Ultimate Recycling

I have a friend who has a great store on Etsy called Asian Brocade. She recycles all kinds of great things and makes them into other things, like jewelry. Her goods are exquisite and clever, very creative, beautiful. I so admire what she does! For those of you not familiar, Etsy is a site for individuals to sell their handmade items.

I learned ultimate recycling, now sometimes called up-cycling I think, from my beloved grandmother. She made candles, Christmas ornaments, and all kinds of crafts from things she saved. She was very frugal, very good at making something out of nothing. I learned that from her. I can't recall all the things she made out of other things, unfortunately. But I absorbed those lessons and that creativity. As a result, I've saved jars, old sheets and pillow cases, boxes and cardboard, every bit of fabric, packing materials, etc. My mother was a disorganized hoarder. She bought tons of new stuff in multiples and never used most of it. She didn't know what she had, what she'd bought, or where to find it. Her generation often bought duplicates of things like cleaning products, for each bathroom, the kitchen, etc. When I moved into the home of my mother-in-law for my second marriage I found cans of cleanser in each bathroom and the kitchen, all hard as a rock. I got a use or two out of them with much pounding, then had to throw the rest away. I still don't have to buy some products because of what I inherited in 2000. That generation was the buying-in-quantities generation. They bought all the convenience they could. My grandmother's generation was much closer to the Great Depression, and they were more resourceful, often making their own cleaning supplies, clothes, etc.

Now we're back to harder times, where we have to make the most of everything we have, use things for multiple purposes. Some of us are fortunate enough to have the creative skills to do that, and have saved what we need. When I need to make a repair or replace something, I usually have something around the house I can re-purpose. And I know where to find what I want. I was judged to have a lot of stuff when it came to my move to this house, and I'd already gotten rid of a lot that didn't serve me. One of the messages of the times is to pass along whatever no longer serves you and I think seriously about that. I've been trying to think about what I have that I don't need. But honestly, I have plans for or attachments to most of what I have. Some things I have for purely sentimental reasons, but I try to keep those to a minimum. And I use what I have.

I'm about to move forward on finishing my unpacking and organizing in this house. As I do, I'll keep an eye for anything that I have that I don't need. Whatever I find will be passed along for the use of others. What I keep, I'll organize so I can find and use it. I've created clever storage for my resources before, and it changes with each new living space. It's time to finish doing it here. I'm also about to start making things with what I have again. One of the things I do is hand paint and fire cleaned McCormick spice jars. These are used as bud vases or plant starting vases. I have one woman who loves them and is waiting for me to produce more. I'm also going to use old pillow cases to make quilted cat pillows. The old sheets will become cat and dog quilts that are infused with calming scents. These will be for rescue animals, kittens, puppies, and to ease those being euthanized. I'm also thinking of making rugs out of old sheets. And I'm moving forward with spinning cat and dog hair into yarn and knitting personal garments for the pet parents.

The gift of making something out of nothing is one of the most rewarding things I've done with my talents. And it so truly benefits others and the earth. I'm full of ideas and it's so exciting. I truly recommend it to you.