That is, until my godfather upgraded his own composting system (he built a beautiful wood and wire bin system – maybe I’ll photograph it some time) and offered me his old bins.

Yes! I was in business.

I’ve been composting for a little over a year now, which means I’m churning out batches of black-gold-plant-power at pretty regular intervals. It’s gold, I tell you! Garden gold.




After my recent gardening posts (one and two), readers began asking about easy composting systems. And guys, it doesn’t get much easier (and cheaper!) than this. Bin composting.

The idea behind bin composting is simple. You move your compost through a series of containers, slowly over time, thereby mixing it and aerating it along the way. Compost needs to turn over in order to break down into dirt (as opposed to just rotting), and transferring a batch from one bin to another is a perfect way to achieve this effect.

Like so:




So it goes like this, when bin 1 (far left) is full and ready to transfer, remove all the finished product — now fully composted pure garden gold — from bin 4 (far right). I put my finished compost in a 5-gallon bucket so I can carry it around my yard, feeding my plants along the way.

With bin 4 now empty, you can transfer the contents of bin 3 (second from right) into bin 4. Use a shovel or pitchfork and make sure you get it good and tossed.

Now bin 3 will be empty, so move the contents of bin 2 (second from left) to bin 3, using the same “toss and aerate” technique. You’ll also want to add “browns” here. In the diagram above I said hay because that’s what I use, but any “browns” (dry matter – see my comprehensive composting article for more on that) will do. You need to add in “browns” along the way in order to keep the correct ratio of nitrogen (“greens”, ie kitchen scraps) to carbon (“browns”, ie hay, dried leaves, etc). Make sense?

With bin 2 empty you can now transfer the contents of bin 1 over to bin 2. Don’t forget to add in some “browns”!

And finally, that leaves an empty bin 1, ready to start collecting all of your kitchen scraps and yard waste, once again.

All said and done, a single complete transfer will go from this:

If you’re concerned about composting in plastic (obviously I’m not, but I understand if you are), you can achieve the same effect with wood or metal. Like I said, my godfather built some wood and wire bins that are quite lovely, and some day I hope to do the same.

And that, my friends, is that.

So, do you compost at home? Do you use a bin composting system, or something else entirely? Let’s talk compost down below!

♥

Every time I post a photo or tweet or Instagram featuring the Cupow and/or the EcoJarz lids, I’m met with a flurry of excitement and interest. Everyone wants to know what they are and where to get them, which makes sense, because basically they are AWESOMESAUCE and I use mine pretty much every day.

Last week I was dropping Waits off at preschool, sitting together on the eating blanket (outdoor preschool, remember) with an EcoJarz-lidded green smoothie between us. And when his teacher saw the lid she did what everyone else does . . . well at least what every hippie does. Lots of excitement, and lots of questions.

But this time, there was a twist! Because she then proceeded to tell me that she had seen someone make a similar device using a 1/2 gallon orange juice carton – the kind with a pour spout and lid – and I was like OMG GENIUS and immediately went home and made one for myself.

Like this:




And it works! Totally water tight, at least through a few uses (long enough to drink another 1/2 gallon of almond milk, at least in this house). See?




Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Cupow and my EcoJarz lids, and I’ll continue to use them every day. But from now on, I’m sending Waits off to preschool and play dates with this awesome DIY option, and I won’t have to worry about being out $9 if something gets lost or broken.

Enjoy!

♥ ♥ ♥

And it’s taking me time to fully occupy this space. I’m not finished yet. Bare walls still stare at me starkly, begging for art. The bathroom is chipped and mildewed; it’s yet to get painted. The list goes on and on. It’s a process, I guess, this single-parenting / part-time-working / full-time-figuring-out-what-to-do-with-my-life . . . and trying to put together a house.

But it’s a fun process!

One of my favorite parts so far has been in the yard and garden. I don’t have vegetables like I did in Portland, because there’s lead in the soil I think, and also because I just don’t have time. But I do have plants. Because I can’t not have plants. I have herbs in pots, and succulents everywhere, and even some zinnias. Next year I’ll have more.

And I’ve made a great game of creatively repurposing random unwanted items into fantastic receptacles for all my precious plants. These are often born of form – because I do so love the look of a really good upcycling – but they’re also mostly born of function (because I still have a raging case of The Poors). Here are a few of my favorite recent projects:

So anyway, speaking of wine . . .

Back at the beginning of summer I posted a tutorial for making hanging tomato planters out of old gallon water bottles, which, in case you were wondering, has been working out splendidly. And in that post, Monika mentioned that she was planning on doing something similar with wine bottles. “Genius!” I thought, and immediately begin to save my bottles.




I haven’t been using this old decorative hanging wine rack because it no longer suits my style (I got it in college), but I just wasn’t ready to let go of it. And now I’m so glad I didn’t! Because with their bottoms cut off, wine bottles make the most lovely little succulent planters.




This one, again, will look even better once the plants fill out. I’ll keep you updated!

And finally, have you ever looked at a piece of *junk* and just been able to see right into it, to see its potential? To see the possibility of what it might be? I was driving Waits to preschool one morning a few months back, and there on the side of the road, I saw this:




What is that thing? Does anyone know? Like a wooden vent cover, or some sort of shutter type thing? I don’t know, but one person’s trash is another person’s treasure and for some reason, in that weird wooden thing my brain saw TREASURE. I tried to stop, couldn’t make it in time, swung around the block, pulled over, and threw it in the back of my Subaru. I carted it home, and there it sat for many many weeks while I was busy doing many other things.

I knew all along, of course, exactly what I wanted to do with it. And a few weekends back, I finally found the time.




I stapled old scrap chicken wire to the back, a couple of layers staggered to create a fine mesh that would prevent potting soil from slipping through. Then I filled each tier with soil, and Waits and I transplanted a bunch of pups from my godparent’s property. Now we have an awesome vertical succulent garden!





He helped me place each one. He has a good eye for composition, don’t you think?

I’ve had so much fun creating a little haven of upcycled and repurposed wonders in my yard this year, and I can’t wait to make new additions. It’s sooo super cliche for bloggers to ask a questions at the end of a post, but here’s a for-reals one – what are your favorite upcycled garden projects you’ve seen around the net? (or have done yourself!) Feel free to share links in the comments below!

♥

Because it’s dangerous there! For a busy person with much too much web to surf already, Pinterest is like a no-mans-land of endless, utterly gleeful time suckage. Recipes! Decorating! CRAFT PROJECTS!

You know how it goes. It’s basically the holy grail of design porn, which is so awesome and totally dangerously addictive at the same time. And that’s why I mostly stay away.

But hey, I’m a DIY enthusiast and a secondhand shopping junkie and a sucker for a good repurposing/upcycling. And Pinterest is just chock full of those projects. Which is great! It means the rest of the world is crafting and conserving and reusing and thrifting as well. I’m all for it.

The Good News?
So amazingly, spray paint manufacturers have begun to catch onto this whole “we actually care about the future of the planet” trend. And much to my surprise and delight, there’s now not one but TWO eco-friendly spray paints on the market. Pretty cool right?

1) The first is by Krylon – the Krylon H2O Latex Spray Paint – which is a big beautiful step in the right direction. Krylon H2O is a water-based, 100% acrylic latex formula. The VOC-emissions are reduced by 25-30%, and it eliminates 55% of the smog-causing chemical load in traditional spray paints.

Okay, so that’s an awesome improvement. Maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

2) More recent on the scene is Plutonium Paint. And this? has got me really excited.

Plutonium spray paint is served up in a recyclable, tin-free steel can. It has zero – NONE – CFCs. Using Plutonium reduces the carbon footprint by 50% over traditional aerosol sprays. And to top it all off? It’s made in America!

I’m super excited about this product, and what it might mean for the future of eco-conscious crafting. You can learn more about Plutonium here.

*** just in case you were wondering, I am NOT affiliated with either of these products in any way. I just think they’re rad and I was happy to find them, so I’m sharing the love ***




So this project – using thrifted, dirt cheap ugly old dishes and turning them into adorable, funky kitschy cake stands – is ridiculously easy. Like, literally 1-2-3 easy.

1. Procure dishes. Clean them.




2. Glue the plates to the cups. I used Gorilla Glue, which is vegan, but many glues are NOT vegan – just something to be aware of as a conscientious crafter!

Anyway, use books or something else that’s heavy to keep the dishes good and stuck while the glue dries completely.




3. Spray paint! (note – I left the tops unpainted on some of these, because I didn’t like the idea of the food touching the paint. On others, I painted the tops and then used some pretty doilies – also thrifted!)





And that’s that. Happy eco-conscious crafting!

♥

Tomatoes are so, so much fun to grow, because there’s a huge yield and wow, if you’ve never tasted a sun-warm tomato right off the vine, then get thee to a farm STAT. But the thing about tomatoes is that they can take up a lot of space, and they require trellising, which can be messy and/or expensive.



Enter ingenuity.

I’d seen hanging tomato set-ups around Portland, and I’d always wanted to try it. The idea is simple – you suspend the plant up high, upside down, so that instead of needing to spread up and out, you let gravity take care of everything. No trellising necessary!

And it makes use of the water jugs I had to buy when I first moved back to SB, because the tap water here ohmigod . . . well, let’s not even go there. So! Starting with gallon-sized jugs, remove the labels (you could also paint these puppies to make ‘em even prettier) and then use a pair of scissors to carefully cut off the bottoms.



In order too thread with twine, you’ll need to make a hole in each of the four sides, about an inch or so down from the now-missing bottom. I did this by hammering a nail to start the hole, and then using one side of my scissors to widen the hole.

Thread the twine through so that you have four loops of equal length, to evenly distribute the wight of the container.



Now comes the hard part.

You’ll need to slip your tomato start, leaves and all, through the very small mouth of the water jug. It’s pretty awkward, and I suggest using smaller starts than I did. Regardless, you should be able to make it work with minimal damage. I broke a few leaves but mostly my tomatoes faired okay.

Once they’re in, fill the rest of the jug with organic potting soil. Hang ‘em up and water ‘em good!




I’m so excited to see how this project unfolds! I know they’ll need extra watering since there’s no “ground” around them to protect them from drying. My biggest concern, though, is the size of the containers – and the roots having enough room to spread. We’ll see how that plays out. I know my potato tire tower project took a few years to iron out, but in the end it was awesome. I have high hopes for this one as well.

I’ll keep you all posted!

♥

This month we’ve made it our mission to finally find alternatives for some of the less conspicuous, but nevertheless wasteful, objects in our lives. For example, this whole idea was inspired by my desire to replace my paper coffee filters with something I could reuse. And just last week, I picked up a seriously awesome hemp filter that I’m loving! Other people suggested I switch to a French press or cold brew system, both great options.

There are a million ways that you can tweak your life to lessen your imprint on this Earth. The great thing about “going green” is that it’s a journey, not a destination, and we’re all walking on this path together. Each of us makes our little changes, at our own pace and as our life allows. And working together, keeping each other motivated, all those little alterations add up to an enormous impact!

Here are some other ideas:


Plastic Sandwich Bags
Make your own!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Plastic Tupperware
Dudes, it’s all about the repurposed glass jars.
or
Fancy glass! (this company uses recycled glass and manufactures in America, w00t!)


Kitchen Sponges
Make your own!
or
Grow your own? (!)


Plastic Water Bottles
I say, just re-use a glass mason jar. Easy and CHEAP!
But,
Maybe you like something fancy? There’s a million billion options out there in glass, steel, and more. I couldn’t possibly list them all. However, I love glass and these are adorable!!!


“Java Jackets” For Hot Drinks
Make your own!


Menstrual Pads
Make your own!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Tampons
Switch to Diva (or other menstrual cup)


Paper Towels As Napkins
Make your own!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Paper Towels As Cleaning Rags
Dudes, just cut up an old bath towel!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Plastic Take-Out Utensils
Replace with reusable


Take-Out Chopsticks
Replace with reusable


Take-Out Food Containers
Bring your own from home. Like these! Just tell the restaurant ahead of time, when you place your order. If this sounds crazy, just think about how far we’ve come with cloth grocery bags. Be a pioneer!


Plastic Straws
Replace with reusable


Wrapping Paper
Use newspaper, brown paper bags (you can draw or write on it for decoration), pieces of fabric, or a cloth bag.


Toilet Paper
Make your own cloth reusables! Sound crazy? I know, I know. Read this on how to get set up.


Single-Portion Foods
Stop buying those big bags full of tiny bags of chips or trail mix or whatever. Buy in bulk and pack it up yourself in reusable containers. Stop buying the individual yogurts or the single-serving soy milks. Buy the biggest container (or make your own!) and portion it out at home. Make your own trail mix. Make your own granola. Make your own Larabars. Buy loose leaf tea. You get the picture!

~~~

Clearly, this is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a great jumping off point. Got something to add? Leave it in the comments!

Also, check out ReUseIt.com. Oh my god I want, like, everything there. Hippy heaven!

I do most of my produce shopping at the Farmer’s Market, and secondarily at the local market or co-op. But the truth is, I live 5 blocks from a Trader Joe’s, and sometimes it’s just super convenient to pop over there for an emergency onion or whatever.

In this way, over time I’ve amassed a collection of those coarse plastic produce bags, the ones that usually house garlic and such. You know the type? These ones:



And I have been saving them, oh yes, because I saw in my little mind’s eye the perfect way to put that plastic back into action. So easy. So simple. So effective! The wiry plastic and diamond pattern lends itself so well to the project, it’s almost like it was meant to be. Meant to be: a Scrubbie.




1) Collect a number of plastic produce bags.

2) Stuff all of them into one of them. The Trader Joe’s organic garlic comes in a little yellow bag that’s just about the size of a sponge, and I had a whole bunch of those. So I stuffed one of them full, and then used the others to make a couple of “layers” of exterior. Not necessary, but I think it helps keep everything together.

3) Sew up the seem. I used dental floss! I didn’t even use a needle, though it would have been a lot faster if I had.

4) Fin.

See how easy??!



Enjoy!

Watering
This year I planted all my many sprouts inside of homemade newspaper seed pots. I adore this little DIY project because it upcycles old newspaper and it means I don’t have to buy any additional paraphernalia. However, there is one downside to my beloved paper planters: the leakage.

I discovered this during my first year using them. Every time I watered, I’d end up with a sloppy mess spilling out the bottoms. My answer back then was to line up my seedlings on baking trays, but I knew this wasn’t a permanent solution.

Why is there a spice jar amidst the sprouts?

Please meet my new watering can! I know it sounds strange, but bear with me here. It’s actually a perfect hack.

The problem with normal watering is that it’s too hard to control the stream. You end up with a gush of water in one location, that quickly soaks through and out the bottom. But with a spice jar fitted with its little hole-y lid, the water flow is slowed to a sprinkle – just like a miniature watering can!



It’s the perfect upcycled compliment to the perfect upcycled seed pot. Free solutions are the best solutions, don’t you think? I’ve been using this method with my potting table in my living room, and haven’t had a single drop overflow onto the floor yet!

~~~

I may have been overzealous with my seed sowing . . .

Thinning
As my seedlings grow I’m filled with a mixture of pride and sadness. I’m so proud of their achievements (drink up that water little root nest! lean towards that light little leaflets! grow little guys grow!), but I’m dreading the inevitable. The thinning out, wherein I am forced to kill the vast majority of them. Shakespeare himself never conceived of such tragedy.

One is the loneliest number. Grow big so you can play with your pals in the planter!

But it’s all part of the process, and so I do my duty as the harbinger of death. I always look for the largest sprout that’s closest to the center of the pot. This gives the little guy the best chance of survival. Thinning is always a risk – if you select the wrong sprout and it dies, then you’re just out of luck. So choose wisely!

My hand, she is a bloody battlefield.

I’ve mostly been thinning tomatoes and squashes, which unfortunately go straight to the compost. But remember, many varieties can (and should!) be eaten. Sunflowers, spinach, beets, lettuces and other tender greens, and all the brassicas like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, kale and other dark greens – these are all contenders for a little spin in the blender. They make a mean green smoothie!

~~~

These little dudes have doubled in size since I took this picture. Time to head out!

Moving
Spring is buzzing along and some of my babies are already big enough to transition outside. This is just a friendly reminder not to shock your seedlings with a sudden move. You’ll need to harden off to slowly to accustom them to the great outdoors.

~~~

Another friendly reminder: keep a close watch out for seedling thieves!

I’ve written my share of reviews in my day, and most of them have been raves. I guess I’ve gotten lucky! But long-time readers are probably wondering – when’s the inevitable flop? Where’s the dud, the critique and the criticism? (Well, there was Mr. Pollan.) And for you my friends, I must say . . . maybe next time? Sorry.

I love these straws! They are practical as hell, which tickles my pragmatic bone, but they’re also ridiculously adorable, which hits my whimsy sweet spot. I love them so much, they made #8 on my 30 Things I Love At 30 list! I love them so much, that even though I got a few for free, I’ll still be buying a matching set so I can serve fancy-pants drinks to my friends! Really, I love these straws. Here’s some more reasons why:

Each Glass Dharma straw is made by hand and made in America. WORD. They use borosilicate glass, which is non-porous (ie sanitary), hypo-allergenic, and is particularly resistant to thermal expansion (so, strong). Glass is safer than plastic! Plastic straws leech toxins into your food, especially when heated. Glass straws are both dishwasher and microwave safe. And finally, they have a lifetime guarantee! If your straw ever breaks, just send it back and they will replace it. I love a company that stands so firmly behind its product.

The shorty dot looks slick in a lowball of home-brew kombucha.

I was gifted a variety of sizes and I’ve enjoyed using each of them in different applications.

The “Decorative Dots” shorty in 7mm/6.25″ (that’s diameter/length). This one is so cute! I’ve used it to sass up my daily kombucha, but really I think it would do its best duty decorating a stiffer drink. I imagine I’ll get a full set of these to serve at future cocktail parties. The different colors are a great way to track your glass, too!

The “Simple Elegance” in 14mm/9″ (that’s diameter/length). This is a straight up straw, no messing around (shown in top pic). Long, unembellished, and boasting a monster diameter of 14mm. I use this one for my thicker smoothies, but it’s advertised as a boba straw. Yum, now I need to get me some bubble tea . . .

The “Decorative Dots” in 12mm/9″ (that’s diameter/length). This is my favorite! Just pure perfection, it’s nice and long and it’s wide enough to handle a hearty smoothie. But it’s also got this sweet little dazzler, the colored glass dots to fancy it up on top. It’s like jewelry for your juice – so fun!

The “Beautiful Bends” in 12mm/9″ (that’s diameter/length). Another great option for shakes and smoothies, the bendy takes on that familiar straw shape. I actually prefer this in more ‘watery’, standard-type drinks. I think the bend lends itself well to juice, iced tea, and other traditional drink-’em-fast bevvies.

The long (“standard”) dot in a hot pink berry protein shake – I like to color coordinate my drink/straw because I am a huge geek.

In all, these straws sort of epitomize my approach to life. They’re the quintessential “Socially Conscious, Totally Fabulous”, and thus have earned a permanent home in my kitchen!

Want to try them out in your kitchen, too? The awesome folks at Glass Dharma are offering one of my readers a $25 gift certificate to their online store. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me what your favorite beverage is. I want to know what your new straw will be swimming in!

Want another chance to win? Tweet a link to this contest and then link to your tweet in a new comment here.

Want a third chance to win? Link to this contest on Facebook and then leave a link to it in a new comment here.

Contest closes at midnight pst on Friday, 28 January.

The ever-so-slight angling of the big bendy beauty.

So to be clear, you need to leave a new, different comment for each entry. Yes? Okay, go!

Last week I posted a tutorial for baby knee pads, but what about us big kids?! A couple of readers requested my method for homemade leg and arm warmers, and I’m more than happy to oblige.

Here’s the thing: It’s so easy! To make leg warmers, you start with an old sweater (thrift store!), like this:



And then you cut off the sleeves, like this:



Aaaand, that’s it! As you can see in the top picture, the way you wear them will depend on the original sweater. You can even use a jacket, like I did with the camo, but you’ll need to use safety pins to keep them up (pin them tight over the top of your calf). The ones I made for this tutorial ended up very long – ooh la la!

~ ~ ~

Hand warmers are just as easy! Start with a pair of socks. For longies, cut off just the toes and then snip a *small* hole in the heal.



And it looks like this:



For shorties, snip below the heel instead, like this:



Then it’s just a matter of making a thumb hole in the right spot (use your hand as a guide). These are the type I tend to wear all winter:



If you want to get really fancy, you can take a pair of longies and turn them into actual gloves. Just slit down and sew up a tube for each finger. I did this with the pair I made for Damian!




Sometimes, it really just is that simple. Hope you enjoy!