Getting some crafty urges

So right now I really ought to be doing some work. I am on teaching practicum and really...I should be prepping for my lesson tomorrow and planning the rest of my lessons for next week. I just can't be bothered with it all right now, though, and every good procrastinator knows that you should never do now what you can put off until later.

So instead of doing what I ought, I am excitedly browsing the genius over at http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/ for amazing crafty/eco/just plain awesome ideas. The problem with this is, of course, that now I want to run out and do something crafty--which I have neither time nor money for right now!

Recently I made lip balm from scratch. I played with the recipe located here, but I tried using extracts instead of oils. I don't recommend this to anyone--the extract doesn't mix with the wax and oil and instead sits in a big fat bubble in one part of the balm. That said, other than my little indescreptancy, the balm worked out pretty well! I used almond oil for this one, but you could easily supplement another oil in its place.

One of the beeswax lipbalms I made. I just put it in an old, cleaned out container. My sister loves it.

A lot of the recipes I have found for lip balms have called for petroleum jelly. I realize what vaseline is and all, but does it not bother anyone else that you are putting something with the word "petroleum" in it right on your LIPS? I find that a little disturbing, myself. I stick to beeswax right now, although I am looking into some soy wax also.

In other news, I finally turned on heat in my room (I know, central Ontario, nearing the end of November, I know). I have been trying to avoid turning it on because I have only old baseboard heating in my apartment and I just know it is going to skyrocket my hydro bill once I turn it on. I also wanted to cover all my drafty old windows before I gave in to the cold. BUT, I came across a small oil-filled heater on sale at Canadian Tire and decided it might be worth the investment. Was it ever! I couldn't beleive how warm my room was, even for such a small heater, and it is supposed to be much more energy efficient (efficient in general) than the baseboard heating.

My little heater in my room! Isn't it cute?

Yes, the rest of my apartment is still unheated. (BUT I am the upstairs apartment, and we all know heat travels up. This probably explains why I don't have hypothermia yet.)

For All the "Smelly Hippies" Out There

I know I have one posted already, but I tried out a deodorant recipe that I thought sounded good. It ended up being FANTASTIC. It works as well as commercial brands so far (for me--and remember it's deodorant not antiperspirant) and it smells wonderful. (By the way, the "smelly hippie" thing isn't me being mean, I saw it on another blog and thought it was funny. Stereotypes of people who want to go eco amuse me sometimes. Just a little self-humour).

So here it is!
DIY All-Natural Deodorant
1. Mix together ¼ cup of cornstarch with ¼ cup of baking soda
2. Optional: add your choice of essential oils if you’d like your deodorant scented
3. Add 2 tbsp. of coconut oil and a few drops of skin-softening, vitamin E
4. Blend everything together until it form a silky mass
5. Pack the mix into an old deodorant stick casing
6. Get creative and create your own clever label to stick on the front of your homemade odor-eater
(found at http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/diy-deodorant.html)

Yeah, you do need an old deodorant stick casing, so save a few. The batch I made probably could have filled four, but I only had two so I just put the rest in a little container to save. I also played around with it a little bit--I added a little bit more oil and corn starch, I believe...Just work with it until it hits a texture you like.
I used lime oil and the combination of the virgin coconut oil and the lime oil made a really nice smell, like lime-coconut pie or something!

TIP: DON'T store the deodorant on its side. Coconut oil grows soft very easily and the deodorant will sort of settle to one side if it is laying on its side. Unless you don't mind smooshing it back into place! The top also dries a little bit between uses--if you don't like the slighly rough feeling (it isn't that bad, honestly) then just scrape a teeny layer off before applying.

Hope you like, but if you do--go give some props to the person who came up with it :D

Toodles!

Back to school, back online

After weeks in internet hiatus (someone dropped the ball and the internet disappeared), I am so happy to be back online! Just in time for back to school...

Yep, it's that glorious time of year. The time of year you get to drive yourself thousands of dollars into debt for the pursuit of knowledge, nevermind the extra hundreds for the texts required. (It sounds like I am complaining, but I really do love school, hence the reason I am still in school after eons).

It's also the time of year that the subtle changes in the daylight become glaringly obvious, and the temperature returns to a state of relative normality, neither too cold nor too warm.

The dip in temperature made the crochet bug bite again--I am again enthralled with all the arm warmer patterns I discovered months ago.
The return to school also meant moving back to the city I just left a year ago, and I have been discovering all sorts of changes that have occurred in the past year or so. Including--to my excitement--an eco-dedicated store on the main street. It specializes in all sorts of things eco, from cleaning products to toys for children and stainless steel water bottles. And that was when it wasn't even fully stocked!! The grand opening is this Friday, the 18th. I am so excited!

In other news, my favourite person here in blogland has just announced she's having a baby! If you know Attic24, go give her some 'grats.

A few weeks ago there was the FanExpo here in Ontario, in Toronto. It was pretty awesome, but that'll be for another time (with pictures, let's hope!

Yarn, patterns, plants and a ridiculously easy garlic bread "recipe"

My friend's wedding this past weekend was fantastic. All five minutes of ceremony were really nice, and there were even a few laughs snuck into it (despite it typically being such a *serious* thing). The rest of the day was really pleasant, even the caterers commented on how relaxed it was and said that it was a pleasure to have been there. My friend avoided all the wedding hullabaloo and just had a short, sweet ceremony with fewer than 20 people present followed by a BBQ themed reception with a delicious buffet and casual dress. She didn't even wear a dress (good for her--she's always hated them and weddings really should be about the people getting married, not some outdated tradition no one even understands anymore). All in all, I was thrilled it went over so well.



And I got new yarn!



Isn't it just fabulous? It's cotton, too, here come the washcloths!!

Speaking of fabulous things that people can do with cotton yarn, for those of you eco-minded (or crafty minded) people out there who own a Swiffer, there is a pattern for a reusable swiffer cloth here: http://www.sugarncream.com/pattern.php?PID=3920&cps=21191
In addition to being a FREE pattern that means cheaper living (don't have to buy swiffer sheets anymore) and less waste (yay for smaller dumps!), this pattern is also ridiculously easy and works up pretty fast. There's nothing like cheap, easy and environmentally friendly.

In other news, the little plant family in my window keeps growing (in numbers, not size...hahaha, although my ivy is getting rather large). The newest addition is a pink leaf plant...no name for that one yet.
BUT I HAVE RUN OUT OF SPACE!! My window is only small, and it now has four little plants happily growing away in it. What am I going to do?!?

Finally...I am a lazy, lazy cook. I just have no patience for it! I can sit and do crafty things for hours without a break but I cannot focus in the kitchen. Furthermore, I despise doing dishes, so I generally try to avoid making too many. But I sure am a sucker for good garlic bread. So, here's my "recipe":

-Take baguette, cut horizontally through the middle (like you would for a sandwich).
-Butter both halves (depending on how much you need).
-Spread minced garlic over the butter (I used the same knife...yeah, I know I am lazy) to taste.
-Sprinkle parsley overtop to taste.
-Put in toaster oven (or oven, whatever) until butter is melted and bread is all toasty and wonderful.
EAT IT! *chomp chomp chomp*

Well, I thought it was tasty. You don't like it, don't do it. Fine.

What's done, what's new, what's going on

So, I randomly came across this: http://www.aanuit.nl/ and am totally in love with that silly dog lamp featured on the opening page. Hahahaha!

Other than that, I am beginning to realize that this blog seems to be getting monopolized by my eco-musings.

I also recently finished my blanket! It didn't take me as long as I had anticipated and I love it to all to bits and pieces, as my friend Julie would say.
Ready?
Here it is!


Now that my big project is all finished, I have to find new stuff to do with my time. I made a washcloth on the weekend, but that was quick and easy...now I am thinking about making a baby blanket for a baby I know, since Julie generously donated a whole bunch of yarn to me.
There is one other thing...or two of them, I should say.



Is that not the single most hideous cushion you have ever seen in your whole life?! I inhereted this cushion, its twin and the couch that matched it when I moved out on my own. The couch was part of a sectional that had, somewhere in history, lost the last section. It got traded off for a big, even uglier and possibly older leather couch that smelled faintly of cat pee. Such is life. Anyway, by some strange stroke of fate, luck, whatever, the cushions have remained with me even though the couch is long since gone. Now, they're not entirely bad cushions other than their astonishing (slightly hilarious) ugliness. But something has to be done! I am not even sure it's healthy to look at them too long.

So, for my next project...I think it is time for a Cushion Makeover! Any ideas for the makeover, post 'em! I am so far torn between a patchwork cover or a crocheted cover of some variety. Hmmm...choices choices.

Victorious!

I found some! It's from Kiss My Face (www.kissmyface.com) which seems to be one of the better and more affordable companies for natural or eco-sensitive products from what I have encountered thus far. It was one of the only deodorants that stated it was biodegradable--even the Tom's of Maine company didn't (although they admittedly had much more pleasant smelling options).

In addition, while browsing the internet, I came across several sites with recipes to make your own deodorant at home. For the most part, they were quite cheap and easy to make, often using very basic ingredients that are quite natural. There are a few of such recipes on this site: http://www.thegreenestdollar.com/2009/04/how-to-make-your-own-deodorant/

If you live in the US, there's also Desert Essence Organics, which are free of just about everything in addition to being cruelty free and biodegradable. They don't make a deodorant from what I can find, but their products range from lip gloss to shampoo to sunscreen and smell heavenly. (http://www.desertessence.com/)

Just to have it said, I am in no way advertising these companies, just providing possible options for people who, like me, might be seeking some friendlier options than those most readily available to us. If you know of an eco-friendly company that you feel deserves some recognition, please send me a link!

Going Green is getting hard

We've all heard the expression at some time or another that if you are going to do something, do it well.

So when I decided I was going to go "green" I decided I was going to do my best. For me, part of that means switching to Earth-friendly products: I have been eliminating anything non-biodegradable from the products I use and switching them to biodegradable alternatives.

This seemed like a good idea--it IS a good idea--except that doing so has proven particularly difficult. Namely, I have found it challenging to find biodegradable options for sunscreen and deodorant. There's organic stuff everywhere, but that isn't necessarily the same thing (although the two do often go hand-in-hand).

Part of my motivation was discovering how non-biodegradable sunscreen actually impacts the environment. It is especially hard on sensitive ecosystems like the coral reefs, that require UV to function and are extremely reactive to any environmental change. The residue left over from non-biodegradable sunscreens in the water means less UV gets through to such ecosystems, which in turn means that they suffer for it.

I am a little disturbed by how this information is so little known, and how inaccessable "green" alternatives are. I go into a store and rather than having the greener alternatives right with the regular products where they can be easily noticed (and therefore encourage a broader population to try them, as opposed to just the green freaks who actively seek them), they are tucked away in some obscure section, like some sort of dirty little secret. It's a pity.

If anyone out there has any suggestions for a good biodegradable sunscreen or deodorant, I would love the input!

This might be the start of something beautiful...or will it?!

So I guess this is technically the beginning of my blog. I feel like I should say something profound, but I am really only wondering if this is an exercise in futility. More the product of my own unyeilding curiousity. Not totally sure where it will take me, but it'll probably be as hodgepodge and random as my life often seems to be!
So if you wasted your time reading that, thanks!