The Brass Paperclip Project

Ain't No One Here But Us Chickens

Woo hoo for chickens!  We finally started our own backyard flock and are super excited about it.  Our chicken odyssey has been going on for a few years now.  I've been wanting them...my husband, not so much.  After a some close friends recently decided to go for it with their own backyard chickens, I was finally able to convince my hubby to take the plunge.  While my husband was home starting our coop, my daughter and I paid a visit to Seattle's Portage Bay Grange to pick out our babies.  We are now the proud parents of these little cuties! 

All four hens should be good egg layers, so we're looking forward to collecting up to 2 dozen eggs per week starting at the end of this summer.  Three of the hens will produce light brown eggs, but Nugget, our Barnvelder will give us dark brown eggs like these...

Photo Source

We've been constantly surprised by the fact that these birds are so charming and fun to watch.  Each one has her own distinct personality.  Tucker, the Rhode Island Red, is our love bird.  She loves to be held and will fly up to sit on us any chance she gets. Here she is roosting on top of my daughter's head!

Watching them eat is hilarious...they all crowd around their feeder, sometimes stepping on each other, jockeying for the best position.  I get a kick out of seeing all four lined up with their little heads in the feeder and their tiny little rear ends sticking out.

Getting a good family photo of all four proved to be pretty tricky...I guess 3 out of 4 facing the camera isn't too bad!
Hope you enjoyed this intro to our flock.  I will share more information about our experiences with getting set up and the progress of our coop in future posts.  In the meantime, you may want to check out this post I did last year about the 2011 Seattle Tilth Chicken Coop Tour.  Do you have or plan on starting a flock of your own?  I'd love to hear about your experiences, so feel free to leave comments below! 

 

Junk Mail Blues :: Part 1

 


Since when did the humble mail box become a trash receptacle?  What ever happened to the days not so long ago when a mailbox was a magical place to check with anticipation each day because you never did know what might be in there.  An invitation?  A love letter?  Postcard from a traveling aunt?  Sure, there were bills mixed in too, but the odds of finding something great were much higher.  These days, the daily contents of my mailbox are about as exciting as watching slugs eat my lettuce.  Although the quantity of mail has gone up, and the quality has gone waaaaay down. 

I was shocked to learn recently that more than 100 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered to American mailboxes every year...almost 41 pounds per person.  Of that, almost half goes into the trash unopened. 

Ouch!  That junk mail is hurting us in so many ways.  If you're ready to tame the junk mail tiger, let's start by purging your inbox.  The following organizations can help you get your name off mailing lists to drastically reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. 

41pounds.org For $41 this non-profit guarantees to stop 85-90% of your junk mail for five years.  The fee covers everyone in your household and covers most common types of junk mail including credit card offers, coupons, sweepstakes, magazine offers and catalogs at your discretion. BONUS: $15 of your fee will go to the environmental organization of your choice. 

precycle.tonic.com Precycle offers two levels of service.  For $10 they can stop most junk mail for 2 years. Catalogs are not included.  For $20 (plus $5 shipping) you will receive the junk mail service plus a reuseable chico bag and 2 CFL lightbulbs.  BONUS: Both plans include the planting of 5 trees on your behalf.

CDMAchoice.org If you're willing to do a little homework, this free service allows you to control junk mail, mail to deceased individuals, mail to dependents and commercial e-mail solicitations. 

CatalogChoice.org This free service allows you to choose which catalogs you would like to receive, while discontinuing the rest.

OptOutPrescreen.com This website enables you to opt out of credit and insurance solicitations for 5 years or permanently.

In Canada, check out RedDotCampaign.ca.

Last, but not least, DoNotMail.org offers an opt-out tool as well as many ways to take action against the worst junk mailers.  Definitely check out this sight if you want to sign some petitions, organize some rallys or generally make more noise against junk mail.

Once you've slowed the amount of mail coming in, you will probably still be left with at least some paper that will need to be recycled.  The obvious solution is to simply toss your mail in the recycling bin when you are done with it.  The creative solution is to make something with it!  Watch for part 2 of this series for some amazing inspiration...here's a sneak peek at my security envelope roses...

 

 

2011 Seattle Tilth Chicken Coop Tour

Sometime last spring, I got the idea in my head that it would be awesome to raise chickens.  For the life of me, I can't remember what prompted the idea, but I haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since.  I went to a Chicken 101 class to see if it was something I would enjoy.  Still wasn't sold after the class, so I decided to go on Seattle Tilth's Chicken Coop and Urban Farm tour. 

What a fun day!  When you buy your ticket, you get a map to all of the participating homes and then you just choose the ones to visit that sound best to you.  We visited several coops last year and were fully sold on setting up our coop.  Flash forward a year...we still don't have a coop and I still have a hankering for chickens. 

I'll share some photos from last year's tour and some more information on my own coop dilemma in another post, but in the meantime, here are some photos from this year's tour....

I had the best coop touring buddy in the world...my 5 year old daughter.  We donned our most farmer-like hats set off for an afternoon of urban farming adventure. 

The first coop we went to see was modeled after a New Orleans French Quarter home.  Having been to NOLA many times and been seduced by her many charms, I was eager to see how she would translate to backyard chicken keeping.  I was not disappointed...the coop was darling with a great run covered in jasmine-like vines.  Black shutters, gingerbread trim and wrought iron accents added lots of "curb appeal."  All of the hens also had NOLA related names...the one that sticks out is the yellow one, named Beignet. 

The thing that I liked most about this coop though wasn't the architecture, it was the bedding.  When I opened the coop, I couldn't help but notice how GOOD it smelled.  I later found out the owner uses compostable cocoa shells from Theo Chocolates...what could be better??  Cocoa mulch bags are available at Theo's factory store in Fremont.  Ten dollars will get you 30-40 lbs. of mulch.  Score! (For those of you outside Seattle, Theo is the only organic, fair trade, bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the US.  Yes, we are sooo lucky to live here!)

The next coop on the tour was huge.  It had been built recently and was gorgeous.  There was a stained glass window, french doors and an attached potting shed.  Sigh...my own house should have so much charm!  This coop was home to eight gorgeous hens who were surprisingly quiet, but perhaps that was because they were gorging themselves on raspberries the whole time. 

Coop number three was a quirky little coop that the owners had adopted along with their first hen.  They added the shingles themselves and an automatic door opener.  Sweet!  In addition to the chickens the owners were avid gardeners and beekeepers.  (The bee thing intrigues me, yet scares me.  I eat honey like it's going out of style, but have historically been terrified of bees...will ponder this conundrum in another post.)  The mirror in the run was hilarious...the chickens were all gathered around it when we got there...primping for visitors maybe? 

Didn't get the scoop on the toilet bowl planter...honestly, I hope it was just filled with ornamentals...not sure I could bring myself to eat plants grown in it, but I do give them props for creative reuse.

And the award for most playful coop goes to this double decker spotted at Red Star Urban Farms.  Not only was the coop stunning, but it had a treehouse on top!  It took all the restraint my little girl  I had not to climb up and see what was there.  ;)

Built by the owners, Michael and Troy, of almost 100% recycled materials, the "gentlemen farmers" as they call themselves set the bar very high for the rest of us wanna-be chickenistas.  Be sure to click on the link above to visit their Facebook page for more photos and information about how to contact them if you need help with your coop.

But perhaps, the star of the show wasn't really the chicken coop at all...this bunny killed me!

And last, but not least, Bees City Farm.  The property was quite large and most of it was set aside for animals, bees or vegetables.  There were two goats...one very pregnant!...lots of ducks and chickens, as well as several bee hives.  Loads of veggies were growing all around...urban farming at it's very organic best!  Their chicken coop was also very cute...my husband's favorite design. 

By the end of the tour we were hot and ready to eat, so we headed over to Golden Gardens for an impromptu picnic.  We picked up some treats at Little Coney in Shilshole Bay Marina...they have my absolute favorite chili-cheese fries...then planted ourselves on the beach to watch the sailboats go by. (If you are ever in Seattle, Golden Gardens is a great place to visit...the sunsets are amazing...on the three days of the year that the sun shines...LOL)

So that was our day.  Anyone else out there take the tour, have chickens or hope to build a coop anytime soon?  I'd love to hear your thougths and experiences, so feel free to leave comments and share links to photos.   If you want to keep up with my chicken adventures, you can follow this blog via e-mail or BlogLovin.    XOXO, Cindi

Kid in a Candy Store

Since deciding to change the scope of my blog to include a more diverse range of "green" topics, I've been feeling a bit like... 

Where to start?  There are many things I'd like to talk about, but maybe I should just start from the beginning and tell you how I got to this point. 

My earliest memories of being environmentally aware are from high school.  My family recycled.  It was the late 80's.  Recycling was a huge pain back then.  We had to separate everything...paper, plastic, green glass, clear glass, brown glass, etc....lots of bins in the garage.  Then we had to drive it all to a drop-off site to be deposited in huge bins.  

After high school, I worked for American Eagle Outfitters.  I loved that job.  But I used to get upset about the fact that every single article of clothing we received arrived in a plastic bag that we then dumped in the trash.  Often, there was a plastic hanger involved too.

In college, I created a fictional company called Visions for a fashion marketing class.  I used an icon of the earth for the "o" in the logo.  The concept behind Visons was that we were a visionary company selling earth friendly apparel made from organic cotton, tencel and other "new" earth-friendly textiles.  Wish I still had that project...would be fun to look back at it now. 

After college I worked for the now defunct Kids R Us.  I can remember being horrified about all the plastic waste we generated with each truckload of shipment we received.  Every single garmet arrived on a plastic hanger, wrapped in plastic bags...the bags went straight into the trash.  To their credit, KRU did have a large stash of collapsable reuseable totes that they used to ship smaller products to and from the distribution center.

Finally, in 1996 I opened my own boutique.  It was called Indigo.  I carried all kinds of vintage and recycled goods long before it was popular.  Some of my best sellers were recycled license plate and bottle cap products from Little Earth.  There was the bottle cap belt made from recycled bike tubes and bottle caps with a seatbelt buckle.  License plate photo albums and purses were also a hit.

Flash forward 15 years...my fascination with sustainable living has grown steadily, so I make it a priority to push the green envelope a little bit further each day.  I am constantly evaluating my lifestyle...looking at waste, trying to reduce and reuse as much as possible.

Being super green is not something I planned, nor did it happen over night.  It's taken years of baby steps to get to where I am now and I know there will be many more steps to take before I feel as if I'm doing everything humanly possible to leave this world a better place for my daughter and her children. I know that not everyone has the same level of dedication, but if I can leave you with one thought...every little bit counts.  If you start making small changes now, it eventually adds up and before you know it, you're having an impact.  Be inspired!  XOXO, Cindi

Extreme Eco: Dissolvable Wedding Dress

Ever wonder what a dissolving wedding dress might look like?  Yah, me either.  But here is one for you to ponder anyway.  This story made the rounds about a year ago, but I just stumbled across it recently on EcoTerre.  Layer by layer the dress literally melts away, revealing 5 different looks for one poufy dress.  Wouldn't that be fun for the reception??

The trick is in the biodegradeable material...polyvinyl alcohol.  It looks like plastic, but it's the same stuff they make Elmer's glue from.  You may remember that I talked about it recently in my post about DIY colored crinolines...they use this material for the iDye packets that dissolve in the wash.

What's the point, you ask?  The project is a statement about our disposable society and the fact that textile waste is one of the fastest growing segments in the UK waste stream.  According to the article,

74 percent of the 2 million tons of clothes purchased in the U.K. each year winds up in landfills.

That's a pretty big number and, sadly, it's even higher in the US.  It's especially sad when you consider how easy it is to recycle clothing and textiles.   The US EPA states that nearly 100% of textiles can be recycled...the easiest way to do this is to donate your used clothing, sheets, towels, etc. to a thrift store.  What can't be sold for re-use will be sent to textile recyclers to be made into everything from new fabric to upholstery to insulation.  Some natural fibers can even be composted.

The wedding takeaway here is to be mindful when choosing textiles for your wedding.  Will those bridesmaid dresses really be worn again or will they end up in a landfill?  Do you really need an aisle runner?  Fabric bunting is adorable, but what will you do with it after the wedding?  Yes, it's your big day and you should have it your way, but it's also a great idea to have a plan for how you can reduce, reuse, recycle or even refuse some of the "disposable" textile products associated with weddings.   What's your plan?  XOXO, Cindi

Going Green For Earth Day - Earth Friendly Picks for Everyone

Organic Cotton Hat by KinderCotton

Happy Earth Day!  Today I am sharing a whole slew of earth friendly finds that I discovered during my weekly EcoEtsy theme challenge search.  This week's theme of "green" turned up so many amazing things that I couldn't possibly pick just one item, so I decided to throw a little green party to showcase them all. 

The new Treasury East feature on Etsy made this really easy to do, so I hope you'll click on the photos below to visit each treasury and learn more about all of the amazing things the EcoEtsy team has to offer.  If you are not familiar with what a treasury is, it is a member curated collection of Etsy items that can be viewed by anyone.  Treasuries are "ranked" based on the number of times they are viewed and by how many items get "clicked" or viewed.  Popular, well made treasuries are sometimes promoted to the front page of Etsy.  So be sure to click and comment whenever you visit a treasury! 

I hope you enjoyed today's post.  Let me know what you think of this format - it was fun to do and hopefully, you'll enjoy all that there is to see.  And be sure to check the EcoEtsy blog to find out who this week's winner is!  XOXO Cindi

Eco Etsy Green Share Project

 
A few weeks ago I wrote a post highlighting all of the green events I'm participating in this month.  One of the projects I talked about is the Eco Etsy Green Share project taking place all month in honor of Earth Day. 

Quoting the Eco Etsy blog, here is the description of Green Share:

"The passing on and sharing of a gift of seeds and a starter planter that is given freely to classrooms, local businesses, neighbors, friends and family. The gift can be anonymous or can help show your business or organization’s commitment to Eco-Friendly living."

Below are photos of my materials and seed packets. I had my little girl help assemble.  We used a big packet of seeds that I found at Target for $1...hopefully they will actually sprout!  The plantable pots were about $2 for 12 pots and are made from 100% coconut fiber.  The envelopes are misprints from one of my first wedding invitation jobs and the labels are leftovers from another project.

To put it all together, we used round labels to cover the misprinted addresses.  I did some printing directly on the envelopes and also used a label on the back with planting instructions.  A brass paperclip holds the starter pot to the envelope.

 

I'm sending seed packets out with all of my orders this month and another batch with pots will be going to preschool with my daughter on Earth Day...minus all of my business contact info.  :)

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day this year? 

XOXO

Cindi

Green Events in April

April is shaping up to be a busy month here at Brass Paperclip.  On the heels of Earth Hour comes Earth Day on April 22.  I'm participating in several "green" events this month so I thought I would pull together a little teaser of what's to come...

 Kicking off the month is this great event called Stash Bust that I just heard about today.  I love the concept and am looking forward to participating whole-heartedly.  Therefore, I am hereby pledging to refrain from purchasing any new craft supplies in April and to create using only what I currently have on hand.  (As a VERY avid collector of treasures, I certainly have plenty on hand to work with!)

There is also a contest which I plan to enter...submitting my best Stash Bust Creation.  Watch for a post about this later in the month with all the juicy details about my creation.

 

 

Next up is my month-long participation in EcoEtsy's Green Share project.  I plan to involve my 3 year-old daughter in preparing seed packets to take to preschool on Earth Day.  I will also be including a packet in every order I ship during April and will be dropping off some seed packets for my consignment partners here in Seattle.  Watch for a detailed blog post with more details to come. 

 

 

The third project I'm participating in is the Handmade for Earth Day auction that is being organized by the EcoEtsy Street Team. 

Members have been invited to donate goods for a silent auction which will run from  April 19th to May 2nd.  All proceeds will benefit selected environmental organizations.

Watch for eco-goodies to be auctioned off in the following categories:

1. Baby
2. Health and Beauty
3. Home
4. Paper Goods
5. Fashion
6. Jewelry

I've already sent off my donations, so more to come on that. 

 

 

In addition to posting updates about those great events, I will be working on a few eco-friendly wedding posts, sharing my thrifty finds from last month (cause I can't buy anything new in April!), sharing updates about the wedding invitations I've been working on and possibly creating a tutorial for a fabulous eco-friendly craft.  

I hope you'll check back often to see what's new.  I'll be sure to tweet about each new post, so you can follow me on Twitter or subscribe to this blog to have posts delivered right to your inbox.   And be sure to sign my guest book (ie: leave a comment) and share your own eco-friendly plans for April.

XOXO

Cindi