Myrtle Saves the World- Paper and scraps

I realize earth Day has come and gone but since I missed a post I'll give you my last random ideas on recycling:

Growing up, my mom had a scratch paper drawer. Any paper with a blank side went into the drawer. Then, whenever we wanted to draw, make a list, etc. we'd grab from the drawer. You can also make a scratch paper box out of a large cereal box like the one above (sorry it's so darn ugly but I thought I better give a picture).

Think of new ways to use old furniture-

i loved barbies when I was little. One Christmas my mom and brothers (okay, maybe just Jesse) made me a barbie house out of scrap wood. It was probably my favorite present ever! I made this Barbie house from an old changing table/dresser we had. I just made a roof and top back wall out of cardboard to make the right shape. I painted it with leftover paint we had. I went to a carpet store and asked for leftovers that they gave me for free (ask for discontinued samples or leftovers- also good for individual carpet squares for Nursery or home). We had leftover tile in our shed for the kitchen and bathroom. I made the bed, couch, cabinets, counters, and armoir out of boxes and covered them with paper or fabric (and made mini pillows). I used plastic battery boxes for the microwave, oven and dishwasher (painted black). I printed pictures of our backyard to put in small picture frames for windows (draw lines or cut paper strips for the panes). The table is a candlestick with a round piece of cardboard on it. That strange thing in the bottom right corner is an angled picture frame that I later added a fireplace picture to for a fancy fireplace and mantle. I added a wall clock by cutting out a picture of a watch from a sales ad. The closet is a jewelry box. I spray painted a plastic basket to make a crib and covered a sponge in fabric to make the mattress. I used toilet paper rolls to make the toilet and put half a plastic egg in the top to make the toilet bowl (same thing fot the bathroom sink). I still need to make the shower curtain (add eyelets to the top of a piece of fabric). I also need to make chairs for the table. Any ideas?

As you can see I had way too much fun with this. It's fun to create things.

Share your own recycling creativity or other crafty cleverness!

3. Save anything with names or pictures of places visited to use in your scrapbook. This page was made from the gift bag my postcard came in, much easier and cheaper than using stickers or chipboard for the lettering.

4. Use Magazine or newspaper clippings for lettering or other elements on your page.

5. Use stamps, stencils, or other reusable materials for lettering. I can't bring myself to buy stickers, chipboard and other fancy and expensive products for lettering. You use it once and then you have to buy it again. It just causes too much guilt for my practical, cheap lil' self. But I hate my handwriting so I bought some cheap letter stamps that I use frequently for my page titles and such. Stencils or typing on the computer are other cheap options I've used.

6. Collect scraps- tags, parts of cards, stickers, parts of gift bags, etc. It seems a shame that clothing tags are so cute and just get ripped off and tossed in the garbage. Save any tidbits that might have cute pictures, relevant words, pretty pieces of ribbon, whatever. Think outside the box and look for things you could use. Even the size/age tags on clothes could be useful in a baby book. And there's a kids clothing brand called "Emma's Garden" that I collect tags from to use in my daughter's scrapbook. Here's some examples of things I've saved in my scrapbox:

By the way these collections are great for card-making too. Collect cute pieces from different cards to make an original cute card of your own (maybe I shouldn't be admitting this to the people I receive and give cards to but I do put time and some of my own materials into them).

Well, that's just a few ideas I've come up with but I'd love to hear others. One thing I need to do is add more journaling to my pages. Any ideas on how to do that on old pages (keeping in mind my handwriting is not presentable)? What tricks do you use for making cute but inexpensive pages or cards? Or what's your alternative to scrapbooking ( I think blogging is part of the reason I've cut back)?

Myrtle Saves the World- Board Books

Turn old board books into mini scrapbooks or baby books of your own. You can make books for your baby with pictures and things they are interested in or make memory books about your babies. You could include pictures of extended family to help your toddler get to know them. You could also make a texture book or get gospel-related pictures for a good sacrament book.

You can order blank board books from stores like Oriental Trading or Romp, but this is Myrtle talking about recycling so I'm showing you how to recycle old board books (or rather referring you to someone who can show you). You can use ones your baby's outgrown or go to a second-hand store and find the cheap ones. Click here for the full tutorial. Share your ideas on what books to make or tips if you've done a craft like this? If you've got pictures send them to me or do a post.

Saving on Utility Bills

Here's a few ideas for cutting back on those ever-increasing utility bills:

1. Open your windows (including the shades) during the day and let the natural light light your home (and maybe give the windows a good shine first)

2. Use energy saver bulbs. Look for big packs on sale at Sam's Club/Costco. On lights that use multiple bulbs (i.e. fans, bathroom) use the minimum amount of bulbs needed. I find one bulb is sufficient enough to light our bathrooms and most the fans (especially when the blinds are up). I even took some of the long, flourescent bulbs out of the lights in the basement.

3. Run your dishwasher while you do your nightly activities (make sure it's full) without the heat drying option then pull out the racks and let the dishes air dry overnight.

4. Turn off the shower water while lathering shampoo and soap (same with hand-washing in sinks). I admit I don't do this in the winter, too cold without the water.

5. Instead of filling up a dirty pot with water to soak, just stick it in the sink and let it catch the run-off from other things you're rinsing and from hand-washing.

6. I keep some large buckets out by my garden to catch water when it rains and use the water for the garden (of course it rains quite a bit here and the weather's agreeable enough for a garden).

7. Turn off lights you don't need. I'm the light nazi and get on my kids about turing off the light in the bathroom and playroom and hall when they're not there. During the day I pull the light cord on the fan so the kids can't turn on the playroom light because the sunlight through the window gives the room plenty of light. In fact during the day, we really don't use any lights.

8. Unplug toasters and other appliances when not in use.

9. My mom used to airdry our jeans on the chairs out on the patio. Toss them in the dryer at the end of a load to get rid of the stiffness. I live in Georgia where it rains frequently and it's humid, so this method doesn't work for me.

10. Run full loads in your washers. With little kids around, it doens't lake long to fill these.

What do you do to conserve and save on your utility bills?

Myrtle's Juice Tip

Myrtle's Mingy Methods

Buy frozen juice concentrate instead of juice in a bottle. You'll pay almost a third the price, it takes up less space to store, it's healthier than juice blends (when you get 100%juice), and it will be cold. Also works great in a lot of recipes. Watch for store brand sales and stock up.

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Kid 2 Kid

Myrtle's Mingy Methods

If you like clean, name-brand kids clothes but don't want to rummage through the wall of clothing at Goodwill to find the one good shirt, try shopping at Kid 2 Kid. They buy and sell nice kids stuff. I admit I do most my shopping at the cheapy second-hand stores and come home with a big bag of kids clothes for the season for $25 dollars because I'm just that cheap and willing to dig. But when I need a particular item (shoes, church clothes, jeans) I head to Kid 2 Kid. Good place for strollers, carseats, toys and other products you wouldn't find or trust at other second-hand stores. By the way, they also have maternity clothes. Be sure to sign up for their e-mails so you can get coupons and find out about their sales. This week they're having their big sale so I got the boys some new shoes, two pairs barely worn for $7. I'm assuming the Vegas branch is doing their sale this weekend so good time to check them out. As I mentioned, they also buy gently used kids clothing and products but call ahead to find out what season they're taking and boxing/folding instructions. Not a great return but maybe enough to buy that pair of shoes your kid needs.

Note to authors: I don't want to see this picture three posts in a row, so if you want regular Myrtle tips, you gotta post :) Thanks Shay

Myrtle's TP tip

Myrtle's Tips & Tricks

Flatten your toilet paper roll before putting it on the dispenser. This will slow down the rolling so less squares are used each time. This is especially good for toddlers learning to wipe who tend to use half a roll every time they sit (even if they didn't do any business).

My Alter Ego

I had my brother take this picture of me by this sign at the botanical gardens because it fits me all too well. Just call me Myrtle. I'm a penny-pincher. It has been both a blessing and a curse to my dear husband. But now that frugality is in style, I thought maybe I'd share some of my little tricks with ya'll. If you like the idea let me know and I can make this a regular thing. Feel free to post your own tips and tricks. Authors, you can even steal the pic if you want (come on Deborah and Megan, I know you've got something to say). If I'm the only one cutting corners, I won't embarrass myself (or my husband) by publishing my stinginess.

Myrtle's Tip of the Day:

I buy 5 pound blocks of cheese at Sam's Club, cut them up, seal, and freeze the bags.

I do the same thing with grated cheese. I'm lucky enough to have a food sealer for the job (although I don't vaccum seal the grated cheese) but you can use zip-locks.

Note: Author reserves the right to be lazy and uncreative and not post a daily tip. The word "day" is for catchy title purposes only.