In honor of our family reunion today, I’m drinking my morning coffee from my 1996 Giuseponi etc. commemorative family reunion mug.

Eating, laughing and several choruses of “You Are My Sunshine” and “Que Sera Sera” played on the mandolins are sure to fill a jar like this to overflowing.

I love this idea – thanks for the inspiration inchmark.squarespace.com!

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?

Still buying those water bottles and single handedly ruining the planet?  ? or so *they* say?

Let me ease your guilt - Upcycle that water bottle:

Sock + Empty Water Bottle = Best Puppy Toy Ever!

Just insert bottle into sock – tie a knot and it’s on like donkey kong.

We?re bringing it old school using a tube sock with the double stripes.

Tomorrow kicks off the national collection week for Operation Christmas Child – although for many of us this project actually begins in July, when it’s still hot outside and most people aren’t thinking about Christmas.

A small group of us gather each Wednesday to wrap shoeboxes to look like Christmas presents. As each Wednesday follows the next, the weekly tasks turn from wrapping boxes to sorting, counting and packaging soap, wash cloths, tooth brushes and toothpaste into ziplock baggies.

Next is school supplies, hairbrushes, socks, candy and of course toys and a special stuffed animal.  Last to be included is a short note to the receiving child letting them know that even though we have never met, there is someone out there that is thinking about them and praying for them.   And most of all, we want to tell them that Jesus loves them so very, very much.

You may wonder what this has to do with upcycling – I could take the easy road and say that we turned an old shoe box into a Christmas present – but it’s so much more.

Today our small church exchanged our normal Sunday morning service for a box packing service – everyone of every age participated.  Two hours and 1200 shoe boxes later we had turned a small congregation into world-wide missionaries, sending hope to children all over the world.

Learn more about Operation Christmas Child

I sometimes use the words upcycle and recycle interchangeably, much like Alanis Morissette uses ironic and coincidence? or some other word.

Today I want to talk about the similar sounding ? freecycle.

Freecycle.org is a great way to recycle your old items and pick up some great finds (wait for it?) for free! 

It?s a global nonprofit community that is all about reusing to keep good stuff out of landfills.  

An effective, smart idea made even greater when you consider that you don?t have to deal with craigslist freaks ? you know who you are.