Happy Earth Day everyone!

 

Happy Earth Day!

 

Hi All,

Don’t you love that Earth Day this year falls on Frugal Friday…well Frugal in my blogging world anyway!

Thought I would share a few of my favorite images, some tips and a fun stamp set  I’ve come across and a flyer I created sometime back to share with people the ways in which Stampin’ Up works to protect the Earth and her resources.  BTW…as women…don’t you love that the Earth is generally referred to with the feminine pronoun!   Women have so many opportunities to take the lead in recycling, reusing and…of course…reducing…LOL.    Actually I was thinking of the reducing of what goes into the waste stream since women are the main shoppers for the household.  Though of course reducing our own weight as well as our carbon footprint is probably good for the planet too!

As stampers we have those opportunities as well.  Choosing our products wisely, supporting companies that take their carbon footprint seriously and of course reusing, altering and stamping everything in sight including what comes in your Stampin’ Up boxes!  😀

Awhile back Stampin’ Up ran a contest for new demo’s to encourage them to use whatever came in their starter kit.   Here’s one of my favorites shared on our SU Demo Showcase.  Elisha Johnson literally used the box and on another card she used an order form in place of DSP!  I’ve reused the brown paper and other packing materials but can’t say I ever considered the box itself!

Elisha Johnson's Starter Kit Card Contest Entry

****

To see what Stampin’ Up is up to in the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle department check out this flyer –

Stamping Green – SU eco-conscious practices – PDF Format 

 

****

My favorite “Chia Earth” in Stampin’ Up’s Pear Pizzazz!

*****

Reusable card tip:  When I send out cards to customers and other demo friends I put my own message on a post it note inside the card then they have the option to keep it all together or reuse the card for their own purposes.

*****

While I didn’t get a card made to share with you today an SU  friend and fellow demo Rainy (Susan Roberts)  in her post here had a brilliant project that showcases Stampin’ Up’s So Green Stamp set (catalog pg. 146).  Ideal for Earth day everyday type cards and more – And oh so frugally priced!  –   http://rainy.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2011/04/17/stampin-up-so-green-blog-candy/ 

So Green – order #118728 $14.95 Wood, $11.95 Clear Mount

*****

On a personal note: 

Earth day has always been a special day for me for a number of reasons.  As a kid I loved to repurpose boxes into imaginary space ships, race cars and of course my very own first apartments for the truly large boxes – so getting permission to do so and be ecologically sound later as an adult just added to the fun.  That and having a good excuse to walk beaches (cleaning up), roadsides (cleaning up) as well as grabbing things to use for my crafts just seemed all that much better too.    

Then later I discovered April 22 was the day my late husband was born so that alone made it a pretty special date.   He was always convinced that date for Earth Day was specially chosen with him in mind…hee,hee,hee.  Well he was an early conservationist, Boy Scout and neat freak who prided himself on  being a minimalist (until his computer phase that is!).    Even before we were officially dating we did things together on that day to celebrate the earth and make it a better place – of course in my on head… time spent with a cute guy doing good was fun in itself.  Later after we were married we set up neighborhood recycling stations in our garage and had neighborhood block parties with the funds received which improved the relations throughout the neighborhood as people got to know and care about each other.    Eventually curbside recycling came along but the parties still continued.      And of course we  integrated green living principles as much as possible into our daily lives…most in such small ways it was barely noticeable and rarely uncomfortable.   Choosing recyclable packaging, natural biodegradable fibers and materials, combining errands into a single trip and so on.   

 Making the earth more comfortable can make you comfortable too and save you money into the bargain.  Adding the right green indoor plants can improve your home and office air quality and reduce your medical bills as well as lengthen the time on your various furnace and other filters.  Reducing spending for non essentials can allow you to redirect those dollars into charities, fun time with family, better quality more efficient goods, more stamps of course (those are essential right?) and on and on.    

Stephen may be on to greener Heavenly pastures but the lessons we learned together still improve my life and home, neighborhood and hopefully the planet in some small way.

Lastly I thought I’d share the following I came across when trolling the net.

A fun crossword puzzle I came across to celebrate today –  to download it to print just right-click and save as a picture image then print using any graphics program or insert into a Word document:

Hugs, blessings and have a happy Earth Day.   Oh and even though Earth Day is officially April 22nd….feel free to make everyday….Earth Day!

I ♥ you and I ♥ the Earth! – Jean