Great episode from 99% Invisible! Fun and food for thought about creating garbage and owning what we create.

http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/separation-anxiety/

Refill Madness

Lucky folks who live in the Sacramento area - Refill Madness is open! The name alone should make you want to walk inside.  Once you are in Chief Refill Officer Sloane Read will explain how it works but basically, bring your empty container and purchase refills of home and personal care products.

What a delightful way to become a ZERO WASTE household! And save $$.

In my rePurpose and zero waste coaching business I find that most waste - and recycle items - come from home cleaners and personal care. How many empty shampoo bottles do you think you've tossed in your lifetime? Refill Madness makes it easy to have a single bottle FOREVER. Plus a visit there is a sensory delight, as you can see from these photographs.

An added bonus to our shared environment is that all the personal care products in the front room come from within 100 miles of the store.

Trimming Down Your Jeans Wardrobe

This is such a great idea I had to share it:
3 Pairs of Jeans

Camping in Comfort

This says it all. Clever use of a Home Depot bucket and inexpensive toilet seat to bring creature comforts to a camping trip. 

If a City Can Do This, So Can We.

We have been working on the goal of becoming a zero waste household for a couple of years now. Just saw this film and oh how I wish our city had the commitment and programs that San Francisco does! It would make it much easier to reach our goal.

Get inspired by watching the trailer or attending one of the screenings: http://www.trash24.org

What To Do With That Old Toothbrush

I really like projects that keep things out the landfill. This video has a very cute and fun idea BUT I recommend using your dead toothbrushes and not buying anything unnecessary with packaging that winds up as waste.

rePURPOSING Things: Circular Saw Blades

Because of its location this gate was really difficult to photograph. But this will give you the idea. This gorgeous peacock is a a beautiful work of art...

 ...and a good break-in deterrent. Those blades are still sharp!

rePURPOSING Things: Shoe Rack

An over-the-door canvas shoe rack never looked so good. This Chicago apartment's brick wall got quite a brightening up with the addition of this clever planter. The impact will be even bigger when the new plants grown over the sides. Easy and inexpensive

Remote Access

With the purchase of a couple of small bins this....

. ..became this. 

The TV remote no longer gets buried under the coasters and cocktail napkins or tangled in the iPod cable.

Total time: under 10 minutes

Yard Sale Inspiration

I stopped by a friend's house a few weeks ago and was met by this:

All these boxes, bags and baskets were destined for their yard sale.

After one Saturday morning the room was emptier...

...and their wallets were fuller.

It's great yard sale weather right now. What's stopping you?

rePURPOSING Things: An Old Lamp Sheds New Light

This faded photo is the only one of a lamp beloved by the family matriarch. When she died no one wanted it. It was outdated and did not fit with the decor of any of the survivors' homes. But it was such a treasure to her, no one could bare to give it away .

Luckily there was an artist in the family who transformed it. Now it's a treasure in the home of the youngest generation.

Focus on a Life, not Acquisitions

Today's paper had a front page story about something I see all the time - people hanging on to more and more things as they age. Their houses get more and more crowded and they loose the serenity of their shelter.

If you are trying to help aging relatives keep their living space under control, try what  I learned: be a witness to their life. Ask them the story behind each item - where they got it, how they felt. Often after having someone else hear their story, they are ready to let it go.

Then gently ask them who they would want to have it and offer to deliver it for them. You can suggest a relative or close friend, their church, a charity or school. It could be anywhere. I have found that most times just knowing that their possession will have a home makes it easier to part with.

This can be good for both of you. They get a more serene and often safer environment and you get the gift of learning more of their history. You might be surprised!

Evaluate, Eliminate and Integrate: A Home Office

When the kids lived at home, this L-shaped desk area served its purpose. It was the perfect place for them to do homework and play computer games. But with them gone it became the catch-all corner. In this photo it is serving as a sorting area for an upcoming yard sale.

The yard sale prompted the owner to evaluate how the space was used. She eliminated the left desk and integrated the things she wanted to keep. With the desk removed - and when the neatly stacked items awaiting the yard sale are gone - this room will have a lot more floor space, perfect for when the adult kids come to visit.

Scarf Pocket

My friend Terry is a busy woman, running from here to there, carrying things. She needs an extra set of hands. So she had a great idea.

She took this scarf that she always wears...

... folded it in half, stitched a few inches up the sides and created two extra pockets.

Now when her hands are full she always has a spot for her shades and, more importantly, her coffee cup.

Closet Access

The bedroom closet in this new house was smallish and had terrible access. The sliding door blocked half of the very small space and it was frustrating trying to see what was in there.

The owners had four curtain panels on the French doors.

Eventually they decided remove the restrictive, sliding closet doors and repurpose two of the French door panels into new closet "doors."

Now, for the cost of a curtain rod, they have what appears to be matching windows...

 ...and total access to the closet contents.

rePURPOSING Things: Water Color Box

The art teacher that showed her students this new use for the boxes that housed their used up water colors is educating kids about more than art. Hopefully they will learn to look at alternatives to tossing.

Cleaning Out the Cleaning Tools

How many vacuums does one family need? The FIVE that this family had all had different functions. One was for quick clean ups, one for the stairs, one for the rugs, one for the car, one was inherited.

We tossed them all and replaced FIVE with ONE whose features easily worked on quick clean ups, stairs, rugs, car, etc. Reclaimed were storage space and time dealing with them all. Not to mention room in the appliance instruction file!

What do you have multiple versions of that you can let go?

rePURPOSING Things: T-shirts

This is not a new idea but this is a new example of rePurposing logo t-shirts into a quilt.

This collection of t-shirts commemorates 12 plays produced annually by a summer theater company. The director wore them for the duration of the run and held on to them for sentimental reasons.

As he was downsizing he came across their storage box. Assembling them rag quilt style with fleece as the batting has turned them into a cozy throw full of happy memories. Plus the attractive, useful throw takes up less space than the ugly, bulky box.

rePURPOSING THINGS: Broken Skateboards

On a nighttime walk this bench caught my eye.

Seeing skaters break their boards at a skatepark the artist got the idea to repurpose them into this colorful and comfortable bench.

During the day the bench lives in front of the Davis Barber Shop, 209 G Street, Davis, California  d strett, Davis California  f you want to try it for yourself

rePURPOSING Things: Instruments of Violence into Instruments of Beauty

I've posted photos of jewelry made from foreign coins and other unusual materials but this is by far the most hopeful rePurposing I've ever seen.

To know what these anklets are made from you will have to click here and read the post by my friend, Sister Marilyn Lacey. While you are at it, nose around her blog a little and get a sense of the great work she is doing.