Recycle or Upcycle?
A week or so ago I read a great post about “Upcycling” over at the Lizzy Lane Farm blog. Although I didn’t know that it had a name, we have been working on doing more upcycling as part of our journey toward simplicity. I actually find it fun to figure out how I can reuse or repurpose items instead of being so quick to send them off to the recycling center. Like Karyn, I too have a collection of mint tins, and have a few ideas to reuse them.
One thing I like to do is keep my own herbal tea bags with me. These tins work great for keeping little things like tea bags safe in my purse. However, I hadn’t thought of using felt to make them more beautiful, as well as functional. Another project to add to my list! I also plan to cover and line a tin with felt, then label it “My Treasures” as a gift for my niece. You could also use a lined tin to keep jewelry when on a trip.
My goal is to only give homemade gifts for holidays and birthdays this year. Planning ahead is not one of my strong suits, so I’ve already been caught once not having time to put something together for a good friend’s birthday. Today I put reminders in my calendar program, so I can keep on track this fall when I will have several gift-giving occasions.
I actually have several projects I’m working on this week. My husband and boys are off at youth camp, so I’m enjoying a quiet house! Although it is refreshing to not have to prepare meals, and to be able to leisurely sip my tea while watching the chickens, I’m glad my guys are only gone a few days. I love being a wife and mother, so I feel a little lost without them here!
I’m hoping to write on my blog quite a bit this week as I tackle some of the items on my list. Sewing projects are definitely in the plans, as is getting my Aladdin Lamp functioning. Of course, I’ll also be making time to do some reading and maybe even a little napping 
If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on recycling vs upcycling, head over to the “Oh My Aching Debts” blog. I was honored to write a guest post while Cindy spends time with her mom following the death of her father. I’m sure she would appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this difficult season.
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Around the Homestead, Simple Steps, Simple Thoughts | cindy June 16, 2009
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By Kelly, June 16, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
Google altoids tins…. there are a whole bunch of artists, scrapbookers, and stampers who use them for various purposes, and they are always gorgeous…. I liked this idea http://www.instructables.com/id/Altoids-Tin-Emergency-Candle/ and this one http://www.instructables.com/id/Altoids-Tin-Pocket-Sized-Watercolor-Box/ There are lots of silly ideas too.
By Emily, June 17, 2009 @ 4:13 pm
In the Beading-world we have been beading the outside of Altoid tins for a while. My mom got me “hooked” on Altoids in 1980….and I have always saved the tins. Oddly, I haven’t done anything with them creatively, just used them to store this and that. Beads, odd things I knew I would need someday, stuff like that. I will check out the web site Kelly posted and see what others are doing with them. Have a great day. Emily