Our sweet, perfect dog Sam, died last Tuesday. John and I feel very lonely at the house without her. She lived at our house longer than any of the previous owner's, so we felt like it was more her house than ours. We're really missing her.
6.29.2006
6.14.2006
Make a non-toxic home cleaning kit
I decided to accept Josh's poo poo attitude as a challenge to do more.
While I dislike the attitude we've developed of constantly buying things and then throwing them away, I accept that giving up some disposable products may not be the only way, or the best way, to reduce waste (though I do contend it's a good start).
I found this interesting site produced by the Minnesota office of Environmental Assistance which offers suggestions on reducing waste in your home. They also have a page for reducing waste at the office, school, during the holidays, etc.
As Josh pointed out, one way I haven't begun to consider waste is the chemicals I use. Though John and I do enjoy some Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products (which are eco-friendly and smell good too) that we received as a wedding gift, for the most part we just use what's on sale.
So Minnesota is offering suggestions for a non-toxic home cleaning kit, involving products seen here: Baking soda , Vinegar , Plant-based detergents , Vegetable oil with lemon juice. I would also like to add that they suggest using cloth rags rather than disposable "bleached" towels.
They also suggest, specifically for laundry:
"Instead of more complicated detergents, try using a combination of washing soda and borax in your machine. These are usually as effective as more complex formulas and are also usually cheaper."
While I dislike the attitude we've developed of constantly buying things and then throwing them away, I accept that giving up some disposable products may not be the only way, or the best way, to reduce waste (though I do contend it's a good start). I found this interesting site produced by the Minnesota office of Environmental Assistance which offers suggestions on reducing waste in your home. They also have a page for reducing waste at the office, school, during the holidays, etc.
As Josh pointed out, one way I haven't begun to consider waste is the chemicals I use. Though John and I do enjoy some Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products (which are eco-friendly and smell good too) that we received as a wedding gift, for the most part we just use what's on sale.
So Minnesota is offering suggestions for a non-toxic home cleaning kit, involving products seen here: Baking soda , Vinegar , Plant-based detergents , Vegetable oil with lemon juice. I would also like to add that they suggest using cloth rags rather than disposable "bleached" towels.
They also suggest, specifically for laundry:
"Instead of more complicated detergents, try using a combination of washing soda and borax in your machine. These are usually as effective as more complex formulas and are also usually cheaper."
6.06.2006
Before and After
When looking at the pictures, I realized the "after" looks more junky than the "before". But it's not. Really.
Before: there was a great deal of clutter on the floor, paintings, gesso, typing paper stacked and shoved here and there. I had two mismatched rubbermaid drawers and a tiny wooden table with my palette jutting out and papers sliding off.
After: Paintings are carefully stored in the horizontal storage. The rubber maid drawers support a table top for books, sewing, planning, cutting etc, and under the table a little more storage space for those odd shaped things. The top of the map table is big enough for a much larger painting palette, and the top drawer stores all my paints and mediums. Where the vertical shelf use to be, there is now a skinny vertical space for my easel, ironing board and tripod. My previously inaccessible printer/scanner is now accessible.
Obviously, this is a very multipurpose space - So I feel like I've done this best I can with what I've got.
Eventually I'd like to exchange my cardboard boxes with colored tissue paper for pretty baskets - but the rest - I like.
*UPDATE - okay I lost the before and after image in the blog out of '07, but here's a picture of what it looked like while set up this way.
Before: there was a great deal of clutter on the floor, paintings, gesso, typing paper stacked and shoved here and there. I had two mismatched rubbermaid drawers and a tiny wooden table with my palette jutting out and papers sliding off.
After: Paintings are carefully stored in the horizontal storage. The rubber maid drawers support a table top for books, sewing, planning, cutting etc, and under the table a little more storage space for those odd shaped things. The top of the map table is big enough for a much larger painting palette, and the top drawer stores all my paints and mediums. Where the vertical shelf use to be, there is now a skinny vertical space for my easel, ironing board and tripod. My previously inaccessible printer/scanner is now accessible.
Obviously, this is a very multipurpose space - So I feel like I've done this best I can with what I've got.
Eventually I'd like to exchange my cardboard boxes with colored tissue paper for pretty baskets - but the rest - I like.
*UPDATE - okay I lost the before and after image in the blog out of '07, but here's a picture of what it looked like while set up this way.
6.05.2006
Flowers
John came home with these wild flowers and a handful of chocolates on Friday. Isn't he the best?
6.02.2006
I'm trying to get organized.
A month or so ago, my sister Tara bought me this map table at a yard sale. I've been needing something like this since high school. It is a tall 4x4 table with lots of skinny shelves for storing all my large flat things, like paper, unfinished paintings, watercolors. The top is large and flat, perfect for a nice large glass pallette.
I have so many different kinds of things: oil paints, watercolors, fabric and sewing machine, yarn, books, old paintings I don't know what to do with. So with this new table, I decided to organize my studio, and get everything in better order. The result is very exciting. My space is really small - as is our house - and doubles as the pantry, so organization is a necessity. I forgot to take a picture, but I'm very pleased. So I'll post a before and after next week.
I'm also trying to keep all these craft ideas I'm reading online, in a more organized form. Now that I'll be working less (I'm only teaching one class in the fall), I should be painting/sewing/knitting more.
My favorite craft site Whip Up (because everyone else contributes to it) is proposing a "Finish What You Have" month. So I'm going to give it a shot. Last summer I started a small cathedral window quilt, that has been jammed in a Big Star bag for a year. I'm going to try to finish it - or at least make it into a whole square!
I have so many different kinds of things: oil paints, watercolors, fabric and sewing machine, yarn, books, old paintings I don't know what to do with. So with this new table, I decided to organize my studio, and get everything in better order. The result is very exciting. My space is really small - as is our house - and doubles as the pantry, so organization is a necessity. I forgot to take a picture, but I'm very pleased. So I'll post a before and after next week.
I'm also trying to keep all these craft ideas I'm reading online, in a more organized form. Now that I'll be working less (I'm only teaching one class in the fall), I should be painting/sewing/knitting more.
My favorite craft site Whip Up (because everyone else contributes to it) is proposing a "Finish What You Have" month. So I'm going to give it a shot. Last summer I started a small cathedral window quilt, that has been jammed in a Big Star bag for a year. I'm going to try to finish it - or at least make it into a whole square!
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