Recycling

Tools, Tips & Tricks
Free Invitation Printables

My baby is turning 4 this month! She has asked for a “Princess and Dragons Party” I’m still trying to figure out how I’ll manage that one, so I’m busy scouring the internet for ideas. I’ve come across a lot of great stuff out there, which I’ll be sharing with you along the way!

A lot of us send e-mail invites these days, but if the occasion strikes where a hand-delivered invitation is best – here is a set of 16 Free Printable Invites for your next party. And the great thing about printing your own invites is that you can choose to print them on recycled paper!

Via How About Orange, who also shares tons of other printables for all kind of occasions!

August 31, 2011

Tools, Tips & Tricks
DIY – Branches and Twigs!

Go out for a walk, pick up fallen branches – and make something beautiful!

For their room: image, image, image, image

For their imagination: How-to, How-to, image

For your home: how-to, how-to, how-to, image

For your things: how-to, image, image, image

Love nature!

August 18, 2011

Tools, Tips & Tricks
Repurpose It! Glass and Tin Packaging

Change the way you shop – consider what you can do with the packaging…

1. Paint the inside 2. Make candle holders 3. Grow a garden

4. Make stilts 5. grow a plant 6. make a magnet

7. Make a vase 8. make a table centerpiece 9. Display favorite photos


10. Catch the stars (try this-splatter glow in the dark paint inside)

11. Organize (try this-nail the lid to a shelf) 12. Make it look expensive

image source: youaremyfave.com, marthastewart.com, designspongeonline.com, craftedbylindly.blogspot.com, poppytalk.blogspot.com, teachmama.com, remodilingthislife.com, aprettycoollife.com, craftberrybush.blogspot.com, housetohome.co.uk

August 6, 2011

Tools, Tips & Tricks
Urban Farming – In your own apartment!

I know, it sounds crazy. I’m not talking about wearing overalls and converting your living room into a tomato farm, but it is interesting and not completely out of reach. Hydroponics is a way for city dwellers like ourselves to reconnect with nature.

Take a look at this video and consider maybe bringing this concept into your own home:

Here are some ideas:

  • Grow salad plants and have a fresh salad with your meal everyday
  • Grow herbs to make your own tea
  • Grow medicinal plants like aloe or lavender to make your own DIY beauty products

I called up this hydroponic shop in Singapore and right off the bat the owner was very friendly and helpful. He said to pop in on Sundays (Tanglin area), where they are open from 10am-2pm. There you can get informed, find out what’s best for your space and get on your way to having your own hydroponic garden!

Take a look at this video. Here, Britta Riley the creator of a product called Windowfarms explains why she’s passionate about the idea of growing your own food.

She also spoke at TED about her business and her passion.

Photo credit: tarteletteblog.com

July 21, 2011


Tools, Tips & Tricks
Eco-friendly Kid’s Toys

Have you heard of Green Toys? They’re great! They make a fun line of toys constructed from safe, non-toxic, recycled plastic (mostly milk jugs.) They even package it up in recycled materials printed with soy inks. Wow! Basically they keep our kiddies happy and our planet happy too!

Check out their website where they talk about how they do it. It’s a lot of passion, a lot of science and a lot of hard work and we really appreciate it!

No need to worry if the baby prefers to mouth the blocks or if your little one serves up real food with the chef set – the plastic is even food contact safe!

Here’s my daughter with her new tea set. She loves it! She spent the afternoon serving up grape juice tea with chocolate biscuits. Not a bad combination it turns out.

You can find them in Mother’s Work:

Tanglin Mall

#02-33 Tanglin Mall 163 Tanglin Road  

Great World City

#02-16 Great World City 1 Kim Seng Promenade  

Galleria, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

#B1-58 The Galleria, The Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands2 Bayfront Avenue

June 30, 2011

Tools, Tips & Tricks
Repurpose It! Ketchup Squeeze Bottle

Don’t throw away your empty squeeze bottle – re-purpose it! You can use it to make fun pancake shapes!

Not Martha shows us how to make a flower pancake.

June 23, 2011

Tools, Tips & Tricks
Balcony Make-Over

I love the thrill of decorating. Looking for inspiration, sketching out ideas – the possibilities seem endless! But it’s having so much choice that causes so much frustration!  Modern, Minimal, Rustic, Balinese, a little of everything? Custom-made? Ikea? Budget!?

Finally, we decided on a theme for our balcony – a rustic industrial look. Does that make sense? We’re thinking teak and stainless steel. I absolutely love teak – but my heart stopped when I discovered reclaimed teak! I’ll be honest, I wasn’t even aware that the options were out there until I started looking.

Have you seen some of the new tables at Starbucks, made from reclaimed railyway sleepers? It turns out, this is becoming popular and with the KTM railway in Singapore being dismantled, the wood is being taken and cleverly used by furniture designers.

One of them is Zia Concept, out in Telok Kurau. They can custom-make furniture from the wood from old railways or bridges. A piece of history! The wood has so much character – you’ll see holes from nails, old joints and cracks. The designer has an infectious love of design, with grand ideas, but said he would work with us to create something which suits both our needs and budget! I’ll update you on that. Plus they are very eco-conscious, careful about where they source their wood, making sure to never use wood taken from our precious rainforest.

Another shop I visited is Journey East. They have several locations around Singapore and stock a range of vintage and eco-friendly furniture. We looked at the Mamagreen-Icon Range collection which uses recycled teak. The pieces are clean, minimal and beautifully framed with stainless steel. Their d-Bodhi-Ferum Collection has an industrial yet rustic feel, using wood planks from old fishing boats. The look is worn, weathered and tells a beautiful story.

I’m now on the hunt for more eco-furniture to drool over. I love the idea of sitting at a table made of wood that once carried trains, or tackled waves in the open sea. It’s kind of beautiful to think that this once hardworking wood can now live a life of leisure on my balcony.

Balcony Makeover

June 9, 2011