Got Tape? Repurposed container gardening May 9, 2013

Repurposed container gardening

Glass Paper Scissors
green ideas, fresh designs, recycled crafts

Repurposing and Reusing plastic bags March 27, 2013

Saving plastics to save Mama Earth: How to reduce, reuse and repurpose

“Paper or Plastic”? When I think of hauling my groceries up to my fourth floor walk-up, I skittishly mutter “plastic” and shamefully carry back 6-10 plastic bags of groceries every 2 weeks. I was reusing them (categorized on their tensile strength) for wrapping lunch boxes, parcel fragile glassware, provide water-proofing in projects and picking up after my dog. Several months back, I came across a cute trick on Pinterest and landed on Bao’s craft page http://www.relevedesign.com/. So can plastic really be used to make crafty dinner table items? Let’s try.

Things you need:

• Scissors
• Plastic bags
• Printer paper or parchment paper
• Household iron (hold the steam, make sure it is on “dry” )
• Clean work surface
• Towels

Here’s how

Pic 1 Step 1 Cutting plastic bags

1. Cut of the handles and bottom of the plastic bags  and make it into a rectangular shape.

Pic 2 Step 2 layering plastic

2. Lay a towel straight on your work table, for heat insulation (Picture 2 shows whole layout)

3. Lay a sheet of paper (I used printed paper and the results were not as good see Picture 3 below) on the towel, with printed face down

4. Lay 3-4 sheets of plastic rectangles on the paper, preferably with the print (color or text) facing each other and not the paper directly.

Pic 3 printed plastic on paper

5. Cover with another sheet of paper, again the print should face up (not facing the plastic). Please make sure the plastic does not touch the towel underneath or your iron. It will melt and ruin the iron.

6. Next press down in the middle for about 6 seconds and gently but firmly smooth out in a radial way (this will make sure you don’t trap air bubbles.

7. Once you have ironed it completely on one side, let it sit until cool to touch then flip the whole thing to the other side. The towel stays in place, whole thing refers to the plastic sandwiched in the 2 sheets of paper.

8. Iron again like step 6, but this time you can go a little faster, but keep your hands steady because the paper can be slippery

9. Let cool, then slowly peel off the paper from both sides

 10. Cut the new reinforced plastic to shape and enjoy your new washable coasters and table liners

Pic 4 Overheated plastic with holes

Want more challenge?

• Feel free to add more plastic and make it even thicker, you will see going beyond 11-12 is difficult, but give it a shot, because every plastic is different!
• Try inclusions like maps, or quotes in between the sheets– kind of like laminating them; just make sure they are placed centrally, because as you probably have figured out, plastic doesn’t stick to paper and for the item to be useful, plastic has to have plastic to melt into
• Try with printed colorful bags or statement bags from your favorite brands
• Cut the fused sheets into 1″ circles and make earrings or bracelet charms
• Stitch multiple sheets of fused, reinforced plastic and make bags with them (yes, crazy but delicious!)

Faux pas and things I learned:

• Parchment paper is really the way to go. Works so much better than printer paper, remains intact much longer
  

  Pic 5 Edge distortion

  and hence you don’t have to throw them away

• Clear plastic melts faster (like waaay faster)
• Overheat will distort your plastic and create holes (sometimes amusing and rather desirable shapes) (Pic 4: overheated plastic with holes)
• If printed plastic faces the paper, it can get sticky and distort the surface of the plastic when peeling  (Pic 5: edge distortion); you can always cut it off but it wastes material!
• If printed paper faces the plastic, the paper will tear, but you can wash off the paper from the plastic using a scrubber and dish soap (Pic 6: scraped Limited table mat)
• Metal inclusions (like sequins or chocolate wrappers) get insanely hot and will destroy your plastic and can burn you. They get heated much faster than plastic and stays hot because the heat can’t escape through the plastic very fast.
• For the brief few seconds when plastic stays molten, it is hot and can give you painful burns, so patience pays off.
  

  Pic 6: Scratched mat (had paper stuck to it once)

• Your final product is NOT microwavable (not sure why you would want to microwave it)
• It is not dishwashable (but an one-off cold cycle in the dishwasher will not kill it–the keyword here is “cold”)
• How to use it? Coasters for coffee mugs and/or dinner/snack plates are ideal. Please dont put a very hot vessel on it, you don’t need a gooey, sticky mess underneath on your saucepan, trust me!

I owe it to my Food Microbiology background to tell you this: Soiled plastic that has come in direct contact with raw animal product (meat, broken eggs, or juices seeping from meat packages) should end up in the trash, NOT your recycle bin, definitely not your craft table. Protect your hygiene, then go save the earth.

Always be careful with your iron, switch it off when not in use and let cool before stowing away.

Here are some of my favorite fused plastics:

Get your NYC on! :Coasters from Repurposed plastic

Comical bags, anyone? :from repurposed plastic

Fishy: from repurposed plastic

Before I end, let me thank Bao (of Releve Design) once again for sharing great ideas on reusing plastics into fabulous craft items. So much to learn, so little time!

Repurpose plastic bottle caps: Sustainable urban gardening February 28, 2013

Remember my last post with plastic bottles where we cut the tops off and grew spring bulbs. Those tops will come in handy now.
Next time you chop off the bulb part of your green onions/ shallots, put them in a little (1" deep) water and watch them spring out into edible, almost never ending shoots. By far the most forgiving plants ever! With enough water and daylight (direct or otherwise) there’s no stopping them. Of course unless you drown them.

Repurposing & Organizing February 16, 2013

Repurposing a fruit crate to make a wall-hanging spice rack.

Fostering 102: How I foster January 16, 2013

Brownie was sad and distant when we first started fostering. He withdrew himself from everything that was his. I felt it in my core because that is what I do, when I am scared to lose something I love or when I fear something will change, I dissociate myself that something or someone. So when I felt his hugs loosen, I panicked. There were spells of barking, a show of stress and disgruntlement. There was agitation, cowering and bossiness. And I was doubting my decision to foster, scared of complaints from my neighbors and overall unsure of what will happen to the wonderful bond that is Brownie and me. Despite the humans in my life– spouse, parents, friends, Brownie and I have a bond like no other and I wasn’t going to risk it, for anyone or anything.

And that is exactly what I told Brownie, I showed him he was my forever and my only and my most important. Our foster dogs came to us needing TLC, starved of love, attention and likely, food. So as you realize the fosters and the resident needed different things; and we catered to each. Thanks to my husband, we split guardianship in taking care of our pooches. He gave the foster all the TLC he needed. And I gave my Brownie what he deserved most–time and Mom. Whatever little time I had after work and errands and chores, I spent it with Brownie–I walked him, I fed him, I petted, hugged, snuggled and I never petted or picked up the foster in front of him. I stayed consistent for a couple days. Then gradually, we started spending us-and-them time together. Two humans, two pooches, giving short spurts of equal attention to both and more often than that, NO attention to either of them. We let them figure out their own social order. We had 2 squeaky toys, 2 balls, 2 beds (or a big bed) and they started being ok with the other being around. Stealing toys from each other, pushing, jumping, but also playing and lounging together.

Now when I walk 2 dogs, the foster and the resident, I always hold the foster on a tighter leash than the resident. 3 reasons:

1. The longer leash for the resident dog, lets him enter doorways first and thus be the pre-determined alpha, often reducing tension
2. The shorter leash for the foster, lets him be closer to me or walk closer to walls or sides of streets, which some dogs from neglect-conditions seem to prefer (helped our very first, very shy foster a lot)
3. A shorter leash for the foster also means better control, especially if the foster is unpredictable. You don’t want your recently posted “adoptable” dog defamed by accidents like

• jumping on people’s grocery bags (there goes your bacon!)
• barking at old drunk men,
• chasing bikes
• charging at the inexperienced and suddenly enamored stranger who decides to shove their hand into this nervous pooch’s face.
• and the worst, well-groomed, over-grown lapdogs aka poodles (no offense, I just find their hoofy strut and often girly hairdo, very funny)

Do you have tricks of your own that helps the resident and foster get along better?

Fostering 101: Why I foster

I have only fostered a couple dogs and for about a couple months. So I am not an expert foster parent or dog trainer by any means. But being the Mum and anchor-point of my very emotional Brownie has given me considerable share-worthy experience and on how to deal with canine emotions. (Yes, I am of the school of thought that canine depression and canine emotions are very real).

N, a very good friend and a mum to a beautiful adopted Corgie, Bella recently pointed out that “I really commend Brownie that he lets you have foster dogs… If I ever do it, I am sure I am going to need a foster home after that;) She does not even let me dog sit…… The girl does not know what sharing means” I just wanted to hug N and say “Looky you! Bella is adorable and very very nice. I have seen her with strangers, she is confident and calm and a complete love and contrary to what you say, B does know how to share”
But, I also understand that it’s a tricky thing, to consider bringing in a 3rd wheel when the 2 of you are so complete–like Bella and N, like Brownie and me. You don’t know what she will do, how she will feel and you don’t want anything, ANYthing to jeopardize what you have, it is so precious. It is THAT precious.

So why do I foster?
Because I love dogs and because I have a sense of faith in them that I don’t have in humans (and this process is helping me with the human part too).
Because I want to help and this is the only way I can, for now and it fills up the void of helplessness,
Because I could scream at the top of my voice–”Adopt” or “breeds don’t mean that much”, but unless I am doing something more tangible, I don’t feel like my screams are being heard.
Because this helps me show that “there’s nothing wrong with shelter pets” and nice pictures + TLC can make them very adoptable.

Not just that, I like it that Brownie gets to socialize, even if it is supervised and limited.
You see, having Brownie is not an impedement to fostering, it is the reason I can foster and successfully let go of my fosters. After dropping off the happy, curious, somewhat anxious and upset pups in their new, forever homes, my car and my heart feels a little (read very) empty. But I rush home happy because I know my anti-emptiness drug is at home. He is sitting on a couch magically refueling my life with meaning and my home (and car and heart) with love; and as soon as I turn the key on my door, he will grab his squeaky toy and come to greet me. He will be a little curious to where his friend or frenemy went but he will also look a little relieved that I am home and with him. Within minutes, he will forget there was another dog, unless of course there is another dog.

But I didn’t get here in a day. Brownie was sad and distant when we first started fostering. He withdrew himself from everything that was his. I felt it in my core because that is what I do, when I am scared to lose something I love or when I fear something will change, I dissociate myself that something or someone. So when I felt the hugs loosen, I panicked. There were spells of barking, a show of stress and disgruntlement. There was agitation, cowering and bossiness. And I was doubting my decision to foster, scared of complaints from my neighbors and overall unsure of what will happen to the wonderful bond that is Brownie and me. I have a lot of good humans in my life– spouse, parents, friends. But Brownie and I have a bond like no other and I wasn’t going to risk it, for anything or anyone.

On traffic and driving in Massachusetts January 3, 2013

I like to believe I am a good person. Honest, fair and for the most part, pleasant. I smile when smiled at, I laugh at jokes (and jokers), I respond truthfully to most questions.
I have a set of rules that I try to abide by. I waste less, I save for the rainy day (from rubber bands to plastic bags), I give openly. I believe in small changes, in internal peace and in having fun. I try to spend some time with Nature regularly. I try to do at least one good thing everyday.

Lately, I feel like I have been spending way too much time sitting in traffic on the impersonal, dirty, dark highways in Massachusetts.

My Nature time happens when I roll my window down near Medford. The quota of doing good is limited to letting 1 car get in the lane before me in East Cambridge.
I practice deep breathing when the radio- omnipresence of Justin Beiber or Taylor Swift suffocate me. I have fun when I can beat 3 signals in a row and cut my commute by 7 minutes or more.
If you have ever lived in or driven in Massachusetts, you probably have your share of horror stories or sweet memories of self-emancipation.
In all this, it makes my day when I can squeeze my mid-size SUV through a tight spot and the guy next to me gives me a thumbs up rather than his middle finger. It makes my day to see more and more people driving smaller cars and hybrids, while in my mind’s eye, I see my SUV as a Smart car. Only bigger. It makes me happy to push the brakes for the rightful pedestrian, it makes me feel big to protect them from sneaky, greedy drivebys.

Overall, when the weather is safe without glaring suns or black ice or storms, the coffee –hot, the calendar –forgiving, the commute is a good time to practice self-control and reflex responses. It is also a good time to rehearse hate mail and snide remarks, as well as deliberate on consumer behavior insights and market trends.

Only let it be short, let it please be short. And interesting.