An entry in the recent Instructables Green Design Contest caught my eye:
Photo courtesy of IamWe via http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Free-Things-Box/
This simple little stroke of genius
(and generosity)
is just the sort of gesture we can all accomplish with just a dash of creativity and community spirit.
It’s called a Free Things Box.
The box’s inventor, a Dutch fellow named Berto, designed his freebie box to be placed in a person’s front yard or in a central location within a neighborhood.
What goes in it?
Small items that are no longer wanted by their owners but are still useful.
Think books, tools, toys, DVDs, garden seeds, fabric scraps, knick-knacks, etc.
“You can arrange with residents of the street that they can also put freebies in the box,” says Berto. “More people become aware to keep things out of the trash and from the landfill.”
Neighbors can add or take anything they want as long as they follow these simple rules:
In Berto’s video (below), he shows how to make a sturdy weatherproof (and vandalism proof) box, complete with a “window for a quick look.”
Do you think this would work in your neighborhood? I’m definitely getting a box going here at the farm.
Brian gave me certificates to sign for Sisterhood membership renewals recently and I was moved to tears when I realized we have Sisters who’ve been with us seven years. S-e-v-e-n years.
Noelle Miller #111, Vicki Meeds #120, Rene Groom #185, Mary Setzer #378, and Samantha Douglas #449, we would love to send you a set of our MaryJane’s Home organic bed sheets as a token of our deepest appreciation (not to mention our intense need to want to pamper you).
Please email Brian your bed size and color preference (white, blue, green, yellow) and they’re on their way, brianogle@maryjanesfarm.org.
Coming up on year seven in one more year are 27!!!!!!!! Sisters! I love you!
Dear reader, beware!
If you have a weak spot for vintage china teacups,
you may want to sit down for this.
First of all, this post involves cutting fine bone china into pieces …
I know. It’s hard on the ears.
But, there’s also an imminent risk to your pocketbook should you continue reading.
Do you dare?
I thought you would.
So, now you’re dying to know how tearing apart teacups could spur a spending spree.
Well, take a look at this:
Photo courtesy of StayGoldMaryRose
No, your eyes don’t lie.
Those beautiful bangles are …
teacup
bracelets.
English artist Abigail MaryRose Clark has perfected the most perilous process of transforming porcelain cups into must-have jewelry.
Photo courtesy of StayGoldMaryRose
Lest you still feel faint imagining your grandmother’s mint-condition china set being rendered into wrist rings, let me assure you that all of the china used in Abigail’s work is sourced from the UK’s biggest china manufacturers as seconds and damaged items.
“I believe strongly in preserving, upcycling, and reusing beautiful objects that have outlived their previous lives or intended use,” she says.
Photo courtesy of StayGoldMaryRose via Colour Me Vintage
Abigail has been designing and making her Repurposed Vintage Teacup Bracelets since 2004 and is currently supplying them to Anthropologie and other stores throughout the US and UK. You can also find an irresistible variety on her Etsy shop, StayGoldMaryRose, for about $45 to $65 each.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Gutsy gals …
Photo courtesy of Getawaygals.com
and glammed hams …
Photo courtesy of Getawaygals.com
Where do I sign up???
The Getaway Gals Camping Club is the southern belle’s answer to the call of the wild.
Photo courtesy of Getawaygals.com
Mind you, “the wild” is open to interpretation …
Photo courtesy of Getawaygals.com
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sarah Hall!
Sarah Hall (mrssarahhall, #5223) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Birds Merit Badge!
“I spent a day researching birds native to my area and selected several I would like to see. I made a wish list that I hope I can attach here with photos of the birds I would like to see and some of the information I learned about them through my research.
I really enjoyed learning about the birds. I didn’t realize that a lot of birds look different while they are mating. I particularly enjoyed reading about the sage grouse mating rituals, called strutting. I bet this is where the term “Strutting one’s stuff” came from! Owls are my favorite animal and it was challenging for me to not make an entire wish list of owls, of course I had to include one!”
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
