dutch marginal

from  designmom as a real reuser, recycler and upcycler, i searched before for the reuse of the sad pencils that do not work anymore. at that time i did not find much that i could use, but now you get a treasure chest full of ideas like this one: pencil ideas . i am decided for the following project to fulfill: pencil jewelry .

did you ever take a look on the etsy.com website? it is the ideal website if you are searching for sustainable made at home things. and if you search for the etsy shops in your hometown, maybe you will discover that almost next door, you can by the homemade things you searched for. internet makes shops less visible in the real world but if you know where to search on the internet, you can discover real pearls.

ever read farmer boy by laura ingalls wilder, you know, one of the little house books? i never read it upto last week, only saw the tv-serie. but really, do not miss this book. you will get visions of everything homemade, from butter and sugar to fabrics, shoes and all kind of tools. never knew you could keep ice frozen through the summer by using sawdust. of course, going back to that time is no option, but it gives you more appreciation for craftsmanship. why spend so much time with your computer, television or other machines. slow living, with the seasons a modern trend was just the essence back in those times. if ever you are dissatified with things you do not have, remember this book and enjoy the things you do have or do. why buy pink lemonade if at home there is always apple cider from your own apples and milk from you own cows. enjoy the clean water in the tap. enjoy the more than enough clothes in your wardrobe. enjoy life.

did you ever hear of mud dyed textile that they use for making kimono's on a japanese island. i never heard of this. they dye the silk with prune pulp for sometimes 30 times to get a deep purple. and after that, they put the silk in the mud to get a reaction between the iron in the mud and the colored silk, thus becoming a deep chocolate brown color. but the work does not stop there. they split the textile into separate threads, that will be woven in special patterns. one kimono takes sometimes a year from start to finish. what a craftmanship. read more here

ever wondered what to do with all those old books, you once read, or got through heritage maybe? i just saw this idea at the etsy website: vintage books as an interior art decoration a fantastic idea. and you know, recently i took such an old book, and loved the old-fashioned way it has been written in. how time changes.

around this time, you wonder why the sweet chestnuts are delicious and the horse chestnuts, that almost look alike, should not be eaten. i promised my daughter to find out, so now i understand that sweet chestnuts come from the castanea family of trees while the horse chestnut comes from a totally different aesculus family. the horse chestnut is very bitter to us humans and even poisonous, while squirrels and deers love them. the horse chestnut tree is beautiful though, while flowering and during autumn. and the chestnuts we can use in crafting, like making a spiderweb, while eating the delicious sweet lookalikes. both chestnuts have medicinal properties. maybe in a next post more on that topic or just google yourself if you are curious.

being a fanatic in reusing as much as possible, i searched for more ideas for my fabric and thread scraps more than enough ideas can be found when you search on fabric scraps patterns more than 50 ideas for example  here and the smallest pieces i keep to fill up cushions and the like

i was wondering if all the little pieces of fabric i finally throw away after reusing as much as possible could serve a purpose. see above. quite some challenge. inspiration came from  this website .

also enjoying the graffiti paintings in your neighborhood? nearby my house regularly high school students get lessons in working with graffiti. if they learn it as an art, maybe they will not so easily use it illegal. two dutch brothers made their hobby into a business: i want graffiti .

seems wonderful to me, a beautiful hanging chair. but the beautiful hanging bubble chair is not cheap. the hammock hanging chairs are more within reach, but i prefer more a chair. wonder if i could make one myself. maybe i should begin with an old swing and an old chair. or use leftover wood like in this instructable:  paracord-laced-pallet-hanging-chair

old sweaters, some soap, a hot wash and there you have your own felt for all kinds of crafs projects, like flowers , hats and .... or check out all the other ways to use your old sweater at  always chrysti .

if you start searching, a whole world of home crafts and recycling opens up. for example check these websites: martha stewart crafts pinspiring crafts

just spotted some very nice blogs and sites with nice recycling ideas. by MiekK blog mme Zsazsa ordent blog

just have been searching knitting garn for a poncho. it is not easy to choose the most sustainable one. finally decided for recycled polyester, not natural, but sustainable. searching too? check these mainly dutch websites: phildar ecolo yarns apart trikoo ecotex wolkokerbreishop

we recycle plastic, paper, green wastes, water, clothes, shoes. but still we throw away reusable things. what to do with the milkpackages. in rotterdam studio hergebruik sells objects from recycled materials. go to studio hergebruik

handmade is finally trendy again. crafts have a revival. homemade cake, handmade clothings, homemade meals, handmade juwellery .... slow food, slow life, slow ... see my  (dutch) page on design and craft (ambacht)