Crafts and Catch Up!

First the fun stuff.  It's getting closer and closer to my move out date!  I'm super excited to find a place and redecorate.  This week my mom and I planned out our upcoming road trip to Tucson.  That's a post for another day.  We've been looking online at places to live and it seems that either places are pretty dumpy or super nice - not a whole lot in between.  With that said, I've fallen in love with 2 places, a little higher priced, but...super super nice.  I'm hoping once we get to Tucson my favs will still be available or that some of the other places will look better in person.

Mom and I completed our first craft for my new place.

We found the instructions at a blog called Monkey See - Monkey Do.

Here are the pictures of the message board my mom and I created.  We bought a cheap frame at the thrift store and then spray painted it black.

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Next craft - make my own green rags/"paper" towel/napkins.

I am behind by 4 green challenges.  My excuses are my little Penny poo and the fact that I've been relaxing and enjoying the time I have off before graduation.

Green Challenge #15:  No more paper towels.

• this includes cleaning up after Penny's accidents, wiping down the counter, drying my hands in public bathrooms, etc

Green Challenge #16:  No more paper napkins at home.

• I'll do my best to use my new towel when out - whenever I remember, like at the airport tomorrow on my flight back to Hershey.

Green Challenge #17:  No more Tissues.

• I'll give my Dad credit for using handkerchiefs for as long as I have known him.  Sief thinks it's gross, but whatever, it's not like I blow my nose all the time anyway.

So what's the big deal with all of these paper products? 

Are you thinking, well...duh?  it's paper - and paper comes from trees.  Well yes, that's correct, but...there's more to the story.

• Remember those gorgeous pictures of the rain forest I posted?  The ones that don't do justice to the beauty of the place, nor show even a minascule amount of the diversity that relyies on that forest.  Well, guess what is being cut down to make those wonderfully (but really not that soft) of kleenexes that you blow your snot into or those paper towels that soak up whatever mess...well blow or wipe away that rain forest.  I haven't given up toliet paper yet, but....if I run out of ideas for more green challenges you never know.  No Impact Man did it during his no impact year.
• In a New York Times article, it states that the fact that Americans demand soft and fluffy toliet tissue or kleenexs that new trees must be cut down, recycled productes are just as easy and cost effective to make, but...they aren't as soft, but maybe with a little research could be made to be just as soft.
• Large companies like Kimberly-Clark don't even deny the fact that they use virgin trees to make their product!  They may argue the percentage (14% in one article) of ancient trees that are part of the boreal forest and an integral part of that eco-system - when really none of those trees should be cut down for me to wipe my ass or blow my nose.
• K-C used 3,113,000 metric tons of virgin fiber in 2005
• NYT states that "barely a third of paper products sold in America are from recycled sources -most of it comes from virgin forests."

Here's a link to a GreenPeace article where I got most of my facts. 

So how do I plan to do without all of these paper products that we rely on everyday?  Recycle of course!

I took an old pair of comfy PJ pants, that had a hole in the waistline.  I stuck my finger through there everytime I pulled them up.  Mind you that these pants are much softer than any kleenex.

Snip, snip with some pinking shears and...

wa la...napkin/hanky/rag, etc.