Southern Scraps

It's Earth Day! The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air , Clean Water , and Endangered Species Acts. Read more about the history at earthday.org. Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Taking care of our resources should be a priority for all of us. I believe we are biblically challenged to do so as well. Psalm 115:16 (New International Version, ©2011) 16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind. The Lord has blessed us with the earth and our life here. We should take care of it. As crafters, we do a great job of recyling and repurposing. We can take most anything that is headed for the trash pile or landfill and make it great! Here's a list of common household garbage that can be used in crafting. Click each item for a link to a project. bread tags soda can tabs aluminum soda cans magazines Pringles cans, nut cans, any metal...

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...