Valentine’s Day – Not the holiday typically set aside for handmade / recycled gifts, unless they’re from your 5 year-old.   Or so I thought.

Keep your flowers and chocolates – I totally want this.

Maybe a little chocolate, in the form of a mocha – so i can use my new present.

Just in case you’re judging me a little for using a paper cup – check this.

You know I love the free stuff.  And I love books.  And I have a Blog -  Trifecta!

So when I heard about Blogging For Books I had to check it out.

Free books just for speaking my mind – Does it get any better than that?

Blog? Want Free Books? Check it out here.

I’m addicted to these – and I don’t care who knows it.

I love to make them and I love to use them.  I’m forever tearing up my magazines and leaving piles of supplies scattered around my office - and since it’s our home office, my husband can’t get enough of that last part.

Each envelope comes with upcycled stationery and sails nicely though the postal system. 

To view a few sets, check out our ETSY store!

I’m always on the lookout for cool ideas – if I were making a list this would be at the top.

I love this little bird!

You can get your daily dose of creative genius at something created every day.

I was in the bank last week doing bank related things when I noticed a small Christmas tree.  It was decorated with white envelopes clipped to the tree with little wooden clothespins; each painted clothespin sported a cute Christmas ornament.  A closer looked revealed each envelope was preaddressed to one of four destinations: Healdsburg Animal Shelter, Healdsburg Senior Center ? Meals on Wheels, Boys & Girls Club of Healdsburg or Healdsburg Food Pantry and already had the appropriate postage using, of course, cute Christmas stamps.

The best part is that each of these organizations will benefit from the extra donations they will receive this Christmas season ? the second best part is that I get to keep the cute clothespin! I now have four.

Evidently there is a woman in our community who upcycles clothespins into donations.

I have no idea who she is, since she doesn?t include a placard on the table to ensure that she receives full credit for this endeavor – But I feel blessed to have the opportunity to participate in her kindness.

Last week when I was visiting my super-awesome-sister, who also happens to be super-awesome-thrifty, she was mid-painting when I noticed she was using a plastic movie case  as a painting palette.  

Pretty Smart.

To see some of her super-awesome-paintings -  check her out here.

Plarn – Have you heard of this stuff?

Evidently last night while I was sleeping there was a plarn revolution.  Yesterday I’d never even heard the word, and today it seems it’s EVERYWHERE!

Plarn (plastic yarn) is made from plastic grocery bags cut into strips then crocheted to create virtually anything – In this case we’re using a grocery bag to create … a grocery bag. 

Check out this link for a tutorial on how to create your own ecofriendly shopping bags.

DYK: It takes 1000 years for a plastic bag to decompose in a landfill?

My sister got me hooked on Swagbucks – “the web’s premier digital dollar!”  Basically, you search using the Swagbucks tool bar instead of Google (or whatever) and every once in awhile they toss a few Swagbucks your way.  Once  you’ve accumulated a bunch, you use them to buy cool stuff.

My plan is to blow all my Swagbucks on Amazon gift cards and post those cards to my Amazon account. Then I’ll order all my Christmas gifts from Amazon.com and Viola! - Free Christmas! 

Another bonus is that while everyone else is rushing around in the rain looking for a parking space, I’ll be doing all my Christmas shopping online… in my PJs… while drinking coffee in my kitchen.  All Is Calm.

Sound Good? Join Me!

At the local recycle center 80 empty water bottles will get you a whopping 4 bucks.

At the Samaritans Purse website that whopping 4 bucks will provide a child with milk for an entire week. 

You Should Do It.

I love getting Christmas cards – I love it so much I want to marry it.

But what do you do with them when you flip the calendar to January?  Some Christmas cards are just too beautiful, or too precious to toss in the recycle bin or donate for a classroom project ? so instead of shoving them in the back of a drawer somewhere, try this:

? Cut the card at the seam and use craft scissors to trim out a pretty frame, both on the front of the card and the inside of the card

? Affix the front of the card to a piece of sturdy craft paper and the inside of the card to the back

? Tie a pretty ribbon to create a ?hook? for your Christmas tree

Viola – A beautiful Christmas ornament! I made a bunch one year because I had more tree than ornaments. These days I have plenty of ornaments, but these remain my favorites.  As we decorate our tree each year, it?s wonderful to re-read all of the special Christmas cards my family has received over the years.