Don’t trash that yet! 10 ways to reuse tin cans

Just a couple of the tins I use throughout my house for storing various items

Ah yes, those tin cans are everywhere and not just for soup: beans, vegetables, meals, tuna, etc.  And sure, you can recycle them, but why not give them a 2nd life?  Keep in mind that there are 3 main sizes here: tuna/salmon can (small), soup (medium), chopped tomatoes (large), so some of the ideas below only apply to one or two of these sizes; others apply to all 3 sized containers.

Here are some ways to repurpose your cans:

1. Use as a holders for pencils, tools or cooking utensils – need I say more?
2. Utilize as sorting containers for all your office/crafting needs – I use close to a dozen cans to store various things from binder clips, to foam tape pieces, to leftover twine, to small strips of cardstock.
3. Use as planters – either for new seedlings or established plants; make sure to punch holes in the bottom if you need drainage for your plant and decorate it to make clever looking planters like these:
   

   From http://www.re-nest.com

4. To make outdoor candles – melt down leftover wax bits from other candles/crayons, replace the wick and you’ve got a simple outdoor candle (you can even add some drops of pure essential oil of citronella to help drive mosquitoes away)
5. As a paint holder for small jobs – just pour what you need into a can; easy to hold and walk around with
6. In lieu of cookie cutters – I keep a clean, formerly-used-for tuna can in my utensils drawer and use it to cut out dough for doughnuts, biscuits or large cookies (soup cans will render a smaller circle); works like a charm!
7. Use as a scoop – for potting soil, for salt/sand to put down on icy sidewalks, for scooping dog food, etc.
8. Make a luminary or lantern – fill cans with water and freeze, mark a design on the outside of your can with marker; punch out your design using nails/hammer; let the water defrost and replace with tealight/contained candle (so it doesn’t leak out/block your holes) and use to light up a pathway or add wire to can and hang for ambient light
9. Use as irrigation – punch small holes in the bottom of a large can (think whole tomatoes), place in your garden and fill with water; it will slowly water your garden
10. Make a pincusion – I’ve been spotting these a lot in the crafting world; check out this really cute/simple one:
    

    From http://www.designspongeonline.com

You can leave these plain for the industrial/simple/metallic look (like I do in the first picture for my extra clothespins that I use for projects and like I do for spools of thread in picture below ), you can paint, decoupage or just add paper and tape.  Whatever your fancy.  These can be super handy and need not look trashy.

Using these tips, you help lessen your impact on the earth and can save you $ from buying gadgets that also take resources to make.

Reduce, reuse then recycle!

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DIY: Strawberry Ice Cream

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my ice cream maker for a couple years now.  I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I’ve only used it a handful of times.   Like others, I romanticized the idea of making homemade ice cream whenever I wanted but the less-than-spectacular results was often what relegated this oversized gadget to the bottom of a dark cabinet only to emerge when the random mood struck.

And yet, whenever I did my annual room-to-room purge/donate ritual, I was reluctant to let my ice cream maker go (when typically I part ways with anything I haven’t used often in the past year).  I finally emerged victorious tonight when the combination of right recipe and right technique aligned and the result was sweet, creamy joy in a bowl.

First, here’s the recipe from my favorite, allrecipes.com:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Eggless-Strawberry-Ice-Cream/Detail.aspx

Here it is with my few changes (noted in italics):

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk (I only had low-fat and it worked just fine)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup white sugar (I scaled back to 3/4 c. as suggested by other reviewers)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups mashed fresh strawberries
• 2 drops red food coloring (optional) (I chose NOT to use any food coloring; I like the natural coloring offered by the fresh strawberries)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, strawberries, and food coloring. Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.  (I prepared the ice cream mixture and refrigerated overnight separate from the ice cream maker insert, which I kept in the freezer overnight; this way when I poured the mixture into the maker tonight both were very cold which helped to firm up the ice cream – something I’ve always struggled with in the past; I let it churn for 45 minutes)

And that’s it.  Pure, simple dreamy ice cream.  You really should try it.

As for my ice cream maker and I?  Well, we’ve become fast friends.  My hips, on the other hand, will have to reconcile at a later date.  And I’m okay with that.

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Reveling in down time

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that generate the happiest memories.  This past Wednesday night was one of those moments.

I usually work in my studio until 4 or 5, make dinner, and then we proceed to eat like zombies in front of the TV.  However this past week, the weather warmed up a couple days and we went from snow on the ground to nearly 70 degrees.  As much as I love the snow, I must admit that this turn of events sprung a bit of spring fever in me.  It was glorious to throw open our french doors onto the deck and let the fresh, warm air flow through the house.  It also got me craving grilled food.  So on Wednesday night, we set out to grill.  I prepared a ton of food to last us the week (some weeks I spend a few hours on one day to prep/cook everything and then can just reheat the rest of the week and save time then). 

We grilled fish (for fish tacos), marinated/skewered shrimp, different flavored sausages , even pineapple (which yields such sweet/tender fruit perfect for finishing off a grilled meal).  We use a small charcoal smoker that takes much more time than a gas grill but lends to a wonderfully smoked flavor. 

Since we tend to fall into gender roles with me cooking/David grilling (which is funny because we have quite the egalitarian marriage, but I love to cook, but don’t care to grill and David vice versa), it allowed me to sit in an adirondack chair and watch David grill.  Oh the smell of mesquite hardwood burning.  If there was smell-o-vision, I certainly would’ve taped it for you.  Those slow food movement folks are onto something.  I grabbed our post-operative pooch, kicked my feet up and took a big, deep breath.  Gosh it’s good to be outside, I thought. 

And instead of grabbing our food and plopping on the couch when it was ready, we stayed on the deck and soaked up every last bit of sun while enjoying our meal slowly. 

When the sun finally descended  behind the mountains, we just cozied up next to our grill which was still hot and kept s uwarm.  We played catch with our exuberant pup, Zoe and her favorite football toy.  We didn’t talk much.  We just enjoyed the feel of the warmth, the scent of the air, the taste of our food – it was really a feast of the senses.  

We stayed out there for a good 2 hours, just sitting still and enjoying the simple pleasure of the outdoors.  By the time the coyotes came out cajoling, the fire died down, the tips of our toes and noses turned cold and we knew it was time to turn in.  Not before I took another nice deep breath, smiled widely and thanked the universe for a perfect evening.  I felt so happy at that moment.

And the best part?  It was free (we’d have to cook regardless, so there was no extra cost), it was just out the back door and the fresh air and quiet time was not only good for our psyche but good for our pups as well.  Such a simple event yet still brings such warmth to my heart when I think about it.  Sometimes we get so caught up in our routines and filling up our day that we forget to sit outside in nature, be still, engage our senses and take a moment to be grateful.

Make time for it.  The payoff for such little work is amazing.

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Friday Shop Update: New this week!

I’ve finally transitioned to working in my studio exclusively and it’s been good sticking to a committed space and leaving my business there and not scattered all throughout the house.  I’m now trying to stick to a schedule, because like a squirrel and shiny objects, I can lose focus and start something new/random in a split second leaving lots of unfinished carnage in my path.  That’s the thing about working for yourself…it’s really easy to go upstairs and watch mindless TV for the entire afternoon.  No one’s there to stop you.  Discipline is key.  However, it sure is nice to be able to throw a load of laundry in between projects or to take off in the middle of the day to run an errand/visit with a friend.  And I can honestly say that I LOVE “coming to work” everyday now.  My creative instincts are being greatly satisfied.

So here’s what’s new in the shop this week – 12 items this week, including several Earth Day specific items.  (Also, I donated some items for an Earth Day auction to benefit some environmental groups – stay tuned for more info!).  Click on any pic to see/learn more about each item.

Gift Wrap accessories - gift tags and gift bows all made with recycled paper and paperboard:

Stationery - envelopes and envelopes seals/stickers made from recycled magazines, as well as recycled cards made from various reused/recycled materials:

Photo cards - mounted on 100% post-consumer recycled content cardstock (these come in sets of 5 or 6):

Coffee or Tea Sleeves/Cozies - thrifted and “felted” wool sleeves to protect your hands from super hot or cold to-go beverages:

Okay, this weekend I’m really gonna get working on those candles and vintage button hair pins!  I’m also getting ready to launch an eco-friendly supplies shop on Etsy, so that is also keeping me busy.  Its hard to quiet an entrepreneurial spirit. *shrug*

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my shop!!

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DIY Coloring Easter Eggs Naturally

So its that time of year and while I don’t celebrate Easter in the religious sense, I think it’s fun to partake in the “social holiday” and it certainly gives me an excuse to enjoy those sugary treats that are only available once a year (hi – cadbury mini eggs anyone?)   One thing that is certainly popular is dying Easter eggs and many people reach for the artificial colors/kits they sell in the stores.  Although I haven’t colored eggs in years, I decided to try the natural route using common household ingredients that are far better on the environment, costs very little and produces beautiful natural hues.

Steps:

1. Boil your eggs – (the method I use is to put all eggs  into a pan with just enough water to cover them by an inch, bring to a roiling boil, then turn off burner, put a tight lid on and leave for 10 minutes undisturbed; when time is up, put eggs in a very cold ice bath for 10 more minutes; this results in beautiful eggs that are easy to peel and have no unsightly coloring *note, you’re supposed to wait until eggs are room temp before starting the process – I was too impatient and some cracks in my eggs were the result, so best to wait it out!) 
   
2. Prep your natural dyes - while the eggs are prepping, prepare your dyes – have lots of little containers around (I used small mason jars, old salsa jars, measuring glasses, etc.
3. Liquids – if you are using any liquids below, I recommend heating them up to a boil, transfer to a glass container (to free up your pan), add 2 tsp. of vinegar and drop your egg in
4. Solids – for any solids that you are using, chop up dry ingredients, add enough water to cover solids and boil for 20 minutes; mash ingredients to extrude as much color out as possible and strain; transfer to glass container, add 2 tsp. of vinegar and drop in egg (for spices I suggest bringing 2 cups of water to boil with 2 tbsp. of spice added in, then follow rest of direction with vinegar, etc.)
5. Frozen – with frozen berries, for example, add enough water to cover and bring to a boil (I would imagine that with frozen juice concentrates that you could just boil it without adding water), transfer to glass, add 2 tsp. vinegar and then drop eggs in
6. Soak – let eggs soak a minimum of 30 minutes, and upwards of a couple hours depending on preference for depth of color (and keep in mind, these will look more like natural Easter eggs – earthy, soft and muted, so don’t expect the harsh color that comes from artificial food dye or kits); if you plan to eat the eggs, then you should move your glass containers into the fridge once the dye has cooled off (usually after the inital 30 minutes) – it still works in the fridge.  You can also double-dip; that is, take out one egg after 30 minutes and put a second egg and let it remain in the dye for 2 hours, for example – the change is fascinating.  My early colors were pale and light; the later ones deep and earthy.
7. Enjoy! – I find the best way to enjoy a hard-boiled egg is to crack the egg all the way around, then roll it between your hands; this loosens up the shells and makes it easy to peel

Here are the different items you can use (keep in mind that I haven’t tried all these, so it may be trial and error for you, but I put an asterisk next to what I did use; my results will be noted at the bottom):

Red:

• berry juice or frozen berries (strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, pomegranate) *
• fresh grated red beets (said to produce the strongest red colors)
• Red Zinger tea *

Orange:

• yellow/brown onion skins
• cooked carrots
• paprika *
• chili powder *

Yellow:

• calendula/pot marigolds
• ground turmeric *
• ground cumin
• green tea *
• carrot tops
• chamomile tea

Green:

• spinach *
• liquid chlorophyll *
• turmeric and items from the blue category (red cabbage or blueberry juice) *

Blue:

• blueberry juice concentrate
• red cabbage (yes, you read right and said to make the most beautiful Robin’s-egg blue color)

Purple:

• grape juice
• red wine *
• red onion skins

Brown: (I know you can get these at the store normally, but these produce a nice light tan color that goes well with muted pastel colors)

• coffee *
• black tea

Results

Wow, this was fun and the results were great, though some things didn’t work at all while others worked surprisingly well – I just experimented a lot.  I had trouble with reds (if I only had beets in the house!); I tried pom juice and Zinger tea to no avail and didn’t have any individual frozen berries, so I used frozen mixed berries which still yielded a lovely bluish-purple!

For orange, I used a combo of paprika and chili powder and had a muted orange (more like tan).  However, my chili powder is more brown (heavy with cumin) but I’ve seen bright red chili powder out there and read that it produces a gorgeous orange-colored egg.

Yellow was smashing.  I had straight up turmeric and that really did the trick.

For green I tried two ways.  I did the spinach mixed with chlorophyll – that provided a spotted, very muted green; for the bright green – stay tuned.

I didn’t have anything for blue, so I skipped it although I wish I had red cabbage in the house, although the mixed berries did make a lovely bluish-purple egg!

Purple results were great – I left one egg in the mixed berries mixture for longer than the bluish one listed above and it definitely turned more purple.  Red wine also did the trick once I heated it (it did nothing cold but once I brought it to a boil, then the egg turned a beautiful dark purple).

Now, with the leftover turmeric, I mixed in the leftover berry.  Although the liquid concoction looked a deep orange, my egg came out a beautiful bright green after only 15 minutes!  I left one egg in the same mixture for over an hour in the fridge and it came out an olive green!  Remember your primary colors – if you can make red/yellow/blue, then you can make the rest in case you’re struggling with ingredients on hand: red and yellow make orange; yellow and blue make green; blue and red make purple…

This is fun, you oughta try it!

From white…

To WOW!

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