Recycle Upcycle Christmas Cards - Window Scene Cards

Today brings our second Christmas card craft and its making a new set of Christmas cards from your existing ones. If you read my previous post you'll remember I suggested splitting the cards into piles and that one should be of cards that make good window scenes. 

Recycle Upcycle Christmas Cards - Tags

The decorations are down and you've got a stack of Christmas cards to dispose of but what do you do with them? 

Throw them in the bin? 

Freshen Your Fabric

Gifted

One of the key parts to living sustainably is to reuse, upcycle and have little waste, so when Dylon sent me a selection of dyes to try I wanted to use them to brighten something that I, and lots of other Mum's use regularly. Something that I couldn't be without. I thought about it and wandered round the house. 

My little boy is now two and a half years old, so the baby related items are slipping away and being put into storage but what are still used? What's still scattered around the house? Well, in nearly every room was a muslin, also know as a muggie. Whether it be mopping spills, wiping the kid or cleaning a graze, they are still used as much as they were when he was a baby.

As time goes on they can start to lose their white sparkle and look a bit dull but what can change that? Over the weekend I discovered that dying them can. 

Live Lagom - Tips and hints for the newbies!

When we were picked for the Ikea Live Lagom project last year I was super excited. Mostly I was excited about the money we were given to spend and the chance to save a few more quid! 

I didn't quite get the whole sustainable thing. What really is it? I recycled and went round turning lights off when the house looked like Blackpool Illuminations and at the time I was also upcycling baby food jars to make candles. Recycle, upcycle, turn off, what else could we really do?

Well, it turned out their was plenty. Changing bulbs, hanging curtains and laying rugs. Wasting less. Making do and mending.

The result is a warm home, lower bills and more money in our pockets. 

For this year's recruits joining our Live Lagom family I offer you a few tips and words of wisdom. 

Go to as many workshops as you can. You'll learn a lot from them, catch up with your group and get more freebies!

First workshop freebies!

Why You Shouldn't Frown On 'Hand Me Downs'!!

When I discovered I was finally pregnant I quickly set about making a list of the things I needed and wanted for our little bean. When I started to add up the cost I felt a bit sick and it wasn't just morning sickness or too many ginger biscuits! As our pregnancy news spread the offers of secondhand items started to flood in but I didn't know how I felt about it. We'd waited so long I wanted as many shiny new things as possible. I spent ages searching the internet looking for the best deals for everything from cots to clothes. It was simple though. We just couldn't afford it all and we needed to consider accepting the hand me downs and secondhand items being offered to us.

Live Lagom - Living Sustainably - The Final Blog

When we started on this journey back in the autumn I never expected it to change our lives. I was the person that signed up in the hope of saving money and the joy of being given £500 to spend at Ikea! But it has honestly changed our lives. It's changed our house into a home. It's made us more aware of where things come from and if it's from a sustainable source. It's made us recycle more, which I didn't think possible. It's made us declutter, donate and share on. Somehow, it has given me more confidence, more faith in myself and what we, as a family and individuals, are trying to achieve.

Yes, we have saved money and yes, we got to spend £500 but the task the team at Ikea set themselves, to teach about living lagom and sustainability teaches so much more than that. 'Living Lagom' is about living just right. With just enough, not too little or too much. With that comes an awareness of your waste and how wasteful you can be. Our waste was in food and energy.

Live Lagom - Living Sustainably - Part 2

We are now well into our Live LAGOM journey. If you didn't read my earlier post 'living lagom' is about living just right. Not too much, just enough.

We now have all our chosen items. Bulbs, rugs, curtains, pans, batteries and a giant airer are scattered and in place around the house. We've redecorated the front room and if true Lagom fashion have used the paint from a selection we already had. For the first time since we've lived here we have curtains in our living room and have accompanied them with a thicker rug. As a result our house is warmer, less drafty and more welcoming. For the first time since moving here six years ago it finally feels like home.

Live Lagom - Living Sustainably - I Recycle, What More Can I Do??

If someone had said to me a couple of years ago "what do you think about living sustainably?", I'd have honestly have said it was a crock of poop! I recycle, what more can I do?