I often hear phrases such as, “What difference does it make?”  or “Who cares?”  Well, my heart goes out to those whom feel helpless and hopeless.  Don’t let the Kermits of the world get your goat:  It is truly a lot easier to be green!

Step 1: Stop shopping.  A lot easier said than done, eh?  Try it for one day,  one week, one month.  Baby steps.  Don’t stop cold turkey or you’ll soon find yourself on a binge.  Go through your closets and throw out what you haven’t used in the past year.  Hold a clothing swap with friends around the same size as you.  It’s a great way to reuse and refresh your wardrobe.  Keep an ongoing “thrift store box” to throw things in.

Step 2: Plant a small veggie garden.  Even if you have only a flower box, you can keep fresh herbs on hand for a quick and healthy green smoothie.  Studies have shown that the closer to home your food comes from, the healthier it is for you and the environment.  Start saving the earth one parsley sprig  at a time!

Step 3: Walk or ride a bike into town.  They do it all over the world and it doesn’t kill em!  Heck, it may even make you feel better!  Save gas, save yourself a bit of road rage, save the ozone.

Even if you only can do these little steps to grow greener in your personal life…it’s better than what you’ve been doing, so pat yourself on the back–you’ve just made the world a greener place today!

I recently was flipping through a magazine and stumbled upon a very natural way to rid childrens stuffed animals and cloth toys of dirt and dust.  I thought I would share…seems very simple, safe, and effective–not to mention CHEAP!

Gather up those dusty toys and place them in a big plastic bag (those new huge zip lock bags come in handy here!!)

Add a half a cup of baking soda and shake.

The static from the plastic and the baking soda interact to extract dust and dirt from the fabrics!

Voila!  Just remove the toys and shake off the excess baking soda.  You could even throw them on the clothes line afterward to let the sun naturally rid them of bacteria.

There is an abundant amount of positive love and intention stitched right in the seams of every creation in my inventory.

If one were to look over at my sewing table whilst I was working away on one of my latest projects, they would probably only see fabric, hands and a girl at a machine.  What one would not see is the love and wonder pouring right into every detail:  love for the meaningful work that I do, and wonder about the child who would be donning my latest creation.

The things I think about while sewing are many.  I think about how I can create a better product: one that can endure the rough and tumble energy of a child.  I wonder what kind of child will be wearing the diapers and wool-agains I Upcycle.  I hope that the child will become a green-thinker someday and how my little product is just the thing to start off in.  I guess in a way I believe that every thought creates.  It’s a line that I’ve heard spoken on the stages of many reggae festivals:  “Don’t forget people that every thought creates!”  Be it negative or positive, every thought is an electrical event in our brains.  Therefore, it produces an energy.  (NOTE: I’ve never taken physics.  This is just my own take on what I’ve learned in other formats…) Energy has the power to transform thoughts into action.  So, in a nutshell, I truly believe that my love and wonder is transmitted into each and every stitch that holds the fabric of my craft together.  In (my) theory, the children who are wearing my designs are not only being warmed and nurtured by the clothes on their backs and bottoms, but also by the heartfelt goodness and love that is my intention for these future hopes of our world.

Namaste