Two lids make a box!





I was looking for a flat, light-weight box to slip into my handbag to pack a mid-morning snack and was having a hard time finding something. The boxes I found around the house where either too small, too narrow, too heavy or plain impractical. But I had this feeling in me that I could find something customized to suit my needs. It had to be flat, light and slip into my handback without appearing bulky. Also, it had to be wide enough for my fingers to reach in for the nuts, or other such dry foods I might have packed for the day.





One day, playing around with the tub of plastic storage containers, my eyes feel upon the Folgers instant coffee jar lids I had collecting in the back of the cabinet in a tall clear glass vase. I took one of the instant coffee bottle lids out and in a 'aha' moment started to see if there was any thing that might work as a lid for it. After numerous tries, the one that fit perfectly was the white plastic lid from a Precious brand ricotta cheese tub. It snapped on easily, and was secure. I loved the look of it. The mustard yellow coffee lid and the white cheese tub lid made a perfect, round, flat and lightweight box that slipped easily in the middle section of my bag. The coffee lid was wide enough to get at the food without problems. The cheese-tub lid snapped on and off easily. Above all, it was a heady feeling of giddiness that I had customized, repurposed and created something to address my specific need.




Creativity, thou art, divine.

Creative expression in everyday living......December 5, 2008

Creative expression in everyday living......September 28, 2007



Check out the link below... it is a totally awesome way for reusing plastic grocery bags and garbage bags. It is clear and well made. Thank you for sharing this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB1mE8e35UY

This is the rvgreen way, yeah!!

April 22, 2207........Earth Day 2007........"creative expression in everyday living".... a tribute to the planet.

I am trying to count the number of ways I am switching to non-powered gadgets around the house. The list is small for now, but I am pleased with these small contributions. For years now we have used a clothesline for clothes drying. This would have to be a more than a small contribution I would have to say. I like this method and have become used to it, infact even during inclement weather such as this weekend, we have a system in place in the garage where the clothes can be suspended from a high bar. And to get the hangers up so high I have a nifty little rod that is to be used for opening the water valve outside ones home. What a great value! A steel rod that has a "u" prong on one end fits the hangers neatly in it and enables me to get the hangers onto the rod high above in the garage. And this steel "u" rod cost me some three bucks from the local hardware store. I have used it countless times and it is not going to break down anytime soon, no need for power cords and recharging batteries etc with this gadget. It feels cool to find an alternate use for this water valve opener.

Another switch was when we got ourselves a push mower. I feel happy that while our little lawn is being manicured, we are not spewing emissions into the yard.

In the kitchen there are a couple of non-electric gadgets of which I am particularly proud. One is the lowly stone mortar and pestle. I tell you, nothing like a bit of hard rock to pulverize the pepper. All it takes is a little bit of toasting of spices to dry them out a bit, and the stone pestle does the rest; aromatic spices powdered to the right amount, no more no less. Infact I have a mini collection of mortar and pestles. The first one came from India, a flat stone with a rounded second piece. This is actually called a "ammi" with a stone rolling pin. Very useful gadget, comes in all sizes. I have a cute, portable one. I usually place it on a folded towel on the counter and roll the stone rolling pin to do the grinding or powdering. Then I have a stainless steel one, this is a true mortar and pestle, with a cup base and long pounding stick. Also quite useful. The third one that is well used in our kitchen is this piece from Indonesia.....Oh, I could sing the praises of this one for ever and ever. What a fun piece. The base is like a shallow stone bowl and the top piece is this ergonomically shaped stone piece that is angled so it fits in your hand just so. I love this set. It is small, portable and organic. Powder peppers and coriander seeds or smash ginger and garlic, it can do the dry thing or the wet thing. I am firmly convinced every kitchen needs a mortar and pestle. You don't need to turn on a mini blender and waste electricity.

One more gadget that has never been used in our house is the electric can opener. We still have the hand cranking one and it has worked out beautifully.

I read in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday about a hand cranked washing machine. I am very curious to see how effective this is. Called the WonderWash it is selling for $42.95 and according to the Chronicle it is surprisingly effective in cleaning clothes. I would like to hear if anyone has had similar experience with the WonderWash. If this a good non-electric gadget, what a neat invention. But for now I am happy to don on a pair of blue gloves and sink my hands into a dishpan for soapy laundry water to tackle the hand washables. Or I might consider building a "stone" clothes washing block like the kind they use in other countries in my backyard. How fun and practical would that be and of course it will be work, but imagine you and your laundry bonding on the clothes block!

This is all for today, till next time let me bid you "creative living."

April 9, 2007........."Creative expression in everyday living"..........being the theme I chose to live by, I am remembering a couple of things that have worked out. Now that it is spring, the winter jasmine is blooming madly. The delicate fragrance from delicate white flowers are haunting somehow, what memories do they evoke? I can't say, but that fragrance is evocative.

Anyhow, before the poet in me comes out, I want to come to the point of creative expression. I collect the jasmine flowers and string them into leis or garlands. I find this very enjoyable, somewhat therapeutic as well as a great reflective time work. My fingers mechanically do the stringing and my mind wanders about the issues at hand. I have gone through a number of white string rolls. I have balanced the string here, there and everywhere so that the ball or roll of string will not take off from me. Finally it hit me, why not put the string in a container and have the thread dangling over the side? Again a few trials with this container and that paper bag. Finally my eyes fell on a beautiful Waterford crystal given to us. It is a good size, shaped like a tulip flower and gorgeous cut glass. It is a beautiful piece of craftmanship. Anyhow, stringing yarn now rests inside the Waterford bowl. It looks elegant and I am using it, rather than just having it sit in the china cabinet. That is a creative expression, using something for another purpose.

It is funny that because I did this I was reminded that I have another little candle holder, again a cut-glass crystal and you know what I use it for? Not for holding votive candles, but as a pen holder on my work surface! It looks elegant, classy and best of all it has my touch. Oh, and the work surface, you won't believe what it is. It is none other than the baby grand piano which sits in one corner of the living room. It has a soft cotton table cloth on it and is the perfect height for me. I love to stand and do my work. It tires me out the least amount I find. So on the baby grand piano surface, sits my Harrods candle holder, which acts as my pen holder! Oh my, I find another thoughthas come to mind. The thing I use as the mail holder is actually a silver coated toast holder from Pottery Barn.

So picture this if you will, a Baldwin baby grand table, with a Pottery Barn toast holder, a Harrods of London crystal candle holder as a pen holder and a Royal Doulton Old Country Roses flower vase as a receipt keeper. I love my little office space!!!

April 4, 2007....."creative expression in everyday living"..... I mean to live by this motto.

Today's creativity came about in the idea that I could use a duppata as a seat cushion in the library. The library chairs are just a tad low for me. A folded duppata offers the comforts of softness and the much needed inch or two for good posture. Yeah!

I like newspapers. Reading the paper in the morning is a routine ritual. Glancing at the headlines, the main section and skimming over to the comics, perusing the business section are all morning staples along with a good cup of coffee, brewed Indian style. Nothing beats a good filter brew, of course. I use a Melitta cone as the filter. What is great is the paper cone and dregs become a rich addition to the compost bin.

Going back to the newspaper, how many ways can a paper be used? This is the question. I have a compost cube made out of newspaper of course. The compost cube sits on my kitchen counter and readily collects organic discards all day long. And when it gets full, it goes, you guessed it, into the compost, cube and all. I am so glad for publications like the Wall Street Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle. I have found them the perfect size for making my compost cube!

This is all for today, till next time, live creatively.

It was interesting to make pomegranate juice at home. What a process! Peeling the fruit and taking out the segments was the most time consuming. But in keeping with organic processes, I spread out a section of the newspaper on the table and did the peeling there. At the end of it, all that needed to be done was to gather up the paper and take the whole bundle to the compost. I felt a sense of dejavu with the Reynolds aluminium foil commercial!

The juicing process was not complex, a good Cuisinart blender did the trick and the color was simply gorgeous. A rich, strong majenta. The taste was lip puckering, cheek-sucking-in tart; but a little bit of sugar went a long way in neutralizing the tartness.

And at the end of it all, my heart was delighted to add the ground up fruit mush to the compost. I don't know who is more happy, me or the wrigglers in the compost bed at this moist addition. Oh, the simple pleasures of life.

On a recent trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, I bought a bunch of berry twigs at the famous Hay Market to dress up a room. The corkscrew willow has rooted in the water and it will get planted today. Today is the day to propogate some jasmine runners, plant the willow and get pots ready for banana transplants. I love plant propogation, something beautiful about seeing new life spring forth.

So, I am off to plant-propogate and till next time,
rvgreen?

Hello Again,
Loooong time no post. This will have to be changed. But I am happy about many things, one thing in particular. It is raining; the soft, drizzly misting of the first winter rains and this makes me happy. Why? My garden is getting a free watering, that's why! The newly transplanted "murunkai" plants should like that. The whole yard looks hydrated with the rains and I feel happy to think the leaf pile will start to compost pretty soon. Here's one more thing to be added to the list of much loved "free" things. I do like things that are free and good for me and my space. Can't beat el sol for the heat and la lluvia for water.

Here is another idea I gathered from skimming through a knitting magazine - plastic bags can be used as yarn to knit with. How cool is that! I haven't tried it yet myself, but it resonates with my philosophy of reuse and recreate. It is always nice to be able to use an object in another way from its original intended purpose, thereby getting more value out of it.

So long for now, and until next time ask yourself rvgreen?