organic aspirations: Thrifting

Showing posts with label Thrifting. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

A Plastic Free Kitchen

I've been readingPlastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Tooby Beth Terry, and it has really inspired me to go plastic free in my kitchen. There are lots of other areas where I would like to reduce my use of new plastics, but my utensils and other kitchen things I would really like to be plastic-free to reduce the chances of hot foods causing the different plastics to leech chemicals into our food. I will continue to use the plastic items I have until I am able to replace them.

Right now I have lots of plastic:

Serving spoons
Kid's dishes
Sippy cups
Straws
Airtight containers
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Zipper bags
Food Processor
Saran Wrap
Veggie Tray

Here are some of the products which I am slowly saving up to buy:

I also want these sandwich bags from Life without Plastic.

I already use some Eco friendly ideas in the kitchen, including my DIY glass Popsicle molds. (These are so easy- you can make your own too!) I've started re-using glass jars instead of airtight containers, and I have two stainless drink bottles which I take everywhere. I have some wooden dishes for my kids, but they wear out quickly, and they are not dishwasher safe. I'm hoping that using more stainless steel will decrease my time in front of that dreaded sink!

Last week on Eco Kids there were lots of great posts, as usual. Some of my favorites are listed below.

9 Real Food Switches You Can Make in No Time by Shalom Mama

Teach Kids to Love Fruits and Veggies: Buy in Season by Creative Christian Mama

Nature Walks with Kids by The Craft Train

Build Your Own Greenhouse by Dude, Sustainable!

DIY Waldorf for Poor People by Kate's Apartmentsteading

If you were featured today, please share this button on your site!

***********

Please join me for the Eco-Kids Linky! I hope that you'll share some great family-friendly posts that are also friendly for the environment. Some ideas include:

Nature Activities
Outdoor Activities
Crafts made with re-purposed or recycled materials
Sewing and DIY home projects
Science Experiments
Posts on environmental issues for kids or families
Non-toxic living
Homeopathic Remedies

Eco-Kids Tuesdays is co-hosted by Organic Aspirations and Like Mama~Like Daughter. This means that anything you link-up shows up on both blogs!
Feel free to link up several of your posts.

There are only a few rules:

Please follow both co-hostess' blogs, and visit some of the other posts and give them some encouragement! Please stick to posts and photos not giveaways or items for sale.

By linking up, you are agreeing that Organic Aspirations or Like Mama~Like Daughter can feature your photos next week with a link back to your site.

Please link back to my site using this button:

Monday, February 18, 2013

Making the Most of Your Thrift Store Visits and Eco Kids

I love poring through racks and shelves for the vintage treasures that are just waiting for a good home. I started shopping in thrift stores in high school when I discovered the vintage dress section. Although I don't look for plaid schoolgirl skirts or lunchboxes as in the old days, I still find lots of things that are wonderful additions to my home without putting a strain on my budget.

If, like me, you love looking for discarded treasures, use these tips to help you on your hunt:

1. Keep a running list about the things that you are looking for. Include measurements of spaces where you are hoping to find furniture to fit.

Make the most of your visits to the thrift store with these great tips!

2. Think beyond the obvious. This lovely embroidery was a small table runner, but I thought it would look lovely as a framed work. Look for hand-crafted items, and think about all of the things that you could do or make with them. Wool sweaters are great for felting and creating new projects.

3. Mix found vintage items with your own sentimental treasures.

4. Shop your house for items that will work to create the look you want. I wanted a bench by my front door, and I soon discovered that I already had one at my kitchen table. A simple swap of chairs and the look I wanted was accomplished! The elephant pillow, basket, and music book were thrift store/flea market finds.

5. Be selective. Look for stains and tears before buying from thrift stores. You don't want to be stuck with a ton of things that you cannot use.

6. Baskets, baskets, baskets. If you have lots of toys, craft items, books, and other things around your home that need stored and/or carried, look for baskets. They are extremely inexpensive at thrift stores, and I have never bought a basket that I couldn't use.

Happy Thrifting!

Please join me for the Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Giveaway!

My other blog is also currently hosting a giveaway:

Last week was another record breaking week for Eco Kids Tuesdays. We had 63 amazing links! Thank you all for sharing, and please keep the great ideas coming. This week I'm featuring a few of my favorites:

Five Things You Should be Making by Brown Thumb Mama

Spare Parts Upcycling by Simply Home Blog

Starting Preschool by Happy Whimsical Hearts

If you were featured, please grab a button:

***********
Please join me for the Eco-Kids Linky! I hope that you'll share some great family-friendly posts that are also friendly for the environment. Some ideas include:

Nature Activities

Outdoor Activities

Crafts made with re-purposed or recycled materials

Sewing and DIY home projects

Science Experiments

Posts on environmental issues for kids or families

Non-toxic living

Homeopathic Remedies

Eco-Kids Tuesdays is co-hosted by Organic Aspirations and Like Mama~Like Daughter this means that anything you link-up shows up on both blogs!

Feel free to link up several of your posts.

There are only a few rules:

Please follow both co-hostess' blogs, and visit some of the other posts and give them
some encouragement! Please stick to posts and photos not giveaways or
items for sale.

By linking up, you are agreeing that Organic Aspirations or Like
Mama~Like Daughter can feature your photos next week with a link back to
your site.

Please link back to my site using this button:

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Thrifting a Dollhouse and Eco Kids

My daughter has been asking for a dollhouse for some time. I have been shopping and looking for nice natural ones that she would like, but the price tags were so high. A few months ago I found this one all boxed up at a local thrift store for $15. I didn't know if the pieces were all there, but the price was right to take a chance. It was great that I took the chance because, YES, every piece was there, and it included furniture and people and a baby too! It turns out that Ana loves to play with it, but her little sister enjoys it as well! This is why I love thrifting!

If you haven't entered my giveaway for a Celadon Road Green Home Starter Kit, it's not too late! Just click here and comment:

Last week had 51 amazing posts, and I'm choosing to feature a few here for you to enjoy:

Where We Are From Art by Lisa Unhemmed

Sustainable Sewing by Mumtopia

DIY Piggy Bank by We Made That

Natural Remedies for Colds by Creative Christian Mama

Getting Started with Backyard Chickens by Scratch Cradle

If you've been featured, please grab a button:

***********

Please join
me for the Eco-Kids Linky! I hope that you'll share some
great family-friendly posts that are also friendly for the environment.
Some ideas include:

Nature Activities

Outdoor Activities

Crafts made with re-purposed or recycled materials

Sewing and DIY home projects

Science Experiments

Posts on environmental issues for kids or families

Non-toxic living

Homeopathic Remedies

Saturday, October 27, 2012

An Alternative to Paper Towels

There are two rolls of paper towel in the top of my pantry. I bought those paper towels well over six months ago, and there they sit. There are paper napkins up there too, and they are even older. There they sit because I don't need them. My kitchen has plenty of spills that need sopped up, and it definitely has little mouths that need wiped, so why the lack of movement on the paper goods- cloth.

Last year I wanted to try cloth, so I pulled out those cloth napkins that I got as wedding gifts, and I found a few extras at the thrift store. We've never gone back. We even pack them with lunches. They absorb better than paper, and they are larger as well. I store them folded (but not ironed) in a wicker basket in the largest drawer in my kitchen. At my old house, there was no where to store them, so the basket sat right on the end of our table. Napkins can be used several times before they need washed in many cases, and in our house we mark our used napkin with a napkin ring for later use.

Paper towels went later. I wanted to try cloth rags, but I didn't want to use my regular household cleaning cloths, so I went to plan B. I started gathering worn out white T-shirts and cutting them into large squares, added some kitchen towels with holes, and my kitchen rags were born. My basket of cloth towels sits in the pantry, and the other side of the pantry holds my kitchen laundry basket. I keep all of the kitchen laundry completely separate from the other laundry. When we have a spill, need to wipe counters, or want to finally scrub those fingerprints from our glass kitchen door- we grab one of these towels. Our all-purpose cleaner is homemade and completely non-toxic. The recipe is as follows:

All Purpose Cleaner

Add 14 oz. of white vinegar to a spray bottle,

and then fill the bottle the rest of the way up with filtered water.

For an added scent, squeeze half of a lemon into the bottle.

Clean Rags are on the left and all kitchen laundry goes on the right (dog food is in the middle!)

Five benefits of switching to cloth:

Save Money. The napkins and rags probably won't cost you anything, or if they do, the thrift store can make the price minimal. You won't have to shell out hard-earned cash for disposable. If you already wash your kitchen towels, bibs, highchair cover, and washcloths, you won't have to spend any extra money on laundry either. Just add the napkins and towels to your load.
Limit Your Family's Exposure to Toxins. Toxins are not only found in cleaner sprays, but did you know that since they use Chlorine to bleach paper towels and napkins, a dangerous bi-product called dioxin is released. Dioxins are one of, if not the top, most toxic chemicals known. (If you are interested read this.) Cloth has no toxins, so this is a safer option.
Reduce Waste to Landfills. Growing up I was always taught that we need to care for the earth because we want it to still be livable for our children and their children and so on. Now that I have had the chance to meet my children and I look them in the eye and I know that I am the one who has been given the honor to protect them, I take this charge very seriously. Whatever your motivation, I think we can agree that our planet could use some TLC, and this is one small and easy way to reduce waste and to cut back on dioxins that are spewed into the air at paper mills.
Save time. Purchasing anything takes time, and using cloth means there are two less items to add to the list and search out at the store. The more you simplify, the easier your life will be. If you are interested in saving even more time, don't bother folding your napkins or rags. They are only used to clean up food after all.
Protect Our Forests. Paper napkins and paper towels are made from trees, so simply cutting back your use of paper means more trees that do not need to be cut down. Can you imagine how many trees would be saved if families even cut back their use of paper products?

What tricks do you have in the kitchen to cut back your use of paper goods?

Tags: napkin, cloth napkin, paper towel, paper towels, towels, rag, rags, kitchen, money-saving, saving money

Pages