Green Tips, Sustainability and Cupcakes

Today's post is going to be short and quick.  A few tips I read and wanted to share as well as some cupcakes, just because.  Both articles are from Whole Living, which you can sign up for a free email newsletter.

For a quick and easy green shopping list, check out this link.  Some of the items are ones I have talked about before, such as Baking Soda and Vinegar.  You can read my previous posts HERE,  HERE, HERE and HERE.  Other tips are ones I already do - use reusable totes and recycle glass bottles for other purposes.

Now regarding eating sustainably. . . Check out this link.  I think this article is thought-provoking and can possibly answer questions some may have about how to eat sustainable.  It's not just organic products or eating in season (which can be easier in the summer).

Here are the cupcakes from Kara's cupcakes, which uses organic and local produce.  They have some great choices and packages for those getting married or hosting a baby shower.

Java, Blackberry, Chocolate-Coconut and Carrot Cake

No-sew Produce bags

Yes, I found a no-sew produce bag project.  Actually there's very little you have to do to make this and even the novice crafter can make their own produce bags.  I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.

It's simple.  Save the bags from the onions and garlic you buy at the the grocery store or Costco.  Remove the label, make sure the inside is clean (there are no onion peels inside) and 'poof' - you now have a reusable and washable produce bag.  So easy.

Hummingbirds: What you want to know for your garden

This spring and summer I have noticed more hummingbirds in my yard then in past years.  As a result I became very interested in reading more about hummingbirds, their migration patterns and hummingbird feeders.  The reading was interesting and insightful.

If you know there are hummingbirds in your area, you might want to read about the different types since The World of Hummingbirds says there are 356 types.  I didn't even realize there were that many.  From what I gathered I think I see more of the Ruby-throated, Rufous, and maybe Anna's hummingbirds around my house.

And hummingbirds do make chirpy noises.  I listened to several in my Aunt's tree.  The hummingbirds would sit on branches, some would chase others away, and you could hear the chirpy noises with the trill of their wings when in flight.  Quite an amazing sight, most of us only see hummingbirds when in flight.

Here's my tips for picking out a great hummingbird feeder:
1.  Glass, not plastic - This is going to be in the sun so why would we want plastic chemicals to leech into the nectar and poison the hummingbirds?
2.  Select a feeder that holds a small portion of nectar.  The larger the feeder the more likely you will waste nectar if you only have a few hummingbirds visit your garden.
3.  Do NOT buy store nectar - most have red food dye and sodium benzonate (which is a chemical preservative).
4.  Buy simple cane (white) sugar and make your own nectar.  1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.  Boil and store in a fridge for a few days.
5.  Avoid feeders that are a simple straight bottle with a stopper feeder, more often than not these will leak.

Some of my favorite designs (instead of the more traditional) include:  A feeder stake, a circle feeder, and decorative bottle feeders.

And check out this link for some ideas for your garden to attract hummingbirds.  I planted some scarlet runner beans and am hoping they will sprout soon and attract more hummingbirds to my yard besides just looking pretty in the garden.  Hopefully my beans will grow and look like this:

DIY: How to unravel a sweater to re-purpose yarn

A short while back I gave you a sneak peek at my latest project: Unraveling a sweater.  I found a sweater in the back of my closest and decided that I could reuse the yarn for other projects and even use the buttons on something else.  This does not work for all sweaters because if the sweater is machine-knitted you will not have nice long strands of yarn.

Take a look at the stitch in the sweater and if you are not sure ask your local yarn shop.  If you try to unravel a machine-knitted sweater you will find out very quickly that you have a problem.

First you need a pair of scissors with small tips, ones that are often used in sewing.  Use these scissors to trim the seams that hold the pieces of the sweater together.  Look carefully, don't just cut with large scissors or you will encounter problems.  Find the seam, separate the seam to find each side of the two pieces sewn together and cut only the stitch you see running between holding the two pieces together.

Cut each of the seams, then you can start to unravel.  Or work in stages if you prefer.  Unraveling will take a bit of time, but it's great if you are watching your favorite show or you happen to take a bus/train to work.

Don't be surprised if occasionally a yarn breaks, but if you are careful this shouldn't happen (maybe only twice!).

Now I have this stack of yarn that I need to soak to straighten it then I can spin it into a ball for my intended project.

Here's the buttons I saved.

One seam cut - sweater is in two pieces

See the two pieces?

Sleeve seam

1 sleeve and the yarn from one side of the body

Here's the seam before separating and cutting

The other side of the sweater

Lots of yarn 

Here's all of the yarn

DIY Reed Diffuser

As I was organizing these past few weeks (thus all of the sewing projects last week), I discovered an old milk jar amongest things.  The jar is a simple design without all of the graphics or imprints, perfect for re-purposing in my house.  My inspiration and idea came from a pin on Pinterest by Jaderbomb.  All the instructions you need are on the website and you will be able to make your own reed diffuser like I did.

I used my milk jar, some oils I had leftover from my oil burner and some bamboo skewers I have for grilling. Needless to say a few of the skewers will not be making it to the grill, but bamboo skewers are relatively inexpensive to purchase anyways.  To decorate my jar I used a paw-print ribbon I had in my sewing stash.  A simple use of my jar and now my room smells amazing without the use of nasty chemicals sprays.  Amazing!

DIY Hair Dryer Bag: Version 1

Today's project is the last in my current sewing week of projects to get organized. In the same cabinet I have my curling iron, I have my hair dryer.  Again I did not want to have the cords tangled and figured I would make a case for the hair dryer which would double for travelling.  It's a bit late since I intended for this to be Friday's project, but that's life sometimes and I am now posting the pattern. 

I have two versions of this project: 1. with bias tape, 2. with a zipper.  Either version works well, it really depends on whether you want the storage bag to zip close or not.  I did both  versions because I had a little bias tape leftover from the curling iron project and I had a zipper already in my sewing cabinet that would work for my other hair dryer.  Tomorrow's post will be the same project but version 2 - with a zipper.

Materials:

2 coordinating fabrics (1 outside fabric, 1 lining)

Fleece, Flannel or Old Mattress Cover for padding

Bias Tape (if using)

Matching thread

All seams 1/4 inch.

Instructions:

1. Measure length and width of hair dryer.  Add several inches to the measurements to ensure enough space for fitting the hair dryer in the bag.

2.  Measure and cut fabric and padding for project.  You will need 2 pieces of outside fabric, 2 lining and 2 padding.

3.  Iron if needed.

4.  Pin outside (right-side) fabric to one side of the padding and the lining fabric to the other.  Good side or print side facing away from the padding.  Repeat for the other piece.  

5.  Match print fabric (just like we did on the curling iron bag).  Then place outside (right-sides) together.  Lining fabric should be facing out on both sides.  Pin.

6.  Sew along one short edge, along the bottom and up the other short edge.

7.  Trim corners and pink along the 3 edges you just sewed.

8.  Turn right-side out.  Iron if desired.

9.  Attached bias tape to top.  Pin in place.

10.  Sew along the bias tape all the way around.  Sew along the two ends of bias tape (vertically) to keep in place.

Finished!

Step 6 Finished

Step 7 - Pinked and trimmed edges

Step 9 - Pin bias tape around the top (open edge)

All finished!

DIY: Up-cycled Dog Collar into Door Dog Bells

Ever end up with a broken clasp on a dog collar?  Well I did, but I liked the style of the collar, so I knew I needed to use the collar in another project.  The idea came about when I found that my dog would hit the blinds on the door to let me know she wanted out.  So I tried tying a few bells to the door handle to find out if she would hit the bells instead of the blinds, and sure enough she was smart enough to figure it out with very little practice.  On the other hand, my younger dog will not hit the blinds or the bells, so I do not recommend using this if your dog is scared of noises.  Test out some bells first before completing this project.    Once you complete the project you will end up with a creative, up-cycled door dog bells similar to Poochie Bells I've seen in dog catalogs.  No need for snaps or leather.  You may have all of the materials around your house right now.  All of my supplies were re-purposed from items I had in my cabinet.  This project is fairly simple, you can machine or hand sew the loop for the door handle. 


Note:  If you do not have a broken clasp on a collar you may want to rip out the stitching on both ends of the collar.  The pieces can be saved for other projects or replacing broken pieces on other collars.  If you rip out the stitching you will have to restitch both ends in this pattern, as I only stitched one end.


Materials:
1 dog collar (I had a large collar)
2-3 medium size jingle bells
1 large key chain ring
matching thread
needle (if hand sewing)

Instructions:
1.  Remove both ends of the clasp from dog collar.  Break or cut off the plastic clasp on the end with the leash clip, leaving the stitching in tact.  Rip stitches out from the other end to remove the clasp piece.

2.  Attach 2-3 bells to key chain ring, then attach to the end of the dog collar where you left the stitches in tact.

3.  Measure, using the collar where you want to make the door handle loop on the collar.  Shorter for large dogs, longer for small dogs.

4.  Pin (if desired) and sew across the ends.  You may want to sew, back-stitch, and repeat in one spot.

5.  Repeat a step 4 a second time about 1/4-1/2 inch above previous stitch.  Cut off ends.

6.  Project is complete.  Hang on door handle.