Dishes and bowls? Worthless until broken!

I bought these pendants made with shards from antique bowls or plates while I was in Beijing. They are supplied with a government seal stamped on a tag attached to each pendant to prove its authenticity.



The next time your kids chip your dishes or break your favorite china, that could be an indication for you to consider starting a home based business creating mosaic art pieces.

With broken dishes on hand, I have done the ground work for you. Following are some websites that provide very clear instruction on how you can explore your creativity with your collection of broken ceramic wares. You will be so inspired that you may even want to hold a house "Break Things" party.

Something to decorate?

Prefer creating something that can be worn?

So, what else can be created? There is a long list from dmoz.org.

Still don't believe that it's worthless until broken? Then check out what the experts are breaking in their shops.

DishnChips

Melissa's Motif

Repsyche

Broken By Design

So, what about those chipped pieces that you are not so willing to break up? See how such antiques in China are used.

Out of date? Have $ in mind.

Before you throw out those out of date, shape or style and mostly "out of sight out of mind" clothings that you have been hoarding all these years, find out how you can make some money out of them.

Yeah, I bet you think I was going to suggest selling them on eBay. Well, if that is what you have been considering, give it a go; but not before you read some eBay's powersellers tips I have pluck out from the universe here and there.

From the regular guy on the street; eBay Powerseller Personal Finance Tips – Turn Trash Into Cash.

Here's another who is sharing his 13 Steps to Profitable Auctions and Stephen's methods.

Want more professional information? Read 51 tips from a panel of experts complied by Gisela M. Pedroza of Entrepreneur.com.

Prefer hard facts, then read what Tim W. Knox of Online Profits 4U has to say on "The Secret To eBay Success".

Anyway, who say you have to sell them in order to see $ and cents? Try making changes to them and see if you can wow your friends with your ingenuity and save buying new ones. And if you made an asymmetrical mistake, it's OK. You can still try impressing them at the next fancy ball party you attend. If that is not a feasible idea, then take a peek at how Cindy shredded her old denim shirts. No, she did not throw them into the bin in frustration. She crochet the strips and turn them into a cool bag and shares how she pull it off.

For some inspirations for a fancy party fashion workout, you can check out The Costume Cow, where every design they have are made from things you already have. They even have designs of for challenged people. How thoughtful of them.

However, if those powerseller tips and the professionals writers have hooked you on to selling online, and you want to go professional, check how others are doing it first before jumping in.

ClothingUsed.com
Clothing-Used.com
Going electronics? Check out barfieldliquidation

Used clothings and electronic not for you? Then let Dmitry Davydov at uncommonbusiness guide you. Start with 7 Great Home Business Ideas For Women, then move on to Unusual Women Owned Businesses and if you want more, poke around and see for yourself.

Good luck in your creation of abun$ance from the otherwise forgotten and abandoned stuff.

Eyeing a new model again? Not when you can do this and that.

Before you trade in your old banger, check out what you can do with it first by taking a peek at Art Car Agency.

Take up the idea, pick those artistic vandals off your neighbourhood streets and solve one of the common problems faced by many with disposing their leftover cans of paint, and you are in business.

On top of that you stand a chance to win "The Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award (PMHA)", in public recognition of your business environmental accomplishments and leadership.

And once you are rich and famous, remember this old Chinese saying, "When someone shares with you something of value and you derive benefit from it, you have the obligation to share it with others".

What#@*!? Can't figure out how to market your graffiti rich car? Hmmmmm... Give me time to write a book about it.

An Inspiration and A Gift. See what I have received.

These are some ideas by Ernestina on how she sells her stone art.



Thank you, Ernestina, for allowing me to post a picture of your creations. What an inspiration! Using painted stone for my handmade jewellery ala eco friendly will be something that I will be looking into.

Also, I am now the proud owner of the following piece of stone art.




It was given to me by Suzi Chua of Universal Stones and Arts Paintings, all because she appreciates what I am doing on this blog. If you would like to meet up with this very friendly lady, try looking her out at Lim Art Handicraft N Souvenir Trading located at Sunway Pyramid where she conducts her stone painting classes.

So, I am not lying when I said that there is wealth from giving.

Plant an idea in marriage.

You cannot plant a tree for every tree felled in your lifetime but you can plant this idea across the world and watch it grow.

It is happening in West Java. Government servants who are promoted and couples intending to marry at the marriage registry office are encouraged to donate seedlings as part of a reforestation drive.

The idea was put forth two years ago by the district chief of Purwakarta, Lily Hambai Hassan, and it is finally catching on. Forestry officials distribute the collection for planting free of charge.

Other than seedlings, do you know that you can propagate from cuttings too? So, the next time you prune your plants or see them being discarded by your neighbours, pick them up and discover if you can grow them. If you need help with propagating plants, head down to the following link for gardening tips and answers:

Practicing Green Arithmetic in Your Garden

So, what are you waiting for? Start planting this seedlings idea around and look forward to an evergreen season of joyous happenings.

Bread and Butter? Oops, I mean Bread and Books. Before you...

Before you buy your next loaf of bread or throw away those old books, check out when High 5, a Silver Bird Group, will be giving away their loaves of bread in exchange for them.

It is their 3-in-1 effort that so impresses me as books collected will be donated to the shelters or childcare organizations and Komuniti Bestari nationwide. Can't get your maths right? Let me do the counting for you in what this effort has accomplished:

1) It reduces wastage
2) Provided reading material for the needy
3) It is a great way to promote High 5 Bread

Oops, again. You got me. It should be a 4-in-1 success:

4) It did impress me to write about this effort.

Feel free to correct me again if you decide to making it a 5-in-1 idea by adopting it in your company.

Junk Mails and Unwanted Media? Before you throw, check this out.

Do you know that you can make a living out of junk mails and old magazines? If the idea of collecting to sell them at the recycling centre for a few cents does not appeal to you, then check out what this enterprising company, Just Marketing, creates with their collection of outdated magazines, pamphlets, newsletters and books.

Now you know where you can go to, if you are looking for a 3-in-1 gift idea as they

1) are handcrafted and eco-friendly
2) can offer a source of income for single mothers, homemakers and underprivileged women who create them.
3) are bound to make your recipients happy with their delightful uniqueness.

What more can we do for recycling? Support it!

On boycott, plastic reduction petition and such.

I have a confession to make. I am the 388th person to sign the Plastic Reduction Petition.

I am moved to sign it because according to the website, EPA has reported that over 380 billion plastic bags are consumed in the U.S. each year and when these are indiscriminately discarded, they choke waterways and litter beaches, parks and streets. If this does not bother you, think about the animals and marine life affected when they are entangled in the mess.

Should I have signed it? If the law to tax or curtail the use of plastic bags in U.S. is enforced, it will not affect me and I can still opt to accept plastic bags offered by shops in Malaysia. Whose life have I affected when I signed this petition?

This question dawned on me when I read a GreenYes forum member's posting encouraging those who are environmentally conscious to boycott companies who supply their beverages in non-returnable containers in bottles and cans. The concern is that the garbage generated by these products is becoming a very serious problem in his country.

Boycotting? Should I participate? The success may lead to other social economic problems that can be as bad as the environmental issues. These multinational corporations are providing jobs that are needed for the country to strive eoconomically. If these companies are pushed to move their operations elsewhere, bootlegging may flourish when there is a demand for the drinks that are popular.

If you do a search on the internet, you can find many ways to utilize these waste materials. I discovered that Clean Washington Center provides many useful reports on how to use waste from glass and plastic.

This is a very common plastic food container being used in Malaysia for takeaways. Instead of throwing it away, I have created a Hibiscus out of plastic bags to decorate its cover. I can use it to store little trinkets like my daughter's hair pins and such. Would reducing waste be a better option?



With a little creativity, the bottom of a plastic bottle for storing detergent, an old piece of sponge and a picture cut out from a food packaging can be put together to make this little piece which I am using to add a bit of colour to my kitchen wall. Is there a possibility to use the idea to raise funds for the needy? If not, I am sure it will look cheery too in an old folks home or orphanage.



If you live in UK, The Recycle for Cornwall, has a very useful tool on its website to search where you can send your waste material to recycle. If the users are aware of such information, it will encourage them to recycle the waste they generated.

On an artistic approach, work on enlisting the help of a well known artist to create an art out of waste material. Maybe that will encourage irresponsible companies involved to participate for publicity if not for a greener environment.

I tried working in that direction in Malaysia but the Malaysia Book of Records chose not to recognise my creation of Watering Pals, using plastic bottles and plastic bags, and it was rejected. Study this idea and see if it will work for you in your country.

GREENBEING'S 3-IN-1 IDEA TO A GREENER ENVIRONMENT

Maybe, instead of waiting till the children grow up to become irresponsible business owners, we should educate them about the importance of keeping the environment green. If you need some ideas, check out how Heidi Rhoades, a Substitute Teacher at Palm Beach County, is teaching the children through her "Ecology Webquest" programme.

Don't want to do anything about it? Maybe some information about the estrogenic compound from plastic and how it can affect the health of your love ones will push you to a decision. Read what Dr Mercola has to say about it in his views on Why Plastic Shopping Bags Should be Avoided.

Bored with the design? Before you chuck or shop again...

I think it is fun to be able to dress up dolls no matter how old you are and put it down as an effort for "the sake of recycling". I prefer to use plastic bags over fabric to create my dolls because it saves me the hassle of having to pick the needle and thread to sew them up. With plastic, double sided tapes will do.

The following pictures show dolls that I have created using plastic bags and bottles.

This was created on the request of Gardenia Bakeries (KL) Sdn Bhd for display in their conference room.


Watering Pals created for the garden of the kindergarten my children attended.



Need more inspiration?


If you are interested to create your own, find out what are the scrap materials you will need to start collecting at the following link:

Nancy's Watering Pals

If you take time to read about its creation, you will be impressed by what else this doll can do for you.

Plastic bags can also be used to create costume for school concert. Here is one I created for my little girl.


For those who prefer to use fabric, remember that you do not have to buy new material for your creation. Look through your wardrobe to see if there are any outdated scarfs that you are no longer using and follow a devoted Grandma's easy instruction to create Scarf Dress. What a discovery! Grandma Carol also knows what you can create with your socks for Barbie.

If you think creating Barbie's turtle neck with one of a used sock is a mean thing to do, then check out Throx. His online store sells socks in set of 3s for the price of a pair.

Thank goodness, we no longer have to be bored with our dolls' costume when there are so many talented designers out there sharing their ideas and knowledge on patterns. Check them out yourself:

Star Wars! Costume From Team Padawan

Sewing Tips

Choosing Fabrics for Doll Clothes

You must also check out this website on "Period Clothing". Tudorlinks has taken the trouble to archive very useful information about period clothing and have also generously provided patterns on creating them. Spread the word around about it before this knowledge is abandoned and forgotten.

Maybe instead of buying a new costume for your children’s dolls the next time they ask, help them expand their creativity by letting them create their own, using whatever scrap material your imagination allows you.

If you are adventurous enough you can even create costumes for your children's next school concert or function.

VHS and cassette tapes? Before you chuck, check this out.

So, you have upgraded your audio and video equipment. So, what are you going to do with all those VHS and cassette tapes you have collected over the years?

As long as you can crochet or knit, you are in business. Check out your competition first.

Pictures of Cindy's Eco-Friendly bags

Poke around Cindy's website for inspiration and some free patterns she has generously provided. The next time you want to buy a gift, support her recycling efforts by buying her eco-friendly creations.

For those of you who prefer to learn through Japanese symbols, check the instructions posted on Hass Design. That is the only way I know how to read crochet instructions and I picked them up from my collection of Ondori crochet books.

Who said you cannot make money out of waste material? So, don't worry Grandpa Cassette, we will still be looking out for you.

Buying gifts? Before you start thinking about gold again, check this out.

Do you know that the production of one gold ring generates 20 TONS of mine waste? Other than loosing trees read how the environment can be affected in the business of mining gold and see what you can do about it through No Dirty Gold.

So, the next time you buy a gift or things for your home, ponder awhile to consider its processes and how it can affect the environment if it is not recyclable.

This knowledge initiates my 5th incentive to do all "ThRRRees". I am using stainless steel, which is 100% recyclable, in my creations. So, will it be up to scratch with gold? You tell me.

Stones? Before you chuck, check this out.

My husband gave up rearing fishes and managed to give away all the paraphernalia he has amassed for this hobby. The only thing that we held on to were the beautiful stones he has bought to fill his once huge aquarium. They look so lovely; just the kind of stones one would pick up during walks by the stream or beach.

Recently we found a place for them in our garden. My daughter enjoys shifting through the larger stones to look for the smaller glistening pieces. It is like a treasure hunt for her. So, we are very happy that the stones have a new purpose in the garden.

Expanding on my creativity, I have created a paperweight out of one of the bigger pieces.



Not impressed? Then check out Ernestina Gallina is doing with her stones.



She has proven that with some colours and imagination, even stones can make great gifts. She has generously provided some free painting lessons in one of her links posted at Ernestina Gallina's Gallery.

How else can this creation be promoted? Check Suzi Chua out. She has created "rock ambassadors" to express her concern for the endangered animals in Malaysia. Look out for her stone painting of mammals like Tapir, dugong, Malayan tiger and marine reptiles, such as, the leatherback turtle.

Maybe these painted stones can be a reminder for the future generation. If they do not do something about it now, one day Suzi's paintings and pictures may be the only way they can show their children what these species look like.

What about rubbles from old buildings? It could be your former school being torn down for expansion or the cinema in your hometown making way for a shopping complex. If you come across one, think about picking up a nice piece of rubble from the site. Then go look for a picture of that building and see if these ladies will help you paint it on your rubble. Maybe you can find a buyer for it on eBay.

How about creating a sentimental keepsake of the stones you have collected during your hike up a mountain or a walk by the beach? Choose your best photos taken of the trips and have them painted on the stones. It is also a great souvenir idea for friends who could not join you for the trip.

For an idea of what kind of stones or rubbles you should look out for, check out Patty Donathan's free guide at Pet A Rock.

If you would like to horn your skills further, you aught to read Techniques In Painting, Drawing And Calligraphy. by artist, Hugh McDonald.

From there he has a write up on "Some Useful Chemicals" that should help you to reduce wastage in your creation and also save cost by providing alternative material.

Also, pop by his gallery if you need inspiration.

Something Old? Before you chuck, check this out.

As Southeast Asian countries progress, many teak-wood homes and buildings are being torn down and replaced with modernized brick or concrete ones.

I recall living in an old style Malay "kampung" house while I was a kid in Melaka. When our family expanded, extensions were made to the house and in the process the hall made up of wooden planks and staircase to the entrance with beautiful and colourful inlaid tiles were demolished. If my family members have had the foresight to keep those tiles, we could easily sell them online or in antique shops along Jonkers Street for a good price.

Do you know that, there are also companies who would consider buying your wooden beams and planks that you can salvaged from the demolition? One such company is TerraMai. They sells "reclaimed" wood sourced from around the world. I read from their website that, SmartWood Certification Systems estimates that one thousand acres of old growth forest are preserved by reclaiming one million board feet of lumber.

So, on the next trip back to your hometown, take a look again at the old house to see what you can salvage before it becomes the next target for development. If you need some inspiration, here some ideas for those old shutters to start with.

Don't forget to take some pictures for your children to remember your childhood by.

Doing My ThRRRees for My Children

I read a posting on a forum about a lady who is wondering why her 20 years old son seems to have no direction in life. He sees no urgency in getting a job to fend for himself.

If we apply Newton's third law stating that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, the issue she should be wondering about is, if her son has being brought up in a life of "abundance", is it too late at his age to bring him back to perspective?

Sometimes in our love for our family, we allow them to do things that may not bode well for their future wellbeing because we forgot this "cause and effect" law of nature. We only look at the present longing of loving and pleasing them without thinking of the consequences of our overindulgence. We know that it is wrong to kill and yet we are slowly killing ourselves by the actions of the people we care about.

This reflection makes me realized that I have to make a change in the way I love my children. For a start, I will let them join the "Children's Choir", organised by Sungai Long Buddhist Society, so that they can learn to sing professionally.

If they are good at it, it will be a bonus for me as they will be selected to cut an album and earn an income; a possible head start for their career? If not, at least I am sure that they will be happily, morally educated as they do enjoy singing. I also believe that singing is a very good way to learn a language, in this case, Mandarin.

So, what has this got to do with doing my ThRRRees? To ensure that this “not for profit” project succeeds, I am donating money that I will be receiving from recycling my waste to Sungai Long Buddhist Society. This is my 4th incentive to recycle.

Remember that for every action that you take, there will be a reaction. Is there a meaningful project that you would like to support through recycling? Post your comments here and wait for the reaction.

Plastic Bags? Before you throw check this out.

My daughter kept loosing her water bottle and its holder in school. It is likely that everyone is using similarly looking ones that she finds it so difficult to locate her own once it is misplaced. Over a weekend, instead of going out to buy her another water bottle holder, I decided to create one for her.

So, will I be upset if she loose it again? Not likely going to happen again because it is too personalized to be mistaken for others and I did enjoy pleating the plastic bags I have on hand to create them. I love creating 2-1 solutions. Don't you?



Flowers I created from plastic bags to decorate the children's lanterns for the lantern festival.



Plastics bags are the best material to use to create things for children. Click on the following link if you need more inspirations:

Be Inspired To Reuse Your Plastic

Not inspired yet? Maybe this free tutorial, "How to knit a plastic bag", posted by Mike at Pie and Coffee will.

Now you know how easy it is to use plastic bags in your creation, let's see what else you can create with them.

Sandals crocheted from twisted-shopping-bag yarn

Want to work on something more ambitious? Check out Shaun Muscolo's wedding gown knitted from white plastic shopping bags.

Not your forte? Then read this idea and see what Rajiv Badlani is up to in his efforts to turn plastic bags into something useful and prevent them from choking animals and marine life.

Plastic: Do Your ThRRRees and Save Some Trees

Did you know that?

1) Plastic bags can take 1,000 years to decompose.
2) Most plastic bags are made from polyethylene, which is made from crude oil and natural gas which are nonrenewable resources.
3) When one ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved.

With that in mind, we should not let our plastic discards end up in a landfill. So, should we opt to use paper bags? EPA's advise is that you recycle your plastic discards and look into purchasing reusable bags or reusing your paper or plastic bags at the store.

Or do what Mike at Pie and Coffee said, "Forget about “Paper or plastic?” It’s time to make your own canvas shopping bag".

For more information about recycling plastic, try googling "EPA plastic". That is how I found the above facts for you. It is also interesting to discover that recycled plastic soda bottles and reclaimed cotton can be used to produce clothing and accessories.

What can be recycled and what products are made from recycled plastics? Read and discover for yourself at the following links:

Plastics: The Facts On Recycling

Products Made From Recycled Plastic

Recycling Plastics

Check out how I reuse my plastic. Let my pictures do the talking in the next posting.

Abundance from Abandoned, Tach’s Way

Tach teaches a very interesting Japanese concept of using 5S to get rid of stuff you no longer require, that is, Seiri (sorting), Seiton (arranging neatly; orderliness), Seiso (uniform), Seiketsu (clean) and Shitsuke (home discipline). For one of his core training subjects, he offers his corporate clients; he has managed to break these down into the following 5S in English,

1) Sorting,
2) Simplifying
3) Shining
4) Standardizing
5) Sustaining

Let’s start clearing some clutters in our homes based on Tach’s 5S principles.

1) Sorting,
Let us look through our stuff and sort out what we need and what we no longer need. Make sure that we have our priorities right and start getting rid of stuff that we know we are not going to use anymore.

2) Simplifying
When the sorting gets tough and we find it difficult letting go of things we have grown attached to, then let us work on it with the purpose of improving our storage space and updating things we have on hand.

3) Shining
I love cleaning till it shines. If that cannot motivate you to make a move than think about how it will feel to keep your place free of cluttered, unwanted items.

4) Standardizing
Let us start by clearing one area first then move on to the next, that is, from kitchen, to the dinning room, to the sitting rooms, etc.

5) Sustaining
Let us build up the momentum by setting a timetable to make 5S our housekeeping routine. If we continue to sort out things that we no longer require, soon we will have enough to start our 'garage sales' and make some money from the process.

For those of you who cannot stand the idea of people coming to your house, following are some other options:

• Set up a small stall at the flea market in some of the major locations, such as, Amcorp Mall, to sell your used items.
• Post your unwanted items to sell on online sites, such as, Lelong.com and ebay.com.
• Bring your stuff to Cash Converters to have them appraised for sales.
• Alternatively, you can avoid all the above hassles and pass the unwanted items to your friends or relatives. Be kind enough to ensure that they are still in good condition.
• Lastly, if there are no takers; before you trash it, please find out if they are recyclable. Post a comment of what you have if you need help.

Look out for my postings of solutions under "Abundance from Abandoned", before your “Treasured Discards” becomes “Discarded Treasure".

Don't Chuck That Woolly

Ashley Martineau recycles yarn for a living and enjoys it so much that she has posted a tutorial on how you can do it at the following link:

The Recycled Yarn Tutorial, "How To Unravel A Sweater"
http://www.neauveau.com/recycledyarn.html

So, before you throw away that damaged or outgrown or "I hate it" piece of knitted wear, unravel and discover what you can create with it in my next posting.

As Promised - Do It Yourself a la Cat Chow

Do It Yourself By Tina Baine:

Vest a la Cat Chow

Knitting: New uses for soda tabs, Reynolds Wrap and caution tape

For an idea of what to expect of "a la Cat Chow" inspiration

Cat Chow Gallery

Broken Brolly? Before you chuck, check this out.

Let Jill at fiftyRX3: Fashion Projects show you how to wear your blown out umbrellas as a dress, jacket and bag.

Jill In Her Brollies

Garments from Scratch to Finish

Cat Chow creates sculptural garments using her own fabric made up of one of these material:

metal snaps and metal "jump rings"
black rubber O-rings
baby-bottle nipples
buttons and bobbins
plastic jewelry tags
tape measures
wine corks
snaps
glass vials of water
zippers
Nokia cell phone covers
1000 pieces US1.00

Of the 1000 pieces of US1.00 evening gown that made it to the Chicago Cultural Center show and brought her fame; to create it using chain-mail techniques, she shredded each US1.00 notes received from donation into twenty-five strips.

Read news and see her creations on the following link and be inspired:
Cat Chow Wearable Art

Henceforth, look at waste around you differently and be on a look out for free tutorials to go with Cat Chow's inspired creations in my next posting.

Waste Paper? Before you throw, check this out.

Before you squash and throw away your 8.5"x11" piece of paper, check out Readymechs for some inspirations on how to make your own paper robot.

Readymechs provide free designs of flatpack toys for you to print and build. All you need, other than paper and printer, is a double-sided tape and 10-15 minutes of your time to create. As thick matte paper are suggested to be used, consider first printing on the unused side of your A4 wastepaper, then stick another A4 paper, with the used side to the other used side together.

Just click on the design of your liking for instruction posted at the following link.

Flatpack Toys

Need more inspirations? Here you go:

| View | Upload your own

More paper cut ideas by Peter Callesen

That's too tough? Then check this out for your next party:

Learn to create your own masks, then create some paper beads to decorate them.

Check out first before you throw.

Broken, incomplete set, outgrown, hate it; before you throw away your "whatever", check out who is buying...

http://www.barbie-klinik.de/index_e.html
German housewife Bettina Dorfmann repaires Barbie dolls at her home in Dusseldorf.

... and who is swapping...

Art For Housewives

She Recycles Plastic For A Living

Yes, she does make a living recycling plastic but if you envision her pushing around a trolley looking for plastic to cash in at the recycling centre, think again.

Liana Kabel calls herself, "Plastic Girl". Check out her blog to find out what she is up to.

http://www.lianakabel.blogspot.com

“One man’s meat is another man’s poison”

“One man’s meat is another man’s poison”.

With that in mind you would most likely think that the best way to get rid of stuff you no longer require is to hold a garage sale. The problem is, this principle applies in the family even before you can start the sales. Things your love ones have been keeping maybe be deemed “junk” to you but to them, they are stuff that they have been growing up with. Is there a figure you can fix on the price tag for things of sentimental value that will allow the keeper to gladly release them? Be fair, that applies to stuff you have been hoarding too.

Also, do you really want strangers walking around your house or your compound? What if they brought their kids along and they start messing around and breaking stuff you, suddenly decided, you do not intend to sell after all. And most importantly, who is going to help clear the “pee”, “poo”, “spills” and “splats” when “accidents” happen?

“Treasured Discards”, how can we merrily reduce them and still maintain peace in the family?

My 3rd incentive: Benefit from reducing “Treasured Discards” and live happily ever after.

Look out for my postings of solutions under "Abundance from Abandoned", before your “Treasured Discards” becomes “Discarded Treasure"

Creating with new and waste material.

Following are handmade jewllery I created out of wires and plastic from electric cables. Most wireman discard the cables cut offs after their installation work. So, these wires are unused waste material.



Do you remember standing by the cash register machine as the cashier removed the spool to insert a new roll? Did you you notice that there is some leftover roll of paper on the spool? These shoes tong are made of industrial copper wire that the factory machine is not able to completely utilise. Its as good as new. Note the different way the tong can be used on my sandals.



My shoes tong is also my necklace....



also my name tag holder....



Some like it fine, some like it rough. Prefer the bulkier version? It is made up of commercially purchase copper wire.



A clearer picture of one of the flower design my shoes tong cum necklace cum name tag hold is made up of.



Something more funky. Polymer beads are from my beading buddy.



My "Blowing Hot and Cold" pendant. Or should I use it to decorate my plastic photo frame? My daughter placed it on her head and said its her crown. What do you see?

Money Gobbling Hobbies

I love working with my hands and has been doing that since young. It is fun playing and changing forms of all kind of scrap material I can find in the house. The cost to play starts escalating when I started using new material and buying handicraft books to learn more challenging crafts.

When I took up a course to learn how to create my own costume jewellery, the intention was to cut cost of buying something to match something that I have. As my skills improved, I started using "swarovski crystals" in my work. In order to sustain this hobby, I started selling some of my creations.

So, what has this hobby got to do with doing my "ThRRRees"? I have started using scrap material and have looked into ways to make my creations multi-functional.

My 2nd incentive: Reduce cost of hobbies so that I can continue to enjoy them.

Let my pictures do the talking in my next posting.

Doing My ThRRRees creating paper beads

Can you recognize the waste material I have used in creating these?



These are beads made up of paper from:

1) centre piece of used up toilet roll
2) box from a birthday cake
3) corrugated cardboard from a packaging
4) empty box from a cough syrup
5) a box from McDonald's takeaway

The strings are raffia used to tie my cartons of eggs and ribbons taken off gift boxes.

Once you have all the bits and pieces required, you can start creating. Here are the steps:

1) Select colourful junk mail printed on thicker paper. These are usually brochure advertising housing development or advertisement in A5 size.
2) Cut into strips of 2cm by 6 to 8cm in length.
3) Draw a line across from one point of the strip to the other point diagonally opposite.
4) Cut along the diagonal line to form 2 triangles with right angles.
5) Place a toothpick to the broad end side of the triangle and roll it up till the pointed end.
6) Use glue to stick pointed end to the side of the bead formed.

Beads can be use to decorate a plain photo frame by gluing it to the frame. If you would like to experiment by using different kind of material to create your beads, you will find "This to That" glue advice website very useful.

Once you have created your beads, you can string them onto a raffia string or ribbon, one after another to form a beaded rope. Make it long enough to hang around the neck and your daughter will no longer be playing with your jewellery.

Make as many of these bead ropes as you can and you can create a room separator or curtain. You can make it interesting by varying the sizes of the beads. To complete it,

1) Tie something cute and heavy at the end to add load to the beaded ropes. These can be your collection of dangles you have been buying for your key chains or bags or mobile phones.
2) Measure the width of the door or window using a raffia string.
3) Add about 15cm in length for each end for tying up to the top of the door or window.
4) Tie beaded ropes to the raffia string side by side till it covered the full width of the door or window.
5) Screw in a hook at both sides of the door or window
6) Tie the ends of the rows of beaded curtain onto each hook so that it hang across the door or window.

By creating my own paper beads, I have

1) reduced waste paper from ending up in the landfills
2) re-used waste paper to create something different
3) recycled my knowledge of creating handmade jewellery by exploring using waste materials and creating different kind of things.

Explore and see what you can reduce, re-use and recycle in your life.

Do I do all 3Rs?

Doing all 3Rs., that is,” Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, can be a very difficult move to start for some, especially if they have not been taught at a young age to do it. “Troublesome!”, that’s the oft heard word if there is only one piece of each recyclable item to hang on to, till the next worthwhile trip to the nearest recycling centre. “What a mess!”, expect to hear that too.

Before I pushed you into giving up doing all 3Rs, generate your own incentives to spur you on to make it your purpose for living. I have some incentives to share with you with no copyright reserve. It may help you solve your problems that are “oh” so similarly mine.

My first incentive: I have heard my mother said it and now that I have a family of my own, I am saying the same thing too, "It is getting more and more costly to raise a family". Here are some of my cost cutting ideas for:

1) Dressing up Barbie for my little girl.
2) Pencil holder.
3) Dolls
4) Concert Costume
5) Stool for my children's tired feed
6) Something to decorate something
7) Jewelley for my girl to play with so that I can say, "Don't play with mine", and be heard.

Let my pictures do the talking in the next posting.

Doing Your 3Rs. Can you beat this?

Sometimes you have to do something provocative in order to be heard. I think Vanessa Tiegs has a very great way to express that there is noting taboo about menstruation, a subject not often talk about in Malaysia, where adults still feel awkward buying pads off shelf.

See paintings that she has created with her menstrual blood posted on Vanessa's Livejournal

For the brave at heart, at mum.org you can submit your own menstrual art.

If that is too way out for you, here is another way to do your bit for the environment.

Make your own Cloth Pads as taught by:
Tiny Birds Organics

Manymoons

Good luck.

Recycling: A Business Opportunity For Women

I have been invited by Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM) to conduct a talk in June on, "Recycling: A Business Opportunity For Women.

IKIM would like to generate an interest for women who have managed to create a business using waste material to set up stalls during the event. They are also on a look out for women to interview. Do you want to be in the scoop of this even if you have not started your own business?

Look out for my follow up posting on how you can do it through my "Abundance from Abandoned" project by creating "1033" or "563". This has something to do with what Dr Richard Wiseman said, "Lucky people tend to do things to bring them good fortune".

It Pays To Help

One of my friends requested me to accompany her to a free talk meant for single mothers as she was not keen to go on her own. She past me a newspaper article, written by Chong Sheau Ching, and requested that I call the number there to see if I could request the organiser to allow me to attend, as I am not a single mother.

I called and was told to write in which I did and that was how I met Frankie Ang, who conducted the talk “A Self-Discovery & Self-Advancement”. I was so inspired by what he said that I wrote an article about it and forwarded it to the organizer and thanked them for allowing me to attend it.

That was how I became involved with "eHomemakers". I did not know it then, but I first came to know of "eHomemakers", a network of homemakers, when they were still known as "Mothers for Mothers". A parent of one of the students from the school, my children were attending, informed me about it and my interest in their website started as they have some useful information on keeping the environment green under "Green Living".

Subsequently, "eHomemakers" requested me to conduct a talk on "Forgive and Live Again" and later, another on "Control Our Lives with Trust". I was glad that I took up the challenge as that started another round of research and my interest in helping others, especially, single parents, grew. I started writing articles on issues related to love, marriage and family and became very active on their forum. In my efforts to response to forum members who have requested for help or information I managed to source many information that I found useful personally.

So, what do I gained for all these efforts? It was a realization of strengths that I did not know existed in me and an opportunity to participate in "Science of Innovation" a programme for Malaysian home-based businesses organised in support of eHomemakers' members. Through this programme, I decided to set up my home-based business, SOYO Chic Enterprise.

So what do I hope to achieve through SOYO Chic Enterprise?

I read from the forum, that most women, like me, have given up their careers to become stay at home moms for their children. I know that by the time our children are old enough for us to join the workforce, we will be deemed “too old” for the workforce. Even if we are able to get the jobs we want, we will not be able to enjoy the pay we deserved based on our training and experience.

SOYO stands for “Stand On Your Own". I know of many women who leave it to their spouses for source of income. Should misfortune strike these sole wage earners, their spouses are going to be at a lost as to how they will be able to sustain their livelihood financially. With the mentorship I have gained from Global Innovation Research Center (GIRC) and eHomemakers by participating in the "Science of Innovation’ programme, I would like to generate an interest in women to learn a craft and create money making ideas that will enable them to become financially independent.

I hope that one day, “Let’s SOYO" will be a publicly known catch phrase to mean “Stand On Your Own, Together. My motto is, "My Success Hinges on Your Success". Will you stand with me?

It Pays To Think Green

While I was living in Singapore I stayed in a four room flat with nary a space for gardening. I did not know what I have missed until I returned to my home in Malaysia. With that two little patches of land, my love for gardening developed. Being new to the hobby, I started to surf the net and discovered a world full of free gardening tips. As I did not want to loose all the useful tips I have dredged from the web, I started my website, "GreenBeings Invasion". Google "greenbeings invasion" or "greenbeings nancy" and you can read what I have been up to.

Little did I know that this website, will one day become my resume and enable me to acquire my first "job" gardening for the kindergarten my children were then attending. That, I think is a great achievement, in light of my "green horn" status as a gardener.

The principal of the school liked what she saw in my garden, my idea of running it as a recycling project and after reading my "resume", the job's mine. I have a confession to make though; I was not paid for the job but my husband regained his peace of mind as I stopped nagging him to move to a place with a bigger garden as I now have three huge gardens from the school to experiment with.

I helped the school set up recycling bins from Alam Flora and managed to generate interest in parents of students studying there and my neighbors to give me plants they have in abundance in their gardens or their cuttings. While going for walks with my children, I also managed to pick lots of pruning and cuttings discarded in our neighborhood park. With these, I successfully propagated some and was able to plant a large variety of greens for the school.

I did more research about recycling and started giving talks to the children and their parents about doing their 3Rs, that is, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". That is how my interest for creating stuff out of waste material started. If you would like to view some of my creations using waste material, click on the following link:

Cashable Trash

As news of my "Think Green, Let's Recycle Greens" project spread, I started receiving free pots and plants that are no longer wanted. The principal was very happy with the cost effective ways that I manged the gardens that she offered to allow my children to attend her school and other activities at special rates or at no charge till they both graduated.

So, it pays to think green.