Spicey!

Today, I wanted to discuss something very dear to my heart. The environment. Some people want to believe that evolution is fiction and the earth’s climate is not changing. Unfortunately for them, reality stands in direct opposition to these beliefs. It is only a matter of time before there is no earth left for any of us to call home. Which is heartbreaking.

Spice Rack made from excess purchase at the hardware store.

I have come to the conclusion, as I read the science, that we have to find some new ways to live. Someday, if we ever stop this pursuit of dreams on every corner of the world I would like to settle somewhere on a very small farm to have and to raise my children and to live in a way I find more wholesome.  To live in such a way, is just economically more sensible and environmentally more sensible. We, as a species need to change the way we live. Environmentalism should be cheaper than anti environmentalism. I suppose, in the long term…. It kinda already is. But, what does that matter when the ones who will truly be paying are those that will live a few generations after all of us have died? So, for the here and now I would like to see more done to make it cheaper to live environmentally friendly.

In our house, we try to do things like recycling. We also recycle because my husband hates wasting money. I am not all too canny on that myself. This is something we now carry in our little Etsy shop, Cafe Primrose.  It’s this very fun little spice rack. We bought the little bars for it from a Viennese hardware store for some household project, but we bought a few too many. My husband was very cranky….. Till I pulled out some magnets and ribbon and a couple little 2 inch jars for spices and turned the excess purchase into a small and simple arts and crafts project so as to not waste anything. I have to say, I was really happy with the result. It kept some stuff we payed for from going into the garbage and came out too cute for words. And now, we use it every time we cook!

There are many things like my little spice rack that can be made and recycled, for example, I dream of building a kitchen island out of an old cabinet with a really beautiful and new  butcher’s block or piece of thick wood placed on top of it. So that it can sit elegantly in our kitchen. It is so important today to come up with ways to keep trash from going into the landfill. Especially, when so much of it has so much character and just needs a very little face lift at most, to be beautiful and functional and made to last for even future generations to come. It is also economical to save things from the landfill and fix them up quickly and simply rather than investing in the high cost of something new.

Waste not, want not.

Old, silverware, can become modern rings with a little bit of work or even pins or beautiful pendants. Old dishes, can be broken and used as mosaic for some beautiful table or candle holder or coaster.

There is no wrong way to use an old mason jar. I dream of one day hanging some down from my ceiling with little light bulbs inside. They make lovely vases and you can turn them into pincushions. Or containers for pens, or drinking cups for delicious summer beverages…..

There is no end to the possibilities when one acts to be environmental and with imagination. I hope this post makes you look at everything, perhaps less for what it is and more for what it could be with a little help from you.  Thus giving back to all of us by keeping less off the trash barges that pollute our oceans and our planet.