I did it! Re-purposing a dog pillow

My good friend, and now blogger, introduced me to this idea of making pillow slipcovers about a year ago! I love her blog: Madindy. She has so many great ideas on it.

Last week, I decided that the poopies' dog pillow needed a redo. It was getting worn and getting holes in the cover. I have had this fabric shower curtain that we got for our wedding. However, based on the places we've been living in the last three years, we haven't needed a second shower curtain. So, I cut it up and made it into a new cover for our dogs' pillow. The fun thing is that the fabric matches our colors in the living room already! And-this project didn't cost me a dime! If you're looking for the original post, go here: http://madindy.com/?s=pillow

(Copper always lays down on my projects when I'm working on them in the living room!)

Sustainable Cycle of Life

It's that time of year to start thinking about sustainable living again...

It seems that I go in cycles of focusing on living responsibly. Unfortunately, Tennessee has been a harder place to live green. The town we live in doesn't even have curbside recycling as an option! Which means more work for us! Heaven forbid!

But seriously. In our busy lives, between jobs and family and meals and errands, finding the time to go drive over to the recycling center isn't always the most important priority. However, with the start of spring and all of the rebirth of plants and now a more settled pace of life personally, I feel like I can once again focus on living sustainably. I found myself thinking about how I could reuse some food containers as "tupperware" for lunches. I found myself thinking that I should use my "shreddings" as gift stuffing. I found myself using the back sides of paper at work for my scratch paper. I found myself really excited about the steal-of-a-deal jeans that I found at Goodwill.

What else can I be doing? What do I have that I don't need? How can I be living more simply. I amd finding myself beginning to get back in that mode. Especially with Earth Day coming up in a few weeks, I want to start thinking about what I want to do. I've never done anything specifically for this day, but have always wanted to. So, I figure, if I start to think about it now, maybe I'll physically do something this year!

7 Steps to Moving Responsibly

Well, it looks like it's about that time for us to move again...in town that is...no major moves this time!

How many times has it been since I graduated college? Either way, we've got it down to a science now. Moving can be such a wasteful endeavor. So, how can we keep our move more earth friendly? Below are some of the things we're doing to keep things responsible:

1. Plan Ahead! It's a few weeks before we really have to be packed up, but we're already collecting boxes whenever we can. If you wait to the last minute, you end up having to scramble and buy boxes.

2. Check out craigslist for people getting rid of boxes from their move. (Note to self: post on craigslist about free boxes after our move!)

3. Ask stores for boxes that they normally crush. I've been hitting up the flower lady at the grocery store and a local bookstore for our boxes so far!

4. Get creative with your packing solutions: Use your suitcases, backpacks, and reusable grocery tote bags to transport stuff.

5. Recycle the cardboard boxes and paper packing supplies after the move!

6. Avoid styrofoam stuffing for fragile items. Save up packing supplies as you see them come in at work and home deliveries.

7. Use what you have to pack! Pack fragile items in tshirts and towels.

Any other tips would be appreciated! Feel free to pass them along!