Make it pretty

I prefer using liquid hand soap for several reasons. One, there's nothing to get soft and mushy with frequent use. Two, I can dispense just the right amount of soap I need so there's no waste. And three, I don't have to worry about the person before me not rinsing the bar of gunk and stuff that can get stuck on it.

The only problem with liquid soap is the dispenser that they come in. It's such a waste to throw them away when they're empty. Aside from being still perfectly usable (unless it gets broken for some reason), they're usually made of plastic which isn't biodegradable. So I've taken to reusing them.

But first, I try to make them a little prettier. I remove the labels then use scrapbooking plastic and foil stickers to decorate the body all around. Unlike paper stickers, these won't rub off when they get wet, which makes them ideal for the project.

But now, I have a different kind of problem. Unless our stores begin selling liquid soap refills, I'm going to have more dispensers than I know what to do with.

Art marks

As I promised in my previous post, here's an idea for how to recycle the artwork and photographs of smaller desk calendars.


The easiest is to turn them into bookmarks. The handiest width for bookmarks is about two inches so that usually means having to crop the artwork first. In cropping, try to follow the photographer's Rule of Thirds (click the link for a tutorial). Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule; in cropping my 2008 desk calendar (these photos are from the middle of last year), I was limited by the height of the images. This is how I decided to crop two of the paintings; many of the sheets gave me two bookmarks rather than one.


After cutting all of the sheets, I punch a single hole near the top and add a ribbon (or yarn). As much as I can, I try to match the colors in the images, but since I only work with what I have on hand (and many of these ribbons are scraps from the packaging of gifts given to us), it's not always possible. My all-purpose ribbon for those instances is a narrow, gold gauze ribbon.


If you have no need for so many bookmarks, then just give them away to family, friends and colleagues who you know to be avid readers. Even consider giving them to your local library, with instructions to give one each to the next several people who take out books. You'll be making some people happy and you would have done a small part in helping reduce environmental waste.

Artsy drawers

It's the first day of the new year and if you're like me, you have several 2009 calendars to dispose of. Before chucking them all in the garbage or recycling bins, first see if you can re-use them.

Calendars of all sizes made of paper stock (not cardboard), as long as one side is blank and the paper is not too thin that the print shows through, can be used as note/memo paper. Just cut them into squares or rectangles in the size of your choice. This is best done with a paper cutter or an X-acto knife with a steel ruler and cutting mat; but lacking either, scissors will do, though it will take longer.

The bigger wall calendars that are made of card stock, especially the ones with paintings, photographs and illustrations, make for great drawer and cabinet liners. I use them everywhere, from clothes drawers and the closet we use to store toiletry products to our kitchen cabinets.


Lay the loose sheets down on the drawer bottom, making sure that each piece overlaps with the others. When you are satisfied with both the coverage and the placement of your favorite designs, keep the sheets together with adhesive tape. Pay special attention to the corners—you don't want to accidentally tear the sheet out while getting something near the bottom of the drawer.

These liners may not be as pretty as the big drawer liners you can buy at home centers, but they're more eco-friendly and much sturdier, being able to withstand several years' use as long as there are no accidental spills from food and bath products. And chances are, you will always have replacement sheets every year at no extra cost.

Next, how to re-use smaller card stock desk calendars.

Inexpensive ornament

More than any other Christmas decoration, I love Christmas trees the best. Especially those that are heavily laden with ornaments. We have a word in Tagalog that describes it perfectly: busog. It really means 'a full stomach,' both the feeling and how it gets distended when you've eaten a lot. Through the years, I've accumulated all sorts of ornaments to try to get our tree as busog as it can get. Aside from ornaments that are hung on branches, I've bought garlands to string around it (though I didn't use them this year) and glittery flowers to put on top of boughs. Thanks to a friend of mine and her Christmas tree, I discovered another ornament perfect for filling in spaces between branches. And it's DIY so it's also very inexpensive. All you need is that wide ribbon with wire at the edges so they can be shaped and those little ornaments on thin wires. Cut and cross the ribbon, wrap the wired ornament, and voilà!


A 10-yard roll of ribbon gave me 16 ornaments. To see how I used it on our tree, click here. Although I made them specifically for the tree, you can also use this simple ribbon trick to accessorize gifts, for Christmas or any other occasion.

He's home!

My husband's back from the Mildura Writers' Festival. I took the afternoon off from work so I could be home when he arrived. I'm happy. And I can finally sleep well again.

He took this photo of the Mildura Weir on the Murray River. We're both city born and bred, and this is absolutely lovely to us.

Not happy at home

As I'm writing this, my husband is in a plane on his way to Melbourne to participate in the Mildura Writers' Festival. He will be back on Tuesday, July 21.


In our thirteen years of marriage, this is only the second time that we will be apart for more than three days.

I feel almost edible

• Coconut scalp care cream
• Brazil Nut intensive hair treatment
• Beer shampoo
• Lemon and Honey bath soap
• Cucumber and Avocado facial scrub
  
• Raspberry and Pear body lotion
• Orange cologne