REUSE, USE UP, MAKE DO

For all their  good intentions,  upcyclists can enlarge their footprint in  the process of repurposing an object normally consigned to to the trash bin. Take my plan to reuse tomato tins, for example. I can cover them in fabric, which is biodegradable, but which must be treated in order to remain clean. That seems  to be, ecologically, the lesser of evils.  Then there is spray painting, which releases fluorocarbons into the atmophere and  leaves  leaves behind an unusable container. It is with that in mind that I will not repeat this project once I use up the blue and green chalkboard spray paint I purchased.  I have found a recipe for homemade   chalkboard paint  and that is what I will use next time along with I will buy  paint packaged in a reusable container. For the moment, this is what I am doing with the material on hand. 

Repurposed cookie tins. 

Upcycled tomato tins.

NOte: I am having trouble with Blogger's editing function. The text was not meant to be in caps, but after having had an entry disappear twice, this will have to do. Sorry.

EVERY DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY II

Left--Envelope with stamped and hand tinted image pasted on paper doily layered over  yellow  paint chip. 

Right--Card made with stamped and hand tinted  image of tea pot pasted on cupcake wrapper.

A used manila envelope cut into fourths and layered with cupcake wrapper and lacy paper doily

 makes great  mailers for garden seeds and small trinkets.

Valentine card and envelope made with paint chips, stamped image and paper doily.





An unexpected snowfall  calls for a well provided wood box, a pot of soup, a loaf of crisp bread. I had the latter on hand, after a productive day in the kitchen.  The latter required a trip to the wood pile where my invaluable wood guy had left me a cord of seasoned  cherry logs. That is when I found out that my efficient Scandinavian   wood latest batch of Valentines I intend to send to distant friends early next week.
The first Valentine I made this year was a sachet filled with lavender from my garden. I designed it for  someone whose vision and seriously impaired , which is why it was important to place  texture and fragrance above elements with great visual appeal. I created a little felt heart   embroidered with  French knots, clear seed beads and a cotton fabric applique that combines  a satisfyingly tactile quality and the rich scent of lavender blossom. This was such fun to make that I decided to add a similar sachet to the cards I am sending out.

 I like all  Valentines  though I deplore the commercialization of the holiday. Rather than buying mass produced cards I prefer to make my own. I use card stock base layered with  stamped, hand tinted images, paint chips, paper doilies,  cupcake wrappers and recycled  paint chips, lunaria (money plant) discs  from my garden  and candy wrappers. am particularly happy with  the You Are My Cup of Tea cards shown  in today and yesterday's posts.   I am equally happy with my oatmeal variation on the  cast iron bread recipe from Kinfolks Magazine   I read about in Alice Paulson's blog 

Oat bread baked in cast iron Dutch oven.

Chicken soup with egg noodles.

Orange curd--4 eggs beaten with half a cup of sugar, half a teaspoon cinnamon, half a teaspoon vanilla, three quarters of a cup of orange juice. Cook at medium temperature for approximately ten minutes or until it begins to thicken. 

Homemade hot chocolate mix.