Environment Archives - Be Kind, Thrift and Rewind

I have always liked laundry lines. I think they evoke a memory of a time when so many things went a bit slower, or times when I lived in Colorado, or traveled in Europe when I was a child with my family. Whenever we were in Italy we saw dozens of laundry lines daily, even in the larger cities they draped their colorful array of clothing across the scenery of buildings and large windows. I have a couple of photos here from my last trip to Italy, when I went with my mother in 2006. Also, in Italy many of the rooms inside, or even the exterior of the buildings have bright colors such as peach, orange or yellow, which added to the array of color on the laundry lines.

I recently hung a dry laundry line inside my apartment. I missed seeing them more often; so I decided why not allow myself some of that joy in an urban environment? Obviously I can’t hang wet clothes on it but I like that I can hang my floral blouses or scarves up there, so I can see them before I iron them.

Every week I have a drying rack out for at least one day, to dry all the clothes I washed in the machine downstairs, but don’t want to put into the dryer. So many of my clothing items aren’t suitable for the dryers and I find most clothing lasts longer without the drying.

There are a couple of my watercolor paintings in this post and I hope to do more paintings of laundry lines soon. It is downright difficult to get the time I want to focus on all these creative aspects. I do the best I can, but there times I feel like I am running a race. I have been working on setting up schedules to focus on the various crafts, or weeks when I can focus more of cooking, etc…. Recently and in the past I took lots of photos of laundry lines and I am hoping to do some more paintings from those photos.

Not only does drying on a laundry lines outdoors save on energy, which is good for the environment, but it helps to brighten white’s fabrics. If you gently shake the clothing before hanging it on the line it can reduce wrinkles that might need to be ironed out. Plus it leaves clothing with a fresh, sun kissed scent. Some people who own their own dryers claim you can later put the clothing in the dryer for five minutes to reduce wrinkles.

I don’t mind things like hand washing laundry, drying racks or the site of laundry lines. I like these things that take a bit longer to finish. So much of modern life is fast paced and hectic. I am thankful for the slower, calmer events and find some beauty in them. I have heard friends complain about ironing for instance. When I used to have a lot of items to iron at once for instance, I would divide them into four items at a time. I ironed them one at a time, in a meditative state of mind, one for the north, south, east and west. That always made the task more enjoyable for me. I think I got that somewhere along the way when reading about American Indian rituals. The Quakers do daily tasks with a meditative state in mind, extending some consciousness into just enjoying the moment at hand.

Well I hope you all had a nice Fourth of July celebration. I went out to see some friends play music, which was fun. One of my friends recently had a heart attack and he was playing. It was nice to see him enjoying himself after going through such an ordeal. Life is so precious. We ought to be thankful for all the small things, as well as the bigger picture.

This poem is from the book The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster, a collection of poems by Richard Brautigan. This is how he presented it:

San Francisco

This poem was found on a paper bag by Richard Brautigan in a laundromat in San Francisco. The author is unknown.

By accident, you put

Your money in my

Machine (#4)

By accident, I put

My money in another

Machine (#6)

On purpose, I put

Your clothes in the

Empty machine full

Of water and no

Clothes

It was lonely.

Photos from Flickr

Tips For Successful Garage Sailing & Bon Voyage!

April 19, 2015

04/192015

When I lived in Boulder, Colorado I went to garage sales regularly for years. People held them all over town and I often found clothing, housewares, books and little things for my child when she was growing up. Now that I live back in Brooklyn, New York it is not so often that I go to garage sales however I always enjoy them when I see a good one and I have gotten a few nice things at them here as well.

I think the best garage sales are community garage sales. In Boulder for instance, the Mapleton Hill area would have garage sales and numerous houses all over that hill area would participate. These sales were always great fun for my daughter and me as we walked from house to house and gathered items we wanted. Last time I was in Boulder this Mapleton Hill garage sale was happening and I stocked up on several clothing items for work and sent them home to NY. Even with the shipping the cost was less than what I would have paid in NY for those clothing items at thrift shops. Plus I prefer the more earthy, sporty look of the women’s wear in Colorado as opposed to the often shiny, glamorous look that is popular in New York women’s clothing. As a result I often plan to buy clothes when I am in Colorado. I still know where the good thrift shops are in the event that I get there at a time of year where there aren’t many garage sales.

Flicker photo

From Flicker

In a place such as the city of New York one has to often resort to checking craigslist.org or sites such as gsalr.com that list garage sites by area. I still find I have the best luck finding nice items if I go to a neighborhood that is a more upscale neighborhood, unless you live in one already. Even in Boulder when I lived in a lovely neighborhood for some reason most of the garage sales were in the area across the main road and up towards the mountains. Otherwise they were in small clusters spread out further east in town.

It is always a good idea to bring your own bag to garage sales. Also arrive early enough to see the bulk of the items the person or family is putting outside. If you get there too early they might not be set up. If you arrive too late most of the good items will most likely be gone. If it a whole community having garage sales it can often be worthwhile to hang around the area and see what happens later on in the day. Often people start to have free boxes they set outside or if they are wrapping up their outdoor sale, or sometimes they ask for “good karma donations.” My daughter and I have found some really nice items in the free boxes or once people are only asking for donations.

Thrifted blazer, new shirt was a gift, and a new skirt

Blazer from a garage sale, new shirt was a gift, and a new skirt

It is a good idea to ask people if you think they might have something you are looking for but don’t see. I met a lady who had no vintage buttons out however I asked her if she had any and it turned out she had a whole box in her attic. She asked someone to watch her things and ran upstairs and I ended up buying a bunch of buttons from her. Once I met a lawyer having a garage sale when I was taking a paralegal course years ago. I told her that I was studying paralegal and she went inside and brought out some books for me to take. She just gave them to me and was happy to do so. So by all means open up conversation since it can often be helpful.

Generally I have found most people try to sale clean items however if you have any doubt obviously wash things once you get home and get a chance. I even wash new items of clothing since you never know about the dyes in them, etc… When I bought one coat last year I was slightly concerned because I did not know the lady selling things and had never bought from her before. Nowadays people are concerned about bedbugs since they seem to have resurged in a huge way. I wanted to take the coat to the dry cleaners immediately but they were closed. If that is the case then you can always tie it up in a plastic bag and wait until the dry cleaner is reopened. I later found out this lady had repeat customers coming to her garage sales and so far no problems for any of her clients. In this post I have a picture of a pink Anthropologie top that I bought at a garage sale last fall. It still has the price tag on it. I haven’t worn it yet since spring just arrived but I am sure I will be wearing it soon. The lady I bought it from bought it at a half- price sale and never wore it. I bought it for about 1/6^th of the original price and it has never even been worn!

I have never had any problems with buying used items in terms of cleanliness. My grandmother taught me that even with new items to pull the seams, see if they are good and to check the corners of seams if things were used.

I was recently reading a post by Jessica Cangiano of the blog Chronically Vintage (http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/) and she was writing about going garage sale shopping and how she sometimes finds vintage pieces for her Etsy shop. Here in New York vintage pieces can be expensive so I assume many shops owners travel to Vermont or Michigan where they buy vintage ta a better price. Either that or they have to sometimes buy at places that sell by the pound.

In Boulder, Colorado there are so many college students that move once the school year is over that the local young adults call it “Christmas.” The wealthy college students often leave behind practically new clothes, appliances, and other assorted items. They just pile them up near the dumpsters in boxes and then the locals, who know how often there are goodies in those boxes come by for “Christmas.” Really it is good for the environment to reuse these things as long as they are still in decent shape. So that day in Boulder is like a Freegan Day. If you don’t know about Freegans they aim to reclaim reusable items that others toss.

A small knicknack shelf from a garage sale.

Jewelry rack and hand fan from garage sales

Years ago I saw a television news program about a woman who has collected a beautiful wardrobe by taking things people had placed on fences as free items to take, or she had found them in bags left open in areas such as Soho, in New York, NY. She had clothing items that would sell for up to $2,000. Obviously one sets certain boundaries. She never took stockings for instance unless they were still in the package they were sold in.

Dress from garage sale

So if you use your common sense and good judgement there are many good things to be found for a good price at garage sales, or even things that people left out that they wish to donate or give away. I have found that a lot of people who have garage sales, do so because they care about the environment and are eager to recycle things in a responsible way.

Coat from a garage sale

Garage Sale knicknack rack

I have been to so many garage sales through the years and I really enjoyed many of them. They were definitely a helpful part of how I survived as a single mother, raising my daughter on my own for so many years. If you choose to go garage sailing I hope you enjoy the ride and Bon Voyage!

Earth Day Celebration Coming Up!

April 12, 2015

04/122015

Earth Day is coming soon, on April 22nd, and it is once again a reminder that all of us have options of what we can do to be a part of helping our planet. It is a worthwhile contemplation, then commitment to decide to be a part of the solution instead of mindlessly generating more waste and making matters worse. I like to think that I can have some small part in making the world a better place for my future grandchildren and my friend’s grandchildren.

The photos I am posting here are mostly from my hiking in Boulder, Colorado in past trips to visit where I once lived for fourteen years. I raised my daughter there. I love creeks so there is a picture of the Boulder Creek. The mountains and hiking in them are gorgeous. I love being with nature! There are also a couple of pictures of the garden at St. Luke’s in Greenwich Village, NYC which is a beautiful, quiet space. Also one of the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon.

If you haven’t already seen the Story of Stuff video that is a worthwhile watch. It takes about twenty minutes but it can make a difference in your shopping habits. I first found the video on the Boulder Recycling Center site a couple of years ago but now it is available on YouTube. They now have The Story of Solutions: https://www.youtube.com/user/storyofstuffproject as well. Ever since I saw the video I have been slowly using up what I have and consuming less.

These are a few things you could for Earth Day:

Have a garage sale.

Donate some of your old clothing to a thrift shop.

Upcycle some clothes or decide to start upcycling this year.

Plant a garden. Plant a tree.

Hold a clothing swap in your apartment or house.

Stop buying plastic tooth brushes and switch to bamboo tooth brushes which are biodegradable, as well as easier to recycle. Website: http://www.brushwithbamboo.com/shop-brushes/

Sing or perform songs about nature. If you don’t sing or perform maybe listen to some.

Enjoy a walk in nature or if you live in a city head to your local park. If you live in a place with lots of open space enjoy it!!

If you aren’t already interested in Slow Fashion consider it as an option to being caught up in nonstop trends and the consumer mass production cycle. This is a picture of my daughter Emily wearing her favorite Oliver Twist look. There is nothing trendy about it!

Lovely Boulder, Colorado creek

In the US we are bombarded by ads to buy things nonstop. Television has constant ads. I haven’t watched television in years since my daughter grew up. Even when she was growing up there was a few years where we went without a television. We played together or read books. Now I watch movies on Netflix or Amazon and they also offer some of the most popular television shows without all the ads. I choose to limit my exposure to nonstop consumerism ploys out there to get me to shop, shop, until I drop. I choose to go to websites like Vogue.com where I can enjoy the fashion videos and choose which designer lines I want to view. I prefer that to buying lots of magazines every month now. I might buy a fashion magazine on occasion but generally I focus on my own style and how I prefer to dress as opposed to what is in. When I choose to buy a magazine it usually has something to do with gardening, birds or literature. If I want to read the Economist for instance, I ask my friend who has a subscription to pass his on to me before he discards them.

Boulder, Colorado mountains

Years ago, after moving back to New York I realized I had quite a lot of books despite getting rid of so many before I moved back East. I decided it might be time to consider a Kindle. I have always treasured my relationship with my favorite books; they are like a friend you want to revisit time and time again. I knew that I could still have that option, to buy a book and keep it on my shelves. I also liked the idea of a Kindle and not adding more physical books too often to the stuff I already choose to keep. A friend bought me a Kindle for a birthday present and now I cherish my Kindle. It really has made my life a bit simpler. For a rare book on crafts, art or herbs for instance, than I might prefer to have a physical copy of the book. Yet otherwise the Kindle books are fine.

In the past year I have been making more of my own granola’s and snacks. I make my own deodorant as well as bake some of my own bread. Recently I learned to make my own shampoo. Now I can reuse one shampoo bottle multiple times. I used this recipe: http://wellnessmama.com/3701/natural-shampoo/ It worked well for me with a mixture of lavender and rosemary oils. If you don’t want to make your own you might opt for another shampoo I tried, which comes in a bar from J.R. Liggett’s and is perfect for carrying when traveling. I found it at Vitacost. I buy things from them regularly since the health food stores here are rather expensive. I find my hair responds better to me mixing up the various kinds of shampoos every now and then. I like the bar one for a different variety to use on occasions when I am alternating shampoos.

In the past two years I have been crocheting and upcycling clothing. It is a liberating process to know that you can contribute more to your own wardrobe by knowing how to alter or repair it, plus to know how to make a dress for instance out of men’s shirts.

You could choose to buy either vintage or thrifted items of clothing since they are all further down the chain of mass production. Buying furniture that you can imagine yourself keeping for years helps also, as opposed to cheaply produced and assembled furniture that one will toss out soon.

Boulder, Colorado Flatirons in the distance

If you really feel like going shopping soon this is a good event to attend:

Buffalo Exchange has a yearly sale in which they raise money to help fund stopping animal testing for cosmetics. Their dollar items on sale for Earth Day raise funds for the animals: http://buffaloexchangefashion.com/2015/03/16/earth-day-1-sale/

This is from their website:

“On Saturday, April 18, we will host our annual Earth Day $1 Sale.

A large selection of clothing, jewelry, and accessories will be offered for one dollar at most Buffalo Exchange locations. All proceeds from the purchase of $1 items will be donated to The Fund for Animals, an affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The Earth Day Dollar Sale is cash or check only for $1 items.”

If you go enjoy the sale! It is great that your shopping, at least on those items, can help animals. If you don’t know about Buffalo Exchange it is a good chance to find out about their buying, selling, and trading of previously used clothing. It is a great place to find clothing and accessories.

So however you choose to acknowledge Earth Day or celebrate it I hope you enjoy it. This is all something we all have in common, our Planet Earth and Mother Nature. It is a wonderful thing to be thankful for and not to take for granted. Happy Earth Day to you!

Boulder, Colorado mountain scene.

These are from St. Luke’s Garden in Greenwich Village, NYC.

Portland, Oregon Japanese Garden

My Inspiration to Start This Blog

March 1, 2015

03/012015

I wanted to write a post about how I became inspired to start this blog. In the fall of 2013 my daughter and I went to Portland, Oregon for several days. My daughter, Emily had been telling me about Portland for years and finally it just seemed like the time was right. We made arrangements to stay with a friend while we were there and we had a great time.

I felt like I was twenty five again for the few days I was there. The shops, art and music scene reminded me of Greenwich Village and Soho, in New York in the eighties. There were so many small business owners with unique shops and a creative vibe was so very alive there. I was also struck by the experience of being in a place that more than any other place was a reflection of my personality. That was a feeling that hit me even before I had the chance to really get around. Therefore I was very excited to be there and we set out walking long distances pretty much every day that we were there.

There were numerous vintage shops in Portland and my favorite was the House of Vintage. It was so large it was as if we were in a department store for just vintage! The store had fifty five vendors spread throughout 13,000 feet. It was a really fun experience to see all the various vendors sections and explore. We also went to Powell’s City of Books which is a huge book shop. I found a copy of Cut Up Couture about upcycling there and looked at several other books about upcycling. We went to a large craft fair and I also saw several vendors there selling upcycled clothing. I was so incredibly inspired by all the art, cafes, and wide open space it was just wonderful.

I wanted to make sure we got to go to Japanese Botanical Garden so one day we took a bus, then hiked up to that. It was beautiful and relaxing to be there. We also went to the forest one afternoon with our friend Sarah. I had never seen such a mystical looking forest! I had been in forest in Colorado, New York, Vermont and other places in Europe such as Germany, France and Italy but I had never seen a forest like this! The sides of the trails were so steep and full of moss and long branches with sharp scraggly branches reaching down, also covered in moss. I felt as if we had entered a mystical land, like something I had only seen in movies. Now I know what my friends meant when through the years they had said I had to go far out west and see the trees and forest. I was in awe of the lush beauty. One of the pictures here is of Emily sitting in a large tree trunk in the forest there.

Anyway after our vacation there I was so full of creative energy I could barely contain myself. I threw myself into upcycling projects as often as I could. I had already been crocheting like mad for about a year and I have always been very creative but somehow I got the idea that I should start a blog. I didn’t even read blogs regularly. I just felt I had things I wanted to express and through the years people have always noticed I have had a knack for knowing how to find nice clothing on a real shoe string budget. So amidst my excitement about the trip to Portland, Oregon and all this creative motivation that came as a result of the trip the idea was born. I also wanted to express myself since I really like to be real about sharing my interest in shopping at thrift shops, garage sales, antique or vintage shops, etc… I have been told in the past that “Oh, you should just let people think you got that new” by some people and I just don’t relate to that. I see nothing wrong with sharing that I happily found something further down the chain from mass production, that was perused and I am not only happy but proud to give that item a longer life. I also know from past experience that shopping this way allows me the opportunity, when my work is steady to travel a bit and visit my family, which is spread out all over the country. As my mother has often said “In our family we are more concerned with when are we going to buy our next plane ticket!”

Actually I learned many of my thrifty ways from my mother. When my parents were saving to buy a house when I was fifteen was the first time I was ever told we needed to buy some of our clothes at a thrift shop for a while. Once we moved into the house my mother woke us up at five or six am so we could go out and help her look for furniture on the day the trucks came by to gather other people’s discards. We helped our mother haul home many items. She bought antiques at fairs or markets and brought them home and refurbished them. Through the years, even after my mother became head of her department at work she still would go to the thrift shop to buy certain things. I learned a lot watching her and I am thankful she taught me those things. As a result I go through my life buying certain things new and many others I prefer to see what I can find through thrifting or buying at vintage or antique shops instead. I find it also keep things fun and more original.

My grandparents were all creative people also. I learned a lot from them and inherited their love of handmade items and crafts. My ancestors were farmers until my grandparent’s generation and then my grandparents became engineers, carpenters and sales people. Both of my grandmothers loved to sew and my mother sewed a lot when I was very young.

I also wanted to be a voice to encourage people to develop their own style and be unique. Life really is more fun when we are true to ourselves and reflect that in our own style. So much of the time we have to go to work and conform to the norm. Yet especially in our own free time, it is important to keep our uniqueness and celebrate it.

Much of the inspiration for the blog also comes from my love for nature and concern for the environment. It comes from the trees, creeks and mountains. From the silence that nature speaks and the ground which celebrates when we till the soil and plant with nurturing care seeds that grow and bloom in time. It comes from the songs of birds that are joyful when spring arrives. When I lived in Boulder, Colorado, I saw animals of the wild pretty much every day. Rabbits scurried around the grassy lawns and it was not uncommon to come upon deer while walking, hiking or even driving. I once came upon a family of deer while walking down from a hike. Making eye contact with a mother deer while she stands with her children behind her is a beautiful thing. I had to silently convey to her that I would yield and cross the road once the traffic passed, so that she and her family might continue on the side of the road back to the mountains. I saw raccoons daily as they often ran from one corner to another, or hid behind the trees and bushes at the end of our apartment complex’s open grassy area. I saw foxes, hawks, crows, gecko’s, salamanders and many other animals. I once saw a fox which ran out as I was driving and when he passed he looked back at me with mischief in his eye, showing me the egg he had stolen as if to say “Look what I got!” After all those years of living there I came to really care about preserving the environment, not only for myself and other people, but for them as well. Grey wolves, for instance are constantly under threat due to congressional debates that could mean the end of protection for them as an endangered species. Maintaining open spaces for animals to live and thrive is not only healthy for them but for our environment as well. The wolves have a role in our ecosystem and therefore supporting them is supporting our environment. I am a big fan of Defenders of Wildlife, a nonprofit that is concerned about speaking for the animals, since they cannot speak for themselves.

As the writer, Elizabeth Cline brings up the topic of mass consumerism in her book ‘Overdressed’: The High Cost of Cheap Fashion, and that there is a point when many of us feel we need a change. To get away from the mass consumerism that has become so common in the US. I realized I had kind of started to get sucked into the frenzy. I wanted to back up, slow down and really be more aware of buying less, buying better quality and making sure I removed myself from that consumerism, mass consumption frenetic energy. I seriously cut down what I buy, am more aware of how I buy it and enjoy upcycling items when I can. I wanted to share and express the joy in doing this. I also watched a video called the Story of Stuff which is available on YouTube. I had found it through Eco-Cycle, a Boulder, Colorado site but it is on YouTube and if you would like to watch it, it explains the cycle of mass production and really assist in making one more conscious of what is going on behind the scenes of mass consumerism.

I don’t know how many of you have seen the work of an artist named Gregg Segal. He is a photographer who photographed people with a week’s worth of their own trash. He also photographed himself and his family with their own trash. These photos are so thought provoking. It really is something to think about what we consume and toss.I just added one of his pictures below. For more either go to Flickr or this article has several: http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2014/07/08/gregg_segal_photographs_people_with_a_week_s_worth_of_their_trash_in_his.html

Several of you have asked me how I technically started the blog and about my theme. I chose TD Persona theme, which is a WordPress theme. I had no idea how to set up a blog however I found Court Tuttle’s videos very helpful on getting started. Here is a link to his site: http://www.theblogbuilders.com/how-to-start-a-blog/?gclid=CKHggZOf8rsCFUtp7AodPgwAfQ

Other than that I have used the free WordPress videos and YouTube. So far it has worked out fine and I believe that using Blue host as a host has helped.

Well I hope you enjoyed this post and for quite a while I felt like I was blogging to just a few friends and family members. Since I know I have a larger audience now I wanted to share with you my thoughts on how I became inspired to start this blog. I appreciate all of you who stop by regularly to read the posts and share them with your friends or family members.