10 cheap simple things I to do to save the Earth and save some money too!

Remember that book that came out in the 90's 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth? I really enjoyed that book and I wonder what I did with it...probably recycled it! Ha!
Anyway, here is my little list of 10 things to do to Save the Earth or at least some money!



#1 Switch to dishrags for washing dishes. There are several really cute patterns for making your own, the one I like best is in the book Mason Dixon Knitting. Or you could make up your own pattern easily just get some of that peaches and cream yarn they sell in all the fabric stores, it's 100% cotton and get out some #5 or 6 knitting needles and knit up some squares. I was soooo attached to the Dobie dishwashing pads for years because well that's what my mom used and they worked so well, but now the company that used to make the Dobie pad Scotch Brite has a new product that is bio degradable called Greener Clean. Another excellent alternative to those plastic covered sponges, just make sure you don't throw your sponge into a plastic (non biodegradable) trash bag when you are done because the purpose will be defeated. You can put them into your compost, or put them into a biodegradable trash bag into the yard waste bin for trash pick up.
And this leads to...

#2 Switch to biodegradable trash bags. You probably buy trash bags anyway why not buy the good kind? They are available at this website...http://www.reusablebags.com/
OR another idea which would be better really...long ago, my dad used to line our trash bins with used newspaper. He read the paper everyday and would just fold the paper to fit into the the bottom of the bin. In our house we've actually gone through several incarnations with the trash issue. We used to have a square bin and the paper bags from the grocery store would fit into it. Then we stopped getting so many bags from the store and we just threw the trash into the can, but it got really gross and dirty quickly and I'd have to wash it, and the kids complained about why do we have to be so different all the time, why can't we just buy trash bags like their friend's parents. So I gave in and we got used to using the plastic trash bags, but it never sat right with me. So I'm super happy to have found a decent alternative.

#3 Use a clothesline! This is one of my biggest arguments with my family...why would you run the air conditioner and the dryer at the same time? Isn't that counter productive? Did you know the dryer is the 2nd most energy hogging household appliance? And when it's over 80* out and you can hang your clothes and they will be dry in the same amount of time? And I know where the hatred of hanging out the laundry comes from, I've been around long enough! As a small child I remember running back and forth through the sheets as my mother hung them out on the clothes line. I loved it but my mother didn't, she spent a long time washing, hanging and ironing all of our clothes. I also remember what a proud housewife she was when we bought our first house and she got a dryer! It was a sign of prosperity and having a good husband and a good life to have your own dryer. But these days most people don't remember that. Heck my husband is older than me and I don't think he remembers it...but maybe his mom got a dryer before my mom did. So it's no longer anything to do with prosperity kids! You don't even have to do it ALL the time! I put towels and jeans in the dryer and hang the rest, and I don't do it for every load. If you even do this once a month it will make a difference. And you will be rewarded whenever you hang out your sheets to dry, your linen closet will smell like a garden, it's amazing. And you get to sleep in this garden smell!
Here is a link to buy clothes lines & supplies... www.clotheslineshop.com/



#4 Use an ancient form of transportation! Your feet! Or you can even use a modern convenience and ride a bike! I recently bought a bicycle trailer and between the Trader Joe's, Riley's school and the library there isn't much reason for me to drive if I have errands inside of Newbury Park. Please be very careful of traffic, many motorists are not very conscientious of bicyclists.
#5 Go back to using a mop! Really, this is what stirred up this particular blog subject; I went to the store to buy refills for my swiffer mop, which I used all the time. I always felt bad about the chemicals in it but it was so easy to quickly just clean my floor at any given moment. I would use it and wish there was a way for me to refill the plastic bottle with a little soap and water, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. I've used this thing for at least 5 years. Well consumerism working the way it does it wasn't enough for the company to just sell me the cleaner refills and pads but now they had to go and change the design of the mop so that you have to buy a new one in order to use the cleaner! Well guess what makers of swiffer? I don't love your cleaner that much! It was the mop, with the convenient sprayer that I was interested in. I bought an inexpensive mop and bucket instead thank you very much!

#6 Take a bucket into the shower with you...or two. I got this one from my dad who was a master gardener. During the last big California draught he came up with this idea to have more water for his orchids and roses. He kept buckets in the shower to collect extra water and then took it downstairs to the garden to water every day.

#7 Wrap your water heater. That was Jasmin's suggestion...I bought one of those water heater blankets, now I just have to find it!

#8 Switch to rags instead of paper towels. Scotch Brite also has biodegradable bamboo wipes...ok I do NOT work for this company! I just found these in the store the other day and was so excited by them...true it does not take much to excite me! And I confess that paper towels are one of my biggest attachments, so I have cut down on them as opposed to giving them up. But at least I'm working on it!

#9 Buy 2nd hand stuff! Now when I was younger I bought everything 2nd hand because I didn't have much money...and now with the current economic situation I find once again I have little money! And I'm trying really hard to hold on to what little money I do have.... I like to buy things used. And anyway it's new to me! There are so many great sources for stuff you can go to craig's list or you could even barter for stuff you need. I also like to make stuff but that's not news!

#10 Grow a vegetable garden. It's fun, healthy, and sometimes frustrating. You could even do something as small as grow herbs or a tomato plant in a pot on your porch. For me digging in the earth and watching things grow is just such a joy I don't know why everyone would do it! I'm going to post a picture of the avocado tree I grew from a pit. Well it's the inside of the tree anyway, it's probably at least 15 feet tall now.
I just read Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal Vegetable Miracle, I'll just say it was amazing and inspiring and if you are reading this you should read that book too. You will be glad you did it!


These things are probably no big deal to anyone who lives in Europe or even many people in other parts of the U.S. but apply to our L.A. life style which is unfortunately is fast and competitive most of the time. And you know the thing is we have so many fabulous artists and creatives here but we are all struggling just to make it by, I don't know...it's a shame.

arrrr ye tired of pirates yet?

Well year 2009 Pirate faire is over and I thought I'd just attach a few more pics for the fun of it...I know there are more floating around the web too. These are from my friend Ayleene, she is a fabulous photographer, her website is in the watermark www.ittybittydemon.com

round #2-Pirate faire

I love the idea of going, but weekend #2 is here and I have to go camping for 3 days! I am not packed. I understand that for the general public 2 weekends of a faire is preferable, but for me who has to work 3 shows a day in 90* heat...well let's just say it's a different story! I would like nothing better than to stay home and putter around the garden and bake a pizza.

Oh yes you heard me complaining! haha! my bad...bad bad bad!



Let me make it up to you with chocolate muffins...chocolate chocolate chip muffins in fact! They are NOT on anyone's diet, they have sugar, butter, & taste like brownies only you can carry them around in your hand...you could even eat one while riding your bicycle...which I think I may do in a few minutes.


see! Jillian approves this recipe!

I made these up while I was in the kitchen so I'm trying to remember the recipe now....
preheat oven 350*
line muffin tins w/ papers or grease them w/ your choice of stuff (I would choose butter).
makes 12 muffins

2 cups of unbleached flour (or you can use organic whole wheat pastry flour too)
3/4 cup sugar (I use the brownish kind you get from the health food store)
3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder, I use Droste natuurlijk!
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
mix dry ingredients with a whisk breaking up any clumps of concentrated powder

in separate bowl
6 tablespoons melted sweet cream butter
about 1 1/2 cups milk (start w/ 1 and add more if the batter is too thick)
1 egg
beat the egg into the other liquids

add the wet ingredients to the dry at this point add more liquid if necessary, you know what muffin batter should look like right? Thicker than cake or pancakes, wetter than cookies.
Use an easy hand to mix
Dump in about 3/4 of a bag of organic dark chocolate chips and mix some more.

fill muffin tins
check at 20 minutes, they may need a few more minutes

You can also spread these with a little cream cheese that has been mixed with powdered sugar & half and half.

Yes it's Pirate Faire AGAIN!!

I don't feel the need to say much about Pirate Faire...I think the pictures tell the story pretty well. One more weekend left!

Pirates put on a show : Local News : Ventura County Star

Pirates put on a show :
Local News : Ventura County Star

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My cotton project

Not everyone I run across is aware of my multiple lives, belly dance students and friends don't necessarily know about my work in fibers, and visa versa. But that is part of what this blog is about, my attempt at integrating all the crazy split facets of my life.

So one of my belly dance students who is also attempting to live a low footprint life, mentioned that it was impossible to handspin cotton...she said this to me! of all people! It was her lucky day to be informed that it is indeed very possible to handspin cotton for multiple needs- knitting-weaving-string- and even easy and fun once you learn how it's done!


Well now that the year is almost over I'm telling you that the United Nations named 2009 the year of natural fibers. To me every year is the year of natural fibers. The ability to make objects we need that already exist in nature is a great gift as I'm sure most people realize. Current and future residents (of all species) of our planet stand to benefit from the use of natural fibers. From people who grow and produce commercial products to the home crafter we can lessen our negative impact on environment by using natural fibers. I don't believe we need synthetic fibers and they only add to our dependance on fossil fules. I have a strong belief that we can all enjoy abundant lives through local/slow food and (I just heard this one) slow clothes and more things beyond that. What we really need is less of everything in order to enjoy higher quality lives.


Back to the cotton story! So over the next few months I'm going to attempt to share the process of making clothing out of cotton from plant to finished product.

Here are pictures of the cotton trees in my garden. I planted them a year ago thinking they would just be the usual smallish cotton bushes that I have grown before, but for some reason they decided to become trees, the tallest of which is about 15 feet tall!

Cotton can be grown pretty easily in any temperate climate. Where I live we range from about 5-7 days below freezing to 14-21 days over 90* in a year. So it's pretty mild here, unfortunately we don't get much rain. You just start the little cotton seeds in the ground, I've done it any time of year. You have to protect your young plants if you have chickens or animals that like to eat tender young plants. I've been told it is a poisonous plant but I guess it's not to chickens as far as I can tell since one of my chickens ate my cotton plants a few years back and she is now 9 years old.
There are complete instructions on how to grow cotton in the current Fall 2009 issue of Spin off, for more complete instructions.
Here are pictures of my cotton plants! The pretty yellow flowers become large round seed pods called bolls, I will post pictures of some as soon as they appear trees and then they burst into cotton balls!

If you would like to try growing your own cotton, I'd be thrilled to send you some seeds, just send me a message!



I would like to add this piece written by George Carlin, I plucked it off of a newsletter recently...
A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little,watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too
much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are notgoing to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the preciousthoughts in your mind.
And always remember:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin

labor day is lovely!

The unbelievable heat and dryness we experienced in Southern California last week appears to have given way to total perfection! I'm sitting on my backyard deck watching Robert assemble my bicycle trailer (part of my grand plan towards world domination through, yarn, bellydance, & bicycle riding) and enjoying the breeze and sounds of hummingbirds chirping. Of course part of my grand plan is also to move away from L.A. to an area where I can ride my bike to do what I need to do, have my garden, chickens, dogs (yes even Tasha), have lots of fiber and bellydance friends, and Robert can own a pub (that's my plan for him not his) and illustrate children's books. Isn't that a good idea?


Anyway, in the heat...lucky thing for public pools and the Pacific Ocean! After her first day of kindergarten Jillian and I whisked Riley away to Sycamore Canyon, my favorite beach. We saw dolphins and a seal was body surfing.

Pictured here along w/ our afternoon at the beach are my backyard fairy hut & the avacado tree which I grew from the pit of an avacado I bought at the market.