recycling Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

How to Turn Your Favourite Top Into a T-Shirt Pillow

Paula — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 13:31:00 +0000

This easy T-Shirt Pillow can be done with or without a full sewing machine. Post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission via qualifying purchases. Anyone Can Make This Project So, cards on the table. I am not the world’s best seamstress. But that said, I am completely confident using a sewing machine and have one that I love, which I inherited from my Mom. I am confident sewing things by hand too. Hemming pants and mending things manually with a needle and thread appeals to the thrifty mom in me. So a T-Shirt Pillow is no problem. It’s a pretty easy little project. You just need an old T-Shirt and some fibre fill pillow stuffing. Saving Money, Upcycling All Reasons to Make This T-Shirt Pillow I last used our Husqvarna sewing machine almost 11 months ago to do all the alterations on my daughter’s prom dress here myself. Saving money for the win! Any excuse that I have to get the machine out and test drive it to be sure it is still working is an opportunity that I will take. Keeping Teens Busy That little beauty of a sewing machine sometimes makes it out during the summer when my daughters are bored, or during random times when we need to hem something or fix something. Occasionally, we craft with it, because I am surrounded by crafty and creative teens. So, during the pandemic one day about 4 weeks in, my youngest daughter grabbed her old long sleeved SARI riding shirt that she loved, but had outgrown and said: How can I make this into a t-shirt pillow? Now, my darling girls sometimes are all in on projects even before mapping them out, so by the time I even grabbed the sewing machine and told her hey here are the steps to this, she had located a pair of scissors and was ready to get cutting away. With No Plan. Rolls Eyes. Hold On and Make a Plan STOP. Right there. This is life with kids who have a lot of energy most of the time, but are lacking anything meaningful to do on the daily during a pandemic when stuck indoors. So, I managed to get her to put a pin in it for a minute while I ran through the steps in my head and then articulated them to her. First, locate all of the materials that you need. For instance, do you have the stuffing for inside a pillow. Luckily, I already had some here. Just enough leftover polyester filling for pillows and other projects that require stuffing. Materials Needed: Polyester Pillow Stuffing Thread Sewing Needle Scissors Easy T-Shirt Pillow Continues Of course, we had scissors as already established and thread that was dark in colour because I have several sewing kits stashed around the house. Mostly, they are organized sewing supplies, but often these can be found underneath my oldest daughter’s bed because she loves to craft and make things. Clearly we had all the materials and then some. Steps to Make an Easy Upcycled Pillow The first step for the long sleeved shirt was to cut the arms off of the T-Shirt. If you have a short t-shirt you also need to cut the sleeves off so that you are left with a square. That was a job my teenager happily did. LOL. After removing the arms, we set that fabric aside for another time. My one teen hates to waste crafty things and material. Turn the fabric inside out first. I double checked that we wouldn’t be sewing through or ruining any of the lettering. Sew the neck up and the armholes too with a straight stitch right across both of the holes, so that it is mostly even with the side seams of the shirt. Grab the stuffing and set it nearby. Sew right across the bottom edge of the pillow to at least halfway point. Turn the fabric for the pillow right side out again and start stuffing it. Nearby, my daughter determined whether it was firm enough or not. Too little stuffing equals a not very firm pillow. Once it is almost entirely stuffed, you still have the bottom edge to sew. Finish it off with the sewing machine or by hand. Then you have a great little keepsake T-Shirt Pillow.

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9 Easy Ways to Live a More Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Paula — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 13:06:21 +0000

Let’s face it with the cost of electricity, the news about climate change, and the impact on our environment, most of us need to find ways to conserve. Greening your home is not as hard as it sounds. Start with a few small changes and make them habits, then build on that. It’s not really an option anymore to avoid conserving or recycling. Everyone needs to do their part in achieving a more eco-friendly lifestyle. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint and be green within your home, and today I am going to share a few easy ways to get there. Nine Easy Ways Your Family Can Lead a More Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Handle those Electronics Many electronics within your home suck energy when you don’t even realize it. Your kitchen refrigerator will run more efficiently when you vacuum the coils and clean them with a wet dusting cloth on a monthly basis. That computer you have running in the home office may be in sleep mode, but it’s still utilizing a lot of energy. Shut off any electronics not in use at the end of every day. And unplug anything that doesn’t need to be plugged in overnight. Your toaster, for instance, can be unplugged. Smart Thermostat Keep your thermostat set to a lower level when you’re asleep at night and higher when you’re active in the home. Get an eco-friendly thermostat and install it in your home. A smart thermostat can be programmed to shift to a lower setting when you are on vacation. That’s my favourite thing about our Smart thermostat. This is such a simple way to start leading an eco-friendly lifestyle without much effort. Smart Thermostats save money while saving energy. Recycle and Reuse Many facilities have a zero-sort recycling drop off. This is where you can gather all recyclable materials and drop them without having to create multiple recycle bins for separate items. There are so many items we use on a daily basis that are recyclable. Recycling anything that has that little recycle symbol on its packaging will reduce your throw away trash dramatically. Consider reusing packaging and other recyclable items for décor, organizational efforts, and storage for other useful items in your life. COLD WATER This has been the easiest one for us. We wash 98 % of our laundry in cold water. It saves money and is better for the environment. Most washers and detergents do a superb job of cleaning with cold now. Cold water is a simple way to start leading a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Cut Down on Paper There are many companies who have started to offer paperless billing. Sign up to get your bills delivered electronically each month, cutting down your paper use. Let’s face it, many throw those statements away anyways and if you truly need one, the paperless option still allows you to print it out at home. File your taxes online, rather than mailing them. Reuse paper whenever you can. Use old printed statements or documents as scrap paper within the home for notes, instead of using up new paper for random notes. Donate old Newspaper Mailings There are so many flyers and newspapers in the world that get delivered to your mailbox. These papers often go without much use. Check with your local animal shelter to see if they need old newspapers or flyers. You may also reuse these items in your own home as fire starters for a campfire or the wood stove. OR switch to an app for your flyers and stop receiving flyers at your home. Leave a polite note near your front door or mailbox saying no flyers. BUY Smarter Look for products that are made from recycled products. Support brands that have a strong environmental commitment themselves. Easy to shop for paper products made with recycled products. Many of them are labelled with something green on the package. Consolidate Errand Running Whether you have a hybrid car or a regular gasoline vehicle, consolidating errand running will help reduce your carbon footprint and easily allow you to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. Consider making a to-do list of your errands each time you venture off to pay bills or pick up groceries. Make the trip more eco-friendly and efficient by doing everything in one day and plan the order in which you do them to reduce vehicle usage. This can easily be done without much effort. Start Pricing a Hybrid Vehicle, or a Electronic Car Ask around and you might be surprised. A colleague just purchased an electronic car and he’s indicated his savings on gas was swifter than anticipated. So, that return on investment has been fast and also he’s doing a good thing for the environment. Maybe you aren’t ready yet, but put this on your radar. Eventually most of us will need to make this switch to support a more eco-friendly lifestyle and protect the environment. There you have it, a few easy ways to start leading an eco-friendly lifestyle without stressing out over extreme change. Slowly I’ve been working on making our home and our family more green. Like any habit, this takes time, but living a more eco-friendly lifestyle pays off. Let these tips guide you forward in reducing your carbon footprint and encouraging your family to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle every day.

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Make a Simple Change – Take The Earth Month EnviroCare Challenge and Win

Paula — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 11:17:23 +0000

Earth Day has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that your green habits need to stop. This spring we have been taking a lot of walks together; we have built that in as a new habit after dinner most nights and weekends. We are a pretty active family already, but walking is a good way to supplement our sports and activities. Our walks are also a chance to talk about things that matter to us. Depending on the night, I walk with one or both of the girls. We get exercise in. We use our own energy, instead of driving to the gym, and we take pride in and enjoy the trails and paths in our neighbourhood. Plus, we talk a lot when we walk, or hike, together. There’s no real downside to that. Surprisingly it really hasn’t been that hard to change this one habit.. In my capacity as a social media consultant I work with an increasing number of green companies. But on a personal level I often wonder what can we do to help? Earth Day, taking care of the environment, and making our family greener is a big, personal, goal. Sometimes even that feels a bit overwhelming. But this week, I got thinking what if making the change is as simple as walking is. What if changing one simple habit helped to make this family greener? What if it could be the same for you? How easy would that be? In this family we strive to make improvements where we can. That has meant we change habits one at a time to make an impact. First we switched our lightbulbs. Then we bought a few energy efficient appliances. We switched to washing clothes and dishes off peak hours and we use cold water for laundry. Of course we switch lights off, don’t litter and recycle. When we made the switch to the Nest Thermostat, that made a big impact on home energy consumption. And we are always trying to do a bit better at unplugging small appliances and gadgets when not in use. One habit at a time. That’s a manageable change for any family. Here’s another simple change that can make a big impact. Look for the EnviroCare labels on paper products from now on at the grocery store. How would that impact the environment for the better? Here’s another simple change that can make a big impact. Look for EnviroCare® paper products at the grocery store. How would that impact the environment for the better? What is EnviroCare® and Why Should I Look For It? Let’s talk a bit about what the EnviroCare label means. EnviroCare products are made with 100 % recycled paper products. And EnviroCare products have helped contribute to diverting 95,000 trucks from landfills since 2010. In fact EnviroCare is the official sponsor of Earth Day Canada. The EnviroCare family includes trusted brands like Cashmere® , SpongeTowels® , Scotties® , and Purex® , high quality bathroom tissue, facial tissue and paper towel. Challenge Your Family to Make the EnviroCare® Change This Earth Day One of the easiest things you can do to make an impact this Earth Day is buy 100% recycled paper products. Look for EnviroCare when you go shopping. That tells you the product is environmentally friendly and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, international certification and labeling system dedicated to promoting responsible forest management of the world’s forests. Maybe you think you are too busy to look for EnviroCare when you are shopping. I mean you are already counting calories on the labels at the grocery store and checking for ingredients and sodium and sugar, right? That adds time at the grocery store. It’s maddening some days that it takes so long to get through the grocery store. But EnviroCare is super easy to spot. It’s a big green label on any of the brands mentioned above. So this month start choosing green at the grocery store. Pick the EnviroCare products and make a smart choice that benefits the environment. Win With EnviroCare You can enter to win weekly prizes over on EnviroCare’s promotional website. Just snap a photo of your receipt after you buy EnviroCare products. You could win your own Nest Learning Thermostat or a Grand Prize of a Banff, Alberta getaway. Contest ends May 31, 2017. Follow Scotties Tissue on Facebook, and SpongeTowels too. and Cashmere and Purex too. This post has been sponsored by EnviroCare® and as such I am compensated. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful. ®/™ Trademarks of Kruger Products L.P. ®’ Scotties is a registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Inc., used under license.

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Simple Earth Day Trash Or Recycle Game for Ages 3 and up.

Paula — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 09:33:45 +0000

It’s coming up to Earth Day. I don’t know about you but these days I feel more urgency than ever when it comes to Earth Day and changing some of our family habits. Are we greener than we used to be here? Yes, I believe so. Do your kids turn lights off, pick up litter and sort recycling? It’s never too soon to start teaching some of the recycling basics and this Trash Or Recycle game will help. The parent in me loves that schools in Ontario do a better job than ever of teaching energy conservation and environmental issues to kids. Frankly I still recall being a child when we started the recycling system in Guelph Ontario. It was a steep learning curve. But kids are the quickest ones to learn and adapt to change often. [tweetthis]Use this simple Earth Day Trash Or Recycle Game to teach the basics – ages 3 and up. [/tweetthis] This Earth Day, I thought it would be a great chance to share some fun printables for kids. This Earth Day Trash or Recycle Game is geared at younger children so even a preschooler at age of three can start learning how to care for the environment. To print this out just click on the image and save and print from your computer. Also if you are interested in more printables about Earth Day I have a few ready to be shared here: Earth Day word search and an Earth Day Crossword Puzzle too. And don’t forget to read the Earth Day Facts You Did Not Know post. I hope this simple Earth Day Trash or Recycle game in a matchup style will help your kids to categorize and make some sense of what we can do to help. What do you do to encourage recycling in your home?

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Going Green Can Be a Challenge #SCJZeroWaste Win a $350 Giveaway

Paula — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 04:06:49 +0000

Going Green Can Be a Challenge I have to admit, I had big plans for our family going green when we started. I imagined every speck of recycling making its way to the bin and doing far more upcycling. While my family has made great strides towards reducing our impact on the environment, there’s still more that we can do. Don’t get me wrong, we’re really pretty good at recycling, but we still face some challenges. My kids are actually the best at recycling, because they grew up with the campaign on television and at school. My oldest daughter is vigilant about recycling, but my younger daughter doesn’t always want to make the trip to the garage where we keep the recycling bins. So, sometimes the teenage mind impacts our efforts at going green. It’s not just them, though. My husband and I are making progress, but we still have a hard time remember to recycle all the time. My husband is doing quite well, but for me, it’s the small things that I have to improve on. I ALWAYS forget to recycle coffee cups and paper bags, and I’m still learning what can and can’t be recycled. My kids are the biggest upcyclers on the planet as everything they can use is crafted into something new. I don’t mind because it is environmentally friendly. I think it’s kind of indicative of the current generation of kids too in some ways, as they grow up learning more about what can be recycled and cherishing the environment. My kids have a much stronger and smarter recycling attitude than I ever did at that age. Parents like me owe it to their kids to try harder to protect the environment. Going Green is a Challenge, but it’s Worth It Going green has been a bit of a challenge for my family, but we’re making progress. I think that’s really what counts. My article on SC Johnson inspired me to do more with my family, and we’re getting there. I would say that on our going green journey, we reduced our trash by at least half, and that’s a big step in the right direction. [tweetthis]Do you recycle? What is your recycling challenge? Chance to win a $350 prize #giveaway[/tweetthis] Do you recycle? Are you trying your hand at going green? What is your recycling challenge? I’d love to hear from you. This post was sponsored by SC Johnson. My opinion is all my own and it is truthful. SC Johnson ‪#‎SCJZeroWaste‬ Giveaway

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Earth Day Crossword Puzzle Printable

Paula — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 18:00:44 +0000

Earth Day is a great occasion to learn via this Earth Day Crossword Puzzle Printable. Earth Day is every April and this year, even more than those in the past, I feel like marking the occasion. I feel more passionate about climate change, the earth, and the environment with every passing year. Someone recently reminded me that when we talk about saving the environment we are really talking about saving people. The two go hand in hand. Our children seem to understand the need to protect the environment better than we ever did at that age. So, here’s an Earth Day Crossword Puzzle Printable to help get them more excited about being part of Earth Day and greening their habits for life. Are you kids great little recyclers? Are they conservationists? Are they aspiring animal rescuers like Diego and Dora once upon a time on television? My girls are pretty good about taking care of the environment and I am sure they will be doing many cool Earth Day activities at school. So I wanted to offer at least one or two potential Earth Day activities that are free for my readers at home here too. My kids love word searches and crossword puzzles. Do yours feel the same about word activities? I have an Earth Day series running this year so don’t forget to check out my other posts here as well. And I also have a free Pinterest printables board where you might find some fun colouring pages, printables, crossword puzzles, matching games and even gift tags. Earth Day word search and Five Earth Day Facts You Probably Didn’t Even Know. An Earth Day Crossword Puzzle: As always here is the PDF version of the above Earth Day Crossword Puzzle if you choose to access it that way. What will you do for Earth Day? Earth Day Crossword Puzzle PS

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