DIY Chair Makeover

DIY Chair Makeover

Posted by Unknown

I have a chair that I found at a thrift store and repainted basic black. I've had it for years and it has done it's job (held me off the ground) for that entire time. It looked great when I painted it but I never redid the seat. I recently saw this in the November Issue of Sunset and said to myself....I could redo my chair again and actually make it cute again. It is super easy and any excuse to buy and use cool chic fabric is okay with me. You could even redo a whole dining set or just keep with a simple office chair. Why buy new :)




For Complete instructions click here.

Win Me...another give-away

Win Me...another give-away

Posted by Unknown

I have a vision and a plan of what I want to do with the giveaways that I do. I've had it for a while but haven't figured out how to implement it. So I guess it will be trial and error that I figure it out. However this will be the first giveaway that I really want to make my idea soar. Life is awesome and I want people to be able to share their thoughts and ideas since mine are soooooo limited. I'm inspired by others....their thoughts, their talents, and even their differences across the board. So I'm trying to encourage the reasons and goals I've had in starting this blog in the first place. To share life's' joys, inspire laughter, share struggles, invite inspiration and to learn from our experiences together. A broad vision, yes, but I'm a hippy kind of gal who envisions singing kum-by-ya with my neighbor :0) So here it goes....if you have any questions let me know

When I was first married somebody (Melissa Hassel to be exact) gave us a wedding present called the Tightwad gazette. It was a book on how to save money and be thrifty. One of the ideas in the book was to wash your plastic bags, yes the disposable ones, and reuse them again and again until they were worn. I had never heard of such a thing and thought it was kinda odd to have Ziploc in the dishwasher and over the faucet to dry and dismissed it the idea.......until I became cheaper myself.

Recycling is something I've always truly believed in and it just makes sense. It's exemplifies efficiency. Even if you don't go along with the Global Warming theory recycling is good for the world. From the landfills to your conscience...everything body and everything wins. I always support products and ideas that do. Now the transition to the giveaway........patience is a virtue I know.

These bracelet are made with recycled material and are so fun. My little son wears a bracelet that says ZOOM which is his nickname and he gets comments all the time. My bracelet gets changed all the time to represent my feelings of the moment. I have the blue cuff which has ranged from messages that read 'Hillary for Prez' to 'no chcolate for dori pleeeaase!'. To see more about the bracelets go to the link Spriggy.com/shainsware for info and colors.

After being totally long winded..........Here's the goal. I would like all interested in receiving a free eco bracelet to leave a comment with their favorite reusable or recycling idea. My goal is to get 2o comments so please pass on the word for the cause (remember my vision). It can be anything relating to something that you might fix, reuse, or that you have made from materials no longer in use.....or anything that you do. Does that make sense? If not just let me know. I'm all about feedback. Don't forget....your comment needs to be green to qualify ( I can just imagine what my brothers will think).

Winner will be annouced on Friday, September 12th. Winner must claim their prize by the 15th.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

Posted by Unknown

My college degree was in Conservation Biology & Botany. I studied ecology and ecosystems for four years and was determined to not go to the "dark side". After graduating and many attempts to get a job wearing overly tight green pants for the park system or forest service, I landed seasonal jobs until I finally did sell out and landed a good job in corporate America. Man..was the money good. Especially since it didn't end when the seasons changed. Did I really end up changing my dreams and directions for the mighty dollar? Some say that I might have sold out...But I'd like to say it was the rational thing to do to pay my bills.

It's truly not about what you do but rather how you live. I love that the last two months are all about "green" and the things you should buy (spending money) to make the world a better place. We are being guilted into being better people and somebody is making tons of money off us. Don't get me wrong, they are not bad ideas but let's be active vs. passive. It's not about affording a 0% carbon footprint (which hollywood I might add doesn't even come close to) After all, I wasn't a bad person worked 45+ hours a week at a corporate job. I still recycled (most important thing we could ever do) and educated myself about the true state of the world. I'm not seeking to destroy the earth because I haven't installed my cork floors as of yet.

I'm on my soap box I know but today is still a good day. Today is a great day to be thankful for the earth and to know what a mighty system is in place for us. We are stewards of the most beautiful and diverse place in our galaxy.

Useful idea #1

Useful idea #1

Posted by Unknown

So I was at the rec center yesterday and I grabbed a magazine to read while on the tread mill. I really hate forgetting my ipod or my own reading material and cringe when I think of the thumbed through, virus infested expired magazines, sitting there for all to enjoy. However, much to my dislike of the idea, the thought of boredom during my workout far out weighed my options.

I grabbed a couple of magazines. One happened to be Real Simple magazine and as I thumbed through it, I ran across some great ideas for everyday things. I was so impressed that I came home to try them to see if they could actually be viable options.

One was the idea of putting your grocery bags in an old tissue box. Even though I've started bringing my own bags to the grocery store, you still somehow end of with a million of these bags. Just like Easter grass, these bags totally reproduce themselves and inevitably take over your space.

Yes, I understand that you can buy an overpriced good looking stainless bag holder for your pantry or you can just recycle this item. Put it under your sink for those special occasions, like when you need something to put your wet swimsuit in. I have been using a quaker oatmeal container (the round canister) and using that and just adopted the new innovation, (after I read the article), to cut a slot out of the top to pull the bags through for easy access. To go even farther with the idea, as Martha Stewart would, buy some coordinating scrapbook paper.....and voile.......an inexpensive good looking bag holder for you pantry. How smart is that.

I'm a simple person so I'm totally impressed with stuff like this. My excitement is what makes me a dork I guess. But it's totally HUNKY DORI.

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1216552,00.html