Sustainable September 2017 - Day Thirty

SEPTEMBER 30 (SATURDAY)

FASHION & BEAUTY - OPSHOPPING/UPCYCLING

Welcome back Sustainable September-ers. It is the last day of the month of Eco Kindnesses. What a crazy wild ride it has been.

One thing I have to say is that it is my Mums birthday today. It is always such a lovely way to end Sustainable September by honouring the woman who gave birth to me. 

You, Mum, are the best, most couragous, genuine, compassionate, determined woman I know. You make other people see the best in themselves even when they didn't realise there was more to them. You have championed so many causes, helped so many people, affected so many lives and you have done so much of it quietly, in the back ground. You are a marvel. I am so blessed that I was put on this earth with you. Thanks for being my mum!

Back to the blog post now...

I love that every September I learn new and interesting ways to reduce my waste and make my life, and everyone else's lives a little better. I forget how much I have done and continue to do for this great planet of ours. It is like a journey I forget I am on. Iimpliment small changes that I forget about as they become normal. It is only as a result of doing Sustainable September that I realise just how far I have come in my journey to reduce my waste. I am a long way off being Zero waste but each year I get a little closer to living with no waste. It is by no means a fast swap. I feel like my small changes are sustainable though. I like it like that. After all this is Sustainable September for a reason. Small changes that can be sustained for a long time to come. 

Kindness is always my priority when it comes to this blog. Kindness to our planet equates to millions of people in poverty having support. People living in poverty are the first casualties as a result of climate change. Being kind to our planet is simply thinking more about our actions so that we can help those who need it most. So everytime you choose glass packaging over unrecyclable plastic... just remember you are doing a kindness for those less fortunate than yourselves. 

What is Sustainable September all about on the last day of the month? It is about FUN!!!

Two of my favourite ideas when it comes to being environmentally friendly...

Sustainable September Day 30 - Op- Shopping and Upcycling. 

The idea and the ACTIVITY are one in the same today. Go Op-shopping (go to the thrift store, buy second hand, even look up pre-loved or used items on ebay). or Upcycle something that needs new life.

Oh... how I love Op-shopping. Usually when I am looking for something specific now though. By now you will have figured out your Capsule Wardrobe and decided if there are a couple holes in your wardobe. I know that as the summer months come into it I have a few more holes in my wardrobe because I have changed shape and a lot of my clothes.

I went to a local op-shop today. My family and I have been blessed with the most amazing gift of a holiday away. My niece, nephew and I went into the local town and went to the local op-shop... like you do! We didn't buy anything but had a look around. My nephew was looking for something very specific, so when that something wasn't to be found, he was out of there. It was probably all of about 4 minutes in the shop, but thankfully it was just a look around. I thankfully didn't need anything and the only thing my neice wanted they didn't have either so we all left. 

Normally I probably would have spent more time riffling through the back rooms to find little treasures... but not today. My nephew is pretty determined when his tummy rumbles... I guess that serves me right for not feeding him BEFORE we went into the opshop. oh well. I wasn't really looking for anything and I don't need to add to my piles of stuff at home... a lot of which is already destined for the opshop.

This is what i look at when I need something new.... Use what i have first... borrow second, swap third, then thrift, make is the next option leaving buy new a final resort. It takes into account all of the Zero Waste principals too.

If you have nothing that you need when it comes to opshopping/thrift shopping, then look at your waste and think of creative ways to Upcycle some of that waste. Have an old flannel shirt with paint stains? then turn it into a couple of gift bags, some hand warmers and a Apron.

Or you can thing about other types of waste too. What do you often throw out that can be upcycled and given new life, without going to the tip? Can't figure out what to do with an old tyre? Turn it into an ottoman. or a swing for your kids in the back yard, or a planter box. There are so many ideas for giving old things a new life... and therefore keeping them out of landfill. It just calls for creativity.

If you are interested in Upcycling then there are a huge range of boards and ideas on Pinterest.

I know, for those of you who have followed this blog ALL month, that Upcycling is not a new idea. But tomorrow is a saturday when people are most likely to be able to do fun things like op-shopping and upcycling... so i thought... why not bring it back again! :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Sustainable September for 2017. I always intend to do so much more stuff, be more creative and more informative... and then life gets in the way and you end up with a interesting shorter version of what i had planned in my mind. I guess living life and living this sustainable ecofriendly lifestyle is what the whole month is about so I guess that is part of the fun... not knowing what life will bring in a month.

I hope you will all continue to work to make this world better for everyone who lives here... make it kinder for everyone.
Sending love to you all.
Love Daena xx

ps. if you need a challenge for October starting on the 1st... it is "Buy Nothing New Month". Which puts another spin on reducing what you buy in Fast Fashion and also looking at alternative ways to help the environment.  Give it a go. I really enjoyed doing this last year. It was a little bit of a challenge but ultimately it was worth it. 

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Two

SEPTEMBER 2 (SATURDAY)

REUSE: CONTAINERS, REPAIR FOR REUSE, SLOW FASHION & MORE

Welcome back! How did you go with Day One of Sustainable September... Reduce? Did you get to refuse something that you would have normally accepted then thrown out? It is amazing how much we almost unconciously accept into our homes and lives that ultimately goes to the trash.

Before i go on to tomorrows Kindness idea (I always do a day ahead to todays post is for tomorrow)... i wanted to share a catchy tune by Jack Johnson called "The Three R's". It should help get us in the mood.

It is a bit cute but it has some awesome ideas in it too. Which brings me to Day two's idea...

Sustainable September Day Two: Reuse.

Today I will cover some ideas for ‘reuse’. Mend shoes & clothes, reuse glass jars for storage, take a look at minimizing what you buy and “shop your closet” rather than go to the shopping center/Mall.

Reusing what we let into our lives is a wonderful way of helping the environment.

CONTAINERS – When I go food shopping one of the first things I look at is what is the thing I am buying packaged in. I tend to avoid it if it is soft plastics or unrecyclable materials. Instead I look for glass, fabric or compostable materials.

It means I buy glass bottles of water (if I can’t refill my own reusable water bottles), then I can reuse those bottles to store a range of things, depending on the “mouth” of the bottle what I can fit in them after they have been consumed. It means that I buy glass bottles of sauces for the house instead of buying plastic because I can make my own sauce and refill the glass containers later.

I buy rice for the family in fabric bags (5kgs) and reuse the bags in the laundry as bags for my delicates. That is until the zip on them breaks and then I make other things out of the bags. Or if they are really falling a part, because they are made of cotton, I throw the bag bits into the compost.

I buy some things that are wrapped in paper because it means that I can throw the paper into the compost once I am finished with it, thus it becomes food for worms.

Our family buys toilet paper that is wrapped in pretty paper that can be used for craft or art projects. Alternatively It can be used as wrapping paper too. The type of toilet paper we buy called “Who Gives a Crap” makes sure their toilet paper is in pretty paper so that it can be reused for a range of differnt things (it even comes with fun things to read on the paper wrapper).

REPAIR FOR REUSE – One of these things for my family recently was getting my mums sewing scissors sharpened. Someone had used the scissors on something other than fabric (heaven forbid) and they had been ruined because of it. Instead of going out and getting these scissors replaced, we got them repaired, or in this case… sharpened. The lady who did the job was a local and the scissors work like new now. If we had of just thrown them out then these scissors would have ended up in landfill. Now we have prevented one thing from ending up in landfill, by repairing it. Reuse can be as simple as that.

I have also gotten a few pairs of shoes re-soled. In one case I got some straps repaired on a pair of nude wedge shoes before I donated them to charity. If I hadn’t have they would have ended up in the rubbish bin, and eventually landfill when all they needed was 5 minutes and $10 worth of repairs. plus now someone else gets to enjoy these awesome shoes (kindness right there).

I recently took a few pairs of shoes (including my UGG boots) to the cobbler to see if I could get them repaired but I had left it too long, and now they can not be repaired or even have their soles be replaced. Bummer dude.

However, what I have done Is ‘repair’ them myself. It is amazing what a bit of Gaffa/Electrical tape and a sewing needle can achieve when it is something that is just for around the house in the first place. My UGG boots are still mostly together regardless of the fact that they are coming apart between the sole and the top of the shoe… so I will keep reusing them until they completely fall apart. Then I should be able to compost the top of the UGG boot (by then they will be separated anyway) because it is sheepskin, and then I will just have the synthetic sole to throw away or maybe repurpose.

Possibly my biggest 'repair' project is my Wingback Chair. Last year, I wrote about how i had found this chair by the side of the road. 

Someone was giving it away for free or it would have ended up in landfill. So i decided i wanted to re-upholster it. I watched a LOT of videos on how to do it, so i knew i had to be an expert! right? Wrong! I started dismantling the thing, only to realise I was in well over my head. I had to ask myself what kind of crazy thing i had gotten myself into. But i havent given up!!!


I now go to Traditional Upholstery classes to learn how to actually put furniture pieces, like my wing back chair, back together! So that these pieces of furniture last a really long time. My chair is slowly progressing.

I had to add more woodwork, but now I have webbing on the seat, 9 springs (last time it was only foam), string holding the springs on, I am currently attaching the strapping for the back of the chair... other than that it looks really naked! hehehe.

I am going to classes run at the local community centre. I am loving it. I have made friends with people from different age groups and back grounds. I am learning from each person in my class and teaching them about my interests too, all whilst putting my amazing chair back together. Some of the Wingback chairs that i could have bought, as is, in the shops cost from $250 (at IKEA) to $3500 (at a 'fancy' store). So even if i consider all the money its cost me for classes, wood work, springs and supplies im still under my costs for a chair like mine. When its finished that is! Plus I am learning new skills all the time and that, to me, is invaluable. AND it helps me learn how furniture was put together in older times, which i am sure will help me with my archaeology at some point in the future!

SLOW FASHION: In the coming month I will be talking about Slow vs Fast Fashion. Perhaps I am doing this out of order when it comes to discussing “Slow Fashion” first before talking about the problems with Fast Fashion but slow fashion fits under todays theme. So please bare with me.

Slow fashion is the deliberate use of quality clothing that will last for a long time, rather than buying into what is ‘hip’ and ‘with it’ now (& I know I am showing my age now with comments like that). It is choosing to use what you have already got in your closet in new and interesting ways instead of going to buy a new clothing item.

One idea I really love about slow fashion, is “shopping your closet”. This can mean choosing to wear something that you do not usually wear to see if it suit you and if you really don’t like it asking why it is in the closet in the first place, then donating it or giving it to a friend. It can be as simple as  using accessories to dress up or dress down an outfit. Using what you already have to reduce the amount of clothing going to landfill. And yes, a lot of clothing goes to landfill.

Reusing clothing could also mean turning some of it into ‘rags’ to replace paper towel or cleaning clothes. You could get very creative with how you use your old clothing. If it is made out of 100% wool, 100% Cotton, or 100% bamboo it can even end up in your compost bin when it is holy. So if you must buy, choose second hand first. Choose from op-shops, eBay or a huge range of second hand shops available around the world. And if really you must buy new, choose clothing that can possibly be reused and then composted at the end of its life.

FINALLY: There are a range of other ways tat you can ‘reuse’ too. You can reuse water in your garden from showers and washing machines. You can do this by adding a grey water system to your garden. For showers keep a bucket or two in the bottom of your shower for use on the garden. For washing your clothes what we used to do was have the washing machine drain the grey water into the trough next to the machine. Then we would manually fill up buckets from the trough and walk it out to water the garden with it. Just make sure you are aware of what kind of cleaners you use on your clothes and yourself and if those cleaners will hurt or help your plants.

You can reuse any manner of things. Upcycling is one way that this ‘reusing’ idea can work for you.

I really love upcycling stuff. Whether its turning old sheer curtains into produce bags (so you don’t need bring home plastic), or its creating furniture out of wooden pallets... there are so many possibilities and ideas. I have a huge range of Pinterest Boards on how you can reuse an item by giving it a new life and purpose.

For Upcycling ideas check out my Pinterest boards:
UPCYCLING | CUTLERY CRAFT | GLASS IDEAS | TYRES |PALLETS | TIE CRAFTS |

So check these out and when it comes to the last day of the month when I will be talking bout Op-Shopping and Upcycling, you might have the perfect project in mind for that day! 

If you have any specific project you are interested in or need help finding ideas for, let me know, I can always help with the research! I am a little addicted to Pinterest and love looking for things ideas.

ACTIVITY: Go through your rubbish bin and ask this one question: Is there anything in there that could be given a second life?

I hope this finds you well.

Love Daena x

Lent gifting day 38 & 39

Sometimes we have great plans and sometimes it just doesn't happen. 

I've been working really hard to post daily but it didn't quite go to plan yesterday. Yesterday I took my niece down to the park and when I was there I got the starting of a migraine. My sister thankfully was on her way from work so she was able to swing past and pick us both up and take us home. 

By the time I got home I was nauseous and by the time I had had a chance to fill up my water bottle and make sure I had an ice pack I was vomiting. Great topic of conversation, I know. Hehehe. I then proceeded to sleep from 5pm to 11.30am when I was taken to the doctor and then back to bed until almost 6pm. I had basically spent 24 hours in bed (excluding the time I was at the doctors). 

 

Needless to say, by this evening I felt much better, although not 100%. But I got sick and tired of being in bed so I got up. I Had dinner with my family, watched some tv (fairly quietly) with the adults in my family and played a game of cards with my brother in law. All with my sun glasses on! 

Even though I was sick I didn't forget I had to do two days worth of blog posts. I'm making it short and sweet today because I need to. 

Yesterday's giving was another toy. 

 

I've had this "baby" doll for as long as I can remember. But I don't need it anymore and I know there is some little kid out there who will love her like I did when I was younger. So I think she would be in better hands than mine where she can be loved and appreciated. 

 

Today's act of kindness and gifting is also a toy. A "Big Bang Theory" kitty cat called "soft kitty". When you press its paw it sings the soft kitty song that Sheldon makes Penny sing when he's sick in the TV show "Big Bang Theory". See the clip below. 

I was actually given two of these toys a couple of years ago. My niece loved one so much that she used to use it all the time when I didn't live with her. She would crawl into the guest bed with the Soft Kitty and play it over and over and over and over again. The batteries almost died in it from being played so often. She loved it and it apparently reminded her of me. So when she was feeling bad she would climb into the bed I used and hug my toy. Kind of cute. But since I've been living in the same house she has been hugging me and not the toy so it's time to give it up. 

  I gave one away a few months back. But I thinks it's time I pass this cutie off as well. If my niece got some much out of it when she was younger, someone else will love it too. 

I want to make people's lives better. If by giving away some of my stuff I can do that then I am thrilled to. 

My Lenten gifting is not my only act of kindness in the 40 days of lent (which ends on Palm Sunday) but it is one that I feel comfortable photographing and sharing. Sometimes I do kindnesses anonymously so I can't share them here without giving myself away. Sometimes I do kindnesses that other people know about so I can share them and I do here or on Facebook. Sometimes I don't tell anyone because it's not something that I could share without sharing personal information or share something that isn't mine to tell. Kindness is also shown in my discretion.

But the lent gifting I can share because I is mine. I can show you what I'm giving away because often I don't know who it will end up with. I have no attachment to who gets it or where it goes. It is also something that I am giving up for the benefit of another person, group or community. What better Kindness can I do that giving away something every day in Lent? And tomorrow is the end for this "game". Although technically each Sunday during lent isn't counted so it really ends on the Thursday before Easter. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the beginning of what the Christian church calls Holy Week. The beginning of all the events that lead up to the crucifixion on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday. 

Even though lent doesn't end until Thursday most people I know give stuff up until Easter Sunday. So it's really a choice to how far you go. I will see how I go tomorrow I may even continue to give things up for charity until Easter Sunday just to push myself. I still have Heaps of stuff in my home that I Could regift. But if you are playing this gifting game too... please feel free to finish whenever you feel you want to. 

Hope this finds you well. 

Love Daena x

Lent gifting day 33

I don't know about you but Lent is flowing FAST!!! I feel like I'm only just getting the show on the road and it's almost over. Woweee. They say time flies when you are having fun! 

I'm sticking with the soft toys for now because I have so many of them. 

 

This little guy will be small enough to fit inside a shoebox. So I'll vacuum him thoroughly and then give him to a friend who collects small toys (in very good condition) and donates them in shoe boxes to kids in 3rd world countries around Christmas time. 

He was a free promotional Teddybear for a company that has since gone bust so there is no reason for me to keep it. It might bring joy and love to the life of a young person. I had a collection of soft toys that I've loved over the years so I know what one soft toy can do for the life of a child. 

So thank you to the teddy bears and fluffy penguins who I have loved over the years (I collected penguins in my younger life). Thank you for the kindness you have bestowed on me: Being there to cuddle when I was afraid of the dark or when I was scared; reminding me I am loved and am capable of love; letting me dress you up in stupid clothes; forcing you to drink/wear "tea" which may have in fact been toilet water; being there to hold when I cried. See, to a kid these seemingly inanimate objects come alive and support our younger selves in the darkest days. 

I am reminded of Toy Story 3 where Andy is able to pass his old toys onto a new generation of toy lovers. The toys are happy and Andy is happy because his toys are being loved by someone else who loves them just as much as he once did. 

Sending big fluffy cuddly hugs to all those who need it at the moment in honour of all the stuffed toys we have loved over the years. 

Love Daena 

Lent gifting day 18

The more I give away the more I find that I want to give. Has that ever happened to you? 

It is the same with kindnesses. The more kindness you bestow on others the more you want to do. It's boarderline addictive. Just with none of the bad side effects! Hehehe. 

Today's kindness and gifting is something that is still in its packet from when I got it back in 2015. This glass from Coca Cola was a freebie from McDonald's. 

 

It's been about 6 years now since I gave up coffee and coke (most strong caffeinated drinks) because of chronic stress induced insomnia. The fact I even own a coke glass is kind of funny. So donating this to someone who like the glasses or loves coke (I know a few) seems far more appropriate than me keeping it in my boxes of stuff in my cupboard. 

Have you looked at what you are using? Does it align with your current lifestyle? Does it align with your values? 

I know for me, owning a coke glass doesn't align with my lifestyle or values. So thankfully I can give it to someone who can use it and whos values and lifestyle aligns with it too. Yay for giving!!! 

 

(Check out my Pinterest board for Kindness Idea to find this quote and many other kindness inspired pictures). 

Much love to you all! 

Love Daena x

Lent gifting day 17

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!! 

Today marks the 40th Anniversary of my Grandfathers (my mums dad) death. So we just celebrated this Scottish mans life by drinking his favourite Scotch Whiskey and playing cards on this traditionally Irish celebration of Saint Patrick's life. My grandfather had a healthy sense of humour too. Playing cards and raising our glasses to his memory...We had a lot of fun. 

I really wanted to start this Game of Lent Gifting to have fun as well as make my life easier in the future. So today's thing to gift was something that was fun to use when I needed it but it's also fun to give to someone else to enjoy. I love general knowledge. I know my friends and family have laughed sharing the stupid and random information that stays with all of us. So I'm glad I can share this with someone else.  

I often take life too seriously. I know it. But I also make sure I laugh a lot. In the weirdest and more complicated situations I often find something to laugh about or to share a giggle with a friend. 

My niece and nephew have also both found their niches with jokes and jokes books. So I can giggle with my niece and nephew over bad knock knock jokes. I really appreciate their humour. 

Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine. 

Make sure that, not matter what is going on in your life, you take time to laugh and make yourself feel good. Comedy shows and comedians are just a couple suggestions. Because honestly sometimes we just need to laugh our heads off and feel good. 

Sending love and kindness to you all. 

Love Daena 

Lent gifting day 16

Today I spent some time with my mum helping her get rid off few things. Making space for her to be able to do some of the creative work she thoroughly enjoys. 

Her graph piece (for those following at home) is not as long as mine but she's started getting rid of things to charity which is awesome. My niece is also well ahead of where she is supposed to be this time of Lent, which is awesome!!!! The best part is moving stuff that has been basically useless but has been in our lives for such a long time!

For example, I bought this under garment for a wedding I was involved in ages ago. Like decades ago (okay I'm not that old but it was (I think) for my sisters wedding which was 17 years ago now. So almost decades but definitely a decade a go. Scary. I don't feel that old. 

 

I think I wore it twice for the same dress. Sadly it's been sitting in my closet ever since. It's amazingly still in wonderful condition and it will be perfect for someone else. This cost me about $100 when I bought it all that time ago and if it gets sold at a charity shop they wouldn't ask for even half of that. Sadly it also doesn't fit any longer so I don't know why I've kept it all this time. 

How are your donations going? Are you playing along at home? Have you chosen a charity to donate to yet? If not then find ones close to you that do the most good in your eyes. Do some research to see if their values align with yours. 

Enjoy, 

Love Daena 

Lent gifting day 15

Simple and sweet today. 

My lent gift for today is probably highly offensive to some. And for that I am sorry. This magnet was another cheap thing that I found in the "gift box" ready to give to someone. After I bought it I realised just how UNkind it was. Even though I have a healthy dose of sarcasm and a good sense of humour, I just couldn't bring myself to give this one to anyone. 

 

I think the following picture that I (roughly) did from a Pinterest quote sums up my "gifting" perfectly (check out my Kindness Pinterest board for the original). 

 

 

I may have regretted buying the magnet but you will never regret being kind!!! Someone at the charity shop may have a different sense of humour to me. Fingers crossed it will be loved and enjoyed rather than remain hidden in my box of gifts. 

Much love,

Daena 

Lent gifting day 14

At the end of the year last year I watched Minimalism: a Documentary about the Important Things on Netflix. I learned a lot from this documentary. I thought Minimalism was all about stark bare walls and only owning a few things, or even just being about buying stuff that looked a certain way (Minimalism as in furniture or interior design). From the movie I learned that Minimalism is not just about having "less stuff" but is also about living an Intentional life. The documentary asks what can you contribute to society? Being a kindness ambassador these ideas of intentionality and contributing, more than "having less stuff", struck a cord with me. 

Living intentionally, and in my case doing kind deeds (contributing), resonated because I have been unintentionally doing kind deeds for ages. I've been doing kind deeds for my friends, family members and even the wider community but it has become so second nature to me that I've lost a lot of awareness of what I am actually doing. I have been hosting this Blog since 2011 which is One kindness a day for over 5 years. I do my kindnesses now without thinking. I feel like I've lost the intentionality of those kindnesses. Am I just going through the motions? In the beginning it was a struggle to figure out what I could do to be kind to someone else, the environment and even myself. I have created things like the Sustainable September Series to cover the environmental issues and I post kindnesses we can all do and inspiring videos and articles to Facebook regularly. But apart from that... I've kind of lost my mojo! 

It's partly because of the documentary and wanting to be more intentional that I've gone back to writing my kindnesses in a book. Recording each kindness to learn what works and what doesn't. Just because I've watched the Minimalism documentary doesn't mean I am going to become a minimalist, but I love the idea of intentionality (particularly combined with contribution)! When I was younger I was told to "try out every piece of advice (or piece of information) and see if it fits, like you would try on a shoe. If it fits with your beliefs and values then keep it, if not then discard it". This is how I decide how to live, learn and share. So if something here resonates with you, keep it... if not discard it. 

For me there were a lot of "shoes that fit" in the documentary. Particularly when it comes to consuming and using my purchasing power for good. If you saw my post on Sunday I noticed I "accidentally" bought a dress. So intentionality is becoming more and more important to me. I really want to change the way I relate to money and spend money. I want to be conscious of where I am spending my money and the companies and businesses I support. Simply put, I want to use my money to vote for the kind of future I want. A kind, environmentally friendly place where humans can come together and celebrate their differences and acknowledge their similarities and support each other through this sometimes hard thing called life. 

Side note: if I had decided to spend money on "stuff" this month, buying a dress from an opshop fits with my values and would have been okay to me if i had done it intentionally. If i'd purchased the dress in spite of my decision, consciously, I would have been okay with it. It was completely unconscious and unconsidered and that is what interested me. I have turned spending into an unconscious action when I want my spending to be deliberate. 

I've been listening to some interesting podacasts recently. I didn't really know much about podcasts last month when I discovered the app on my phone. I saw a recommendation for some on Pinterest that got me started. I have recently fallen in love with the podcasts: Optimal Living Daily; 10% Happier with Dan Harris; The Mindful Kind; Writer on the Road; TED Talks Audio; The Slow Home Podcast by Brooke McAlary; and my favourite at the moment is The Minimalists Podcast (by Josh and Ryan). I've been listening to The Minimalists back catalogue and they often speak of making a conscious choice to buy things and using our purchasing power to choose things to buy because we need them not because it is what is cool, hip, the "it thing" or cheap. I am aware that I buy things just because they are cheap not because I actually need them. Then I have this useless thing that I have to find a home for and I get overwhelmed with the stuff. I don't want to be overwhelmed. Life is hard enough without being overwhelmed too. 

Today's kindness Lent Gifting items I bought many years ago because they were cheap. I had no idea of where they would go or go whom. As a result they have NEVER been used and have sat in my "gift box" (the box of stuff I have to give to people when a celebration comes around). 

 

For years I have been hoping that the correct celebration would come around that I could give these trinkets to someone but nothing ever has. 

When I bought them (almost a decade ago) I had a very close Young Adult Church Group. Most of us have since moved on to different opportunities in different places, cities and countries. Sadly we don't often see each other. Most of us are still friends. Because of this distance, I am less and less likely to give this kind of gift to someone. Particularly that now I have a more diverse collection of friendships from all walks of life with a range of beliefs, many that differ from my own greatly. Our values are the same though and so we are friends.

I am even re-evaluating my need for a "gift box". If I don't have to keep a huge pile of "Just In Case" items that's got to be good. I can keep the presents at the store until I need them. No more keeping things I may never use or give to anyone else. Now they can go to someone who will appreciate them. They can escape my "gift box". 

I like that if I actually want to buy something for someone then it doesn't have to be cheap "stuff". I want the right thing for a person rather than giving them something they may not like or need. It also leaves me more money and time to give a person an experience rather than "a thing". I'm learning that experiences are far more valuable to me than any "thing" could be. The memories of those experiences are wonderful and take up lots less space. 

It's funny how giving away one item a day for Lent has me so introspective. For my Christian friends though, they know that that is what Lent is all about. For anyone playing along at home... how is your Lent adventure going? Have you got rid of anything that has made you reevaluate what is important to you? 

If you are just reading this for fun! Hi and welcome! I'm so grateful for you stopping here to read about my life and journey with living a kinder more intentional life. I don't expect you to live the life I live nor do I want you to do something that is against your values or beliefs. I want everyone to live lives they love and live them kindly. No matter what that looks like for you

I hope that my open conversations about my life and about how I have been living a kinder life might inspire someone to do more kind deeds for the people around them. 

Have a wonderful day. 

Love Daena 

. X

Lent gifting day 13

I got to talk to my best friend today who has recently moved interstate. It was so lovely spending some time catching up via Skype. 

One of the things I found in my recent dejunk Session was about 200 postcards from around the world that I've bought and never used. I think I've mentioned them before. I've started sending them to my best friend. Every couple days I've written one to send which is fun and I hope makes her feel special. 

I love the way that receiving snail mail makes me feel better. It is a pretty simple kindness to do too. Sending an encouraging letter or postcard to someone makes them know you have been thinking of them. Plus in my case, it used postcards that would other wise go to waste. In Australia it costs $1 to send a postcard anywhere inside Australia. Of course it cost more to send stuff internationally but I often like to send nice bits and pieces to my friends overseas. 

Kindness doesn't have to be expensive. A one off postcard (you can make your own) to a friend or family member and the cost of postage can mean the world to someone. Getting a card to know you care can be something that lightens a day. 

Back to the Lent challenge. 

 

I recently wore this dress out as part of a Tinkerbell costume. To a Disney themed night at a city nightclub... it was so much fun!!!! I danced for hours and hours. So good. And I'm so glad I had flat shoes not heels like my friend in the picture next to the green legs (which happened to be my green legs). 

 

My friend, who is the other set of legs in this picture, went as the fantastically Mad Hatter! We also had Megara from Hercules, Esmeralda from the Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid (dressed as Ariel when she was voiceless and on two feet) and her prince, Eric! So much fun to sing loudly and dance to Disney Music. We also danced to other 90s music, a fun reminder of my childhood! :) 

Anyway... the dress. A friend had given me the dress a few months ago as part of a group of things to be gone through and then donated to charity. I pulled this out to keep in our costume box. Then I decided to do the Lent giving and I knew I was going to be donating this dress because I really didn't need to dress up as Tinkerbell any time soon... or so I thought. 

Then the Disney themed night club night happened so I decided to actually get one wear out of this before I would pass it on to someone who needs it. This one isn't actually going to go in the charity bag today but be given to a friend who needs it for another fairy themed event. I'm going to give it to her to keep if she wants or donate on to someone else who needs it in the future. It's a pretty good quality dress that was once longer and had been a bridesmaids dress. It makes a fantastic Tinkerbell costume. 

It was awesome giving this dress a last hurrah, for me at least. I will also have lots of fond memories to pass along with the dress. I won't forget the memories but I don't need to worry about keeping the dress. Plus someone gets something they need FOR FREE! Winning on all fronts! :) 

Here are some words on my favourite subject kindness... "My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who you are, to astonish a mean world with your kindness!" Maya Angelou. 

I hope you think of a whole range of simple kindness ideas you can do to astonish this world with Kindness. 

Love to you all, 

Daena x

Lent gifting day 12

I spent today at a car boot sale selling some craft supplies that my family and I have been getting rid of. We paid for a car bay to support a charity and community group (kindness & dejunking seems to be a theme at the moment). We had a great day and I discovered something about myself too. 

What I haven't shared before was that when I decided to get rid of one thing a day during Lent I also decided to not purchase anything new either. I didn't want to buy anything that would bring more "stuff" in when I'm working to get "stuff" out. The weird thing is that because of where we were I wandered over to the op shop (which was in the building behind me) and found an awesome dress. It has pockets... so naturally I bought it. It cost $3 which was the change I had after spending $2 to get a hot cuppa because it was freezing cold here in Perth today. Plus TEA!!! In a big mug! Winning!!!

What I didn't remember at the time I bought my new polka dot dress was that I had made this promise to myself NOT buy anything new. I had only wanted to spend my money on food, beverages, experiences and bills. I did not want to buy more STUFF! And even though I love this dress and it was a complete bargain, it was also a completely unconscious and unconsidered decision. Don't get me wrong I'm keeping the dress... after all it has POCKETS!!!! But what I didn't realise was how unconscious my spending has become. 

I will work to be more conscious of what I am actually spending. Of the stuff I am bringing into my life. I will let you know if I slip up again but I hope I don't. 

 Today I'm passing on my old work shirt. Hardly ever warn but excellent at the time. I figure that I haven't warn it in 4 years and I'm unlikely to do so again in the near future. I know that if I really need a high visibility shirt I can get second hand ones for about $5AUD at any of the local opshops. So I'm covered if I need one in the future. 

This shirt could be what some person needs to get or keep a job and earn money. Donating this to charity is providing lots of possibilities for kindness. Kindness for charities or community groups or people who are in need. Kindness is at the foundation of everything I do. I am so blessed to be able to donate some awesome stuff to charity!

It's cool to be kind! :) 

Love Daena x

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Sixteen

Hi everyone, 

So I thought I had successfully posted yesterday's blog at 9 last night but it turns out it didn't post properly. I am so sorry. 

I've been working hard to make sure all of the posts are written, finished off and posted before midnight. Usually earlier if possible. But I am using a new app so sometimes things haven't been going quite to plan. I am getting used to it though. 

Today was all about drying your washing outside. 

 

But it also had the side note of looking after birds. 

The weirdest thing today was that I was in a shopping centre and a pigeon had got itself suck inside. It was super distressed so I did my best to help calm it down and catch it. Even if the last bit failed, when I left the bird was calmer and not flying into Windows. He had found a perch where I couldn't reach even if I wanted to. And nothing I did could have got it down to get it outside. I ended up having to leave it. 

Today is an idea that actually came in the mail today. 

Sustainable Septmeber Day Sixteen: go paperless for bills and statements. 

After receiving a whole bunch of stuff in the mail today I was thinking how silly it was that we are using paper when we can deal with these things online. 

"Paper production is a process that has not changed in over 2000 years. In today’s measures it takes 24 trees to produce one tonne of virgin printer paper but only 25% of each tree is used to produce the paper product. The paper industry is a greedy resource consumer that uses more water to produce a tonne of its product than any other industry. It uses a staggering 90,000 litres of water per tonne of virgin paper." Australian Science 2016 

Each year companies spend billions of dollars sending out bills, newsletters and special offers to its customers on paper. Not only are trees cut down to help make enough paper but there is so much money spent on postage and travel for that letter to end up in your letter box. 

"Everyone must play their part in creating sustainable futures for the world’s commodities. Paper is a huge commodity and is consumed at exorbitant rates as outlined by Forest Ethics‘ recent research. They reported that across the world North America used on average 229kg of paper per capita annually, Western Europe got through 178.7 kilograms, Latin America 43.02, Asia 41 and Africa 7.51 kilograms per person. In Australia we use on average 230kg per person per year. It is clear that the paper industry demands exponential resources to continue to fulfill the demand and if Australia would like to achieve sustainability we must rethink our consumerist ways." Australian Science 2016 

If we can reduce the amount of paper we consume we give our forests and trees a break 

Front Lines: this is a video by the website PayItGreen.org. The video helps to illistrate exactly why you should change to using electronic instead of paper bills, newsletters and statements. 

Kindness idea: place some money in or near a book for them to buy it, take it home and read it. 

 

I love this idea because it's about books and also about paper. To be more environmentally friendly you could do this at a second hand book store or even at an opshop. 

I hope this finds you all well. 

Love Daena X

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Eleven

Hi again Kindness lovers, 

So today was all about OP-SHOPPING!!! Or thrift shopping! And today I got to see the super fancy and super expensive kind and then the not as expensive type. 

 

Now, to explain, I was wandering the hip and with it streets of Canberra today, as its my last full day here. I found some very expensive op shops, think expensive & designer second hand goods! 

Tomorrows idea is another simple switch: 

Buy/use a wooden or bamboo toothbrush. 

I bought some last year, some for me and some for the rest of the family. Whilst they are not to everyone's liking they are much better for the environment. 

I have only just recently thrown my first bamboo toothbrush in the compost and I just love it. 

If you are also looking for a way to get rid of your old plastic toothbrushes consider recycling them. 

Kindness idea: donate toiletries to a local homelessness shelter or emergency relief centre. 

Toiletries are needed by so many places not just the ones mentioned. Because toiletries are used by everyone they are often the first things to go and so lots of charities and community services are always needing more. 

Front Lines: micro-beads in toiletries. 

One thing you might like to know about when you are purchasing your toiletries is plastic micro-beads. 

These are in everything from shampoo to toothpaste. These are really bad for the environment. And get into our waterways and into all types of water creatures. Here is the video from the UK about the micro beads and how and why we need to prevent the use of them in all of our things. 

 

I hope this finds you all well. 

I leave Canberra tomorrow and I have really enjoyed my stay. 

Much love to you all, 

Love Daena 

Sharing my first video for kindness...

hello my lovelies,

So I am keeping as busy as ever!

If you read my last post you know that in February mum and I moved house. So I have been a little chaotic. They say the inside of your house reflects your mental state. So chaotic is a very good description at the moment! hehehe.

When Mum and I moved house into my sister & brother-in-laws house, we basically had 3 houses worth of posessions. I have put aside a bunch of stuff for when i eventally leave the nest. Mum had her little house full of stuff. And also, my sister also had an already full house. So things have been a bit squished.

Recently we have been working to reduce down the large number of "things" in our large combined house. I mean we dont need 3 sets of dining chairs & tables for instance. Mum and I lived in a small house before moving into my sisters, and the move has given us both more and less space. For me there is SOOOOOOOO much more space in the bedroom!!!! And yet we have a lot less in the communal areas.  All 6 of us share the communal areas, which is great for a big family, it means we are always around and communicating with each other! However, when you have at least 2 sets of couches and dining settings and fridges/freezers etc, it can be quite squishee. Hence the reason we have been working to get rid of a bunch of it, to make life easier for all of us.

So how do you turn something you NEED to do into a Kindness?

You give your "stuff" people who need it.

Some of  it is going to a womans shelter. They have very specific needs and wants and we have a trailor full of stuff waiting in the Carport to be taken down the hill to the organisers. The trailor just isnt quite full yet, so i dont want to send it until it is!

So one of the things i did this week (friday actually) was take a huge load of our "junk" to an op-shop. Or as many of you call them, Thrift stores. I love op-shopping! I am sure any one who has read the "Sustainable September" posts, will already know. It is so much fun! :)

Anyway, to share a little bit of what i did, i actually made a video. A VIDEO!!! i know... a bit exciting! So much technology. It has helped that I recently got a new phone so i actually have a decent camera now that goes on adventures with me.

So I hope you liked it.    

I appologise to those who are not native English Speakers. I do talk a bit fast! Sorry!

One of my favourite Kindnesses is Op-shopping. Not only is it recycling clothing and goods and helping the environement but it is also providing services to the community. Often the money that comes from the sales of second hand goods goes to a charity or donated to a good cause. It often gets poured back into the community. Not to mention it is a great place to get rid of your things that are good quality and that have life in them still. It is so much better than throwing them in the rubbish bin/trash.

The little Church run community Op-Shop that i went to has so much for sale at really good prices. They had so many books, hats, crockery, washing baskets, storage tubs, knitting supplies, couches, bookshelves, doggy coats & beds, blankets, plants, clothes (i went back and bought 3 brand named t-shirts for my brother in law and it cost me $6 or $2 each!!!!), plus they have wedding dresses, formal gear, leather jackets, shoes & slippers, bedding... and well a bunch more stuff I mention in the video. and it is so affordable.

I hope you like the video! I wanted to do a "welcome to Daena video-blogging" video... but I havent gotten that far yet, and i couldnt wait to see what you think of this one. It is often hard to capture kindness without it seeming super contrived or intrusive. So i thought an "after-kindness action report" was the best plan!

I hope you like it. If you want to know anything more, or can think of a kindness you would like to see in action, let me know! :)

Love and hugs to you all,
Love Daena

January 28, 2012

Hello hello, 

Well the 28th was an amazing day for me! I got so much done! Most of my work was related to the upcoming Kitchen Tea party for my best friend! 

I went to 3 second hand shops looking for tea pots, cups & saucers, sugar bowls, milk jugs, and pretty plates for the "English garden party morning tea in the high tea style" that I have been preparing for in two weeks time (or there abouts)! 

So I went to the 3 charity op-shops & bought something at each one! Ending up with an amazing array of kitchen tea party wares for $50... Check this out.... 

Or in more detail...

Mum taught me how to stack & pack four cups & saucers into each other so they don't take up as much space! Very grateful for that lesson! Thanks mum!!! 

I also donated a box of books to the first charity shop we went to because they had been sitting in the boot of the car for about a week! :) 

There is still so much to do for these parties... But I just love having the ability to share something! Sadly I can't share much of my preparation about the hens party because I want all those details to be a surprise for my best friend! After all I know she reads this blog from time to time! Hi TJ! :) xxx 

What is the most exciting thing you have found at an op-shop/thrift store/2nd hand shop? 

Luv Daena