“Silver” Bracelets Renewed

I have these “silver” bracelets that I picked up on a family vacation. I love that one is engraved with “family”, one with “friends”, and one with “faith”. I had fun wearing them until the silver rubbed off exposing the copper underneath in wacky patches, so I stuck them in a drawer and forgot about them.

 One year later while packing for a trip to the same resort I came across the bracelets and for sentimental reasons wanted to bring them.
Out came my silver paint pen and several coats later I have brand new “silver” bracelets.
I thought about spray painting them but I was worried that the paint would fill in the words.
These pictures don’t really show the dramatic difference. Trust me, they went from unwearable to wearable with a few pen strokes.

West of Camden in Newport Beach California

While strolling around Fashion Island in Newport Beach, CA I stumbled on West of Camden (by the koi pond). Lindsey and her mother-in-law hand make everything in their store using recycled paper that they treat with vinyl so that it’s durable. If you’re in the area, stop by their kiosk and you might even be so lucky as to see them making one of their beautiful bags.

You can also find them at their website West of Camden or on Facebook.

 

Green Silk Babydoll Top Gets a Grown Up Makeover

This was a too-cutesy babydoll top with ribbons that tied in the back. I’ve had it in my closet for years but was long past ever wearing it again. Because it was made of silk AND I loved the fabric I kept in my closet “just in case”. Just in case I turned twelve again!

The refashion was so simple. I removed the ties and set them aside for another refashion project. They’ll make great straps for a summer top or ties for a wrap skirt. Note, I ended up tying a knot in one of the ties and using it as an emergency hairband.

Then I cut the top horizontally across the middle of the top two inches below my bustline. Because the fabric is so lightweight it needed something to keep it from riding up every time I moved. I used a zig-zag machine stitch to attach some beaded fringe all around the bottom of the top. This also allowed me to avoid hemming the silk which is a bit beyond my skills. Silk is slippery!

I used a zig-zag stitch on the raw edge of the bottom portion of the top, which is basically a tube. Then I hand stitched five inches along the same edge using black elastic thread, pulling the thread to create a gather. I did the same on the opposite side of the tube. This gather allows me to wear this as a shawl and also around my waist. And when I want to wear it as a scarf the gathered portions don’t interfere with the drape.

I love that I ended up with a three-fer refashion.

10 Cheap Ways to be Environmentally Friendly

We continue to fight to preserve the natural world, but doing this does not always mean spending a load of cash for a solar powered house or things like that. As people have been saying all along, the little things help too.

Dress Naturally

Making use of natural fabrics like cotton accordingly saves electricity. Natural fabrics are more airy and less confining than synthetics. The reasoning is this causes people to possess natural air-conditioning, lessening the need for actual temperature-control technology.

Catch the Rain

Rain does not fall regularly all year, except in certain areas, but at least for part of the year you get a guaranteed source of water free. Lower your water bills by catching rainwater. This might not be a feasible solution in places with discernible air pollution and acid rain though.

Natural Beauty

Ancient nobility used to bath in milk and honey as a beauty solution. Not as feasible today, but there are alternatives to beauty products that people still use. Oatmeal and avocado, both when ingested or applied directly to skin, will be good for you.

Recycling Oil

Cooking oil, to be exact. It’s not only bottles and old newspapers that need recycling. Cooking oil has uses in the field of green fuel. You can put your used cooking in a bottle, insert a wick, and use it as a candle. It looks like a Molotov cocktail, so don’t go walking around town with it, but still useful.

Combine Gadgets

If you’re going to buy a phone, an mp3 player, an eBook reader and a digital camera anyway, why not buy a smart phone with all those capabilities instead? It’s cheaper, more efficient, and most importantly…more environmentally friendly.

Get an Internet Connection

Internet’s cheap. Movies and books and arcade games are not. Not to mention a single laptop burns less power than theatres and arcades. You can read a thousand comic books and newspapers online at $20 a month, where a single paperback costs at least $4.

Plant Something

Flowers in your living room, shrubs on the terrace, go to the park and sponsor a tree. Aside from being a festive slash of colour, more plants means more carbon dioxide scrubbers. Bamboo is actually the most efficient, and pygmy bamboo can be found in many city nurseries.

Keep Clean Engines

It’s not necessary to purchase a hybrid or a Tesla to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Even keeping your engines clean will make a difference you’ll be contributing to the clean-up of both air and noise pollution. So change your oil and check your fuel regularly.

Salvage

If you’re remodelling or needing construction material, try salvage yards or construction sites for discarded lumber and materials that are still usable. Many construction sites give construction debris away for free or a small fee; this can lower trash pollution and your construction costs at the same time.

Clean the House Out

The fewer things you have around the house, the less need for storage containers. So donate, recycle, and sell. Less clutter means less of a carbon footprint. Reclaiming storage space can also help your air-conditioning too.

There are obviously more than ten ways to create an environmentally-friendly life cheaply right? So come on and let’s hear your ideas!

About the Author: Edwin writes on behalf of Innovative Surface Solutions, an environmentally friendly roadmaintenanceand solutions company.