions and damage. Last year at Christmas, I gave these ornaments as gifts. For each one sold, a tree is planted. Also remember to purchase post consumer recycled products when possible. Scrapbookers will be pleased to know the following about BasicGrey. "Not only are BasicGrey papers certified acid and lignin free, but our papers are green. “Green,” you ask? Yes, for every tree that is harvested to print BasicGrey paper, two new trees are planted in its place. Although paper mills are required to replant any tree that is harvested, our paper mill goes above and beyond by planting two. In addition, we do not source our paper from any paper mills that practices clear cutting or deforestation" - from the April retailer's newsletter Remember to d...

Today's tip is one that crafters of all types are good at- REPURPOSING - We paper crafters tend to call this "altered" art and some of us will modge podge and embellish anything we can get our hands on. Seriously, many items can be used for another purpose once they have fulfilled their original purpose. Cereal boxes can be cut, covered and used as magazine holders. Altoid tins and General Coffees containers can become gift boxes. Old CD's become scrapbooks or ornaments. The list can go on and on. Here are some links to some neat repurposing crafts and tutorials I've found on the net. A turntable caddy made out of pill bottles http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_furnishings_other/article/0,1793,HGTV_3433_1378755,00.html Notebooks from scrap paper http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=b97041a967557110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default Denim supply organizer http://www.allfreecrafts.com/sewing/denim-o...

3. REPLACE disposable items with permanent, reusable ones. Some examples from my favorite place -etsy! Paper or plastic? Neither. Bring your own tote. You can even get a stylish one like this one by Jenny Hofer Designs B.Y.O.B. Water bottle that is. One refillable water bottle is less waste than numerous empty plastic bottles. Besides, that stuff didn't really come from a spring. Replace the paper coffee sleeves on your take out coffee cup. Take your own and have the coffee shop keep the paper. You can find some awesome stylish designs at jenngee Replace paper towels with microfiber towels. Use the microfiber and wash. Replace paper napkins with cloth. These napkins from ingy are so cute. Replace disposable diapers with cloth. No not your Mama's '50's or 60's plain whites. Check out these from monkeysnugglesdiaper For those of you who would counter argue that washing uses more energy and water, make sure you have a FULL load when you wash and remember to use the w...

Next in the mini-series, 2. CLEAN GREEN Make your own cleaners from natural products. They are better for the environment. Plus, you will reuse the same plastic spray bottle or bucket, thereby reducing waste by not having to throw away the empty bottles of commercial cleaners.(We'll talk more about replacing and reusing in another post.) Also, buy your natural base ingredients in bulk so you have less empty containers to dispose of when these products are empty. What kind of natural products? Baking soda - Sprinkle in your rugs to deodorize them. Dissolve 4 tablespoons in 1 quart warm water for a general cleaner, or use more to make a paste to clean tile and grout. Borax - kills mold and bacteria. Mix 2 tablespoons with 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 2 cups or hot water and combine in a spray bottle for an all purpose cleaner. Vinegar - Use it to remove soap scum or film on bathtubs and showers. Use it diluted or undiluted to clean glass. Do some research on green cleaners or these ite...

Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, is a day dedicated to making our environment safe and sound. Arbor Day, nationally celebrated on the last Friday of April is coming up as well- April 25. Arbor Day celebrates trees, one of greatest natural resources. In honor of these days, I will be sharing five ways to go green - become environmentally responsible. So check in each day this week for a quick tip, idea, or maybe even some "green" crafts. 1. RECYCLE- Okay so this may be the oldest, most common way. It never hurts to have a reminder. Recycle newspaper, paper, glass, plastic, and aluminum. Have you also thought of these? electronics- There is a proper way to dispose of and recycle these items. Learn more here http://www.epa.gov/ecycling/index.htm oil- Do you change your own motor oil? Tips for dealing with this here http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/recy-oil.pdf running shoes- Yes, these can be ground up and used for other purposes once they are too worn to wear - ht...

Here's another treasury I was featured in. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=7810 Don't forget the Etsy greetings sale! There are just a few days left!

I missed posting a quote yesterday, so here a two about one of my favorite things- butterflies. The butterfly counts not months, but moments and has time enough. Rabindranath Tagore What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. Richard Bach

These unique items are from Dinner Time Chimes . My hubby loves wind chimes and we have been working hard in our yards and gardens, so I was excited to find these. These would be cool in any garden. You can even listen to the chimes here.

No cards or project by me this week. But I would like to turn your attention to this great tutorial for a wax paper resist technique at Splitcoaststampers. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/waxpaperresist.php I haven't tried it yet, but it looks amazing. Here's a beautiful card from splitcoaststampers member "crooked river" using this technique. Today's quote: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. unknown

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. Dwight D. Eisenhower Someone sent me an email today with a link to this site. It is well worth sharing. We take a lot for granted in this country and whether or not you agree with the reasons behind wars we fought and are fighting, you should be grateful that someone is willing to fight. Take a few minutes to watch this. http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

Here's today's quote: A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words . unknown Sorry you're not getting much more than this out of me lately. Work, yard work, and house work are killing me and not leaving much time for crafting or the energy to talk about it.

Image from freefoto.com . Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln (The photo and quote have nothing to do with each other. I just like to add eye candy.)

Busy weekend. I didn't sit down at the computer much, so I didn't post a daily quote the last two days. Here are two to catch up: The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. Henry David Thoreau There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded. Mark Twain These are rather deep. Maybe they can provoke some serious journaling if you need it for your scrapbooking.

Today's quote: Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to deal with it. Unknown.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. It may be worn for hygienic reasons as well as in order to protect clothes from wear and tear. The apron is commonly part of the uniform of several work categories, including waitresses, nurses, and domestic workers. Many homemakers also wear them. It is also worn as a decorative garment by women. Aprons are also worn in many commercial establishments to protect workers clothes from damage, mainly bib aprons, but also others such as farrier aprons. That's what wikipedia has to say about aprons, but when I think of an apron, I think of my loving, gentle, Grandmother who made her own aprons and wore them for many uses. I have a couple that she made as well and have worn them at times. One is more like a smock that pulls over the head and ties on each side. One of the aprons I plan to put in a shadow box with a poem for a keepsake. SO, why am I rambling about apro...

Don't forget about the Mother's Day promo at etsy . Mom deserves the very best! No techniques this week. I will share the measurements and steps to this very simple card I made for hubby's coworker. I don't have very many masculine stamps so I used clip art from PCCrafter. This is the artwork of Dwight Kirkland from a set called Father's Day. 1. Open clip art in your graphics program (Print Shop, Adobe Photoshop elements, etc.) and size as desired. This piece is approximately 2 in. x 3 in. Print and cut out. 2. Cut mustard card stock to fit card front. Mine is 6 1/2 x 5 in. 3. Cut a strip of olive card stock 6 1/2 in long and about an inch wide. Trim one edge with wavy decorative scissors. 4. Cut striped paper 2 1/4 wide by 6 1/2 long. Adhere to edge of olive strip. 5. Adhere to mustard piece and adhere to card front. 6. Mount cut out clip art image with foam squares. 7. Stamp sentiment in brown ink in lower right hand corner. Quick and easy. I liked this layout so...

EtsyGreetings Street Team is having a promo on Mother's Day cards. Check it out in the forums or at the etsygreetings blog . Free shipping on any Mother's Day card with purchase of another item. Here's one of my cards: Today's quote: Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. And sings the tune without words, and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson

Are you a sketch artist or do you draw or create with Prismacolor pencils, markers, etc. ? Then this challenge may be for you: http://contest.prismacolor.com/ . I was doing some research for pencils and watercolors, and found this. I'm not this type of artist. I don't think stick figures would get me anywhere. I only plan to use the pencils to color something already drawn for me, but I thought I'd share in case anyone with this talent was interested. Today's quote: Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. unknown

I'm in an etsy treasury! Our EtsyGreetings Team is gearing up for a promo for Mother's Day. One of our members created this treasury to help promote the event. The sale will begin Wednesday, April 9. Check back for more details coming soon. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=6429 Today's quote: Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. Robert Heinlein

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. ~Ruth Ann Schabacker

Today's quote: I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. ~William Penn How true it is, for we never know when we are only going to get one chance to be nice to someone or not get a chance to make up for some wrong deed. So just be nice to start with. Some folks were nice to my co-workers and I this week and provided lunch for us. So, to thank them I made this card. The circle and butterfly are applied with pop dots for dimension. The butterfly was stamped, colored, and cut out. The background paper is a little busy, but overall I'm happy with how this turned out.

Today's feature is this awesome bracelet by ButtonEnvy at etsy. It's made with eight Scrabble tiles! How cool is that? And how it that for repurposing and altering? She has 21 of these currently listed in all sorts of designs, inlcuding birds, flowers, and vintage designs. I happen to like butterflies so this one got my attention. You'll also find other "repurposed" jewelery so head on over and check out her shop! Today's quote: The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore

This week's technique is one that requires no special tools and anyone can do this. The above layout (please excuse the poor scan, it was my first attempt at scanning a 12 x12 layout and stitching it together in my photo software) features many torn edges that add texture to the layout. The photo mat was torn and the edges were rolled. To tear paper for your project you can grab it and rip by hand or use a ruler and tear along the edge of the ruler if you want a neater edge. Thick double sided card stock, like the vintage collection paper from Making Memories above, works best with the paper tearing technique, as you get an exposed white edge. Whether you tear towards you or away from you will dictate which side your white edge is on. Tearing towards you with your right hand will result in the edge on the right hand side of a piece and tearing towards you with the left hand gives you an exposed edge on the left side of a piece. You can also make paper tearing easier by wetting a s...

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller

Quotes are very useful in scrapbooking and cardmaking. When you are lost for words, the right quote can help get your message across. I have been collecting quotes since I started scrapbooking. I will be sharing my thirty favorite quotes this month, one per day. With that said, here is one of my all time favorites. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely, in one pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, and loudly proclaiming - WOW - what a ride! (author unknown)