How an MMORPG can inspire recycling and do-redo...

Yes, I'm a gamer and Guild Wars is my addiction. With Guild Wars 2 coming up, and I'll be participating in my first ever beta test the coming weekend, I thought it was time to share with how Guild Wars has inspired me in unexpected ways.

Guild Wars is a fantasy roleplaying game on a grand scale, in which me and my hubby roam around a beautiful but dangerous world, killing monsters. But how on earth could this kind of game inspire recycling, you probably ask. Well, let me tell you...

It's simple, really. In GW, all kinds of loot can be recycled by salvaging the basic materials. For example, a piece of old armor might give you some bolts of cloth or leather. A flower might be salvaged for plant fibers. An old staff can be salvaged for wood. And so on and so on; anything and everything can be salvaged. These basic materials may then be processed into finer materials (such as making steel from iron) or used to craft new items (mainly armor).

More and more, this concept is influencing how I look on trash. The metal of an old soda can could be salvaged and used to make new cans. Plastic bottles can be used to make cloth. Old paper can be used to make new paper. Yes, this is what recycling is all about.

The thing is, recycling doesn't have to stop there. Most people are quite content with just putting glass, plastic, metal and paper in the appropriate bin for recycling to be done by some big company, and of course this is great. But what about all the other stuff we throw away?

I really got into this question a couple of weeks ago, when I went through the mess of stuff cluttering up our hallway. I just had to get rid of some of the shoes which were full of holes and a an old handbag that was so close to breaking it was dangerous to keep anything important in. 

I sat down and looked at a pair of old boots that had to go. The sole was a complete mess and had made my feet wet too many times already. But the shoe laces were good, so I took them out. Then I looked at the metal thingies that had held the lacing, and realized that those could be used again in some future sewing project. The rest was just so messy it had to go in the bin. Then I looked at the old hand bag, not really wanting to throw it away but knowing it wasn't worth keeping. But what about salvaging some of the components? I ended up taking out three good zippers, all the metal stuff as well as some of the fabric that still looked good. At least, the fabric looked good after a good washing and ironing!

The fabric I am thinking of using for a shirt... It's not enough for an entire garment, but would be great for perhaps a collar and cuffs. Or some other detail. I just have to find a matching fabric... 

I have also started collecting my old candle stumps, to be melted down and made into new candles. And with good result, I gotta say! 

Now of course no one in the modern world can recyle all of their trash. I know I couldn't. But just as when playing Guild Wars, I have started to look at stuff a second time before throwing them out. Just look, and think. Is there anything in this particular piece that could be used again for something new? If yes, go for it! Then of course it's important to not just gather lots of materials, but to actually do something with them as well. And it's oh so important to keep it clean and tidy, there's no point in living in a pile of trash. 

Do you share my thoughts on this subject? Do you have any good examples of materials that can be salvaged from trash, that people usually forget? 

Making candles!

This is something I've been longing to try... I'm sick and tired of throwing out left over candle stumps, and for the last months I've been saving up for a candle making experiment. In other words, this is pure do-redo as all the candle material is reused. Only the wicks were bought new (and the two candle molds I used, which I can use over and over and over!) The candle color is a result of the white and red stumps I mixed together, no new pigments were added.

Aren't they pretty! A comment on the scale: don't be fooled by the proportions of the candle to the left, I know it looks like a tiny tea light, but it's really some 5 or 6 cm across. The mold is a lot higher, I just didn't have enough filling for it all and settled this for now. Next time will be a different colour, and I'll try to make at least one really tall pillar candle.Yay, this was fun recycling! =D

Impulsive sewing: grey blouse

The day before yesterday, acting on pure impulse, I decided to sew a blouse for myself out of some left-over grey fabric. I'm not sure exactly what's in it, probably most linnen but definitely something else as well. Anyhow... I based the pattern on a flimsy blouse I've had for years and that I love, but since the grey linnen-like fabric wasn't as stretchy I had to change things up a bit. Aaand of course I couldn't just leave it at that either, but had to do some minor changes just for fun. 

Here's the result! I'm sorry the pic is all blurry... we lost our camera a week ago and Marcus hasn't really befriended the smartphone camera yet. =)

(No, that's not my nipple showing through the fabric, it's a tiny wrinkle at the edge of a seam that in this light got very visible. No nipples showing, nothing to see here!)

 

A Pink Linnen Skirt

I just finished this little sewing project, that I threw myself into yesterday. It's a pink linnen skirt made from left over pieces of fabric from last summer, the pattern I made up as I went along and the buttons I already had at home as well, laying around waiting to be used.

I'm very pleased with the result. Now don't you laugh at me, I know I'm not a top model or anything... but I gotta say the skirt is oh so comfy, AND in need of some ironing. Too bad I didn't think of that before I took these pics, right?

Earring hanger! (A do-redo project)

Finally! I've been thinking about creating an earring hanger for so long, and I finally got it done. No more entangled earring mess! 

It's made of recycled/salvaged material. The base is a bit of cardboard. The shiny white fabric is from a nightgown I bought cheap but that turned out not to fit, so it's just been laying around.  Even the white ribbons at the top (which it hangs from) are actually the shoulder straps from that nightie. The black lace is similarly salvaged from a piece of lingerie that I never used anyways. The blue ribbon was left over from a sewing project years ago. 

Ginger!

I'm sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while, with Christmas and a whole lot to do at work I've been unusually short of blogging ideas. However, this evening I thought I'd share with you my latest little kitchen craft project, that I'd like to call "Sore throat, go awaaaaay!"

I've suffered from a sore throat for a couple of days and since I talk all day long at work it just hasn't gone away. So tonight I decided to try something new. Ginger! We all know ginger has great medicinal effects, and several of my friends have recommended me to try it. So I bought two great big chunks and put through my marvellous juicer, and produced extremely fresh and potent ginger juice.

Since I quite a lot at one go (and felt like doing something pretty!) I then bottled the liquid in glass bottles that I'd just rinsed with boiling water, to get rid of any nasties. Of course I also boiled the corks, and pressed them  in real tight. The bottles I will keep in the fridge, and though I don't really know how well it will keep like this I felt it was worth a shot.I just finished my first cup of hot water mixed with ginger juice and honey. Yum! And judging by the sensation in my throat, I'd say the concentration was rather potent. =) I'll try to drink a cup each day for a couple of days, and we'll see if my sore thoat get better. Fingers crossed!

My ancestry (old photographs...)

A new show is airing on tv here in Sweden, in which a bunch of americans rediscover their Swedish ancestry. Watching the show ("Allt för Sverige", which by the way is great!) has brought up thoughts about my family history, and I've been looking a lot at old pictures from the early 20th century. I find it interesting in so many levels! Obviously, since I am interested in historical fashion I look at their marvellous clothes. Then I think about their experiences, their lives and how they really are no different from us. I try to get a sence of their personalities, their quirks and interests... And how they in a way are a part of me.

As you can see, this picture was taken in 1913. The young lady to the left is my grandmother's mother Anna Eriksson, and sitting right in front of her is her husband Axel Eriksson, my grandmother's father. He was a fireman (and part time shoemaker!) and lived with his family in Uppsala. 

Have a look at this postcard. Axel's brothers Conrad and Werner emmigrated to America in the early 20th century, and in 1912 this postcard was sent from Palo Alto, California. The photo shows three lovely ladies and two very handsome gentlemen. The text text to the left explains that the man to the right is Conrad, and the lady on the far right is his future wife, Anna. Gorgeous, isn't it?!

I am also a bit fascinated by what is going on in the background of the picture... have look at this closeup. A boy who obvisously wasn't supposed to be in the picture is standing behind them, looking at what's going on. And behind him a man is crouched on the ground, doing something. Might he be polishing shoes? I don't know, but I love this little glimpse of the past.

If I'm not remembering incorrectly, the young lady in the following two pictures is Karin, my grandmother's aunt. I adore her pretty face, the curls in her hair and the slightly naughty look on her face! The first photo is from 1919, the second I'm guessing is a bit earlier.

This lovely gathering I don't know much about. They are sitting in front of "J Erikssons skoaffär" - J Eriksson's shoe store. Since my great grandfather was part time shoe maker, and I think his father was a full time shoe maker, I'm guessing this was their old store. I don't know exactly where this house is located though, and I'd love to visit it some day if it's still there!

Look at this close up... isn't it lovely?

 These three ladies I don't know anything about, I'm afraid. But they are in our old family album so I guess they are relatives. So beautiful!

 Some day I'd love to get in touch with the part of the family that moved to the US. Though I'm afraid that might never happen, as I think grandma has lost the information, all names and adresses. But I guess nothing is impossible, and who know... one day they might come looking for us?