K-Cups

                                                                                                         Week 13 (Save $13)

Saturday, March 28, 2015 ... Earth Hour came and gone. Earth Hour shows how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause. Its all about taking small steps towards Mother Earth so as to make this planet a better place for our communities and generations to come.

"You’ll notice that once you begin to upcycle that the possibilities are endless."

In 2014, 9.8 billion K-Cups were sold worldwide, and if lined up end-to-end, those discarded pods would contain enough plastic to circle the globe more than 10 times.

I am sure having a Keurig Coffee machine and the K-cups is a fast, easy and convenient.  It brews that perfect cup of coffee every time and there is no "mess".  The mess is all those plastic K-cups that are filling our landfills. 

John Sylvan, the system's creator regrets ever creating his invention.  He estimates that a single K-cup creates more waste than your conventional coffee machine which requires coffee filters.  How much you may ask? 10 times more !

The K- Cups are not recyclable at this time and they are here.  Is there some way we can recycle these K-cups on our own?  Maybe with a little effort we can do our part if we are planning to keep our brewing system.  I suggest, emptying out the used coffee grounds into your garden and then throwing the K-cup's in your recycling bin.  Or with a little creativity, you can reuse the K-cups.  All you need is a piece of masking tape to cover up the hole on the bottom and go K-cup crazy! 

Why not use the K-Cups for seed starters.  Drop your favorite seed into the coffee grounds and top off with some soil.  The hole on the bottom is perfect for drainage. Label the cups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How are you planning to recycling your K-Cups?

 

DIY E-Reader Cover

                                                                                          Week 12 (Save $12)

I had a request from a blogger, http://literaturefrenzy.blogspot.ca to make a protective cover for his E-reader. 

Are E-readers or E-books one of the must have fads for the future?   The E-readers are portable, weightless yet fragile, they have a long battery life  and a readable screens ... especially in the bright sunlight. The best part is the E-reader can store thousands of books depending on your storage model which may encourage you to read more. 
 
While the E-reader is this convenient small device which one can tuck into your purse or small bag. My experience with the E-reader is that I find this slick black mobile device erases my reading adventure compared to a hard cover book.  I miss the tangibility feeling of a real book, the smell of a book, to touch the paper pages and also running my fingers and turning the crisp pages.  The E-reader does clear up all that shelf space but give me a book any day!   

With the E-reader, it feels like every book I read is the same experience (other than the words), the touching and pressing of the buttons.  I decided for this challenge, I would create a simple DIY project using an hardcover book to bring the old and new together.

Let's get started! 
 
You will need old hard cover book, fabric glue, measuring tape, pencil, matching thread and needle, sharp utility knife, scissors, hole puncher, 1/4 elastic band (available at any fabric stores), piece of polar fleece.




Find a hard cover book that is thicker than your E-reader. 
 
Make sure the book is an 1/2 inch longer and wider in total on all sides (this book was a bit short on the sides but doable and I love the title of the book : Ten Eternal Questions ).

I would not suggest cutting up any priceless First Editions.

Cut out the inside pages from the book while being careful not to damage the spine with the utility knife.  You will be left with the outer covers and the book spine.  Cut  and save one of the pages from the inside pages to cover the exposed spine at a later stage.  

Center your  E-reader on the back cover and mark a dot on both sides for the top and bottom.  These markings will be punched (or drilled).

Punch or drill the 4 holes through the back cover.

Cut 2 pieces of 1/4 inch elastic and thread one through the top 2 holes and do the same for the bottom two holes. 
 
Stretch the elastic tight enough to be able hold your E-reader firmly (you may need to adjust the elastic). Trim off any excess elastic. 

Run a few stitches with matching thread and needle through the elastics to hold the ends (or hot glue the ends).   Repeat for the bottom holes. 



Measure the spine and cut and glue the extra paper to the exposed spine.  
 
Measure and cut the polar fleece for the left inner cover.  Glue down tightly. 

The polar fleece will protect your E-reader screen.  How cool is that !


Fasten your E-reader in place 
                     

                                 

Now you will have that wonderful feeling of holding a book in your hand.  

 

Happy Reading!

March break!

                                                                                           Week 11 ( Save $11)

 

It's March Break here in Ontario for school age students from JK to High School to have a relaxing week off.  March Break may also be referred to as Winter Break or Spring Break.  You hear the American's use the term Spring Break more than us Canadian's. 

Whether you are spending time close to home or afar for some warmer climates during this week.  Enjoy your time off with your kids!

Bake something Tropical

                                                                                                 Week 10 (Save $10)

We forward our clocks ahead this weekend, is Spring really on it's way?
 
Looking out my window and seeing the mounds of snow... I am not convinced and don't let that sun fool you either !
 
March break is just around the corner and for those who are unable to get away to some where Tropical , why not bake something Tropical. 

Here is my favorite Pina Cola Muffin recipe. It's super easy and the combination flavors with pineapple, coconut, sugar and rum.  They always seem to remind me of the Caribbean. 




Preheat the oven 350 F

Dry mix                          Moist Mix
1.5 cups white flour         2 large eggs
1/2 cup white sugar         1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder        3/4 cups of sour cream
1/2 tsp baking soda         1 tsp rum extract (or use rum)
1/2 tsp salt                     1/2 can crushed drained pineapple (8oz)

1/3 to 3/4 cup coconut flakes

In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients.  In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the vegetable oil, sour cream and rum.  Add the drained pineapple and mix well.  Add the dry mixture slowly combining with the moist ingredients.  Mix well and add the coconut flakes.  Fill 12 lined baking cups and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven until golden.

 

Enjoy your Staycation !

Revive the dying art of Sewing

                                                                                                 Week 9 (Save $9)




I altered the whole dress!

This is a vintage blue dress and this weeks topic is not going to be a world wide debate about what color is the dress.  This weeks topic happen to be a topic on my mind for a long time about whether to invest into a sewing machine or not. 

There are so many model's of sewing machines out in the market today with so many more features compared to the sewing machine I bought many, many years ago. If you want the state of the art sewing machine with all the bells and whistles, is it a worthy investment in the long term? 

I find it handy to have a sewing machine at my convenience when it comes to hemming, alterations, costumes, etc.  Sewing has always been a long time hobby of mine and even with all the skillful sewing techniques I have acquired over the years, I am not that passionate nor have any future plans to manufacture a clothing line.

The retail market is flooded with so many clothing outlets and it’s definitely cheaper to buy a piece of clothing than making it yourself (but then, I find alterations are always required).  If you can find the time and dedication to making something unique from scratch, it is so worth it in the end. 

I personally think it’s a worthy investment to own a sewing machine.  Why not pick up a preloved sewing machine and start upgrading your sewing skills by reviving the dying art of sewing... one stitch at a time!


 

 

What creative projects have you been working on with your sewing machine?