VeggieTotes | Fresh totes and an absurd love for kale

Laundry Hack: How to Make an Upcycled Clothesline

April 5, 2013 9:04 am , anne

clothesline wound up and secured with a twist tie

So you’ve been traveling, camping, you were caught in the rain, or maybe you’re just committed to handwashing your underpants??… but either way, you need some place to hang these damp duds and flinging them all over the dining room chairs is not an option. You’re in a pinch – what do you do? Make a clothesline.

You know that plastic grocery bag that you just used to tote your camping snacks? It’s about to get upcycled. MacGyver style. This is a simple hack and it will give you about 8 feet of clothesline. All you need is a plastic bag, a pair of scissors (ideal), or a knife (not ideal, but definitely more MacGyver). I came up with this idea when I was shooting photos for my post on making a crocheted hand bag out of recycled shopping bags. Here I’d created the plastic yarn for the photos, but as I don’t crochet, I had no use for it. Upcycle fail!

But fret not, my enviro-savvy friends, I didn’t chuck that baby out with the bathwater. Since we’re traveling, we always have a pair of newly washed underpants to hang, so voilà! This plastic yarn had a purpose after all. And it’s much lighter and easier to find than regular clothesline. It’s kind of a perfect travel laundry solution.

The process is simple and you can see step-by-step photos here.

Lay the bag flat.
Cut off the handles and the bottom seam.
Cut the bag horizontally into 2-inch strips – which will be loops.
Link the loops together to form a chain.
Pro Tip: Tie additional knots along the line (this makes the loops shorter and keeps the line from getting tangled).
Hang it between a couple of hooks.
Hang your underpants on it.

Step 7 is very important. If you don’t hang your underpants on it, it’s just not a clothesline.

Here’s the clothesline in action. No, you don’t get to see my underpants.

This line is pretty sturdy, though it’s not built for several years of use. Couple this with a door hook or a set of suction cups, and you’re good to go. Another nice feature is that you can adjust your length just by tying knots. If you need the line to be a little shorter, tie a knot and and hook that to your post. You can also add to the length of this line by incorporating loops from another plastic bag.

In this photo, you see I’m hanging my fleece and a pair of athletic pants. The clothesline had no trouble with this load. I could easily add 4 more wet shirts and still be confident in this line’s durability.

So there you have it! A fast, cheap, light, waterproof, semi-durable, easy-to-make, upcycled, clothesline. And if you find you don’t need its services anymore, you can always crochet a handbag out of it.

Posted in: Upcycling Projects

From Blight to Delight: Upcycling from Grocery Bag to Hand Bag

March 26, 2013 9:28 am , anne

Got a lot of plastic bags? Who doesn’t? Even if you try really hard not to collect them, somehow, they tend to breed in the corners of kitchens. If you’re not down with the carbon footprint required to recycle those bags, and you refuse to throw them in the trash, fret not! You have another option: upcycle that urban tumbleweed fodder by crocheting them into a reusable shopping tote.

That’s right. I said crochet.

It had been a long time since I had spoken with my middle school friend Cara. Sometimes life happens and all of a sudden it has been 20 years… Whoa! So when I finally did catch up with her, I was tickled to find out that she had been busy repurposing those ridiculous plastic shopping bags from urban blight into stylish and earth-savvy handbags. She started doing this years ago in college as an art student looking for free supplies. At the time, carrying one’s own shopping bag was pretty much unheard of, so with every trip to the grocery store, there were more free art supplies.

Cara says what makes these crocheted bags really great (aside from the obvious positive environmental impact) is that they’re surprisingly durable. She has had some of her bags for 7 years and despite regular use, they’re really no worse for the wear. “They do last forever, those darn plastic bags,” she told me with a sigh.

Crocheting Your Own Handbag

A quick Google search will yield a few great patterns for you to follow (ex: pattern 1 and pattern 2). Most patterns require an existing knowledge of crocheting. So instead of recreating that content, I wanted to share with Cara’s pro tips on how to take your handbag project up a notch with finishing touches and then get you off to a good start with her recommended method for turning your bags into yarn.

Upcycled Plastic Handbags of Cara Taylor

Getting Stylish: Choose Your Colors

Cara says, when it comes to design, it’s really the color that steals the show. Her experience is that her best handbags were the ones that she planned the colors for in advance. So get connected and ask the people in your community for all of their plastic bags. They’ll love that you’re handling their recycling problem and you get access to lots of different colors.

Choose Your Texture

If you stop to pay attention, you’ll notice that certain stores use thin bags while others use thicker bags. You’ll want your project to have a consistent type of plastic the whole way through.

Add Accessories

Some finishing touches that Cara really enjoyed adding were magnetic clasps and zippers. All of the bags she made came two little beads with her initials sewn in — an excellent and creative way to add a little personalization. You can also affix flowers or other little found plastic items to make your handbag even more uniquely yours.

Getting Started

Making Yarn from a Plastic Bag
You will need a good movie and 40-50 plastic bags. Get yourself a good stockpile before you start cutting. So why the movie? Why not. This is going to take a while. You might as well get in your pajamas too.

The standard method of making yarn is to cut the handles and the bottom seam off of each bag and then cut along the bag in a spiral creating a long strip that’s about 2” wide. But that takes a while and leaves you with thin, 1-ply yarn and bulky knots. Instead, use Cara’s pro tip method: after cutting the top and the bottom of the bag, cut horizontal strips in the bag to make loops. You then knot the two loops together.

1. Lay the bag out flat

2. Cut off the top and bottom edges.

3. Fold into even quarters lengthwise.

4. Cut 1.5″ – 2″ strips

5. Open the strips up into rings.

6. Loop the rings together.

7. Pull one end of loop 1 through the other end of loop 1 to form a knot.

8. Pull snugly into knots.

9. Repeat many many times.

So hopefully you’re feeling inspired and ready to set off on your own crocheting adventure! Let me know how your handbags turn out — I’d love to see what you create!

Big thanks to my friend Cara for sharing her insight and the images of some of her handbags. With many many crocheted handbags under her belt, she has refocused her creative energies on ceramics. You can find her hand built one-of-a-kind porcelain wares on carataylor.com.

Posted in: Upcycling Projects , Tagged: crocheting, plastic bags, plastic yarn

Have some plastic scraps? There’s a use for that!

March 15, 2013 9:22 am , anne

fused plastic tote bags

A few years ago when I made the leap to eliminating plastic produce and shopping bags from my grocery shopping experience, I was feeling quite nice about that until I got home and started to unpack my groceries. As I pulled each new prepared food out of my bag, I couldn’t help but notice more and more plastic! Tortilla chips, bread, toilet paper, cheese, and even my tea was shrink-wrapped. Sigh. Thankfully I don’t have an obsessive personality, or I may have been ruminating on this endlessly: how do I stop buying plastic altogether?

That’s not an easy undertaking. Even the company I use to print my CSA Veggie Memory Game just came out with shrink-wrapping as a new bonus feature. Mother Nature Network has a great article on ways to reduce plastic consumption, but let’s face it, plastic a tough one to avoid.

So what’s an earth-savvy girl to do? Hoard these little bits of plastic in my closet? Um, no. That’s not going to happen. Hoard these little bits of plastic in my husband’s closet? Maybe…

Thank goodness Daphna Jindrich has a better solution. One afternoon when my husband and I were helping some friends to lay the foundation for a living wall, we learned of an art gallery in town where all of the art was upcycled — and most of it out of plastic. I had to go talk to this person, and this person was Daphna.

For several years now, Daphna has been tackling the plastic problem. One of the first things she told me about herself and her gallery was “oh, and we don’t have plastic bags here,” as she kind of knowingly smirked and pointed to the newspaper and twine bags she created for people to tote home their purchases. Ha ha! Of course. She took me on a detailed tour of her gallery in Todos Santos, Mexico, starting with the crosses and wooden boxes she’s covered with bits of old magazine pages. Then she showed me her collection of clothing and handbags — all of which she had sewn from used clothing or other upcycled fabrics. And all of which had tags to explain they were part of her contribution to the Unconsumption movement.

And then the main attraction, the work I had come to see: the fused plastic. So what’s fused plastic? Well, it’s what you get when you layer a bunch of plastic and apply heat. The end product can be sewn and handled very similarly to cloth. In Daphna’s work, she’s layered the plastic and then backed it with some upcycled fabric to create handbags and shopping bags. They’re sturdy, quirky, and totally green. You know that big mess of plastic you get after you unwrap an 8-pack of toilet paper? That’s some of her favorite stuff to work with. If you’d like to try some fused plastic projects at home, Daphna has this advice:

Use an old iron
Use an old brown paper bag (cut open and laid flat) for your top and bottom surfaces (between the plastic and the table and the plastic and your iron)
Do this outside or in a well-ventilated area
Move the iron quickly and keep circling back — don’t stay in one place too long or you’ll get melt wrinkles

Daphna is not alone in her fused plastic efforts. Companies like Holstee also offer some fused plastic products. My husband bought a wallet from them over a year ago and it’s still one of his favorite things he’s purchased because it is upcycled and because it is absolutely unique. If you want a good way to tear through some of your plastic waste this weekend, make yourself a messenger bag! These folks can help to show you how.

So how safe is this? Good question. Right now there isn’t any solid information available about the toxicity of this craft. Some say if you merely fuse and don’t melt, you’re okay. Others say only good ventilation is necessary. And those theories might be true, but I urge you to use your noggin and get clear on potential risks before you dive in. And as always, if you decide to get crafty, please share! I’d love to see your work!

Some photos from Daphna’s gallery and shop

: shopping bags made from newspapers and magazines

: upcycled magazine paper

: upcycled magazine paper

: close up of upcycled magazine paper

: part of the movement to buy less and upcycle more

: a clutch made from upcycled magazine paper

Posted in: Upcycling Projects , Tagged: fusing plastic, mexico, todos santos, upcycling plastic bags

Birds were definitely harmed in the making of this film

March 6, 2013 8:54 am , anne

Birds were definitely harmed in the making of this film, but not at the hands of the people making the film. Warning: this is a tough trailer to watch. Though you may have already seen it other places, I really needed to post it here on veggietotes.com because this gets to the core of the reason as to why I’m making reusable shopping bags: to have less trash in the world and to build awareness of what “disposable” actually means.

When we buy things that are not biodegradable and then throw them in the trash, they end up in 4 places: a landfill, the ocean, burnt and then as carcinogens in the air, or simply just blowing around the streets (which is most likely, sadly, the best option).

Out-of-sight may be out-of-mind, but it does not mean out-of-impact. This trailer will show you exactly, quite graphically, what it means to have ocean animals eating our trash. Specifically, we’re seeing the effects of caps from plastic bottles ending up in birds’ stomachs. And I love it brokenheartedly because it is so evident. It is very sad, frightening even. So to move forward from these sad images I decided that I will take some strides starting today and this week to further reduce my consumption of non-biodegradables. Here are some of my ideas:

In honor of this movie, I will promise to use bar soap and bar shampoo instead of liquid
Buy or make my own reusable bags for produce shopping
Buy fresh bread without a bag
Reduce my processed/packaged foods intake by 1/2 (pretzels, tortilla chips, granola bars, yogurt) and learn how to either cut them out of my consumption habits, replace them with non-packaged or biodegradable versions (liquid hand soap -> bar soap, liquid laundry soap -> powder or bar laundry soap), or make them myself out of non-packaged versions (salsa).
Before buying a non-biodegradable thing (bread in a plastic bag, a new phone, a pair of flip flops), stop to think about how it will be used next and how many times it can be used before it becomes trash — then question: do I really need this thing?
Watch my trash reflexes: before throwing something in the trash or recycle bin, think about 1) how this object came to be, 2) how to prevent having this object again, 3) how to repurpose this object instead of chucking it

That looks like a lot to take on in a week, but I’m game! I’d love to hear what ideas you have and what things you have found are working for your lifestyles.

More info on the movie Midway can be found on their website.

Posted in: Environment , Tagged: birds, eating trash, Midway Island, North Pacific Ocean, Sea birds, trash

Best shower idea since… the shower

March 4, 2013 7:43 pm , anne

This little gem runs around $5 but will save you loads of water.

My husband and I have been traveling in Central and Latin America where water is scarce and drinking water is even more so. Along the way, I’ve noticed that it has been a lot easier to conserve water in these places than it has been for me ever in the US. Though there are several reasons why, a big one is having a shower with only one knob. So this morning I was pondering how to easily retrofit such a thing for people who are stuck with a cumbersome multi-knob shower system like this when I saw the little valve that was posted on Give A Shit About Nature’s Facebook page. Voila! Problem solved.

Quite frankly I got a little giddy. This is such an easy way to save lots of water — and it’s under $5 to buy and install. The concept is simple. You turn the valve to on, then turn on your shower as you normally do: adjusting the temperature and water pressure until it is just right. Once you’re wet, you just turn off this valve. All of your shower settings stay the same while you lather, then you just turn the valve back on again to rinse. Depending on how your shower works, you may have saved a gallon or two of safe clean drinking water from just running down your drain while you were rubbing soap in your armpits and shampoo in your hair. And to those of you who shave your legs in the shower like I do — wow would this little valve save a lot of water!

Now, I have not used this specific model, as I only just discovered it this morning, so I cannot vouch for its quality. But I love the idea. And frankly, as that Facebook page’s name suggests, I do give a shit about nature and I do give a shit about having safe, clean water to drink (trust me, bad things happen when you don’t!). So I would love to hear feedback from the rest of you who have used one of these valves. Is it awesome? What would you change? What would make it easier to use and what would make it more attractive for people to use so that conserving water becomes convenient?

Posted in: Conservation , Tagged: conserve shower water, shower valve, water conservation

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint One Recipe at a Time

February 18, 2013 10:28 am , anne

Vegan Lemon Oregano Marinated Mushroom Salad by The Coral Room’s executive chef Jon Haverland – Photo by Heather Smith

You know when you leave a restaurant after having an amazing dish and you think to yourself “oh man! I have to figure out how to make this at home”? Well now you can, and it’s easier than you think.

Oh and one more thing: it’s all local. The restaurant, the recipe, and all of the ingredients. The average piece of food travels 1,500 miles from its origin to your plate. That’s crazy! What a carbon footprint! Environmental impact is just one of the reasons why eating local foods is a really good idea. Another reason: they’re delicious.

Starting earlier this winter, the folks at ColoradoLocalFirst.com have been connecting people like you and me directly into the minds and kitchens of local food producers and chefs in Colorado through their recipe card project. When the year is through, there will be a complete set of about 17 local recipes. This means all of the ingredients have traveled no more than 300 miles – and most of them only travel about 75 miles from their Colorado origins to your plate. Take that national average of 1,500 miles!

One of my favorite ways to connect with people is through food, so this project is really exciting to me. And well, Vegan Lemon Oregano Marinated Mushroom Salad by The Coral Room’s executive chef Jon Haverland is pretty exciting too.

So where do you find these awesome recipes? You can pick them up in the participating markets and restaurants (recommended!), at the ColoradoLocalFirst.com office, or you can buy them online.

To those of you who don’t live in Colorado, don’t fret! You can still indulge in some culinary magickry if you swap out the ingredients for local ones. For example, the Allgood Amber Ale Fondue and Spicy Bison Sausage recipe by Sean Boutot of Denver’s own Appaloosa Grill rocks some awesome local beer, local sausage, local bread, and local cheese. Make it your mission to track down those same ingredients at your local markets. And then after that, invite me over for dinner. Buen provecho! And enjoy a delicious meal with a tiny carbon footprint.

Posted in: Carbon Footprint , Tagged: carbon footprint, local food, locavore

Hot Off the Presses and Onto Your Table

October 24, 2012 11:30 am , anne

Though I’m a vegetable lover by heart, I’m a graphic designer by trade and projects never quite seem real until I get to see them in all of their sparkling printed glory. Oh Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, you come together so beautifully some times… but I digress.

So yesterday was particularly exciting when I went out to the mailbox and — lo and behold — the proof for our new CSA Box Veggie Memory Game had arrived! Hooray!

I scampered back up to our apartment, plopped myself on the floor, and immediately started laying out a grid for my first game of memory in a long time. And of course, flipping over each new card that didn’t match was just as much fun for me because I got to see my happy little vegetable cards realized — from pixels to print. Aww. Hello there parsnips. You’re looking lovely with your little green border.

So as of today, officially, the CSA Box Veggie Memory Game is available for purchase through thegamecrafter.com. I plan to bring mine to Thanksgiving dinner so that after we eat, the very diversely opinionated 12 of us can all still sit around the table and talk without needing to delve into the hyperbolic details of that impending election. Yikes!

Posted in: About VeggieTotes , Tagged: avoiding politics at thanksgiving, thanksgiving activities, thanksgiving activities for children, vegetable memory game

Fresh Totes and an Absurd Love for Kale

October 13, 2012 1:37 pm , anne

At the market on Carson Street in Pittsburgh. The next day, I roasted some kolhrabi. Photo by Rainer Henri.

I have loved bags since I was a small child. “Baggie Annie” they’d called me as I dragged around my tiny red suitcase with my “Goin’ to Grandma’s” tote full of Barbies inside. This was a daily occurrence regardless of any trips to Grandma’s house. Of course I’m going to grow up to do something with bags.

And that’s why you’re reading a post on VeggieTotes.com. It’s kind of a cataclysm of my love of vegetables, my unexplainable attraction to bags, and my utter disgust of plastic bag waste. It just sort of happened one afternoon when my husband and I decided that there simply weren’t enough people proclaiming their love for fresh, organic, local food – via tote bags. There can never be enough ways for all of us to shout from the rooftops just how much we love kale. Frankly, I’m not sure rooftop shouting would earn you the envy of your fellow veg shoppers, but I’ll bet one of these bags will. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the market.
Sincerely,

Anne “I love people who love beets” Richardson

Posted in: About VeggieTotes , Tagged: fresh produce, grocery, reusable shopping bags, tote bags