New 'Do

Here's my new haircut (well, it's actually a few weeks old as of this picture...) I felt very brave when she took the first nip with the scissors, but I love it and will probably go a little bit shorter next time! I finally see how layers can work to my advantage with my fine hair!

latest project

Here is the knitting project I've been working on this week...posted here so my mom in Michigan can see it...A customer at the craft store I work at was looking for someone to knit stockings for her grandchildren to match the one made for her daughter Aimee many years ago..."Joe" is the first one I made (two more to go!)...

In case you're wondering, the coat rack is level, the photographer is at least a half bubble off plum!

let's green-bag it!

Bags are becoming a huge issue on the conservation front. We've all heard the question, right? Paper or plastic? Or as one bag boy humorously put it "choke a fish or kill a tree?". But he's hitting it right on the nose there, this is not as simple a question as it might seem...
There are ups and downs to either of those choices, and certainly the most earth-friendly option is to reuse. (For more on the pros and cons for both paper and plastic, check out this article on msnbc: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/18538484/#storyContinued) There are so many ways to reuse, and you can invest a lot of money/time or very little. I have made a couple of shopping totes out of recycled plastic bags (go here to see how to do this, if you want to invest no money, but a considerable amount of time: http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/12/02/recycled-grocery-tote-bag/). On a still-no-money, but also not much time budget? Just reuse the bags you've already brought home from the grocery store! One of my local stores routinely will double-bag my groceries with a paper inside plastic combo. These bags are generally quite durable, and fold up neatly to take very little space, and probably will last for at least 5-6 shopping trips before the start to get torn up and unreliable. You can also flatten plain plastic bags, and roll them up very neatly and secure with a rubber band. These fit down in a little corner of my pocketbook and are quietly awaiting the opportunity to help me carry my load. Of course there are all kinds of cloth bags out there that serve well. The hardest part is developing the habit of having the bags with you when you need them. Here's how I'm doing so far: I've made it a habit to take bags with me when I go grocery shopping; either my reusable totes and/or reusing the stores bags. I've also become accustomed to taking a tote bag to work with me, since I usually end up buying a skein of yarn or some other item at least once a week.
Ways I could improve: taking bags when I shop at other stores, such as CVS or Target. For some reason, my grocery shopping habit hasn't magically transferred, so I need to work on this. One thing that would help is remembering those tiny rolled up plastic bags that I keep in my purse!

I hope you have a great day today, and if you're headed to the store, don't forget to BYOB (bring your own bag)--

jennie

Coffee to go--hold the cup!

Here's another idea to reduce waste: use your own travel mug next time you buy a cup of coffee at your favorite place. It takes a little forethought, but only a little. I just keep a travel mug in my car, then it's there when I decide to make a pit stop. It pays to know the size of your travel mug--mine is between Starbucks Tall and Grande; both times I've asked for a tall, once I was charged tall, once I was charged Grande (but it was less than what the board said, so go figure!). Some places will even charge you less for filling your cup (Burger King is one of them). When I get home, I just wash up the cup and set it by my purse so I'll remember to put it back in the car.

“Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites.”--William Ruckelshaus

Have a great day!
jennie

Latest craft project

Lately I've been playing around with wire & bead jewelry...I'm going to try to upload a photo now...here I go...
Okay, second attempt...
Okay, on my fourth attempt, I finally figured out that I need to check the box that says I accept the terms of blogger, so maybe...
Hey! Success!

Be a Vampire Slayer!

Hey, do you know how many vampires there are in your house? Before you say none, let me explain...
"Vampire" refers to electronic equipment that leaches energy even when it's not being used, such as devices that operate on a remote control (you know, your TV, VCR, CD player, etc.). Cell chargers are also vampires...microwaves and coffee makers, too! Figure that if it's glowing when you're not using it, it is also sucking blood...er, energy. I am personally in the every-little-bit-helps camp, especially when it comes to conservation, reducing waste, etc. While I'm willing to use a little juice in order to avoid having to reset my alarm clock every night when I go to bed, on the other hand, I'm also willing to give up the clock on the microwave, and kill that vampire. I've handled this by plugging several kitchen appliances into one power strip that has a switch on it (yes, this stops the insanity of energy leaching--when I remember to switch it off!). My microwave, toaster oven, seal-a-meal, stick blender, and coffee grinder are all lined up and ready to go at a little flip of the switch. We have also stopped leaving our cell chargers plugged in. I figure it's worth it to take the 3 seconds to plug in the charger when I need it, and save that power for someplace where I really appreciate the convenience, like having my TV always plugged in (for us, it is not only very inconvenient to reach that outlet, we also have a built-in TV guide that disappears if the power goes out). So what do you say? Are there any vampires you can slay today?

Not sure it's worth it? Here's a little tidbit that might make your bank account tingle: "About 40% of the electricity being used to power your home electronics is consumed while they are in that standby mode" according to this article http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2007-10-30-vampire-electronics_N.htm from USA Today.

I've arrived...

to the blogosphere! It's taken me quite a while, but, well, here I am! This is kind of a hobby space...I enjoy doing crafts of all kinds, my favorite being knitting. Latest interests are felting and making wire jewelry. Another interest is in finding relatively painless ways to reduce the amount of trash that I am sending out to who-knows-where. And I have never felt more unoriginal in this regard than the last few months--seems like everywhere you turn you hear more about being green...well, Yipee! Maybe that will stimulate more people to do a little bit to cut down on the incredible amount of waste. Anyway, I'll be sharing tips along these lines too, for anyone interested...Here's one to get us started, thanks to Woman's Day magazine: take one less paper napkin at the fast food restaurant. Ever mindlessly grab a wad of napkins on your way past the counter? Well, according to WD, if everyone took one less napkin per day, we'd save more than a billion pounds of napkins from the landfill. Is that incredible? Sounds pretty painless to me!