"Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value." Online Source
I guess I called the purse I made in the previous post 'upcycled' because the actual generic 'starter' bags I bought were pretty useless to me...until I mixed them with 'scraps' of fabric to make something new, beautiful, fun and useful.
So, if you're like me and have seen this new word 'UPCYCLED' hanging around town, well, now we all know what it means:)
I personally LOVE THE IDEA OF REUSED, VINTAGE, RECYCLED, REPURPOSED ITEMS. By now I think a lot of us in America have been made aware of the fact that we produce most of the world's garbage. We've become a 'throw away' society, where we let developing countries take the consequences for the vast amounts of garbage we create. We pay them to take the responsibility for our actions. Who was is that said, "To whom much is given, much is expected..."??? Or something like that. We have had so much for so long, but I don't think America as a collective is making good and responsible choices with our wealth. Greed is a huge factor in our society today. Do you ever stop and look around and wonder why so many are so greedy? Why does 5% of the population own 95% of the wealth? How is it that we have let this happen? Does it even sound right when you say it? Of course not.
That's something that I have come to realize about nature lately...something they mentioned one day on the Oprah show; nature doesn't take more than it needs to survive. If certain elements in nature took too much, there wouldn't be enough left for the circle of life to sustain itself. As with our bodies, nature, all parts of life itself...there must be balance. Balance sustains better living, imbalace does not. It's really that simple and we all know this deep down inside....so why is there such a great imbalance in the distribution of wealth in our country? It doen't make people happier...that has been prooven.
So what's the answer? A personal best. Do your personal best to live the best life you can. Do what you can every day to recycle and reuse items. Make a conscious choice about the products you buy (likewise who and what you are supporting), how much use versus waste you get out of a product, --buy local produce when possible (it's also better for you), make your own compost (it's easy and the soil will be awsome for future potting). It's amazing how much you can reduce the amount of garbage you and your family are putting in a landfill. Mother Earth will thank you...and you'll feel better about yourself and your life, knowing you are contributing in this way.
We don't just turn around one day and our lives are everything we ever wanted them to be without some work, some thought and a continual effort. We also need not expect everything to change all at once...being unhappy when it doesn't. This is the great thing of life...the JOURNEY. There is no pot of gold at the end...the pot of gold is what we make of it right now---IN THIS MOMENT. I'm off to find my little pot of gold with a friend for lunch right now. A little art talk, a little sushi....it's all good.
I guess I called the purse I made in the previous post 'upcycled' because the actual generic 'starter' bags I bought were pretty useless to me...until I mixed them with 'scraps' of fabric to make something new, beautiful, fun and useful.
So, if you're like me and have seen this new word 'UPCYCLED' hanging around town, well, now we all know what it means:)
I personally LOVE THE IDEA OF REUSED, VINTAGE, RECYCLED, REPURPOSED ITEMS. By now I think a lot of us in America have been made aware of the fact that we produce most of the world's garbage. We've become a 'throw away' society, where we let developing countries take the consequences for the vast amounts of garbage we create. We pay them to take the responsibility for our actions. Who was is that said, "To whom much is given, much is expected..."??? Or something like that. We have had so much for so long, but I don't think America as a collective is making good and responsible choices with our wealth. Greed is a huge factor in our society today. Do you ever stop and look around and wonder why so many are so greedy? Why does 5% of the population own 95% of the wealth? How is it that we have let this happen? Does it even sound right when you say it? Of course not.
That's something that I have come to realize about nature lately...something they mentioned one day on the Oprah show; nature doesn't take more than it needs to survive. If certain elements in nature took too much, there wouldn't be enough left for the circle of life to sustain itself. As with our bodies, nature, all parts of life itself...there must be balance. Balance sustains better living, imbalace does not. It's really that simple and we all know this deep down inside....so why is there such a great imbalance in the distribution of wealth in our country? It doen't make people happier...that has been prooven.
So what's the answer? A personal best. Do your personal best to live the best life you can. Do what you can every day to recycle and reuse items. Make a conscious choice about the products you buy (likewise who and what you are supporting), how much use versus waste you get out of a product, --buy local produce when possible (it's also better for you), make your own compost (it's easy and the soil will be awsome for future potting). It's amazing how much you can reduce the amount of garbage you and your family are putting in a landfill. Mother Earth will thank you...and you'll feel better about yourself and your life, knowing you are contributing in this way.
We don't just turn around one day and our lives are everything we ever wanted them to be without some work, some thought and a continual effort. We also need not expect everything to change all at once...being unhappy when it doesn't. This is the great thing of life...the JOURNEY. There is no pot of gold at the end...the pot of gold is what we make of it right now---IN THIS MOMENT. I'm off to find my little pot of gold with a friend for lunch right now. A little art talk, a little sushi....it's all good.
Have a Wonderful Day!
Cynthia
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