Coat Donation Program Warms the Lives of Others

Spring will be here before you know it and it will be time to put our winter coats away. Now would be a great time to buy winter coats on sale for next year.
Goodwill or the Salvation Army are good places to donate your old coats.

Another wonderful organization would be happy to take your old or outgrown coats is www.onewarmcoat.org/donatecoat.php. This charity helps the homeless and other people in need keep warm during the winter. This is especially now important since the tough economy has impacted many families across the country.

There are two ways you can participate. You can type in your zip code to find a coat drive near you. I tried a couple of different zip codes and it seems that bigger towns/cities have drives that are closer than if you live in a smaller town.
Another way to participate is run a coat drive yourself. The website provides detailed instructions on how to coordinate one in your town.

Etsy Crafter that Repurposes with a Purpose

CreativeCorksNMore has embraced the green movement in Eugene, OR and was inspired into green crafting.

"When you see what can be done with recycled items, and how it can better both parties it is truly something exciting," says Tanita and Devon. " We are asked so often; 'why corks?' and the answer is simple and consists of two answers, really. First, corks are not only an image that states recycled, but they are very easy and simple to work with. Second, when you look at a cork the possibilities are literally endless, unlike general crafting medias."

CreativeCorksNMore are not just limited to corks. They have recently branched into wine bottles, ceramic, decoupage, and more. The goal is to have that something for everyone, and spread the philosophy we’ve adopted.

Repurpose Popsicle Sticks

This summer, you don't have to feel guilty throwing away popsicle sticks. Save them to use as markers if you want to start your veggie and herb garden from scratch. I just started mine for this summer. It's the first time I am starting from scratch and I'm bound to make mistakes along the way but at least I am able to reuse the popsicle sticks. You can wash then store them in a small container in one of your kitchen drawers or incorporate them in your recycling station. I am starting one in my garage.

Happy planting!!!

Upcycling to Keep our Pups Dry

Found a small mention in Ladie's Home Journal about Taryn Zychal who collects broken and abandoned umbrellas in her hometown in Philadelphia, PA. She creates raincoats for dogs and donates a portion of the proceeds to animal charities.

Check it out at http://www.recyclingzychal.com/.

Squeaky clean donation

How many of us have those little hotel soaps and shampoo bottles cluttering our drawers and cabinets? Or worse, the endless bath products given as Christmas gifts that we never use because we didn't like the smell of them.

Clean the World is an organization that collects soaps and donates them to third world countries to help prevent the spread of diseases.

There are a few ways to participate. You can coordinate a soap drive with friends and family. There are tools and specific directions how to coordinate one in your area.

You can ship unused soap to Clean the World400A Pittman St.Orlando, FL 32801.

Or if you happen to be shopping on Amazon.com, you can purchase soap online to be donated to the organization.

Drowning in stuffed animals

There is a stage of motherhood where stuffed animals invade your home. And I do mean invade. Some of my childhood toys were kept for my kids to enjoy. Others were gifts when the babies were born. Some were given by family members when their kids got too old to enjoy them. And the rest, heaven only knows where the heck they came from. These are only a sampling of what he has.

Since clutter tends to stress me out, I'm doing my best to deal with it and allow my son to enjoy this "babies" as he totes them around the house in his bag then proceeds to dump them in every room in the house he happens to be playing in. I've taken photos of him with his friends for his scrapbook to enjoy. I plan on letting him keep the ones that are the most special to him.

But what to do with the others? There is a firehouse locally that accepts stuffed animals in good condition to give to children who experience the trauma of losing their home to a fire. If you are looking to tackle your stuffed animal dilemma, check with your local firehouse to see if there is a similar program. If not, there is an organization called SAFE who takes gently used stuffed animals to homeless shelters, hosptials and emergency aid works like paramedics and firefighters.

Go to http://www.stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org/ for more information.

Inkjet and Toner Fundraiser

Recycle and give Great Danes a second chance for a loving home.




The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League has been running an inkjet and toner fundraiser for at least several years now. Please check out the following links to find out how to participate. It's easy and all of the money is used to feed, foster, and find homes for homeless Great Danes.


http://www.magdrl-nj.com/fund.html#PrinterCartridge




http://www.magdrl-nj.com/fund.html#toner