Let's party!

Don't forget to join in the creativity with Creating Success Around the World!!  Look out for my features in March as I host the Asian posts for this creative linky  :-)  Thanks to Jill of Creating My Way to Success for hosting! 

Necklace Therapy

So, it was a crazy past week. Crazy because hubby fell very ill and work still required him to be at the office even though it wasn't physically possible for him to continue. So, he was given a choice and we feel he has made the right one. Why work for someone with such Machiavellian tendencies? Hubs lost 4lbs in one week but now he's resting, plus he gets to spend more time with our son. 


While hubs was recovering, I managed to slip in a tiny crafting session just to calm myself and reflect on this nonsense, okay, crap (sorry for being so curt but that's how it all felt).

Greeny Crafter 7 - The T-Shirt Diaries

This whole month has been crazy for me.  More of that later because I would like to feature a self-proclaimed "crazy crafting momma" Robin!  Okay, not crazy, crazy (oh you know what I mean), but she's been extremely busy these past few weeks with her contest called  "Project Recycled" where fellow bloggers compete for six weeks in a series of competitions to see who can come up with the most creative upcycled/recycled clothing.  We get to cast our votes (think American Idol-style) and now she's going to start casting for season two really soon, so keep an eye on her blog :-)


Recycling and making children's clothing is one of Robin's passions. She was inspired by some amazing upcyclers like the designs of Little Blue Boo, Poor Pitiful Pearl, and Soren Lorenson Designs. Robin says "Really just seeing the amazing things these women are making out of old t-shirts and sheets make me drool."  I think I'm going to hop over and check those designs out.



Robin's favourites are the headbands that she makes out of old pieces of scrap fabric:

So where does Robin get her inspiration? Pinterest ! She also loves other blogs, and she says her two little ones, Phoebe and Holden, inspire her too. Sometimes she can just come up with something random out of thin air - the light bulb moment!  Robin has an interesting post on 10 Simple Ways to Upcycle if you need that light bulb moment too. 

Robin and Phoebe chilling out with their upcycled photo frame

Nails, nails, nails

Photo mr-big

I remember when I was in primary school and I really, really wanted to start wearing make up and  dab nail polish on my nails. I wanted to be grown up just like mummy, except my mum refused (and rightly so) because I was too young and what's wrong with being au naturel?

Photo: Cathy-K

In Singapore, we have seen a surge in the number of manicure salons being set up. Just across the road from where I work, there are at least 10 mini nail spa shops selling an express manicure for less than USD10.  Even the kiddies get to tag along with their mums to get their nails done. Admittedly, I went to one with a friend after a stressful day of work, but I ended up worse off with a headache because of the smell inside the store. No, not smelly feet, but from the nail polish, which contain the "toxic trio", formaldehyde (known human carcinogen), toluene (possible reproductive and developmental toxin) and dibutyl phthalate, or DBP (known reproductive & developmental toxin).  How can the manicurists breathe that air? What's more, all these chemicals can be absorbed into the body through the nail bed. But, when you're nails are drying, you and whoever is with you, are breathing in the fumes.

Photo: alexsandro 

Well, international brands like OPI, Sally Hansen and Orly have phased out the toxic trio (or either one or two of them) from their nail polish formulas. So, may be we should go for "green" or "organic" formulas (my friend uses Strange Beautiful and Karma Organic) but other potentially dangerous chemicals may be lurking in the bottles including ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, fragrances, dyes and more.  Just because it's "green" doesn't mean it's toxic-free. Just remember to read the labels, but even better, don't wear nail polish!

Are you ready?

Eeks! It's almost March and I'll be the Asian host for Creating Success Around the World.  Have you signed up ? More importantly, are you from Asia and you are the owner of a green crafty blog you would like to share?  Drop me a line @ greenissues@gmail.com!

It's flooding

It's flooding, but not literally. It's my inbox at work. The screen glows red and screams out "read me!!! DEADLINES!!!"  I only have a pair of hands and one brain, and maybe I could just borrow my  colleague's in the cubicle next to mine, but even then I can only function a maximum of 10 hours on work-related issues.  I suddenly thought about what the work practices are like in other countries - do organisations practise corporate social responsibility (CSR)? What about in Singapore?


OK, this is not an exhaustive list, but it's a start!


Local firms with CSR and some form of reporting it (usually based on the Global Reporting Initiative framework):


a) Singapore Airlines
b) Asia Pacific Breweries
c) Capital Land Limited
d) City Developments Limited
e) Singapore Exchange
f) Sembcorp Industries
g) Keppel Land
h) Singapore Polytechnic
i) ORIGIN Exterminators Pte Ltd
j) Singapore Telecommunications Ltd
k) SMRT
l) Senoko Power Ltd
m) Banyan Tree Holdings  Limited

Greeny Crafter 6 - My Recycled Bags

This week's Green Crafter is..... drum roll.....RecycleCindy of My Recycled Bags.com.  This talented lady lives in the mountains between Washington and Idaho. Think endless nature and listening to the birds sing every morning.... smile.   RecycleCindy loves to crochet and use recycled materials in her projects.  She crafts items out of almost any material that sometimes could be considered trash - plastic bags, VCR tape, old sweaters, cassette tapes, old plastic packaging such as toilet paper packaging, bread bags, and other plastic wrappings. She has also used old jeans, t-shirts, bed sheets and other recycled fabrics for her craft projects. In fact, I learnt a new word from her - it's PLARN - crocheting with plastic! 

Lets take a look at some of her crafts:

I think this is a cool idea! I love the contrasting fabric....

Recycled Denim Oven Mitt

Where did all my plastic bags go? :-)

Maybe here....?

Plastic Bags to Clothespin Bag

...... or here?  RecycledCindy saw a crocheted tote bag made from recycled plastic bags and just loved the look of it. So let's say she got hooked! She also crochets motifs, flowers, scrubbies, purses, and other useable items from the recycled bags.  Now she uses old t-shirts to make them too!

One of RecycledCindy's favourites:

Recycled Plastic Hobo Handbag

 I love the following craft - it's so thoughful!

Wheelchair Walker Tote Bag

Check out this one! RecycledCindy used recycled bags from ...wait for it....bread, hotdog buns, bagels, toilet paper, frozen foods, hashbrowns, paper towel packaging, hamburger buns, taco shells, hoagie buns, and other pieces of plastic from numerous products having plastic packaging.  With so many bags, this rug has so many beautiful colours!

Plastic Trash Rug

And if you have any old cassette tapes (which I do!), perhaps you could try out one of her cassette tape bag tutorials!! My favourite is the cassette tape evening clutch!

Cassette Tape Evening Clutch

So where does RecycledCindy get her inspiration? "I think of things that I need and make them"  That's definitely a useful tip. I wouldn't want to make something that I don't need and which would end up hidden in my wardrobe or store room! Thanks, Cindy, and we look forward to more of your crafts!

See you all next Monday for the next Greeny Crafters!

I can tie my shoelaces!!

I have been reading this great book about changing behaviour - why we do what we do, temptation (have you ever chosen a burger over a salad?), the mindless choices we make, or how we've been nudged into saving for retirement (mandatory in Singapore). Or, why a lot of us like to recycle (or refashion!), save energy or not litter the streets. 

Anyway, I turned to page 75 of Nudge where it talks about when we need to be nudged and the authors wrote "Nearly everyone over the age of six can tie shoelaces, play a respectable game of tic-tac-toe, and spell the word cat. But only a few of us can tie a decent bow tie, play a masterly game of chess, or spell (much less pronounce) the name of the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihayli."   It was then I realised, hey, my son is going on seven and he can't do shoelaces!!!  Plus he doesn't have a pair of decent shoes with laces (except for his football boots which have laces a mile long. Not for training small fingers!)

So, out came the scissors (don't grab the ones for sewing!)
an old tissue box and old laces.

Have You Signed Up?

Have you signed up yet? It's great getting to know "crafty" people from all over the world. Link up at the bottom and remember to pay a visit to the other crafters !

Jill from Jembellish has asked me to feature 4 lovely crafters from the Asian continent this March.  So if you like to refashion / upcycle, please drop me an email at greenissues@gmail.com !!!

Greeny Crafter 5 - Needle & Nest Design

Melissa of Needle & Nest Design in her
 shirt to dress refashion.

This week's Greeny Crafter is Melissa of Needle & Nest Design, and she hails from Canada. As I write this post, Melissa will most likely be giving birth to her second baby, so she's been particularly busy these days. Mel is a stay-at-home mummy who enjoys crafting, baking and chasing the cats (hmmm....I think that would be with her first-born!).

Melissa said she "jumped" into refashioning and upcycling with her hubby buying her a sewing machine a couple of years back - "since then I would experiment and flounder my way through a few projects.  Blogging about my d.i.y's has kept me passionate to keep trying/experimenting with new goals in home decor/clothing."  

Sustainable Living

OK, just to be clear, I'm not advocating Unilever products, but I thought this is a good video about changing behaviour for sustainable living:

Excited Times Two!

There are two things why I'm so excited....


Number 1:


I received the recycled give away from Mich L. in L.A. in the mail on Saturday. 

Had to wear it immediately!  Hugs to Mich! 
Then in the excitement, I forgot to take a snap of the other pair of earrings I got ! :-O


Number 2:






Jill from Creating My World to Success invited me to be the Asian host in March 
for her Creating Success Worldwide Hop. I'll be hosting crafters who refashion/upcycle/recycle. How awesome!
All you have to do is link up below and remember to grab the button.  For bloggers who reside in the Asia continent who want to be my guest blogger in the March edition of Creating My Success, link up and send an email to : greenissuessg@gmail.com


Good luck!!!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny

Nope, you're not going to see me in a polka dot bikini, but you might just catch me in my newly refashioned beach shorts!  I polka dotted them with the tangerine fabric of my old maternity top, which I had used for my snowflake dress, and added a little sparkle and lace to the pockets.  Don't you just love this colour? I just can't seem to get enough out of it.

Greeny Crafter 4 - Recycled Fashion

Well, I still haven't decided what to refashion. Maybe I should just chill out and it will come to my mind, or may be I could just hop over to Erica's Recycled Fashion for some lovely inspiration!  Actually, I wasn't really sure whether putting "Recycled Fashion" in the title of this feature would be enough because i) she also blogs at Recycled Sewing about her crafts made out of recycled and unwanted materials; ii) she is one of the editors of the refashion collaborative blog Refashion Co-op; and iii) she just may be one of the wonderful ladies leading an op shopping tour for the Melbourne Op Shop Tours (Ugh, I wish I had known about these tours when I was last in Melbourne. I love vintage stores - sigh, next time!).  This is one talented mum!

Erica wearing one of her refashions!

Oh the irony!!

I read this article in the NY Times "How the US Lost Out on iPhone Work" and was not surprised with this:


"...Apple executives say that going overseas, at this point, is their only option. One former executive described how the company relied upon a Chinese factory to revamp iPhone manufacturing just weeks before the device was due on shelves. Apple had redesigned the iPhone’s screen at the last minute, forcing an assembly line overhaul. New screens began arriving at the plant near midnight.


A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company’s dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day.


“The speed and flexibility is breathtaking,” the executive said. “There’s no American plant that can match that.” "


But, I don't see how this can be treating workers with dignity and respect as is stated on Apples' CSR webpage!  If I was to be woken up many times in the middle of the night and work for such long hours, I definitely would go crazy!!

What's Wrong with Our Food System?

What do you think of  11 year olds? They're on the verge of becoming teens, they're probably going wild and giving us a nightmare?  Well, not Birke Baehr. He's smart and he seems to know where he's going and what he wants to do.  He's determined! Check out his talk on "What's Wrong with Our Food System?" at TED (linked below).




Which leads me to think, what about my son? He loves MacDonald's (unfortunately), especially the fries and the burgers.  When I told him about what goes into the beef burgers (did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution?), he replied "But it tastes nice, mummy!" Ugh......  his friends like MacDonald's too -  it's cheap and of course there's the free toy that goes with the Happy Meal. 

And what is he eating at school? In Singapore, kids are encouraged to buy from the school canteen. I suppose it's part of getting them to be more independent. But the choices don't look healthy to me - kids have to ask for vegetables if they want them, and which kid would ask for a helping of veg anyway?  And there are so many sweet drinks. I try to make sure he takes nuts & fruit snacks at least twice a week - am I being a mean mum?

Veggies on the side, literally!

There's cut fruit but the drinks are sweet!

Tired

Feeling wiped out.  I started part-time this year and my little boy started big boy school. Part-time doesn't feel like part-time, it feels like full-time but on fast-mode. I wonder how other working mommies feel.... do share!

Since school has started I've been receiving tonnes of letters from school -  sign this, read this, make sure this is done - why can't they just email me! 

So, haven't been able to think about any sort of refashioning or upcycling. Well, I have but it hasn't translated into anything yet :-)