Paper Making

Paper making might sound like a total bore to many but it is in itself a true blue craftsmanship that requires just as much skill as the intricate art of filigree.  Yet sad to have to say, lately it has been losing out its charm to time. From the ancient days of the brilliant Egyptians where hand-made methods dominated, to the19th century where paper production was industrialised; paper making has slowly if not surely become a fully machine automated process.

And it really is really quite appalling for various reasons; ...

Green Books for Green Kids

Trust mom to always pick out the best gifts...honestly I have no idea how she does it and so effortlessly too. Mom’s rules for a great gift always meet the following criteria:

Beautiful, fun and never plain (something that will always delight the eyes) Practical (something that the recipient needs and sometimes doesn’t even realise it) Economically affordable (it’s worth its price)
Personally I find it quite hard to match all 3. ...

Ideas for Donating Books and Magazines

I'll continue on the decluttering theme for one more day. I know some people get all hyped about cleaning and organizing in the spring time, which is logical. For me, though, it's fall. When the air starts getting crisp and I see sweaters on sale, my clean-organize-beautify radar kicks on. I think it's about getting everything in order for the semi-hibernating I do in winter. When it's below 20 degrees outside and there is ice on the driveway, I don't venture out with 2 little children. I stock up, I cook a lot, I get a big fire going in the fireplace, and we cozy up with blankets and ...

The College Greening: Paper-less Papers

I consider myself a pretty eco-friendly gal, even in the college environment, where extraneous energy use is a very real problem. Over the next few weeks I would like to document some of the ways schools are helping their students be conscious environmental citizens.

In high school I imagined college as a place filled with stacks of essays, papers littering my desk, page after page of thesis material printed and ready to give me credit for all my hard work. But the reality is as an English ...

Garden Books Worth Owning

This seems to be gardening week; I keep thinking of more gardening ideas, advice, topics, questions... Bear with me. I promise next week I'll talk about something else. Like farmer's markets... So if you visit a big bookstore's gardening section, you could be wandering for days. People, lots of people, lots of people other than me, have a lot to say about gardening. And apparently lots of people like to read what they say about gardening, because the garden-book category just keeps growing. (No pun... oh nevermind.) You don't ...

Do It: Swap Your Stuff

Bartering is an old, old idea. It worked for hundreds of years before we came up with this cash idea. I've got a chicken, you've got this pottery bowl. Let's trade. Stuff isn't all that works in the bartering system, either: services, skills, and benefits can be traded. You hunt, I'll gather. (Or vice versa, depending on who is better with a spear.) Bring back the benefits of bartering to your life. We all have stuff we don't need, or professional services and special skills we can trade. Other people have stuff we do need. It's just a matter of finding ...