Merry Microfiber Blog

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

When a debit card or credit card is expired – what to do with it?

If you throw them in the garbage, make sure you cut them up into little pieces first, so no one can get your information.

Or you could recycle them into useful items. My husband has cut up old credit cards and old drivers licenses into pics for his dulcimer. He has a difficult time getting dulcimer pics so he makes his own, and these cards seem to give him the right stiffness in a pic for playing.

Other ideas from Mary Cheapskate’s 6-15-10 newsletter were from 8 crafty ways to recycle, reuse old credit cards.

Some other links on that site were:

Artists recycle credit cards into crafts – like star magnets, or jewerly

10 creative — or desperate — uses for credit cards – ice scraper, Italian cheese scraper, paint masking, bookmark, straight edge, cake knife, grout caulking tool.

So have fun using these ideas or coming up with your own ideas on reusing and recycling those plastic cards.

Have you ever reused your large bird seed bags or dog food bags for garbage bags?

I keep one in my store room in the basement for garbage. When it is full I just take it out to the dumpster for pickup. It saves me on buying large garbage bags, plus it will stand up next to shelving or in a corner by itself.

I also collect my junk mail and other burnable papers,  I don’t want to go into the regular garbage, and when I have a bag full, we either burn them or use them in the winter to burn brush piles. That way I not only have something to start brush piles with, but I get them burnt up as well.

So the next time you have large plastic or paper bags left from mulch, dog food or bird seed, think about putting them to use as garbage bags.

I also use them for collecting cans etc. to take to the recycling center.

photo credit: 1Happysnapper (photography)

Have you ever saved an interesting bottle to use as a vase? Congratulations you have recycled and reused an old bottle.

I have a number of old bottles in my cupboard that I use for interesting vases. Lately I found a number of interesting old bottles in an old dump on our property to use for decorations and vases. I even found a unique syrup “pitcher”.

I received an email with a link to a blog post about recycling beer bottles -“50 Awesome Ways to Reuse All Your Old Beer Bottles”  .

                                                                                                                                                             photo credit: patterson williams

Do you use stamps when scrapbooking or making cards or craft projects?

Do you use a baby wipe to clean the ink off of  your stamping blocks? My daughter does.

Then she allows the wipes to dry, after cleaning her blocks. Now the wipes are “colored” with different patterns and inks.

When they are dry, she said they look like fabric, and she uses them with her punches to make decorations for her cards.

She also uses her scraps to make other decorations for cards or bags or for scrapbooking. Her “kids” – hers and the daycare, love to help color paper and punch out decorations to make gifts for their parents.

A good way to use old polyester double knit is to make them into durable rugs. I love the ones my daughter has made for me. They wash great and are very durable. Below are some instructions I found on how to make one.

Posted on the Garden Web by Posted by blueberrier1.

Make a kitchen/bath/doorway throw rug. This is washable.

Assuming you have a sewing machine that will stich thru a base layer of PREWASHED medium canvas or heavy denim and the double knit fabrics:
(1) Cut double knit into 2-3″ bias squares. 100% accuracy not required. I have used some circles as well.
(2) Hem your canvas to rectangle/oval/other desired shape and size. My largest are about 18″x36″.
(3) Pencil stitching lines on base fabric top side. Lines should be 1/2-1.5″ apart. Lines can be curved, if you feel dramatic. You can mark what color of double knit you want in a specific area or just have random placement.
(4) Stitch the knit pieces to the base on the diagonal. I like to overlap the tips by 1/4-3/4″. I stitch 1/2″ from the outside edge.
(5) One of the easiest ‘designs’ is to stitch a circular patterm from the center, and then finish the rest of the mat parallel. Much depends on your machine’s throat space. Backstitch at edges/ends.
(6) Additionally, if your knits are the lightweight types, tuck small pleats as you stitch. On most uses, I place a mesh carpet mat under this mat. These mats “shake out” easily. They are tough, hold lots of debris, yet comfortable to stand on if you have a stone floor. Am planning to make a mat from my silk scraps for my bathroom.
If you desire, you can line the base of the mat. Most of mine are made on a commercial walking foot machine with #69 upholstery thread. Some were made with poly cotton thread and are still in use. If you only have a standard machine and thread, you could double stitch pieces.

There are numerous ways you can recycle your Christmas cards.
photo credit: San Sharma

My daughter has made me gift tags from old cards, you can also use old cards to make new cards.

In a couple of our area towns, the senior citizen’s make new greeting cards from used cards. Think about donating any of your greeting cards to them.

Let the kids make pictures out of them, use them for craft projects.

I have even framed a few that I have received.

Some people use the front of old cards to write letters on, or use one to make a postcard, just put a vertical line down the center of the back, of the front of a card, will also save you postage.

So don’t just throw them away after Christmas, reuse them or donate them to someone who can reuse them.

Got an old golf bag – use it to store mops & brooms & put your microfiber cleaning cloths in the pockets. If it has wheels you could even take it with you around the house. Hook a spray bottle on the top edge, and you will have your cleaning supplies ready and handy. Another good point given by Lee – PA (Everyday Cheapskate Newsletter 9/19/09) is that it stands easily in the corner of a closet out of the way.

It is important to keep your sewer working properly, to keep it from getting clogged up. Carolyn P. from Tenn. suggests instead of buying bacteria to add to your sewer each month, just flush down 3 pkts of yeast.                                                                         photo credit: nsaplayer

I enjoy getting the Cheapskate Newsletter, for she has numerous “reusing” and recycling ideas.

Some that her readers sent in today are:

• Judy, OK says: she has a dishwasher that she doesn’t use, so she stores her large plastic dishes, bowls, and other light weight bulky items inside. She has a tiny kitchen so this gave her more cupboard space. (Besides, if you only have a few dishes to do, it may say you money washing them by hand.)
• I used to use an old one, I had, by my sink to put my dish drainer on. I didn’t have any extra cupboard space by my sink, and it didn’t work very well, so I gave it a new use.
• Sharon G wrote that when she is moving she uses her tablecloths, cloth napkins, potholders, table runners, sheets, bath towels etc. to put between her dishes when she is moving. That way they are protected but also still clean when unpacked. Good way to pack those cloth items as well.
• Need a holder for your pens and markers etc. on your desk, use an “old” cup or mug. I have even used plastic yogurt containers to hold them. You can get used mugs that are attractive at thrift stores and flea markets.
• A small basket, that you could decorate, can be used as a business card holder.

If you are short of garden space, you could use vertical trellis to plant your vegetables on. You can make trellises with alot of different materials.

One way is like my daughter did – they built a trellis out of metal livestock panel and she planted gourds and morning glories on the outside, with dill and flowers in the center.

Trellises work good for peas,  pole beans, and cucumbers. If you have problems bending over, but still want to plant some vegetables, plant vining vegetables, then you can pick them standing up.

Another way is to plant flowers or plants in raised beds or in large pots, even old wash tubs.  This way your plants are also up off the ground, more at standing level.

Today, I was down to my daughter’s and she gave me the CD I had ordered from her through Discovery Toys called “I Going Green”. I was sad to hear that the CD has been discontinued.  But it contained songs like: Big Green Bug, Turtle Rack, Ticky Tacky Shacky, Climbing Up The Sand Dunes and of course I’m Going Green.

It is a cute CD with a bug, a frog and a fish on the cover. You may be able to contact a distributor to see if they have any available. Just go to www.DiscoveryToysinc.com and check on consultants to find one.

They have wonderful, well-built educational toys for the children. When Echo, my granddaughter, comes sometimes we get out the WhirlyGig and send it off. It is best to play with this toy outside, as it really can get to flying.

The description on the back of the “I’m Going Green” CD was: An upbeat collection of fun tunes that inspires families to get outdoors and interact with nature. Listeners also learn how they can do their part to preserve our environment.  You can listen to some blurbs of the CD @  http://imgoinggreencd.com/.

It is important to begin teaching our children how to live greener, to conserve energy and water for them and for future generations.

We are having a drought in our area. So when I blanch my vegetables I save the water from blanching and cooling and put it back on plants. Dumping your pets water dishes on plants is another way to conserve water.