Creation Reducing...

So sometimes I like to create, which can be seen as the opposite of reducing.  Or can be seen as reducing the number of mass produced items in my household ;)

I find that creativity is a major outlet for me, therefore also reducing stress!  Even when the world is crazy, the family is at or or I am dragging around sick ( and right now all three of those are true)  I can muster the energy to face the day if I am working on a good project.  I will end up squeezing in the daily tasks that would otherwise never get done while i sat around lamenting feeling poorly, and at the end of the day be proud of both my efforts and the projects.

Today's big projects were an embroidery for a chair cover that i will be sewing for a dear small friend and an advent calendar.  I could not sleep due to my head cold last night and stayed up digitizing instead.  I am really happy with the way it came out.  HOWEVER,  it was late and combined her nickname with her real name---oops!  This was a test stitch out that i hoped to make into a pillow cover.  Hopefully that will still happen...less the name ;) 

Next up, and I really thought this would go quicker, was an advent calendar.  I had wanted to get the Friends lego advent calendar  because my little hockey players would have been all about those black ice skates.  I was too slow though and they sold out.  So no ice skates.  instead for a small $ I bought a regular set and am going to put them in the advent calendar I am making!  I have assembled a bunch of match boxes, and i will put one piece of the instructions and the appropriate Lego pieces in each box.  so everyday they will build a little towards the final project ( i am not going to let them see the end results!  just build a little each day!)  I am pretty excited to start this, and as this is the 3rd, and it is 8 p.m. and i am not done, tomorrow they will get a jump start, because they will get 4 boxes.I will post a picture of the finished Advent boxes tomorrow.

The last box will be a star shape, something a little bigger to hold all that is left.  I will give them this box when we come back from my brothers Christmas Eve party, technically it is usually just about the 25th then anyways.  They can finish the build while they are waiting for us old fogies to wake up and do stockings!!

so here is something new.  A SHARE! Freebie!  i had to design a star box, so I am sharing it here...if you do download it, please feel free to share a link to  my blog with anyone who would like it, refrain from passing it on as yours or selling the digital design itself.  Also, I would really appreciate a comment, so that i know that it is worth posting.

Star Bottom

Star Bottom sides

Star Top

Star Top Side

Now all of those UFOs.....well that is a post, perhaps for tomorrow...

Not Going Gandhi

For Christmas we received a new toaster oven.  Our old one was fine, but the giver felt it looked, well, used.  The minimalist producer of trash in me was not happy.  And the toaster sat in the living room for almost 2 months in its box.  I asked if we could return it, dh thought not for a myriad of reasons.

I reasoned we could please the giver and use the new one.  The old one could find a new home with someone who needed it.  I have to confess I considered keeping it, to cook the kids modelling projects in.  That clay always says it should be kept separate from your food prep areas.  Thing is I don't trust that clay.  We have had it in a shoe box since we bought a 'few' packages back in college for some projects.  We did break it out the other day for our sons school project.  Please note that 4 months after project completion the whole thing has ended up in a landfill!

One look at our storage area proved there was no space for it.  I put the new box on the counter and told my dh the plan. We discussed it and he thought the toaster oven for his work place could improve his lunch choices, so it was decided. 3 days later it was still there and my dh took it upon himself to swap it out and took it to work.

At first I was immensely pleased at the action.  Then I noticed the little dent in the corner, sorry, it bothered me, my old one was not dented!  I did not use it that day. The following day I was over the dent and we began using the toaster oven.  It was terrible, there was no 'toast' button, so the kids had to turn the dial to start it for reheating their pancakes, etc.  The dial was so stiff that a tremendous amount of effort had to be put into it and then the dial went way to far, but was near impossible to turn back.  They had to stand there and watch it cook, when done take it out, and then unplug it.

Of course, with all of the things that they have on their mind (legos, dolls, play , ................getting ready for school), I knew it was just a matter of time before they forgot something and start a fire.  I called dh, and explained the problem.  He agreed that he would bring the old toaster back.  He was not pleased, it felt awkward to take it back even though we fully intended to switch it out with a new one. Several days later he had made the switch.

We learned something for the hassle.  First, if possible do not replace something that works for something 'new'.  It is wasteful of money and time, and you are promoted use of resources to produce something that is not truly needed.  Second, if you do replace something, give yourself a buffer period to be sure you made the right choice before sending out the old.  We often do this with the box of new products too, keep them for a few weeks--but we really are reducing the number of occurrences of new in our home.  Luckily in this case, we hadn't donated it and were able to remedy the situation without further purchases

We had made a similar mistake a few years ago. Every time that I use our tiny shop vac I wish that i had kept the rigid hose extender that went with it.  Upon receiving the new vacuum I promptly marched down the stairs and brought the old one to the curb.  I had even taken the time to write a not to would be takers there was a crack that needed repair.  THEN I went and used the new one, which had only flexible hose, and nowhere to hold on!  by the time I got to the curb it was gone :(

I know for a Blog about Simply Reducing there is a lot about purchasing in this post.  Remember I am on a Journey, and hope to get there.  And I simply want to reduce my waste, not go Ghandi.  Also, you can tell how much thought I give to new things--at least sometimes, and that is a step in the right direction.