Buy "Local" Books Online

O.K., by now you know I don't really like to shop.  (Oh, if my teenaged self could see me now!)  When I have to get something, I try to find it used.  Buying used usually means that it takes a lot more time to find.  That is unless you're looking to buy used books!  Amazon.com has made it so easy.  In fact, it's so easy that there's almost no point in buying one new anymore.  (Almost!)  Here's a simple little tip for greening your used book buying, which is inherently green already.  Find the one that's closest to where you live. Obviously, if there's a used book store in your town, you've already found the one that's the most local.  If you're not so lucky or they are out of what you want, here's an example for buying one of my favorite books on amazon:

In the third column (Seller Information) it lists specifically where the book ships from so all I need to do is figure out which state (in this case Utah, Oregon, Maryland, or Virginia) is closest to where I live and buy that one because the price and condition of each are all similar.  Ebay and Etsy also list where your goods will ship from.  

The shorter the distance the book has to travel/ship, the less gas it will take to get to me, Yeah for a smaller carbon footprint!

That's it.  Easy enough, huh?  Happy shopping! 
Peace,
Stacey

Barn Wood Shelves

My reclaimed barn wood shelves went up in the kitchen last weekend!

And I couldn't be happier.  (Well, maybe if the painting was finished but let's not get greedy here!)

I found a listing on craigslist for reclaimed wood from local barns.  (Yes, craigslist again!)  Our vision was to use something exactly like that for the "new" kitchen shelves... that was until one of my friends asked me about the wood she had just purchased.  She was concerned about lead paint and unlike our floors, her's came with a enough of that antique red paint to raise a red (pun intended) flag!  

But I digress... I found something local AND reclaimed!  What a score!  I just asked for pieces where all the paint had faded or chipped off... mostly.

Who needs a truck when a Prius can haul 7' boards?

We were still concerned about the lead issue so we decided not to sand this wood.  We'd learned from installing our reclaimed floors that after about 5 coats of water-based polyurethane, most of the bumps, scratches, and splinters are smooth. That's what we ("we" meaning Mr. Green Stuff) did here.  After many, many coats, we ("we" includes me here because I held the boards!) cut the barn siding to the proper length to transform them into our shelves.

I searched for months trying to find some used shelving brackets that would be strong enough and fit properly. I failed.  I finally found these super, cute ones from a manufacturer in Texas.

And even though someone had his doubts about the sturdiness of my purchases and someone else hem-hawed around because of the old paint, as you can see, they're up now!  And we're both happy!

Let's just hope there is no more drama involving these shelves!

Peace,

Stacey

Our "Scrap" Backsplash

We got a "new" backsplash behind our oven.

And the best part is that I salvaged it!  

I feel like I need to explain a little because "salvaged" might not exactly be the best way to describe it.  It's more like the idea of something being recycled out of "post-industrial waste" rather than "post-consumer waste." 

My dad has a factory that uses this galvanized sheet metal.  The sheet we used for our backsplash is cut from the scraps left over after the machine is fully assembled.  I guess it's best described as "salvaged post-industrial waste" then, right?

Whatever you want to call it, I'm happy because I saved this piece from being recycled or sold on craigslist, which is where I convinced him the rest need to go. 

We had planned on having a local sheet metal shop create the same look out of stainless steel.  That would have been a perfect match.  I would have been supporting a local business.  And it wouldn't have had that little dent in it near the bottom.  I realize all that but it wouldn't have had the same story.  (You know the story about my dad and the salvaged post-industrial waste!)  It also would have cost a lot more and wouldn't have had that cute little dent. 

So how do you classify this?  Salvaged?  Reclaimed?  Repurposed?  I kind of like my new phrase.  Salvaged post-industrial waste has a nice ring to it.  Plus, I kept something out of the recycling bin for a while and I used another person's trash to make my new treasure.

Peace,

Stacey

Beauty Unpackaged (LUSH)

Why had no one told me about LUSH before last month?!?  Seriously, did you think I wouldn't love the idea of a store that uses minimal packaging?  Did you think I'd be scared off by bar shampoo?  Was it the smell?  Wait!  What?  You didn't know about LUSH either?  Well, you're going to love it! They are fresh handmade cosmetics that are made from organic, plant-based products that are never tested on animals.  Did I mention that most of them come without any packaging whatsoever?!?

Let me start at the beginning.  I've been contemplating the "No 'Poo" hair washing method for a few months now... okay, closer to a year but I'm "nervous."  Crazy, I know!  Especially since I'm not into hair in the first place.  And, really what do I have to lose?  If I don't like it, I could always just go back to my conventional method.  (Maybe I was just to lazy to hunt down a bottle for the shower... it couldn't be that simple.  Could it? But I digress...)  So when a friend suggested I check out this store because they sell shampoo bars with no packaging rather than liquid that comes in (dum, dum, dum) plastic, I was excited!  Super excited!

I was so excited that I even braved the busiest mall around to check it out.  I left with 2 purchases and 4 free samples!  I got so many samples because I was hesitant about the smells.  I quit using or wearing perfumed (or "stinky" as I now think of them) products about 6 years ago.  Now I can barely tolerate them.  According to the manager on duty, LUSH is all about the smell.  My friend who told me about it loves the Karma scent and I almost bought it. 

Anyway, I've been using the Seanik shampoo bar and Jungle solid conditioner ever since that trip last week. Neither of which are stinky at all! And so far, I'm loving it.  Seriously!  Give me a month or two and I'll do a better review.  I'm just happy to find plastic-free hair products so I wanted to share it with you.

The only regrettable thing (other than the fact that I'm not being compensated for this post) is that I couldn't find any package-free products that did not contain SLES.  Boo!  What is so hard to find something without SLES or SLS?

Let me know of any other stores that are package-free.

Peace,

Stacey

Reverse Your Ceiling Fan

It's Winter!  And it's gotten cold here in the Midwest so we reversed the direction of our ceiling fans.  

This is totally not my fan because I was being lazy.  Thank you clipart.

Making the fan spin clockwise, creates an updraft.  This updraft will send all the warm air near the ceiling back down to where all our warm-bodies are.  Remember that elementary science rule about how hot air rises while cold air sinks?  Well, this just helps bring all that hot air back down to where we are.

You can join in the fun of saving energy by bringing the warm air where you need it too.  It's simple.  Climb up on a ladder (which is much safer than a rocking chair!) and flip that little switch on the side of your ceiling fan.  Turn on your fan and watch it spin clockwise. It's that easy.

Happy Winter to all in the Northern Hemisphere!

Peace,

Stacey