Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Tuesday, Some things I have been working on.

     I have been experimenting with things that will make my kitchen  I guess more or less "green".  It is not that I am that concerned about the environment as a passion, I just must have been born green.  I have always been one to recycle, reuse, cut down and re-purpose, I guess I saw it as a challenge.  Anyway here are some bowl  and cake pan covers I made.  Some are plastic and some are cloth.  They can all be washed in the machine and the plastic dried on the clothesline. The nice thing is I was able to get this piece of clothe for .10 cents at a thrift store, I had bias tape and elastic so not much $ outlay.  I have enough plastic material to make at least 15 more of these.   You can get boxes of 20 disposable bowl covers at the dollar store and I love them but the mill rate is so low on the plastic they can't be reused.  I will never completely eliminate saran wrap but this will sure cut down on the use of it.  Plus I fight with plastic wrap, it hates me and it clings to itself and I get so frustrated with it at times.  Also do you see my new composting bucket for chicken scraps?  It was a Christmas gift and I love it.  Usually there was an unsightly bowl on the counter waiting to be taken out to the coop.



I also wanted to switch out my Fiesta ware for my grandmothers Fransican ware dishes.  I loved the Fiesta ware but it was very heavy and with the arthritis in my hands and wrists getting so bad I was having trouble with many of the larger items.  Even the dinner plates were getting dropped.  So I needed to switch to lighter dishes.  The Fiesta went to my youngest daughter.  I also disliked the remnant I had pulled from my stash 2 years ago to make valances for the Kitchen. I think I was just so desperate to get something done in the mess.  Anyway I switched the fabric in my kitchen out with new of course on 75% off at Joanns.  I think it goes well with the dishes and just adds a pop of color to a very  BLUE space.





I like the contrast of the blue and white with the brighter fabric.



























 I moved most of the flow blue to the dining side of the kitchen.  Now I just have to make new napkins and I already have the material.  We have used cloth napkins for as long as I can remember.  But after a few years they get a grease smell and need to be tossed. You can't see the chair pads but I just recovered the old ones.

I have been working on wax wraps but the ones I made earlier need to be tied or need a rubber band to secure them.  I also noticed that they don't keep out air as the block of cheese I covered was hard at the end.  So back to the drawing board.  I think I have the problem worked out now I just have to implement the new design.  Pictures to come!







I have seen we sites that show the elimination of paper towel.  I did not buy paper towels for years.  It was just one of the things you can eliminate when you have next to nothing to spend.  I did not miss them.  My extended family would complain when they would come and buy a few rolls, but after things have become easier I succumbed.  As old habits die hard I can keep a roll of paper towels for months.  I just use a sponge, or a rag.  Paper towel is for grease clean up and disgusting things like chicken blood.  See the pretty new cover on an old potholder?  It just brightens up the kitchen.





I can take a project off my list finally, the dishes have been switched and the kitchen revamped.

Yesterday ,Hub's and I took our large expensive area rug from the front room down to be dry cleaned.  Our dog in her last few days was not so kind to this rug.  But it had to be cleaned and Sissie is coming so I had better get to work, she is a spotless housekeeper and ultra organized, I am a true slob at heart.  The two bedrooms and the upstairs bathrooms are really scuzzy.

I might be able to get to them today after I get my sewing in the shop done.  Oh and dinner coked for my old neighbor who just got out of the hospital with double pneumonia.

So if you want to eliminate waste in the kitchen :

  • quit buying disposable containers and go to jars and left over containers from cheese and things.
  • reduce paper towel usage as much as possible, or look on the net to make reusable paper towels.  
  • Go to cloth napkins and wash them
  • Use reusable covers that can be washed for cake pans and bowls and leftovers.
  • Wax wraps are wonderful and so easy to use (at least the one I paid $8 for *ugh*) But I have not been stymied, I will master this skill.
Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim




19 comments:

  1. I admire your skills and ambition. I would love to think I could be like you but self reflection tells me otherwise, plus TheHub is a paper towel addict.

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    1. I actually will never get rid of paper towels as long as I have the money to buy them, it is just old habits and I really don't use them much. I admire your cooking skills.

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  2. I have a long response that I will post later. But, I have only seen that much flow blue in one place at once--at my antique dealer's house on his kitchen wall. If you are ever desperate, you have a small fortune right there! I am with you about the weight of Fiesta. Only Corelle will hold up to my abuse of late. And, I do love Franciscan Rose. But I chose another pattern. Sometimes, I wish I had chosen it to buy. Or, to get as gifts. I love your copper compost bucket. Is it airtight? Was that the purpose of the piece, made for compost?

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    1. I know the flow blue is worth a pretty penny and I will eventually sell it after Mom is gone. It is for the chicken scraps.

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  3. You have a lovely kitchen. I have fiesta ware as well. Corelle stand sup but it cracks and once it breaks it shatters!

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    1. I know and I have a tile kitchen floor. Corelle is out for me. and Thank you it still needs to be finished but we ran out of money.

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    2. I have a wooden floor, so that is probably while I rarely break anything I drop. The older I get, the more I drop. Soon, I will need a padded floor to go with my padded walls.

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    3. Just before thanksgiving I was wiping a counter and moving a 3 tier rack where I store some of my Fiesta ware. 4 plate flew off and hit my foot before breaking on my tile floor. These plates broke my toe and put me into a "boot" for more than 6 weeks. A broken dislocated toe HURTS!

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    4. I have Franciscan Ivy just like Lucy & Ricky had!

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    5. You poor thing. That is a hard story to hear.

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  4. My grandmother had those pink Franciscan dishes too. Your Kitchen updates look so nice.

    I agree Fiesta is too heavy.....love the way it looks but that’s all

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  5. I published mu solutions to getting the stinky, greasy out of dishcloths, dish towels, and napkins. It works. I sent people to see your lovely kitchen.

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  6. Wow, you have been busy my friend. I love your dishes, especially the flow blue ones...be still my heart! I try to pick them up when I see them at ridiculously cheap prices. Most of the time though people know their value so it is getting harder and harder to do. ;)

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  7. Lots of great ideas and nice bowl covers. Enjoy!
    Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

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