Flammaversary Recycling Roundup

Today, we're going to revisit some of the strange things I've made out of garbage. 

Stop me if you've heard this...

I've been into the whole idea of being green for decades, and I really love how crowded the bandwagon has gotten in the last decade. While I'm glad recycling has caught on, I'm even happier that upcycling is now a word and a practice, and there are some amazing ideas out on the net to keep things out of the landfills. Here are a few of mine from the last year:

 An old wreath from the bottom of the closet. Remove the silk sunflowers that have been clinging there since 1993...

...and really go green.

Save your cardboard boxes...

...and organize your office.

Your daughter's stuff is everywhere, you say?

This even enticed a teenaged girl to tidy up.

Grab some unused items...

...and tame the mail every day.

Cast off jars and cheap solar landscape lighting...

add up to some coastal flare.

We also got a garden started...

...with things you may have tossed out.

And THIS furry guy...

 ...now brightens up my desktop.

I used leftover scraps...

...to solve a little insect problem.

We also took those hideous yet necessary beverage koozies...

...and made them into something the visiting teenagers dive for to keep their sodas cold.

Boxes with lids? GRAB them!

 They turn into great clutter stashes.

My husband's caffeine addiction came in very handy...

 ...for brightening a shelf.

 I even dragged the new office into this.

 How's that for a way to store plastic grocery bags?

Admit it, these boxes are really sturdy.

With just a few touches, they're also very functional.

 And you never know when your naughty habits...

...might actually come in handy!

Well how did we do? Did we keep enough stuff out of the garbage while getting this place in shape? I'm reasonably pleased so far.

So far.

We sure aren't done yet!