Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

How to Weave a Rag Rug

Weaving is an ancient art form that is found in almost every culture around the world. Some groups of people weave so beautifully that their rugs and other woven pieces are considered fine artwork. Fine oriental and Navajo rugs are prized household items, however you can easily weave your own rug right at home.

Rag rugs are sturdy, home made rugs made from leftover t-shirts, bed sheets or other old fabric lying around the home. They make wonderful decorations for doorways, outdoors or even in the kitchen. In a society that’s used to tossing away old items, rag rugs are also the perfect way to reuse and recycle.

Here are links to two different websites with easy to understand tutorials about weaving your own rug:

http://www.wikihow.com/Weave-a-Rag-Rug
http://www.craftpassion.com/2010/03/recycle-tutorial-woven-rag-rug.html

It’s a fun and easy project that requires nothing more than old fabric, or a piece of cardboard. Making your own rug doesn’t take a long time, and leaves you with a sturdy woven rug for your home.

When Good Vegetables Go Bad

Reducing our carbon footprint is about more than switching to reusable shopping bag, it’s about trying to reduce waste in every corner of our life. Just last week I bought a beautiful bunch of celery for a snack, stuffed it in my fridge and totally forgot about it. In just a few days my beautiful celery turned into a sad, wilted mess.

Celery is a wonder food in many ways. With only 18 calories per serving it is the perfect snack food. Whether eaten alone, or dipped in peanut butter or dressing, this veggie supplies a satisfying crunch.

So instead of tossing my wilted celery in the trash, I cut off the bottom of the bunch and stuck it in a glass of water like a sad bouquet. Just a few hours later my afternoon snack was revived!

For a fun project with celery, add all natural, organic food coloring to a class of water. Cut the bottom off a bunch of celery (it doesn’t have to be wilted) and put in the water over night. Wake up to a wonderful surprise!

Conservative Never Looked So Cool

I recently read a review of the 2011 MTV Music Video Awards which congratulated the network, performers and guests for this year’s more conservative, simplistic platform and behavior.

While performers like Lady Gaga and Chris Brown, wowed and impressed the crowd and viewers with their chart topping songs and creative choreography, their performances received acclaim for the simplistic approach. Some even said it was refreshing to see celebrities tone down the drama and extravagance.

It seems like in these scary, uncertain times, even celebrities have started promoting conservatism and sustainability. I applaud this cultural shift and the celebrities who, conscientiously or unconscientiously, set a leading example.

This helps us reinforce conservation and sustainability across the board. Whether you start a recycling program in your neighborhood or donate reusable water bottles to your office water cooler, follow this year’s trend and make conservative and sustainable actions look cool in your life.

The “Renewed” Green Revolution

If you are anything like me, you know that “going green” is not a new trend, cutting-edge ideological change or massive historical discovery of this century. Growing up at my Grandmother’s house, I learned to cover leftovers with slightly used shower caps, store dry items in old jam jars, and recycle my soda cans. I even watched as she saved vegetable trimmings to feed to her unbelievable rose gardens. I guess you could say that I grew up green before green got trendy.

However, while I don’t view conserving resources, recycling products or even composting and home gardening as new trends, I do appreciate how this current “green revolution” introduced us to all-natural and organic home cleaning products. I grew up cleaning my home with heavy bleach solutions because, well, bleach works and it works well (especially if you’re cleaning up after messy boys). I never thought of the consequences of using harsh chemicals in my home. I never thought how synthetic chemicals damage and kill our natural environment. Looking back now, I feel like an idiot.

Luckily today, we all have a choice in cleaning products. We can now rely on supermarkets to carry cleaning options with effective and environmentally-friendly ingredients. Cleaning products with 95% natural and bio-degradable ingredients, use cruelty-free testing processes and stray away from synthetic, harsh chemicals. We, also, now live in an era where companies use all-natural, green practices and products. They too make an active choice to improve healthy living for our homes and environment. For that, I do thank this renewed green revolution.