Tag: crafts

Friday Five: Mother’s Day Edition

Sarah HattmanBlog, Free Advice, , , , ,

Mother’s Day is less than 48 hours away, which means there is not much time left to find a gift that lets your mom know just how much you love and appreciate her. It’s the one day of the year set aside to show her gratitude for all she does, and finding that perfect gift can be tough – especially if you are looking to find something other than the standard flowers or candy. Yes, it might sound a little daunting or even down right worrisome given the time crunch, but fret not, here are five ideas that are sure to hit the mark.

Special Memory from Your Childhood

Does your mom have mementos from your childhood? I am guessing she probably does. Perhaps there’s a picture of a younger version of you helping her in the kitchen or the two of you on a family vacation. Whatever the photo, have it framed so your mom can display it in a prominent area of her home and be reminded of the happy memory often.

Hobby Goodies

Moms spend much of their time taking care of everyone else, but this doesn’t mean they don’t have other interests. Does she play a sport, spend her free time in the garden or have a passion for reading? A great way to encourage her to take time for herself – other than just on Mother’s Day – is to stock a basket full of goodies that reflects to your mom’s hobbies or interests.

Creative Cards

Skip the store-bought card, and send her a sweet message that comes with a sweet treat. Real Simple offers six fantastic ideas to help you design a card or craft that is sure to melt her heart and possibly curb a craving.

A Good Night’s Sleep

Chances are your mom stayed up many nights to take care of you. Now you can thank her by creating a homemade good night’s sleep kit.  The internet is full of recipes for lemon, lavender, peppermint and chamomile teas to help her relax and drift on into dream land. But why stop there? Natural Living Ideas offers seven DIY ideas for a perfect night’s sleep.

Journal

This gift is recommended for the sentimental mom. It will allow her to express her feelings and encourage her to take time to reflect. You can take it to the next level by writing the first entry that captures on one or two of your happiest moments with her.

What have you done for your mom that has been meaningful to her?

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Green Thought Thursday: How to Recycle Old Magazines

Josephine ButlerBlog, In Our Community, Sustainability, , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment on Green Thought Thursday: How to Recycle Old Magazines

Today’s Green Thought Thursday is shared by Erica Amatori, our fabulous new summer intern who just graduated from Green Hope High School. Needless to say, we’re impressed by her ambition, writing skills and dedication to all things green!

Clairemont intern, Erin Kelley, helps organize a delivery of last year's magazines for Artspace!

Reading magazines may be fascinating the first few times, but the gossip gets old, fast. We are constantly buying more magazines and newspapers to feed our 24-hour news cycle, but, in the end, what do we do with all of these outdated magazines?

At Clairemont, we recently recycled our plethora of last year’s furniture and fashion magazines by donating them to Artspace in downtown Raleigh, where the recycled pages will be used for collages and other kid-friendly art projects.

Taking an easier approach, the city of Raleigh also approves magazines as acceptable recycling items.  So, dropping them off in the recycling bin is just fine, too.  But, if you’re feeling more creative than that, here are some original ways to reuse and recycle:

  • Turn magazine pages into stylish gift wrap
  • Donate them to a local school to use in a book sale
  • Shred the paper and make vibrant fillers or gift basket paper
  • Glue strips onto pieces of tile to create coasters
  • Produce funky jewelry or accessories, such as purses or beads
  • Donate them to a doctors office, nonprofit organization or hospital
  • Make homemade envelopes
  • Create handy and cute fridge magnets
  • And—something more ironic—use them to make your own trash can (or recycling can!)

Have fun this summer by starting a DIY project and turning something useless into something useful. Don’t be afraid to make a statement and convert old news into new projects. Did of any of these ideas strike your fancy? We’d love to hear how you plan to reuse your old magazines!

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