Now that Spring is almost here… yippee… I am thinking about and feeling more weighted down by the winter months, not to mention my typical craft and DIY blogger hoarding ways, and of course my never ending Design ADD, and I'm getting uber-serious about my goals for The Great Purge…Uber… As the days go on, this project seems to be morphing into something that caters to both my health and my hearth (a.k.a. my home in case you didn't know). I majorly feel the need to transform not only my ways of the world and my home but maybe also my eating habits. And of course please consider my disclaimer that from henceforth when I refer to The Great Purge I don't mean bulimia, that's a serious affliction ya'll! Eek.
Now I'm not going to pretend I have all the answers here, since this is something of a new concept to me, generally speaking… What I mean by that is that I have never taken it upon myself to make such huge sweeping changes of mind, body, and home. So bear with me as I try and err through this process and maybe even consider joining up with me to complete your own 'Great Purge'.
Heck, let's make this a group project and help each other find the best path of progress together! I would love for you to post your tips and tricks or even your Great Purge like goals in the comment section if you have them. I need all the help I can get!
A few green related things (spring edition, remember) I am focusing on right now, and will be adding to my own personal Great Purge program for the coming months:
1. Eat Green, Family Wide: I already eat a bit like a rabbit, and always have, but especially since discovering 2 food related sensitivities (dairy and gluten) during my pregnancy with the bird. Now however, I want to spread the love to the rest of my family and attempt to not only add more green to our diet (and by 'our' I really mean them), but also to remove processed foods, fast foods, and unnecessary ingredients from our daily eats. I want to Purge the Processed and Preservative laced foods for all of us, stat!
2. Buy Smart: This is a multi-faceted task. The fact is, I simply can't avoid buying new items in my daily life. It's just not possible to circumvent this when you consider dietary needs (food), and of course basic project items for my work life as a DIY and Design Blogger. And let's be real, it's just not going to happen that I can go without buying for an extended period of time… but… I can certainly buy smartly and that means choosing items that I really need and not items that I might like later, on a whim, and choosing products with smart packaging that can be recycled or put to good use in a second life. I want to Purge unnecessary purchasing and poorly packaged items.
3. Recycle: Related to the item above (Buy Smart) and is really a large byproduct of purging that I would like to work on. First and foremost as I rid myself of unwanted items in my home, I want to be sure I do it properly by donating or recycling those items that might be of use to others or that are composed of plastic, paper, glass, and anything else that can be reworked into something new. If I paid good money for something, donating it to a good home can at the least make me feel as though it's not a fully wasted cost, but… in general…I want to Purge the wastefulness that has the potential to creep into our daily lives.
4. Cut the Crap and Upcycle Smartly: You see… as a crafty DIY blogger and just by nature, I have this tendency to hoard “craft supplies” or anythng I think might become 'something cool later'. 75% of my personal Great Purge will likely be in this category. Sometimes I actually get around to upcycling discarded items into something fabulous, like these (pictured above)… but most of the time it sits around junking up my shelves and making my office craft space feel chaotic and unorganized, not to mention unusable as a craft space (read… no actual surface space for crafting). I need to sincerely cut the crap and get rid of those hoarded supplies that haven't been put to use in a 90 day period. I want to Purge the wasted possibilities and get down to serious business in the crafty department!
5. Get the Toys Under Control: The other 25% of the disarray in my home seems like an over accumulation of toys. This item goes back to the Buy Smart item and Recycle item. Having so many toys simply isn't necessary and they just don't get use from my Monster Mash boy. There was a constant disater in his room that existed before I recently redid worked updated his space (seen here). During a recent project in there, I actually searched for 20 minutes to find my drill… it was sitting right out in the open and among his toys and I simply couldn't see it. Can you spy it above? A serious problem.. and ridiculous, but whatever… this is about problem solving and not semantics am I right? Might also be a factor of the color, but the seed was planted that things need to change. It's just too much… I want to Purge the chaos and clutter that exists for no other reason than to throw sharp pointed deadly legos into my path of progress…
I will begin with these few items and see if I can get some semblance of control going on here.. Are you in need of a purge too? Do you have any lovely tips to share with me? I would love to know your own tricks for getting out from under this unbearable weight.
This edition of the Great Purge is brought to you by Arrowhead Waters! Thank you Arrowhead, and FYI your clicks on the some of the links above benefit this site financially so click away baby! As per the usual: I received compensation for this article but all opinions are my own and in no way was I told what to say… Duh! Keepin it Real…
Some Important Facts for you to consider and peruse at your convenience…
Recycling is one of the easiest and most beneficial ways we can all help the environment. Sadly, only about 30% of PET plastic bottles get recycled. For recycling to work, we all have to do our part. Unfortunately, not all plastic bottles are made with recycled plastic. It’s Arrowheads goal to continue increasing the use of recycled materials in their bottles, but they need everyone’s help. Currently, there isn’t enough recycled plastic available for Arrowhead to make 100% rPET bottles. Make recycling a part of your family’s routine. 1. U.S. plastic beverage bottle recycling rates are only at about 30%2. 2.8 Billion plastic bottles ended up in California landfills in 20113. Even though a package says it is “100% recycleABLE”, that does not mean it is made with recyclED plastic. It just means it CAN BE recycled. In fact, most containers are not made of recycled plastic. 1. Arrowhead’s new ReBorn™ bottle is made with 50% recycled plastic and demonstrates how the plastic you recycle can be given a new life.2. Due to the limited supply of high quality recycled plastic, we need your help in recycling so companies like Arrowhead® 100% Mountain Spring Water can use more recycled plastic in our products!
